Topa - Feock United Kingdom

It is our observation that Spanish restaurants are outnumbered by its Italian and French counterparts in Sydney. The disappearance of Spanish Quarter on Liverpool Street in Sydney CBD and the shutdown of Movida in Surry Hills reduce the Spanish dining scene to slim pickings.  . That’s why we got excited about a spontaneous lunch at Bar Topa sandwiched between Ivy buildings.  Its narrow layout instantly reminds us of tiny tapas bars we visited in Spain. Both drinks and food menu are written on the black board on the wall, next to whole legs of cured ham.  Drinks are served in tiny glasses but this is not the kind of places where you come to get intoxicated.

This is my favourite merivale venue so far! It’s just like sitting in a typical tapa bar in Spain. Food is affordable and so tasty. Drinks go down extremely easily and you can sit their for hours enjoying the company of great friends. Staff also exceptional!

It’s the size of a bath, with only a handful of seats, but what Bar Topa lacks in size it makes up for in charm. Part of The Ivy Precinct, this tapas and pintxos bar draws on all the right cues from Spain, with a no-fuss small plate menu and pint-sized drinks list of Spanish wines.<br/ <br/ Bar Topa is where you go for a snack and sip. Grab some jamon and olives from the counter display, order some croquettes and patatas bravas, and wash it back with a vino rosado. All awfully-good – and being part of the Merivale stable what else can you expect.

Lovely little spot in the CBD with good food and reasonable prices. We had 4 dishes to share, the mushrooms and pan Catalan were spectacular but the octopus was way too oily. While staff were nice they were on the phone a lot of the time, which was very noticeable considering we were sitting at the bar.

I love my Spanish tapas. This was a hark back to all my visits to Barcelona and Madrid. The food isn't the issue here. It's authentic enough and hits the mark (albeit 4 small pieces of prawns for $17 is dubious. Bill racks up quite quickly if you're starving). What was most unfortunate was the service, which was lack lustre and only showing the bare minimum of attentiveness. The host spent more time chatting with her friends rather than prioritising serving hot dishes off the pass or refilling water. The other waiter seemed overwhelmed, tired and stunned like a mullet. Overall, still a delightful experience, but it could be so much more. The delicious burnt cheesecake nearly made up for it.