When Zapote first opened on London’s Leonard Street in 2023, it was hailed as the great saviour of Mexican food in the capital. Move over, anglicised chains serving flour tortillas and Old El Paso-esque spice blends, here was a real Mexican restaurant. Much was made of their soft corn tacos, lovingly made in-house from rare varieties of South American corn and their authentic love for Mexican street food.

Building on that success, they’ve now opened Chicozapote, a raised bar inside the restaurant, which refines what they do best – you guessed it, it’s tacos. Settle in with a mezcal-based cocktail and put your trust in the kitchen, because what’s on offer is definitely not what you’d expect. Don’t be scared by the chargrilled lobster, taramasalata and oxtail, which sounds brash on paper but is actually a delicious parcel of joy, all wrapped in a small but perfectly formed taco which is so good that it makes sourcing indigenous corn varieties seem positively worthwhile. Likewise, the lamb and spiced chickpea, which looks on paper like a strange attempt at a Lebanese classic but is actually smokily spiced and slow-cooked, perfectly disintegrating as you bite into it. 

Up there with the best of the tacos on offer is the ox tongue, delivered with petals of picked red onion and a cashew mole, which adds just the right amount of salt to go with the rich, creamy cut of meat. Having said that, and not to keep banging on about rare corn, but the tacos themselves are the real revelation here. One taste of Zapote’s soft, flavoursome tortillas and you’ll never be able to go back to supermarket wraps again. Indigenous maize, we love you.

It seems Zapote feels the same way, with even the dessert paying homage to the humble crop. Trust us when we say that the words ‘dark chocolate mousse, blackcurrants, corn crumble’ will not prepare you for what arrives at the table. The jet black mousse is moulded into the shape of an ear of corn, so perfect that we wondered whether we’d been sent the wrong thing. A thin layer of solid chocolate is even reminiscent of the texture of corn. It’d be disconcerting if it didn’t taste so good.

Only someone from Mexico can pass judgement on whether or not Chicozapote serves up authentic tacos, or whether the tortillas are at the top of their game. While we can’t pass judgement on those aspects, we’re happy to say with certainty that this is the best Mexican food we’ve had in London – and that isn’t just the mezcal talking.

70 Leonard St, London EC2A 4QX

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