Bar Pepito in Islington

We visited Bar Rioja on a Saturday evening. The venue itself is lovely, small cosy and intimate. The young lady serving us was great, very friendly and and had good knowledge of the wines. Unfortunately the food was a complete disappointment. We ordered 5/6 different tapas dishes. The croquettes were cold, the pork dish had a hard stone in it which could have been either an olive stone or a peice of bone, I was lucky to not chip a tooth on it. All of the food was under seasoned, bland and luke warm at best. We ate it anyway, as we wanted to stay at the venue to try the extensive wine list. We stayed and tried 7/8 different wines which were all nice, but didn't make up for the poor food. All of the food was added to the bill, dispite us flagging the cold food / bone in the pork being flagged to the staff.

Lovely place with a great staff and atmosphere. Will recommend

Great experience and nice evening at Bar Rioja! Staff was amazing - big kudos to the two ladies. Food is fresh with loads of flavours, simply delicious & authentic! Reminded me of my time living in Spain.

An extension of Camino bar in Regent’s Quarter with a nice courtyard and atmosphere. We had a large table for 13 people for my birthday and the staff were attentive. Thee only downside was that large canopy over us made it quite dark and the lights didn’t all work so we had to keep turning on the heat lamps instead.

Very handy for Kings Cross good selection of tasty tapas and nice wine. Busy buzzy atmosphere and quick service. Recommend even tho it’s a chain

Staff friendly and knowledgeable, great wine and good food, hidden gem near kings cross.

Loved this place - away from the hustle and bustle of London Town. If you love tapas and Rioja this is the place for you!

Amazing food and service, ate outside where the smell of cigarettes was overpowering at times

Stuff are amazing, we been looked after very well.

Obwohl wir eine Reservation hatten, war kein Tisch reserviert. Die Bedienung war nicht bemüht, eine Lösung zu finden. Nur dank eines Gastes, welcher mit den Freunden zusammenrückte, fanden wir dann doch noch Platz. Keine Entschuldigung des Personals, nichts. Das Essen war sensationell und die Bedienung aus der Küche hervorragend und überaus freundlich.

We decided to go there after I was offered a birthday special offer, the value was amazing, wine very good and the tapas was lovely and good value. We will definitely visit again when in London a real gem. Thank you for a lovely end to my birthday trip.

Small bar parent to a larger restaurant in the same court. Outside sitting is charming and inside sitting is comfortable. Nice tapas options, vegetarian friendly and a large variety of Rioja wines. It was a bit more expensive than other tapas bars in London, but still worth the visit.

Great diner spot! A little too expensive for the food portion size. But the food was really good!

Convenient for Kings Cross. Good wine and tapas, served promptly. An option for sitting outside when the weather is good.

Fabulous little bar with a wonderful Rioja selection and great written guide (cones as part of the menu booklet) if you want to know more about all the options!

Visiting on a recommendation from friends, was not disappointed. If you like fine wines and delicious tapas inspired dishes, the. This is for you!

Second time we’ve been here and it does not disappoint! Service was great and really friendly! The wine is tasty and it was the best cheesecake I’ve ever had! Highly recommend.

Always a treat - charming and exemplary service and delicious food - lovely cosy atmosphere- a true hidden gem.

A little gem in Kings Cross. Fantastic tapas and excellent wine

really lovely little place hidden near king’s cross station. not too loud and delicious wine!!

Fab tapas… amazing wine and such knowledgable staff. Felt like special customers!

The food comes from Camino next door so you know it’s going to be good

This was a Christmas present for my husband. Florian the Sommelier was very knowledgeable and gave great service. He understood what we liked and tailored our evening accordingly. The food was quick and delicious, really loved the soft blue cheese and the suckling pig. Fabulous evening.

What a hidden gem! Quaint, lovely, tranquil little place with outstanding food and amazing wine. Do ask for advice, the staff is very eager to help you so you find your perfect wine. I was also very impressed with the quality of the food. Heavenly food and ditto wine! Definitely coming back.

Booked for an early drink and tapas before going on to another venue nearby, so it was quite empty and not too noisy. The staff were lovely and very efficient, immediately correcting an error in the bill, but although it was noted on the booking that it was a birthday celebration they didn't seem to be aware of that. The wines were pricey but good and the croquetas were excellent, but the other dishes all arrived together, coming across the courtyard uncovered and so weren't really hot when they arrived. The suckling pig was really nice at first but the tasty jus congealed very quickly; the chorizo was also good, but the octopus was disappointing. Apart from that, the venue is lovely and in a great location so would certainly return.

Really sweet little bar. Some great wines. Knowledgeable staff

Lovely little wine bar behind the Spanish restaurant. My friend and I met up for a drink and some tapas here. The atmosphere is cosy and welcoming additionally the server was really friendly and helpful in picking our wine. Only downside is, it is very small in there and you are bumping into the stall behind you

I’d previously booked to go to Bar Rioja and they had overbooked and we were moved to the restaurant over the road which is more like Nando’s in style. The menu is same and very good! The service this time at Bar Rioja was slow and there are no toilets in the building but over in the other restaurant. The restaurant attached is more of a vibe. Bar Rioja is more romantic, and we were lured in by instagram!

Everything is in tiny portions and we are left hungry even after we have paid c. £90 for the meal. We were so hungry that we couldn’t go to sleep. The food tasted absolutely amazing tho. It is the same kitchen as the restaurant next door (Camino) and they even share a toilet. This restaurant has a much more intimate atmosphere which I think is better for date nights. However the space is very small compared to Camino and the tables are so close to each other. We can clearly hear what’s the gossip in the next table so I do not recommend going if you plan to have private conversations. The inside of this restaurant is VERY warm so make sure you wear layers that can be taken off or you’ll find yourself longing to go out for a break to breathe. But it’s also because of that, it adds an extra coziness to it. The staff is very attentive and friendly. But just know that because every table is very close to each other, they will walk very close around you a lot so as other customers. Also note that there’s nothing to hang your jacket or bag.

Really love bar, great service and food. Will definitely come back

Tasty tapas and pincho, good choice of wine and outstanding service. One of my favourite places in London. Superb!

Service and food outstanding. Only negative is that the venue is very small and tight with mostly stool top seating so not very accessible for people with mobility issues.

Fab little place for a girls early supper. Good range of tapas and plenty of veggie options.

We Saw a video on Tiktok back in November, and due to our love of Rioja wine in general just had to come and see what this place was about! I can tell you now that the months of looking forward to this did not disappoint and our expectations were blown away. The staff were amazing and knowledgeable and the atmosphere was perfect and intimate. The cured meat selection was the highlight of the evening and was paired perfectly with a red which made us feel like we were in Spain. I would recommend this place to anyone who fancies a perfect date night.

Our party of 4 came to do our own Rioja wine tasting. All the wines come in tasting measures (75 ml) The 8 wines we tasted were fantastic - often from bodegas not widely available in the UK. We ordered 10 tapas dishes between 4- all the food was excellent and paired extremely well with the wines. Service was superb bearing in mind we we needed a fresh glass for each wine (32 glasses in all !) and we ordered tapas across three "courses". The Bar is small but not overly noisy. An extremely enjoyable evening.

Always amazing food, wine and superb service Thank you

Our server was excellent, he did a lovely job of explaining the wines and we loved the selection. The food was ok, I would stick with the snacks.

lovely place to have a mid week drink with friends

Fantastic food and wines. Great little setting, off the beaten track

A charming tapas bar with a lovely atmosphere. Service was excellent and the food is very tasty.

great find, definitely recommend. Great knowledge about the wine and food was yummy! perfect for a catch up with friends.

My husband and I enjoyed a delightful evening trying out some of the wonderful range of riojas on the extensive menu. We paired these with delicious pincho, tapas and cheese board. There were some great flavour combinations that we hadn't had at other tapas bars which was a surprise. The atmosphere was buzzy, but also intimate. I've already recommended Bar Rioja to friends! See you again soon!

They really provided excellent service to myself and my partner! I booked a reservation for my partner’s birthday and they really went an extra mile by including a complimentary bottle of sparkling white wine and some discount on all tapas selection! I sincerely thank them for their service and their professionalism! ❤️

Great wine, Delicious food, esp the Ox Cheek, nice environment. However tables too small to make it a relaxing experience. Four of us took the recommended 3 tapas plates each - there was simply not enough space on the table that we were given the food. Waiting staff very keen to hand over the plates and leave us to it, so we were constantly moving dishes and wine glasses around - sometimes having to hold them, trying not to knock something over. Distracting during conversations to be rearranging the table - just not enough space. Would still go again but not with a group of four.

The bar was closed despite having an email asking me to confirm my attendance. Apparently someone tried to contact me to let me know but no message was left so we turned up. Extremely disappointed as we had come from Windsor and Twickenham following seeing recommendations for it.

Will definitely go back. Wine, food and ambience we're excellent. Staff very helpful and friendly.

Really good. Especially if you like red wine. ****

Cozy small room rather than a restaurant. It will be ideal for small parties but it’s too small to fit so many chairs and tables. The service was poor - we had to call multiple times and even get to the bar and order. The food is very overpriced for the size. The wine list is good.

Great service, a little over priced, could do with more comfy chairs.

Cosy wine bar with good wine selection. Will go again.

Came here after seeing the restaurant on TikTok, so may have booked preempting something the restaurant doesn’t provide, in which case, completely not the restaurants fault! Bar Rioja is very cute and small, nice lighting and decor. The food was nice and nothing was horrendously priced. The only thing I was disappointed in was I thought the staff would offer our table particular wines with the food we picked and be more open with recommendations, we probably would have tried more wine/food and enjoyed the evening more, with a bigger bill for them.

Lovely little hideaway wine bar with excellent selection of wine. You can also order bites from the menu, which are also excellent. The service is attentive but not overbearing. Great little spot to have a catch up with a friend over a glass of wine.

Great venue tucked away behind Kings Cross. Cosy atmosphere, good service , great food and good choice of wines.

Very good wine list, would go back again. Food decent.

Our first time at Bar Rioja but will definitely be going back. Food was delicious and the service was so friendly

Fab food - lots of different “tasters” that we really enjoyed. Also it was great to be able to have 75ml glasses of wine as we got to try a few different ones, which made it really interesting and enjoyable. The staff were all lovely too. We will definitely return!

Really lovely little place with great wine, tapas, staff and atmosphere.

Great service. The staff were attentive and friendly. They have an excellent selection of wine with a range of price points, and the food was reasonably priced for central London.

Really cool date night spot. Wine was good but spenny. Roughly £40ish for a bottle.

A small but perfectly formed tapas restaurant. Lovely food, wine and staff. Would recommend.

We had a lovely evening with good wine and good food ! A lovely little place with a great atmosphere!

Really nice food, ideal for sharing, and lovely service, we will definitely be back!

Good tapas and a great variety of 🍷. Nice atmosphere and good service.

Lovely venue with fantastic food and great wine recommendations from our server

Pretty good place to go for cheese, meats, tapas and wine. We didn’t have the tapas but what we had was very nice and for London the prices were more than reasonable (£70 for meat selection, cheese selection, patatas bravasand 3 glasses of wine)

Lovely wine, food and service - deffo try the cold tapas!

I booked and at no time in the booking process was I told there was a time limit in the booking. In the middle of talking to my friend I was told we had 10 minutes left of our booking. I found the staff rude given the amount of money spent. And having reviewed all of the communication from the bar no mention was made of a time limit. Friends who have been there say there’s no time limit. I am disappointed at the staff working that night as they ruined my evening with a friend I hadn’t seen in several years. Shame on you

Huge selection of wine and really good food. We were a big table and the restaurant was really accommodating and friendly. Would highly recommend :)

Had a great evening with fabulous wine and food. Had the cheese board and charcuterie board and some pinchos. Brilliant.

Great selection of amazing wine, Lush food and great atmosphere.

Great choice of wine and super tapas menu. Indoor or outdoors works equally well in sheltered area

Great wine, affordable prices, friendly staff and a great atmosphere. Would definitely go here again and would recommend to friends.

Food was fantastic - every dish was 5* Best Patatas Bravas outside of Spain! We'll be back for sure

Unfortunately we were there an evening where they had some sort of event / wine tasting on so the service wasn’t great as they were rushed off their feet. I think they need more staff on these sort of evenings so that others guests don’t get forgotten. Also thought that our wine glasses were getting smaller and smaller so not impressed with the value. Wonderful location and outdoor terrace so might consider going again at the height of summer but will check if there is an event on first!

Found this gem on social media and decided to try it, amazing atmosphere and the knowledge of the staff was amazing! Got recomended really good wines and paired it with amazing Charcuterie board. 100% recomend!

Great to try a whole variety of wines and small plates

Nice place.. great service.. I would suggest it more for drinks and not for dinner.. not for the food that was good but for place outside

Amazing atmosphere, friendly hosts. All round a great experience!

This place is fantastic! The food is delicious, the atmosphere is fantastic, the wine is excellent. And, I really want to call out the exceptional service. Florian (I hope I spelled your name correctly) was so great. Really friendly and knowledgable. Thank you for a great night!

Great food and service - thanks for fabulous tapas and Rioja ! 🍷

Had to wait 45 minutes for some food to arrive despite continuing to remind the staff.

I reserved a table and requested specifically for an outside seating but on arrival the service personnel said it’s fully occupied and offered an inside table . It was not a great welcome !

Great service, phenomenal selection of wine. The food was delicious.

The bar, staff and food were lovely but prices differed from menu due to size. We felt £17 for three small slices of steak was overpriced compared to the pictures on the website and it was served after we had finished the other dishes. The food was lovely though, as was the wine. We would definitely go back.

The wine was barely good enough for the price it was charge, althought we don’t think we were serve the correct quantities, the service was really slow and really not friendly, the waiter didn’t charge the correct prices or the correct plates… Very few food on the plate even for tapas. The plates were ok but very expensive for what it was.

very friendly service and interested in wine tastes.. short foodwnu all coming from Camino next door but v quick SVC for food too.. not cheap tho

A bit of confusion over booking which was as much my fault but a great time drinking rather than eating in the end. Great spot and very good atmosphere. A little pocket of continental ambience in the middle of London

Florin’s knowledge in wine is best to none! Fantastic venue

A great place to eat, if you love Rioja, then you are at an exceptional bar. A good selection of tapas as well. I highly recommend it. Florian was very knowledgeable and helpful.

Booking was easy and the staff were charming and helpful (even providing beer for my wine-allergic partner). The tapas were disappointing and came from Camino next door but the range of wines was very good with some very well priced options. Nice location although the outside area gets pretty noisy. Convenient for Kings X area but not sure I’d go out of my way to return. It seems some earlier reviews relate to a previous bar ( Pepito?) with more of a sherry focus.

Bar Rioja will be our go to place for after work drinks and food, both were amazing and we had great service from our waiter.

Great ambience in a little wine bar tucked away from the bustle of Kings Cross. We had most of the vegetarian tapas selection and everything was delicious. We’ll be back!

Thoroughly enjoyable evening. Fabulous service, great food and atmosphere. Only downside about eating Al fresco was the chain smoking table next to us, we were under a canopy so the smoke lingered. Other than that it was really great.

Knowledgable sommelier and delicious wines in a relaxed setting. Great for after work

Great bar with tapas, amazing selection of Rioja by the glass.

Really poor service Very slow and unfriendly staff. The wine they recommended was terrible and just all so disappointing

Nice little place, our server was very nice. We enjoyed the tapas food with the option to pick and choose each portion.

Such a shame it’s closing down! My favourite Sherry bar will be missed!

A small but hugely characterful barn serving great tapas. Staff were friendly and super knowledgeable about the different varieties of sherry on offer

Little gem of a place. Very busy and just one guy serving who was rushed off his feet but still managed to be warm, helpful and attentive. Great tapas, lovely wine. Loved it.