Essenza Bar & Restaurant in Harrogate

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

My wife and I went to Essenza for lunch to celebrate our anniversary. 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. My wife had the Seabass and I had the Tapas. It was all excellent as usual. Thank you Costi for making another lovely memory for us. See you soon. Wally and Inna

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.

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.

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.

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!

Busy upstairs tapas restaurant with authentic food and excellent service. Very good allergy awareness and catered easily for gluten free needs. Strongly recommend.

Loved it. Quick lunch in Harrogate. Fabulous food and tempura chicken gorgeous. I have dietary issues but all good. Really loved it and fabulous staff.

Great spot! Been back a couple of times now. bring the kids too

Good for tapas, you do have to climb a good flight of stairs to gain access

I love this place. The staff are friendly and helpful. The food is perfectly cooked and tasty. They have a great choice of tapas, pizza and standard meals so when in a group, there is something to keep everyone happy.

Amazing! This was our first tapas experience and I can’t believe what we have been missing. The food was absolutely delicious. We had 7 dishes between 2 of us, which gave us a good selection of the menu. The staff were amazing, so helpful and friendly. We couldn’t have asked for a better host than Vlad, he was brilliant. We were celebrating a birthday and when they brought our pudding out… the chocolate cake came out with a candle and Vlad got the restaurant to sing happy birthday…. Was so funny and great. We will 100% be visiting the restaurant again! Top notch!

My salmon was delicious with rice and gorgonzola. The place clean and sunny. The service not perfect but nice and friendly.

Celebrated my sister in law's Hen party (16th September) The food is AMAZING! Great flavours and good size tapas portions. Service was fantastic too. Will definitely be back again

Very tasty food, helpful staff and great service. Good allergy awareness.

Great hidden gem, food & service very good

I dined at Essenza with a party of 12, visiting Harrogate for the weekend. We were happy to pay a deposit and send in a pre-order as requested. The pre-order was promptly acknowledged and on the evening of our meal, all of the food came out together. The food was lovely (hot, colourful and plentiful) and the service excellent. It really was a faultless experience! Everyone in our group said Essenza was a really good choice and I got plenty of compliments for picking it, so I owe a really big thank you to the team at Essenza for making our evening a success! Thank you!

Fabulous 👌 Friendly and helpful staff, great food.

Rung late on a Friday afternoon for dinner. Although busy we were squeezed in for 8.15pm and enjoyed a very pleasant, tasty meal with good service all round. Can recommend the Mediterranean fusion dining.

Tapas was just superb, eating in the evening is not the cheapest but we really enjoyed it. My advice would be fine before 7pm for tapas, must say the ribs are a must.

Wonderful food and service is very good. Garlic prawns are the best! Highly recommend.

What a lovely tapas restaurant, friendly staff, amazing food, and the complimentary fudge at the end of our meal was to die for will definitely revisit.

Absolutely amazing ... definitely be back to harrogate just to come here

Amazing experience here, the food is so good, service is amazing! Such good prices for the food too! Deffinitly recomend!

Absolutely delicious food in this laid back Tapas bar. An absolute must xxx

In Harrogate for 2 days. Enjoyed a super meal in Essenza on 14 August. The service was first class as was the food, a superb choice on the menu. Extremely welcoming and friendly staff. Totally recommend a visit.

Delicious food and fantastic service. Loved it!

Excellent choice of tapas and great service

Really good enjoyed the whole evening

Great food and service. Well worth a trip!

Fantastic food, we turned up without a booked table and they couldn't have been more helpful, getting us seated and with drinks in less than 5 minutes. Tapas choices were all delicious. Staff were friendly and created a lovely atmosphere in the restaurant. Would definitely recommend and I'd certainly make an effort to go again next time I'm in Harrogate.

Great food, very busy. Plenty to choose from.

Last minute decision after the brilliant carnival. The food was fabulous and with very few staff, the team have the service off to a tee! Loved it and will definitely return.

Me and my mum had the most incredible time here. The best tapas we’ve ever had, so tasty and the portion sizes are perfect for sharing. A big thank you for making it that little bit special by giving us a complimentary tiramisu to share (as it was my 30th birthday celebrations) which also was the best, and singing happy birthday. Such a hidden gem. Would 100% recommend and visit again the next time we’re in Harrogate. Thanks again.

Delicious tapas. Pleasant , professional service. Well worth a visit

Visited here with friends on a Saturday evening and was really impressed. Food, drinks and service were all excellent. Highly recommended.

Great restaurant!! Don’t hesitate - book a table and enjoy a fantastic meal. Kevan & Meg

The waiter was very welcoming and attentive, without being overbearing. The lunch menu is great and there was lots of choice, although if you're looking for authentic Spanish tapas this isn't the place for you. These are more mediterranean/eastern European small plates but very nice, nonetheless. The calamari, fish cakes and chicken were very nice, as were the garlic breads. The Aperol spritz was delicious as was the champagne. I wasn't keen on the whiteboard showing the specials (it looks a bit naff and out of place) and the decor could maybe donwith a little modernisation. The bill was reasonable for what we had - overall a lovely meal.

Hidden gem in the heart of Harrogate. Blown away by the service and the food. Fussy 10 year old said it was her best meal ever!

Great attentive service. Great tapas with a twist. Will be back. Cheers

We were visiting on a last minute trip and can only say wow, from a very friendly welcome to great service and fantastic food we will defo visit again if in the area the tapas was amazing!!!

Great food, great staff, very enjoyable

Good service, great food in a nice atmosphere. Very enjoyable evening

Great place. Food was awesome. Highly recommended. WIll be back.

Food 5* service 5* don't miss out on this 1 guy's very impressive

Delicious and I mean really delicious food. Great vegetarian tapas selection and a chicken main course which contained what appeared to be a whole chicken! Excellent attentive service... would have liked to have spent more time there but needed to get to the theatre. The staff were aware of this and were so prompt so we weren't late. Have recommended to all my friends. Can't wait to go back!

A great find... The food was superb, the service excellent

Food and service are very good.

Our third visit to Essenza and every visit has been a pleasure. The food is cooked perfectly with a varied selection to cover most people's preferences. The staff can't do enough for you and are super friendly. The easiest 5 stars I have given.

Everything from start to finish was bang on. The staff were very friendly and guided us to our table and we had our drinks ordered within 5 minutes. We had 5 tapas dishes between me and my partner which were all great. The staff were really attentive and took the time to have a bit of a chat with us at the end of our meal and offered us some of their fudge which was lovely. The food wasn’t too expensive either with me and my partner spending £50 plus tip and we both left very full. 5 stars!

Started off fantastically. Tapas was delish Went downhill when we ordered dessert. I have a problem with walnuts so checked the Melly pudding and no nuts included in it so ordered. It came full of walnuts and when i asked the waiter he was very defensive and said that i should tell them this before i ate there. He made me feel very uncomfortable and that it was my fault. My friend felt that he handled the situation badly. We will not return. Please be aware if you have a nut allergy that unlike most restaurants you need to tell them instead of the staff asking you. Very disappointed 😞 UPDATE WHAT A DISAPPOINTING RESPONSE. I DIDNT SAY ANYTHING POSITIVE ABOUT THE DESSERT. THIS HAS JUST REINFORCED THAT WE WILL NOT RETURN.

Lovely restaurant and friendly staff, food was delicious.

Picked through reviews, amazing little place. My first time trying tapas, I was not disappointed. Amazing food. Lovely friendly staff! Reasonable price. Will definitely be back!

Returning customer We visited Essenza last year, so we are returning again , lovley food and service given once again. Tapas are lovley and a reasonable price

Great food and service! Would come again!

Absolutely fantastic service and food. 8 of us turned up without a booking and they couldn't be more helpful. The steak I had was cooked to perfection and the chips were the best I've probably eaten. I very rarely leave reviews, but Essenza was definitely worth the effort! An absolute little gem of a place.

The food was really tasty, although when we ordered dessert my friend discovered that here pudding was full of walnuts which was not in the description! When we spoke to the waiter he said we should have informed him when we arrived that she was not able to eat walnuts. Luckily, she is not hugely allergic but does have a reaction to them. I think the ingredients should have been listed on the menu as she wouldn't have ordered it! Unfortunately, this left a bit of a dampner on the evening and could have been handed much better.

Great value for money. Lovely food

Me and my partner came here tonight after a last min booking and had an amazing tapas time. The tapas food was brilliant and after having a bad start to our Harrogate experience this place lifted our spirits with great food and great service. Well recommended

Visited this superb restaurant again a few weeks ago and again the food was amazing. Great service and reasonably priced. Well recommended.

Woderful food and great value for money. We had the lunch menu.

The food was amazing! I am so glad we went there. Must have are the mushrooms and the chorizo. We had 8 (2 people) tapas and were very impressed with all of them!

Just want to thank all the staff for an absolutely wonderful dining experience here last night. It was my wife’s bday who was made ri feel like a princess during dining experience including balloons and singing happy bday. The food was absolutely wonderful including a mixture of tapas and I opted for the lamb shank with creamy mash. The overall standard of the food/service was one of the best dining experience’s we have ever had. Great job to all the staff and we will definitely be visiting again whilst in Harrogate.

Over all food was very good but steamed veg was soggy, which was the only negative but I would not let this put you off.

Called into Essenza last minute decision Monday 24th April we hadn't booked. Great food, great service and good tips of how much to order for three very hungry people! no faults at all. Thanks to front end staff and kitchen staff made a nice change on a cold and dreary night in Harrogate. Excellent.

Food was fabulous, staff were attentive and funny. Great place to eat at, atmosphere was quiet but we ate late, lovely place would love to go again!

Delicious food and warm environment. I would love to eat there again.

Lovely tapas for lunch with great service and very reasonable prices!

Great food, friendly atmosphere, really good!

Great place....lovely food and service