Latest opening: Trejo’s Tacos
What: A contemporary-style taqueria that’s looking to bring a flavour of LA Mexican food culture to London’s Notting Hill.
Who: As you may have guessed from the name, Trejo’s Tacos is the creation of reformed gangster turned Hollywood actor Danny Trejo, who’s starred in the likes of Machete, From Dusk Till Dawn and Heat. Trejo’s Tacos was originally created following a conversation between Trejo and film producer Ash Shah on the set of Bad Ass. The pair opened their first taqueria in Los Angeles in 2016 and have now grown to an estate of five sites across the US city. A sister brand, Trejo’s Coffee and Donuts, operates a single site on Sunset Boulevard. Trejo’s Tacos’ London outpost was first mooted back in 2022 when Trejo launched a £1m crowdfund to open a flagship restaurant in the capital. It is being led by restaurateur Jerome Armit - who has worked for places including The Crazy Bear Fitzrovia, Newman Street Tavern and Soho’s El Camion - and film producer and financier Sean O’Kelly, who will jointly helm the operation as co-CEOs. The advisory team includes MEATliquor co-founder Yianni Papoutsis.
The food: The menu at Trejo’s Tacos is extensive and goes way beyond its titular dish with a selection of appetisers, soups, salads, bowls and entrées also available. Signatures dishes include nachos topped with beans, cheese, pickled jalapeños and pico de gallo (£11); and a carnitas rice bowl with pork, pineapple and fermented hot sauce (£12). The taco menu itself also includes pork carnitas with other fillings available including streak asada with pepita pesto; beer-battered fish; and chicken tikka. Individual taco prices can fairly be described as punchy, pitched at between £6 and £7 for a single taco. Larger plates, meanwhile, include a 10oz ribeye steak served with fried onions, poblano peppers, tortillas and lime (£22); a whole sea bass (£25); and grilled chicken adobo served with rice, beans and pico de gallo (£19).
To drink: Like the food menu, the drinks offering is also thorough with a large range of beer and wine. There are also cocktails including a dedicated selection of margaritas.
The vibe: The two-storey, 3,000sq ft site can hold up to 70 covers inside with a further 30 seats available for alfresco dining on the outdoor terrace. The design features elements of US diner culture such as novelty license plates on the wall; and posters featuring drawings of Trejo alongside Mexican iconography including a wrestler in a luchador mask. This colourful tableaux is neatly contrasted with more muted, sandy tones, which combine to create a bright and spacious dining room. The site is not, as some may expect, open from dusk till dawn (on Sundays it closes at 4.30pm, in fact).
And another thing: Trejo hopes that his first London restaurant will serve as the jumping off point for a larger Europe-wide rollout over the next five years. “I’m so ready to bring Trejo’s Tacos to London,” he says. “I love the creativity that the city inspires, and I can’t think of a better place to launch internationally than with our friends in London. I’m excited that we found the perfect time and team to bring Trejo’s to its second home.”
299-301, Portobello Rd, London W10 5TD
trejostacos.co.uk
