Cartel, a new taqueria and late-night tequila bar in Battersea, is the latest in the new wave of Mexican taco joints that is sweeping across London. Named in what seems a clear reference to the Mexican narco wars involving drug cartels that have cost 100,000 lives in the past 10 years, the venue must also be an early front-runner in the “poor taste […]
⦿ In the Observer, Jay Rayner reviewed Barbecoa, the new Piccadilly flagship from Jamie Oliver (pictured, left, with Raymond Blanc), a grand and expensive “meat and smoke extravaganza“. “It feels like a big New York brasserie crossed with a branch of Hawksmoor. The real action is downstairs in a basement space which laughs in the […]
⦿ Jay Rayner of The Observer visited 108 Garage off Portobello Road in Notting Hill, where he said “dribblingly positive reviews, of which this is another, have stacked up” – despite the lack of pre-opening publicity. “There is a touch of the Italian to the menu here, but also a touch of a bunch of other things besides. What […]
The taco’s rise to prominence in London continues, with Club Mexicana moving permanently into the Haggerston cocktail bar Pamela on January 17. Club Mexicana founder Meriel Armitage has pioneered a vegan take on taco classics, testing the market as a street-food vendor with Kerb and Street Feast. Two of the best-reviewed London restaurant openings in […]
⦿ In The Observer, Jay Rayner reviewed Aquavit, the St James’s offshoot of an “award-garlanded” Swedish restaurant in New York – “And, oh boy, check out that swagger.” It turned out to be “a proper Nordic noir thriller but for all the wrong reasons… It’s altogether more Trump Tower than Wallander. Everything is shiny and golden […]
Sam and Eddie Hart, the brothers behind the soaring Barrafina group, opened their latest venture this week, the Mexican-inspired El Pastor taqueria near Borough Market. “Al pastor“, or shepherd-style, is where the taco meets the kebab – a Mexico City staple with its origins in the Arab shawarma. Sam Hart acquired a taste for the style while […]
Mexican celebrity chef Martha Ortiz is to open a restaurant at the InterContinental Hotel in Park Lane next spring. Dulce Patria, her Mexico City venture, is regarded as one of the most exciting restaurants in Latin America, combining research into historical Mexican gastronomy with creative modern twists. The Mayfair venue will be her first beyond Dulce […]
Nine London branches of the Wahaca Mexican streetfood chain were closed after a norovirus outbreak infected 360 customers and staff last week. Four have reopened, but five branches remain closed: Covent Garden, Oxford Circus, Soho, Charlotte Street and Kentish Town. The three-night Day of the Dead fiesta scheduled for the Vaults at Waterloo on Thursday, Friday and […]
From the team behind Wahaca, the bright and buzzy Mexican street food chain, comes an all new venture to Brick Lane’s Old Truman Brewery. Well, we say all new, the concept is still very much centred on Mexican food, but with a (now commonplace) American twist. The US influences at DF/Mexico, which opened on 24 […]
Popular Mexican chain Benito’s Hat has opened a Leadenhall Street outpost to cater for the City crowd. The latest branch features electronic ordering to (hopefully) reduce queues during the lunch hour rush. Punters can order food via an app and collect in-house or have it delivered to their office. Like its other five London establishments, Benito’s Hat’s […]
