For the third consecutive year, the Team from the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the UK embarked on the much anticipated «III Croquetas Tour». On a sunny day during the last week of August, the Chamber Staff visited five restaurants across London, tasting a variety of croquetas.
London is renowned for its international cuisine, including numerous Spanish restaurants where croquetas often feature as a key menu item—a classic traditional Spanish delicacy. A croqueta, or croquette in English, is a deep-fried roll typically filled with béchamel sauce and various ingredients, such as ham, seafood, chicken, or almost anything else.
Our first stop was Donostia, located less than 10 minutes on foot from our office, in the heart of Marylebone. Donostia, which is also the Basque name of the city of San Sebastián, serves Basque pintxos and tapas. We had the opportunity to try five different types of croquetas at their cosy terrace. Our Team was pleasantly surprised by the variety of flavours at this restaurant, which featured some of the most popular ingredients in Spanish cuisine.
We enjoyed the classic Ibérico ham croquetas, chorizo croquetas, and even one filled with an exceptional mix of cheese and dulce de membrillo— made with a fruit called quince in English and membrillo in Spanish. We also tried their octopus croquetas and the very Basque txuleta croqueta, which is a premium cut of expertly grilled beef.
Next, we headed to El Pirata in Mayfair, where we had the chance to spend time in their charming basement—a space that exudes a Spanish traditional atmosphere. Our Team savoured the chicken croquetas, Ibérico ham croquetas, as well as the chipirón (squid) and mushroom options. The food was paired with very good wine; indeed, El Pirata has a cellar of more than 100 kinds, hailing from Spain and beyond.
Our third stop was Ember Yard, a hip and elegant venue in Soho, which brings the unforgettable flavours of traditional Spanish and Italian cuisine to London. Here, we tried the ham and Manchego cheese croqueta. Manchego is a cheese made from the milk of Manchega sheep, a distinctive breed raised in the vast fields of the La Mancha Region, in Central Spain. The cheese can be aged between 60 days and 2 years, and it is one of Spain’s most famous products worldwide.
Then, we visited Copita, an authentic Spanish bar for “chatear”— this Spanish expression means “enjoying drinks, mostly wine, and small bites in a relaxed, setting”. We had the chance to try two varieties of croquetas: the first we tasted were filled with flavourful mushrooms, and the second kind were an interesting, very English spin on croquetas, as they were made with leek and cheddar cheese.
La Gamba, “the shrimp” in Spanish, located in the South Bank, was the final stop of our tour. After a pleasant walk through central London, we were ready to enjoy even more croquetas. We tasted the Cornish crab and squid ink croquetas, which were beautifully presented, along with the perfectly crisp Ibérico ham croquetas.
We enjoyed the croquetas with very good white and rosé wines, and to end on an even better note we tasted their Burnt Basque Cheesecake, a staple Spanish dessert. La Gamba boasted spacious and elegant interiors, designed by Cristina Lanz, and a terrace which overlooked the Thames River. Not to be missed!
All in all, it was a beautiful and above all, very flavourful occasion to enjoy some of the best high quality Spanish food central London has to offer. Next year we will undoubtedly come back for more in order to keep this tradition alive! Thanks to the restaurants that hosted us, and to the incredible Chamber Team who completed our III Croquetas Tour.
Blog post written by Andrea Minssart, Sophie Ziliukas and Laura Garrido.