Breddos Tacos - Clerkenwell, London

Tacos are indisputably one of the best snacks available. So it was annoying that there weren't any good places to get them in London. Luckily that's been changing over the past year, and the latest taco stand to make the transformation from mobile vendor to full-time operation is Breddos. Having spent a long time accruing queues in Hackney, it's now brought them to Clerkenwell's Goswell Road. 

Launched by Ennismore, the group behind Hoxton Hotel and Tandoor Chop House, the room has an eclectic design that's 100% fun and funky, with a large wooden table spanning its centre that's ideal for larger groups (if you get there early enough), big wide booths with Mexican throw cushions along the far side, and taupe-coloured stool seating along the near. In the back of restaurant chefs prepare salsa, tacos and tostadas illuminated by burnished steel pendant lighting hung at mismatched heights. 

Breddos uses the best ingredients and prioritises ingenuity over authenticity, which works out well for them. We kicked our meal off with a couple of micheladas and queso fundido with chorizo. The unctuous melted cheese was served with thick, crackling potato crisps made in house. And then it was taco time: we opted for the classic El Pastor - made with Iberico pork and roast pineapple and a rippling hot habanero sauce that leaves a smoulder on the palate. Baja fish was given a beautiful crunch and laced with cabbage, pico de gallo and lime mayo. 

Owners Nud Dudhia and Chris Whitney have brought in their very own volcanic stone mill and tortilla machine from across the pond and south of the border, used to nixtamalize and grind corn for the masa which goes into the tortillas. Suffice to say, they're excellent, put to good use in the tostadas as much as the tacos. Our favourite was the tuna - laden with a pyramid of coarsely sliced, ruby red cuboids. However we'd return to try the octopus with black vinegar, Sichuan pepper and bone marrow. 

Breddos, along with Santo Remedio (sadly closed due to problems with the landlord) and El Pastor, marks a big step taken in London for Mexican restaurants - ándale!

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