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Space-wise, Breddos Tacos’ spanking new Clerkenwell hub may only be a slight upgrade from their former home at Dinerama, but the teensy spot still marks a helluva leap from those market origins. Potted succulents, bold prints and a wall of disco records colour up the busy room, with informal, communal seating options to suit what is still ostensibly street food.
First up: queso fundido, a melted cheese dish with green chorizo, a subtler alternative to the typical ancho-heavy sausage. I enjoyed the twist, but the bubbling queso rapidly solidified at room temperature, so no dithering. From here on in, tacos dominate the menu. Make no mistake – these are some of the most creative soft shells in town, blending trad Mexican salsas with global ingredients: from the masa fried chicken, made famous in their stall days, to a pig’s head cochinita pibil, the nicely fatty meat served with a fiery Mayan ‘x ni pek’ salsa.
A wood grill adds further intrigue. We shared smoky ribeye beef, pink medallions splayed across two tortillas, served with shiitake mushrooms and a tangy IPA salsa – mild and earthy flavours in place of your usual chilli and lime.
The standout was a pulpo-topped tostada, the crunch of the tortilla clashing beautifully with slippery chunks of octopus, punchy Sichuan flavours balancing with rich bone marrow and acidic black vinegar. Yup, these guys are tearing up the cookbook.
Breddos is still getting up to speed (quite literally when it comes to the music, with long silences between tunes), and some of the staff lacked a grasp of the menu’s fundamentals. But holy guacamole, are they shaking up an already healthy taco scene. Never mind Mexican, this is cross-continental food geekery.