Essenza Bar & Restaurant in Harrogate

Wide menu and good food but service was a significant issue. Booked table in advance for 7 of us at 8:30. Restaurant was busy on arrival but we took seats and ordered drinks. Eventually told the kitchen was overwhelmed and we would have to wait for food. Eventually food arrived after 10pm. Tapas was good and lots of choice, but note GF options are not all GF, ie GF meat on not-GF bread. Pizzas were ok but nothing special. Ended up spending far more on drink than we'd expected due to an hr and a half delay, so some compensation gesture from restaurant would have been nice.

We had another fantastic meal at Essenza tonight before heading over to Harrogate Theatre. Three of us tucked into 9 fabulous tapas dishes which were all so good. If you haven't been yet, I’d highly recommend.

Lovely food and fantastic service!

Had a great experience here - excellent food, great service, and good location. We will definitely be back.

Great food great people And nice atomsphere

Was looking for vegan options and found out they had over 15 vegan options. I had three tapas dishes which turned out to be more than enough! I had patatas bravas, stuffed mushrooms and fajitas - all were excellent. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Really lovely food and top service. Made us feel really welcome A+++

Amazing food and service, made to feel very welcome. Would definitely return when in Harrogate again. Great atmosphere.

Nice food and pleasant service but, for me, spoilt by the harsh lighting and white decor. I might be old-fashioned, but I prefer a more subdued atmosphere

We had a quite fantastic meal at Essenza and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for great quality food, served in a very nice and clean restaurant, with very attentive and competent staff. There is a vast selection of tapas available and all of the plates we selected were served nice and hot, with generous sized portions. Overall, a great quality meal at a very reasonable price, and we will definitely return any time we are back in Harrogate.

We had a quite fantastic meal at Essenza and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for great quality food, served in a very nice and clean restaurant, with very attentive and competent staff. There is a vast selection of tapas available and all of the plates we selected were served nice and hot, with generous sized portions. Overall, a great quality meal at a very reasonable price, and we will definitely return any time we are back in Harrogate.

Portions were huge delicious and served by amazing staff The restaurant is bright not over crowded and family run It’s by far my favourite restaurant and not over pried

Amazing Tapas - we drove 3 hours to go back to this restaurant. Particularly recommend the chanpiognes mushrooms and honey chorizo Really high quality food

What a gem!! Went for my Birthday. The food was excellent, great atmosphere and Vladimir and his staff made it special. Highly recommend.

Went with a friend on Friday night for a meal during our wekeend away. Staff were helpful, polite and friendly, food was out of this world, just heavenly, and pricing was fair. My friend is gluten free and the staff were knowledgeable about this. There were plenty of options for her to choose from. Should we return to Harrogate at any point in the future we will definitely dine here again. Thank you

Popped in for lunch... beautiful food, good value, and great service... Cant fault it 😀

We had a delicious tapas meal that included some unusual combinations that worked: halloumi with chorizo, chicken fajitas, calamari with sweet chilli sauce, garlic prawns with chorizo, patatas bravas, bruschetta smoked salmon, aubergine skewer.

Amazing food and atmosphere. The highlight though is the level of service from the two young lads working there. Attentive, kind and efficient. Great experience from start to finish.

Fabulous meal. Good sized portions, tasty tapas. Good value.

Absolutely fantastic birthday experience with my partner.Really great staff and excellent tapas dishes that were fabulous. If you’re eating out in Harrogate don’t go anywhere else🥰

Good place to go for an informal meal 8/10. We had the Tapas as opposed to main dishes and it was enjoyable. This isn’t a ‘fancy place’ servicing ‘fancy food’ - more a place to go for a quick bite and a beer. The guy serving us was called Ion and he was great. We’ll go back for sure.

We booked for a large party for multiple milestone birthday celebrations for our family and they did not disappoint. Vladimir was so helpful from the original booking and planning and on greeting us when we arrived. The service was great, friendly and efficient. The food was amazing, but arrive very hungry, because you get very well fed indeed! They put balloons on the tables and we had a wonderful night. Thank you Essenza!

Excellent tapas very tasty dishes, spices were fantastic. Very freshly prepared food you can see into the kitchen. Worth a visit when in Harrogate. Great experience.

We at here as we wanted a Tapas. The food was lovely and the options were really good. The staff were excellent, funny and friendly.

Our 42nd Wedding Anniversary and as this restaurant is our special place for celebrations we drove over 20 miles to get to it ! Well worth the trip. As always, wonderful warm welcome and attentive service from Constantin; superb tapas food, generous portions and definitely great value for money. Can't wait until our next visit to Harrogate. Thank you for yet another memorable meal.

Our go to place when my wife and I are staying overnight in Harrogate and once again very pleased with service and quality of the food. Excellent value for money.

Me and my wife both fancy Tapas So I had a look on trip advisor and found this restaurant had a very good reviews. They were not wrong!!!! The service was excellent and the food even better. My wife had chicken skewers and she said it was absolutely gorgeous. I chose from the tapas menu and got three for £16. This was a kind of happy hour offer if this offer is on them please do get the three but if not, I would only recommend getting two us two would definitely be enough. All in all how we get it was a grid afternoon out and this restaurant just topped it off highly recommended it.

We ate off the tapas menu where the choices were impressive, some traditional and some of the chefs creations. Good nice food with no disappointments 👍 The wine choices really work with food, and there’s plenty of other drinks to enjoy as well. Staff were excellent, friendly, attentive and entertaining with two birthday songs for separate guests which raised a few laughs. We were lucky enough as a walk in to get a table for two so I’d recommend booking. Highly recommend and we’ll definitely be going back.

Tapas were incredible. Food service was really quick and efficient. Portions were generous. You were easily full after 3 tapas. Loved it!

Found this place by accident when we were staying in Harrogate for 1 night. Food was amazing and the staff and service was 1st class. Will definitely return when back in the area.

Location molto bella. Peccato che sia un posto costoso con un cibo veramente pessimo. ho fatto un aperitivo sulla spiaggia, la cameriera ci ha portato delle focaccine lanciate sul vassoio gigante (di pessima qualità) e purtroppo mentre appoggiava sul tavolo le bevande le è scivolato un bicchiere che si è rotto sul nostro tavolo. è indubbiamente sfidante appoggiare i bicchieri poichè i tavolini sono in bilico sulla spiaggia. Nonostante ciò abbiamo deciso di cenare li. menù di carne. la qualità del cibo è veramente scarsa, sebbene le porzioni siano abbondanti. i menù sono fissi ma le bottiglie di vino sono costose e con pochissima scelta. io suggerisco un giro.. ma la cena qui, per quanto possa costare, io la eviterei e la eviterò!

Turned up quite late in the evening, the service and food were excellent. The waiter was very knowledgeable about the food and topped up our wine glasses as soon as he noticed we were nearly finished. Overall Outstanding !!

What an amazing experience. We decided to eat here after reading so many good reviews about the venue . On our visit the service we received was second to none and the young gentleman who served us was very efficient and made some really good recommendations. The tapas themselves were absolutely fantastic. They were both very flavourful and plentiful especially t”the chicken skewers and belly pork . I would highly recommend this restaurant and when next in Harrogate I will certainly return. Exceptional value for money and is without a doubt well worth a visit.

We had a very relaxed meal of tapas dishes which were delicious. It took a while for the food to arrive but we had a lot of catching up to do with our friends so it wasn't an issue. If you like your coffee strong this is definitely the place to go!!

Ordered the salmon & asparagus. Absolutely delicious. Great serve with friendly staff. Highly recommended.

Great food and staff very helpful will visit again

Can’t wait to return. Could have eaten the whole menu! Gorgeous food, lovely staff and atmosphere. We had the tapas offer. Very generous portions, very reasonable price. The desserts looked amazing too! We’ll definitely return. Highly recommended

After a very pleasant evening with good food and great company our evening was pretty much ruined by the restaurant staff. We ordered drinks, tapas and a main course, but didn’t want dessert or coffees afterwards and made that clear to three members of the staff. This didn’t seem to go down well with the front of house, who made it pretty clear he wanted us to leave by having a waitress clean our table while we were still sitting there finishing our drinks. This totally unnecessary action made us feel very uncomfortable and resulted in a really disappointing end to an otherwise enjoyable evening. If the table was needed for other customers, the staff should simply have asked us to drink up, pay and leave. One other thing - we were made to wait for our table when we arrived at the restaurant earlier in the evening!!

Lovely restaurant, food was really nice, staff was polite. Gave 4 stars cos there are stairs and can be difficult for someone with a disability.

Booked on line Table was ready when we arrived shared a starter both mains superb Ordered lamb chops and lamb shank vegetables with chops tasted amazing on reflection shouldn't have ordered side order of chips as there was more than enough without Will be back when in Harrogate again

Lunch time menu: well made enjoyable and generous portions. Lunchtimes just got better

Maybe it's what I ordered but my experience here was very different from most of the reviews I read! I came in on a Tuesday night. It was about half full. I had to seat myself and grab my own menu. It took a while for my order to be taken. The food came quickly but the quality wasn't great - maybe it's what I ordered? I had 3 sets of tapas - fishcakes, meatballs, and another mixed meat dish similar to the meatballs. They all tasted as though they were frozen foods from the supermarket 😅. Hopefully others have a better experience than I did! But from what I came across, I'd recommend elsewhere - there are so many better choices in the area!

We have walked past this restaurant many times while visiting Harrogate, we were a walk in but that was no problem. Place was nice. The service and the food were excellent. We had 3 tapas and a pizza , the tapas were lovely. The pizza for me was the star, chicken and chorizo with lots of cheese and with a nice soft base. Will definitely be visiting again when in Harrogate

My wife and I went to Essenza for lunch as a treat for Father's Day. It is always a treat to go to Essenza. Costi was working that day and he was the host with the most as always. His friendly welcome was a lovely start to the lunch. We have been to Essenza many times and it is always our restaurant of first choice. We have never found a restaurant where there has been better service, more choice on the menu, better quality food or better value. We both had a selection of Tapas which was excellent as always and a very nice Malbec. It was all excellent as usual. Thank you Costi for making another lovely memory for us. See you soon. Wally and Inna

Why have we never been before? Great food and excellent service.

What amazing place to go and have a bit to eat. A place I would return to.

Stumbled on this little gem in Harrogate today. Had the tapas offer absolutely delicious. Staff very attentive. Only low score for atmosphere as no other diners in.

Went here on a Tuesday night it wasn't overly busy, but the choice of food was great. We will definitely visit again when we are in Harrogate 😁😁

Just wow! We had a lovely lunch here. The portions were huge! The food from the lunch tapas menu was delicious and excellent value and the service was friendly. Highly recommend!

Honestly, the most exceptional fresh food I've had in a long time ! So good we went back the next day. If I lived closer I'd be a regular !!

Amazing food and fantastic service. Was a pleasure to visit.

Gorgeous Mediterranean tapas. I had the prawns, patatas and halloumi. Char grilled and very nice. Service was friendly and excellent. A nice bottle of merlot too !

Friendly & welcoming from booking through to paying. Excellent menu & quality food. Social atmosphere tho simple decor. All staff genuine, caring, funny, polite & professional. Lovely night & happy to recommend

What a terrific tapas restaurant. Great food, service and not expensive. Constantine is a brilliant host. It’s a shame I live over 4 hours away. I’ve only managed to get back a couple times.

My husband and I are visiting Harrogate and we came across this restaurant. We had lunch there, a nice window table and lovely welcome: We chose 6 tappas dishes. 3 dishes at lunch at £14.95. The portions were huge and all very tasty. We had a mix of salad, garlic bread, chicken fajitas, pork ribs, chicken skewers and fish cakes. Would definitely have the same again and return when we come back to Harrogate. Service was fantastic. Highly recommend.

We ate here with a couple of friends, last week. We were visiting Harrogate so this was our first time in Essenza. We chose the 3 tapas for £14.95 menu and all the food was delicious and good portion sizes too. Plenty of food, great value. Constantine, the waiter was very helpful and friendly. If we visit Harrogate again we will be eating here.

Great food and choice freshly cooked generous portions and well presented have eaten here quite a few times with family can recommend

Amazing food. We found this restaurant while looking for a light lunch and was perfect, staff were friendly and helpful and the portions were nice. Highly recommended

Essenza Bar & Tapas offers a delightful dining experience with its delectable menu and charming ambiance. Each dish was a masterpiece, showcasing the chef's creativity and skill. Every bite was bursting with flavor, and the presentation was impeccable. Whether you're a seafood lover, a vegetarian, or a carnivore, there's something on the menu to satisfy every palate. With attentive staff and a charming ambiance, if you're a food enthusiast or simply looking for a memorable dining experience, I highly recommend paying a visit to Essenza Bar & Tapas. You won't be disappointed.

Great birthday lunch celebrated at Essenza yesterday. Fabulous, delicious tapas prepared and served! Thank you so much to the Chef and the superb service from lovely Costi. I loved the birthday balloons on the table and a window table too, such a lovely touch! You really made my birthday super special. Thank you, thank you, thank you 😊😘 We shall be back! XxxX

Initially a good experience, friendly staff and nice wine. However, my family went over 2 sittings last night due to childcare issues. Unfortunately, myself and my mother both started with food poisoning symptoms a few hours after eating. We have both been really unwell today and therefore will not be going back,

Great food excellent service, definitely recommend.

Food was incredible, service was top notch - were able to accommodate us even though I booked the wrong day! First time we’ve visited but definitely won’t be the last, great vegan options!

Fabulous visit to Essenza restaurant last week. Very impressed with the food, service and atmosphere which was one of the best we experienced during our 4 nights stay in Harrogate. We especially enjoyed the chicken and goats cheese kebabs and the red wine was lovely. The restaurant was busy and buzzing and the the host very attentive and friendly, would recommend x

Great meal with a nice choice of food and drink, well cooked

We had a super meal here yesterday. Our fish main courses were a different twist on the normal salmon and sea bass meals you usually see. The glassware was sparkling and the three courses perfectly spaced. Menu was extensive. Would recommend to anyone visiting Harrogate.

Wonderful Restaurant with a great Menu choice...Great ambience & really attentive staff ...highly recommend

We went for tapas. Food was fantastic and filling. Great prices and happy friendly service by all. Will definitely be returning A*

This restaurant is a gem. The food was authentic and the menu excellent. All the tapas dishes we selected were really enjoyable. The fajitas and the tortilla in particular. Staff and service personnel and welcoming.

Excellent food with good value for money. Very generous portion sizes for tapas. Service was perfect. Will definitely be returning!

The best tapas we’ve had , service couldn’t have been bettter. Free balloons if u say it your birthday

Everyone sang happy birthday to three people, and we all got puddings even the people who didn't have birthdays! Great wine, good prawns, great veggie food.

I had lunch here on Friday. The £15 for 3 offer is great value and the portions are massive. Favourite dish probably the chicken skewers, but everything was lovely. My gluten-free dining companion had plenty of choice available and our waiter (who may have been manager/boss?) very helpful. Would happily eat here again when next in town

Been here 4x theres no better place in my eyes Quality, quantity and price if theres better in harrogate then I havent found it Superb place and our go to eat out happy place

Late lunch stop. Great food, atmosphere and service. Would recommend Essenza Bar and Tapas if you are in the Harrogate Area.

Absolutely fantastic food and venue staff were great too

Gorgeous cocktails, great food, lovely service and ambience. Highly recommend!

Hidden gem... Larger than average portions for tapas... ended up with a doggy bag for the next days dinner! Excellent friendly service, great value too!

From the moment we entered the service was great. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The restaurant was very clean and so were the loos. The food was very good and we really enjoyed every bit of our visit. We will call again next time we are in Harrogate

Excellent tapas - delicious especially the chicken liver

Food out of this world. Service excellent We were here early at 6.30pm so almost empty. But as mentioned food was best tapas we ever ate Thank you for a lovely experience. My taste buds have been transformed. Highly recommended 👌

Everything was great! Friendly stuff, enormous portions and nice atmosphere! We’ve been here for the second time and will definitely come again when we are back in Harrogate.

Great tapas food, attentive staff and superb value. Thank you and Merry Christmas

If you're anywhere near Harrogate you need to visit here!. We found this place by chance and we weren't disappointed. The food was delicious and the service impeccable. I've not stopped thinking about that steak since.

A bit overdue with my review. Visited this restaurant with a colleague, thinking we might find some tapas here. But instead we went for regular menu items. Everything we ordered was great. I ordered a steak that was perfectly cooked, accompanied by delicious fries. Loved the food and loved how close it was to our hotel.

We took advantage of the three platter £14.95 tapas and order one for my wife and myself. The food was incredible delicious and cooked very quickly. They have a great selection beverages and the service was excellent. The restaurant is up a flight of stairs, it’s very clean and spacious. We were made to feel very welcome by the staff and loved the incredible variety of food available on our six platters. A must go if You are in town.

Lovely place and the service was exceptional. The food was fabulous too. Totally recommend this place

Not quite what I was expecting! Saw the good write-ups and thought we would give the on a wiggle. The ambiance didn't do it for me; felt like we were sitting in a fish bowl with the lights on bright! Menu included tapas but much more! A number of dishes had been prepared (well) in advance, though the tortilla was freshly prepared and good. Didn't really do it for me I'm afraid.

Food was excellent as was the service. Would definitely return

This was a little gem that we found whilst visiting Harrogate. I wasn’t sure what to expect at first because it was quite hidden away and empty when we arrived but it soon started to fill up, good atmosphere and the food really was delicious. You could see into the kitchen and it was clean and the food was fresh. This is definitely worth a try and a nice break from the usual cliche restaurants. The service was great too!

Found this place through TripAdvisor and not disappointed.Food was excellent at a very reasonable price

Great find in Harrogate. Wonderful tapas, with a good variety. Food was very flavourful, with large portion sizes and reasonably priced (especially with the lunch menu). Great service and really enjoyed ourselves!

Amazing food, tapas a must and great choice, reasonably priced. Great service, very welcoming and friendly

Definitely recommend. Decor is v smart. Food is very very good, wine is good and is fair price. Staff are attentive and pleasant. Music is dreadful (my opinion) but but didn’t seem to bother others. Management need to upgrade their specials board.

Delicious food, generous portions and great value. Fantastic service, kids menu, lovely loo. Can't fault them. 5* 'chip advisor' rating for great crispy chips also. 🤤

Loved the tapas here, really tasty and quick friendly service.

Enjoyed an evening meal here and it was excellent. We had tapas and every dish was great 👍

The food here is delicious ! We had tickets for the theatre and came to Essenza beforehand,. It was well worth it. Excellent service too.

Booked a table as we were staying over in Harrogate. Absolutely superb food and impeccable service. The menu has a choice of Tapas, Pizzas and various other Mediterranean themes. The service was watchful and slick. Could probably do with a few soft furnishings or acoustic panels to deaden the noise a bit, as we sometimes struggled to have a conversation once the place filled up.

Good, well priced food especially on the early bird special!