Review of 'Trejo's Tacos'
I am a regular watcher of live cooking show “Saturday Morning Kitchen” which is shown on BBC1 every Saturday at 10:00 am. About a month ago I was surprised to see famous Hollywood actor Danny Trejo talking about his latest Taco restaurant in London along with his head chef (they demonstrated the construction of one of his dishes). I had heard of his restaurants in California so was pleased to hear that he was opening one much closer to me here. As chance would have it, we were to be in London for a few days so I quickly made a booking.
“Trejo's Tacos” is located at the end of the Portobello Road market, quite close to the Ladbroke Grove tube station and just beyond the market where the “car boot” section begins, north of the A40 underpass. You can't miss it on your left with the black exterior covered with a giant mural of Danny Trejo himself - Hard to mistake him. There is seating outside on the pavement while inside the cool California-vibe interior is plastered with large modern murals many of which also feature Trejo.
On entering the small two-room restaurant there is a large bar along the left side of the room. Walking past the bar you turn to the left to pass by the kitchen then into the second room of the restaurant which has the majority of the seating.
When we visited there was a special “Paloma Day Menu” featuring several cocktails in addition to the normal three page menu that is divided into Margaritas, Appetizers, Cocktails, Non-Alcoholic Cocktails, Soft Drinks, Salads (one), Bowls (rice bowls with taco-toppings), Burritos, Sides, Salsas, Tacos, Kid's Menu, Dessert, then drinks on the back. Yes, there is a huge emphasis on drinks here but surprisingly there is not a huge selection, indeed, the menu itself is quite straightforward with not a huge number of options but what is there really packs a punch with most items very delicious sounding. Across the menu there is the smiling face of Trejo beside his “favourites”. Prices are reasonable but given that most dishes are quite small the bill can add up quite quickly…
Neither myself nor my dining partner were interested in drinking so we decided to pick some rather pricey non-alcoholic cocktails. I had the “N.A. Trejos Paloma” (£9 but should have been £11; “Trejo's spirits zero proof tequila, lime juice, grapefruit juice, agave syrup, simple syrup, grapefruit soda, soda water”) which was quite good with lots of tangy flavour from the lime with the tequila adding even more bitter flavour but sweetness provided by the syrups. My companion tried the “N.A. Trejo's O.G.” (£11; “Trejo's spirits zero proof tequila, lime juice, agave syrup”) which was quite a lot more plain though much more bitter without the extra syrup in mine.
The one Trejo favourite from the “Appetizer” was the “Nachos” (£12; “beans, cheese, jalapenos, chipotle crema, pico de gallo [a fresh salsa]”) to which we added guacamole (£4) though other options were available such as grilled chicken, steak asada and mushroom asada. This was probably some of the best nachos we have ever had in the UK. The nacho chips themselves were fresh made with just the write amount of crunch while the copious amount of toppings with two different cheeses were really tasty mixed with the beans. This was finished very quickly indeed.
For my main I had two tacos, both of which were listed as Trejo's favourites (and ones I would probably have picked myself): “Carnitas” (£6; “slow-cooked pork, pineapple, red onion, cilantro, fermented hot sauce”) and “O.G. Beer Battered Fish” (£7; “beer batter cod, pineapple salsa, chipotle slaw, vegan avocado crema, served on a flour tortilla”). The carnitas was wonderfully juicy and full of flavour from the sweet pineapple and fresh cilantro while the fish was a far more modest affair with a huge piece of fish and much less punchy toppings. They were both gone in a matter of minutes despite their generous size - No skimping on fillings here.
My companion had the “Mexican Caesar Salad” (£10; “romaine lettuce, tortilla strips, cotua cheese, anchovy, Caesar dressing”) which she found quite tasty with the following comments: Too many anchovies but with just the right amount of dressing, fresh crunchy lettuce and excellent crispy tortilla strips not at all soggy from the wet dressing.
For dessert we could not resist the “Churros” (£8.50; “Mexican chocolate and strawberry dipping sauces”) which were very fresh but, oddly, slightly raw on the inside despite their crispy, crunchy exterior coated lavishly with sugar and cinnamon. The portion size was generous though with only small amounts of each dipping sauce though, to be fair, we were offered extra if we needed it…
The service was friendly and relaxed. There were only a few tables with diners despite it being 6:00 pm on a Thursday when we arrived. It got a bit busier later but not terribly…perhaps it is still so new it has not yet been discovered by diners? Or, perhaps, it is much busier on the weekends? Our bill came to about £74 including a 12.5% service charge added by the restaurant which was quite pricey though this is doubtless because of the two cocktails which alone accounted for more than £20.
Very tasty Mexican, or perhaps more Tex-Mex, with a distinctly California vibe with clean, fresh flavours in tasty combinations though with lots of small plates and charges your bill can quickly add up. Perhaps not hugely original, it was very delicious and we will be back should we be in the area to try some more options from the menu.
Rating: “I have absolutely no complaints”
Review Date: 2024-05-23
Cuisine: Mexican
Address: 299-301, Portobello Rd, London W10 5TD ENGLAND
Public Transport: 
Ladbroke Grove
Location: London (England) - Notting Hill
Map:
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Telephone: +44 (0) 7731567550
URL: https://www.trejostacos.co.uk/