Best Restaurants Paella London

The Best London Restaurant for Paella – Dine at Arros QD

Bringing authentic Valencian gastronomy to Fitzrovia, Arros QD is the one is the best restaurants paella London has to offer. Discover the perfect blend of hedonism, sharing and happiness by dining with us at our stunning venue.

We want you to delight in the undiscovered Spanish cuisine not found anywhere else in London. Chef Quique Dacosta has put a modern spin on authentic Spanish rice dishes, cooking over wood fires for the most incredible results. Taste exquisite paella with a masterful modernist twist that’s truly unmissable.

Blending authentic, traditional flavours with innovative new ideas, you’ll sample the heritage of Spain in the dramatic surroundings of our beautiful modern restaurant. Our renowned menus include our large paella pans, which are brought to your table for the ultimate sharing experience. However, there are plenty of other options to keep diners happy, whether it’s our Mediterranean inspired recipes, melt in the mouth meat dishes, or wine lists from around the world.

Experience the soul of paella by visiting our restaurant in the heart of Fitzrovia. Our dishes reflect the essence of the fresh, seasonal flavours we use throughout our delicious menus. Join us for lunch, dinner, events, group dining, private dining and more.

Want to dine with us and eat the best paella in London? Reserve a table at Arros QD now.

The Evolution of Paella

Valencia is the undisputed home of paella, with its history steeped in rice cooking, starting hundreds of years ago. Originally a simple food made for farmers, it’s always combined rice with meat and vegetables, cooked in large pans and seasoned with saffron and other spices. Over the years, it’s adapted with new variations rising in popularity. As Valencia is a port city on the coast, it’s no surprise to hear that seafood is one of the most beloved choices for this dish.

Paella may be one of the world’s best-known dishes, but it’s also one which is often mistreated. Quique Dacosta has nurtured his passion for decades. We believe that in the culture of paella, the rice brings the flavour. One of the most important elements is the stock in which it is cooked and the techniques used. We bring a new take on our culture’s traditional rice dishes to the UK, helping paella to continually evolve.

Sharing is a huge part of the paella experience, uniting people around a table, whether it’s a party, a gathering of friends or colleagues, a couple sharing a romantic meal or a family spending time together. Its social aspect means it’s often chosen at the centrepiece for social gatherings across the world, and now you can indulge in a love of paella at our Arros QD restaurant.

Socarrat Rice – Paella’s Best Kept Secret

Unlike most other dishes in which you leave any food stuck to the bottom of the pan rather than eating it, this is actually the secret to paella’s greatness. Socarrat is the name for the rice at the base of the dish, forming a thin and crispy, caramelised layer which is a sure sign you’ve hit the paella jackpot. It’s one of the essential elements for achieving the fabulous depth of flavours which accompany the rest of the dish, beautifully toasted to perfection.

At Arros QD, our paellas are created using wood fires, so we’re able to infuse as much flavour into the rice and stock as possible. However, if the socarrat is also your favourite part of the rice, you can also choose this separately on our a la carte menu. This includes seafood, chicken and vegetable socarrat options, perfectly seasoned.

How to Find the Best Restaurant in London

Londons top restaurants are only created through a mix of finding pleasure in the details. There are so many elements which ensure you’re visiting one of the best places to eat in the business. Here are some of the qualities which help offer unique, exciting and innovative experiences to all who dine at the best venues.

The Incredible Food

A restaurant which believes in its menus will have a passion for what they can offer. This can only come through understanding more about the heart and the soul of the restaurant. What’s their story? What do they bring to the table that’s fresh to the industry? A good restaurant will take you on a journey through their history while offering incredible menus which reflect their passion. You’ll always be able to tell the difference between food cooked by someone who has huge affection for the dish they’re creating and those for whom it’s merely a chore.

The best establishments don’t compromise when it comes to quality. They believe in fresh, seasonal food which hits the spot every time, inspiring customers to come back time after time.

Offering Something Unique

When looking for the best restaurants London has, it’s easy to fall into the trap of choosing somewhere which has the same dishes you’ll find everywhere else. If you want to try the best food, it’s essential to look for something different when choosing a new restaurant to try. For example, Arros QD has created a contemporary reinterpretation of classic Mediterranean cuisine, fusing with other cultures and bringing the result to the heart of London.

A Highly Experienced Team

The best London restaurants will have a skilled team at the helm, implementing menus from the most experienced chefs. The most successful chefs aren’t afraid to raise the bar when it comes to their cuisine, opening new establishments where they see a gap in the market. We bring together an incomparable team, from our managers and head chef to our waiting staff and kitchen workers. Everyone has a role to play in providing our customers with the best experience possible while bringing their expertise to the table. Our reputation for excellence is something we want every single visitor to discover.

Our waiting team are highly knowledgeable about our dishes, which is another factor which can establish whether a London restaurant is considered the best. We’ll let you know all the hidden gems you may not know when eating the dishes, including socarrat rice, which is going to change the way you think about rice cooking forever. Just ask our team if you have any questions or you’d like them to recommend dishes which are perfect for what you’re looking for.

The Dining Experience

The recipe for an outstanding dining experience doesn’t just rely on its menus. It also involves the environment in which you eat the food and the people you meet at the establishment. That’s something Arros QD has considered from start to finish, giving you a positive experience from the minute you enter our restaurant. We’ve put our customers at the heart of our service, making you feel welcome and at home.

The Setting & Ambience

There’s nothing worse than visiting a tired and drab establishment which looks like it hasn’t seen a lick of paint since the 70s. That’s why diners love visiting our modern restaurant, which has stunning interior design to match the experience we want you to have. Our décor reflects the feelings we want to evoke in visitors, transporting them into Mediterranean pleasures in more ways than one. We’ve created an ambience suitable for a range of diners, whether you’re someone who loves to be in the heart of the cooking atmosphere with chefs in full view or you enjoy being hidden away in the company of those you’re with.

Good Management

The best restaurants have talented management professionals working hard behind the scenes to ensure diners have a consistent experience. This means you should always get to eat high-quality food, enjoy your time at the restaurant and have everything you need at your fingertips. Whether it’s well-stocked bathrooms, reasonable prices or ensuring the service isn’t interrupted by issues, managers have a pivotal role to play in the experience you’ll receive.

Eat Delicious Paella in a Prime London Location in Fitzrovia

Arros QD is one of the best restaurants Fitzrovia has to offer. Our spiritual home is in Spain, but we also love where we’re based in London, in a hub of vibrant city life. Fitzrovia is a distinguished area with an eclectic mix of cultures, from homes and shops to restaurants and trendy bars. We’re located on Eastcastle Street, conveniently situated close to Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Circus Underground stations, so we’re also in a prime location if you’re searching for best restaurants Soho.

Join us for a multitude of reasons, whether it’s a special occasion or you’re looking for a new place to dine. We’re the best for lunch in Fitzrovia, so we also have diners joining us before they head for an afternoon at the theatre. We cater for small, intimate tables, as well as larger groups who want an evening to remember. While only open since June 2019, we’ve been making waves across the London restaurant scene with our innovative, contemporary dishes which also give you a sample of Spanish heritage.

We’re open from Monday to Sunday, including lunch and dinner service, so you’ll find plenty of options when it comes to dining with us.

What Makes Arros QD the Best London Restaurant?

Arros QD is one of the top restaurants in London thanks to the magic combination of superb food, authentic flavours and dining experiences. Our menus have been inspired by ancient Asian and African trade routes into Spain, achieving something which feels both traditional and new. The global experience of these incredible dishes is summed up in all the details of this great restaurant.

Authentic Valencian Gastronomy

Valencian food has an exquisite blend of warmth and theatricality, impressing as much as it comforts the soul. With a lifelong passion for paella and wood-fired cooking methods, Chef Quique Dacosta has brought his vision to life within this beautiful restaurant. While our Mediterranean roots ensure our paellas are nothing you’ve tasted before, we also offer a wide range of classic wines from around the globe. This includes those from lesser-known regions and those which celebrate some of the greatest global winemakers. We also have a selection of cocktails to complement our menus.

Our food is renowned for pushing boundaries, and there are plenty of delights on offer for you to share. This includes flame-grilled octopus, tomahawk steaks and of course, our famous sizzling paellas brought straight to your table.

Seasonal Ingredients to Delight the Soul

We believe in bringing seasonal rice dishes to your plates, so the ingredients we use are fresh, delicious and ignite the senses. While Mediterranean influences run through the heart of our menus, we source local ingredients wherever possible, fusing two cultures for a contemporary twist on authentic Spanish flavours. Our menus change and adapt as the season do, taking local British ingredients and sprinkling them with the magic of our Spanish heritage.

Inspiring Menus

We offer menus to inspire our guests, including a refined tasting menus in which you can sample a wide selection of delights, from hand-dived scallops to mouth-watering ice cream. Our a la carte menu provides flavours from all corners of Spanish cuisine, whether you adore truffle oil, vibrant salads, tender meats or divine seafood. You’ll find smaller dishes, starters, socarrat rice, skewers, traditional and contemporary rice, wood-fired dishes, meat cooked over charcoal, sides, aiolis and more. Don’t forget to leave room for dessert, as well as sampling our cocktail and wine lists. We also have group dining menus, ideal for events and parties.

Expert Cooking Techniques

Our passion for paella starts from the concept and preparation behind the dishes, creating out of this world food through the expert techniques used. We’ve worked hard to achieve a Spanish ‘home away from home’ in our kitchen and restaurant, with our chefs weaving their magic over a 6-metre wood-fired stove. This technique is called ‘a la llama’, which means ‘to the flame’, creating a bounty of freshly made paella in large pans. The method creates tender rice full of flavour while the slow-cooked stock takes the dish to a whole new level of perfection.

Enjoy Dramatic Surroundings

We don’t just want diners to feel wowed by the food they eat but be transported into a Spanish oasis through Arros QD’s dramatic surroundings and décor. Our restaurant spaces were designed by Lázaro Rosa-Violán, a talented designer who puts the heart and soul of an establishment into the design ideas. Picture open fires as the perfect setting for the evolution of paella, mixed with spectacular backdrops such as our glazed wine cellar.

We have an open kitchen in our ground floor area, which allows diners to feel a part of the drama, as talented chefs cook sharing dishes before you. Upstairs, we have created a classical dining area, tucked away for more private dining experiences, away from the entertainment and flair of the kitchen.

Who Are We? Meet Our Team

A fusion of cultures can only come from putting together an experienced team based both in Valencia and London. We’re united by a love of rice dishes, combining authentic and contemporary flavours throughout our menus. Here are just a few of the people who have made the dream become a reality.

Chef Quique Dacosta

Arros QD wouldn’t be possible without this man, our owner. Quique Dacosta is often called the ‘best businessman in the Spanish restaurant industry’, having earned multiple Michelin stars and appearing on prestigious lists among the best restaurants across Europe. He learnt his craft and established his reputation in Valencia before taking his talents across international waters, much to the benefit of London foodies.

Quique is renowned for leading Spain’s modernist movement, reinventing traditions to bring them to brand new audiences. His passion for rice cooking is apparent throughout the menus at Arros QD, so prepare to sample some of the best paella London menus you’ll not find elsewhere.

Interior Designer Lázaro Rosa-Violán

Lázaro Rosa-Violán is the designer credited with the stunning interiors at Arros QD, having developed his maximalist style in Spain. An in-demand talent, we’re honoured that he’s put his stamp on our restaurant, creating a space which only enhances the paella dining experience.

Our Experienced London Team

Arros QD’s London team is the glue which holds our success together. This includes Aurelian Pottier, who’s family history is embedded in the restaurant world. Over the last two decades, he’s helped to manage projects all over the world, working with establishments in the Middle East, USA and Europe. Richard De La Cruz is also an integral part of our team, having worked alongside Quique Dacosta in Denia and for some of Spain’s most well-known Michelin-starred restaurants. We’re also delighted that Jose Balado is a key player in our London team, holding prestigious qualifications in wine studies.

Get in Touch with Arros QD

Book a table now to reserve your spot. Alternatively, you can call us on +44 (0)20 3883 3525 or send a message to info@arrosqd.com.