Less than a year after opening in Kingly Court, charcoal-powered northern Spanish restaurant Alta has divided itself in two.
Bar Alta, which opened on the restaurant’s ground floor and terrace last week, is a laid-back alternative to the more formal à la carte dining experience upstairs, serving small yet punchy sharing plates at speed.
The launch coincides with the arrival of Alta’s new head chef Robbie Jameson, who was previously head chef at Mayfair’s Humo (which recently reopened as Igni), where the cooking also revolved around an open fire.
“With Bar Alta, we wanted to introduce another way to enjoy the restaurant – something more relaxed and spontaneous,” Artem Login, the founder of Mad Restaurants, which runs Alta as well as nearby Moi, said in a statement.
Standout dishes include surprisingly sweet padron peppers with mint, sour cream and pickled chilli; house-made txistorra (pork sausages) doused in Pedro Ximenez sherry vinegar; house-cured spiced cecina (charcuterie); and fluffy grilled flatbread with silken pistachio-laced green romesco.
More substantial options include A4 Wagyu glazed with Marmite, honey and Espelette pepper, and corn-fed chicken with fermented chilli and chicken crumb. Large red Carabineros prawns are sizzled in Iberico pork fat, which is melted and dispensed via an old-school instrument named a flambadou.
Alongside an increased selection of low-intervention wines by the glass, there’s a range of quirky vermouth- and sherry-based cocktails, such as the Marianito, featuring red vermouth, Mediterranean herb gin and bitters. Plus, a pastel de nata Old Fashioned, a cantaloupe cooler starring melon and orange wine, and brandy-laced sangria.
Alta opened in September 2025 and has since been included in the Michelin Guide and nominated for best new opening at the National Restaurant Awards.
Bar Alta
9 Kingly Court W1B 5PW
Hours:
Tue to Sat midday–10pm
Sun midday–5pm
