Small World Tapas in Torbay

Tapas with a little twist. We love our tapas restaurants but we've not come across one quite like this little gem. Whilst searching online we came across this place. The menu looked interesting with some unsual dishes. They also had a midweek offer of 2 tapas and 1 side for £20. Plus 2 for £14 cocktails. So we thought,lets give it a try and booked a table. The restaurant is located in the town, about a ten minute walk from the hotel we were staying at. On arrival we were shown to our table in the window. Whilst deciding on the menu we ordered a couple of cocktails. We had to kick off with the Bread Bag. Homemade bread served in a bag,which you have to rip open to release the smokey scent of roasted garlic and rosemary. Followed by Brixham scallops served with Spanish beef black pudding. Then grilled padron peppers hung on a tree with a side of allioli. The next dish was Asian brisket croque monsieur. That's not very Spanish is it? Slow cooked beef brisket marinated in an asian inspired sauce,sandwiched and fried in beef dripping with gruyere cheese served with a mushroom and marmalade dipping sauce. OMG.This was absolutely insane. The flavours were incredible. A knockout dish. After that a book was placed in front of us. We had totally forgot we had ordered the Book of meat - alicious. It's literally an anti-pasti book filled with some of the most delicious meats sliced fresh and placed in the pages.As you flick through,theres different delights from Spain,Italy and Devon. Served with homemade bread and oil. We finished with an affogato and coffee. This was a tapas with a difference and a great find. Front of house Ollie was very charming and the chef dished out some exceptional food. We shall certainly return next time we are down this way and would urge anyone to give this small independent the support it deserves.

The food was excellent, loved the patas bravas and the twists on classic tapas.

Absolutely lush.... Highly recommended. The calamari and pork belly was particularly nice.

Excellent tapas. Really tasty.

The most gorgeous food, lots of choice and great service, would highly recommend.

Had a wonderful meal here last week. The food was excellent but the squid 🐙 was some of the best that I've eaten. Lovely, friendly attentive service. All in a great evening.

I had a dream once where books were made of meat. Small world has come the closest to making it a reality.

Great food,service was amazing great atmosphere.

Excellent place, nice food and service,

Every now and then you stumble across a little gem - Small World Tapas is certainly one of those places. Unobtrusively sited just off the Torquay main shopping drag, we visited on a short break to the town a couple of weeks back. We found the restaurant online as we had vegetarian and vegan family members with us, the plant based selection looked great so we booked in for Saturday evening dinner. We were warmly greeted by Sara and seated at along bench table near the window. The menu is so good it was difficult to narrow-down our choices (even though the octopus and chorizo was sadly not available) even for the vegans, however we managed to select two to three dishes each and oh boy were we all very impressed. The dishes were beautifully presented, with the Book of Meat-ilicious Treats (definitely the best book I have ever read) and Vegan Tower being the stand-outs for presentation - all of the dishes were delicious and as a carnivore the Aubergines with Molasses really stood out for me and the Sweet Potato & Coconut Curry was a big hit with everyone. I could not resist the Mystery Dessert Egg Box - what an absolutely brilliant idea, fabulously presented, sweet and delicious....and I did guess most of the ingredients! I would highly recommend this place - and we will be back - armed with a bottle of Cuarenta y Tres! A huge thank you to Sara and the team for a truly unforgettable culinary evening. See you soon.

If you come to Torquay, give this place a try for food that tastes nice.

Always a great experience, food never disappoints. Sarah and the team are amazing and so welcoming

Went here for my wife’s birthday dinner and they had a little hand written Happy Birthday sign up at the table. The staff created us really warmly and service was with a smile at all times! Food was simply epic, it’s a beautiful menu of Spanish classics and some fusion dishes mixed with Asian flare. No wonder this place was fully booked out!

A fabulous restaurant..Oliver our waiter was so lovely...food was fantastic..for a comfortable dining experience we would highly recommend 5* Thank you

Excellent place to eat. Came here on spontinaity and so glad we decided to give it a try. One of the highlights was there being proper vegan food, and not just a meal with the meat swapped with a veg

It was so good we went back 2 days later..back home in Glasgow now and raving about the place.

Excellent food, good service Reasonable price.

I'd heard this was supposed to be the best tapas restaurant in England. I wouldn't argue with that. Stunning food (we had the taster menue), so tasty. Excellent service and great value for money. 10/10 from us. Highly recommended Byron

Always very enjoyable here. Been doing great small plates since before we ever heard the phrase 'small plates'!

So here we are in Torquay, running around the harbor bay and finding places to eat by the plenty but somehow not showing the X-factor. So we left the harbor area and stumbled upon this little place just 5 minutes walk away past the shopping mall and we were immediately captured by the calm atmosphere. Not expecting too much we ordered a few nice looking dishes and were surprise by what we were served. A bag with smoked bread(!), an actual book with finest meat from the Mediterranean and some really tender and well seasoned pork belly were definitely highlights but all was up to par really. And if you like a guessing game, go for the mysterieus dessert and guess the ingredient in this eye misleading presentation of not an egg. Best in Torquay in its price class for us and you would be selling yourself short not to visit it and enjoy the tastings.

Excellent selection of tapas, some traditional Spanish dishes and others which had an Asian influence. Pork belly and the molasses aubergines being the highlights but everything was lovely. Great puddings, coffee and Sangria too, all at a very reasonable price.

Maden er virkelig lækker. Så mange forskellige smage. Vi var i alderen 16-50 år og alle kunne lide maden. Kan virkelig anbefales. Peber-rouletten var sjov

Well what can I say, this is the only place we eat out when we visit torquay. The food is amazing down to the chef. Also Sara is such a lovely lady. Sara we will see you beginning of August. Love The Wigley's from Melton mowbray Leicestershire xxx

Lovely atmosphere and friendly service. Food was fun and tasty.

As it’s a little out of town, the restaurant was fairly quiet, but still had some atmosphere. But we were there for the food, and it definitely delivered on that! The portions were a good size - 4 tapas and a bread bag (which was lovely in itself) and we were full! The quality of the food is excellent, and we liked the way the dishes came out in pairs, so that you didn’t have dishes going cold on the table. Really tasty, and refreshing to have a different take on tapas by including flavours from around the world

Absolutely beautiful. Gorgeous food, so many options! Lots can be made Gluten free which is a bonus. The owners are absolutely lovely, Couldn't do enough. Can't wait to come back to try the rest of the menu. <3

We chose this restaurant based on reviews and they were not wrong. Food was fantastic, from mixed origins and very tasty. Fun presentation too Hosts were extremely nice and the whole place had a great vibe.

Sublime Tapas, a fabulous food experience. Lovely people and great service. We would always come back here.

Cool service, great ambience, very good tapas👍👍

Really like the range of food on the menu and tapas style. There was a really good atmosphere and the staff were so friendly!

Delicious food & great service. Highly recommend

Great service from the minute we walked in from Sara. We didn't book but we was able to get a table however I would recommend booking ahead. We could not fault the food and wished we could've tried all the other dishes, everyone was looking at each others tables with food envy. We'lll be back in a few weeks to try out the rest of the menu.

An amazing little restaurant and so unique. The dishes were incredibly creative, and the service from Sara was personalised and friendly. The desserts were a welcome change with them being much lighter than the norm - the tipsy oranges were surprisingly delicious for a simple dish and the egg box was totally unique and tasty! A bombon is now my husband’s new favourite way to have a coffee, and I enjoyed a wonderful espresso martini (decaf, which I’ve been told no to elsewhere, and Sara asks how sweet you’d like it making).

An amazing little restaurant and so unique. The dishes were incredibly creative, and the service from Sara was personalised and friendly. The desserts were a welcome change with them being much lighter than the norm - the tipsy oranges were surprisingly delicious for a simple dish and the egg box was totally unique and tasty! A bombon is now my husband’s new favourite way to have a coffee, and I enjoyed a wonderful espresso martini (decaf, which I’ve been told no to elsewhere, and Sara asks how sweet you’d like it making).

We had the 9 course tasting menu. The food was lovely and tasty, my criticisms would be there was too much for two, so we didn't get to eat the churros dessert which was a shame. We did get the option of a doggy bag, but didn't want to carry food around with us for the evening. Some of the portions could have been smaller and the croquettes, although tasty, needed to be smaller too as they ended up too runny inside and disintegrated when eating. I would recommend going however as all the food was tasty and the service was lovely.

Had the testing menu here recently and it was really tasty! A good selection of dishes and we really struggled to finish it all, the portions were fab! Timings were spot on too. They were slightly short staffed (owner told us this) so I think it could have been a bit more personable/atmospheric with extra staff on hand but that really wasn't a problem.

One of the best restaurant in Torquay. Food is amazing.

We loved Small World. The service particularly stood out, especially catering for one coeliac in our group. The food was delicious - we particularly recommend the sweet potato and coconut curry, as well as the octopus and chorizo. The Sangria was great! We would definitely go back if in the area again. Really convenient location near to the town.

The reviews told us to try this place out when we went to Torquay for the weekend! And it definitely didn’t disappoint! The food was out of this world and everything was cooked fresh! The drinks were delicious and the service was amazing! Everyone was so happy and warming. One of the highest levels of service I have encountered when dining at any restaurant! It’s a small restaurant so make sure you book in advance! You won’t be disappointed! Will definitely visit again when we head down next!

Excellent. Large "small" portions. All freshly cooked and delicious. Meatballs, prawns and calamari especially tasty.

Wonderful! Delicious. Large portions so ate too much! Freshly cooked food arrived when ready. We shared 6 dishes, all splendid.

From the moment we walked in we were treated to the very best attention. The menu is small but delightful and brilliantly executed. Stunning dishes, superb service and great atmosphere. Thank you all so much

Greeted by a friendly bubbly Sara and Quieter Alex . She was efficient , knowledgeable and chatty . The food chosen was superb . The restaurant was light bright and clean . Everything was perfect . Not cheap but very tasty . Thank you Sara for an enjoyable evening x

Friendly service, delicious food and funky music! We had the vegan tower, miso ribs, ham croquettes, potato curry, brisket skewers, gordal olives, churros and ice cream. All tasty, plenty of vegetarian options.

The first time we visited the small world restaurant and it won't be our last . Food very good ,staff great .

It is a fantastic place to dinner, the food is spectacular and the service is unbeatable. I want to return here as soon as possible.

Wonderful place to eat, casual dining vibe but with fantastic food. The service from Sara & Alex was exceptional, and they were both super helpful when it came to helping us choose our dishes. The brisket skewers and miso ribs were especially good. We can’t wait to return to try out some other dishes.

We came here on Wednesday night, 4 adults and 2 children. I can’t say with any real justice quite how good this restaurant was. The food was amazing, each dish seemed to get better and better. The service also was second to none. Friendly and helpful and they make the whole experience wonderful. Bit of theatre with the food and tastes to match. 5 out of 5 stars without a doubt. Thank you guys so much.

This was our second visit, having been very impressed the first time a few months ago. The food is excellent, Kevin works wonders in his kitchen. Sara creates a warm, welcoming ambience. If you enjoy Tapas you will love this place. Highly recommended.

Really great tapas place and excellent value Food is great and we were well looked after

Great atmosphere as soon as you walk in. Varied menu. Service is 10/10 from a great team. And the food, oh the food. Delicious! The brisket melts in your mouth. You have to try the box of eggs dessert. In summary, a great meal!

Fabulous find. Amazing food, every dish was superb and the service from Alex & Sarah was first class. The value for money was outstanding. Thank you for a great time we'll definitely be back.

Our first ever visit on Good Friday. Quite a cosy restaurant with 11 tables so booking definitely advised. We saw some people turn up hoping to get a table that had to be turned away. We were greeted by Alex and shown to our table. The menu was explained to us and we were given a sheet with the specials on there. We ordered our drinks and perused the menu. Sarah then came over and said that we should order 2 dishes each. The trouble with that is there were more dishes we wanted to try. We ordered Berenjenas con miel, Albondigas, Asian brisket skewers, Patatas Bravas and a special black pork burger. First out was the Bravas, Albondigas and the aubergine, after a while out came the brisket and finally the burger. The dish portions are more like raciones than tapas. Sadly we had no room for a dessert. Every dish was fabulous, some were better than we've eaten in Spain. Service is personal and fun but not overbearing, Sarah is particularly charming. All in all a thoroughly enjoyable experience

A great find. Delicious food, especially the brisket and churros for dessert. Friendly staff and reasonable prices. Will definitely return

Really enjoyed my first time at Small World: delicious food, friendly service, a nice atmosphere and reasonable prices.

Been a couple of years since my last visit, but SO happy to say nothing has changed. The food blew us away and the staff are just awesome. I cannot wait to come back again!

Been a couple of years since my last visit, but SO happy to say nothing has changed. The food blew us away and the staff are just awesome. I cannot wait to come back again! Go go go!!!

Amazing night again and the specials blew our minds! The fish was fresh and the brisket blew our minds 😋 can’t wait to be back

We discovered this place completely by accident and I'm so glad we did! It has some of the most interesting and delicious food I've ever had. I have to say all the pictures on Google definitely do not do this place justice because I was initially a little skeptical but that was soon dispelled. Definitely recommend this place if you want to try something new and interesting.

What’s a great place heard about this for sometime and never made it. I suggest if you read this review then you go try and sample some of the great delights and delicious items on the menu.

Absolutely amazing food, and the service was exceptional. I HIGHLY recommend coming here!

A damp grey Torquay tuesday was brightened by Small World Tapas. Beef skewers / perfect langoustine sized garlic prawns/patatas bravos with aouli / octopus and chorizo/ padron peppers on a clever metal tree mound with a fine glass of Merlot. A great addition to Torquay. Sara from near Alicante was attentive and warmly Spanish as was the decor- characterful shabby chic.

Visited last night and haven’t been able to stop thinking about this place, absolutely impeccable. As a whole experience, this is hands down the best place to dine in Devon.

A great place to dine. Lovely staff and great choice of delicious food

100/10 the best restaurant in Torquay! Service is amazing and the food is delicious!! Thank you so much for being the best local around for food ☺️😋

Wonderfully cosy place with absolutely great food.

Tapas at its best. Great little independent restaurant. It’s what’s eating out is about.

It's not the first time here and won't be the last. Great atmosphere and service along with absolutely delicious food! I could have plates of the pork belly. it's outstanding!

Really great evening. Small World is a small but bold restaurant with a big heart!!! The menu clearly labelled for Gf and vegan including wine with Sara explaining everything. This was a refreshing change as normally, being a vegan I just feel such an inconvenience!I really appreciated the attention to detail and the clear labels. The olives were HUGE with fresh orange and almonds inside; a taste of the sun whilst it rained continuously outside. Interestingly, everything is made fresh on site and the homemade bread was delicious. They even provided GF bread which was lovely. It’s served in a ‘bread bag’ which when opened, reveals this enticing smoky smell. Nice touch! We all loved the authenticity of the potatas bravas ! The vegan tower was beautifully presented with roasted artichoke and clever corn ribs - creative! Meat lovers also loved their meal and the Mahou beer from Madrid was such a surprising and refreshing treat. The roulette game of peppers was a cool touch and a bit of fun. I would love to see another option regarding vegan protein; maybe a chick pea stew or a veggy albondigas with soy mince and almond sauce ?! Happy to be a taster ;) thanks again Sara and team. It really is an amazing restaurant and I can’t believe I haven’t been before ! Thank you all! Oh and the churros were sublime - took me right back to the market on a Sunday morning in Alicante!

Excellent food and helpful, friendly service. Great to know that half portions are possible, allowing for even more experimentation. All dishes were delicious.

By far the best restaurant I have been to in years. The food is divine. The service is outstanding. I'm so lucky to have this amazing restaurant on the doorstep

A very nice experience, great food that's carefully thought out. We ordered four dishes and some sweet potato fries which was enough for the two of us. It's a fun place with some great ideas. The octopus and churioso was a tiny bit disappointing being a little over oily. However the scallops were great although they could be a little more generous with the morcilla which is delicious. The only negatives were the prices, I would love to see cheaper beers as it is tapas and should be enjoyed with beer. (compared to Spain or abroad in general it's expensive - but I blame the Brexit idiots for that!). The service was excellent, Sarai's a star ✨ My only other comment, which is a little superficial, is the decor is a little weird and doesn't exactly add that too much to an otherwise amazing place that is the number one place in Torquay.

Was really looking forward to some authentic tapas and was not disappointed. We were able to just order a couple of dishes at a time which we really liked. Good service and reasonably priced

Second visit, a must of you are in Torquay.

Absolutely amazing evening. Fantastic staff and service. The food was out of this world, home made and full of flavour. We would definitely recommend this little gem of a restaurant!

Absolutely outstanding! The service was exceptional, with a team that was not just friendly but also incredibly attentive. Their genuine passion for the menu shone through, making the dining experience even more delightful. The food itself was a testament to both authenticity and innovation, featuring delicious traditional dishes alongside ingenious and creative touches – the brilliant book of meats and the delectable scallops were true highlights. Moreover, the unique presentation of the bread in a bag added an extra layer of charm to the meal. Undoubtedly, this restaurant sets a remarkable standard in Torquay, and it easily stands out as the best tapas experience we've encountered in the UK. A definite must-visit!

Spectacular night out for two in a tapas restaurant that has literally everything you could want from one. Generous dishes of delicious sharing food, check. Lovely and friendly staff, check. Attractive location, check. Really enjoyed the entire night, Sara and Alex gave us superb service (although we heard Alex was new, he managed like a veteran) and every dish was gorgeous. Have to give special mention to two really innovative dishes, the "book of meat" which is part deli, part schoolbook and part carnivores advent calender you get to rush through in one night, and the special dessert which has the spectacle and creativity you'd see from the fanciest starred resteraunt. Every dish was perfect, and now need to plan more trips to check out the rest...

Warm welcoming and a lot love goes into every plate. The personal touch for our birthday meal makes this family business the success that it is and of course deserves. Number one for a reason and long may it continue. We will return and recommend strongly you visit too.

Amazing venue, great host and delightful authentic tapas! Highly recommend

Absolutely amazing food! They put on some specials for our all vegan group and the wine was clearly marked 'vegan'. The service was probably the best I have ever experienced in a restaurant. We will definitely be booking again.

My wife, daughter and myself had the most wonderful meal here. We took advice from previous diners on the dishes to choose. 6 dishes betqeen 3 of us was plenty for us and we even took a little home as left overs. The egg dessert was something very special which my daughter loved. Excellent service, friendly, professional and relaxed. A true gem and even though we live 1hr away we would drive especially to eat here. A must when you are in Torquay.

The food was excellent . The only problem is that it is so delicious I generally (perhaps!) order a little too much .. and I was beaten . They kindly offered to doggy bag it but I had only left a tiny amount . The wine was good value and tasty too . The service was very good and the atmosphere excellent . One of our favourite places to eat and certainly (still) the best tapas we have ever eaten . . the Asian brisket skewers are amazing ! Booking recommended to avoid disappointment !!

Gorgeous tasty food, creative menu, mixture of traditional Spanish and world flavours, friendly staff, nice ambience. We booked in on strength of trip advisor reviews and so glad we did. Food was delicious. I like to order food that’s different or better than I could cook myself and this delivered. We had Asian beef skewers which were generous portions and super tender, slow cooked - easily enough to share. Also pork belly bites with cracking crumble - excellent and a big portion too. Brixham scallops and Spanish black pud was my favourite dish, smaller, but left me wanting more! Smoky Spanish corn cobs were our healthy option - never had corn like it before and very tasty! Rather greedily we ordered a side of patatas bravas as an old favourite and the homemade aioli was just the best ever!! Probably should have had 1 less meat dish for 2 to share but it was all just so good. The egg box surprise was a lovely dessert experience - we shared it as a mouthful of a sweet tasty dish to finish and I wouldn’t be able to make the egg shells myself. We had just driven 200 miles down to Torquay for the weekend but SWT is that good, I would drive that far again just for dinner here!

Absolutely amazing food, the most friendly service, and all for great price. I couldn't recommend more. Usually there's only a few vegan options on a menu, but we were spoilt for choice! I'd give 6 stars if I could ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

We booked this restaurant online before our visit to Torquay and was initially disappointed by the venues lack of kerb appeal when viewed from the exterior. Once inside our concerns were soon put to rest by the restaurants rustic charm and the staffs friendly nature. The interior is basic but elegant. We ordered several Tapas dishes all excellent but the stand out ones for us where the pork belly bites, Asian brisket skewers and the Miso ribs accompanied by a delicious bottle of Rioja. Bill was reasonable for the quality of food and service and this will be our first port of call on our next visit to Torquay. A fab night we will remember for a long time to come.

Fantastic food experience lively tapas very tasty wine was excellent as well service was also top notch .one of the best food experience I've enjoyed 100^% recommend

Absolutely fantastic food and service one if the best food experiences I've had really lovely

Off the scale delicious tapas. Can't wait to go back and try more!!

Lovely place, very friendly and attentive staff. Made us feel instantly relaxed. Food was of high quality and very very tasty, we really enjoyed our wine also. We would recommend

We read lots of reviews to find the best restaurant for us and this one had amazing reviews, so we picked it. Here are some things we'd like to share with you: * Authentic tapas restaurant in town * Food is homemade * Food was really lovely and full of flavour (we can recommend the brisket beef skewers and the 'EGG BOX' desert to be pleasantly surprised) * Friendly and attentive staff (front of house) . The lady was Spanish and new her stuff * DO NOT be put off by the exterior of the restaurant, as it certainly needs updating. It does not represent the food at all, as the service and food is great! * We would eat here again and would recommend it to you

Well where do I start The service, was fabulous The food, was fabulous The drinks, was fabulous SMALL WORKD TAPAS #1 No surprise there Can’t wait to return

What an unexpected delight. Good decor with well-spaced tables at which we greeted by the warmest possible welcome. All staff were fantastic, and the food: well, wow. Larger portions than I would expect as Tapa - la raciónes perhaps (no expert!). Go for four for normal hunger or five plates for 'go my goodness it's all so nice and I can't decide' appetites. Interesting use of mixed ingredients: molasses, miso, curry and tahini; the result is an utter delight. Not many sherries (Fino and PX for desert), but decent wines and beer mitigate nicely.

Amazing!!! The food was delicious and so tasty! Lovely staff! Just fab all round would highly recommend!!

Best restaurant in Torbay, no question!

Unbelievably good food, fab service and lovely atmosphere. Highly recommend. Would definitely go again

We use this place to wow our clients. From large corperate to small business owners, each (wish I could swear to emphasise here) love this place. This IS the best Tapas, if not, best restaurant locally. A fine dining menu with a friendly, relaxed, yet special feel. They nail a multitude of cuisines, with each dish being the best variation of it i've tasted. Now i'm only in my (late) 20's, but our clients vary and all of which that have come here agree and never want to leave. Each time they come to visit us, we don't firstly look at agenda's, we look to see if we can get a seat here. The chefs are excellent, but you don't always come back just because the food is great, which is why Sara and her team are the best at what they do. Sara makes everyone feel special and really knows & cares about her stuff. She deals with each situation perfectly and even when i've had to sit and cringe at situations, she spins it expertly, avoids any awkwardness and ends up making even the worst jokes seemingly brilliant. You have the likes of the elephant/ other boujee' fine dining restaurants which when we have a client used to be first the options we'd think of, but now it's nothing other than here. The others have a pretensious aura and make lovely meals in a stale atmosphere, but not here as you can enjoy the occasion and company just as much as the amazing food. My one and only critism is that it's now impossible to find another place to take our clients, which is why I returned with the same client on Thursday and they couldn't be happier. I could write a lot more, but won't be a bore, so i'll end by saying thank you for keeping going. I first came to you after you recently opened, with my father and his spanish friend (a typical spanish bloke... a big headed chef, which your food is the first he did not critique). You were seemingly struggling and it even felt like you were close to giving up. We're all glad you didn't. Thank you

Probably the best tapas I’ve ever had. Service was spot on even though they were short staffed. Well done the whole team. Thoroughly recommended.

Food needs more seasoning. Meat book is interesting. Very good food otherwise, excellent service with likeable foh :) Would recommend 👌

Absolutely delicious and unique take on tapas and delightful service, would thoroughly recommend.

What a wonderful little place! Only in Torquay for 2 weeks but definitely want to go back. Service was great, helpful and friendly, and the food was just fantastic. Some really interesting and interactive dishes as well, such as the edible book and mystery dessert both of which are well worth trying. Excellent.