Llerena

"Llerena is the kind of place you stumble upon by complete accident (or, by reading this guide), and return to time and time again. The dishes at this very endearing Spanish spot on Upper Street are pretty much guaranteed to make you happy. Go with a group of mates, get lots of ham, oxtail croquettes, the sweet pork stew, churros, and the hazelnut liqueur to finish." - heidi lauth beasley, rianne shlebak, sinead cranna

"It turns out that the answer to ‘how are you?’ is really quite complicated when you’ve spent months of your life eating garlic bread in bed and reading ‘poetry’. Oh, you know, fine! You’ll say, because ‘been miserable’ might lower the mood. But you should know that it’s safe to unleash your feelings at Llerena, a straightforward tapas spot in Islington that always feels like a distinctly safe, cosy place to be. Don’t skip the churros. Or the ham. Or the morcilla mondonga. Basically, get it all." - heidi lauth beasley

"Find us a person who doesn’t like drinking wine, and eating ham and cheese. Go on. We dare you. If you do, don’t introduce us. We don’t want to know them. And neither should you. Llerena is Islington’s most wholesome and relaxed tapas restaurant. It’s very hard not to have a nice time here, especially when there’s a lot of iberico ham involved." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing

"It turns out that the answer to ‘how are you?’ is really quite complicated when you spend most evenings eating garlic bread in bed and reading ‘poetry’. ‘Oh, you know, fine!’ you’ll say, because ‘utterly feral’ might lower the mood. But you should know that it’s safe to unleash your feelings at Llerena, a straightforward tapas spot in Islington that always feels like a distinctly safe, cosy place to be. Don’t skip the churros. Or the ham. Or the morcilla mondonga. Basically, get it all. " - heidi lauth beasley, rianne shlebak, jake missing, daisy meager

"The things that make Llerena such a great little tapas spot sort of sneak up on you. One minute you’re on Upper Street crying out for something that will see you through your Overground journey, the next you’re eating some damn good ewe’s cheese and debating how many oxtail croquetas you can stuff in your face and still have room for churros. From the white exposed bricks to the fact that the family running this place have been raising pigs in Extremadura in Spain for over half a century make it pretty much impossible not to like this place. Heads up, finishing your meal here with some hazelnut liqueur is never not a good idea." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing