please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
No ales on tap here, just bottled beers. They have Czech budvar, so I drink that. They have a pretty decent range of spirits, so also have those on occasion. Not ever eaten here, so couldn't say on that, but I've never felt inspired to try. It's family run, and they are quite an eccentric bunch from 80 odd year old dad, mother scratching the table tops in the corner, to the ebullient Mel. They are always friendly and chatty and you get the feeling that making money isn't the most important thing to them. Plus its often open late. I like the place.
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Been into Bar 61 many times and never been disappointed. Perhaps not the most authentic tapas in London, but the fantastic service and tasty, reasonably priced menu more than make up for that. A welcome hostilery on Streatham Hill!
Deggo - 10 Apr 2012 15:34 |
This place is absolutely awful. Firstly it's not Spanish. The place is run by some Turkish people and it shows in the cooking. (Why oh why don't they turn it into a decent Turkish eatery?) I was there last night for a glass of wine and some tapas. None of the wines come by the glass except for the house white. Ok so that's not so bad you might say. I agree and I can live with that. But the problem was the food.
I ordered some Spanish tortilla and was expecting a thick chunky slice of real Spanish omelette stuffed with potatoes and onions, and instead got a flat round mini pancake dotted with peppers here and there. When the manager brought it over I immediately asked what it was. He told it me it was the tortilla. I said that it wasn't tortilla and he had the cheek to tell me that he had already told the kitchen that, but they didn't listen. My answer was to tell him to take it away and train his staff.
The spicy chicken wings were equally bad. They were pale grey imitations of what you would normally get in a decent tapas bar. Somebody had cooked them on their own, probably in a microwave, and then poured a sauce on top that was sitting on top of them like a lump of porridge. They hadn't even bothered to pretend that they had been cooked in the sauce and made sure they were nicely coated. The Asturian beef and pork stew was straight out of a tin. And I could only find two bits of pork in there. The rest was lumps of disgusting fat and a bit of black sausage that crumbled when exposed to the air. The calamari were frozen but edible and the grilled halloumi cheese (real Spanish bars wouldn't have this on the menu), was only grilled on one side and was served with three chunks of tomato.
Service was ok and they were polite and took things away and off the bill when I complained. They had some nice touches: they served a small plate of fruit at the end, but it was a mean one of just slices of orange and apple, and some complimentary drinks that were poor quality.
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My local and also one of my favourite bars. A little bit of Turkish Cyprus and Spain in the middle of Streatham. Go in a second time and be treated like a long lost relative.
Here's to Metin, Mel, Tony et al. Nice work!!
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Decent Food
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The menu in Bar 61 should have given us enough warning to what was to come. A Tapas menu listing prawns in filo pastry and spicy chicken wings hardly harks back to traditional Spanish cuisine. The food came and apart from the huge meatballs, it was all rather disgusting; deep fried and straight from the freezer.
This place has so much potential so why serve such terrible food? Such a disappointment. La Casa on Clapham Common is a million times better than this sorry excuse for a Tapas Bar.
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I can't believe the comments here, this place is just awful, with it's frozen tapas and undrinkable wine. As for the decor - please - it hasn't had a coat of paint for about ten years..............
Ditzy - 13 Feb 2008 14:49 |
I do like this place even though I think they have gone too far with the tacky souvenirs dotted around the place. The service is excellent, and I took my Spanish friend who said that the tapas were very very good, and she should know...!
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Went in here for the first time the other Wednesday and was pleasantly surprised. Very well-stocked bar and the friendliest service this side of the river. Tasty tapas served in generous portions.
jossv - 31 Jan 2006 17:09 |
Quite probably the best Tapas in southwest london great place great people, Metin keep it goin don't let it change
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Fantastic bar/restaurant. the tapas menu is superb. lots of bottled beers and unusual spirits. well worth a try.
steven hesmondhalgh - 25 Jun 2004 19:23 |
probably the best bar ive ever been to. Fantastic service... even better looking employees... if you dont go, youre missing out!!
john smith - 3 Nov 2003 11:03 |
Relaxed bar with latin theme. No draught but plenty of bottles and spirits. 'Tapas' server most of the day too. Late opening aswell. Nice decor and good atmosphere. Well worth a visit.
Brendan - 14 Mar 2003 16:18 |
