Escocesa in Hackney

One of the best tapas restaurants I have ever been to in London! We managed to make a last-minute same-day reservation on a Saturday evening at 7 and the food absolutely didn't disappoint. Upon arrival at the restaurant I immediately had a good feeling about the food quality because we got to sit at the kitchen counter seeing how they prepare everything in front of our eyes and all the tapas looked absolutely amazing. We went with the plain tortilla, seabass ceviche, fried chick peas, braised beef cheek in apple sauce and roast lamb cutlet with hummus. Tortilla was creamy and savoury, ceviche was super fresh and sauce was so refreshing with the grapes it's definitely a good way to prepare your palette for something even more flavourful. The fried chickpeas were such a pleasant surprise with its savoury taste from the batter and it went nicely as a side with the beef in apple sauce to enhance that flavour profile. The beef was super tender and melted in your mouth and the apple sauce had a pleasant flavour to it. The lamb was a little chewy for me personally but together with the hummus it was great. Service was amazing with friendly waiters and chefs serving throughout our time there. I was really satisfied by the experience and would definitely come back soon.

Great service and ambiance and really nice food and cocktails!

Second time I've been and it didn't quite live up to the first's standards. Only 2 of us and we only ordered 2 drinks, they brought of 1 (don't know why this wasn't a flag). And later they quite obviously forgot one of our dishes when they asked if we were finished. The rest of it was great though!

Among the best meals I’ve eaten. Super fresh and delicious food served by really friendly staff

The food was delicious, and the service was warm and friendly. However, I’m only giving it 4 stars because, as a group of five, we ordered a variety of small plates, and they all arrived at once. It was too much to get through quickly, and most of the dishes cooled down before we could enjoy them. According to good hospitality standards, it's better to stagger the dishes for a more relaxed and enjoyable dining experience.

Everything was full of flavour and delicious

I'm so glad to have stumbled upon this cosy, little neighborhood restaurant. They are one of the few places in London to actually dish up a classic Valencian paella with rabbit, chicken and broad beans. The portion size is very generous, and we had enough leftover for a hearty breakfast the next day. Other than that, we enjoyed the gambas al ajilio and the ham croquettes. It's recommended to book ahead for the weekend because the back room gets pretty packed.

Nice place all in all. The food is good (mainly had starters and paella) and the service was nice. Would recommend going if you want decent Spanish food in London.

Great food. Friendly and attentive service. Fun and lively atmosphere.

Excellent tapas to eat also at the bar. Professional team is smiling.

Food here is absolutely divine. Each dish does not disappoint. Very nicely presented and flavours well balanced. Forget the tapas you are used seeing in ordinary restaurants. Dishes are carefully thought of with best ingredients. A must

Incredible food and service, definitely the best Spanish restaurant in London! The attention to detail and the flavours really shine. Definitely will be back

The place is a jewel in a tapas ! Very well presented each plate performing of a good taste and great freshness in every bite . We had the courgette flower fried delicious. Pan tomate great addition to any meal , tuna tartare fresh and perfectly seasoned . Padrón peppers were nice , maybe needed a little more salt and grill, but were very good . Aubergines fried and perfectly combined with a sweet sauce , pulpo, asparagus, sardines, desert of mango & passion fruit 😋 jasmine tea & white wine .. don’t miss to try the home made Pacharan liqueur!! Absolutely my favourite tapas place :)

Fantastic Scottish seafood with Spanish recipes. The baked cheesecake is from another dimension.

Used to be my favourite summer restaurant however recently the food quality and portion sizes have decreased and prices have gone up. Hope that they can improve as the place has soo much potential.

Went there yesterday and thought the food was amazing! Great service and every dish we had was delish. Will definitely go back

Really good food, friendly service and outside seating is perfect on a warm summers day. We had the squid, croquettas, octopus, sardines, tuna and pork. Would recommend every dish. Delicious fresh Oysters and on a Sunday are half price. Cocktail list looked excellent, we’ll be back again!

We’ve often walked past and thought it looked very nice so finally came and it was fantastic! Made happy hour which meant we got half priced oysters, then we shared 6 dishes: scallops, chipirones, mussels, pulpo, butternut squash with crispy chickpeas, and pork cheeks. All delicious and went well with the wines, and we were so full that we couldn’t have dessert even though they looked very nice. Lara(?) looked after us very well - she was warm, attentive and helpful - and we enjoyed sitting at the counter watching the chefs work their magic. We’ll be back!

What a gem of a restaurant. Some of the best Spanish tapas we've ever had in London. Every dish was well-balanced and moreish. The pluma iberica with babaganoush was a particular triumph. The bed of babaganoush was slightly acidic and well salted with hints of garlic and nutty tahini, the sweet sauce on the side, the fatty delicious grilled pluma - such a delightful and surprising combination. Service was very good as well. The servers were very knowledgeable about the dishes and took food allergies seriously. Dirty plates were cleared promptly, food served promptly and in the right order. We will be returning again and again.

Excellent tapas. One of the best I’ve been to in London. The veggie dishes were especially good (had the butternut squash and broccoli). Also pulpo and deep fried anchovies. One of the Derry girls was also sat on the table opposite.

Not our first time here and not disappointed Oyster were fresh, the bread with alioli is so good! We had the octopus really tasty same as the tortilla (they know how to do it!) creamy and fresh! Service was good, we didn’t know they have table outside so we sat there to enjoy the sun. Good time we will be back

Food and service was faultless!

Very cool and stylish. Reinventing the tapas for the hip stokey generation

As a Spaniard, I keep coming back to Escocesa. They truly have the Spanish food I enjoy so much, good prices and great service.

What a wonderful gem in Stokey. Great friendly service. FANTASIC Food, fresh, vibrant, arguably perfect menu. Also great place to take out a date! Mucho Beuno!

Had a delicious meal here - with good portions sizes for the patatas bravas and cheese board, lovely vegetarian range, friendly staff and nice atmosphere. Would recommend the courgette flower and beetroot with purée as menu highlights.

Have been a few times and one of our favourites around the area. We've probably tried most of the items in the menu and we recommend the anchovies and the seabass ceviche which we have gotten multiple times. Not as massive fan of the cheesecake but did enjoy the chocolate mousse.

This place has great atmosphere but also offers delicious cocktails and tapas!

Fantastic restaurant, staff were lovely, food was amazing. Bit disappointed the the pig cheeks had all gone but you can't have everything 😂

Delicious food and the service was excellent. I would highly recommend this restaurant.

To be honest the smell of bisque of this place is one of the thing I loved the most, if you love fish this is the place for you . Service super on point, our waiter was super helpful and friendly , also for the quality of food I would say super reasonable prices. Will definitely be back 👌

Food service and atmosphere, just wow. No words. Shout out to Antony great person and made our visit even more enjoyable

You are our favourite restaurant and have been since you opened. Perfection in every way. Thank you.

Tuna tartare not fresh, coffee for espresso martini bit mid for the price

A Church Street delight - from the moment you walk through the door you are hit by a friendly welcoming vibe. There is a bar area to the front of the restaurant where food is served as well. Towards the back there is a wonderful eating area that is simple light and airy. On to the food - a superb choice of plates - including fresh oysters, mussels and sardines. We had the potato braves, sardines, croquettes and pigs cheek - all absolutely delicious. Only comment would be the portion size could be a little more generous. The staff we absolutely brilliant - friendly, helpful and unobtrusive. If I hadn't been driving I would have launched into the cocktail menu - everyone in the room seemed to be having one and they all looked amazing!!

Absolutely delightful meal that was enjoyed on the counter top seating- fantastic selection of items but especially loved the garlic prawns and the stuffed courgette flower. Great and friendly service, sorted us out with space for a last minute dining companion and otherwise very attentive and knowledgeable!

The best place to visit when you come to London!! I came to visit with my grandfather last week and can I just say the food was to die for. So much that I forgot to take photos. The Croqetas (I think that's how you spell it) were my favourite! Our server sue was amazing, service was top notch haven't had rousing reception like that for a long time. All in all this place is a must visit.

I mean rubbish pictures, sorry but everything was absolutely amazing!

Delicious food, great atmosphere and the courgette is to die for!

Lived up to high expectations, handled our tricky allergies perfectly and the food was incredible. Can't wait to visit again! The tortilla (jamon) and the aubergine with balsamic were both really memorable.

Love this place, my go to whenever I’m in town! Service is amazing and the food is to die for

WARNING...It will leave you wanting to return. SOOOOOO...Well...I had not been since the ole daze - pre-pandemic. Maybe that was just a dream? I DID have a dream about the food (the same night after my birthday feast treat), where I told the waiter (in my dream) that they had taken the last scraps of gambas away way too soon and that I hadn't finished. They returned the plate and to my shame, there was nothing but a shell left. I had finished the lot, savored every morsel, but wanted it to last forever. I salivated at the drop of sauce on the plate. The alarm went off and I was glad that hadn't happened in real life, safe in the knowledge that there would, so long as I am alive, be an opportunity to return for 'more of the same treatment' Ahhhhh. Given my longstanding indoctrination of table manners, I might have secretly wished I could've licked the plate clean, but I have decorum. It was a struggle, but I kept my composure. Who knows, maybe it was the oysters getting me so aroused by the gastronomical splendor, maybe it was a combination of birthday buzz, flashbacks and close encounters of the weird kind which set things in motion, but even though we'd been apart (me and the restaurant) I fell in love all over again. The table staff were absolute magic that day, emanating one hundred percent pure good vibes. GRACIAS.

Food was amazing so too was the service. Had a fantastic time.

Creative, tantalising and mouthwatering A very welcoming tapas restaurant. Really varied menu with a lot of veggie options and good for allergies too!! A hidden gem in Stoke Newington!

It was one of the best experiences I ever had!!!! This place is amazing, fresh fish , fresh meet ,amazing customer service , confort place, real original spanish decoración. You can feel spanish in there , thanks to all the people in there they treated us like kings. I want to give a special mention to Lara, she was very friendly and had an amazing attention to the details to make our experience go to the extra mile thanks so much. Cheesecake, the best desert!!!!

Perfect food and setting, and coming from a Spaniard is not too bad. Perhaps I would make the portions a bit bigger but the flavours were really good in every single dish we tried Im not sure I'll go again as I can have tapas when I go back to Spain however I would go again if I went without Spaniards

Apart from ceviche, rest of dishes very ordinary. Vegetarian dishes particularly disappointing.

Nice place & people - defo recommend ceviche & prawns 😋

Always amazing food and service and the baked cheesecake today was to die for. Please bring back the Boqueron beer and cinnamon ice cream though!

Lovely tapas, cosy atmosphere and friendly staff

The best Spanish food I've eaten in London. Great wine list, great staff and great relaxed atmosphere. Voy a volver pronto. Gracias.

Very good service. Excellent food. Excellent cocktails. Spent more than I should have done. Had a fantastic time!

Wow … chocking to walk in and a horrible face from a power trip Cheff that he thinks that is over he’s costumer …. I just want to ask for today’s Valentine days dinner …. Well definitely lost my appetite!!!!! Don’t over pay for this behaviour !!!!

Was on my list to try for a while and didn’t disappoint! Good selection of fresh seafood tapas, tried the oysters, octopus, sea bass ceviche and prawns - all very nice! The squid ink paella was delicious and service great!

We've been coming here since it opened and it's our favourite for a bar meal for two or larger group meals at the tables. Service is always friendly and efficient and the food has remained as good as always.

Visited pre-pandemic after being enticed by half price oysters, and have been meaning to come back. So glad that we did! Everything was delicious, well-balanced and exceptionally well cooked. We have tried to replicate the mojo verde at home with no success - escocesa does it perfectly. The staff were also very polite and attentive. Highly recommend!

Lovely experience, great service. We especially loved the Courgette Flower with Honey, and the Gambas. The orange wine was also wonderful, as was the cheesecake. Absolutely stunning xx

QUE BIEN! great food, great service. good bar!

Super charming restaurant with tasty food and warm service - highly recommend!

impeccable service and very nice ambience too. rather limited choice in the food & dessert menu (better check their online menu before going - I was taken for surprise lunch and being a rather picky eater I felt rather constrained in choice). I had jamon iberico, and butternut squash and chickpea salad - both were good. my partner had the pulpo and he enjoyed that too.

Really fabulous find! The bar is definitely the place to be. Food was sensational, great interesting wine list with good options by glass/carafe, knowledgable and fun staff. Place was buzzing!

A little on the expensive side, but great food and friendly service.

This was the best tapas I have eaten in the UK! Highlights were oysters which were absolutely delicious, the garlic prawns, and the anchovies. We had a really lovely bottle of orange wine and cocktails were great too. The service was good although I don’t think anybody checked in and asked how the food was whilst we were there, so if we had a complaint we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to give feedback. This being said, the food was near perfect so it wasn’t an issue

It’s always great, without fail. Produce is incredible quality, seafood unreal, drinks are incredible and atmosphere always buzzing. Servers are so knowledgeable, warm and lovely. Truly recommend it to everyone!

Such a stunning experience- loved sitting at the bar with vermut and oysters, padron peppers and the baby octopus! Make sure you try the cheesecake 🫠

Awesome. Great place for a relaxed meal. Food, drink and staff are all good. Portions not huge but ok. About £100 per person for a long lunch with plenty to eat and drink.

Favourite French restaurant in North London. The food is excellent while bring relaxed and informal.

Seating at the bar/kitchen is dinner and a show. You can see how the kitchen is run and everything is made. The food is some of the best we had in London.

Excellent food, one of my favourite spots! Top quality authentic Spanish tapas, service is almost too fast, so I generally stagger my order so it doesn't all come together. The sea bass ceviche is truly excellent.

Amazing food, lovely staff, and a great selection of wines. 🙏

Lovely evening with delicious food and service. The guy running front of house did an amazing job with recommendations. Sit at the counter and watch the chefs work their magic. Big thanks for your he bday cake

Best spanish tapas outsidenof Spain that Ive ever seen The food is amazing.

It isn't cheap but it does what it says on the tin. Paella was good, staff paid the right amount of attention, and the wine was decent.

Oysters were very well presented, and the tapas dishes were excellent. But at £34, the house wine was very over-priced.

Great tapas and paella. They have different varieties of paella and the portions are huge! Good service and nice cocktails too.

The food is usually pretty faultless and exceptional but food comes when it’s ready so have that in mind when ordering. Can get a little cramped when busy but the staff are friendly and attentive.

Such amazing fresh seafood, great Al Fresco dining, lovely staff and great vibe. The sardines were amazing!

Best seat in the house is by the bar. Absolutely great vibes all round. Really happy with the recommendations we got. And the cocktails were delish!

Highly recommend sitting at the bar so you can see the chefs work their magic. The paella has a 30-40 minute wait, but it's absolutely worth it!

We had high quality, fine dining food. All the ingredients were well considered and matched for a perfect tasting experience. Wine recommendation was excellent, we enjoyed the Sense Cap, and could not get enough of the lamp cutlets. I especially liked the pairing of grapes with sea bass ceviche, and would certainly go back for that unique find.

First time an absolutely loved the experience. Sit at the bar for a great open kitchen ambience and stand outs were the courgette flower, sea bass ceviche and the prawn tortilla. Can’t wait to come again.

The food was excellent. Recommendations for wine, perfect. Service was great even when packed. You pay for quality and we were happy to do so. When it's full and busy the acoustics in the main dining area, like most restaurants, were a little difficult but not unexpected and fine after a cocktail or two. Cocktails were delicious btw🍸 We loved it all and will be back very soon.

Amazing food and really nice ambiance

Love this place been two weeks in a row, will Keep coming back 👌🏼

My boyfriend brought me here for my birthday meal and it l was one of the best dinners I’ve had in London. We had a stool seat at the kitchen where you can watch the chefs prepare the food. This was really fun as the chefs seemed so happy and passionate. All of our food was delicious, the courgette flowers and garlic prawns were a must try! Prices were good and portions were also good which isn’t always the case with tapas bars. Particularly surprised by the chocolate ganache which was wonderful! Overall, atmosphere was great, prices were good and we had a lovely time and will be back! 🦐🇪🇸

always a great experience here ! Great food and top atmosphere

The most amazing tortilla con jamón that I have ever tried. The torrija with cinnamon ice cream was a dream as well. Thank you for this excusite happiness ☺️

As a lover of Scottish produce and food couldn't fault the place or the service fantastic recommended visit here you won't be disappointed.

Mediocre Spanish food. If you ever were in Spain this unfortunately doesn't come close.

Excellent food and really friendly and attentive staff. Sit at the counter if you can.

Elegant and stylish restaurant. My vegan option was perfection. Friendly and efficient service. Made the evening memorable.

Excellent food and wine. The aubergine and walnuts was the stand out dish for me.

Good overall, as a hospitality professional impress Thank you the Spinola PX

Spanish place the environment was okey, you can sit at the bar they have the kitchen open so you can eat while you see how the cooking everything, the food was really nice really good quality i lack i bit of quantity but still okey. If you want to get some good tapas that’s the place for sure.

Great food and great service! 100% recommended.

Lovely little restaurant, cute little tapas dishes, tasty, fresh and just perfect for a date night! Been twice in the last month or so, lovely oysters too!

Been here a few times, really great food, solid option on Church St. I recommend sitting at the bar and watching the chefs at work

Spanish restaurant at a lovely location, however… We ordered multiple dishes, including chipirones, which seems like a pretty large portion on the plate, but the actual baby squids are so tiny that what you are mainly tasting is the paneer only. Patatas bravas are not bad, but didn’t rock our world, the dipping sauce could do a bit more flavour. Gambas al ajillo is a great price-value dish, and quite tasty, and the oysters are lovely too. The grilled octopus had a perfect texture and the white beans purée was absolutely amazing. The thing what we found as a huge problem with pretty much all dishes is the salt. We found everything way too salty. Rock salt is all over the dishes, and as we sat by the counter, we saw the cook not to use salt on the octopus at all (unless they soaked it in salty water previously) however it was still very salty, so as the oyster and the other dishes. We both know that seafood can be salty, but these were way too salty. The service was nice, so as the wine, but chef, if you are working by the counter, where people sitting, and eating, and you need to blow your nose, then please at least wash your hands before handling food again. Glad we were paying already when this has happened. Thanks!

Good food and great service. I will be back!

Very friendly, helpful staff, excellent quality and choice of food. Reasonably priced. Best tapas place in my experience of London.