Boqueria

A must if you're in or around the Battersea area - Boqueria was recommended to me by a Spanish friend, so I knew it was going to be good! The food is excellent - and I love that it's brought to you as it's ready and not all at once, so you know it's not been sitting for a while. I'd highly recommend ordering the calamares, the brie and ham toasts and the pork with apple sauce and lemon sorbet. All of these dishes were delicious. The staff were a little slow, but it didn't affect our visit too much.

Boqueria Market on Queenstown Road is the second branch of Boqueria, a Spanish tapas restaurant group. I visited the original Boqueria on Acre Lane in Brixton about 18 months ago and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The food was fresh and wholesome and the service was lovely. So once again I found myself south of the river to discover what Boqueria Market had to offer.

Boqueria Market is a really smart looking restaurant. The setting is intimate and the lighting is soft. The restaurant feels relaxed, yet there is a buzzy vibe to it that makes for an engaging dining experience. The menu is similar to the Acre Lane branch and includes a selection of traditional and contemporary tapas as well as a lovely variety of Spanish wines and sherries.

We began our meal with the premium jamón ibérico puro bellota  (acorn-fed pure breed Iberico ham - large plate for £18). This was delicious with an intensely sweet flavour and earthy, nutty overtones. The pieces of fat running through the jamón were delicious too, with a melting, soft quality.

We called upon other favourites, these being the croquetas with Iberian ham and chicken (£5.20) and the tortilla Española (£4.90). The croquetas were really nicely done with a love crispy crumb coating and a flavoursome creamy filling. The tortilla was also tasty. It delivered a reasonable flavour, but it had been reheated so had lost some of its vibrancy.

Our seafood choices included calamari with alioli (£7.30) which was delicious. The calamari was tender and the batter was light and crispy.  We also enjoyed the gambas al ajillo (£7.90), king prawns with garlic, piquillo peppers and olive oil. The prawns themselves were a little soft in texture, but they produced a nice flavour, and the garlic olive oil was decadent and garlic-y. With a hit of chilli, it was exactly as it should have been.

From the meats, and the suckling pig (£8.90) was superbly done as the meat was wonderfully tasty and moist. Best of all it was so tender that it cut like soft butter. It didn’t come with any crackling, but I’d rather no crackling then bad crackling.  As accompaniments were some crunchy sweet potato crisps and an apple sauce and lemon sorbet. The dish needed some acidity to cut through the rich fattiness of the pork, so apple and lemon were a good choice. However, the sorbet was extremely cold, and the contrast between the heat of the pork and the coldness of the sorbet didn’t work.

The least successful dish of the evening was the beef tenderloin with foie gras and Pedro Ximenez on toasted bread (£7.80). I tried this at the Acre Lane branch and there it was delicious. Here we found the beef to be chewy and bland. The foie gras was tasty, but ultimately this dish didn’t quite come together.

Our final savoury dish was the arroz negro (£9.80), squid ink rice with mussels and prawns. This was an accomplished effort. The rice had a nice bite to it and the top layer of the dish was slightly crunchy. There was also a good depth to the squid ink stock although it was a touch fishy. But what detracted most from the dish was the over seasoning. It was very salty, and with a slight adjustment to the seasoning this would be a much improved dish.

To desserts, and the churros with hot chocolate sauce (£5) was ok. Thicker churros would have yielded a gooier centre which would have made them more satisfying. Without doubt, the mascarpone cheesecake with raspberry coulis (£4.60) was our preferred pudding of the evening. The filling was creamy and smooth with a fabulous biscuit base. Technically, the base was too thick, but it was buttery and crunchy with a hint of salt in it that made it really moreish and intensely satisfying. We enjoyed the cheesecake, so much so we had to order a second portion.

There’s a lot to like about Boqueria Market. Although some of the cooking missed the mark, on the whole the dishes were really tasty and enjoyable. The pricing is reasonable, and with the relaxed service and ambient feel, Boqueria Market makes for a decent tapas destination. Boqueria Market offers good comfort cooking and it is a nice addition for Queenstown Road.

A new branch of Boqueria opened recently on Queenstown Road in a prime spot near Battersea Park. It’s as much a deli, serving lunchtime treats to local workers, as a more formal tapas restaurant. Boqueria Battersea – new branch on Queenstown Road with roadside seating On completing our D.I.Y. shopping chores (yawn) the other Saturday morning in a hired zip car, we spontaneously decided to delay doing said D.I.Y., in favour of trying a take-away tapas lunch from Boqueria Market. A scorching hot day, this new branch was busy, with all five (circa) of the outdoor tables occupied. Now this branch is beautifully done out but those outdoor tables are still on traffic-heavy Queenstown Road and Battersea Park Road… Indoors, some customers were sitting in the deli area on high stools having a leisurely lunch and cocktails, and a few were dining in the restaurant at the back. All looked to be relaxed and enjoying themselves.

Had dinner with relatives. Actually the main dish size and the tapas size is not that different so best to order different tapas instead because you can try more things for less money. But overall food is well seasoned but the serving is too little for the main dish in my opinion.

The most fabulous restaurant we’ve visited in a while. The staff are wonderful & nothing is too much trouble. Really lovely vibe here. Very talented chef & every dish we tried was outstanding. Just myself & husband went on the first evening, we loved it so much, we went back the following evening as a party of 6. Everybody thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Can’t wait to visit again when next in London

I recently dined at Boqueria and was thoroughly impressed by both the exquisite cuisine and the impeccable service. The menu showcased a variety of innovative Spanish dishes, blending bold flavors and beautiful presentation. The attentive and knowledgeable staff ensured that our meal was a memorable one, providing excellent recommendations and ensuring our satisfaction. I can’t recommend Boqueria enough for a fantastic dining experience.

I recently had my birthday lunch at Boqueria and enjoyed the meal so much. The food and the service were excellent & we were made to feel very welcome. Loved the churros!

Decent food but some of the flavour combinations didn't really work. Very nice atmosphere.