Sabor

Who Should Book Sabor

Sabor is the right call if you want Spanish cooking that earns its Michelin star without the formal-dining formality that usually comes with it. It works for food and wine enthusiasts who want depth and regional specificity over safe, crowd-pleasing tapas — and for anyone willing to plan around its structure. The ground-floor counter suits solo diners and pairs. Upstairs at El Asador is where groups of three or four get the most out of the room, particularly at lunch when the pace is more relaxed. Book this over Barrafina or José when you want the full arc of a Spanish meal — bar, counter, and roasting oven , rather than a focused snacking session.

The Venue

Sabor sits on Heddon Street, one block off Regent Street, and has operated since 2018 under chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho and co-founder José Etura. The space runs across three distinct areas: a ground-floor bar, a counter where dishes from across Spain are served (with no bookings taken), and El Asador upstairs , the only reservable section, focused on the roasting and grilling traditions of Galicia and Castile. The structure is deliberate and worth understanding before you arrive, because which area you end up in shapes the entire experience.

The ground-floor counter is walk-in only, and queues form early , midday on a weekday is not unusual, according to documented reporting. That queue is a reliable indicator of the demand the kitchen generates. At the counter, orders are marked in pen on the surface in front of you and crossed off as dishes land. It is an efficient, informal system that keeps the pace moving and keeps the focus on the food. Fresh seafood comes through an in-house fishmonger, which gives the counter menu a market-driven quality that pre-set tapas lists rarely match.

El Asador upstairs is where Sabor's most ambitious cooking happens. The suckling pig from Segovia is roasted in a dedicated oven; the octopus is cooked in copper pans. These are not incidental dishes , they are the reason this room exists. If you are booking for the first time, El Asador is where you should start. The roasting oven produces the kind of results that take years of practice and the right equipment to achieve, and London has very few places doing this at this level.

Sabor picked up its Michelin star shortly after opening in 2018. By 2024 it was ranked 148th on the Opinionated About Dining Casual Europe list, climbing to 106th in 2025 , a trajectory that reflects sustained quality rather than opening-year hype. The Google rating sits at 4.6 across nearly 2,000 reviews, which at that volume is a meaningful signal. This is a kitchen that performs consistently.

The Drinks

Given the editorial angle here, the drinks deserve direct attention. Sabor's Spanish wine list is positioned to match the regional scope of the food , which is its main practical advantage over London's generic wine bar lists. Spain produces serious bottles across a wide price range, from Galician Albariños and Ribeiro whites that cut through seafood, to Rioja and Ribera del Duero reds that hold up against roasted meat. One documented source references Spanish wines from £7.50 a glass, which is an accessible entry point for a Michelin-starred room. Sherry is the other pillar, and for a venue whose cooking draws on Andalucian as well as Castilian and Galician traditions, a well-chosen sherry list is a structural asset, not an afterthought. Fino and manzanilla alongside counter seafood, and an oloroso or palo cortado with the suckling pig upstairs, give you pairings that are grounded in the same regional logic as the menu. Estrella beer is also available for those who want a lighter option at the counter. For food and wine explorers, Sabor's list offers more coherence between glass and plate than most Spanish restaurants in London manage.

Practical Details

Sabor is open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch (noon to 2:30 PM) and dinner (5:30 PM to 10:30 PM). Monday is dinner only, from 5:30 PM. The restaurant is closed Sundays. The El Asador section accepts reservations; the ground-floor counter does not. Book El Asador at least two to three weeks out , demand is consistent and the room is small. The address is 35–37 Heddon Street, W1B 4BR, a short walk from Oxford Circus or Piccadilly Circus. Dress code is smart casual; the room is informal enough that you do not need a jacket, but the Michelin context means most diners dress up slightly from street level. The price range is £££, which positions it as a mid-to-upper spend for London, roughly comparable to Barrafina on a per-head basis, though El Asador dishes such as the whole suckling pig can push the bill higher depending on group size.

For more options across the city, see our full London restaurants guide, our full London hotels guide, our full London bars guide, our full London wineries guide, and our full London experiences guide. If you are travelling further afield in the UK for serious food, The Fat Duck in Bray, L'Enclume in Cartmel, Moor Hall in Aughton, Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Hand and Flowers in Marlow, and hide and fox in Saltwood are all worth considering. For Spanish cooking in other cities, Casa Mono in New York City and Bar Isabel in Toronto offer useful points of comparison.

Quick reference: Michelin one star | £££ | Book El Asador 2–3 weeks ahead | Counter walk-in only | Closed Sundays | 35–37 Heddon Street, W1B 4BR.

FAQ

• Is Sabor worth the price? Yes, at £££ it is well-placed for what it delivers. A Michelin star earned in its first year, a 2025 OAD Casual Europe ranking of 106, and 4.6 across nearly 2,000 Google reviews all point to a kitchen that justifies the spend. The counter is the more affordable route in; El Asador, where the suckling pig and copper-pan octopus live, costs more but offers cooking that few London restaurants in this category can match.
• Does Sabor handle dietary restrictions? The menu draws heavily on seafood, pork, and meat-centric roasting traditions, particularly upstairs in El Asador. Pescatarians will find more options at the counter than upstairs. Contact the restaurant directly before booking if restrictions are significant , the menu structure is not well-suited to rigid dietary requirements without advance notice.
• How far ahead should I book Sabor? For El Asador upstairs, two to three weeks is a safe minimum. The Michelin star and consistent OAD ranking keep demand steady year-round, not just around seasonal peaks. The counter requires no booking, but expect a queue at busy times , midday on weekdays included.
• Is the tasting menu worth it at Sabor? Sabor does not operate a conventional tasting menu format. The experience is à la carte across the bar, counter, and El Asador. This is one of its strengths: you control the pace and cost. If you want a fixed-course progression, the upstairs El Asador room offers the closest equivalent through its roasting-focused dishes, but you build the meal yourself.
• Is Sabor good for solo dining? The ground-floor counter is one of the better solo-dining setups in London's Spanish category , the no-booking, counter-seat format suits a single diner well, and the pen-on-counter ordering system keeps things efficient. El Asador upstairs is better for two or more, given the format and portion sizes of dishes like the suckling pig.
• Is lunch or dinner better at Sabor? Lunch is the stronger call, particularly at El Asador on a weekday. The pace is more considered, the room quieter, and the suckling pig and slow-cooked dishes have more context when you are not rushing to turn a table. Lunch runs Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 2:30 PM.
• What should I wear to Sabor? Smart casual is appropriate. The room is informal enough that a jacket is not expected, but most diners at El Asador dress slightly above street level given the Michelin context. The ground-floor counter is more relaxed , jeans and a decent shirt are fine.