Mestizo Restaurant & Margarita Bar review
Last week we headed over to Chelsea to try Mestizo Restaurant and their collaboration with 1800 Tequila. The Chelsea location has been open for a couple of years and includes the Margarita Bar and Market just across the street. In case you’re wondering, mestizo comes from the Spanish word for “mixed” and in Mexico it typically refers to people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry. I guess I could be considered “mestizo” being half Swiss and half Chinese.
Image courtesy of Como Garden, High Street Kensington.
I was excited to try trying this family run restaurant with a reputation for authenticity. Mexico, (and all of South America for that matter) is high on my travel bucket list with a acuisine and culture I have been wanting to explore as it opens the door to a host of unusual ingredients and spices. Most people outside Mexico are more familiar with Tex-Mex—the Americanised version of Mexican food—think fajitas, burritos, nachos, queso dip of melted processed cheese and hard-shell tacos, for which I have never understood the appeal.
I wouldn’t purport to be an expert on Mexican food but my journey with Mexican food began with a “mestizo” friend and housemate (half French, half Mexican) from hotel school in Switzerland. His mother, a semi professional wrote a book of Mexican French recipes. After a break at home, he returned with a suitcase of Mexican ingredients and a recipe of hers he wanted to replicate. I remember it containing cuitlacoche and béchamel and was very delicious. Cuitlacoche is known as the “truffle” of Mexico, a black mushroom which grows on corn. I was delighted to see it on the menu at Mestizo as well as being available for purchase in their Mexican Market.
Tacos tray. Image courtesy of Mestizo Restaurant & Margarita Bar, Chelsea.
Back in 2004 I became a regular at Taqueria opened in Notting Hill, one of London’s early pioneers of authentic Mexican cuisine in London. Their freshly made corn tortillas and comforting tortilla soup with hibiscus agua fresca got me through many long winter days. Since then, the London Mexican food scene has evolved dramatically, from high-end tasting menus at Kol to the bustling Tacos Padre stall in Borough Market. Mestizo sits somewhere in between: authentic, welcoming, and reasonably priced.
Mestizo originally opened back in 2005 in Camden and now Chelsea has its very own. Established by Marysol & Roberto Alvarado off the back of owning restaurants in Mexico then Spain. Their son Carlos Alvarado now manages the Chelsea site on the King’s Road. It’s a bit of a walk from Sloane Square, roughly equidistant to South Kensington making it a great lunch or dinner stop if you are at the end of a shopping expedition along the Kings Road.
The restaurant is split into two spaces as you enter you will come to the Margarita Bar is decorated in shades of blue and glowing rattan palm leaf pendant lights, with a central bar counter and high tables where you could work your way through their extensive cocktail list of tequila-based cocktails alongside some Mexican small plates. Beyond the bar, the dining room opens into a welcoming space with white shell disc pendant lights over the oh so cosy looking booths. The décor overall is pleasing with a touch of Mexico in the central collection of patriotically coloured red, green, white rebozos cloths hanging from the ceiling.
Flautas. Image courtesy of Mestizo Restaurant & Margarita Bar, Chelsea.
Keen to try the 1800 tequila, we gravitated towards their Summer Cocktails menu ordering the “Oro y Fuego” (1800 reposado, ginger liqueur, ginger beer) – a smooth and refreshing concoction while “Atula” (1800 coconut, cocolopez, lime and blue curacao) – uses a tequila infused with real coconut, with its bright blue colour you can see coming from a mile away was garnished with desiccated coconut on its rim. A beautifully balanced we can recommend.
From the Antojitos (Mexican Tapas) section we began with Flautas - rolled corn tortillas filled delicately seasoned potato and cheese, deep fried then topped with shredded lettuce, tomatillo sauce, sour cream & scattered with queso fresco (a soft cheese). Flautas (meaning flute) is a dish common in street food stalls, family gatherings, and casual eateries, as the chef so kindly explained, can be made with anything, for example rolling yesterday’s leftovers tightly into a corn tortilla and deep frying until crispy and golden, a true comfort food. I can never bypass a good ceviche of which they offer three types, green, red & white using either seabass or prawns. The description of all three sounded delicious making the choice difficult but the waiter’s recommendation we tried the Ceviche Blanco with prawn - marinated in lime juice with onions, green chiles, habanero and oregano.
Mestizo in Chelsea has partnered with 1800 Tequila on cocktails. Image courtesy of Mestizo Restaurant & Margarita Bar, Chelsea.
Coming direct from Mexico, Chef Boku is in Mestizo’s kitchens to finesse and ensure the authenticity of the menu. He personally delivered our main course - the “Tacos Tray” for which Mestizo is well known, explaining to us the more intricate dishes. The Tacos tray is a convivial dish easily catering to the dietary requirements of any group. When ordering guests choose their four fillings, from what is most definitely the longest list of tacos fillings I have seen anywhere! The dish comes on a large tray with jalapenos peppers, beans, pico de gallo, salsa rojo, salsa verde, onion, coriander and sour cream. We ordered two meat and two vegetarian. “Noples” - Grilled tender cactus leaf with tomato, coriander, onion and jalapeño chiles and “Cuitlacoche” - Black corn mushrooms, onion, sweetcorn, garlic & serrano chile made for unique vegetarian options for my dining partner. I chose “Pastor” - Mexican marinated pork, served with chunks of pineapple (a delicious combination). “Barbacoa” - marinated and lovingly slow cooked lamb.
As a bonus the chef threw in an extra dish of Polo con Mole (shredded chicken with Mole) which he didn’t want us to miss out on. Pronounced “Moh-lay”, the dish is thought of asMexico’s national dish often using up to 25 ingredients including chocolate and chilli resulting in an excellent depth of flavour. Diners can opt for a choice of corn or flour tortillas which arrive in round oven mitt style pouches, keeping them satisfyingly warm. We made our own juicy tacos, selecting fillings and condiments to our preference. A fun way to eat and especially enjoyable for families or groups. At £23.80 per person (an extra £2.50 for the gourmet fillings) it’s a bargain.
Crepas de Cajeta. Image courtesy of Mestizo Restaurant & Margarita Bar, Chelsea.
For dessert we ordered a classic Pastel Tres Leches, its popularity is similar to Tiramisu in Italian restaurants, and I can now see why. It is a wonderfully moist cake made of three milks - condensed, evaporated, and double cream. The kind of dessert, when despite feeling full you will polish it offregardless. We also tried the Crepas de Cajeta – crepes with “cajeta”, a caramel made with condensed milk, served with walnuts, strawberries and vanilla ice cream. The selection of desserts are mostly cake-like but there is ice cream if you are looking for something a little lighter. Or skip it all together, but life is too short for that.
After lunch we tottered across to the Market to explore and purchase some tortilla wraps, sour cream and salsa verde to feed the family with the leftovers (yes that’s how generous the portions were!) I also threw in a can of cuitlacoche to my shopping to experiment with. The Mexican market is great spot for all things Mexican, with imported Mexican sweets, chilies, sauces and all manner of ingredients needed for those Mexicans seeking the flavours of home or lovers of Mexican food.
Mestizo is an authentic experience with “fun vibes” thrown in and would no doubt be a great spot for a joyous meal with a group of friends or extended family. Of note is Taco Tuesdays and is available from 5-10pm with unlimited tacos for £30 per person with 50% off 1800 tequila shots. On Thursday it’s 2-4-1 frozen margaritas. Additionally, there is good value to be had at lunchtime where you can enjoy their 2-course menu £20 or 3-course menu £25 and a Sunday buffet for £30 per person.
Location: 392 King’s Road, London SW3 5UZ. Website: mestizo-chelsea.com. Instagram: @mestizo_chelsea
Review by Natascha Milsom
