Tapas

Tapas by Anna Cabrera and Vanessa Murphy just bursts with deliciousness. I know that making a feast out of many small dishes can be more work than a mere main course and dessert kind of a meal, but I defy you to read this without wanting to invite people around to share these dishes straightaway. - Nigella LawsonHere’s the thing about Anna and Vanessa: the girls are a pair of punks. They may not sport Mohican haircuts and safety pin-festooned leather jackets, but they’re actually the Sex Pistols of Spanish cooking. Tapas is a blast of a book, and its energy echoes the warmth, humour and hospitality that has made Las Tapas de Lola one of Dublin city’s best-loved places to eat. Their vermut and tinned seafood parties are the must-make moment of 2023. - John and Sally McKennaThis cookbook series from Blasta Books is just brilliant. Pithy, opinionated, learned, well-written and beautifully designed. Loved every single one. - Tom Parker Bowles These small, gorgeous, single-subject cookbooks…are fantastic. And, clearly, deeply aesthetically pleasing. They’re so beautifully designed and illustrated. I really love the whole enterprise. - India Knight

Anna Cabrera and Vanessa Murphy met in 2008 and quickly realised that their love for all things food, wine, sangría, vermouth and all the rest made them a perfect match.

Anna, a native of Barcelona, moved to Ireland in 2001, while Vanessa had lived in Spain on and off over the years. It’s safe to say their love of all things Spanish is in their blood. While there was already a Spanish offering in Ireland, they were missing so many dishes from home and their travels around Spain that the idea for their Dublin restaurant, Las Tapas de Lola, was born.

Vanessa Murphy had always dreamed of opening a tapas bar. Born, bred and buttered in Dublin, she studied Spanish many years ago in Trinity College and has spent over 30 years travelling to and from Spain in search of the perfect tapa.

As locals to the Wexford Street-Camden Street area in Dublin, her plan with partner and co-author Anna Cabrera plan was to open a place that they would like to visit with their own friends and families – to create an atmosphere that’s inviting, fun and down to earth. Their restaurant, Las Tapas de Lola, is a place where people can feel at home, relaxed and enjoy their food.