Bravas Tapas

Stop what you’re doing NOW and reserve a table to eat some of the best Tapas outside of Barcelona. Wow wow wow! We were randomly in this area (as Londoners we tend to stick around central, soho and shoreditch) SOOOO glad we ventured out because this was a hell of a find. The food here was exceptional and I have no issue stating this is probably (in fact definitely) the best tapas place we’ve come across so far in London. The sangria was delicious, the patatas bravas perfect, the sea bass was succulent and crunchy, the croquettes melted in your mouth and OH MY GOD — the foie gras Crème brûlée with brioche was SUBLIME!!!
Maybe I went on a good day, but I was really pleasantly surprised by this little find in the picturesque St Katherine’s Dock. The décor was a trendy shabby chique and they have these interesting pincers to eat your tapas (although feel free to ask for regular cutlery if this seems too daunting). I just loved it all! This’ll definitely be on my top places to eat in London.
Shame there’s only one in town! Would they maybe consider opening one in King’s Cross just for my eating pleasure? Pretty please???

The food was innovative, and the service was excellent. Tucked away on the St. Katharine Docks restaurant row, this little gem offers a cozy atmosphere. The menu is limited but delicious. My kids (8 and 12) ate lamb chops and octopus for the first time and loved them both so much, we had to get a second order of each. My husband and I really enjoyed the bruleed foie gras with cherries and almonds. The cheese plate had a really nice selection. The brioche pudding was divine.

A really lovely find in St. Katharine’s Docks. I came by with a friend at 8 PM on a Friday night and although the restaurant was crammed, they were able to squeeze us in. The restaurant’s décor is really gorgeous with low ceilings, tapered candles, and reclaimed wood walls. It is a very intimate dining experience, making it a great place to come on a date or with one or two friends.
We ordered the following:
–Salmon — this comes beautifully presented with thin slices of salmon wrapped around a dill sauce and covered in a radish– like a very fresh little sushi roll!
–Spinach croquetas — it is hard to go wrong with croquettes and these did not disappoint– they were creamy and fresh on the inside, and crispy on the outside
–Cheese plate — a delicious assortment of cheese and fruit, again you can’t go wrong!
–Brava Potatoes — so simple and yet so delicious, the crispy potatoes came with a huge bowl of dipping sauce that was quite tasty
–Crispy shrimp — we had not originally ordered these but after eying the tables on both sides of us devouring theirs, we had to try them, and they were fantastic
–Foie Gras — this was our only miss of the evening– it did not come with enough bread and the foie gras itself was covered in a caramelized topping that made the dish too sweet
The price point is fair for the quality of the dishes and the fantastic location right on the marina. They even have a few outdoor tables for those elusive London fair weather days!

Came back to London a little over a year later and stopped by Bravas again. It was still amazing and busy as ever. The nice gentleman at the door was the same that greeted us in March of 2014. They were booked, but he gave us a table with the understanding that it was reserved at a certain time. We agreed to be quick.
Had the morcilla sliders again, the salmon roulade, the grilled pork belly, the grilled peppers, spinach croquetas, and the foie gras. As remembered, it was wonderful. Ordered more of the salmon roulade as it was our favorite. The flavor and texture of that dish is unique and memorable (crispy sweet potato inside). Would also like to give a shout out to the grilled peppers. They might seem simple. Granted, he nice char combined with the flaky salt they use is very nice.
This time I also had my first ever gin and tonic in London. The drinks are about 3 times the volume you would get in a cocktail in the U.S. Mine was particularly good, made with Hendricks and garnished with cucumbers. Very refreshing and easy to drink.
The service of was quick and friendly. We were able to get in and out well before needed. Then we enjoyed a pleasant evening stroll around St. Katherine’s dock. Will come here every time we visit London.

Good food. Tasty but small portions… fair enough though as it is tapas! A good selection of meats/​fish/​veg so something for everyone. Desserts weren’t as tasty as i had hoped but the cocktails were good and made up for it! Two negatives: 1. minimal outside seating when it was such a nice day and in such a great location for sitting outside. 2. Staff weren’t the friendliest/​happiest. Perhaps they didn’t like serving a group of people (6 of us in total).

Wonderful service and excellent food! Prices are at a level one would expect with a location such as this and absolutely in line with the quality of the products.
We were three adults and a one year old, we came here ona sunday night and had booked a table beforehand, asking for a high chair and pram parking. They had everything ready for us when we got there (we were even 10 minutes early) and were generally very accommodating, playing and talking to the baby and our food and drinks arrived swiftly, sizzling hot, as it should be at a tapas place!

Visiting from the US I met a friend who was also in town and we found this spot. It was such a great choice! Every dish we had was amazing, the croquets were tasty, the roasted peppers were delicious, the lamb was superb, not to mention the signature cocktails! I can go on and on! I highly recommend this place for a nice meal out. It was a little pricey, I think, only because my conversion skills were not in effect yet, but for a fun dinner out, definitely a place to check out!

A well earned five Unilocal stars, especially at this price point. From the location overlooking the marina, the décor, the friendly staff and their knowledge of the product, to the food. Oh the food. Listen, we seriously didn’t have a bad thing. Or even a mediocre thing. Almonds to munch on, fabulous cocktails, the perfectly tender grilled octopus, excellently spiced potatoes, lamb chops… I guess my only regret was being too full to try dessert.

Bring a heavy wallet but be prepared to enjoy every pound you spend. This place has a wonderful atmosphere right in the docks which makes for good viewing out the windows. At night the place is lit up by candlelight so is very good for dates and romantic evenings out. The staff are lovely and attentive, and more than happy to talk through the menu. The food is insane! If you’re a meat eater I have been told you’re in for a treat but even the veggies can enjoy amazing cheese boards, stuffed chillies, out of the world patas bravas and a load of other amazing dishes. Everything is presented beautifully and each dish has it’s own look. The desserts are also to die for and the wine list is good too.
Can be pricey but worth treating yourself!

Amazing service, portions are perfect for 2, grilled octopus is a must-​try, also the king-​prawn — magnificient. Also ordered the pudding for dessert, only the best!

Will give this place four stars instead of five only because five should be out of this world. There were three of us and we had the lamb chops, Brava potatoes (twice), quail, octopus, salmon rulada, Iberian pork belly, anchovies and the croquetas. Everything was delicious. We had two bottles of the Goru Bego Bodegas which was very pleasant. I would happily come here again and again.

Everything is great in this restaurant, except the price. The food is great but the portions are too small. The decoration is beautiful.

An intimate, candlelit setting by the water for a casual but slightly romantic Sunday night date.
I love tapas, standard. Who wouldn’t?
Bravas Tapas is a little more up market without a hefty jump in price.
We opted for 6 dishes between two of us, which was perfect for a late, light dinner.
The Iberian pork belly was deliciously succulent. So yummy in fact that it was a little hard to share!
I’d recommend trying the Seabass fillet as well, it was cooked to perfection with crispy skin and presented on top of a tasty dressing.
We asked the waitress for a wine recommendation, and she suggested a Catalan red. Whilst at £32 it was more than I’d normally pay for wine at dinner (reds started from £16 a bottle), it was incredible. A lovely smooth, fruity, easy to drink wine that was perfect with an array of meat, fish and vegetable tapas dishes.
The atmosphere was lovely and we stayed until we had to be chucked out! A sign of a good night.

We had a lovely evening here but I suspect it was more to do with the company than the food.
It was far from awful, in fact, it was fine. The wine was fine and the service was an absolute delight. In fact I’m struggling to find fault but it still left me a bit meeh!
If I was in a small out of London town like Guildford and this place opened, I’d be over the moon and delighted such ‘exotic’ faire was available but this is Central London and I expected more. As I said, I what we got was fine but nothing about anything on the menu was worth a review by itself.
Maybe I’m fussy, so please try yourself. They will welcome you with open arms and I’m sure you’ll have a lovely evening but don’t expect to be telling all your friends about something they couldn’t possibly miss.

I’ve been to Bravas Tapas a couple of times now, as it’s located around the corner from my office. It’s a little tucked away in St Katherine’s Dock, but if you know where the Medieval Banquet is (with the plate armour suit outside), then Bravas is just a couple of shop units down.
I’ve been here when it’s been mostly empty and packed out, and got a rather different service both times.
The first time was with my team at work, and we took a long table with a party of 12 people. Sharing the tapas between us, every dish was beautifully presented and tasted as good as it looked. I’m a big fan of the lamb cutlets — definitely go for those!
There is also seating outside, though it always looks rather out of place to me, as it’s detached from the restaurant by a public walkway. I’d recommend sitting inside if you visit here.
On the occasion me and a couple of colleagues went when it was very busy, service was very slow and we had to chase up our food and the bill. Our waiter apologised when we were paying up, describing it as a «very good problem to have lots of customers», but I hope they become better at staffing up at peak times.
Go for the food — it’s good tapas. Then have a walk around the dock and head to the riverside by Tower Hill. Good way to round out a date.

I am really torn about this place.
St. Katherine’s Docks is one of my favorite places in London, but there are no non-​chain places so Bravas Tapas is an oasis. And on a sunny day there is no place I’d rather be.
But the service was terrible. The one woman who was wandering around was not able to take orders. We tried to hail down the owner a couple of times but to no avail. We finally did get service but it was a constant battle.
I was with a vegetarian companion and there were very few options. I must say though that I ended up ordering the octopus for myself and it was spectacular. The veggie dishes were good as well.
I will try it again – I think it has promise and hope it was just an off day… it is still an oasis in St Katherine’s docks…

Bravas is a new intimate tapas bar, perfect if sharing dishes between two in St Katherine Docks.
Service is great and the staff are very helpful in helping describe dishes. There were a few that were confusing orders and not giving the correct items to people. One couple were there almost half as long as we were, but because their food was being given to the wrong couple on the same half of a table in the centre of the restaurant, they didn’t get any food that whole time! The manager was clearly angry at this. But teething troubles during a soft launch is nothing new. It’s one of the risks.
Ourselves, we had a great time. The food was good portion and flavour wise. Some dishes such as the seabass were meh, but the raw Cod «Esqueixada» was amazing, as was the salmon dish, bravas potatoes and pork sliders. Sometimes simple really is best! The desserts. Well wow. I have never had anything like the Fresh Macerated Strawberries with white choc and cava. Mindblowing. And the crazy lopsided glasses they served a few courses in were quite unique and I want some.
In all, lovely place. Great tapas, perfect potions for 2 and nice atmosphere. Dishes a little on the pricier side quantity wise, but this is tapas in London and the quality sure makes up for it. Expect £4−8 per dish. The place has wifi apparently but the staff member we asked didn’t know the password and we were about to leave.

When you see Bravas Tapas in such a perfect location, in the centre of St Katherine Docks you kind of wish the quality would be just as good. But somewhere in the back of your mind you also feel it could be another tourist trap. But I could not have doubted more wrongly as this place has probably become one of my favourite Spanish restaurant next to Jose. Even the prices were affordable
And because there was also a 50% soft launch we ended nearly ordering everything.
Almonds arrived generously in a overfilled glass container nicely coated with a sweet paprika and apparently orange zest which I couldn’t taste. But these were the ‘better’ ones, roasted evenly, crunchy and not salty at all to aggregate my thirst. Being quite easy to pick on we did end up demolishing them.
Quick to arrive were the thinly sliced cod. How they made such a tasteless fish into something so extraordinary was unbelievable. It was like ceviche with a lot of other ingredients taking a part but without the citrus juice. It was fleshy, soft and creamy with a nice bite from the radish and cleverly salted from the black olive which gave it a punch of flavour too.
Just as good were the seared salmon rolled around mushrooms and truffle. As it was served cold the flavours became more delicate and light. The salmon was so soft and buttery that it didn’t take long to melt away in your mouth without being too mushy and together with the creamy sauce, it was a delight.
After two impressive fish tapas the Seabass became ordinary although still really good. I would have preferred if it was cooked a little less but a firmer texture but to compensate that it came with a lovely crispy seared skin. The flavours were also delicate using simple fresh tomato salsa to flavour it and pack it with moisture, all done with good seasoning.
Now I’m not exaggerated when I say these were the best brava potatoes I have ever eaten. Yes, they’re just chips but with their paprika seasoning, crisp outside falling into a fluffy fragrant potato, piping hot and dipped into that delicious sweet cooling salsa and sour cream it was epic. It was that sauce that made this dish so moorish, creamy, sweet and light and hot against cold. Too good!
The toasted baguette with tomatoes were nicely toasted, crisp and using fresh tomatoes again to create that creamy slightly chunky salsa top. Would have preferred if they were more generous with the sauce but only because it was that tasty.
I had very mix opinions with the spiced lamb. As tender and mouth-​melting they were, texture unfaultable they lacked flavour. In fact I couldn’t taste any spice at all. But for a quality simple lamb chop itself it was very good, naturally sweet with gentle flavours from the Rosemary alioli.
Who would have though black pudding burgers would work so well? But it did. These sliders were amazing. Soft fluffy buttery brioche bun into something very smoky, rich, nicely spiced and gamey. Very different to the juicy meat patties I’m used to but it works. The other ingredients also added a great textural layer element to it.
So far everything has been beautifully presented but nothing could have beat the gazpacho. The beautiful bowl that resembled a fallen brandy snifter came with just the croutons and just as it reached our table the waitress poured in the refreshing sweet tomato gazpacho. The seasoning was perfect and the croutons remained crunchy throughout. I plan to order this every time I return.
There was a lot of food but there’s always room for a sweet dessert. The torte came as a cherry marzipan tart. Usually I disagree with using sorbet as a side of a dessert but this really worked. It brought in moisture to the dense tart, breaking up the heaviness of it. The crust was perfect, light and crumbly filled with a good thick layer of moist marzipan topping with a sweet sharp tasting of cherries and thin crunchy almonds.
What I believed to be simple strawberries in white chocolate turned out to be the most impressive dessert of the year. It was served in the same glass bowl as the gazpacho, with soft macerated strawberries hidden under beautifully bubbled cava foam and a nice melting dollop of smooth sweet white chocolate. It wa indulgence with a good kick from the cava, Sweet, milky and boozy.
I cannot fault Bravas Tapas. The experience was so memorable I already want to go back. I love the small menu choices with affordable pricing, the warm simple wooden décor, couches to slouch into and candles for a bit of romance, all facing the beautiful Katherine Docks itself. Service was friendly enough, quick and efficient. A brilliant edition to the area that is filled with too many chain restaurants already.