Rafa's Didsbury - A Tapas Review

Tapas is a fairly new foray for me. I’ve never been a picky eater and tend to gravitate towards heavier dishes, and typically err away from anything that requires sharing… Perhaps this is a sign of adulthood, but I’m all for sharing, which has made tapas a recent favourite for catching up with friends. The team at Rafa’s Didsbury got in touch to ask whether I’d like to have a meal there, it seemed the ideal opportunity to not only discover a restaurant close to home, but also eat my body weight in tapas…

Located opposite the Didsbury Village library, Rafa’s is in the heart of the village and offers a surprisingly expansive and cosy environment, with an outside area that no doubt would be a sun spot in summer. We went on a Saturday lunchtime and it wasn’t too busy which meant we could grab a table by the window.

Foodwise, we were already set on the idea of tapas so ordered Pan y Alioli (bread with garlic alioli) as a side. As we were pretty starving, we definitely over ordered - but all of it was delicious! One of our favourites was the Patatas Bravas which was the first time I’ve had it! The potatoes were topped with a garlic mayonnaise and in a rich sauce which complemented the crispy potatoes perfectly.

I also went for the Gambas Pil Pil which was prawns in olive oil, chilli and garlic. I adore prawns so these were right up my street! As they were in a marinade, the side of bread was essential to mop up the dish - so so good! Perfectly cooked with a delicate flavour, 10/10 would order again. A choice that my friend suggested was the Berejenas con miel (aubergines battered with honey) - these were surprisingly wonderful. Despite being in batter, they were incredibly light and the sweetness of a dark honey added a wonderful edge to the dish.

As a side dish, we also ordered Judias verdes salteadas y jamon serrano (green beans with serrano ham) - these were great as a side as they were cooked in a lemony dressing, which worked really well with the salt of the ham. Whilst these were nice, not sure if I’d order them again as there are other dishes I loved way more! Another favourite was the croquette selection which were creamy, but light, and really flavoursome.

And perhaps my favourite dish of the evening, was the Chorizo el vino. Chorizo is one of my favourite meats and this was incredible - I think it was cooked in some sort of dark honey because there was a sweetness to it - which helped to balance the salty chorizo. This was delicious and I mopped up everything with the bread - so so good.

Despite being full, we still went for dessert - with myself choosing the Creme Catalana, and my friend opting for the Churros. Both were incredible. I love creme brulee so the creme catalana was everything I could hope for and more, with a delicate cinnamon twist. The churros were also suprisingly light - which was the perfect finish for an indulgent meal.

The food was really delicious and I will hundred percent be returning. They also offer a 3 for £10 menu which makes the price point really affordable, especially in Didsbury where other tapas places are much pricier.

Are you a fan of tapas? Have you been or heard of Rafa’s?