Chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho draws upon Spain’s regional cooking traditions, offering a restaurant built around generosity, craftsmanship and the pleasure of sharing.
Spanish cuisine in London is enjoying somewhat of a restaurant resurgence. Menus have moved far beyond familiar plates of patatas bravas and croquetas, with chefs increasingly exploring the country’s distinct regions, ingredients and culinary identities. Few have contributed more to that shift than Chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho. Born in Bilbao, the chef spent more than a decade shaping the kitchens at Barrafina before opening Sabor, where her precise yet deeply personal cooking earned a MICHELIN star. At Legado, her contemporary Spanish restaurant in Shoreditch, Barragán continues that story.
Legado is in particularly good culinary company at Montacute Yards, next door to the FACT award-winning Singburi. The restaurant feels immediately welcoming rather than ceremonious, despite its MICHELIN-starred status. Evergreen plants soften a palette of terracotta, warm timber and patterned trattoria-style tiles, while skylights allow natural light to fall across the buzzy dining room.
To the left, a lively taverna and bar open into the main restaurant. The counter is the place to sit, offering an uninterrupted view of chefs working in immaculate white jackets and olive-green aprons. Vine tomatoes, dried chillies and bowls of seasonal produce line the pass, while suckling pigs splayed out in metal tins wait to be roasted. This open display of ingredients and intent reduces the distance between kitchen and diner.
The menu celebrates the regional food cultures of Spain and its islands. The tapas restaurant offers plenty of small plates across a menu encompassing Starters, Rice and Pasta, Fish and Seafood, Lamb, Poultry and Game, a section dedicated to Suckling Pig and Desserts. One warning: be prepared to share.
Pan con Tomate topped with beef cecina is an uncomplicated opening, but its success lies in its simplicity. The toasted bread retains its structure beneath a generous layer of grated tomato, which brings sweetness rather than acidity. Thin folds of cured beef add a rustic touch, handled with care.
Monkfish Tempura with Chilli Jam Alioli is similarly assured. The batter is aerated and crisp, forming a light golden shell around the delicate fish. The accompanying alioli brings a measured chilli warmth without overwhelming the monkfish.
Gambas al Ajillo arrives bubbling in a black earthenware dish. The prawns are plump and sweet, swimming in garlic, olive oil and a restrained flicker of chilli. There is little reinvention here, nor does there need to be. Extra bread is essential for dragging through the remaining sauce.
Greater complexity emerges with the Prawn and Wild Mushroom Stuffed Squid. Three compact squid bodies sit in a glossy pool of squid ink, their surfaces lightly caramelised and scattered with herbs. The filling combines the sweetness of prawn with the earthiness of mushroom, while the ink sauce coats everything in an intensely savoury lacquer. It is robust, almost rustic cooking.
Legado’s larger signatures include Traditional Milk-Fed Lamb and Quarter Segovian Suckling Pig, both of which must be ordered in advance. The Pig and Apple Empanadilla offers a more manageable introduction to the latter. Its burnished pastry cracks cleanly to reveal a rich filling in which the sweetness of apple cuts through the pork. A small dish, perhaps, but one that captures the restaurant’s understanding of texture and contrast.
The Black Fideuà with Rock Shrimp and Alioli is the most visually arresting plate. Short noodles, toasted before cooking and darkened with squid ink, spread across a wide white bowl beneath crisp rock shrimp and a smooth spoonful of alioli. Associated with the coastal cooking of Valencia and Catalonia, fideuà replaces paella rice with pasta.
There is plenty more to draw diners back, from Herb-Crusted Rabbit Shoulder and Gambas Cristal with Fried Egg to Pig Trotter with Romesco. Resulting in a menu that almost guarantees over-ordering.
Desserts move between Arroz con Leche with Orange Jam, Chocolate Cheesecake and Crema Catalana, but the churros provide a fitting conclusion. Long, slender and dusted with sugar, they are crisp at the ridges and pillowy inside, served with a spiced dulce de leche dipping sauce which is marvellously moreish.
The drinks programme remains resolutely Spanish, with an extensive selection of regional wines, sherries and cavas. Classic cocktails receive Iberian accents, while the playful three-sip serves each reference a different Spanish region.
Service is informed and sincere throughout. Legado may be underpinned by technique and pedigree, but its strongest quality is generosity. With a commitment to craftsmanship and technique, Barragán’s cooking celebrates Spanish heritage while moving tradition forwards, creating a restaurant that feels connected to the past while remaining firmly part of London’s present.
Where: Legado, Unit 1C Montacute Yards, Shoreditch, London, E1 6HU
When: Tuesday to Sunday from 12pm to 10pm
Contact: www.legadorestaurants.com