El Pirata review: a low-key, low-price Spanish gem in the heart of affluent London

Mayfair is the last place you’d expect to find this authentic and genuinely charming tapas bar

El Pirata exterior
El Pirata sits on Down Street, an archetypal Mayfair backstreet which is home to a disused tube station
(Image credit: El Pirata)

Mayfair – home of Oxford Street, countless embassies and the city’s fanciest hotels – is one of the last places you’d expect to find a hidden gem in London. That makes my discovery of El Pirata, a low-key and genuinely charming tapas bar that does everything properly without any need for pomp or ceremony, all the more exciting.

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