A no-frills taqueria inside the labyrinth of stalls within Peckham’s Rye Lane Market, this colourful all-day stall makes hand-pressed, 100% corn tortillas that must be among the best in London. Run by a husband-and-wife team, Gabriella and Manolo de la Torre, also known as “Taco Manny”, fast food is in de la Torre’s blood. His … Continue reading Guacamole’s
Decimo – Spanish for “tenth” – is a Mexican-Spanish restaurant by Peter Sanchez-Iglesias. Aptly, it lives at the top of the brutalist The Standard Hotel in King’s Cross. Though not usually in search of fancy restaurants sitting on the top of buildings, Decimo seemed to be both style and substance. The chefs here use the … Continue reading Decimo, The Standard
Proper good Mexican food – “authentic” street-food style – is difficult to find in London. However, some new spots are cropped up on the block – Hacha Bar in Hackney East, Lucia’s in Hackney Wick and closer to my neck of the woods, Taquiza in Peckham Rye. Under the arches and adjacent to the famous … Continue reading Taquiza
A taste of Tulum has found its way to the King’s Road, an area much in need of a foodie reinvigoration, not least a Mexican-inspired one. Somewhat of a no-man’s land when it comes to any good restaurants, its founder Fraser Carruthers recognised this: ‘King’s Road has been missing something like this, so when the … Continue reading Ixchel
Having started out as a series of pop-ups, with spells at Dinerama, Hawker House, KERB at Camden Market, and Seven Dials Market, vegan street food eatery Club Mexicana enjoyed a stint at London’s first vegan pub, The Spread Eagle. Having tested the water, it then opened up a permanent base, first in Kingly Court and … Continue reading Club Mexicana
The much anticipated debut restaurant of Mexican chef Adriana Cavita had been on My List for some time. A June birthday or two seemed like the ideal opportunity to tick off. Cavita, the person, is a well-known talent: previously trained at El Bulli, she has a degree in gastronomy and has explored her country’s under-appreciated … Continue reading Cavita
Located on the top floor of the iconic Treehouse Hotel on Langham Place, Madera pairs bold flavours with organic ingredients against the backdrop of 360-degrees skyline views. The little sister to LA-based Toca Madera, concept here remains pretty much the same: to provide ‘an elevated, modern, and organic take on traditional Mexican cuisine‘. Except this … Continue reading Madera at The Treehouse
Mexicans in London have proudly declared Taqueria to be the best Mexican restaurant in the capital. Though I’m yet to visit Mexico (a WIP), I’m not surprised. This bustling Notting Hill (or really, Westbourne Grove) establishment offers excellent comida corrida, which isn't easy to find in London. Taquería started life as the Cool Chile … Continue reading Taqueria
Finally, London seems to have got some solid options for tacos, where all that had existed before were one or two standouts or sub-optimal restaurant chains. While LA, or even New York, still has nothing to fear by way of competition, London’s newcomers have brought a nuanced look at what Mexican food means today and … Continue reading Tacos Padre
A rooftop dinner seems absolutely called for at the moment to welcome in the easing of lockdown, post-Covid life and to support the hospitality industry. Queue Maya: a Mexican restaurant on the 7th-floor rooftop space of the Hoxton Hotel’s Shoreditch outpost. Recently opened in collaboration with Soho House, the restaurant is a travelling story: it … Continue reading Maya
Yumtini 