Head past the bar and you'll find this comfortable dining room looking onto the open kitchen.
What do we need to know about Bar Kroketa?
The clue's in the name. This new bar and restaurant opened up just before Christmas in Carnaby and its menu is focused on (but not devoted exclusively to) croquetas. If you're about to ask why they haven't spelled their name correctly, you'll want to know that this is the Basque spelling.
Another useful thing to know is that the people behind it are Brindisa, so this is not their first rodeo. You can expect some excellent Spanish produce and wine when you come here.
And where exactly is "here"?
You'll find it on Beak Street, by the entrance there to Kingly Court (it's where the Bread Ahead bakery used to be). It's about equidistant from Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus tubes.
Where's a good place to meet for a drink first?
If you don't want to meet here - and you might want to rethink that, as there's a lovely bar area at the front that's perfect for a bit of solo snacking or enjoying one of their Basque-inspired cocktails - there's no shortage of other drinking holes. Cahoots is across the passageway for cocktails and there's nearby Bar Crispin if natural wine's your tipple of choice.
Where should we sit?
We were surprised to find a largeish dining room at the back, past the bar (see the photo at the top of the page). So you could either pull up a stool at the front or, if there's a larger group of you, the back room looking into the open kitchen is probably a better bet.
What's on the menu?
In addition to the main menu, there's a blackboard menu of dishes that changes pretty regularly. According to our waitress dishes have evolved already in the first few weeks with chef Marco hard at work on perfecting a vegan croqueta, which is still in the works.
Here's what we had to give you a flavour:
Prawn kroketas with prawn head alioli (£7). Will you want to dive headfirst into a bowl of this intense aioli? Yes. You'll just have to make do with the generous topping on these.
Tortilla of the day (£6) - these change regularly and, on our visit, this was a cheese tortilla.
Jamon cebo with luna negra and warm cocoa bread (£15) - this was such a lovely platter. You halve the piping hot cocoa breads, spread them with tomato chutney and then layer up with the cheese and ham.
Blanca y negra mini burgers (£12 for two) - the black and white in question is black pudding and pork.
What about vegetarians and vegans?
There's plenty for vegetarians - including the tortilla, a main dish of spiced aubergine with curd, salsa verde and pine nuts - but we didn't spot anything that was vegan.
This veggie croquetas stuffed with girolles and pine nuts along with shaved idiazabal cheese (£6) was well worth ordering.
Room for dessert?
100% yes. There were three dessert options when we visited, so we tried the two sweet croquetas.
Payoyo and peach topped with raspberries (£6) - if a mix of cheese and peach sounds like an odd combo, then trust the chef with this one. These were memorably good.
Chocolate and salted caramel (£6) - good, but not quite as great as those cheesy, fruit ones.
What about drink?
There's an enticing-sounding cocktail list here, but we couldn't help starting with a glass of cava £7.50). We followed that with glasses of a particularly interesting, minerally Albarino. Special mention should go to the house sparkling water here, which is the heavenly Vichy Catalan.
Overall thoughts:
What an absolutely lovely find Bar Kroketa is. It's just as easy to grab a cocktail and croqueta up at the bar as it is to settle down to a more leisurely lunch or dinner in the dining room. The staff were hugely enthusiastic about the produce and wines; you could do worse than to let them lead you through the menu while you sit back and enjoy the experience. Prices are keen and dishes change regularly, making this one Carnaby spot we'll be back to again and again.
More about Bar Kroketa
Where is it? 21 Beak Street, London W1F 9RR
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @bar.kroketa
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Bar Kroketa. Prices correct at the time of publication.
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