Weekly Review: El Pastor & Casa Pastor
We need to talk about Mexican food. It's perfect for group gatherings. Social, funny, tasty, and naturally convivial. I promise you're not considering Mexican often enough.
Quick hit: Fantastic tacos, flaky fish, and delicious slow-cooked meats. Nibble or gorge. Great place for laughs. Perfect for groups small or large.
Details: Booking advised for larger groups. Borough Market, Soho, Kings Cross. ££ (or £££ if you drink lots of Margaritas).
Restaurant website. More on Instagram.
Find it on Google Maps: Original Borough Market location. Soho Location. Kings Cross location.
The full picture: New truism — You never really know someone until you share a bowl of guacamole.
Okay. Okay. Communal dining experiences are now commonplace. My friend Tom C. would suggest far too common. Spanish Tapas. Italian Cicchetti. Sri Lankan rice and curry. Chinese dim sum. Indian cuisine from its myriad of regions. All are best enjoyed shared.
But the virtues of Mexican food go well beyond the sharing itself. The vibe of a Mexican meal is always fun. The food itself seems to have a sense of humour. I mean, Guac is delicious. That’s beyond question. But have you ever looked at the stuff? It’s a big bowl of green mush. It’s fun house food, and it’s fun. And there’s the question of recipe: Everyone has opinion. Onions or no? Jalalpeños or no? Tomatoes or no? Cumin or no? (For the record, the answer to all of these questions is ‘yes.’) But you can still argue for hours. Margaritas help. And you can ‘discuss’ them, too.
And once we get beyond starters, there is lovingly prepared food — usually featuring key ingredients cooked long and slow — served with tortillas — which pretty much have to be made fresh somewhere nearby — and copious amounts of cheese. In some circumstances, there are big hats.
Which is why every great Mexican restaurant will somehow manage to keep you and your companions laughing, whatever the occasion.
That makes Mexican food a potentially vital tool in getting colleagues, clients, and friends together around a meal (or just chips and Margaritas.)
And if you’re looking for a great Mexican experience in London, El Pastor is the top choice.
Before I cover the food and drink at El Pastor, I need to digress slightly. I’ve lived in London since 2008, and when we first arrived, there really wasn’t any good Mexican food in London. Mestizo, now with a couple of locations, comes closest, and I still like it. At the time, there was a dodgy place in Notting Hill that we never tried. A few years later, Wahaca came along. Because we were desperate, we pretended to like it. But let’s be honest now: It isn’t very good. Mexican made bland. Although they do bring the fun. Then Tortilla opened (pretty good and they deliver) and Chipotle arrived (excellent) from the USA. And today, we have La Chingada, which is phenomenal. A truly perfect taco joint, which happens to be near where I live. There’s also Sonora in Stoke Newington, in a similar vein. Then Kol appeared with Michelin-starred Mexican food so good you would be happy eating there if it were in Mexico City. And really good restaurants are taking clever inspiration from Mexican traditions. In extra-meaty Temper recently, they offered a wide selection of tacos, including a soft shell crab taco, which was so fantastic it made me homesick.
The point is that today, there is good Mexican food in London. And, as Chloe-Rose Crabtree points out over on Vittles, we can now take pleasure in the range of options on offer. So it’s time for Americans like me to stop complaining. Really. Stop.
Among that range of options, El Pastor is excellent. It starts with the tortillas: Made in-house. Great guacamole. A range of salsas for any palate from adventurous to British. Refreshing tostadas, especially the tuna which is glorious. Outstanding tacos, especially the fish and the namesake El Pastor. Delicious, slow-cooked meats that includes a fantastic short-rib served Flintstone-style a la Brontosaurus. They offer a far-ranging tequila and mezcal selection, and a classic Caesar salad. Did you know the Caesar was invented in Mexico?
Everything is plated for sharing so ordering rewards smart, tactical decision-making.
So, you’re bought in on Mexican, and you’ve got your gang together. Now, which El Pastor to choose? The various locations offer slightly different vibes.
The original, in Borough Market, is the most fun. It’s small, crowded, and buzzy. It picks up on the energy of the market madness right outside. On warm days, the outdoor seating area is caught in the market swirl.
The Soho location is trying to be a mezcal bar. It’s a bit too polished for me. The chairs and tables are a little too comfortable. But it’s still a solid place to go for a team lunch or a pre-theatre nibble and cocktail, and it’s super-convenient.
The Kings Cross location, called Casa Pastor, is in the new-ish Coal Drops Yard. It’s huge. There’s massive indoor / outdoor bar area perfect for an after work session. The dining room is warm and inviting in spite of its size. And the food is excellent.
There is a fourth location coming soon in the Battersea Power Station complex. So no matter where in London you’re based (more or less), there’s an El Pastor in range.
It’s great to see that Mexican food is attracting so much interest from Londoners. Who wouldn’t love a cuisine that offers great food with an inherent sense of humour? I can only encourage you to find a reason to go and dig in for the afternoon, evening, or the whole weekend. And El Pastor is the perfect place to turn.
