Toro Gordo

Influenced by Japan but with a strong Spanish feel, Toro Gordo is an interesting little place. It's hard to compare Toro Gordo to any of the tapas restaurants I visited during my tour as it's so different. Spanish flavours fill the food menu and Latin and Asian cocktails invite you into a happy state. The walls in the bathrooms are plastered with Manga comic book strips, while the main restaurant space features red-tinted lighting, real plants and old wood that was a big feature in places such as Drakes Tobanco and Barrica.

Situated in the heart of Hammersmith, Toro Gordo does stand out a little. The small restaurant bustles with music and chatter while the quiet street outsides seems awfully grey by comparison. Once you enter the building there is a sense of being transported to another place with the rich smells of chorizo and roasted meats in the air. The cocktail bar seats around 10 people despite its small size and is notably rammed with bottles from across the world. The main restaurant features tables around the edges with a single circular table in the middle, plus a token plant separating the bar area from the restaurant. 

Based on our recent Tapas Tour, we were excited the see the menu. The Toro Gordo menu is more of the tapas styles I ate in Spain with lots of meat and oil based dishes. Starting with a cocktail each, we ordered: croquettes, gambas pil pil, huevos rotos, pulpo al toro, Alcachofas, and chorizo plus a Malaga Breeze, sake mojito, a glass of Otoñal tinto (the house red) and a glass of Venta Morales.

Our dishes arrived in succesion; as one finish another magically appeared which as they were mostly piping hot gives a hats off to the chef. The cocktails were refreshing but deadly as the taste of alcohol was very light. My Malaga Breeze was very sweet and came topped with a fresh strawberry, while Alex's mojito with sake was a fresh take on the classic drink.

Croquettes

Filled with spinach and nuts so this dish was for Alex. They were freshly cooked and piping hot with a bursh of saltiness from the cheese. The spinach gave an earthy notes and the code another hit of saltiness. Served with a pungent garlic mayo.

Gambas pil pil

The dish is very warm with four large, juicy prawns in a rich sauce. The sauce is a base of garlic, thyme and white wine boiled down into a thick glaze then dusted with paparika for heat. The prawns are deviened and really fresh tasting.

Huevos rotos con foie

Although I would have liked more liver on the dish, it felt a little like a Spanish egg and chips which was fun. I would have also preferred the sun dried tomatoes cut up and it is quite hard to cut.

Pulpo al toro

This dish of octopus with guacamole was actually cold which was surprising. The texture of the ocotopus was great but the dish was incredibly salty which was a shame.

Alcachofas

I love artichokes and this dish was a true celebration of this unique vegetable. The sauce was lovely and fresh with a bright green finish. The dish didn't need the tomatoes so I didn't eat these.

Chorizo

This dish was exceptionally oily but deep and rich in flavour. I used these chunks of sausage to top bread and the oily residue was great for mopping up!

Overall my experience of Toro Gordo was fantastic. We received great service throughout from the knowledgable and international team. There are strong Spanish notes of paparika, garlic and olive oil throughout which gave the meal a lovely roundness. We completed our meal with an espresso martini spiked with Creme de Catalunya - I seriously reccomend it!

Spanish bar and restaurant Toro Gordo brings piquant panache to West London. I had a fantastic time tasting my way through its menu of contemporary and stylishly presented tapas and reckon if you’re in the area you could do a lot worse. Indeed, for drinky drinks and scrumptious nibbles with a convivial vibe that’s just a short stroll away from Hammersmith Tube (not to mention Ravenscourt Park) you’d be hard pressed to find a better venue. No bull!

Dishes I especially loved included the croquettes (which were made with prawn and spinach on the day I visited) and the Pulp al Toro (sliced octopus on a bed of house guacamole, £7.5). Signature dish Tataki de Atun (marinated tuna served with tobiko roe, wasabi mayonnaise and sprouts, £8) was a treat as well while the nicely priced house tortilla (£3.50) could have been proudly served by any ama de casa.

The cocktail menu intrigued (and is supposedly a real draw), but I kept with wine during my visit. Two Spanish reds – Venta Morales (£6 by the glass, £20 for a bottle) and Tarima Monastrell (£6.50 by the glass, £22.50 for a bottle) – were punchy and pleasant.

Service was delightful and expeditious. I liked the ‘beach shack industrial chic’ (my own words there) look of the place.

Loved it. Had black rice paella style dish, waiter suggested the option. Also the staff was insightful about the wine too. They change menu often thus seek advice from waiters. Will definitely come back as food was good and priced fairly.

We came for dinner on a Wednesday night and tried the red wine sangria, cheese, oyster mushrooms, calamari, lamb and rib Eye. All of it was delicious! The service was also amazing, and the interior was done up so nicely! I’m already looking forward to coming again.

Absolutely amazing customer service by Miguel! Great fresh food and ambience. We have wanted to come here since many years, could only make it last night on my birthday eve. Worth the wait. Would highly recommend.

I went with 4 friends after lockdown. Lovely tapas restaurant, great service (very attentive staff - although they had time for us as it was just us there - they had just reopened after lockdown). Tasty dishes, I particularly liked the calamari and the starters were great. Price is OK, especially if you’re sharing amongst several people. Good red wine. The setting is cosy and lovely, as you’ll see in the pictures. I really recommend going!

Very cozy and romantic atmosphere. Delicious food, each dish having its own distinctive flavours. Totally yummy Rosemary and cherry Gin&Tonic. And the service was very warm and friendly. Oh yeah, the toilet had anime posters all over the walls, cute... We found this restaurant by accident while looking for somewhere to have a lunch. And I'll definitely be back. Make that G&T again