Copita

Spanish Snacks in Soho

Step into Copita, an authentic Catalonian tapas experience like few others. Cream tiles and rustic wooden bar stools transport you to the winding streets of Barcelona. Atmospheric lighting bathes the pretty dishes in a warm glow; imagine the vibes of a Spanish tapas bar tucked away from busy city squares. Everything about Copita’s aesthetic is genuine, but can the same be said about the food?

Equally brilliant. Each dish is crafted from scratch by a dedicated team of chefs who have a clear passion for the ingredients they use which, by the way, are all locally sourced and totally fresh. To reflect this, the menu changes daily making each visit to Copita unique. In case you’re not familiar with the concept of tapas, it is basically a selection of three to four bite micro portions designed to give the customer a truly varied dining experience. Tapas are the quintessentially Spanish snack and the small portions mean you can indulge in multiple flavours.

I started with the truffled goat’s cheese, almond and honey (£5.10); a little exuberant perhaps but the tangy sweetness gave the dish a interesting balance. A friend I was with chose the crispy cauliflower and piquillo sauce (£6.25). The piquillo (a sweet pepper) was incredible and there was a definite moment of tension when I scooped up the last of the sauce with bread from my own dish! For my main (if you can call it that), I chose the king prawns with chilli garlic butter (£9.25) and my friend opted for the Catalan style chicken with apricots and PX sauce (£7.95), the PX sauce being a reduction of the famous Pedro Ximenez sherry. There are dozens of other choices and it’s not uncommon to see anywhere up to ten different dishes on a table at a time. I think the greatest part of the tapas is the aspect of sharing; it makes an otherwise individual meal into something interactive everyone can enjoy.

Tom Gill

TripTide User