José Pizarro is a legend of the London restaurant scene, the “Godfather of Spanish cooking” in the UK. With six restaurants to his name, including the recently opened José Pizarro at the Royal Academy in central London, his tapas bars are among the finest in the country.
Pizarro’s spiritual home is Bermondsey, where he first opened a restaurant in 2010 and where he now has two sites. “It was completely different then than now, people thought we were crazy opening there,” he says.
“But I loved the area and saw the potential. Although it’s completely changed, it still has a neighbourhood, community feel to it.”
Today it’s a food-lovers’ paradise, and here are Pizarro’s favourite spots.
