Nieves Barragán Mohacho is no stranger to the National Restaurant Awards. It was under her watch that in 2015 Barrafina Adelaide Street was named the best restaurant in the UK.
Her debut solo restaurant project Sabor, in Mayfair, has been on the list since it launched in 2018.Originally from Santurtzi, just outside Bilbao in Spain’s Basque Country, she grew up immersed in traditional home cooking and a deep connection to local markets and seasonal produce.
That grounding has shaped everything she has done to date. While few would have bet against her Shoreditch restaurant Legado being a success, it is still impressive how much it has captured the imagination of London’s dining public.
Barragán Mohacho’s determination to show a different, more contemporary side of Spanish cuisine has paid big dividends. With a name that translates as ‘legacy’, Legado sets itself apart from other Spanish restaurants in the capital by moving beyond familiar staples, instead exploring lesser-known regional traditions, rural ingredients, and artisan producers from across Spain.
The expansive, 50-plus-dish menu places emphasis on in-house butchery, traceable sourcing, and deeply rooted regional storytelling, summed up in her philosophy of ‘Lo Mejor de España, Sin Cliché’ (the best of Spain, without cliché).
Barragán Mohacho’s career has been defined by a steady rise through some of London’s most influential Spanish kitchens. After moving to the city, she joined Fino in 2003, before going on to lead the kitchen at Barrafina, where under her leadership the restaurant earned a Michelin star in 2013 and helped redefine how Londoners viewed tapas. At Legado, that experience is distilled into her most personal project yet. Dishes often draw on childhood memories and family recipes, reworked with precision and modern technique.
The result is cooking that feels both deeply rooted and forward-looking, combining technical finesse with comfort and clarity. Top picks include quarter Segovian suckling pig with intensely crisp skin, black fideuà with rock shrimp and alioli, crystal Mediterranean prawns topped with a fried egg, and orzo with crisp-fried lamb sweetbreads. For dessert, the saffron ice cream with white chocolate mousse and olive oil is a standout.
Legado confirms Barragán Mohacho’s status as the defining voice in modern Spanish dining in London: this is confident, expressive cooking from a chef at the very top of her game.