Essex


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-las-tapas-brentwood"><a href="https://www.lastapas.uk/Brentwood/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Las Tapas</a>, Brentwood</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2025/07/2-10-1000x667.jpg" alt="Las Tapas best tapas restaurants in essex " class="wp-image-24174" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2025/07/2-10-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2025/07/2-10-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2025/07/2-10-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2025/07/2-10.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>You want tapas in Essex? Brentwood&#8217;s <a href="https://www.lastapas.uk/Brentwood/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Las Tapas</a> is one to kick off with. Set in a 600-year-old Grade II listed building, when it comes to sharing you&#8217;ll struggle what to choose. They say three per person. Ahem; if it was us that&#8217;d be gone in minutes (though we do scoff fast). What we particularly love is that it&#8217;s not just Spanish plates on the menu. They&#8217;ve also tapas like grilled tender stem broccoli, mushroom risotto and sticky BBQ ribs. It&#8217;s the ribs that did it for us.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-latino-s-restaurant-amp-tapas-bar-hadleigh"><a href="https://www.latinosrestaurant.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Latino&#8217;s Restaurant &amp; Tapas Bar</a>, Hadleigh</h2>



<p>We&#8217;re not joking when we say we&#8217;re regulars at this family-run tapas restaurant – and have been for a number of years. It&#8217;s rustic, the staff are super-friendly and the fact that we&#8217;re regulars shows just how good the dishes are. Garlic prawns, grilled sardines, patatas bravas; you name it, they&#8217;ve got it. Meat eater? Try their Pinchos de Cordero (skewered chunks of marinated lamb). It&#8217;s a whopper (and delicious to boot).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-el-pulpo-witham"><a href="https://www.elpulpo.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">El Pulpo</a>, Witham</h2>



<p>Open for 10 years now, <a href="https://www.elpulpo.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">El Pulpo</a> is a small but stylish authentic restaurant to enjoy tapas with friends and family. Located bang on Witham High Street, there&#8217;s plenty on the menu for all. Cold tapas like hand-cut acorn-fed Iberico ham and Manchego cheese gets a thumbs up from us, as do their pan seared scallops with chorizo and corn chowder. They also offer plenty of deals, one being any three tapas for the price of two (Mon-Fri; 12-3pm).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-casa-great-dunmow"><a href="https://www.casadunmow.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Casa</a>, Great Dunmow</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2025/07/1-12-1000x667.jpg" alt="casa gret dunmow tapas in Essex" class="wp-image-24173" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2025/07/1-12-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2025/07/1-12-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2025/07/1-12-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2025/07/1-12.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Want more tapas in Essex? Course you do. <a href="https://www.casadunmow.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Great Dunmow&#8217;s Casa</a> has over 8k followers on Facebook alone, which we don&#8217;t need to tell you means the food&#8217;s top notch (though we kinda just did). The tapas are priced from £2.50 a plate – yes, you did read that correctly – with meat, fish and veggie options. Try their patron peppers, grilled halloumi and spicy chorizo skewers, plus the roasted red pepper tortilla&#8217;s also one to order. All that and cocktails? See you there.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-las-naranjas-sanguinas-brightlingsea"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/p/Las-Naranjas-sanguinas-61558248925936/?locale=en_GB" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Las Naranjas Sanguinas</a>, Brightlingsea</h2>



<p>Las Naranjas Sanguinas&nbsp;doesn&#8217;t need a fancy website, as word of mouth alone keeps customers coming back again and again. There is a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/p/Las-Naranjas-sanguinas-61558248925936/?locale=en_GB" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Facebook page</a> you can check out, however, being sure to scroll through their pics to see the restaurant&#8217;s cool, colourful interior and plates you&#8217;ll want to dive right into (not literally, though that would be fun to watch). There&#8217;s home marinated olives, calamari and plenty more. Just save room for the paella: it&#8217;s a thing of pure beauty.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-el-chigre-colchester"><a href="https://www.tapasbarelchigre.co.uk/?fbclid=IwY2xjawLoeJ9leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFhb1ZuZjlaSnYxbWlnWEE3AR6TDljrKD6FpYdwVdRXklAex8Zk2ROX6VY0OASX5TqshQOv71M5pwpgpdwZhw_aem_X7pvgpGAEDGX46jj2YhkFQ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">El Chigre</a>, Colchester</h2>



<p>Another family-run business, <a href="https://cdn.website-editor.net/s/37fe83a6560946f9ad6216c57a99264b/files/uploaded/El_Chigre_Menu-3.pdf?Expires=1755045722&amp;Signature=lBpAKKynToAh9~usz0AXeMNIXh03~ee3AYBEyDUsrNn~ZMAoYGheBNBN5-80df2xtU7e4QjKue2Tu0SliIx4qcnjmlFzuTDEkOa4Ko056CC8dThDuW~SI~t2vKMM7HTpaszwCp2sfYHZd5FicUOBwsBGzAbgZXUJvogTLtC~LuiHcxQ0~osCF5z8-EEQb2zl3J6ZDdEx2pMYW7r-93Pr1EklFOVuzLQd063r6BuLU1tlO-Ak4RkZEMl2K7sAKx64lI6fhTyfYG3C2OZ7tZTWe25AzLZahINePT7A3PDuQhVMTAiLZWD6jRcaE6k3wDyV7YXMMdbZhjIhjYDP40B01w__&amp;Key-Pair-Id=K2NXBXLF010TJW" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">El Chigre</a> is located in the heart of Chelmsford and&#8217;s always packed with locals and those from further afield. Want to know how many tapas are on offer? You&#8217;ll have to look for yourself. OK, here&#8217;s a hint: it&#8217;s a number between 31 and 33. What&#8217;d we choose? Albondigas (beef meatballs in tomato sauce); chorizo al vino (sliced chorizo cooked in white wine) and Berenjenas (aubergine fingers topped with Spanish manuka honey. Yum.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-billy-hundreds-fish-n-tapas-southend-on-sea"><a href="https://billyhundreds.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Billy Hundreds Fish n Tapas</a>, Southend-on-Sea</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2025/07/3-9-1000x667.jpg" alt="Billy Hundreds Fish n Tapas" class="wp-image-24175" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2025/07/3-9-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2025/07/3-9-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2025/07/3-9-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/essex/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2025/07/3-9.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Want a fishy on a little dishy? We just patted ourselves on the back for that one. <a href="https://billyhundreds.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Billy Hundreds Fish n Tapas</a> is bang on Southend&#8217;s seafront, perfect for sipping a Sangria or cerveza while people watching. But you won&#8217;t be doing the latter: instead you&#8217;ll be salivating over the food as it&#8217;s brought to your table. Fish, of course, is their speciality, with tapas like stuffed squid, whitebait and soft shell crab. Meat and veggies are just as well catered for. We&#8217;re off for some garlic prawns, chorizo in cider and chickpeas with garlic and paprika.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-driftwood-coffee-house-amp-tapas-bar-maldon"><a href="https://www.driftwoodcoffeehouse.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Driftwood Coffee House &amp; Tapas Bar</a>, Maldon</h2>



<p>We&#8217;re still not done with where to eat tapas in Essex, with <a href="https://www.driftwoodcoffeehouse.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Maldon&#8217;s Driftwood</a> also one to check out. Their <a href="https://www.driftwoodcoffeehouse.co.uk/tapas" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Evening Tapas menu</a>&#8216;s on every Thurs-Sat from 5.30pm ’til late (give them a bell to find out what time they actually stop serving). There&#8217;s only 10 plates to choose from, which is a good thing, as it makes it much easier for you to make your decision. Want some really good news your bank balance&#8217;ll thank you for? You can enjoy all of their 10 plates for just £29.95pp.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-different-frinton-on-sea"><a href="https://www.differentrestaurant.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Different</a>, Frinton on Sea</h2>



<p>Last on our where to eat tapas in Essex is Frinton-on-Sea&#8217;s <a href="https://www.differentrestaurant.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Different</a>, one of <a href="https://essex.muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/essex/frinton-on-sea/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">our county&#8217;s top places to live</a>, we&#8217;ll have you know. Specialising in contemporary Mediterranean tapas, when they say contemporary they&#8217;ve all the classics but with a high-end twist that works oh-so-well. On the menu? Fifteen plates, like chicken and Serrano croquettes with aioli, and wild mushroom and beetroot with truffle oil on toast. Ooo and garlic and chilli prawns with samphire. Now we&#8217;re proper hungry.</p>


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