Dehesa is a Spanish and Italian tapas restaurant in Soho. I absolutely love tapas, particularly Spanish tapas and I’ve been on a personal quest to find the best Spanish tapas spot in London. That quest has already taken me to two of Dehesa’s sister restaurants from Salt Yard Group – Ember Yard and Salt Yard – and I really enjoyed both. So I was really excited to finally eat at Dehesa; Shiima was appropriately calm about it 😂. 

Dehesa is darkly lit and rather snug, which lends itself to a very bustling atmosphere ideal for a tapas bar. The service is very active, but with a very friendly touch. Now, the food…

Bar Snacks

The pan con tomate was lovely. Fresh and juicy tomatoes on soft bread. 

The peppers were standard. I’m usually not a fan, but Shiima always is. She thought it was fine, but didn’t come close to finishing it. 

These were simply not enjoyable. 

Tapas

Fish

Err, this was okay, I guess, because I really don’t remember much about the taste other than it was fresh and well cooked.

Meat

I know I would’ve loved my croquetas if they were hot, because the cheesy jamon filling was delicious, but the croquetas were just about warm.

The ribs were light on flavour; neither particularly sweet or spicy. But it was really soft. 

The beef bavette was a tad tough, not as succulent as it appeared, but the gremolata was excellent and elevated the taste of the beef. 

I didn’t really get this… and we didn’t really enjoy it. It was bland.

Vegetables

Shiima really enjoyed this, especially the sweet cheesy filling, but it was way too sweet for me. 

Dessert!

Fantastic! This was our first experience of tiramisu (it usually has alcohol and we don’t drink) and we loved it. The mascarpone was so creamy and delicious, and the coffee flavour was strong but not overpowering. We wanted more, but we were stuffed.

Verdict

Dehesa isn’t as good as it’s sister restaurants, but it still has its strong points. The vibe is very active and the service is superb, but the food isn’t as good as I’d hoped. Dehesa is ideal for some tapas before a night out in Soho, or for a catch up with friends over tapas and wine. Dehesa is fairly priced.

Cuisine: Spanish-Italian Tapas
Dress Code: Casual
Shiima’s Star Dish: Pan Con Tomate
Amen’s Star Dish: Tiramisu
Price: £20-£30pp
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Dehesa
25 Ganton Street,
London, W1F 9BP.
Reserve at OpenTable,
Or call 0207 494 4170