Restaurant in Nottingham, United Kingdom
Michelin value in a genuinely interesting space.
Ibérico World Tapas holds back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmands (2024 and 2025) and earns a 4.7 Google rating from nearly 750 reviews. The Mediterranean tapas menu — with global touches like yuzu and dukkah — is served in a vaulted basement beneath the old Shire Hall. At ££ with easy bookings, it is the strongest value-to-quality ratio in central Nottingham for a non-tasting-menu dinner.
Ibérico World Tapas has held its Michelin Bib Gourmand for at least two consecutive years (2024 and 2025), and the setting alone would make it memorable — but the food is why you go back. If you have already visited once and left satisfied, the answer is yes, come again. The midweek Express menu is the sharpest value proposition in central Nottingham right now, and the gambas a la plancha are worth ordering every single time. The room is unusual enough that first-timers often spend the first ten minutes just looking up. Regulars know to look at the menu instead.
Ibérico sits in the basement of the old Shire Hall on High Pavement, the building that once housed Nottingham's city law courts and jail. The space comes with a vaulted ceiling, colourful tiling, and ornate fretwork — architectural details that no amount of interior design budget could replicate from scratch. On a cold Nottingham evening, descending into that room carries a particular quality: the warmth of the kitchen rises to meet you at the bottom of the stairs, and the stone walls hold the heat of a room in full service. This is verified by the Michelin Guide's own venue notes, so the sensory impression of the space is not speculation.
The location on High Pavement puts Ibérico in Nottingham's Lace Market, which means it works well as part of an evening that extends beyond dinner. The neighbourhood has enough bars and late-night options that Ibérico fits naturally as the first act of a longer night out, rather than the final destination. Arrive early, eat well, and keep the evening going. For a fuller picture of what else the city offers after dinner, see our full Nottingham bars guide.
The menu delivers on its name. The Mediterranean core is genuine , think Spanish-inflected small plates , but the kitchen pulls in ingredients and techniques from further afield: yuzu from Japan, dukkah from Egypt and North Africa. These are not gimmicks. They sit alongside the tapas format without displacing it, and the result is a menu that rewards regulars more than it might suggest on a first read.
If you have been before and stuck to the obvious choices, the advice is to push wider on the menu this time. The gambas a la plancha remain a reliable anchor, but the surrounding dishes repay exploration. Around four dishes per person is the right portion calibration according to the Michelin Guide's own assessment of the format. At the ££ price point, four dishes per person represents a realistic spend for a full meal , not a grazing exercise.
The Express menu, available on midweek early evenings, is where the value equation tips firmly in the diner's favour. Michelin specifically flags it as representing great value, which is a practical signal worth taking seriously. If your diary allows a weekday dinner before 7pm, this is the version of Ibérico to prioritise. For weekend bookings, expect to pay standard menu prices, which still sit within the ££ range.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which is accurate for most nights. A Bib Gourmand from Michelin does generate demand, but Ibérico is not operating at the near-impossible booking windows of Nottingham's two higher-end destinations. That said, weekend evenings will fill, and if you want the midweek Express menu, you need to plan around service times rather than just turn up. Reservations are the sensible approach for any Friday or Saturday visit.
For late-night flexibility, the Lace Market location is well-suited: Ibérico is positioned as an early-to-mid evening venue rather than a late-night kitchen, so plan dinner here as the start of the night rather than the close. Check current hours directly with the restaurant before booking if an early reservation versus late seating matters to your plans.
| Venue | Price Range | Booking Difficulty | Format | Michelin Recognition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ibérico World Tapas | ££ | Easy | Tapas / small plates | Bib Gourmand 2024, 2025 |
| Kushi-Ya | ££ | Moderate | Japanese small plates | Not listed |
| alchemilla | ££££ | Hard | Tasting menu | Michelin recognised |
| Restaurant Sat Bains | ££££ | Very Hard | Tasting menu | Two Michelin Stars |
| Harts | £££ | Easy–Moderate | À la carte | Not listed |
Ibérico holds back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand awards (2024 and 2025) and a Google rating of 4.7 from 748 reviews , a volume of feedback that makes the score meaningful rather than a small-sample result. In the context of Nottingham's restaurant scene, which includes two-star Sat Bains and the ambitious tasting menu at alchemilla, the Bib Gourmand positions Ibérico as the city's clearest answer to the question: where do you get Michelin-validated quality without a tasting menu format or a ££££ bill?
For context on where Mediterranean cuisine sits at the other end of the price spectrum, Arnaud Donckele and Maxime Frédéric at Louis Vuitton in Saint-Tropez represents what the cuisine looks like with no cost ceiling. Ibérico is doing something entirely different in purpose and price, but the Michelin recognition confirms it is doing it well. Closer to home, L'Enclume in Cartmel and Moor Hall in Aughton demonstrate the depth of serious cooking available in the English regions , Ibérico operates in a different register, but it belongs in a conversation about where Nottingham's dining scene has real credibility.
For everything else happening in the city, see our full Nottingham restaurants guide, our full Nottingham hotels guide, and our full Nottingham experiences guide.
The menu pulls from a wide range of ingredients , Mediterranean staples alongside yuzu and dukkah , which suggests reasonable flexibility for common dietary requests. The tapas format also helps, since dishes arrive separately and substitutions are easier to manage than in a fixed tasting menu. That said, specific allergy and dietary accommodation information is not confirmed in available data. Contact the restaurant directly before booking if dietary requirements are a deciding factor.
Yes, within the right expectations. The setting , a vaulted basement in a former law court and jail , is genuinely atmospheric, and the back-to-back Bib Gourmands give the meal some credential. At ££, it is a more relaxed special occasion choice than alchemilla or Restaurant Sat Bains, both of which operate at ££££ with tasting menu formats suited to longer, more ceremonial dinners. If the occasion calls for atmosphere and good food without a four-figure bill, Ibérico works. If you need a more formal, extended experience, move up the price tier.
Ibérico does not operate a formal tasting menu in the conventional sense , it is a tapas restaurant, and the format is self-directed small plates. The closest structured offer is the midweek Express menu, which Michelin flags as representing great value. If you want a curated, chef-driven progression of courses, alchemilla is the Nottingham answer. Ibérico is the better choice when you want to control your own order at a ££ price point.
Booking difficulty is Easy, so a week's notice is usually sufficient for most nights. Weekend evenings will fill faster given the Bib Gourmand profile, so book 7–10 days out for a Friday or Saturday. If you are targeting the midweek Express menu, a few days' notice should be enough , but confirm service times when you book, as the Express menu runs on early sittings only.
Bar seating specifics are not confirmed in available data. The tapas format is generally well-suited to counter or bar eating, and the venue's setting as a basement restaurant suggests a degree of spatial flexibility. Contact the restaurant directly to confirm whether bar seats are available and whether they are walk-in or reservation-only.
At the same ££ price point, Kushi-Ya is the most direct comparison for small plates dining , different cuisine (Japanese), similar format, similar spend. Delilah Fine Foods suits casual grazing in the same neighbourhood. If you want to spend more and extend the occasion, alchemilla at ££££ is the most interesting tasting menu in the city. For a full picture of the options, see our full Nottingham restaurants guide.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ibérico World Tapas | Mediterranean Cuisine | ££ | Easy |
| Restaurant Sat Bains | Modern British, Creative | ££££ | Unknown |
| alchemilla | Modern European, Modern British | ££££ | Unknown |
| Kushi-Ya | Japanese | ££ | Unknown |
| Raymond's | Modern British | ££ | Unknown |
| Piccalilli | Unknown |
What to weigh when choosing between Ibérico World Tapas and alternatives.
The menu pulls from a broad base — Mediterranean with global ingredients including yuzu and dukkah — which gives the kitchen reasonable flexibility. The sharing-plate format (around four dishes per person) makes it easier to mix and match around dietary needs than a set tasting menu. check the venue's official channels ahead of your visit to confirm specific requirements, as neither an allergen menu nor dietary policy is listed in publicly available records.
Yes, for the right kind of occasion. The basement of the old Nottingham city law courts — vaulted ceilings, colourful tiling, ornate fretwork — gives Ibérico a setting that feels considered without being stiff. At ££ with back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmands (2024 and 2025), it works well for birthdays or low-key celebrations where you want quality without a fine-dining price tag. For a formal anniversary dinner with full table service and a wine programme, Restaurant Sat Bains is the more appropriate call.
The midweek Express menu is the standout value play here — Michelin specifically calls it out for great value on early evenings. The broader sharing format (roughly four dishes per person) is how most guests eat, and the gambas a la plancha is flagged as a dish worth ordering. There is no confirmed full tasting menu in the available venue data, so if a set progression is what you're after, verify the current format when booking.
Booking difficulty is low relative to its Michelin recognition — a few days ahead typically suffices for most nights. That said, the Bib Gourmand status does drive demand, particularly on weekend evenings and during the midweek Express menu window. To guarantee your preferred time slot, booking a week out is sensible. Walk-ins may be possible but are a risk given the basement setting has a fixed number of covers.
Bar seating is not confirmed in the available venue data for Ibérico. The restaurant occupies the basement of the historic Shire Hall building, and the described layout — vaulted ceilings, ornate fretwork — suggests a dining-room-led space rather than a counter or bar format. Check directly with the venue if a walk-in or bar seat is your preference.
Restaurant Sat Bains is the city's fine-dining benchmark — two Michelin stars, tasting menus, and a significantly higher price point than Ibérico's ££. Alchemilla offers a plant-forward tasting menu with strong local credentials. Kushi-Ya is the go-to for Japanese small plates and is similarly accessible on price. Raymond's and Piccalilli round out the independent Nottingham scene. Ibérico sits in the sweet spot of interesting food, genuine atmosphere, and repeatable value — which is exactly what a Bib Gourmand is meant to signal.
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