Do you remember getting ready for a night out when you were were a teenager? The rapid rise of excitement as you blow-dried the life out of your hair, burnt it to a crisp with straighteners, threw on your best outfit and piled out the door with your friends. This is exactly how I feel each time I go to Arbequina. And whilst times have (thankfully!) changed from my teenage nights out – no more sticky floors or Archers and lemonade – I find the same feeling of giddy anticipation as I enter the doors of the best restaurant in Oxford, one that guarantees an exceptional experience. Every. Single. Time.
Small plates (yes over order, keep going, we encourage this) and ridiculous flavours will have you and yours making wide eyes at each other in disbelief. We love these tapas style sharing dishes, heavy on the flavours from Spain and beyond, and our favourite spot to devour it is at the stylish long bar whilst savouring the buzz from this permanently heaving space. And the service? Slick, invisible when it needs to be and completely seamless.
This isn’t their first rodeo, Arbequina comes from serious Oxford culinary stock with the partnership of Rufus Thurston (Oli’s Thai/ Elle’s Deli) and Ben Whyles (Door 74), under the watchful eye of GM Ben Bateman. And the good news for us is that it’s branching out with a second site in the Covered Market at the old Blue Blood sports shop, so there’ll be more chance of bagging an elusive table…the reno has started so watch this space for updates!
Oh, and you also don’t need to re-mortgage your house to visit Arbequina, but you may need to re-jig your calendar because it’s not so much when you can go to Arbequina, it’s when Arbequina can fit you in. If you’re offered a date, take it and cancel everything.
