It seems a little over raved and rated. It's a luck of the draw. Some dishes may be very good but some are not sure why they have them on their menu. I will not advise anyone who travels out of their way to go here. If you happen to be in the neighborhood, then it's a nice place to be.

The lady who served me was very nice and friendly but I also saw other server who were more bossy. That's what I meant by luck of the draw as well.

Where I was seated was the by the washroom at the back end of the restaurant. It has good view of all actions. However, it's also where all the used dishes and glasses are being slammed into the bins.

The Braised Ox Tongue, Crushed Potatoes is a must try. It is seriously good.
The Stuffed Courgette Flower is Instagram perfect but was disappointed that the crust wasn't crunchy and the ricotta was filling and couldn't taste the courgette flower itself at all.
The Crispy Pig Ear was just a plate of fat.I didn't realize pig ears have so much fat. As soon as my fork poked into it, the fat just oozed out. Though the color looks good but it actually tasted bland with greasy fat. I simply couldn't finish the dish.

I might have ordered the wrong dishes though they were recommended by the server. If I go to Barrafina again, I will try out their seafood dishes and see if that should be the way to go. That is, if I happen to be nearby.

Don't get me wrong. I still think that it's a decent restaurant but just not worth me going out of my way like I did this time.

First off I’ll flag that we came here on an early Monday evening as we found ourselves child-free, so the vibe was always going to be different, but our visit here was not as good as my rose tinted memories of the original Barrafina on Frith Street. Back then you didn’t mind queuing for an hour because you knew the food would blow your socks off. This time we didn’t have to wait for a table but we also didn’t have the amazing food experience I was hoping for. The jamon didn’t melt like I remembered and some dishes like the aubergine special were actually rather dull. We did however eat very well overall. The classic tortilla was dreamily runny, the suckling pig was rich and buttery and the entrecot meaty and tender. We came away stuffed and satisfied, but it didn’t hit the heights we expected.

The seating arrangements (bar stools) encouraged a social and easy going atmosphere. We sampled a wide range of dishes and were particularly impressed with the grilled seafood (red prawns, octopus, turbot and cheeks). The iberico pork was full of flavour and highly recommended. A very enjoyable evening over a couple of bottles of Spanish wine.

Barrafina does not take reservations and there are only 20 plus seats at this rather popular Spanish tapas restaurant, so we took no chances and were waiting outside at 5 to 5pm. There were two other groups ahead of us.
The restaurant opened on the dot, and we were ushered to seats at the marble-topped bar. The menu was interesting and we took some time to decide what to order. We had wanted to get the Chicken Thigh with Romesco sauce, but the very knowledgeable staff encouraged us to be more adventurous and try perhaps the braised ox-tongue. We decided to give that a shot, and were we glad we did !
Sitting at the bar, it was fun watching how the food was prepared, cooked and plated. The staff also engaged in friendly banter with us.
We did not have to wait long for our dishes. The cuttlefish croquettes were warm and bursting with flavour. Confit Aubergines were soft and nicely charred. We found the Salt Cod Fritters a little too salty but the Iberian Pork Ribs were tender and great tasting with good bite. Best was the Tortilla Gambas Ajetes (tortillas with prawns, mushrooms and garlic stalks). It looked like a pie. Cut into it and you get a delicious creamy centre of goodness. It was a delicious round up to the rather interesting meal.

The best artichokes I’ve tasted outside Rome are served at Barrafina Adelaide. It’s a lot of fun - entertaining interaction with the cooking and fab atmosphere.