Photo by Sam Cornish

Snack course: a quick Q&A with Nieves Barragán Mohacho

23 Oct 2025

Journalist

Which restaurant recently blew her mind and is she typically Spanish when it comes to late-night dining? Chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho answers our quickfire questions

Nieves Barragán Mohacho, originally from Bilbao, has been at the forefront of Spanish cooking in London for close to two decades, first with the Hart brothers at Fino and then Barrafina, which she helped win a Michelin star, and then her own restaurant, Michelin-starred Sabor. Her latest venture, Legado (‘legacy’), in Shoreditch, is a celebration of Spain’s lesser-known dishes and techniques.

Hi Nieves, what do you always have in your fridge at home?

Yoghurt and eggs, because if I'm home late and I'm hungry, I can make a quick omelette or fried eggs. I fry them, put olive oil, paprika and vinegar on them, I always have bread, and I finish with a nice yoghurt. I go to bed on protein so I can sleep well.

What's your favourite ingredient to cook with?

I cannot imagine cooking without olive oil. If I have olive oil, I can cook or create anything.

What’s the best restaurant you’ve been to lately?

I was in Asturias in May and I went to a restaurant called Casa Belarmino. I had the lobster and verdina bean stew. Wow!

What about in the UK, is there a city or region outside London where you love to eat?

I love Dartmouth. I love Mitch Tonks and his Seahorse restaurant. Sometimes I go there for the weekend; I go fishing with him and then I go to his restaurant. For me, it’s a beautiful town; while you’re out walking, you feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere, like you’re not even in the UK. Then you have this restaurant. Incredible seafood. I like to go there and switch off. He has another restaurant called Rockfish – sometimes I go there for Sunday brunch. That area is one of my favourite places in the UK.

Restaurateur Jeremy King recently bemoaned Londoners’ aversion to late-night dining. As a Spaniard who’s lived in the UK for a long time, where do you stand?

I eat early, even when I go to Spain. Now, when I book dinners, I book at seven or eight o’clock. I like long dinners, so if I start at 10 o'clock and I have to get up at six o'clock in the morning, it doesn't work for me. Late dinners mean eating rich food and having a couple of glasses of wine, and I don’t like to go to bed full. My body doesn't like it anymore. That’s just me, but I get it: we need the business, we need the tables to be filled at 10 o'clock as well.

Finish this sentence: Being in a relationship with a chef is…

Intense. But in a good way! I always want to do something, I always want to learn something, I always want to eat something new, I always want to go travelling. It’s non-stop.

Thank you, Nieves.

Chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho in front of a raw brick wall.

The chef

Nieves Barragán Mohacho, originally from Bilbao, has been at the forefront of London’s Spanish food scene for nearly two decades, first at Fino and then Barrafina, and now at her own restaurants, Michelin-starred Sabor and Legado.

FUN FACT: Barragán Mohacho loves to climb in her spare time, to help wind down from service.

23 Oct 2025