Spanish style tapas and a very fancy brioche sarnie: Everything that you need to know about La Spot - Charlotte Street’s newest foodie resident

We are once again back with more recommendations of where to eat in London, doing the tricky, tricky task of heading to restaurant after restaurant, bar after bar, new opening after viral spot.

For those not in the know, Charlotte St in Fitzrovia is your easy one-stop shop for every kind of cute eatery, wine bar, and general well-curated big city vibes. Whether you’re planning a date, out with friends, or hosting parents in the capital, Charlotte St has a bijoux bistro ready to please even the fussiest.

We headed down to La Spot, the newest resident to inhabit our favourite Soho (adjacent) Street, a brioche and tapas spot that’s all about casual dining. Forget your steak knives and three hundred forks per sitting; they’re just bringing stylish food and easy dining.

Where is it?

Believe it or not, La Spot is on Charlotte St in between Goodge St and Oxford Circus tube station, so it’s nicely central, meaning that whoever you’re meeting up with, the location will probably be accessible for both of you.

What's special?

Ever wanted to go somewhere that does something more substantial than a ‘small plate’ which consists of six chunky chips, but a little less than a full heavy meal? This will be your kind of place - it’s the Goldilocks of the restaurant world.

What's new?

The restaurant itself only opened in April 2025, so it’s a relatively undiscovered spot, not yet overrun by the TikTok crowd who have discovered the sangria and octopus brioche hot dog.

This means that we may have found the one spot on Charlotte St that is relatively relaxed, without accidentally dropping your work bag into the face of some poor, unsuspecting fellow diner while a queue of people snakes onto the street, drink in hand.

Who should you bring?

Although the words Spanish, French, tapas and wine bar imply an overly romantic vibe, it is actually very good with friends, even parents and colleagues. It’s a great spot for two people, especially if you just want to pick up a couple of small plates. Any more than four of you, and you might want to pick another spot.

Sometimes when you’re trawling around central, you want a midday or late afternoon light bite that still delivers the dinner-quality level of dining, but in a more lunch-friendly sizing. And that’s what La Spot does perfectly. Whilst you won’t go wrong popping in for dinner, that awkward mid-afternoon, early dinner light-but-delicious and substantial-enough-that-your-stomach-won’t-rumble-really-loudly-in-the-middle-of-a-show kind of food is its speciality.

What should you wear?

Smart casual - the dress code that haunts a thousand events - is probably the best way to describe most people’s attire at La Spot. Whilst it’s a relaxed, almost casual spot, it’s still an upmarket eatery in the middle of Fitzrovia, so donning something that gives laid-back-chic vibes will probably help you feel like you’ve hit the tone right.

Plus, there is an undertone of Spanish style and subtle French sophistication about the place and the people dining there, so you may want to whip out any je-ne-sais-quoi that you have in the tank.

What are the prices like?

Even though it's predominantly a tapas and small-plates kind of place, they’re also serious about quality, and use a lot of fresh and local meats and fish, so it's definitely on the pricer side.

The portions are fairly small - but they’re specifically engineered to be that way. If you’re heading for a lunchtime Brioche, it will be more like a sandwich, which comes with a little salad. These are all around the £10 price point, with their best-selling full-sized Octopus Hot Dog Brioche setting you back £16.

Whereas, if you’re heading for dinner, you’ll get one of their mini brioches, which look like very upmarket but very mini hot dogs (see below). By comparison, these will set you back £6 (each serving is one brioche).

Similarly, the prices for drinks won’t shock anyone who is well versed in central London bar prices; all their spritz cocktails will set you back £11, whilst their signature cocktails are all around the £12 mark. If you’re going to embrace the Mediterranean vibe and order a bottle of wine to share, you’ll be paying around £30 for their lowest range.

What's available?

Imagine crazy bougie sandwiches - Spanish-style fillings inside proper French brioche. Whilst their brioche buns are the star of the show, their starters are great to accompany the mains - or to snack on alongside your drinks.

The food is worth the price, but we’d recommend the less is more approach for La Spot - three plates - whether it's the Tapas Classics, their signatures, or something a bit more substantial from the grill.

They have a mini spritz menu with six different spritzes, which happened to be just what we were craving on a warm July day. The spritz menu has everything from your classic Aperol and Hugo to speciality ones like Peach and Grapefruit.

The must haves

The Octopus hot dog alone puts this place on the map. For us, an unexpected highlight was their Classic Spanish Tortilla from the Tapas Classics section - silky with a deep, rich caramelised onion flavour and the perfect level of bite. And drinks-wise, the Sangria really hit the spot. Maybe it was the sunshine effect, maybe it was reading the word Tapas over and over again, but the tart tang of a sharp yet sweet dark Sangria was heavenly.

If you’re going to try out their brioche, we’d recommend opting for either the Octopus, the Red Prawns, or the Chicken, depending on whatever your preference is amongst those three.

What to skip

The thing La Spot does best is seafood, so maybe don’t bring any fussy eaters here. They attempt to take on the hefty Spanish classics - Jamón platters, meaty croquettes, padron peppers, tortillas - but it pulls them all off pretty well. If you’re a vegetarian heading there for dinner, we’d skip getting the brioche and instead go for a selection of starters or a salad.

The mini brioche is a fun twist on a tapas menu, still serving up the deep, salty and rich flavours you’d expect from Spanish cuisine, but with a soft French twist you probably won’t have had elsewhere.

The verdict?

It marries casual dining with high-end, pricier eating out, so if you’re looking for a proper hearty bit of grub, you will probably find it doesn’t quite hit la spot for you. However, if you’re more of a light eater who embraces the picky bits lifestyle done to a professional level, then you’re going to enjoy it.

Overall, La Spot is a great place to have in your back pocket; it feels like the sort of place you might not deliberately come to, but one to suddenly remember when you’re in the city and craving a good glass on wine and some small bits that are just a little bit more interesting than olives, almonds, and fries.

Personally, that’s what we’d head back to it for a decent, cold, and refreshing glass of wine and something to snack on, which won’t have you taking out a second mortgage, but is interesting and delicious enough to warrant spending a bit more than you usually would.

Chances are, if you’re in a classic heterosexual couple, one of you will love it, and the other will think it’s a waste of time.

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