L'Oculto in Lewisham

Ordered a glass of red while I was waiting for my friend to arrive. Really did not like the wine, it was cold, and very harsh. I asked if it was how it should taste and was told YES. End of conversation. I explained that it was cold and would probably improve as it warmed and they then got defensive telling me it wasn’t cold as the bottle was sitting out all day (in an unheated empty building on a cold day -we were one of their first guests of the evening). I really couldn’t drink it so asked to taste the others (after my guest had been offered to taste theirs before they bought theirs). From these I chose another. To my surprise I was billed for both glasses of wine and to add insult to injury, service was automatically added to the bill. Both myself and by friend were lost for words. We paid and vowed to never return. Perhaps after they read this they will routinely offer customers to taste their wine before buying, after all they pride themselves in being a wine shop, and be more gracious and understanding of their guests.

Fab atmosphere and food. Have not been since last year as quite tricky to get to for us without an uber. Both front of house staff recognised us and asked how we were. Always nice. The menu was even better than we remembered. Particularly good cheese and meat board ( they import these to sell on their deli counter in the daytime ). Great pork steak and octopus. Excellent and very specialised wines from small producers. Lovely to see a fully booked neighbourhood restaurant. Chilly evening but they had even got customers on a couple of sheltered outside tables. Great work ladies. Keep it up.

The best meal I have ever had. We went as consolation for not being able to go away, and it really made up for it. I've been several times before but the kitchen were really on form. The food was truly spectacular. As a vegetarian I had plenty of choice. Pricy, but worth every penny.

Wam welcome and fabulous choice of unusual and beautifully presented dishes for a family celebration and get together. We all enjoyed it and will be back. Thank you.

Well if its as good as this normally, it must be superb. It is not cheap at all but everything is perfect. The service is impeccable and so friendly. It was £100 each which included for seven courses and four smallish glasses of superb wine. I had the vegetarian and my wife had the meat options and every single course was just amazing. Truly superb. This place is too pricey to just pop in but it's a real treat to come here. Feels so authentically Spanish..and all the cooks are female....

Food ok but overpriced and overrated. Offensive service - owner of restaurant who took our drinks order brought me a cocktail I didn’t order and insisted I had ordered it and that I didn’t know what I ordered; essentially forcing me to keep it to avoid causing a scene. Will not ever return.

Great local place - so lucky to have this in the neighbourhood. Food was outstanding and service was perfect - helpful and so knowledgeable about all the ingredients. Smoked eel was spectacular and no idea how you can make spinach croquetas taste so good! Already planning my next visit.

Was excited to come here with a friend yesterday as from the outside looks lovely. Service was great but the portion sizes for the prices were a bit of a joke. We ordered the prawns which were 12 pounds and only two were on the plate. All portion sizes felt a bit mean, not even padded out with something cheap like a side salad. Disappointed at the stinginess and hope they can sort this out.

The restaurant aims to provide sophisticated Spanish tapas dining (at least that’s what the prices imply) but falls short on execution. Even by tapas standards portions were small and quality was average. Particularly disappointed by the rabbit which was served luke warm and was dry. On the plus side the atmosphere was nice, maybe the food will improve?

Thoroughly enjoyable evening. Extensive selection of dishes. Filo pastry stuffed with black pudding was excellent along with the black squid pasta (fideua). The leek dish with spiced lentil and the chargrilled cabbage were highlights for the veggies. Huge wine list and advice from the staff is a good idea who clearly love their subject. We drank the Finca el Maldito which was an absolute pleasure. 4.6 on Vivino 👏 It’s always exciting to be served by people who not only know their subject but who love to share their love of food and wine with their customers.

Wonderful to be able to eat out again after lockdown (even if it was outside in the courtyard and rather chilly). This is only the second time of visiting and we found the food to be excellent, the atmosphere welcoming and cheerful and the staff helpful and pleasant. The food is very Spanish (what else would you expect !!) but the sequencing of the plates was helpful with nothing coming too soon so it did not get cold. I like tapas but don't welcome dishes arriving en mass. The gambas were huge, well cooked and the toasted sourdough bread that came with them was fine for dipping in the pan juice - a bit more bread would be welcome. The menu does not seem to vary so, if eating there regularly, it would be easy to explore the entire menu if three visits. Maybe a specilals board of just a couple of weekly changing dishes would help. The drinks are a tad expensive, very good but , if you overdo the tapas the bill can run up somewhat. We shall be back soon, thanks for a lovely meal.

I came here yesterday and was so excited as recent pics on the internet looked pretty good! However the food that I found there was completely different. The service was also reaaaally slow and we had to keep calling the staff. We ordered the rabbit and the meat was inedibly tough. The salad with it was incredibly boring and did not have any dressing on it (you can see from my picture). After a couple of bites we decided not to eat more, however nobody would take the plate away. We finally had to ask the manager to do so and after looking at the plate confused (we had’t eaten 3/4 of eat) she decided not to ask what was wrong with it. Neither did she take our own plates away so when she brought the second tapa -scallops- we could not place them there because these had on them the bony rabbit pieces we had not eaten before. The scallops weren’t cooked very well and were just dull - they would not take any of the sauce because this was really thin, almost like a soup. After waiting for almost half an hour we had to ask if the rest of the food was still coming... The third tapa was grilled venison. It was really overcooked and presented so messy! Nothing like the picture the restaurant itself had posted on IG. At this point we were so outraged we just sent it back and ordered the bill. The waitress, who was lovely, apologised for the bad experience we had had. However the bill came in full and the manager who was aware of what had happened did not even bother to come and have a word. 40 pounds for 4 scallops and 2 glasses of wine. We will not be coming back.

Absolutely superb, Spanish cuisine served with incredible attention to detail, encyclopaedic knowledge and absolute passion. Wonderful wines and sherries too, together with delicacies to buy and take home. Everything you could wish for in a local restaurant. Don’t forget to book!

Our first visit after lockdown, our first meal out too. Lovely casual tapas style restaurant with social distancing observed for tables inside and out. Staff wearing masks. Copious but discreet cleaning going on whilst service was efficient. All dishes delicious but especially the crab salad and mullet. Outstanding creme caramel flan, homemade to her own recipe by the owner. Wine by the glass if you want to experiment - it is a wine shop so recommended. Coltas white lagrima was amazing. This restaurant kept us going with takeaways during lockdown. Even better to be able to visit again.

Crips fino, rich chocolate gateau and flavourful chorizo were just three of the highlights of our dinner at L'Oculto. The restaurant is Bermondsey Street standard in a residential south-east London, really spoiling us with quality without having to travel far. We ordered a range of dishes to share and were impressed with the hand-carved jamon, cheeses, punchy chorizo, fish stew and squid-ink vermicelli. We will be back to try everything else on the menu.

The staff were incredibly welcoming and friendly, we had the chance to chat with 3 different waiters and they were all very fun to talk with. The food was so delicious, I am looking forward to going back!

This restaurant is a welcome addition to the dining options in Brockley. I’ve dined here maybe monthly with my wife since it opened, and we always have a great time. The drinks are, as one might expect, excellent and interesting. We usually start with a...

One of the most fantastic meals I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. Fresh, seasonal produce; cooked with skill and attention to detail. The wine selection is fantastic and reasonably priced. Superb service. Can't wait to go back. Make sure you book!!

First time in here and we were more than impressed with food, wine, service and the music. A total atmosphere that took you away from a drab fall London day. Wines are all quite different - small wineries and production scale so do not recognise...

The food in this little bar/ restaurant is lovely. Good range of meat, fish and veggie dishes. Some great sharing boards. The staff are very knowledgeable and happy to discuss the menu with you. The wines here are Spanish from small vineyards and I’m pretty...

Fabulous evening here - great tapas, service amazing and a real buzz about the place. Staff very knowledgeable. Nice to have some different choices of tapas too - much enjoyed the salt cod pate, courgette parcels and the prawns with asparagus were fantastic. The wine...

Popped in, quite randomly, for lunch. Had a glass of white wine (can't remember the name, £7 for a small glass). Nice enough but without any clearly defining tastes. Then sourdough toast with tomato and Serrano ham - very tasty ham indeed. Then the goats...

We enjoyed great iberico ham, raw cheese and delicious wines in a beautiful environment. Friendly, knowledgable and attentive staff.

Have previously loved the original L'Oculto on Loampit Hill. This new addition is more contemporary in design and more spacious. More important, the food and ambience is just as good, the staff just as cheery and helpful. Traditional dishes with a special L'Oculto twist. Exceptional...

A good Spanish restaurant in Brockley. It is wise to book a table. Good food (tapas style?). Friendly staff. The portions are, generally, on the small side. But be prepared for an eye watering bill. How can they justify a red Rioja at £24.90 a...