Meson Don Felipe in Lambeth

The service here from the girl with the short curly hair, at around 8:30pm yesterday was the worst I’ve ever experienced, extremely rude, bad attitude and was directly aggressive, the worst experience I’ve ever had. The rest of the team and the food was great.

Very good service and great place for a dinner and enjoy a good spanish wine.

Great atmosphere and tasty wine. Sadly not seen the flamenco guitarist lately who once sat on a shelf playing beautiful tunes.

Food was very average. Would definitely not recommend the gambas al ajillo. If you’re looking for good tapas in SE1 area, there are better places, like La Gamba on the river.

Cosy little tapas bar with authentic food and lovely Rioja. Plenty of vegetarian options.

Good ambience, tortilla was overcooked and really small. Seafood paella also overcooked I would not recommend, vegeterian paella was better. Calamares en su tinta were tasty as well as the pulpo ! Ribera de Duero wine really good as well.

Fresh ingredients and authenticity are the foundation of real Spanish cuisine—they should never be sacrificed in the name of profit. Sadly, that’s exactly what’s happening here. Most diners don’t realize they’re being served subpar, pre-packaged or canned ingredients disguised as tapas. In Spain, this restaurant wouldn’t last a week—even the most humble, no-frills neighborhood bar would deliver better quality and care. It’s frustrating to watch people being misled by a place that bears no resemblance to true Spanish food.

What a gem of a restaurant, authentic tapas food served quickly in this bustling bar \ restaurant, can be rather loud but worth it.

Went before the Theatre. Fantastic tapas. Just like being in Spain.

Simply wonderful. Food, service, and atmosphere excellent

The evening started well. A rather attentive boss who followed suit. But the rest of the staff were attentive to the eye. A waitress (short, curly hair) fixed the hair of another (long-haired) waitress, and gave her colleague a tattoo in the middle of the service without ever washing her hands. The food was quite good, the sangria was impeccable. But when they say the cat doesn't play, the mice will play, that's exactly what they mean. The waiters act like borderline arrogant fans. I'm holding back because the language barrier is preventing me. Too bad it was our last evening. A real lack of seriousness.

According to Google maps I've been here 20 times in the last few years, so I obviously like it. I've actually been coming here for at least 15 years, during which time it has got better

Good quality tapas at a Decent price Cosy inside Nice to sit outside weather permitted

Would have been 5* . Great food, good service on Saturday night. until we'd been there about an hour, a lady appeared and snapped at us that our table was needed at 9 pm ,need to order any more food NOW. No excuse me or anything .Then just after we'd ask the lovely waiter for our bill at 8.50 she appeared again and rudely said our table was needed at 9 Flabbergasted!.. almost spoiled a lovely evening.

Delicious food, and feels like you're actually in Spain

Really nice, authentic tapas restaurant. Ordered shedloads and it was all tremendous.

deep fried food in a heavy batter. bland and not much flavour. not great tapas. not much care from the kitchen and generally rather dissapointing. lovely staff and a buzz in the restaurant

Lovely food. Atmospheric and friendly place to enjoy some great Spanish Tapas.

Superb food and wine. If you appreciate tapas then you should eat here. A gem.

Enjoyed our meal of tapas last night. Good wine, good food, generous portions, well worth a visit.

Was a great little tapa place but not now . Food and service poor and atmosphere poor . Staff don’t engage and no head of. House

What a great place to have some authentic Spanish food. The atmosphere is great and the staff are very attentive. Food is really tasty !

Absolute best for Spanish food!! Each dish is better than the other and truly authentic to its origin! Black ink squid and fried aubergine with honey are a must try!

seafood was fantastic. would def go back if i get the chance

It's been open since 1987 for a reason! Always great food, served promptly. The Chorizo, Calamari and Tortilla were highlights. Pleasant service. Would recommend.

I ate here 2 years ago and it was so good I knew I would come back. My partner and I went last night and the food was very poor. Firstly I felt rushed in to ordering and the server tried to push dishes on me. In the end I ordered a few plates, the prawns were chewy and you could tell were frozen, instead of being sizzling in a terracotta dish, they were shoved in a cold white bowl. The sangria had no fruit in it, the toasted sourdough was rock hard, all in all none of the dishes tasted authentic, it was an expensive meal that we were both very disappointed with. This place used to be great but I'm assuming a change of management is the issue and I certainly will not be coming back.

What a great place. Terrific food and such friendly service. Brilliant.

It's a lovely building inside, quite cramped, but that's due to the old tapas bar that you obviously expect going to a tapas restaurant. Anyone that says this is decent tapas doesn't have even half a clue about tapas, ordered garlic prawns they were obviously frozen as they were rubbery and flavourless everything came out in IKEA dishes, chorizo was great and the sour dough bread, apart from that everything else was pretty much flavourless, we had a large sangria which was very good but just about filled 6 glasses so wouldn't call it a large. All in all, we won't be returning, which is a shame as I heard this used to be an amazing place.

Never tire of going here. Book, don't expect to walk in and get a table.

Had a lovely dinner here by sharing a few tapas and a pitcher of sangria. Loved the atmosphere and service was excellent. Loved every bit of the food and would definitely come again to try other things from the menu.

A great family experience. 8 of us had an early dinner at 18.00 . Very busy restaurant and you must book. The service was excellent and likewise the tapas. We received help/recommendations with our ordering and everything was superb. Highly recommended.

Lovely place, great tapas, excellent service, place was buzzing. Tremendous!

Amazing food, a great place to get together with friends.

We arrived from Jerez to see if there was Tío Pepe wine. Yes there is.

This was a great spot to eat dinner before a show at The Old Vic. The staff were very friendly and efficient. There was a varied choice of tapas dishes - we had squid, cod balls which were delicious, chicken thighs, prawns and a selection of veg options such as the classic patatas bravas which was excellent . There was a good choice of wines. It was very reasonably priced and would definitely recommend

Delicious food! Great service! Perfecto!😍

Great for pre-theatre/movie supper. Crowded, must book with tiny and not very comfortable high tables with bar stool chairs. Paella v stodgy and disappointing but smaller plates much better. Spinach with pine nuts and meatballs were both good. Easy to rack up a bill - £90+ for two with 50cl carafe of wine.

Nice tapas place close to the office. A few of us went for lunch. My only issue was although the paella had good flavor, the rice was overcooked. All the other dishes were very nice.

Excellent Tapas bar.. very authentic.. food is delicious and portions are big so works out good value.. very busy so necessary to book...

This busy restaurant looked very inviting so we were lucky enough to get a table on a Friday evening. Right before theatre time too! The tapas was absolutely fantastic- the portions were generous and the service brilliant. Probably the best tapas I’ve had and if we lived nearer it would be a definite regular haunt. Really enjoyed our dinner here!

Food excellent, service and staff were great. Great place to share food with friends or family.

Great vibe and good service. Authentic Spanish food

I’ve come here for many years and always enjoyed the vibe. But recently it's slipped a little. Reservations get misplaced and I’ve definitely suffered the after effects of eating Gambas al ajillo that was great going down but less so on its return. Please get back to where you used to be.

DO NOT EVER EAT HERE Food did not taste fresh at all. Croquetas felt like it came from a freezer pack. Padron peppers felt slimy and soggy instead of char grilled. Paella was the worst thing we’ve ever had. The prawns were the furthest thing away from being fresh, and tasted foul and fishy more than anything. Please do yourselves a favor and avoid the restaurant.

Gorgeous tapas in a very relaxed atmosphere. The presence of many Spaniards was reassuring.

The best Aioli in town! Tasty tapas with vegan/vegetarian options. Yummy. Vibrant atmosphere.

Feels like Spain in this amazing tapas place! Quick and knowledgeable service, and the tapas format allows you to try a bit of everything.

Classic Spanish tapas food with quick service. Nothing fancy. Home made. Great but non trendy. buzzing atmosphere. Would definitely go again

Gem of a restaurant. Lovely atmosphere and really kind and helpful staff. Thank you for taking good care of us this Saturday - we had a meal to remember ❤️

From 1 to 10 ,I give it a 4 Octopus was very very simple ,waste of money I give it a 2

I used to love the place and was my favourite Spanish in London. The restaurant used to be 5 star food a year ago but now I am little disappointed. Octupus was chewy, tortilla was dry and the calamari was average for any restaurant in Spain.

This place used to be amazing, but now it’s average and below. The tortilla was dry, the pulpo was hard and thin, the calamari looked from a frozen bag and didn’t have ali oli. So disappointed as this was my favorite Spanish restaurant. Probably the cook changed.

Lunchtime was pretty empty but it's a Monday and it's raining. Food wasn't treat, we both had paella one chicken on veggie both could have dome with more flavour. Friendly staff who left us alone to chat.

Had some good food with a good friend, not too noisy so you could talk without raising your voice.

My girlfriend and I ended up here quite randomly and we decided to give it a try to don Felipe, we waited more than half an hour to order and the food was very average! Not really comfy the place is small and maybe not well organised! Overpriced.

Amusing Spanish restaurant… good typical Spanish food

The Octopus and shrimp had an off-flavour and left a bad taste in my mouth. The pork cheeks in brown gravy were devoid of any character and probably salt and pepper. My wife's paella with seafood, featured 1" prawns. Anyone familiar with prawns, know that a prawn that small can only be a decoration.

Just round the corner from Waterloo station, good selection of tapas, food freshly made, great atmosphere, & nice staff I would recommend booking in advance, very busy

Lovely place, great menu, food, service, the whole caboodle.

Friendly staff, lovely restaurant, enjoyed all the dishes we tasted and the rose. Well priced and well placed, it’s close to Waterloo station but Meson Don Felipe makes you feel like you’re a world away.

Food was so so good! And service probably the best I’ve had in a while. Jaime was the nicest man and provided the best service. Would highly recommend this place!

In the vicinity of Waterloo station, this Spanish restaurant excels over many others competitors of different cuisines with its tapas. We visited this place twice and both experiences are fantastic. The first time we ordered squid, quedo Manchego and mushrooms. This time we ordered octopus, fresh anchovies fillets and spinach. They are all very delicious. We could tell that they are nicely marinated and cooked. Of course you can’t compare their price to those in Madrid but for a eatery in the hub of downtown London, it’s already very affordable and competitive. I would definitely come back again.

Lazy lunchtime tapas - very tasty with plenty of choice. Staff were cheerful and welcoming. Much better value than other tapas places I've been to in central London. Recommended!

What has happened to Meson Del Felipe? Under new management? Very disappointing. This used to be a genuinely authentic tapas place, with excellent freshly made food. A little gem. But this visit was very underwhelming. The dishes were very very average, compared to what I've eaten there in the past. Service was good, otherwise the experience was poor. Sadly (as it used to be a favourite restaurant), I won't be going again.

Totally recommended if you are in the Waterloo area and need to eat well. Super friendly and friendly staff. Large, quality portions.

the food was really bad, unfortunately. the paella rice was gross and sea food didn’t taste fresh. shrimp was full of eggs seems like a nice outside seating area, the food is a big let down though

Our visit was such a disappointment. We had a lovely Al fresco table and service was good but thats where the good stuff ended. The food was just really poor pretty much across the board. Maybe it was just a bad night for them but definitely not a place we will risk ever again.

This food was shockingly bad. The chicken croquettes were inedible. The aubergine was a deep fried disaster and was unrecognisable as aubergine. The prawns and calamari sad and tasteless. This is by far one of the worst meals we have ever had. We are foodies but are happy with cheap and cheerful if it’s decent. You pay for what you get. But to be honest, we’d have rather gone to Costa over the road! Extortionate price for terrible food. The service was lovely and the waitress we spoke to looked sympathetic, like she’d heard the complaints a hundred times!

The higaditos is astonishing and the apple tarta manzanilla is truly outstanding. This is an exceptional place.

Went here on a night out. The food was delicious and the choices amazing. It was pretty expensive, but a good night all the same.

Nice spot outside seating on The Cut but the Seaford Paella was really not worth it very dry, hard and not fresh. Seemed like a microwave Paella.

Excellent! Delicious Spanish food although we did order too much, but it's hard to know with tapas. The paella and chips are big portions, be aware. But the food was great tasting and lovely quality. No wonder it is so popular, it was rammed!

Food was not good, paella all crusty as if it had been sitting for a while, tortilla was really dry. Meat was really fatty. Over priced No atmosphere as we were sat in the side street table. The waitress did not want to be there so miserable and the look I got when I asked for clean plates due to our olive pips as there was no where else to put them!! Only reason I gave 2 stars for service was the young man who brought our drinks was very nice. Would not go back… ever!!

I was really excited to go as the reviews looked great, was I disappointed! I was expecting it to be do good but alas no. The calamares were the frozen kind, the croquetas tasted frozen too. The whitebait was in batter snd of poor quality, the tortilla was dry, the jamon was dry too, the only good thing was the manchego which to be fair is hard to get wrong. This place is such a poor representation of good spanish tapas. Such a shame.

Nice location and staff, but the food is not good, low quality ingredients and not much flavour.. it’s a shame

Great place to eat. Booked last minute for a table of 8. Price was very fair, and good food. Our waiter was lovely and brought blankets outside when it started to get a little chilly.

It was OK although check the wine ordering as we were charged for a bottle when we thought the price was cheaper but turned out to be the carafe that we had looked at for price. Expensive mistake

Good service, pleasant, comfortable surroundings and reasonable house wine by carafe. Bit disappointed in the food. It was cooked fine, but lacked the variety I was hoping for on the menu. We were there at a quiet time, I'm sure the place gets really buzzy.

Slightly noisy, but the delicious food definitely made up for it

Honestly shocking now, used to be the best Spanish food in London. Now, reheated Tesco specials!

Really excellent tapas, reminded me of the dishes I used to order when I lived in Spain for a couple of years. One piece of advice, book a table! The place was very popular and we were there at 5pm

Poor service unfortunately. Items we ordered were missed and then finally arrived (after prompting) an hour after we had sat down, when we had to leave to go to the theatre. Despite saying we needed to leave urgently, the bill took another 15 minutes to arrive. Felt very unprofessional.

A very authentic tapas bar, honestly feels like you could be in Spain. All the classics on the menu, perfectly executed, as well as a few changing specials. Obviously not as cheap as tapas in Spain but well priced for tapas in London. The tables are close and it gets crowded, but that just adds to the authenticity in my opinion. They have a few outside tables too in summer. Recommended!

Quality of the food was poor..the paella felt like Tesco’s..so the rest of the dishes. One young lady from the staff instead of looking after customers was hanging out with friends..good for her..but come on..so unprofessional. Not even cheap. Never again

Great service - very accommodating to a spontaneous large group on Monday evening. Good food; the kind of place you remember to go back to.

Lovely tapas and sangria sat out on the pavement on a lovely summer evening

It wasn't bad. Everything was very edible. Wine was good. Pretty generic. Probably won't come again.

The food is not so fresh. My family had a terrible experience.

Their seafood paella is very fresh. I will recommend take away.

I find the food so so. The pork meatballs are not bad if you’re tomato sauce lover but nothing special and the pork is gamey. The seafood paella is disappointing as it’s quite fishy and the taste wasn’t nice. They had shrimps and many are pregnant w eggs. They are small and hard. Calarmari is average. Avoid ordering the sangria which taste like cordial mostly. They added only 1 small slices of orange and lemon each which hardly makes a proper sangria Perhaps this place is for more for performance but skip it if you want food

This is a really good tapas place. Simple food, done well. Friendly staff and a great atmosphere makes for a good evening. Excellent wine list too

Meson Don Felipe is a regular go to for me & my partner - it really feels like you're experiencing times when you wander into a gem of a family run tapas bar in Spain. The atmosphere is just wonderful - always very vibrant & buzzy! The staff are friendly and incredibly efficient & attentive - which should be highlighted considering the area is so busy! The food is consistently great, serving simply tasty authentic Spanish dishes. Look forward to returning again soon ☺️🍤🥘🥗🥂

Hadn’t been to this old favourite for a few years. The food was pretty good and the white Rioja great! The service was ok. Overall, it felt different and not as Spanish as I remembered. We had a great time though and no problem with having our table for so long.

Oh dear a really bad experience!. The gazpacho was bitty and the tapas was lukewarm, as if it had just been heated in a microwave. The mushrooms were tasteless and patatas bravas soft. To cap it the service was joyless, as if customers were an inconvenient nuisance and there was an intermittent bad drain smell. We have eaten at Meson DF numerous times before over many years. This was terrible in contrast. The fact everthing was poor from all the food to staff attitude is indicative that this is a more a deep routed problem than a bad day.

Been a while since I've been, but did not disappoint.

Food wasn’t amazing - but good price & nice spot

I've been here many times over the years, and have always enjoyed it. My most recent visit was a bit mixed. The food is good value, and generally well prepared. The berenjenas were fantastic, while the tortilla was overcooked and not at all runny. I assume this is to better suit UK diners, but it's not authentic. The service was fairly poor: a lack of friendliness and attention. Overall it felt less authentically Spanish than in years gone by, and I think I'll give it a miss next time I'm out on The Cut.

Sultry waitress- we were not Spanish!! Food tasted stale and bland

Reasonable pricing, good food The calamari and octopus is very good!

Underwhelmed on this return visit. Flabby, chewy calamari romana, mixed olives that tasted like a mix from a tin and anchovies that were far below the quality from a supermarket deli. Add in two beers and not much change from £50.