José Pizarro, owner and chef at José Pizarro; Quique Dacosta, who runs Arros QD in London, and Ángel Zapata, chef at Barrafina* share their experiences of the state of Spanish cuisine in the British capital.

Three of the top ambassadors of Spanish cuisine in London talked this afternoon about countries and opportunities on the Gastronomika stage. José Pizarro, owner and chef at José Pizarro; Quique Dacosta, who runs Arros QD in London, and Ángel Zapata, chef at Barrafina*, shared opinions and all agree that “London loves Spain and its produce”, so they encouraged other restaurateurs to open an outlet there. “There’s room”.

There’s room because “the British are open-minded, they like to try things and learn, and they love our culture”, the great godfather of Spanish cuisine in London explained, who continued to share his experience to assert that knowledge about our produce had increased. “At first, I used to show them a ham and they told me that this ‘Parma ham’ was good…”. “But that’s normal -Dacosta added-. The Italians had arrived beforehand”. 

Time is needed, and “they are now really making the most of a lot of restaurateurs and distributors”, they claimed. Convinced that this is a great time for the concept of Spain and its produce, the three of them coincided in pointing out the opportunities that exist, although “the gastronomic level in London is really high. You eat really well here”, Zapata, in charge of a fried food bar with Michelin stars, explained. “And in Seville there aren’t any…”, Dacosta pointed out. London is London.

A city of people who don’t know “our cuisine at all, only from when they come as tourists. What they eat isn’t paella or fabada. They are poor copies from bad tourist restaurants, so our work here is twice as hard. At least mine is, with paella”, Dacosta mentioned. They do this with produce but also with ideas “as when I travel to London, I don’t bring more than 6 or 7 ingredients in my suitcase. The United Kingdom has a lot that are really good, so we provide culture and know-how”, the chef from Dénia concluded.