Carmen Tapas in Lambeth

We have not been to this Restaurant for a while since dining with a Spanish friend who recommended us to visit. Visiting a Cinema close by, we remembered this Restaurant and popped in last Saturday lunchtime. The Maitre D was fantastic and welcomed us entirely. The food was excellent and very authentic unlike many Spanish Restaurants in the UK. When back in Clapham we will certainly go back and enjoy the experience we have just enjoyed.

Food is amazing and the staff was very nice and speedy!

I have eaten in this restaurant many times now and it’s always delicious, authentic Spanish food it reminds me of being on holiday! The restaurant was originally recommended to me by a Spanish friend so I knew it wouldn’t disappoint. I took a friend and his partner for his birthday and they loved it also! I’m gluten and dairy free and they always have plenty of choices, my favourite tapas has to be: tortilla, padron peppers, jamon iberico, bravas and the gambas ajillo. The sangria is also great and all the food portions are generous sizes so good value for money. As a constructive comment I’d say the wait staff could have checked in with us a little more but other than that, I can’t fault them. Toilets were also very clean 🙌🏽

Sure! Here’s an improved version of your review: “The restaurant has a charming interior, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. The waitstaff were incredibly friendly and attentive, enhancing the overall dining experience. The food was exceptional—it reminded me of the authentic Spanish cuisine I used to enjoy. Every dish was delicious, and I would highly recommend this place for anyone looking for a true taste of Spain.” Let me know if you’d like any further changes!

Great restaurant, lovely staff and lively authentic atmosphere. Good selection of tapas and really tasty paella, fresh churros were very good. Nice selection of house wine and fizzy cava sangria was a big hit. Well worth a visit.

Me sorprendió la paella. Me preguntaba cómo vendría. Pero veo que la hicieron en la bandeja. Todo muy rico y tan caliente que hasta me quemé al sacar la bandeja de la bolsa. Excelente.

I have had the pleasure of dining in as well as ordering takeaway, both excellent experiences worth every penny. Yesterday I ordered some tapas for my family, 2 tortillas, pulpo a la gallega, calamares a la Romana y pan con aceite de Oliva. Additionally I ordered some alioli for the bread and I was pleasantly surprised by not only 1 but 3 portions of alioli, as well as some haribos on the house. The food is excellent and tasty, as well when we've dined in the service has been very kind, attentive and pleasant. The only thing I wish is that when ordering online you could ask for the tortilla to be a bit gooey and not well cooked, but I'm sure there are very good reasons for this so I'm still very happy with Carmen Tapas and I'll keep visiting!

Salomon bartender was fabulous. His service and understanding that was my first time eating Spanish food. He suggested some good dishes.I had chicken paella and was delicious. It reminded me of lime risotto but with more flavor. I had garlic shrimp in white wine sauce. I had red sangria's and some churros with chocolate sauce. I was visiting from USA. If I ever come back to London. Definitely I will return here.

Lovely authentic atmosphere with delicious tapas made freshly, arriving hot, especially sizzling prawns 🍤 🍤 House red Rioja hits the spot 🍷🍷 Great value too!

The best paella I've eaten in London... the service is excellent!! I will definitely be back very soon.

Thoroughly enjoyed our meal here it was lovely. The food was very nice and big shout out to Claire who was a lovely server and gave me a cake for my birthday! I would recommend.

The food was good and service friendly..

I've been a local for 7 years and have eaten here many times - always consistently delicious. The croquettes, goats cheese and chorizo dishes are always excellent

Lovely place and food! Returned back to it after few years. We shared all dishes between 4, I highly recommend the new special which is beef cheeks! Such a rich sauce and nicely cooked meat 👌🏼 Keep it up Carmen! Will definitely repeat soon

The red Rioja house wine is highly recommended. Gambas al ajillo and boquerones, meatballs, patatas bravas and squid rings are authentic, pulp is very originally served on potato slices and a wooden board, unfortunately the taste is only average, several tapas pay the bill :)

Popped in for a quick dinner on my own. I ordered 3 dishes, of which 2 tapas and a main course. Tapas were lovely and portion were abundant, so that i couldn't finish it all. Main course was not of my liking as did not taste fresh, i'd argue that maybr should not be served at all. Manager been very understanding and prompt to take it off the bill. Place is lovely and seemed pretty clean overall. Value is great. Might come back.

With mates, Quadri and Samah. Excellent catch up in a great London location.

Very tasty Spanish tapas. Friendly staff and reasonably priced.

Tapas corner in Claphan Common, where you can order whatever you want, all very delicious and very good service. I recommend the "sangria" with red wine, to accompany.

Carmen Tapas in London is a hidden gem for food enthusiasts seeking an authentic Spanish dining experience. The vibrant atmosphere, accompanied by a delectable selection of tapas dishes bursting with flavor, makes it a must-visit for those craving a taste of Spain in the heart of London.

It was great experience. I must visit again. The Staff was really good like they giving support and explanation I really liked it.

Amazing food and drinks. Thanks Jenny for her recommendations

Ordered said delivered and never received it

Really lovely little place. Good food that came in good time and tasted nice. Friendly service and nice decor. Three of us went and paid about £26 each for a jug of sangria plus enough plates to fill us up.

Brillant service . Very friendly staff. The food was absolutely delicious. We shared 8 plates between 4 of us and a carafe of cava sangria.

Great place for Spanish tapas in the heart of Clapham. Iberico was top and all for a great price

Good dinner at Carmen last night. Ordered all veggie tapas. Most were delicious, including the fried goats cheese & manchego croquettes. However the patatas bravas were dry and we’re not worth ordering.

Delicious food, good service and cozy atmosphere

Ordered 2 portions of calamari, but only received 1 portion :(

Been going here for years, always been good but recent change of ownership/maybe just a redesign has made it even better. The last few times we've eaten at Carmen the food has been unreal, the menu is simple and just extremely fresh and well executed, as well as their great Spanish wines and ciders. Probably the best restaurant in the area and great to see one of the few places around stand the test of time.

I would not be writing this review had it not been for the absolutely awful way the restaurant dealt with our complaint. We had a groupon for 6 people. 4 pieces of bread came out. "Cocktail" choice was either sangria or cava with lemonade. All the food was awful but the worst had to be the chicken that was clearly gone off. Upon bringing this to the restaurants attention we were told none of us had any tastebuds and we were not getting a refund despite having touched hardly any food or drink. Worst run restaurant I have been to in years! Explains why it was empty on a Friday night in such a busy location.

Had a groupon for 6 people with cocktails. Seated ourselves! Cocktails were sangria or cava with juice! 4 pieces of bread came out for 6 people. A sharing platter is apparently 2 small dishes of tapas. The worst was gone off chicken that came out. When I complained got told none of us have tatsebuds. I am a sous chef just by the way. It was 6pm on a Friday in Clapham and we were one of only two tables....now I know why. We didn't eat anything else and left. Awful from start to end and if u value your health.....avoid it. I have edited my review in response to the owners reply....firstly I have not posted under 2 different names....the other review is from my daughter who was also eating and also told she has no tatstebuds. And yes I did raise my voice because I was refused a refund after being served gone off chicken. Which is dangerous and we left all of the rest of our food and drink and our night was ruined. And then had the waiter/owner be rude to us as well. As for being born after the establishment of the restaurant. I am 43 years old and have been a chef for 7. I would never write a bad review unless deserved as you may well see from all of my other many reviews.

The server was pleasant but seemed inexperienced. After serving the food, she returned after 40 minutes to ask if everything was okay. Salt and pepper were not on the table and were not offered. The sangria was delicious. The paella was underwhelming. There was no bowl for the discarded shells or hand wipes. Also, the king prawns were not deveined.

Fantastic tapas. The worst paella in London. Chef - go easy on the salt But the tapas was 10/10

Very disappointing. Travelled here after work to enjoy Tapas and cocktails with my mother and sister with a voucher we got from groupon. I was greeted at the door by a very nice waiter who showed me to the table whilst I waited for my family. We were then served by a new waitress who was okay, she was a little condescending though. We were told that for our “cocktails” we were allowed wine with lemonade or cava with fruits and for our tapas we were allowed 1 basket of bread one bowl of olives and 4 tapas dishes. The groupon was meant to be for 6 people and despite this all dishes came with only 2-4 items as to only feed 2-4 people. As is this isn’t disappointing enough we then came to find that one of our chicken dishes was clearly off. It was the chicken in mushroom and wine sauce but the meat was insanely bitter and sour and upon tasting the mushroom and the sauce alone we could definitely tell that this chicken was not okay to be served ( my mother and I are both chefs at different restaurants ). My mother complained to who we assume is the manager and he was the most unprofessional person I have ever encountered. He was very defensive and not only did not apologise that we had been served rancid meat but said we are lying and have no taste as the chicken is fine and is good quality. He then proceeded to tell my mother she was being recorded and as we were leaving the restaurant was telling us to leave the restaurant. Absolutely AWFUL service and I would really recommend this restaurant to replace their management and update their food safety management systems. Will also be reporting this to EHO as this is a SERIOUS risk to public health!

Beautiful Spanish deco, toilets very clean and live atmosphere, it was a busy night ( New year’s eve ). I loved all the dishes but my friends found the paella a bit salty and overcooked. One of the waiters that seems very young was rude and threw a plate in the table I think because he was struggling with so many customers and that’s why I won’t give 5 stars, it’s a shame because the rest of the staff were amazing and very polite.

Great food and service. Recommend to anyone.

Very delicious Spanish food with quality products and at a very good price. Spanish music and good atmosphere. The best Spanish restaurant I have tried in London. 🤤💛

Dropped in on a Saturday evening after CPH cinema. Busy, but they had room for 2. Started with padron peppers - hot and salty as they should be. Then picked a paella for 2 for the first time (usually have tapas). Mixed seafood and chicken - clearly freshly made with lots of little shrimp, prawns, mussels, salmon and chicken; moist and hot. Along with a couple of large glasses of Spanish white and red, we got out for under £80 inclusive of 12.5% service. Pleasantly refurbished since we last came here.

Everything was absolutely deliscious! Definitely, will be coming back!

Loved the sangria! Bear in mind it is cash only, but cash point just near by.

Honestly if you are looking for dinner in Clapham there are so many better places. The food was fine, anything deep fried was good, the seafood tasted abnormally fishy and we had what appeared to be a half eaten olive in the very unattractive tricolour salad. At the end of the meal we were told the electricity had gone out and we had to go find cash or wait to see if the card machine would start working (which didn’t make any sense given the lights were still on and food was coming out for other tables). Anyway all in all a really odd experience in an area where there are some really nice restaurants - you could do a lot better than here!

Great Restaurant! Quality price was okay. Portions were normal. I was expecting a bit bigger for the price. They were tasty.

Remarkably good; indeed better than many tapas we've had in Spain. Friendly staff, buzzing atmosphere. House Rioja very acceptable. Hard to find fault except the tables are a bit small if you are having a wide selection of tapas!

Sitio encantador, buena comida y muy buen servicio, totalmente recomendado, gracias Salomón

Me encantó el sitio , sobre todo un trato excepcional de Salomon y la comida muy española

Excellent place the food is delicious and great attention from the staff every time, highly recommended

Very good, well worth a visit. Tapas is lovely.

Great tapas place. We were served very quickly. Restaurant seems well organised and a cozy atmosphere

My friends and I have been visiting Carmen for well over 10 years, it’s always been the place we like to go to we find it cozy enough to chat and enjoy the ambience. The last 2 times though I have to say I am not impressed :( they’ve changed the menu and it’s not that appetising to us anymore…. I had my first mojito (not a drinker) but my friend encouraged me to try and and it was AMAZING! Wanting to go for 2nd I was told they’ve run out of ice? I this wouldn’t have been an issue if it was 11am but it was 8pm??? Would I continue to recommend Carmen Sadly no :(

I've been here several times, and the food never disappoints. However I think the prices have gone too high now. We paid nearly £10 for 5 tiny pieces of pork in a blue cheese sauce. This worked out at almost £2 per mouthful. The sangria was particularly nice this time, though.

Took my dad and sister here, and genuinely loved it. Great food with lots of veggie friendly options. Lovely atmosphere, a little loud for my dad, but still really enjoyed it. Really nice and friendly staff. Would thoroughly recommend! ✨

Fantastic! Very kind staff, lovely vibes, great music and food is outstanding. I shared a vegetarian paella with my friend and had some spinach croquettes and patatas bravas. Very tasty and made with love and passion. Would love to come back soon! 🫶🏼

Paella was ok. Patatas bravas weren't as expected, they tasted like regular chips (no seasoning) with a spicy tomato sauce on the side. Sangria was on the sweeter side.

Can’t give this place anything other than 5 stars. Incredible staff, great vibes and the food was sensational. The gambas al ajillo and the paella negra in particular were outstanding. The best tapas I’ve had in London and very reasonable prices. We will definitely be back!

Ordered a stake, it came uncooked and I couldn’t eat it. 2 waiters and none asked what’s wrong or how I like my steak cooked. 2 waiters and none of them asked what’s wrong with my steak that I didn’t eat. If there is a rating with minus, I will give this place a minus 5⭐️

I recommend the chef to travel to Spain and try Spanish food because it was an insult to Spanish people and their gastronomy… The waiter didn’t ask how we want the meat and we left mostly everything and he didn’t ask if there was anything wrong either.

I came here this evening, it is a decent little place. The sauce for the patatas bravas was a bit lacking in flavour, but the portions were fair for the price and it tasted good overall! I'm not sure what is expected of the goat's cheese with cassava chips, however the chips did seem very stale and were all broken up, and the goat's cheese wasn't soft enough to use with them. That aside the service was very sweet and the ambience was alright.

I have visited twice and both times the service was great and friendly. The Sangria's are to die for good quality. The food is plentiful and tasty. I highly recommend the cheese croquettes it's a special cheese forgotten the name. We shall be back again! Also the prawns in white wine yum! On another occasion we had the seafood paella, flavoursome!!

Great location, lovely food, long running place and consistent! Nicely decorated, feel very cosy and homey style; very friendly staff and efficient, definitely recommended!

After a long time - we decided to visit this restaurant; Did not have a reservation, so my husband and I was pleased that there was a table available. We was served quickly and so was the food. Food was unfortunately bland, no taste, no flavouring. The sea-bass was incredibly tasteless. The so called pasta was rubbery. Jug of sangria was decent enough!!! Price £75.00 (including service charge). Very unlikely, we will be coming back again!!!

Love this restaurant, their tapas have been consistently great over the last few years since I first visited and never disappoint. Staff are always friendly and helpful and the atmosphere is cozy and inviting.

Fantastic atmosphere, lovely staff, very friendly, food is good, paella needs to be tried! Located exactly in front of the tube entrance! Very easy , well recommended

Such a lovely place! Please go and get filled with gooooooood food!!!

Steak was nice and so was desert. Would have given 5 Stars but the chips really let it down. They were simply awful. Such a pity as had the promise of a lovely meal.

Have been twice now and both times really enjoyed our food and friendly service. We will go again

Disappointing- they did not deliver one of the items (croquetas de jamon) I would like a refund

Delicious tapas and paella and really friendly staff. I spilled some chorizo oil on my white trousers and they were so helpful, bringing me stain remover to help get it off.

Second time in a month this place doesn't disappoint me! Had great time with my friend, and as being Italian she can be very fussy about food! Tapas were delicious, good portions too, and staff were busy but so friendly, relaxed and ready to meet our needs! Loved the decor, so much attention to the details ! It felt like being on holiday in Spain! Just loved it xx

Excelente comida, el queso de cabra delicioso

Overpriced and mediocre food. The cod pieces had a weird tasting batter and the food generally was very under seasoned. The steak is a very tough cut served whole on this tiny plate with stale chips that are not fresh.

Food was amazing, the selection of meats were great and very tasty. The cheese was lovely too. I even got some extra olives and bits which I really appreciated. Will definitely be ordering again.

Delicious place to have some Tapas. A week after going to Spain. We needed a taste of Spain and the place did not disappoint. The Spanish omelette was fresh which I never see so loved it. And the menu was so varied and tasty. Can't wait to go back.

TL:DR If you not booked you give a old iPad and expected to fill in your person detail, email telphone number before you can sit down. When asked why they say will send you a link to review site where we like you to review the food you not eaten, there no mention of how long the hold your data or GDPR. The food is ok not a lot of flaour. but you have to be paitent when ordering your food, I had to repeat my order muliple time. I would advice to order a few tapas as the paella can take 40 mins to cook and arrive. The portion size smaller than what you would get in Spain/ Balearics. I asked if the Seafood paella had crap mean in it as I am alleric and the waitor could not tell me. I object to having to fill in my contact deatils on an ipad in order to get a table in an empty restaurant. A review is ment to be helpful and independent not an requipment to get a seat. They should check withthe ICO about the way in which you require consent for public data.

I’ve been in here in the past, and the food was good and the service was quick, but they seem to be under new management and have different staff so it’s gone downhill since then give it a few months until her back on their feet again.

It was clear they’d had a busy day as most empty tables were dirty when we got there. Clear they needed more servers. The lady that served us (blonde-didn’t catch her name) seemed to be the only one that was working. Food came before our drinks did. Food was very,very average. Patatas bravas seemed like frozen potato’s and the paella lacked flavour. Overall disappointing.

Amazing food, we ordered chorizo paella and breaded prawns, so flavourful. I wished there was a homemade lemonade to go with the food, must be so refreshing. Will be back!

Honestly for the price that you pay I expected a better quality of the food. The staff was nice but I felt sorry for them because our waiter was running like crazy to serve everyone. Atmosphere is nice, I liked the decor.

The waiter we had, had no customer service and ended up physically assaulted my friend out of the restaurant. When she said she was gonna called the police he continued to yell at us when we were outside. We calmly tried to discuss our grievances with him that included, not preparing the food correctly, the food coming out at different times and the food not being served on appropriate plates. Instead of listening he got defensive and started shouting at us in front of all his customers, making a scene when that was the opposite of what we wanted. He started to blame us for how we ordered the food and that we didn’t order in the “correct way” even though he never ask us what our needs were. He continues to shout at us staying that he “knows how to do his job” without even trying to hear us out. I would not recommend this restaurant.

This is the best everlasting restaurant for healthy eating

Really tasty, and great portion size

Food was not great chiroz red wine was very oily

Among other dishes, we ordered a 3-person mixed paella, seafood & chicken. The only seafood visible is a few mussels in the shell, chicken pieces where so small, equivalent to mince meat, shrimps so small , they are invisible. The plate size is no bigger than 20cm. to add insult, , the plate was bulked up with frozen green garden PEAS, never tasted a genuine paella with green peas. plate, £28.95 plus 121/2 % sc. not recommended, not genuine spanish food

Excellent Delicious food 🍲 thank you so much 😊

Excellent food and atmosphere - good value too!

En general todo muy bien, calidad precio bastante asequible y la comida estaba rica, sin embargo las paellas nada que ver con las originales (soy de Valencia), pero de sabor estaban ricas.

Fantastic food & ambience ! Definitely will be back

Great atmosphere. The paella was amazing. I almost forgot I'm in London and felt like I was in Spain. The waiters were also very nice and professional.

Cuisine espagnole avec portions généreuses. Service simple et rapide et prix corrects

We ordered seafood paella and some tapas dishes. The food was delicious and decent portion sizes. Really enjoyed our meal

I first dined here in 2005 while living in London and the food is delicious and served in a rustic style which I prefer. Not only does this restaurant share my name, but its address is also the day of my birth, #6. Since my first meal, I've always felt at home here. I visit every time I'm back in town, bringing friends and family with me. Thank you for always filling our stomache and our heart! Looking forward to dining here in May.

Went on a Groupon I got 4 tapas and 2 drinks. Food was so tasteful and so filing for small dishes. Service was on point and friendly. The only one thing I would say is that the Sangria didn't taste like it had any alcohol I'm it. Other than that it was a great experience.

Good reasonably priced tapas and always friendly staff

Gracias Isabel por tu atención y servicio. La calidad de la comida buenísima. Gracias Carmen tapas 😊

Genial servicio de la camarera : Isa volveremos !

The most amazing food and service I have in my life, brilliant you doing amazing job

Omg. We went to Carmen many times. Always was good but today …. Everything was perfect. Food amazing atmosphere so great and service wow. Specially service from Salomon xxx❤️❤️

I'm a delivery man, I went to pick up an order at this restaurant, they didn't even give me a reason I waited 20 minutes and nothing, I was treated like garbage, I don't recommend this restaurant to anyone

I had a great anniversary here with my partner-. I fully recommend . great service by Salomon and great food. My favourite was the cheese cake 🎂 thank you. We will come back soon

Salomon recommended me the Lotus Cheesecake and guys it is just amazing! 😍😍😍