I have lived in Winchester for 17 years, I love my home town very much but it appears the choices of restaurants where either highly expensive and difficult to table booked or cheap and cheerful, there wasn't anything in between, plus some that have been around the block a few times and not got the best reputation if you know... more

We were there at a lunchtime, it was not that busy. The waitress was quite rude really. We ordered the three tapas option but this was sneered at and made us feel really uncomfortable. The veggie dish was good and the tortilla okay but the meatball dish was just two meatballs in a standard supermarket passata style sauce. I could... more

Just got back from an excellent meal at El Sabio - The restaurant was fairly quiet but the atmosphere was still very welcoming and the food was excellent. Service was quick and attentive without being invasive and the menu had a great selection of meat and veggy dishes, plus a great tapas dessert option. A really great evening and we... more

En route back from Dorset last Sunday we dropped into Winchester to stretch our legs and grab some lunch. Came across El Sabio by chance, and what a great find. We shared 3 tapas dishes, of which the meat paella and king prawns were particularly good, and together with the green salad and bread brushed with olive oil and tomatoes... more

Went with my wife on a Friday evening just before Christmas. We had to settle for a bar table rather than a proper sit-down, but for a tapas place that really shouldn't be - and wasn't - an issue. I was very pleasantly surprised considering some of the mixed reviews that have gone before. For what is still a relative... more

Was here with my wife for some nice tapas and vino.. The vino was fine a nice chilled Argentinian Trivento.. The food on the other hand well.... The olives were hard and bitter, soaked in olive oil, lemon and far too many toher things. We sent them back (still got charged for threm later on the bill). The tortilla was... more

Great place for tapas - lovely selection and nice atmosphere - the Gitano hotpot is my fave! more

Having read the poor review I feel compelled to comment. I visited El Sabio for lunch with a group of colleagues - we chose each of the tapas on the menu and we were delighted with all of them. Portion sizes were generous, well presented and very tasty. I lived in Spain for 4 years so have eaten plenty of... more

We chose El Sabio for a family party of nine.The staff were thoughtfull , friendy and attentive.The decor was lovely with fresh flowers, the atmosphere very good and a charming riverside garden would be lovely on a sunny day. We chose the tapas-three for £7.99 and found everything fresh and interesting.There seemed to be a good choice different of Paellas... more