Greater London · England
Tapas Catering for St John's Wood events
Cooked live, served hot and made to share: Spanish tapas and canapé catering, on its own or alongside a paella in St John's Wood and the surrounding area.
- Anniversary parties
- Table tapas as a starter
- Canapés with welcome drinks
Book tapas catering in St John's Wood
About our tapas catering in St John's Wood
Tapas and paella go hand in hand, as a starter while the rice cooks, but they’re great on their own. On the menu are gambas al ajillo, albóndigas and padrón peppers, and we are often booked for tapas before paella and anniversary parties.
In St John's Wood, tapas suit drinks receptions, evening parties and work events, indoors or out. Let us know about parking and loading. Every pan is cooked in front of your guests, so the food is hot, fresh and part of the occasion.
- Where
- St John's Wood (NW8, NW6, NW3)
- Region
- Greater London
- Dietary options
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Extras
- Canapés, desserts, sangria and staff
- Quotes
- Quoted for your event
- Updated
- 23 October 2026
What affects the price in St John's Wood
The price comes down to a few factors:
- Chicken, vegetable or premium seafood
- Waiting and bar staff
- How many guests are eating
- Travel, parking and access
Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff and crockery are optional extras, so you can choose exactly what you need.
Details that help
We can quote more accurately with a few details. Here’s what’s useful:
- Diets and allergies you know about
- A picture of the space, if you can
- Approximate guest numbers, including children
- Your date and when you want to eat
Planning tapas catering in St John's Wood? Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll come back with ideas and a quote. Just use our quote form.
Nearby places to St John's Wood
More for events in St John's Wood
Why choose tapas catering in St John's Wood?
They’re the classic starter before paella.
We’re booked for all kinds of occasions in St John's Wood and nearby. Some of the most common are:
- Tapas with a paella main course
- Office parties and launches
- Tapas starters
- Engagement parties
Historic houses near St John's Wood include Winfield House (0.6 miles south-east) and Keats House (1.4 miles north). Where a historic venue doesn’t allow live cooking, canapé tapas may still be possible; ask the venue.
What your quote should include
- How each diet is kept separate
- What the caterer needs from your venue
- A clear list of what’s included
- If the price includes VAT
Dishes our guests love
Croquetas
Always among the first to go.
Gambas al ajillo
Popular with prawn fans.
St John's Wood: venues and local tips
St John's Wood is about 1 mile south of Hampstead, in Greater London. For tapas catering in St John's Wood, we cater in back gardens, halls with outdoor space, barns, marquees and offices in and around St John's Wood. We cook in all 764 towns and villages across Greater London.
Canapé tapas suit the drinks after a ceremony at a church like Church of All Souls. If you are looking at a historic venue around St John's Wood, check its catering rules early, as many limit cooking.
Here we cover the NW8, NW6 and NW3 postcode area. Local streets include The Lane, Hall Road and Hill Road; an event at home on any of them works well with live paella. You will find St John's Wood on the A5205, so it’s easy for us to reach with the van and pans. For events just outside St John's Wood, we cover South Hampstead (1 mile north), Swiss Cottage (1 mile north), Primrose Hill (1 mile north-east), Lisson Grove (1 mile south) and Haverstock (1 mile north-east). Further out, we also cater in London (4 miles south-east), Kensington (3 miles south-west), St Pancras (3 miles east), Shoreditch (4 miles east), Walthamstow (7 miles north-east) and Hoxton (4 miles east).
Nearby you will also find O2 Centre (0.9 miles north) and Sherlock Holmes Museum (1.1 miles south-east). Not far away are The Long Water and Primrose Hill.
- Nearby schools include Quintin Kynaston Community Academy (under half a mile north-west) and Arnold House School (less than half a mile south-west)
- Pubs nearby include Cafe Med pub (under half a mile north-west)
- Parks and local facilities nearby include Cecil Sharp House (1.1 miles east) and Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead (1.1 miles north)
St John's Wood questions
We’re having a ceremony at Church of All Souls: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Live cooking usually happens at the reception venue, not the church. Send us the reception address.
Which station should guests use for St John's Wood?
South Hampstead station, in St John's Wood itself.
Do you do vegan paella?
Yes, and meat eaters often go back for seconds. They have their own pans, stock and spoons.
Is halal food available?
Yes, on request. Tell us how many guests need halal food, and it’s cooked separately.
Do you have vegetarian tapas?
Plenty are vegetarian, like tortilla and padrón peppers. Each dish is labelled.
Can you do gluten-free paella?
We can cook a gluten-free paella in its own pan. Tell us about any coeliac guests when you book so we take the right care.
Do you cater in St John's Wood?
Yes. We cover London and the South East, and St John's Wood is within our area and the rest of Greater London. To check your date, fill in our quote form.
Do you take everything away?
We pack down our cooking area after service. Clearing guests’ plates and tables can be added with waiting staff.
Step by step
The paella is cooked in huge, shallow pans over gas burners. We need a level, ventilated spot, and we agree where that is before the day. Sunset in St John's Wood is around 9:20pm in June, which suits an outdoor reception.
- Tell us the date, venue and numbers.
- You get a selection and a price.
- We set up and finish the hot dishes.
- We serve canapés or table tapas.
- We pack down when service ends.
Before we arrive
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
- Keep the cooking spot clear of fences, hedges and branches
- Tell us where to park and unload
Ask for a quote
Every quote is put together for your event. Give us your date and numbers, and we will check availability at the same time.
Related guides
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
A DIY paella party works for small groups. For big numbers or lots of diets, a caterer makes life easier, and handles separate pans for each diet.
You can hire equipment and do it yourself, but you will still need to source ingredients, prep and cook for hours. A caterer handles all of that.
What we need at the venue
Most outdoor spaces and many venues work for live paella, but there are a few things to check:
- Space to finish hot dishes
- Unloading access
- Venue approval for outside catering
As a London location, St John's Wood is inside the Ultra Low Emission Zone, and parking takes planning: let us know about permits, bays or off-street parking.
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we will advise.
What we offer
- Padrón peppers
- Albóndigas
- Olives & bread
- Gambas al ajillo
- Tortilla española
- Manchego & membrillo
- Patatas bravas
- Croquetas
- Serrano ham
- Chorizo in red wine
Dietary needs and planning tips
Paella is one of the easiest dishes for mixed diets, because each paella is cooked in its own pan. A few tips:
- Keep seafood and meat dishes clearly separate
- Tell us what role tapas play
- Pair tapas with sangria, cava or sherry
- Check diets in advance
Table tapas are set down to share.
Staff to serve canapés.
Live paella or other catering?
Sandwich buffets are forgettable. Tapas feel like a treat. Compared with a plated meal, live paella is frequently good value, as there is no kitchen to hire and fewer staff to pay. Ask us for a quote.
Why book with us
- We cover St John's Wood and the whole of Greater London
- A quote that spells everything out
- Hot food served quickly from the pan
- Separate pans for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests
- Cooked live in giant pans at your event
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal options
- Paella, tapas, canapés and desserts
- Sangria, bar staff, crockery and waiting staff