Bar Gansa

Atmosphere and Food - this place excels at both.

Food

Service

Atmosphere

This narrow dimly-lit tapas restaurant is just off Camden High Street. Shoehorned into a row of cafes, pubs and shops on Inverness Street, it's got a prime position to parade its Spanish fare. 

Step inside and you'll find chunky wooden tables squeezed into a dark, cosy space. Walls are painted rich red and come punctuated with pictures. And whenever I've been there it's been jam-packed with customers gorging on tapas and slurping on cocktails.

Dishes like Spanish omelette, spicy chorizo and patatas bravas are served traditionally in little terracotta dishes that come steaming out from the kitchen at the back. Kick back with a bottle of red wine - the house one is perfectly fine - and get stuck in. Just avoid the olives - they're nothing special and look like they're straight out of a budget supermarket.

As for the price, this place sits quite firmly in the middle bracket. It's not budget cheap, but it's not extortionate, either. Plus the tapas is delicious, and the surroundings gorgeous, so you get what you pay for here.