Sabor.

Sabor

The Segovian suckling pig comes out of an oven Sabor had built for it, and upstairs in El Asador is the only part of the building that will take a booking.

Why go

Nieves Barragan Mohacho ran the kitchens at Barrafina, left with general manager Jose Etura, and opened this on Heddon Street on 1 February 2018. The Michelin star arrived the same year and it is still there in the 2026 guide. The building is arranged as an argument about Spain rather than a single menu: the venue splits it into four distinct areas - La Mesa, the Counter, and the Bar on the ground floor and El Asador on the first floor, running from the tapas bars of Andalucia through to the asadors of Castile and the seafood restaurants of Galicia (Sabor). Downstairs there is an in-house fishmonger and an open kitchen you sit at. Upstairs is the fire. Four working chefs have named this room in print since 2022, and three of them told the interviewer to take the counter.

Order this / avoid

• Order: the Segovian suckling pig in El Asador, which is the dish the oven exists for. Croquetas at the counter first, since Hot Dinners' line on them is Obviously, you're going to want the croquetas, but everything else will be great as well.3 Grilled octopus and sardines if you are eating standing up.
• Avoid: spreading the order thin downstairs before you go up. Jake Missing found the pig's ears and the seafood rice good and still unnecessary distractions to the main event.5

What locals & experts say

• Tom Brown, chef-patron of Cornerstone, asked for his London list: The love and passion she pours into every dish and detail of this restaurant shows so much. The pinnacle of Spanish food in London (if not anywhere outside of Spain).8
• Andi Oliver, chef and broadcaster, in Conde Nast Traveller's Where the Chefs Eat: She makes things feel modern without them feeling forced. Her food is full of personality, incredibly elegant, and absolutely delicious. My favourite place there is the counter. I like sitting there and just watching that kitchen.9
• Nancy Silverton, of Pizzeria Mozza, in the same series, on the same seat: Right in the action at The Counter. The team write your order down on a white board right in front of you and then wipe it off when you're done.6
• Michel Roux Jr, asked by TOPJAW where he eats alone: Rock up to the bar, speak to the chef, and you say, just feed me. Grilled octopus, suckling pig, sardines.10
• Chetan Sharma, chef-patron of BiBi (January 2025), who lived in northwest Spain and comes here partly for that: Sabor is my favorite Spanish restaurant in London. He is the one voice here who splits the building in two. Downstairs is the no-booking counter, daily specials, seafood-led, and he says it tends to work best if you're one or two people with a queue to wait out. Upstairs is his own seat, and he knows it is the minority view: Upstairs is where I usually prefer to eat, which is probably controversial because many Sabor fans prefer downstairs. His case for it is that it is more celebratory, better for feasting, and ideal for groups, with larger dishes like a whole shoulder of pork, and his order is the octopus, suckling pork and empanada.1
• The Infatuation (Jake Missing, April 2024), 8.2/10: Sabor feels most worthwhile thanks to that pig. A rated-review score sits below a named newspaper critic in our evidence order, and no national critic's piece surfaced in this pass.5

Good to know

• Where: 35-37 Heddon Street, W1B 4BR, the pedestrian courtyard off Regent Street. Oxford Circus or Piccadilly Circus.
• Booking: El Asador upstairs is the only area that takes reservations. La Mesa, the Counter and the Bar downstairs are walk-in, which is why a group of six should book upstairs and a solo diner should turn up at the counter.
• Operator: chef-owner. Barragan Mohacho and Etura run this one site, which is a different bet from a group rolling out a format.
• Hygiene: FSA rating 5, inspected 26 September 2025 under Westminster. Confidence in management scored 0, the clean end of the scale.7
• Price: $$$. The counter is the cheaper way in and it is the one the industry uses.

Verdict

must-visit — Build the evening around the pig. Nieves Barragan Mohacho left Barrafina and opened this with Jose Etura in February 2018, took a Michelin star the same year, and still holds it in the 2026 guide. What earns the top rung is who keeps sending people: Tom Brown calls it 'The pinnacle of Spanish food in London (if not anywhere outside of Spain)', Andi Oliver, Nancy Silverton and Michel Roux Jr all name it independently, and three of the four tell you to sit at the counter rather than take a table. That is craft plus a format, and it is the format Jeff rates: an open kitchen, a whiteboard order, walk in and eat. The Segovian suckling pig comes out of an oven the restaurant had built for it, which is capital spent on one dish. The Infatuation's Jake Missing puts it at 8.2 and says the pig is what makes the trip worthwhile, with the rest of the menu capable of distracting from it, so the ordering advice is to go upstairs and commit.