Fuego Tapas and Grill

As big fans of Ole Tapas in Milton Keynes, we had to give Fuego a try and absolutely loved it. Everything we ordered was delicious and beautifully plated. The service is great and the location by the river is wonderful. Definitely recommend the croquettes!

Now been 5 times to Fuego. Had a great time each visit. The food is excellent and varied, with attentive and very good service. Such a great addition to Bedford, very much looking forward to our next visit!

We had a fantastic lunch at Fuego. Amazing food and great service. A new favourite in the town.

We're a group of Spanish friends who went to have a good time because we miss the food from our home country, and we can say that the food was delicious, especially the cheese croquettes. The service was very attentive and friendly, especially Nelson, who took excellent care of us. We'll definitely be back.

Date night, and we love Spanish food (moving to Spain very soon!) so we thought we’d try it out. Can’t fault it. Excellent food, service and all round ambience. Will definitely be back 😊

Had a great meal here this evening. Even catered for my daughter who is cealiac, reassured us how things were cooked separately and felt safe eating there. Will definitely be back. Thank you.

Can't speak highly enough of this restaurant. From the service to the top class mixologist and the kitchen team, the while experience is faultless. Thank you, this is exactly what Bedford has been missing.

TL:DR Version: Mostly good food, but tiny portions not suitable for sharing, with prices higher than London. Eat before you go and enjoy the setting. We were very much looking forward to Fuego opening, as we enjoy eating out and there aren't many quality restaurants in Bedford. As a result, we often dine in London or elsewhere. By way of background, we love tapas and have visited San Sebastián several times, along with other gastronomic cities in Spain. We also regularly enjoy tapas restaurants in London such as Barrica, José Pizarro, Camino and others—so we know what good looks like. Tapas is meant for sharing, with small but satisfying portions, and prices that vary depending on location and target market. We’re not typically price-sensitive and are happy to pay for quality. However, I have to say we were quite shocked at the prices versus portion sizes at Fuego. We even worked out that we could have taken the train (with a Travelcard) to London and eaten at Camino for less than what we spent at Fuego. Since our visit, I’ve spoken to five other couples who felt the same and said they couldn't see themselves returning anytime soon. The portion sizes are a particular issue when sharing with friends. I suspect many will feel surprised—and awkward. For example, the chicken skewer was the size of a table knife, and although the rice looked promising, it turned out to be a very thin layer. Worst of all was the £39 odd-shaped portion of Presa, which only gave a couple of reasonably sized slices before tapering off—especially disappointing for something meant to be shared. Charging £3.50 for a glass of Diet Coke also felt excessive. It pushed our bill to £188—without alcohol—for two adults and three children. We all agreed that this offer is likely to be a tough sell in Bedford. It’s too expensive for a casual, once-a-month meal or a spontaneous meal out with friends. Fuego encourages people to send feedback to hola@fuegotapas.co.uk. However, I wouldn’t bother. I provided all of this as constructive feedback over a month ago and they didn’t even acknowledge receipt. We genuinely want Fuego to succeed, as it would be great to have somewhere decent in Bedford for dining and entertaining. Unfortunately, based on our experience, we’re concerned that many customers will try it once—and not return. .

Came in for a friend's birthday and was part of a large group. I cannot fault the service we received during the meal and everyone said how good the cocktails were. They were also very accommodating of our newborn, ensuring space around the table for the pram. The restaurant is lovely and easily accessible including disabled toilet and baby change. Only negatives were: 1. limited tapas menu - their other restaurant Olé in MK has a great menu and does specials too. It was disappointing to see such a limited tapas menu. I understand that the restaurant is also a grill but to me this doesn't make business sense when there is a dedicated steakhouse right around the corner. If they had straight copied Olé's menu it would be perfect. 2. Timing - The group had to wait 20 mins for the table to be ready (not an issue at all) but was then told by the waiter that we needed to be gone by 6pm. The group was not offered dessert menus making it very clear that they wanted us gone which was a little disappointing, we ended up going across to the Albero Lounge for more drinks and desserts which was profit that Fuego could have had instead. 3. Cost - We ordered 4 tapas plates and a side (we paid for our drinks separately at the bar) and our food bill came up to £51 (including a 12.5% service charge, not overly bothered about paying this as we were in a big group but still a bit chafing considering points raised in 2.) but I would hate to think how much the bill would come to for a family, it's definitely got more of a couples vibe to the place and pricing. Overall, I personally think that if you're looking for a good tapas restaurant near Bedford, just do the drive to Olé in MK as their service and food which on the few occasions I've been has always been above and beyond.