Everyone's talking about Nottingham's newest tapas restaurant
Although we’re not technically a restaurant – we do Andalusian Tapas Kitchen Takeovers.
We takeover kitchens of cafes that are closed in the evening, and transform the venue into a taste of Andalusia.
Are we Spanish?
No.
Are we trained chefs?
No.
Do we know how to rustle up the best tapas food in Nottingham?
Hell yeah!
And if the reaction so far is anything to go by, we may well be opening our own premises in future (but let’s not run before we can walk).
Introducing Sol Y Sombra
Something rather lovely is happening just outside Nottingham – and we’re already creating a bit of a stir.
Sol Y Sombra was born in September 2026 as a way to bring people together in a cosy setting to share food and conversation, and have a bloody nice time.
What started as Gemma & Jamie’s (the Founders) shared love of Spanish food, long lunches, small plates and the unapologetically relaxed way of life in Andalusia, is now a monthly tapas night in the heart of Ruddington.
We had our first tapas kitchen takeover on the 5 September and the feedback has been nothing short of astounding – we’re so proud of what we’ve created.
A little bit of AndalusÃa, without the flight
Something rather lovely is happening just outside Nottingham – and we’re already creating a bit of a stir.
Sol Y Sombra was born in September 2026 as a way to bring people together in a cosy setting to share food and conversation, and have a bloody nice time.
Our inspiration comes from AndalusÃa and the food we genuinely love eating when we’re in Spain (mainly Seville). The sort of dishes that arrive without too much fuss, get plonked in the middle of the table and somehow result in everyone ordering just one more.
Good olive oil. Plenty of garlic. Proper ingredients. Beautiful pork, seafood, paprika, chorizo and lots of other tasty delights.
Simple food, basically.
But simple food done properly.
That’s what we’re trying to create here in our lovely village or Ruddington.
Tasty Tapas here in Nottingham
There are so many places you can get amazing tapas in Nottingham, and one of our personal favourites is Bar Iberico – if you’ve been, you’ll know why we love it so much.Â
But what makes us different?
Well for starters, we’re not an actual restaurant – we takeover a kitchen once a month.
We also specialise in one region – Andalusia. We might introduce a guest dish from time to time that’s not traditionally enjoyed in Andalusia, but most of our dishes were enjoyed on our tripes to Seville and Málaga.
Word of our Tapas Nights is spreading throughout Nottingham – sign up to our waiting list to hear when bookings open for our next one.
Phenomenal food, from the flavour combos to presentation. What a delight to taste both simple and complicated tapas dishes. Some particular favourites were patatas bravas, DELICIOUS meatballs (& the beautiful sauce they were made in), chorizo in honey, padrón peppers, and an abundance of tomato dishes. I can’t wait to have more and see other people have the opportunity to experience the joy in this food!
Amazing food – there was a wide range of variety and flavours to choose from. The meats I tried, such as chorizo and meatballs, were very juicy and cooked perfectly. The staff were also really welcoming and helpful as well. Would definitely recommend!
Crispy patatas bravas, seriously delicious pork that tasted like a little slice of Seville, spicy chorizo in honey and padrón peppers to die for. 🇪🇸 Everything was absolutely spot on – a proper tapas night and would definitely come back. Thank you!
Reading feedback like this means an enormous amount to us, particularly because Sol Y Sombra is still very much a small, independent local venture.
The food we're slightly obsessed with
Our menus are built around dishes we’d actually want to sit down and order ourselves.
That might mean gambas al ajillo, sizzling away with garlic, chilli and olive oil; tender albóndigas de carne slowly cooked in a rich tomato sauce; patatas bravas with plenty of sauce; or solomillo al ajillo, pork fillet cooked with garlic and white wine.
Then there are the ingredients we’re increasingly becoming obsessed with.
Beautiful Ibérico pork. Great olive oil. The very best paprika. The sort of ingredients where the best thing you can is interfere with them as little as possible.
Our food is designed for sharing.
Although we should point out that whether you actually share your last prawn is entirely between you and table.
What's next for Sol Y Sombra?
We’re keeping things deliberately small for now.
Part of the fun of Sol Y Sombra is that we’re not trying to become another enormous restaurant with hundreds of covers every week. We like the idea of taking over kitchens of local businesses, creating a brilliant atmosphere for a night and giving people something to look forward to.
This does, however, mean places at our tapas nights are limited.
And, following the response to our recent events, we’re expecting upcoming dates to fill rather quickly.
Join us for Tapas
Join our waiting list and be among the first to hear when bookings open for our next Sol Y Sombra Tapas Kitchen Takeover – we’ll let you know before we shout about them more widely.
Come hungry.
We’ll provide the garlic.