It’s possible you’ve heard someone say that London doesn’t have any good Mexican food. We say that’s a myth perpetuated by Americans who envy our national health service and the wealth of cosplay Downton Abbey opportunities. The truth is that you can find some (but not a lot) of good Mexican food in London, whether it’s homemade goose fat tortillas loaded with barbacoa and cheese or a tasting menu restaurant where you’ll find a cashew mole and grilled octopus taco that might just change your life.
THE SPOTS
We could go on for hours about La Chingada’s crispy el pastor or soft suadero tacos. Or one of its hot salsas, a deep brown habanero number. Same with their fried chicken, a juicy golden pile that’s waiting to be smothered in the tingly, vinegar-ish red of chile de arbol and butter sauce. But it’s not just the food. It’s the day-glo chicken shop aesthetic. It’s the standing, the leaning, and the eating. It’s the day we spent ordering, eating, drinking, ordering, smoking, digesting, ordering, and eating some more. A meal on the pavement may not be everybody’s thing, but it is ours and, even if it isn’t, you can sit indoors. The mango margaritas are also excellent.
Decimo is an evening-only restaurant that gives you the feeling that everyone here knows at least ten more sex positions than you do and probably wouldn’t be afraid to demonstrate said knowledge come Saturday at 2am on the bar, with a cauliflower taco in one hand, and their eighth glass of Rioja in the other. Their caviar tortilla is the stuff of absurd legend and, yet, it’s a gooey, delicious, and decadent creation that everyone should try. As well as tacos, the swanky spot on the roof of The Standard hotel in King’s Cross also serves meat and fish off the grill like quail with mole glaze and eye-wateringly priced £16 scallops. It’s daft, but these kinds of dinners are necessary every once in a while.
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Hold onto your cynicism reader because we’re about to sound incredibly America’s Next Top Model, but Kol is a restaurant that has it. Whatever it is that takes a restaurant from good to fever dream, Kol has it. A warm terracotta dining room with a buzzing open kitchen, they serve a Mexican-inspired tasting menu. Hold the pretentious faff, think instead: smoky mezcal broths, slick squid paired with a rich cashew mole, and a gooseberry and pear salsa tortilla situation that will make you rue the day you ever willingly bought an Old El Paso kit. It isn’t easy getting a booking but persevere, hit refresh, look out for last-minute cancellations. The booking effort and heavy-duty price tag will be entirely worth it to experience a Mexican fine dining restaurant that’s confident, wildly creative, and never ever boring.
When they first opened, Breddos was a taco joint in Clerkenwell that most people wouldn't necessarily describe as traditional. They did things like put kung pao pork belly and fried chicken inside corn tortillas, which might elicit fury from Mexican food purists. These days they’re a little more conservative. The masa fried chicken is still around and crushed potatoes with honey and garlic-cucumber crema isn’t exactly standard fare, but it’s less in your face. There are meaty mains as well as rice and beans and tuna tostadas. It’s untraditional but tasty and ideal for a midweek meet-up.
