La Raza in Cambridge
4-6 Rose Cres, Cambridge CB2 3LL, United Kingdom
About
Under the cobbles of Rose Crescent in central Cambridge, La Raza is a warm and welcoming basement bar & tapas restaurant – the perfect place to kick back and unwind. Since 2003, La Raza has been serving Cambridge folk with outstanding cocktails & tapas, and entertaining them with live music and DJs. Visit us during the day for one of our delicious barista coffees, or a tapas style lunch, or come in the evening for cocktails and sharing dishes. The venue is available for private hire, cocktail workshops, and also has a full calendar of live music and events. Come and visit us soon.
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Love it drinks were great. Although the male server at the bar was rather rude. Female server was lovely though
Went there for some drinks and live music last night. Had to go back for lunch. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. Loved the ambiance. All four drinks ordered were unique and spot on. They also a very generous amount of delicious tapas at good prices. Definitely will come back soon.
202405 Interesting tapas, though probably not worth a second visit for meal— Probably works better as for cocktail and light bites as the menu is quite limited for a tapas place and lacks a dish that stands out. Interesting fusion salad. The Moroccan spiced beetroot brings North Africa to Eastern Europe, but the flavors seem more contradictory than intended. I was adventurous to have the white bean and avocado and apple and manchego cheese— not bad to be honest and h like the crispy apple bits and nutty cheese, but it’s really two salads combined :3 The Mediterranean grilled veg with pine nuts is the safe bet as always. The mushroom croquette is alright. Warm and crispy with a gooey center, though I would prefer a little texture to the current mushroom flavored paste. Chicken thighs are alright, nothing special. Bread is alright and a little too simple (little white baguette sliced). The dipping is nicely herbed but the oil layer is too thick. Padron pepper is a little too soggy and not crispy enough. I enjoyed the sliced Cecina air dried smoked beef most. Service is friendly and food isn’t too slow.
The ambience is surreal and beautiful. The bar looks amazing. The menu is a bit confusing as it wasn't clear which was the mains, we were surprised thinking it was really cheap. But we didn't realize that it wasn't the mains (it was neither sides nor platter). The menu could be more informative. Although the portion was small, the food tasted amazing. The waitress was nice and friendly. We had marinated beef skewers with spicy sofrito dipping sauce, chicken strips with lemon, thyme and moscatel sauce and olive oil crackers with manchego cheese.
We had our lazy afternoon there. We ate in their outside table. The food was great! There wasn't much traffic, but we waited for around 20 minutes before ordering. However, there was no tax, nor tips in the bill. No complaint!!!
Popped in for a quick snack and a cocktail with my friends, we ordered a dish each to have with the cocktails, and share. The food was amazing, really tasty. The cocktails I would not get again, the were ok but seemed very low alcohol content(I get drunk just smelling alcohol and rarely drink - these didn't touch me) Also, DO NOT touch the espresso Martini .... It was disgusting and SO bitter. However, the staff were very friendly and welcoming, and lovely service - very obliging
Nice variety of tapas. We had the roasted garlic avioli patatas - wow these were amazing I would definitely recommend them, they were so creamy and tasty. The baked figs with goat cheese were an interesting combination but not my favourite dish. The salted and fried marcona almonds were absolutely amazing. Lastly the mixed paella was nice but the portion size is huge for 2 people, i would definitely recommend for a group of 4. Also I had a home made raspberry lemonade which was perfect for the hot weather
I went once last week and spent such a great time dancing and singing along almost every song the band played that I went again the night after that with some more friends. Great experience! The place is not big and it gets crowded but if you like that then this is your place to have a blast!
They need more bartenders for a busy night. Waited 30min for cocktails...
Went down there for a miles sanko night Pete the manager Was very polite and his normal chatty self. No wonder the place does really well with him as a manager!!!
The main dish is very delicious, the meat is tender and juicy, and the dipping sauce has a unique flavor. It is recommended to eat out.
Nice band performance, nice people
A tapas restaurant in Cambridge. After spending almost two weeks in the UK we were happy to see a restaurant with Spanish food and we tried it. The tapas we tried were not bad at all, obviously they are not like the Spanish ones but we ate very well, far from the typical fish and chips. Garlic prawns, squid, croquettes, even Spanish beer,... The waitress who served us was very attentive and friendly.
Very nice experience to eat outside in a small picturesque street in a summer afternoon! The food was very good, too!
Loved it.
The food we ordered yesterday came cold and the house salad was awful was just chucked together and I don t think it s right that have to told that you have to order two each and even then they don t tell you when things are not available we waited a while for our food we ordered the calamiri and the mussels and prawns and house salad the staff are not very on the ball with service of things in my eyes the food was cold and when I say cold I mean cold it wasn t worth the wait we didn t complain we told the staff when she came around but how long had it been sitting before they arrived it at our table how long we waited for it I don t recommend this please at all
Thank you Billy, me and my friends came for a hen do. Billy was so kind and looked after us so well - thank you, absolute babe!!
Served so quickly and food was amazing!
Its amazing however has anyone seen my emotional support tarantula. She escaped my pocket in the venue.
Cessionae
Great tapas restaurant. Everything we tried was delicious! Lovely atmosphere too.
Great little downstairs bar with upstairs outside tables if you like the outdoors. Good tapas-y selection, great cocktails, and often have good local bands too
Nice place for drinks and food
Came with some friends today and we were served by Billy who was so friendly and accommodating, created such an amazing atmosphere. Would highly recommend!!
Amazing cocktails, friendly staff and great live music!
Food was not good , rice was undercooked place was empty but still had slow service .
Long wait times (20 minutes) - very unfriendly doorstander! Kid-friendliness: No kids Food : 1/5 |
Didnt even offer us dessert after our main. Just asked if we wanted the bill. Talk about making you feel unwelcome
Amazing place- food is lovely, generous tapas & lots of choice & fabulous drinks menu. We ll definitely be coming back soon.
We were a group of 15. The food and service were spectacular. Thank you!
Great for tapas and drink
Fab venue for either just drinks, wonderful menu and live music. Recommend Swagger on the first Friday of the month. Dance floor packed with such energy.
Live music, quality food and beer
The Tapas were amazing, & are recommended. However, we have been back again to try the paella & was rather disappointed as it was bland. Can certainly recommend though.
Fantastic restaurant, they managed to fit the 6 of us in on a Saturday lunch time and Im so glad they did! Best tapas I have had in a long time and great cocktails.
Managed to sneak in about 8.15 with our Love Cambridge voucher. We had the most fantastic tapas. Huge portions, great service, lovely atmosphere. Great place.
Very beautiful area with all the old buildings of Cambridge
Lovely place - good food at a reasonable price. Only comment would be chicken dish was a bit too dry.
As ever, lovely late night bar / cocktail place. Never disappoints and the happy hour lasting all night is fantastic. Cocktails all well made, with quality booze and great skills. Will definitely come back and do a corporate event there.
Excellent cocktail bar, reasonable service times and cocktails (no old fashioned though) Night was made exceptional by the band Duck Orange who were playing
Very slow service. It took 1.5 hours to get the food and it wasnt even very good, just okay. Waiters were nice, but barely there.
Nice to sit outside and eat, but service wasnt very attentive and the food very very bland. It was very reasonable for central Cambridge
Visited for the first time whilst looking for pre-drinks. Had an amazing cocktail served by friendly and knowledgeable staff. It just so happened that the time we arrived it had just clocked over into Happy Hour so the drinks were even better!
Good cocktails, very friendly staff. When it gets busy, expect to queue for long, not enough staff during busy hours. Service
Amazing food at a good cost! Tiramisu the best we ve ever had, and you have to try the seafood soup (it s huge - such good value!) Food : 5/5
Lovely Spanish restaurant in a quiet(ish) back street near the market place. We sat outside (the tables have umbrellas, but luckily it was dry anyway), but theres atmospheric seating indoors too We shatef the paella - it was amazing
Booked La Raza a couple of weeks ago for a cocktail making class for a friends Hen Do - and it was simply excellent. Great drinks, our server Billie was absolutely awesome, the service and quality was great too. Could not recommend this place enough - truly!
A lovely little find. Food was fresh and light, perfect for lunch. I would highly recommend La Raza Food : 5/5
Ridiculously slow service. Waited an hour for food. When food arrived it was substandard, and supermarket selections would have been more authentic and tasty. Very disappointed
Great place and lovely cocktails, staff were super accommodating. Really appreciate everything that they did for us and had an amazing night out!
Not like it used to be ...
Great food, well portioned, lovely drinks and Amazon service!
really nice tapas, at good price. Friendly staff. We will come bak!
This is a fantastic place to stop and eat at. We just happened to find it. So glad we did the food, It is amazing
amazing
A proper cocktail bar/restaurant. Lots of high quality cocktails to choose from! And a happy hour too.
DJ rejected my Shakira request. At a Spanish club.
Not much of their menu avaiable
Foods and cocktails are amazing.. And if you look for a night out, this is the right place to go too!!
Happy hour cocktails, loved it
Shocking, We had a table booked for 4 people, they called to check we were still coming, We arrived and the staff were very polite , the food arrived in good time and was very enjoyable however once we had paid up they then asked us for our Covid pass ports ( the phone app) as it became a club after 2200, I did not have this app but produced my vaccination card only to be told that was not excepted and I would have to leave there and then, My party had already been there for over 2hrs, It was the next day when walking past that we saw the notice on the door saying that every one entering needed to have a Covid passport app, No one asked for this when we arrived but were very quick to ask for it once we had paid our bill, even to the point of being rude , the only conclusion I could deduce from this is they did not want to risk the lost custom/money before we has dined but happy to boot us out after, Can not and will not give a good review after such disgusting treatment.
Very disappointing. The paella was nothing more than sticky tasteless yellow rice with some peas, boiled tasteless pieces of chicken and unseasoned prawns. The croquetas tasted like those that you just buy frozen from supermarket, and invisible bits of sweet potatoes in the tortilla, when potatoes are the main ingredient alongside with eggs. If youve lived in Spain and know what real Spanish food is like, dont go there.
La Raza was lovely, been about 8 years since Ive been there and it was great very nice staff and lovely food and then a dj later on, all of us had a fantastic evening and will defo return again soon
Nice venue, the waiters are kind and attentive. Good music selection.
Always love an evening here. Great atmosphere and fun music to dance to. Staff are always friendly and helpful:)
Saw Release the Chimps playing, they were awesome
La Raza and I have a long history (20 years I think!) and it was really nice to be back after such a long stint away. The venue still retains its classic well loved aesthetic, serves wonderful tapas, hosts live gigs and DJs. Also, a great bar for cocktails galore! If youre looking for a more upbeat and classy night out, La Raza is a great choice for you!
Lovely little spot a simple but delicious menu. A relaxed vibe. I enjoyed it a lot. The prawns were amazing.
Food was excellent. Very quiet for Wednesday afternoon. Bar staff was friendly. Prices was fairly normal.
Lovely place, shame about the jobsworth of a bouncer
Terrible service
Lovely ambiance and the cocktails were lush xx
Lovely bar with a really friendly team
There are very good cocktails :)
Amazing friendly staff even if Youre a 66 easter European monster good choice of drinks and cocktails. Dj with a music on the weekends always nice crowd inside, it is a real pleasure, sometimes You can even bump into Pete, awesome guy
Staff were clueless. Tables not cleared. They eventually took our order. After waiting for ages we went in to enquire at which point they said they were having WiFi issues so our order hadn t gone through. Laughably bad. We went to M&S and bought sandwiches.
Went today and sat downstairs, very disappointed with the service and food , paella was undercooked and still chalky rice , toilets were disgusting and smelly one toilet was blocked and out of service, complained twice to waitress about food to no avail and no reduction in bill , would not recommend will not return
Lovely food and friendly staff. Cocktails are good and prices are fair. My go to eatery when l come to Cambridge with friends
The roof is very low, gives me phobia
We were really disappointed. The paella was bland. The tapas lacked any authenticity or flavour. The atmosphere was poor. The toilets were not clean enough.
We stopped for a quick bite and a drink this afternoon around 4, but were waiting for 20 minutes without anyone coming to take out order, so left. Other people who sat down after us were served at the other end of the tables, and we tried to catch the eye of the waiting staff, but didnt succeed. It looked nice, but cant comment on the food because we didnt get any.
Nice atmosphere and delicious food
Amazing food xx
Fab lunch Great Service
I spontaneously decided to eat here while walking past! Good decision! Everything around us looked delicious and fresh and our paella was really sensational. Nice team, delicious wine, nice alley! We would be happy to recommend this.
The main room is underground. No atmosphere, no people & no service. Food when it came was mediocre at best. Avoid this place
They havent even been on vacation in Spain. The flavors are Asian, the portions are not those in the photos, the croquettes are spherical and small. The nice girl, the kitchen a disaster and the bathroom...
Had lunch here today. The waitress was nice, but the food was very disappointing. The spicy patatas bravas were disgusting and left an odd unpleasant aftertaste which I can still taste 2 hrs on. Maybe bread was meant to be dry, but I doubt it, so the bread was stale. Beef skewers were OK but fatty beef, calamari nice, chorizo nice. Drinks were nice too - beer served in a nice ice-cold glass. Food came out very quickly so obviously just reheated. So many other nice places to eat too, we really regretted our decision. Wont be back. *EDIT* The toilets also werent very nice. For a place that is decorated nicely on the inside you would expect nicer toilets. They felt a bit scummy and the hallway leading to them smelt weird and was dirty.
Two of us went for a quick lunch and we were really happy with the service and the food. Everything we ordered was really tasty and well presented. The only thing letting it down was the ladies toilets. They were noticeably shabby and unpleasant though and really need some paint and tidying up.
Great place for Tapas in the evening. Cocktails and food priced reasonably. Most cocktails under £10 Highly recommended.
Tasty tapas and delicious cocktails that were way more interesting/unique than the usual tired old usuals. Plus, the staff were nice enough to fit us in despite the fact that the kitchen had just closed.
Absolutely love this place on a Thursday evening!
Really disappointed full of very young kids screaming at night not a good place to go if you re having a night out away from the kids I thought I were in a crèche live music rubbish never will I go again
croquettes and garlic prawn dishes were both stand out delicious.
Had a Christmas meal here. Be careful which pudding you pick, mine was choc lovely but no one else ate theirs. Really liked the cocktails.
A wonderful experience, great tapas followed by fab live jazz, soooo busy, great atmosphere, glad we had a table
Christmas Dinner was lovely had the chicken staff were nice and friendly. Music was not the best for a Friday night party mood.
BEST COCKTAILS IN CAMBRIDGE! Thank you Olly!!! This place is amazing and very safe in the pandemic age with plastic in between tables. Great prices for really fresh food, but the cocktails were what really made our visit! We had Olly as our server & bartender who was super fast, very friendly and the cocktails he made us (the zombie and the fleur de lis, which is one of his original cocktail recipes) were some of the best we ve ever tasted, and I ve worked in craft cocktail restaurants for more than 5 years. Will absolutely be back!
Very nice friendly place
Fantastic wine list. Lovely food. Fast service.
Nice enough cocktails, but overpriced. Plus they do not have capacity to serve the number of tables they put out, and said we could not order food as the kitchen was too busy.
Growing up in The Canary Islands, this is a little spot that I need for a quick beer after work
Made us feel very welcome, food was excellent, service was great!
Had the mixed paella. Great food reasonably priced. Staff were lovely and the atmosphere reminiscent of portugal. Would highly recommend
Great Spanish food and customer service excellent as always.
Disappointing. The food was not authentically Spanish/especially tasty. We ordered Seafood Paella and the rice was claggy and pale; an obvious sign the ingredients were not cooked and seasoned together to give flavour. Croquettes were low quality - mushy tasteless insides, couldnt tell the mushroom and the cod apart. Using the app to order and pay favours the disinterested staff well.
Really disappointed with our experience. We called 30mins before arriving to see if there would be space. The restaurant confirmed there was plenty of space and so we booked a table. There was a short delay when we arrived as the small staff team hadnt got round to preparing our table. Food had to be ordered on our phones which was understandable for Covid precautions but will be relevant later. We ordered as a big group a bunch of tapas dishes as well as the seafood paella and some drinks. One member of our group ordered separately as she wasnt sure she would like our selection. Her food arrived promptly and she was not unhappy with the fries, tortilla and salad although we had to seek out a server to get sauces and salad dressing. So far, not too bad and we knew our food would be longer as paella isnt quick to make. Drinks arrive and the glass of Coke looked extremely pale. It seems like the soda dispenser wasnt working properly but this had not been noticed. We brought this up and it was quickly replaced with a bottle of Coke. Food arrived about 50mins after ordering which was about what I would expect. However upon closer inspection is seemed like many of the dishes had been left waiting under a heat lamp or similar. The chicken was very dry as to be even hard to stab with a fork. The croquettes had lost their crispiness. The bread pieces in the chorizo had turned to mush. It would have been nice to have had the option to get each dish as soon as it was ready to avoid this. As for the quality, everything was mediocre at best. The chicken was actually quite tasty other than the dryness. The croquettes were bland (salt cod was not noticeable). Chorizo was very watery and had chunks of soggy bread in it. The tortilla was quite nice if a tad unusual being mostly egg with a bit of sweet potato. The calamari was very salty but the accompanying sauce was good. The best dish was probably the patatas bravas. The paella was the biggest let down. It had clearly been prepared in another vessel (or microwave?) and transferred into the pan it was served in. Therefore there were no nice crispy bits to be seen and the whole dish was bland and mushy. We voiced our concerns at the end and were offered some vouchers for our next visit. The problem with that is none of us want to come back! Apparently a partial refund was not possible because we ordered online but they offered to contact the payment operator and instructed us to do the same. We are yet to hear a response but it has not been long yet. I really dont enjoy leaving negative reviews but I feel like there are a lot of easy fixes here and I hope they can take them on board.
Amazing atmosphere, the staff are fantastic
We really enjoyed our meal there and the waitress went above and beyond. She was super friendly but also attentive, wish we could be there when the live music is allowed.
Had two nice cocktails with my husband, Pimms and a strawberry cocktail, but the calamari were a bit disappointing, though fried and hot, they were not crispy. Definitely have potential to be better.
Good cocktails for the price - 2 for 10
Great place to visit when its outdoor dining weather. Make sure you ask about drinks promos as the app doesnt prompt you and you end up missing out!
We had seafood paella, fried squid, roast veg and house salad, none of them that we didn t like. Will definitely come back again!
They were really great with everything for our large group booking. Food was lovely, staff were great, good value for money. Well done Jess
Great drinks, good food and atmosphere.
Great food, friendly staff. Would recommend sitting outside, its a great location and great people watching.
Staff was really nice but food was okish...
A nice restaurant, bar and night club. Its usually less crowded.
Good food, friendly staff.
A well decorated restaurant and bar, serves nice cocktail.
Great food cozy place
Great food and great service.
Over 40mins waiting for order
Had a tapas-style lunch here, sat at their outdoor tables, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The food was delicious (amazing sweet-potato tortilla), and the service spot-on.
Really bad food and overpriced. Plastic calamari, chewy beef... Feels like should be in an episode of kitchen nightmares
We waited a long time for what we think it was spanish tapas
Don t waste your time and money I don t particularly enjoy leaving negative feedback for a restaurant, however my experience dining here for lunch yesterday has motivated my to do so to dissuade others from wasting they re time and money at this establishment. We ordered cod croquettes and a seafood paella. They were both terrible. The croquettes were bland, tasteless with no discernible texture and fell apart. We were told when ordering that the paella would take 20-30 mins as they were cooked to order. The result was certainly not worth the wait (see photo). The dish which we received resembled a savoury porridge, a veritable insult to paella. The rice was clearly over cooked with a mushy texture, the prawns were flavourless and overdone, the squid was rubbery and bland. It is clear that this restaurant is not authentic, and the staff have no idea how to cook paella. When we provided feedback to the staff after our meal the response we got was the seafood lets out a lot of water when it is cooked Please avoid this place at all costs this was a waste of time and money, and to our dismay we discovered the local market, a short walk away, had a paella stand which looked freshly cooked for a fraction of the price.
Small cocktail bar underground, great cocktails Good for sitting down at a table and enjoy the cocktails or dance!
Unfortunately the waiter dropped a full glass of red wine all over our table. It splashed over a mobile phone, ruined several items of clothing, and in the fluster to move any further items from getting damaged our iPad fell onto the floor and the screen smashed. An honest mistake, so we helped to clean up the mess and said no more to avoid the poor waiter feeling any worse than he already did. The wine was replaced with another glass, which the waiter assured us would be on the house (well, yes, I would assume so!). We did however at the very least expect the cost of the glass of wine to be taken off the bill, or a drink on the house, or preferably an apology from the manager and being asked whether any of our goods had been damaged with an offer to cover the cost. There was none of the above. We were charged the full bill. The food was ok, but needless to say we will not be going back there. Very disappointing service!!
Cant remember much, was one of those nights
Lovely place
Nice cakes and tea. Would get 5 stars if you got a small pot of hot water to refill your cup as they are not terribly large.
Very good vegetarian tapas. The figs with goats cheese were the best item and would thoroughly recommend. Close second we re the olives and manchego, potatas Bravas, and tortilla (omelet) were all high quality. Bread with oil and balsamic was good, the balsamic was very rich and delicious. And finally the cous cous with roasted veg could have had a little more seasoning on the veg. All washed down with a jug of nice sangria. Considering the price I think this is a very worthwhile venture. Also friendly staff. I would recommend and would go again (even if only for the figs and goats cheese)
Great little venue and bar
Nice place, only had drinks but nice helpful service. Good atmosphere.
We saw this place as we were walking away from Carluccios in Cambridge having been ignored whilst waiting. La Raza seated us straight away and we enjoyed a Paella.
Staff very attentive. Food cooked to perfection. Great value for the money
Was looking for a tapas bar but not that many open at lunch time in cambridge. Food was ok , tapas not a great choice.
Food is average quality, service is friendly.. Fried squid was extremely salty.. Paella was almost OK.. Needs more attention to clean in the loo section...
Delicious food and cocktails, and friendly, efficient staff.
Good variety of dishes and drinks. Friendly staff but slow service. Tasty and hot food. Toilets are really poor and dirty.
Great food and lovely staff.
Fantastic food! All staff were very friendly and the restaurant was very hygienic, service was also quick! The gentleman with the tied up blonde hair serving our table was very welcoming and hospitable. Highly recommend eating here!
The food was lovely and the service was friendly. You will need to scan a QR code for the menu and its not ideal, they are also not doing any promotions currently so do not go with vouchers.
Friendly service but get a better paella from Sainsburys, really bland and naf in general. Shame.
Very friendly staff. Excellent customer service. Fantastic food.
One of the best Tapas meals I have had in years. The food was brilliant and the chef excelled themselves. The atmosphere was chilled and the staff were so friendly and helpful. Would recommend to anyone thinking of having a Tapas meal in Cambridge.
Delicious drinks, especially margarita
Amazing staff, food was delicious and drinks too. Very good environment and service was fast. Definitely I reccomend.
Beautiful food in a lovely environment!
Food was good for a large group. Would recommend the baked figs! Great atmosphere and lovely staff.
Great food, perfectly mixed cocktails, great service & very friendly staff. Will definately return.
Nice cocktails.
100% recommend. FOOD: tapas selection is fabulous. Wide selection of meat, fish and vegie. Very tastey. Large portions. DRINKS: phenomenal. Easily the best cocktails Ive had in the UK. PRICE: more expensive than average but more than worth it. Happy hour makes drinks a steal! SERVICE: friendly, very attentive and personal. AMBIENCE: chilled, intimate. Perfect for a few drinks with friends, a date or a special occasion. CLEANLINESS: spotless.
It was good I liked the drinks
Great cocktails and amazing friendly staff.
Good food nice place
Best cocktail bar in Cambridge
Arrived early evening, very pleasant, felt safe surrounded by plastic sheets and the food and wine was excellent. Had a selection of tapas and the portions were perfect for two people. We can recommend the goats cheese croquetas and the chorizo al vino. Didnt order the paella but it looked enough to feed a crowd! Friendly staff.
Great place to relax and unwind.
Kudos to the LA Raza team for ensuring a smooth process ordering the Bottle Proof cocktails from Australia for someone special in Cambridge. Very responsive and patient with my queries. Thanks Guys!
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