Have you been wanting to experience exquisite Spanish cuisine while staying in London? Well, your wish has come true with the exciting new London restaurant – El Norte.
Situated on Dover Street, Mayfair, the restaurant has already attracted lots of attention as the newest high-end Spanish restaurant to hit the London food scene. ‘El Norte’, meaning ‘The North’, celebrates a very exciting region of Spanish cuisine with the new venture from entrepreneurs Arian and Alberto Zandi. They founded El Norte with the aim to enrich all Londoners with Spain’s rich culinary history with a modern flair.
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El Norte Restaurant
El Norte is the most ambitious endeavour so far from the acclaimed Spanish brothers, who co-founded Emerald Hospitality Group. This includes in their portfolio the modern Latin American restaurant, Zuaya, and more recently their acclaimed Italian restaurant, Como Garden. Known for fusing excellent food with striking design.
A first for London’s Spanish restaurant scene, El Norte will take its cues from the country’s rich culinary regions, offering a sharing-style menu of traditional Spanish dishes with a modern and luxury twist.
Arian and Alberto Zandi, who was born in Madrid, are bringing Londoners a taste of their motherland with dishes exemplifying the brothers’ bold approach to flavours and textures.
El Norte will take its cues from the country’s rich culinary regions, offering a sharing-style menu of traditional Spanish dishes.
Waiter Recommendations: Lemon Foam Meringue and Flamenco Cocktails to start which went down perfectly.
The El Norte team believes in sourcing the best, high-quality ingredients for all their dishes. Hence, they work closely with several Spanish suppliers to source the finest ingredients. For example, the steak is from Spanish cows (Rubia Gallega) that are over eight years old and from Galicia in northwestern Spain, whilst the olives and olive oil are procured from Córdoba, and the ripest tomatoes derived from Andalucía in southern Spain.
El Norte Menu
Firstly, El Norte is unlike any other Spanish restaurant that you may see in London. Secondly, they have a unique combination of dishes, and the menu is spread into sections like:
- Para picar (nibbles)
- Ensaladas and crudos (salads and raw dishes)
- Vegetales de temporada (seasonal vegetables)
- Carnes (meat and poultry)
- Pescados y mariscos (fish and seafood)
- Para acompañar (sides)
The El Norte team believes in sourcing the best, high-quality ingredients for all their dishes.
Main course
We found it difficult to choose our first dish from this menu, as every dish is equally tantalising. Hence, with the recommendation of our very attentive waiter, we decided to order a broad selection of tapas.
Tortilla de Trufa (Spanish potato omelette with black truffle, extra-virgin olive oil, and poached red onion). This dish was so soft and creamy in texture, it almost melts in your mouth. In addition, the red onions add a zing and vibrancy to the dish. The warm centre paired with the decadent black truffles takes you right into the heart of Northern Spain. We might as well just declare this dish to be the best thing that we ate that day!
The Tortilla De Trufa was superb. Our winning dish is on the menu for its inspiring tradition.
In addition, a few other tempting highlights from the menu included, Alcachofas Rehogadas Con Jamón (Baby artichokes with 5J Iberico ham); Albondigas De Rabo De Toro (Rioja red wine oxtail meatballs); Vaca Rubia Gallega (Grilled Galician steak with vegetables), Lubina Salvage A La Riojana (Wild sea bass with sweet tomato and piquillo pepper sauce), Cangrejo Real a la Parrilla (Imperial King Crab with extra-virgin olive oil and garlic), and of course the best 5J Iberico Jamon (5J Iberico hand-cut ham).
Now, who doesn’t love a King Crab, we at EIL love our seafood. Hence, we had to try the Cangrejo Real a la Parrilla. The dish was an excellent combination of garlic and extra-virgin olive oil. We are still reminiscing about this mouth-watering goodness as we are writing this review.
One of our favourite things about El Norte were the portion sizes. They deliver really generous tapas dishes considering the quality. Overall, we felt it was great value for money.
One of our favourite things about El Norte were the portion sizes.
El Norte Cocktails:
We were very impressed by the El Norte cocktail selection. A surprisingly modern twist given the traditional nature of the venue.
The cocktail lists feature adventurous takes on classic serves alongside several house-made specials including amongst others. The El Norte (Tio Pepe liquor, raspberry vodka, wild berry jam, basil, Prosecco) and Agua De Valencia (gin, vodka, orange juice, Prosecco).
We paired our dishes with some excellent cocktails, take a look at them here:
Lemon Foam Meringue
When life gives you lemons you drink Lemon Foam Meringues at El Norte.
That’s quite a mouthful! Nonetheless, if you are a fan of fizzy, tart and sweet-tasting drinks, that give you summer vibes all year long, then go for the Lemon Foam Meringue at El Norte.
This cocktail tastes exactly as it sounds. Sweet and dessert-like featuring Vodka, Licor 43, Lemon Curd, Lemon, Simple Syrup, Meringue.
Flamenco
Fancy something a little stronger? The Flamenco was quite a delight. The chilli infused tequila, Tio Pepe, Cherry mix, Egg White and Simple Syrup synonymously surprise you at every sip. This drink was a favourite of ours, and we’re sure it will leave you wanting more!
Not into cocktails?
El Norte has a grand spread of wines that you may want to check out. Did we also mention that their bar is open till 1:30 AM? That’s right, grab your friends and go out for a fun night of drinking and dancing.
A glamorous drinking and dining destination, El Norte will have chic and sophisticated interiors reminiscent of its sister sites and will feature a focal-point bar with a 1:30 am license.
A dedicated Sangria menu has also been lovingly crafted and comprises the revered Spanish beverage in its traditional form, alongside unique interpretations including Lavender Sangria.
A glamorous drinking and dining destination, El Norte will have chic and sophisticated interiors.
El Norte Interior and Ambience
If you are a sucker for a vibrant yet classy ambience like us, then El Norte has got you covered. The interior is unlike anything that you will experience in London.
El Norte does a great job at transporting you to Northern Spain. The restaurant boasts a spacious and uber-stylish interior with chestnut-coloured carpets and walls and banquettes embossed with intricate fabrics.
Various wines are displayed in a grand fashion adding to the charisma. They also have emerald green and gold art deco themes, coupled with romantic Spanish background music. A perfect restaurant in London to enjoy sharing plates with a partner or group of friends.
Meanwhile, how can we not mention the staff at El Norte? They were nothing but friendly, courteous, efficient and most importantly – knowledgeable! We got some great recommendations throughout the evening.
A glamorous drinking and dining destination, El Norte will have chic and sophisticated interiors reminiscent of its sister sites and will feature a focal-point bar with a 1:30 am license.
Certainly, El Norte, part of Emerald Group, opens on November 6th at Dover Street, Mayfair, and undoubtedly looks poised to become a new star in London’s dining scene.
Expert Conclusion
In conclusion, I can say that El Norte was one of the most unique dining experiences that I have experienced in a while. I was transported to Spain with such delicious, authentic dishes as well as drinks.
I give this place a shiny 9.5/10 from myself and the Eating in London team. The music, as well as ambience, was truly amazing, I will certainly be returning just to try the Tortilla De Trufa again (..drools). Furthermore, this is a restaurant I’d take any friend or relative visiting London. As a result, I can’t wait to book into El Norte again soon.
Book a table at El Norte to secure your booking.
Also, if you wanted to have more options think about Spanish cuisine, read our article on the best Spanish restaurants in London.
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✔️ Overall Rating – 9.5/10
📍Mayfair
🚇 Green Park
💰 ££
🍴London’s Newest Spanish Restaurant
🌿 Vegetarian and vegan available.
👨🍳 Our Expert @imjamesbellis
Website: www.el-norte.co.uk
IG: @elnortelondon
Founder of Eating in London
