I love tapas! And luckily London has an exquisite selection of great tapas bars and restaurants to chose from, so if you are out shopping or sightseeing, tapas is a great idea for a cosy and quick snack as an alternative to a dull sandwich!

Between Christmas and New Year Frenchie and I had a wander in the Covent Garden area. I adore Covent Garden – but it is a very busy area, so you have to like being around lots of people (especially at Christmas!)

Streetperformers in all shapes and sizes – and children love them. My feelings towards them are however ambivalent!

These musicians were amazing! Often you get to enjoy tunes from students from The Royal Academy of Music here!

Watching the world pass by…

When you are in this area, you simply have to visit the very colourful and vivid Neal’s Yard! Neal’s Yard is a small alley between Shorts Gardens and Monmouth Street which opens into a courtyard and contains several cafes and retailers

Behind me you will find Homeslice Pizza – famously known for its wood-fired pizza oven! The pizzas are amazing, so you might have to stand in a line… But it’s worth the wait!  

Colours of the rainbow everywhere you look!

But Frenchie and I were on a mission! We wanted tapas – and after having read so many great reviews about this place, we headed towards Opera Tavern at Catherine Street

Opera Tavern is a beautiful two-storey bar and restaurant. We got great seats in the cosy bar… 

…And Frenchie took a deeper look at the very fine selection of wines!  (Tip: if you are a wine-lover,  you simply have to visit Opera Tavern) 

Sneak-peek at the bar menu-card. 

Opera Tavern is placed right in the middle of London’s theatre-land – so some of the tables have “theatre-box” windows, where you can sit and the enjoy a bit of people-watching!

The atmosphere is quite romantic – so it’s definitely a place to bring a date!

We had yummy grilled flatbread with honey, hazelnut and rosemary butter

… and my personal favourite jamon and manchego croquetas… Ohh. so good!

Frenchie was in love with the crispy squid with cime di rapa, nduja aioli and migas…

… And having lived in Barcelona, he insisted that I should taste the marvellous and classic patatas fritas with aioli and bravas sauce (I fell in love!) 

Being a cheese-addict I simply had to taste the Italian cheese board as well (you can also get the Spanish version!)

I really enjoyed the food and the service here. It’s a great place to stop by for a quick drink, a light snack or the “whole enchilada” .

So next time you are in the neighbourhood, I strongly recommend that you chose this place to unwind a bit. It is the perfect hidden gem to rest, put away your shopping bags and city-maps and take a break from all the commotion going on outside the windows. Bonus-info: Opera Tavern is part of the Salt Yard Group, so you will find more of their restaurants placed around in London.

Bon Appétit! X Louise