Rosita boosts London Sherry bar scene

Spanish restaurant Lola Rojo is providing the latest addition to London’s vibrant Sherry bar scene with the opening of sister venture Rosita on 6 November.

Run by husband and wife team Antonio Belles and Cristina Garcia, Lola Rojo enjoyed a profile boost in 2010 when it appeared on Gordon Ramsay’s TV show The F Word as part of the chef’s quest for the UK’s best local restaurant.

Following a short-lived attempt to open a second branch of Lola Rojo across the river in Fulham, the couple have now decided to keep their focus closer to home with the launch of this Sherry-oriented project just a few hundred metres along Battersea’s Northcote Road from their original restaurant.

While the drinks list at Rosita will include a small selection of red, white and Cava styles, Sherry will provide the main focus. With 25 styles listed, Rosita will offer tasting flights and a number of guest Sherries on its specials board.

The tapas menu will also feature Sherry pairing suggestions, although Rosita will offer the option of more substantial dishes, for which it has brought over a Catalan-style charcoal oven from Spain.

Rosita joins a number of other Sherry bars that have sprung up around London over the past few years, including Bar Pepito, Capote y Toros and José.

Earlier this year Sherry brand Harvey’s announced it was opening a Sherry bar in its renovated Bristol cellars, with long-term plans to take the format nation-wide.