The Little Taperia

Bar seating behind a wood-panelled bar with a marble countertop, an outdoor area for al fresco dining, tiled floors and natural light streaming through the front windows – The Little Taperia brings a lot of simple charm to Tooting, as well as a mouth-watering array of authentic Spanish dishes.

The restaurant on Tooting High Street is owned by a former Food and Drink Editor at The Independent Magazine and by the owner of the Meza Lebanese restaurants. The concept behind The Little Taperia is simple – a dash of Iberian culinary glamour, made from quality ingredients and served in an elegant setting.

The menu at this eatery spans a wide range of classic and more contemporary tapas. You can start you meal with snacks such as Manzanilla olives, toasted almonds or Padron peppers, before working your way through the meat, seafood and vegetable small plates on offer. In addition to traditional, familiar dishes such as chorizo in cider, croquetas de jamón, grilled octopus, prawns and patatas bravas, you can find more unusual options here. For example, The Little Taperia serves a Spanish take on the Scotch egg, made with blood sausage and piquillo peppers. You can also order a cheese or charcuterie board, or round your meal off with one of the desserts such as churros or crema Catalana.

Meanwhile, the blackboard next to the bar proclaims the various cocktails they can mix you up. You can also order classic Spanish drinks such as sangria or cava, or choose one of the vintages off the short but curated wine list.