Legado is not a greatest hits album. It is a deep cut. A restaurant shaped by memory, instinct and a chef finally giving herself the space to cook the Spain that lives in her bones.
Opened in August 2025 in Shoreditch, Legado is the most personal project yet from Nieves Barragán Mohacho, created in partnership with JKS Restaurants. The name translates to legacy, but this is not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. It is a living, breathing expression of where Nieves comes from, what shaped her, and what she still wants to say through food.
I went with my husband on a cold evening that felt made for fire, wine and things cooked slowly. From the moment we stepped into the Taberna, with its sightlines straight through to the ovens, it felt less like a restaurant opening and more like being invited into someone’s inner world.
After more than two decades defining Spanish cooking in London, most famously at her Michelin starred Sabor, Legado gives Nieves room to go wider and deeper. Lesser-known regional dishes sit comfortably alongside elemental showpieces. Ingredients are treated not as luxury objects, but as stories with roots, producers and purpose.
We ordered instinctively and generously. Pan con tomate set things off properly, simple and essential, the kind of opening that immediately tells you this kitchen has nothing to hide. A skate wing tortilla followed, softly set and deeply savoury, cut cleanly with mojo verde.
The table filled quickly. Iberian pork ribs arrived sticky and quietly indulgent, the sort of plate that makes cutlery feel optional. Gambas cristal followed, delicate and translucent with that unmistakable snap, paired with a fried egg whose golden yolk softened everything it touched. Grilled octopus came last, smoky and deeply flavoured, finished with smoked paprika that lingered just long enough to demand another bite.
Around these sat a run of sides that refused to behave like supporting acts. Fennel and radish with dill brought crunch and lift. Chicory with anchovy dressing and Manchego delivered bitterness and depth. Tomato with bottarga tasted of summer and salt. Chargrilled leeks in escabeche added smoke and acidity, pulling the whole table back into balance.
And then, unexpectedly, the Quarter Segovian Suckling Pig. Officially pre order only. Except, somehow, they had an extra. I call it kismet – one of those rare restaurant moments where the answer is yes before the sentence has fully landed.
It arrived with skin so crisp it shattered at the lightest touch, giving way to meat that was impossibly soft, almost spoonable. Rich, but never cloying. This is pork at its most honest and indulgent, cooked slowly in a Spanish wood fired oven until technique disappears and only pleasure remains. Conversation paused. Plates were cleared quietly. It felt celebratory and intimate all at once.
Before any of this, there was the 3 Sip Serve. Small, ice-free pours chosen from the rotating selection, designed to gently wake the palate rather than stun it. Served in bespoke ceramics that nod to different Spanish regions, they set the tone without demanding attention.
Wine matters here. A 150-bin list moves confidently between classic producers and modern minimal intervention winemakers, with serious depth in Rioja, island wines, rosados and sherry. We let the team guide us and were rewarded with glasses that felt thoughtful rather than showy.
The space mirrors the food. A double height dining room, an open kitchen, and two hand built Spanish ovens form the heart of the room, with fire always in view. The Taberna hums from midday onwards, offering tapas, pintxos and a terrace that feels designed for lingering. It is unmistakably Spanish, but rooted firmly in London.
Legado does not try to impress with tricks or nostalgia. It feeds you generously, tells you exactly who it is, and trusts you to meet it there. By the time we left, warm, full and reluctant to step back into Shoreditch, it was clear this is not just Nieves Barragán Mohacho’s legacy. It is the one she is still actively writing.
@legado_ldn | legadorestaurants.com
1C Montacute Yards, London, E1 6HU
