La farola in Islington

Food was delicious and the staff is very friendly, however, too small portions for the price, long wait before receiving food (and the place was a third full), and not a huge fan of the kitchen next to the toilet in the basement.

So gooood! And large portion! Sangria was also to the right mix of wine and fruit, bitter and sweet! It’s a place to hang around with friends and slowly enjoying the tapas and wine

V. special tapas restaurant in Islington. Beautiful food, friendly service and the cocktails are to be recommended, too. Fun, laid-back atmosphere and vibe

Great atmosphere but the food left us unfulfilled. Portions were incredibly small and food was overcooked. Around the 1hour mark, they pressure you to pay and leave, even though there are several empty tables around. Left me wondering what we paid for.

The entire experience was delightful from start to finish. The service was helpful and kind, the food came out quickly and each dish was thoughtfully curated with extremely fresh ingredients. The puree with the rosemary manchengo and coupled with the baked cinnamon flatbread was an incredible mixture of flavours. My only notes: I would've chosen a different, seedless bread for the Pan con Tomate, and wish there has been more baby squid and fewer rings in the baby squid dish. It also took a moment to get the bill, but only due to the busyness of the restaurant, so a good problem to have! Will absolutely visit again.

Always excellent food, great atmosphere, a real gem

Mix up on food but rectified super quick and not charged for wrong item received great service. Food was good 👍.

Been before and had some delicious food but this time I came and had the eggs with chorizo and parma ham and it was SO salty. There is already a lot of salt in the ham, chorizo and alioli sauce that it comes with and there was so much added salt, I couldn't eat all of it. Service was good though, especially lady with very short blonde hair and tattoos

£4.44 for a bottle not draught DIET Sprite with service charge...

Food consitently yummy! :) Ok it is not cheap (always ends up around £60-65 per person if you drink) but no where is really less than that nowadays, so that's the only hmm...but the sangria is the best around!..not sweet and sickly at all but has a fun kick to it and great after a stressful day; the grilled chicken thighs with romesco sauce and bavette steak are always perfectly cooked so tasty and the pan con tomato is sooo good; you gotta get the basics right! Staff are always cheery and welcoming. Tables are a little small but we can survive, it's a small resturant and with local rents being what they are I get it.

Lovely quality produce so tasty. Service good too. Pricy, but worth it. Very loud music so don't go for a cosy chat!!

I had a splendid evening with my lovely friend in La Farola. We booked through 'First table', so the venue was more affordable. The staff were friendly and quick to serve. The tapas options were excellent. We ordered the squid ink risotto, las patatas fritas, la tortilla de chorizo and pan con tomate. The ambience was warm and fun with spanish vibes. Only downside is that the restaurant does seem expensive if you don't book through 'First table'.

El lugar se ve sin pretensiones en una esquina concurrida, pero por dentro es muy agradable. La decoración peculiar está bien hecho y hay amplias mesas con espacio para sentarse. Nos sirvieron muy rápido y se ocuparon de nuestros requisitos con una sonrisa; descafeinado, leche vegana, gluten - libre, vegetariano. La comida llegó a su debido tiempo y estaba delicioso. Un gran lugar para el almuerzo y volveremos a visitar.

Spent an afternoon with a friend at this place, which has been on my list for a while. The service is friendly but non existent, we had to wait to have any order taken, wete never asked how everything was or if we needed anything else, we never had our wine poured once, we had to walk to the staff who were just sitting in the restaurant to get more drinks etc, very dreadful and unpleasant. Food was good, nothing that blew my mind, or out of the norm and also quite pricey. The restaurant itself is cute, although it is a tapas place and most of the tables are too small to fit more than 2 plates, not very thought through. The service experience however is enough for me, not to try this place again.

The tapas here are divine and the drinks were great. A lovely place to meet up with friends and catch up!

Excelente comida y excelente servicio. Ambiente animado y agradable. Fantásticos cócteles. Agradecimiento especial al personal que notó que había dejado mi bolso atrás y corrí por la calle principal para alcanzarnos.

One of the most exceptional meals I’ve ever had. Go!

We were a large group of eight people. Stopped in for late afternoon Tapas and wine. Very nice food, very nice atmosphere, great service. Can highly recommend.

I’d give it six stars if I could. Always has a great “being on holiday” atmosphere, exceptional and attentive customer service. Lovely people. Food is phenomenal

Pequeño pero muy acogedor. Comida típica española, bien cocinada, al menos lo que comimos. Servicio rapido y muy amables

Lovely place for small sharing plates. Stopped by La Farola for a late dinner. Although the were very busy, we luckily managed to get a table without booking. The food was very good and they had a nice range of meat and fish dishes, as well as some very tasty desserts. Along with the selection of food, they had an excellent selection of drinks, including mezcal (one of my favourites). The stand-out thing for us were the excellent service. All the service staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming, which made for a truly enjoyable experience. I certainly intend of returning for dinner another time.

Great place for good tapas, lovely cosy atmosphere, great and friendly service. After dinner we had espresso martini - probably the best espresso martini ever! Love the Manchego cheesecake here. 🩵 🇪🇸

I have a habit of returning to La Farola for the basque cheesecake dessert at the end of the night. It is perfection. Manchego cheese delicately shaved on top of basque cheesecake served with fig jam! SAY LESS! A must try in London - thank me later x

Great atmosphere and very good tapas with lots of choices. The service is outstanding. The manager is always welcoming and all the waitresses very attentive and friendly. Recommend albondigas, beef bavette, chicken skewers but everything is tasty and fresh. Music on the background great for an evening out.

Very enjoyable Spanish tapas experience in Islington. The food is very good and their pre-theatre offer is compelling at 3 tapas for £20. My wife and I enjoyed 3 tapas each and shared the 6. Everything we ordered was well made with our favorite dish being the Arroz Negro, although the other 5 dishes were good too. They have an a La Carte menu too which includes several dishes not on the pre theatre menu and may go back again to try it.

To paraphrase a well known advert, this isn't only tapas, it's Farola tapas. Absolutely outstanding food.

While my dishes were a touch bland in flavor, it was still remarkable how much I was given for their reasonably priced lunch deal. Absolutely worth the pit stop!

Cuatro para una comida temprana antes de un concierto y no nos decepcionó. Lo más destacado para mí fue una elección difícil, pero el pan con tomate fue tan bueno como lo he tenido durante mucho tiempo, una porción generosa también. Pimientos padrón perfectos, patatas fritas crujientes, excelente jamón y calamares bien presentados. Los pinchos de muslo de pollo casi se llevan el premio al igual que el Burrata especial con remolacha. Espléndido. El vino de la casa era muy aceptable. Esto vale la pena una noche en un ambiente agradable. Gracias.

Thank you La Farola for hosting us on Saturday afternoon. It was a brilliant event and the food was top class, as was the service. Thank you!

Great meal with my little brother. Walked in and gave us a table immediately on a Friday night. Special mention to Kaan who immediately made us feel at home and was super cool … as were the rest of the staff and we will be back tomorrow with mum ! 100% recommend 👍

Amazing!! Made a last minute booking here for my birthday and couldn’t fault the experience - gorgeous food, attentive waitors, great music and atmosphere and we were so well looked after and even given a couple of rounds of free shots!! Thank you so much for making the experience so fantastic :)

We popped in for a late Sunday Lunch, we had not made a reservation but got a table for 4. The restaurant was busy and there was a great atmosphere. We ordered a number of Tapas dishes to share and all were very tasty. The prawns, meatballs and ham croquettes were the stand out dishes for me.

Excellent hospitality. Called in for a glass of wine. Host was terrific and accommodating to any request.

Great tapas! Came back all the way from Cambridge to have it again.

Fantástica comida - vale la pena visitar, y sin duda volveré. Una buena elección de tapas y un servicio servicial.

Super tasty food and a great lunch time deal. Great atmosphere and friendly service. Would highly recommend this place. I’ll definitely be back soon!

KAAN GREAT SERVICE TOP PEOPLLE LOVE THIS PROPLE 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Amazing service and food! Our waiter was so friendly and welcoming. I can’t remember his name but I think it began with a K! The rest of the staff were excellent as well. The best octopus I’ve ever had and the sangrias were beautiful. Thank you for a lovely evening :)

A perfect meal! My best friend and I were craving some authentic Spanish tapas, and that it was 🤤 We ordered a LOT and we ate every last bite! The squid ink risotto was unbelievable, perhaps the show stopper of the meal! I’m excited to come back 😋

Really nice - good food - good location

Very delicious and innovative Spanish food (with variety of vegetarian options) amazing service, great atmosphere. Would definitely come again.

Love this place......drop the mike!

The food was good, but it was overpriced. The service was fast, but almost too fast. As soon as we finished eating, they cleared our plates, brought the bill, and the card machine. When I told them we weren't finished, another waiter came to take our payment despite his colleague telling him we were not finished... We came to share a meal with friends, but we felt rushed, even though there was no one waiting for our table. We ordered 2-3 tapas each, drinks, and dessert. There was no need to rush us out! Overall, it wasn't a very 'suave' experience for a Spanish restaurant. I will not come back to this restaurant.

Went for lunch today Food is seriously good.

Beautiful spot especially in the sunshine

We were a group of more than 20 people and they gave us a long table, the space was really very narrow, also after we were already seated and organized the food was not bad, but the worst of all was the attention since when another group arrived of people began to move us to take away one of the tables we had, so we were even tighter, some of us at the ends of the table, and if they had asked our permission it would have been respectful but no! They simply told us to stop because they needed a table, very bad service, I don't recommend it at all!

I love it here, but if the kitchen closes at 10 that's fine, just don't say 10:30 on the website, it's so disappointing to go out of your way to get somewhere to be let down.

Tuve que dejar una crítica después de comer aquí hoy para el almuerzo antes de que todos los platos estaban increíblemente buenos! Yo tenía el bacalao y mi amigo tenía los calamares. Compartimos las patatas bravas, chorizo y hummus (protagonista del espectáculo) y unas croquetas. Pequeñas porciones pero presentadas maravillosamente y condimentadas tan bien. Recomiendo encarecidamente si quieres calidad sobre cantidad!

Buena comida, comimos chorizo, pulpo, tortilla y calamar frito. Todo sabía bien, un bar bastante ocupado y era agradable sentarse fuera

Exceptional vibe, speedy service and deliciously balanced food.

Reservamos y nos dieron una cálida bienvenida cuando llegamos a nuestra mesa por la ventana / puerta abierta. Fue fantástico desde el principio, el personal es muy amable y servicial, pedimos un montón de comida y todo sabía muy bien. Los cócteles son una necesidad cuando vas aquí, tiene grandes sabores en ellos! Este lugar es ideal para cualquier tamaño de grupo, puede comer platos individuales para usted mismo o simplemente pedir cargas y pegarlos en el medio para que todos compartan, por lo que se adapta incluso a cenas individuales para un grupo grande y para cualquier ocasión también, esperamos volver aquí pronto!

A surprising lil gem. Sat outside, good food at a reasonable price too.

Attentive service, good quality food. I will go back to this restaurant

2024 edit: prices have gone up, food quality and quantity down. Cocktails are now £15 each, west end prices yet the quantity and quality are low. Been coming here for years and the food and service hasn’t changed - stayed at the same amazing level! It would be great to see the menu expanding a little as I believe it was reduced during the pandemic.

Staff are so friendly & really made this a great experience. Food is overall quite tasty, but definitely a little pricey for the portion sizes. Sangria was great;) Would not recommend going on a really hot day as it was almost unbearably hot at times inside for us

Best tapas place in London. Lots of other fancier ones but La Farola is the most delicious with the best energy and staff

Really nice tapas restaurant with a good variety of tasty dishes. Like all tapas places the costs mount up, bit it seems worth it.

I really liked this place and enjoyed the food, recommend the salmon toast and cappuccino soo tasty.

Very kind & polite staff Food quality was 5/5

Lovely dishes with excellent wine pairing 🍷👌

Stuffed artichoke flower with honey drizz is AMAZING. Great cocktails too.

If I could I wouldn't give it a single star. We didn't finish the food because of its poor quality. They sell squid and present you with fried squid, something that is completely different in Spanish cuisine; the Galician-style octopus comes with 5 pieces of octopus and the same number of fried potatoes, not cooked for £18; Black rice without any flavor and with fried squid on top of the rice. We also ordered broccoli, cod and croquettes. It leaves a lot to be desired and to say that in my 5 years in London I have not seen anything more embarrassing. Overprice compared to quality. I would avoid it at all costs.

Great food and service. Very busy and booking recommended

Great restaurant for a fab range of tasty tapas. Been a few times when I stay in Islington and always great service, buzzy and yummy.

Go to place for a treat. Great atmosphere.

The food is not great. It is pricey and portions are extremely small. The gambas dish is £14.50 and consists of 4 (!!!) overcooked tasteless gambas drowned in olive oil. The pulpo £18 is embarrassing for how little is. I think there were 10 pieces altogether between some patata brava and a chopped leg of the pulpo. Was it nice? No. Tortilla was salty. Bocarones were not baby squid just regular squid. I don’t think none of these were fresh food. Ambient: loud music that we asked to turn down but it did not happen. Yes the staff asked whether all was good and we just nodded because the problem was not with one dish, it was all of them. And for the quality and quantity it is expensive. In a previous review someone says it good value for money. I live and work in London and Barrafina is one of my favourites. The gambas there cost £18 and it is paradise. This one? I felt ripped off.

We really enjoyed all our food and drinks - the pan con tomate, arroz Nero, patatas bravas, mushroom croquettes and gambas are particularly noteworthy. Staff was very friendly and accommodating, considering we had two babies in strollers by our side. Will be back for sure!

Had delicious plates of sauteed prawns and grilled octopus along with a couple of lovely drinks for evening tapas, a tasty snack while catching up with a mate. The service was friendly and the atmosphere relaxed and the menu highlights all potential food allergens. Highly recommend!

This place is great! Mehmet is a great waiter and the food was amazing! X

Delicious Tapas with great beer on tap. The staff is accommodating and super friendly. The squid is to die for!

Been here a few times but the last visit was out of order, had to sit at a dirty table, vaiter did not acknowledge us, when requested basic coctails they said they cannot do a cuba libre…. Basically coke and rum….. strangely when asked they did have the ingredients. Finally they realised they can serve us with it. Bad service! Sorry guys, need some improvement…

Stumbled across this quaint place searching for a quick bite for brunch whilst out and about running errands. Sat by the open window at the front in the glorious sunshine watching the world go by. The service was attentive and the food arrived very quickly. I chose the ‘Spanglish brunch’ which arrived looking amazing. Vibrant colours of the chorizo sausages and fresh fried eggs together with some good quality sourdough bread. It tasted just as good as it looked. Very impressive and of very high quality. Would definitely recommend.

The first thing we noticed was how loud the restaurant is. We asked 3 times for the music to be turned down but waiters ignored requests. The food came out in a piecemeal way... yes, I know its tapas style, but the broccoli came first, followed shortly by rice dish (which one of us couldn’t eat due to allergies), waited...the chops came a while after, by which time the broccoli had gone cold. The waiters forgot the chicken and the request to have the sauce on the side (due to allergy), and the bread finally came last. We'd ordered another dish but got bored of asking and waiting. The waiter said, you didn't remind me to get your dishes (??). The food itself was pretty decent but the slowness and forgetful service, meant dishes weren't as hot as they should be and the group came away not totally full. If you're not overly hungry and only ordering a couple of dishes, and don't mind loud music, then this place is worth a visit. If starving and hard of hearing, this place would be a struggle.

I was in town for an Arsenal match. I Walked here from my hotel and was absolutely taken care of from the minute I walked in. The food was fabulous, the management and staff made it home. ❤️🙏🏻🫵🏻

Food was really good. Would go for the red sangria over white

Tasty mocktails and food! The padron peppers were especially delicious

An absolutely gorgeous time here. The weather outside was grim, pouring with rain. Stopped in and were seated efficiently. Every plate was gorgeous, from the padron peppers (best I’ve ever had) to the squid ink risotto, steak, chicken thighs and cheese plate. Cocktails were fabulous and well made. A welcome and delicious visit on a rainy day in London and looking forward to going back again. Highly recommend. Espresso martini to finish off was beautiful.

The drink was pretty damn good but the cups were Small, not hipster small but not a normal size either.

The service, food, and atmosphere are good, but man, this place is expensive. The Spanish restaurant Barrafina (1 star michelin and probably one of the best Spanish restaurants in London) is just 10-15% more expensive and food is much better and fresher (as one of the reviewers said, their potatoes look like they were reheat). I would come back for the food if it was cheaper, but at this price I can much better value for my money elsewhere.

Fine food, some of it tasted a bit warmed up rather than freshly prepared ( for example the patatas bravas tasted as though they'd been fried at least a couple hours ago), nothing was absolutely delicious -- though the mushroom croquettes were pretty tasty. Most of the food was quite samey and not notable, which doesn't seem fair for the prices. Cost nearly 100 quid for three people and no drinks. I know London's expensive but that just seems like a price that would warrant at least some fresher ingredients idk. The salad was pretty good as well, but the pan con tomate was quite soggy and the crackers served with the manchegan (tasty) cheese were for some reason encrusted with sugar. Not really my taste I guess. Anyways, it was alright, but I just think for the price it's not worth it at all.

The food was generally very good. Great meat dishes and lovely battered squid. The Spanish tortilla was ok but couldn't taste any potatoes, seemed much more eggy than tortillas I've had elsewhere. We were keen to order a jug of sangria but at £34 a jug we were not impressed! We have been elsewhere for much less. Yes, this place is in a nice neighbourhood but the price of some dishes and especially the drinks seemed to be a little extortionate. Nice cosy inside atmosphere although very loud on a Saturday evening so be prepared to raise your voice to hear anyone else across the table.

My favourite lunch and brunch place in Islington! the Spanglish breakfast on the weekends is amazing!

Unbelievable tapas...everything we tried was great...also a really friendly atmosphere

Our first visit to La Farola. Interior is nice and welcoming. Felt comfortable. Really cosy at night with the fairy lights outside and little table top lamps inside. The tapa's were excellent, particularly liked the Chorizo dish. Everything was beautifully presented. Service was with a smile. We will most definitely be returning when in the neighbourhood again.

Fantastic stop on upper street with chic interior and tables outside. We had the lunch deal for £10 + £2.50 with a coffee or soft drink. I had the chicken thighs and my husband had chorizo. They came with potatoes, salad and rice, it was an excellent combination. The meat was tender and well seasoned. The rice was soft, fluffy and tasty. The potatoes were seasoned well and the salad complimented the meal. I even sought the Chef out to thank him as it was very well deserved. An excellent choice and when in London next we will visit again as upper street has so much to offer.

My friend and I ate in this restaurant over the weekend. I have to say the food was very tasty but the portions are ridiculously small. We ordered about 6 plates to share and we left hungry. Everything was literally bite size. We thought it was very expensive for what we ate aswell which added insult to injury. We will not be returning unfortunately.

Highly recommend this restaurant. Met by Memhit, lovely, friendy and very accommodating. Food absolutely lovely. £45/ head. Lunchtime menu. Paul

A few of us went impromptu on a Friday night and we were lucky to score a table for 3 as it was almost full. The atmosphere is really buzzy and the service is really friendly and efficient. There’s a great selection of tapas, all tasty and well presented. A fun evening and good value. The music was a tad too loud for us, but we’re old….

Absolutely love it here. Food and vibe are great as is the service. That manchengo cheesecake is a winner as are the garlic prawns

Great food and staff, and it’s a good to dine in but also great delivered, the prawns are my favourite. Plus they very kindly gave us free popcorn for being loyal customers. A really good and reliable spot

Outstanding food, perfect ambians Recommended to all Mediterranian lovers

Food was good especially for the lunch menu. It has to be described as excellent value for money. Keen service & we were made to feel really welcomed. Cocktail was a bit expensive, but to be expected as it is London.

Warm welcome and friendly staff, quite an intimate little restaurant with a cosy vibe. Food wise I didn't think it was particularly special and found the menu to be quite limited compared to others I had visited. Meat balls were very average with little flavour, chicken croquettes were the same. We also ordered the prawns but they came out 40 mins after the rest of out food , by this time we had finished so sent them back. Wouldn't rush back and feel there are much better / authentic options in London when it comes to tapas.

They don't reserve a table even of you made a reservation in advance. Whoever comes first takes the good tables. Music choice through out the evening was not consistant. Food and atmosphere are good in general.

Fantastic early evening visit, cant fault anything it was all good especially the chorizo with beans.

We’ve been here a few times. There aren’t that many tapas places around and we love Spanish food. The food and atmosphere are always superb and it’s also great value. We have young kids and the turnaround time on the food is also really quick. If you’re after authentic Spanish food in a relaxed environment then this place is great! It’s always busy which is a tell tale sign….

This restaurant has a very pleasant atmosphere and decor. The food was also tasty and very fresh. Service was excellent. Only thing is that patatas fritas and the salad had too much salt.

Nice Spanish place on Upper Street. The ox cheek croquettes are fantastic. The food is good. The octopus and the squid ink rice are very good.

Benefits from a great location, but sadly the food falls flat. Have tried twice now with my Spanish friends and it's agreed it lacks flavour and authenticity.

Very good food, very good atmosphere a bit overpriced but worth a visit.