Sabor

You can approach Sabor in two ways, but only one involves eating London’s juiciest suckling pig. The Mayfair restaurant is a humming temple of Spanish food, split over two floors. Downstairs, the walk-in only bar and tapas area is 80% counter and tortilla, all laughing dates and ice-cold Estrellas. Upstairs is ‘El Asador’, a more unhurried sit-down space where whole cooked pigs and octopus are served.

photo credit: Sabor

photo credit: Sabor

photo credit: Sabor

photo credit: Sabor

If the downstairs counter crowd is post-work and ready for a good time, upstairs has been planning this feast for weeks. It’s here where Sabor feels most worthwhile thanks to that pig. There’s a history of roasting these suckling pigs in Castilian cuisine. The Spanish have done it ever since the Romans invaded, and all of that should lead to you watching it be nonchalantly cut up just off Regent’s Street.

Given the relatively cosy size of the room, any quarter, half, or whole beast leaving the open kitchen can feel like a bit of a show for other tables. And that’s part of the appeal here. There are smaller plates, like some moreish crispy deep-fried pig’s ears, or a silky scallop-topped seafood rice, but all of them feel like unnecessary distractions to the main event. Oink oink.