Sabor is a Michelin starred Spanish restaurant in Mayfair. If you’ve been following my solo foodie adventures, you’ll know I absolutely love Spanish tapas and I’m on a mission to find the best Spanish tapas restaurant in London.

Sabor comes with a tremendous reputation as evidenced by its Michelin star. There are three distinct areas in Sabor with unique menus, but The Counter on the ground floor is what you seek if you want the tapas experience. The Counter at Sabor has been at the top of my list since I started my mission, but you can’t reserve a spot and The Counter is renowned for having a waiting time befitting its lofty reputation. Shiima was busy at a wedding last Saturday (yep, I was not invited 😂) so I went off to Sabor both readied for the wait (by eating a large bowl of peanut butter oats) and ready to eat (went crazy in a boxing class earlier in the day 😁).

As expected The Counter was busy and I had to 45 minutes. But the wait is at the bar which has a substantial menu to enjoy while you wait. I didn’t indulge though.

Sabor is very delicately designed to exude the vibe of a Spanish tapas restaurant by the sea. The Counter surrounding the active open kitchen is similar in essence to other tapas restaurants of its ilk such as Barrafina. The service is also very active, friendly, and oozes authenticity.

The Food

Croquetas

In my experience, this seemingly simple dish is a sure intimation of the level of cooking for everything to come. It was delicious. Really cheesy with a good balance of the salty pieces of jamon.

Fish

The Gamba was simply delicious. Fresh prawns very well cooked and lightly seasoned with salt.

Ingenious dish that fuses Italian elements with the pesto and the cuttlefish cut to resemble pappardelle pasta. The cuttlefish itself is fresh and tasty, but the dish is best when the cuttlefish is tossed in the wild garlic pesto.

Meat

The presa was my least favourite dish. It wasn’t “not good”, just not good enough or as good as I was hoping. Mostly down the the presa itself which wasn’t as succulent or delicious as I was expecting. Most of the flavour in the dish came from the mojo verde.

I absolutely loved the braised oxtail. The mix of the queen scallops and oxtails might seem unusual but it really worked. The scallops were fresh and meaty, and the oxtail was rich from the delicious sauce and just melts in the mouth.

Specials

The piquillo tempura is similar to courgette flower. The piquillo is lightly covered in batter, stuffed with delicious cheese, and with a good helping of honey. I’m not the biggest fan of piquillo peppers so I prefer the courgette flower version, but this was delicious too.

This was great. Especially because of the crispy ginger flakes and mango sauce. It absolutely elevated the fresh and tender scallops to another dimension.

Dessert!

The mixed berry tartaleta was decent. The mascarpone wasn’t too rich or too sweet and the pastry was incredibly light.

Verdict

I really enjoyed my experience at The Counter at Sabor. The vibe is casual and very reminiscent of a seaside restaurant in Spain, the service is friendly and the food, particularly the seafood, is exquisite. The Counter at Sabor is certainly in my top 5 Spanish tapas restaurants but not at the very top. That could change though as I’m keen to go back soon. I recommend for a casual date, exquisite Spanish tapas with friends or family (max 4) and any lovers of tapas or just good food. The Counter at Sabor is moderately expensive so do bear that in mind.

Cuisine: Spanish Tapas
Dress Code: Casual
Star Dish: Scallops with crispy ginger and mango
Price: £30-£40pp
Rating: 4.8 out of 5

The Counter at Sabor
35-37 Heddon Street
W1B 4BR
Walk-ins only, no reservation