" Oishii! "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Every Time I visit el Willy i can enjoy the moment in various situations such as business meetings, dating or with friends .
I love el willy's feeling, caz we don't use to eat such a big portions like westen food, we really like tapas like IZAKAYA style. also in asian culture, we have soup and rice at the end of the meal.
el willy has excellent seafood soup and paellas also They use good products from Japan.
Chef, Willy is such a funny talented guy. It seems like he is a wine lover because the wine selection is great!
Lately, the garden of this restaurant open is so nice!!

" Casual Creative "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

How can someone compare el Willy with el Bulli?? No asparagus air or olive oil finger rings there, but real inventive food that actually fills you up - in a blissful way.
el Willy might not be the best place to go to have a quiet date, especially on a busy night. But the value for money is to me the best in town: the food standard is that of the Bund's institution restaurants but for 30 to 40% cheaper - not many places in Shanghai can claim that.
I have been a regular customer since the opening, and whether on my own or with a bunch of friends I was never disappointed. Some dishes are sometimes long to come, but the friendly and welcoming atmosphere makes you forget about those small details. A high school student or a CEO will be treated in the same way at Willy's - and will most often both be greeted by the chef himself, which does add a little something to the evening.
Those who need 5 waiters and 2 sommeliers sticking around their table might not appreciate the home-style feeling that characterizes this restaurant, but I highly recommend it to all of those who feel like indulging themselves with a really interesting gastronomic experience (the scallop ceviche and the beef cheek on banana and passionfruit are absolute must-haves!)

" How Can You Confuse : Bacon With High Speed???? "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

I have a simple question for all the people that are thinking with free of moral changes, compare EL BULLI with El Willy.
Did you ever been to EL BULLI ??? Of course not. Clear like water!!!
Anyone who compare these restaurants obviously never been to EL BULLI. That's for sure!!
Good Luck and keep trying
...How can you confuse Bacon with high speed????...

" None Of Our Dishes Was Surprising Good "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

It is a bad joke to compare "El Willy" with "El Bulli" .... sorry guys .... not everyone who likes to be an Einstein is also an Einstein! Mixing tastes and textures or creating new ones is as difficult as it is highly artistic and creative. I would appreciate if more of the reviews would just mention what is so good or so bad here instead of just giving comments without evidence. We went there (already some time ago) and had that dish with bitter chocolate (I do not remember anymore in detail)it was just bad taste as the bitter taste was disturbing, did not fit, not elegant or sophisticated or whatever. The paella, whatever a real contemporary spanish paella is, had a consistency of a thick soup without any special flavour .... None of our dishes was surprising good but the price level and the name raises expectations. Maybe their quality is going up and down - maybe.

" Tapas From El Willy "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

After reading some comments regarding the Paella or the tapas and saying that they were not as expected, I realized the lack of knowledge about the Spanish cuisine. It seems that everybody has a thought of our cuisine (I am Spansih) as the typicall Paella they can eat on the beach with cheap sangria and some really simple tapas. Then, when they find something more elaborated, they complain and they say that this is not Spanish cuisine (like if they were experts). I would just remember to them that for 4th consecutive year, El Bulli, a Spanish restaurant, has been considered the best restaurant in the world. And within the top 10, there are 3 more Spaninish restaurants. Please check the menu of these restaurants and you will realize what is the actual contemporany Spanish cuisine (more alike with el Willy's line).

" Real Paella Needed "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

The paella did not taste anything like paella, which was the main reason we went there! The tapas weren't really tapas either (french fries are NOT tapas), however the tapas did taste better than the paella. Decor is great, but food should also be just as good, especially for the price.

" Great Dinner Experience "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Finally made it here for the first time. Saturday night. Great vibe, great service even though it was packed. All of the food was delicious. This is definitely a place we will put in the circuit!

" Outstanding Flavors "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Well - It's interesting to note the polarizing effect that El Willy has had on Shanghai's dining scene. It appears as though Chef Willy is shaking things up in a somewhat moribund post-olympic atmosphere. Four of us dined there a couple of weeks ago and all agreed that it is our new favorite restaurant. The food is playful and non-traditional with a noticable Andalusian underpinning. Prepare to be surprised and delighted with the Tapas offerings. BTW - for the guy who was wondering... "El Willy" is a tongue in cheek take on "El Bulli". If you don't what that is, then I can't help you.
The have a nice selection of fine, dry ports and sherries on the menu which is a nice find. The emphasis here is clearly on flavor and texture rather than presentation. Presentations are interesting but uncomplicated, and the taste always takes priority. Service was haphazard when we were there, but since we had ordered a bunch of small plates it didn't really matter. We were too busy talking and laughing and exclaiming, "My God! What was that? That tasted amazing." It's really nice to see a chef's name over the door and actually find the chef buzzing around the dining room like a mad dervish, expediting and entertaining guests. If you're a staunch traditionalist or looking for a qiet, out of the way date place then you might not find your comfort level here. As far as value for money, I think you'd pay far far more for food of this quality in most places in Shanghai or anywhere else.

" Overall A Nice Experience "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Last weekend I decided to try out El Willy, I had heard and read good reviews and decided to go.
I was impressed with the decor inside, but preferred to sit outside on a hot night.
The out door seating area was ok, but could be improved to match the more impressive interior.
I felt the Tapas were over priced and the selection was minimal.
But overall it was a nice experience, and the beer was reasonably priced.......Although, after a large group had left their table outside, the staff proceeded to eat the left over's of the discarded plates and pack the rest of the left over's into plastic containers. The staff didn't think twice that this might be odd behavior even after seeing our shocked faces.

Again another Shanghai restaurant where the staff let down a potentially good business.

" Tapa's With A Twist "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Finally made it to El WIlly last Saturday night, and was very impressed. The location is grand, and the ambience of the place is really great. We did not have a reservation, so ended up sitting at the bar. Ended up being a great location, as you get a great feel for the mood and temp of the place.

The food was exceptional. It for sure is not your every day tapa's menu which is what makes it so exciting. I won't start to describe, as I don't feel I am in a position to do that adequately. If you want nothing but your standard tapa's (chorizo sausages, and meat ball...etc), you will be dissappointed with El Willy (for that go to Las Tapas). However, if you want to be a little different, and experiment with some of the unique tapa's combinationsin a pretty cool and funky environment give El Willy a try.

" Try Again? "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Actually I don`t quite get the juicy paella.The rice was undercooked with unreasonable price.What i ordered was not timely delivered as well.Bad service.For the compliment I`ve seen about this restaurant,Maybe I just didn`t come the right time.Anyway,I`ll give another try.