On the eve of the opening of José Pizarro’s eponymous new space, the man himself was good enough to throw open the doors to a bustling crowd and invite us down to sample the wares.
I think everyone has already described the space as ‘cosy’ – and that’s as much down to the service and the atmosphere as the bijou size of the place. It seats seventeen covers apparently, and the house speciality is small sharing plates. We guzzled gazpacho (given that I’m not a huge tomato fan, this even took me by surprise) and tussled over tortilla, accompanied by a great Cava and a Fino – will have to go back and study the lists properly. What a chore, eh?
With his strong focus on both the sherry selection and daily market specials, José has created a spot that you could pop into over and over again – just to make sure you’re not missing out, of course. We loved the hake with aioli, the croquettas, the manchego – and it went on and on. Plenty of justification for visiting again in the very near future.
Thank you to the gorgeous Hannah at Nourish for inviting us.
José, 104 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3UB
Open: Mon-Fri 12:00-22:30; Sat 10:00-22:30; Sun 10:00-18:00
T: 020 7403 4902 (no reservations)
I used to walk down Bermondsey st everyday. I wish Jose had been there then. Sound perfect for that area. A great place to pop into on your way home from work.
Or go down with a book, or to do a little writing… I have a feeling that it’s the kind of place that emphatically won’t be offering wifi to customers – which is really a rather good thing!
Love Jose’s – lovely atmosphere and great food – deserves to do brilliantly!
I want to go back. I need to try the peppers. Let’s do that some day.
Yes! Actually, a (random) bunch of us have decided to do that on Tuesday 26 July – come with!