Mexican

Club Mexicana

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Address: 14B-C Market Row, SW9 8LD

Website: https://www.clubmexicana.com/locations/brixton/

We wandered down Market Row on a Saturday lunchtime and kept seeing restaurants we loved closed or changed, as is always happening. Some have gone to warmer climes in central London, some were just a pipedream and came to a sticky end. Then we came across Club Mexicana which is bright and inviting on a lacklustre November day. In fact, so bright you might consider sunglasses. This is the second site in London, the other one in hip Shoreditch.

Although the bar stools looked inviting with their view of the chefs, we took seats in the main area. It is clearly a place for a cocktail or three and a group were doing that even at 1.30pm. The food with its delicate little mouthfuls is clearly something that can soak up the alcohol. So, we followed in their footsteps.

The menu consists of Nachos, Tacos, Burritos and Empanadas together with “sides”. Up to this moment I didn’t realise it was vegan. How could you when the menu suggests BBQ short rib taco and To-Fish and Chips Taco, and finally a “beef brisket”. When I tasted our choices, I was still uncertain.

We chose a top of the range Brixton burrito (flour tortilla around “beef” mince, “cheese”, rice and a whole lot more), Empanadas (a pocket with stuff and “cheese”), and BBQ rib tacos (sticky glazed “ribs” and more).

The burrito was very large as you can see and almost defeated a very hungry man, but he was helped out by his lunch companion.

The empanadas were small and crispy and we devoured them all.

The BBQ rib tacos were really sticky and tasty – was it really plant-based…..

It was pretty and pretty good too. Not too hot but if you need extra then get a hit of the salsa picante on the table.

There is a large drinks menu with cocktails, frozen cocktails, mocktails, beer (Mexican and from Brixton) and natural wine as well as 5 different tequilas. But there are also drinks like “soda” and there is water on the table. We drank a Modelo (Mexican beer) and a classic margarita. We enjoyed the alcohol as we rolled into Saturday night. But we really loved the food too and definitely a go to place for all the carnivores during Vegan January – but don’t miss out for the Christmas treat. You can order takeaway and delivery but also they have sharing feasts, but there were only two of us so we will return with a lot of friends. The bill was £46.69 including the alcohol and 12.5% service charge.

DF Tacos

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Address: 20 Atlantic Road

telephone: 020 3763 6357
email: BRIXTON@DFTACOS.CO.UK

https://dftacos.co.uk/brixton for opening times

This is a four location Taco shop. DF standing for Distrito Federale (Mexico City) for the locals and the Brixton branch is very large. Decor – think fast food meets the day of the dead – including our skull lighting. This was, of course, a branch of Wahaca, which we reviewed here. It’s under the same ownership and in practice it’s not much more than a change of name, with perhaps an emphasis on fast food. We went at lunchtime and there was plenty of space.

So what is on offer – lots and lots more than Nachos and Tacos. So choose taco fillings in a bun or a burrito and not forgetting a Margarita. The list is too long to repeat but remember the sizes of each dish (we didn’t……)

We chose Guacamole to share just in case the rest took too long to deliver – it doesn’t – it is really fast food so only order what you think you might like to try and then add more as you go along. Then it was a tussle – I ordered the Ancho mushroom Tacos (oven roasted mushrooms, habanero and pumpkin seed mayo and Feta cheese). My partner chose a Chicken burrito (Chilli rubbed chicken. Sour cream. Habanero & pumpkin seed salsa and House pickles) and for some unknown reason we also ordered fries.

So what did we think? Masses amount of food arrived. The Guacamole was very lemony and I assume that it was required to prevent the avocado browning. It was not unpleasant, just a surprise.

The mushroom tacos were lovely and savoury. The tacos were crisp, but, as usual with tacos, you need to eat swiftly to stop them going soggy. I had two pretty large ones so perhaps think about sharing as the sogginess increased on the second one. The habanero added flavour, but not heat, with the feta added just enough saltiness to the mushroom which were not at all waterlogged – oven roasting solves that. This dish is well worth a try.

The chicken burrito was certainly meaty, packed in with well-cooked flavoursome rice and salad. Served fresh the wrap was soft – still at the pre-cardboard stage. The fries were crinkly but turned out to be just too much starch at the end of the meal – so do not make the same mistake; just take along more companions to hoover up the remainder – a group of teenage boys would be just the right.

We washed the whole meal down with tap water and a passion fruit agua fresca. The bill was £28.96 which for the amount and quality of the food was really money well spent. This is not a Mexican which has hefty amounts of chili, sort of Mexican-for-softies. The flavours are subtle and so make this food much more available to individuals across the age span – take your kids and your granny. We will return – as hungry as possible – and will take friends so we can try some of the other offerings. We might even get to the ice cream sandwiches.

La Barra

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14e Market Row, London, SW9 8LD

https://www.instagram.com/labarralondon/

Open:
Fri: 1600 – 2200.
Sat: 1100 – 2200
Sun: 1200 – 2200

This taco restaurant and bar was taken over at short notice, done up on a shoestring, so you can see the leftovers of Rosie’s, which turned into a Persian cafe and is now La Barra. It opens for a short time – three days a week – and is still so hidden that on a Friday night the place was empty at 7.00pm. The service was friendly and, unsurprisingly given we were the only customers, prompt. Continue reading →

Casa Morita

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Address: Unit 9, Market Row, Brixton Market, SW9 8LB

Website: http://www.casamorita.com/

Email: info@casamorita.com

Phone: 020 8127 5107

Opening times:
Tuesday – Friday   12:00 – 23:30
Saturday   11:00 – 23:30
Sunday   11:00 – 22:30

We had just returned from a brief holiday in Mexico and immediately wanted more Mexican food, so we sauntered over to Casa Morita. We’ve reviewed it before (see here, with apologies for the mis-spelling), so will not go into much detail, but there are now low and high tables and many people come just for a drink. We definitely wanted food.

We went at 6.00pm (that’s how desperate we were), when there was only another  couple there, but it filled up quickly, inside and out. There are a number of combinations, including a tasting menu for two to share at £25.00. But we chose to eat three tacos each. You can mix and match the flavours and they specialise in gluten free. You can also go for the Torta – Mexico’s answer to a burger (not gluten free).

There are all the usuals – tacos with meat or vegetables and mole negro – a black sauce made from “30 ingredients” which comes with the chicken. This restaurant advertises itself as “Authentic Mexican Food”, so this was a test.

We ordered two chicken and mole tacos, a taco fresca and three with chorizo and guacamole. The chicken and mole was definitely authentic and even included a little salt that I really missed in Mexico. The mole negro is served lukewarm. The taco fresca is Queso fresco, black beans and jalapeño chilli. They provide extra chilli sauce and this is definitely needed with this taco to give it a depth of flavour before you bite into the jalapeño. The chilli sauce is also a bit smoky, as well as warming.

The chorizo came with rather warm guacamole which was a bit of a surprise but good nevertheless. The tortillas were soft while not being rubbery, so it was easy to eat everything by hand.

If you have been to Mexico (or just watched Rick Stein’s visit) then this is an eaterie that will give you the real deal. Definitely one to recommend for the things with fillings. The bill including a soft drink and a bottle of beer but before adding anything for service, came to £20.30.

Louie Louie – a short bus ride away

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address: 347 Walworth Rd, London SE17 2AL

Tel number: 020 7450 3223

Reservations: resdiary.com

Website: http://louielouie.london

This restaurant is easy to miss – I did – walking right past even though the restaurant is clear, it is hard to spot the name above the door. On a corner in the Walworth Road this is a small, well tiny really, restaurant with tables for two and four and not many of them. But it was ideal for a night of business and pleasure in a Dry January. It is a cafe with cakes and brunch during the day and a restaurant/bar in the evening with pop-up chefs . We hit it on Taco Tuesday – a Mexican pop-up for the next few weeks. Continue reading →

Wahaca

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wahac08

address: Wahaca Brixton, 20 Atlantic Road, London SW9 8JA

telephone number +44 (0) 20 3763 6357

Homepage

We did say when we set up this blog that we would only review restaurants that were not part of a chain  … but we make the rules so we can break them. Also, the opening of Wahaca Brixton marks a further shift in what Brixton has to offer and does deserve some comment. It has taken over a large pub that used to be the Railway Hotel but was also part of the Brady’s chain of pubs and known as such by many locals. It was home to gigs, caucus meetings and other more shady goings on. There are some that still mourn its going but not so much by us. The beer wasn’t anything special; the carpet on the floor stuck to your feet if you rested for even a few minutes; and with the smoking you could cut the atmosphere with a knife. We spent many nostalgic and definitely misspent evenings there but, while there are different views about its loss in the eatinbrixton team, we do think that the new restaurant is an asset for Brixton. Continue reading →

Jalisco

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Address: 1, 48 & 49 Granville Arcade, Brixton Village Market, SW9 8PR

Jalisco is a Mexican restaurant just opposite the very popular Kaosarn in Brixton Village. As it was previously a Columbian restaurant (which unfortunately we never got to try out) I must honestly say we didn’t notice that the place had changed hands, so when we headed out for an evening of Columbian food we were very surprised.

I feel that I may mention a lot in these reviews that I have one ultimate type of food that is classed as my favourite, Japanese, Thai etc. but I’m going to carry on regardless by saying that Mexican really is up there as some of my all-time favourite foods. With the spices, coriander, sour cream, guacamole, meat or fish and a big dash of heat, the flavours and ingredients of Mexican food make it too perfect for words. That said getting good Mexican food in London is hard. Yes you have the Wahaca’s and your Chipolte’s, but good local decent Mexican food is a rarity I find. Although there is already the staple Mexican in Market Row, Casa Morita, our visit there wasn’t incredible and we haven’t returned since, mainly because we found it way overpriced for the quality and quantity of food served. El Panzon is the complete opposite.

With a kind of disarrayed decoration to the place and tables outside to sit on, which I’m sure will be lovely if this darn Summer would arrive, this is quite a basic restaurant. There is also an upstairs seating area which we didn’t get to see, but makes me feel comfortable that there will be no Honest Burger type problems with getting a table if I wanted to return.

Continue reading →

Casa Marita

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address:Unit 9, Market Row, Brixton Market, SW9 8LB

This is a new restaurant in Market Row serving Mexican food. It is a hole in the wall with little decoration, just a cupboard piled high with tins and some pictures on bare walls with seemingly schoolroom castoff tables and chairs. But it all adds to the sense that it could actually be in a relatively salubrious part of a large Mexican town. There is an open kitchen with a large, shiny extractor and everything is on show – as there is little really to see. We speculated on where, if they had any, was their stock.

We went at 7.00pm and got a table relatively quickly but by 7.30 the place was full with even the tables set out in market row being full. The big rush was hard for the two waitresses who raced from table to table trying to ensure everyone had drinks  – you can pick from beer, wine and Mexican inspired soft drinks. The staffing issue is also a problem as we waited a time for the desert – well worth the wait but perhaps they need to consider their shift system.

There are all the usuals – tacos with fish or meat or vegetables and mole negro – a black sauce made from “30 ingredients” which was poured over chicken.  I thought that mexican food was really like tex-mex ….. hefty on chilli, refried beans  and guacamole and sour cream on the side. However this was not on the menu, a fact which we were quite pleased with as it allowed for experimentation.

The food was light and not overly hot as they serve hot sauce on every table so you can make it to taste. Beware of the odd mouthful of sauce as one bottle of beer disappeared trying to sooth the tastebuds. The mole negro was served lukewarm (not my favourite way of eating) and was not as tasty as I thought it might be. Perhaps warmer temperatures might bring out the chocolate and spices. It was served with what was described as rice and sweetcorn and as I hadn’t had any vegetables or fruit that day I thought this was a good option. However, they really fell foul of the trades description act as there were barely one or two kernels of corn in each plateful. The quesadilla and the pescadilla (with fish) came with a side salad. We had both kinds of sorbet – lime and passionfruit and there were thumbs up for both.

Defintely one to recommend for the things with fillings – I was not that keen on the mole negro which at £12.00 was a bit steep.  Portions are smaller than average but actually we eat too much and the portions are probably the right size for the cost (about £7.00). An excellent addition to the market.