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Mezcalito garden lounge and bar aims to bring Mexico to the heart of Chelsea. Vada Magazine popped along on Taco Tuesday to find out what Mezcalito Chelsea brings to the table.
Mezcalito Chelsea
Mezcalito Chelsea is located on Sydney Street, close to the well-known garden centre, Chelsea Garden. Decking and a couple of tables out the front of the venue (presumably for guests to wait for the rest of their party before going in), gives way to a den Mexican curiosities. Guests are greeted by the bar before being shown to their table, which could be either indoors or on the well covered terrace (with retractable roof and heaters). The interior of Mezcalito is adorned with sombreros, and many more are handed out to diners to don while drinking.
The menu
Mezcalito offers a food menu containing sharing starters (para picar), tacos, quesadillas, burritos and sides, with additionally menu options available Tuesdays: Taco Tuesday (unlimited Tacos available for £25), and Saturdays: bottomless brunch (unlimited frozen mags for £35). Additionally there is a Mariachi band Wednesday evenings, for those wanting some extra entertainment.
From the a la carte menu, we chose to share a selection of:
- Tres Amigos Dips (£10) a selection of black bean, nacho cheese and salsa dips with homemade corn tortilla chips. We loved the crunch and the refill of chips when we ran out.
- Pollo al achiote tacos (£9) made with chicken marinated in annatto seed paste, guacamole, cheese, salsa, coriander and lime; and Carne asada tacos (£11) made with marinated beef, mashed black beans, quest, salsa, sautéed onions and coriander. The tacos were flavourful but the meat could have been a little more moist.
- Chorizo a la Mexicana quesadillas (£11.50) filled with chorizo sautéed with onion, chilli habanero, melted cheese and sour cream – this one is a lot hotter than it appears, so be prepared to give your taste buds a pause afterwards to enjoy the flavours of the other plates.
Mezcalito Chelsea of course offers cocktails beyond just a margarita. Their cocktail menu is design to show off flavours from regions across Mexico, providing drink and regional information. We sipped on the Riviera Maya (£14) mixed with Codigo 1530 Blanco Tequila, fresh pineapple, fresh mint, lime juice, peach and agave nectar. This green concoction can be drunk far too quickly, and we think it definitely counts as one of your five-a-day…so four more please. We also tried the Acapulco (£14) which is effectively an Pina Colada made with 1800 Coconut Tequila rather than rum, and an addition of hibiscus syrup for pink hue. We found this particularly sweet for our taste, but who can say no to sipping on a big, pink…drink.
Diners more interested in tequila neat, ask the Mezcalito Chelsea staff for their large tequila menu. Those will eagle-eyes will note some of the bottles behind the bar on their way in.
The vibe
As expected for a Chelsea establishment, we found all the front of house staff good-looking and friendly in a relaxed uniform of a well-cut, Mazcalito-branded polo. Guests are expected to be equally well-dressed, no house clothes allowed (i.e. no hoodies or tracksuits, sorry not sorry Juicy Couture).
Service was friendly and efficient, never having to wait more than a moment or two to get the attention of our waiter to place orders.
Overall thoughts
Given the overall décor and the cheesy-but-still-fun sombreros for guests to wear, Mezcalito Chelsea really sets itself up as the perfect brunch venue, and does a good job at continuing this vibe throughout the week. Do not book expect an experiential food experience, the menu we found relatively average. Mezcalito Chelsea is the choice for those looking for a fun choice to hang out with friends, and those on friendly terms with tequila. Bring your own maracas.
Mexcalito Chelsea is is located at 119 Sydney Street, London, SW3 6NR
For more information and to book, visit mezcalitochelsea.com.
