There was a time (read: all of 2007) when I couldn’t get enough of Green & Red Bar and Cantina. I must have eaten there five or six times last year. Despite its not-super-accessible-by-public-transport location, Green & Red served, in my (admittedly East-coast) opinion, the best tequila-based drinks, the best quality mole-slathered mains, and the most delicious carne asada and carnitas tacos in London. I loved the young, energetic vibe in the dining room, and the relaxed lounge downstairs was just icing on the cake.
Maybe I OD’d, but I hadn’t been back to Green & Red since 2007, so last weekend, Jon and I moseyed on down with our friends Kara and Jeff to get a taco-and-tequila fix. The service was still friendly (though harried and distracted), and the food was still good, but the bloom’s off the rose. Is it me, or is it the resto? It’s probably me, just feeling cranky about the multiple (large and loud) groups of birthday celebrators who’d taken over the dining room the night we were there. And I’d forgotten that each pitcher of margarita – full of ice cubes, too – ran north of £25 (£27.50 to be exact).
Luckily, the tacos we ordered were still as delish as I remembered. At Green & Red, you order the taco filling you want (£12.50-£14.50 depending on the meat); you’re served taco garnishes (cabbage slaw, several salsas) and a stack of hot, soft, aromatic corn tortillas; and then it’s all Do It Yourself from there. So you can eat tacos with the filling-to-tortilla proportion you like. Extras like guac (£3.50) and queso fresco (£1.50) aren’t bad additions, but the Green & Red versions are kind of bland, so I add them more for texture than for flavor.
Jon and I always order a carne asada, which is smoky and rare like the yummy steak it is. I like that Green & Red cooks the steak and then slices up the meat (i.e., you’re not eating meat scraps or pre-chopped meat that gets dried out/overcooked). Simple and delish.
Carnitas is our other favorite, mostly because you get such a generous portion of pork belly (with crackling). Green & Red’s version can be a bit dry despite that thick layer of pork fat, but I throw on the cabbage slaw, queso and salsas and I’m all good.
You get a lot of meat, regardless of which taco filling you order, so Jon and I never make it to dessert, which is good, because Green & Red isn’t cheap. All the above-described food ran the two of us about £70, which strikes me as a lot for a pitcher of margaritas and tacos, however tasty. But it’s London, so I’m willing to pay for quality Mexican food. Query whether I’m willing to deal with all the large birthday groups, though.
Love G&R but agree it’s pricey! Finally made it to Wahaca and really enjoyed it…finally a place that has enchiladas! yum. Now if we could only get some tamales for Christmas.
I dunno. I went there for a group dinner in May (maybe we were one of ‘those groups’!). Thought the starters were good but was disappointed with the mains. They sounded great on the menu but found most of them a bit bland (I had the leg of lamb but tasted some of the others). The carne asada was pretty good though.
Jane – tamales would indeed be Christmas-come-early. The only really delicious ones I’ve had were in Arizona somewhere, but I’ll stay optimistic. I haven’t been back to Wahaca since last summer, just after it opened, so it’s nice to hear you enjoyed the food there. I should revisit . . . .
Rags – I have to admit that despite my multiple trips to Green & Red, I’ve never strayed from the carne asada – carnitas options for mains, so in a way, this is the world’s most incomplete restaurant review. The meats, while quality ingredients, are pretty much left ‘plain’ (which I like), so I pile on the salsas and other trimmings to liven things up.
I will also admit that I went to a birthday party once at Green & Red, as part of a big, noisy group, but I swear that last weekend, it seemed the entire dining room was comprised exclusively of birthday parties. It was like being at a Chuck E Cheese for 20-and-30-somethings.
I’m an American moving to Leeds very soon, and I plan many trips down to London – so your Mexican restaurant reviews are very helpful.
I’ve lived in the UK previously (up in the East Midlands), and whenever we travelled down to London we would go to a restaurant called The Texas Embassy, which is near Trafalgar Square. Really surprised you haven’t reviewed it here – having lived in Texas for many years, I would highly recommend Texas Embassy as some of the most authentic Tex-Mex in London (if not the whole of the UK).
Thanks for a great blog – it’ll be one of my go-to resources for London restaurants!
For tamales in London, the best (only!) place I’ve found is Mestizo. It’s a bit off the beaten path, but still pretty easy to get to (Hampstead Road, not far from Euston station).
I’m sorry to say that I haven’t eaten in the restaurant very often (though it is good), but I order tamales from them every year for my Christmas party. I’m convinced some of my guests come for the tamales alone!
http://www.mestizomx.com/london.html
Went here the other day with a small group – food was good – started with a whole bunch of the antojito’s to share (the octopus ceviche is particuarly good) and then onto mains. And I agree the margaritas are the business
Problem came when the bill turned up for 210 quid for 5 of us which seemed a little steep. Upon reading it what they do is put the prices without VAT on the menu (but absolutely no mention anywhere that its exc. vat) and then only add it at the end. So our bill was 160 (bit more reasonable for 5 people) Then plus 15% we weren’t aware of and then plus 12.5% service which bunged £50 on it.
Found it all a bit dodgy and underhand and is the main thing I’ll take away from there. Think I’ll stick to Wahaca…
[...] visited again after spending £50 for eight orders of room-temperature, stale, oily tacos) and Green & Red (whose carnitas tacos are great but pricey). [And since we're on the topic, I've never had [...]
Hate to say this, but anybody who thinks The Texas Embassy does good Tex Mex has never had good Tex Mex. Anything I have ever had from there has tasted like an El Patio frozen dinner. I can say this as a native Houstonian…
Am glad I’ve found this site as am desperate for some good Tex Mex and am going to give a couple of these places a try as nothing I’ve found is close to what I get at home.
EvieJ – Good luck. While of course some places are better than others in London, the best Tex Mex you’ll have in this town will be what you make at home when you have friends ferry over good tortillas. [Or you could do as one of our friends does and make your own.]
I am from a small town in Texas where about 25 percent of the population is Mexican. My brother’s best friend was Mexican and his mother was an amazing cook and we also had a Mexican man who worked for us and cooked us all sorts of yummy treats that I can’t remember the name to;( Anhhow, that being my sort of C.V. for reviewing Mexican/Tex-Mex restos in London, I would have to say, to date Wahaca is the best place that I’ve eaten for Mexican food in London. There are a few little places in Brixton market that sell fabulous Columbian/Argentinian and other such treats for super cheap. But if you want main stream Mexican for a good price Wahaca it is.
I will follow your advice and try to order my tamales from Mestizo, the food I had there was ok, but the prices were ridiculous!
Happy eating….
I am from Mexico, well I was born there and my whole family are from Latin America but there are absolutely no good Mexican restaurants in London. Tamales is pretty much our staple diet. Los invito a la casa de mi abuelita para comer unos tamales jeje
I am an Englishman who enjoys trying & cooking foods from around the world.On a recent trip to London – I live up North as we indigenous people say – I bought some Mesa flour and corn husks and,after finding an American website for tamales, I have just made & eaten some.Their taste was ‘OK’ but as I have never tried the real thing it is very hard to know (although I’m sure you & your readers would probably say 4/10).
Thankfully,finding this blog has given me place/s to get the ‘authentic’ taste and I would like to thank you.
Buy your Tamales in the UK from http://www.tamalesonline.co.uk Mexican or Belize Tamales for sale online