London’s in the middle of its Mexican food renaissance with authentic establishments blooming across the city. It is no longer a struggle to come across freshly-made corn tortillas, different-flavoured moles and proper, smooth tequila and mezcal. If anything, we’re overwhelmed with choice, and I’m not complaining.
Some made waves like Sonora Taqueria in Stoke Newington, which started as a food stall for northern Mexican fare and finally opened a brick-and-mortar; or Soho’s Fonda, the little sister of chef Santiago Lastra’s Michelin-starred spot in Marble Arch, KOL. Other restaurants have coasted under the radar, minding their business, staying in their lane.
One of these low-key contenders is Zapote, a contemporary Mexican joint bringing life to Shoreditch’s Leonard Street. Named after the tropical Mexican fruit that tastes like a cross between a cantaloupe and sweet potato, the space opened in 2023, and oh, what a space it is. Management could easily add extra tables to make extra dough, but they spared the overcrowding, allowing more light to shine on the abstract, technicolour mural painted on one of the walls of the otherwise neutral-toned dining room. But before you’re seated, there’s Zapote’s peach, U-shaped mezcal bar for ordering signatures like the Zapote 70, the restaurant’s take on a margarita with orgeat and Ojo de Dios Mezcal instead of Cointreau.
In the far back corner, you’ll find Zapote’s open kitchen run by chef Yahir Gonzalez from Aguascalientes, Mexico, who worked at the Soho tapas bar, Aqua Nueva, before jumping ship in 2023. His business partner in crime, Tony Geary – who has run some prestigious dining rooms in the city like Hutong and Sketch – joins him as restaurant manager.
We sat near the culinary corner in a half-booth, half-table under the mural and browsed the one-page menu: a carefully-thought list of dishes that offers not only the typical tacos and tostadas, but also more sophisticated plates, showcasing the variety of Mexican cuisine.
The ox tongue taco, for example, is served on a fresh corn tortilla with cashew mole: the most tender piece of ox tongue, cashews for texture and pickled onions on top. Pair this with the roasted corn that comes with recado negro – a smoky, Yucatán spice paste with deep flavour of burnt chillies – and grated cheese. It’s a refreshing take instead of the common corn with chilli, cream and cotija cheese, yet still with all the authenticity.
Red prawn ceviche
Coal-roasted secreto al pastor skewers
Blue corn ice cream taco with dulce de leche
For a more interactive experience, order the coal-roasted secreto al pastor skewers: juicy pork al pastor chunks with guacamole and salsa roja, all generously sprinkled with chicharon bits. No pork? Then choose the fillet of beef and oxtail with ancho chilli, avocado and tomatillo salsa.
Both come with tortilleros that hold the freshest, warmest corn tortillas made in-house. Build your own precious taco or roll the tortilla up to eat on the side. There is no wrong answer.
There’s also the red prawn ceviche, another technicolour masterpiece, except this one is edible and served with a side of totopos. Slivers of red prawn are delicately topped with pistachio, fermented lemon and kumquat. It’s a rainbow on a plate that tastes as sweet and zesty as it looks. I’m not sure how Gonzalez made this seafood dish taste like the Fruity Pebbles cereal (I say this in the highest of compliments), but he did and I’ll go for it again and again.
And God bless Zapote’s desserts. You won’t find overcooked churros with that cheap water-based chocolate dip here. Instead, Gonzalez offers wonderful contemporary choice between a strawberry and passion fruit meringue or dark chocolate with coffee mezcal and orange, but it was the blue corn ice cream taco with dulce de leche that ticked all the boxes in flavour balance and texture. Served in a blue corn flour-made waffle tortilla, this icy treat is topped with palomitas (Spanish for popcorn), for a sweet and salty combo that makes one wish they came in pairs. It was not only a great finish, but a great reminder that in Mexico, corn is king and versatile, and Gonzalez does a fantastic job at showing it from beginning to end.
70 Leonard Street
Shoreditch
London
EC2A 4QX
August 2025
