Sabor

Sabor is an experience, perhaps not best described as truly “authentic”. The food was tasty, very good quality, interesting, and some dishes I would have again. The waitresses we had were super friendly, lovely and knowledgeable, and made the visit worthwhile. I can describe it as a fun tapas experience in London. The specials on the blackboard tend to be awesome! The monkfish tempura was soooooo nice!!

Excellent experience! Celebrating the first anniversary with my husband here. We’ve had the authentic pig ears, pepper, and the suckling pig. All very tasty and well presented. Great service too. Everything is great! 👍

The octopus was too soft, the sangria had no taste, and the Manchego Cheese tasted too strong to be finished. The other dishes were above average. The service was very good and a birthday dessert was given. I would like to try the menu downstairs next time. But the tax here is too high…

I can say that from all the Spanish restaurants I have tried in London, this might be my favourite. The location is ideal and the staff is friendly and knowledgable. The prices are reasonable for the type of restaurant you are going to. Although I was not impressive by their “tortilla de papa”, the fried pigs ears are TO DIE FOR. I was very surprised with its flavour and I recommend them. Likewise the churrasco de Cordero. It was very soft and it would melt in your mouth.

I know this review won’t matter to others and that the restaurant management prob won’t read it, but I still want to leave an honest, unbiased review. We were visiting London and made a point to book well-reviewed restaurants for our trip. Sabor came highly recommended from Instagram foodies to glowing Google reviews and with its Michelin star, we had high hopes. We originally had an 8pm reservation but arrived early at 5:30pm and were luckily seated at the downstairs tapas bar. Sitting in front of the kitchen was a great experience. We enjoy watching the chefs in action and how the kitchen is run. Things started off well. Our waitress was friendly when explaining the specials. We ordered cuttlefish croquettes, fresh prawns, crab risotto, and pork tomahawk (which she recommended over the steak on the regular menu we had in mind). The prawns were bright and flavorful, and the croquettes were excellent, possibly the best I have had, including those in Spain and Portugal. The crab risotto also had great flavor, although it was a bit too lemony for our personal taste. Unfortunately, we found two large pieces of shell in the dish. We mentioned it to the head chef, who acknowledged it and offered to remake it. We declined, since we were almost finished, and appreciated the gesture. That said, at a Michelin restaurant, this kind of oversight was disappointing. The real letdown was the tomahawk that arrived 40 minutes after our last dish according to timestamps on our photos. No one informed us of the delay or that the dish typically takes longer to prepare. When we asked, the waiter told us it’s taking them a while because they are cooking the fish and meat together. He added that if we cooked it at home, it would us take even longer. I found that dismissive. If I could cook at that level at home, I wouldn’t be dining out. We also noticed the grill chef repeatedly using a meat thermometer on the pork, then putting the probe up to his lip/mouth or beard area before reusing it. Maybe this is a culinary technique we don’t understand, but it didn’t seem hygienic. While the pork was resting, we saw the tomahawk erased from the specials board, and we were the only ones who had ordered it that evening. This made us question the quality or freshness of the ingredients. If there was an issue, why were we not told? Or was it prep time? But this was part of their specials, they should have known it would take this long. When the dish finally arrived, it had been reheated. The pork was dry, and the sauce was average, something between port wine and A1. When the waitress asked how it was, we told her we didn’t like it. She shrugged and removed the plate. The crab risotto was removed from the bill, which we appreciated, but the 14.5% service charge remained. It also took a long time to pay, as the staff was distracted. We were offered champagne on the house but neither of us drinks so didn’t think this gesture was helpful unfortunately. Eventually, the waiter sensed our frustration and brought the card reader without comment. This was especially disappointing after a fantastic experience the night before at Barrafina, similar setup, similar dishes, better execution and care. At Sabor, the head chef never acknowledged the delay or made eye contact, despite being right in front of us. We also noticed some inefficiencies. Kitchen staff in the back frequently had to walk around the chefs in the front to grab dirty dishes/pots instead of passing them through a central station in the wall. The kitchen setup felt cramped and chaotic. One appetizer asparagus and ricotta dish on the menu seemed to take up an extraordinary amount of time for the grill chef, possibly contributing to delays for other main dishes. The meal began with promise but ended on a frustrating note. While earlier dishes were great, the service breakdown, lack of transparency, and underwhelming final course made us question Sabor’s Michelin star. It was the most disappointing Michelin experience we’ve had. For the price and the hype, it wasn’t worth it.