Cavita

Earthy pink terracotta walls, tropical hanging fronds and handmade paper lanterns from Oaxaca combine into the breezy, chic Cavita, Marylebone’s new modern Mexican hotspot.

Growing up between Mexico City and a small village in the Mexican state of Tlaxcala, chef Adriana Cavita is at the helm, bringing with her an impressive resumé that includes stints at Mexico City’s much-lauded Pujol, often called the best restaurant in the city, and Spain’s mythical El Bulli by superstar chef Ferran Adrià.

At Cavita, the vibe is decidedly more laidback. There’s more focus on winning over a local crowd with a damn good time than winning over critics and scoring Michelin stars, but the dishes are anything but simple.

Start with a zingy watermelon-spiked signature margarita sluiced in lime-infused salt made in-house before digging into the everchanging menu of street food, raw bites of seasonal seafood and big sharing plates. Silky chutoro tuna tostadas, wood-fired chicken with green mole, crisped tempura-crusted hake tacos, homemade mouth-smackingly-hot habañero sauce – Cavita’s menu gorgeously showcases Mexican flavours and ingredients within a finely rendered framework. Though there are two per order, request two portions of the unmissable quesabirrias – achingly tender, slow-cooked beef-shin tacos smeared in smoky adobo and cheese, and served with veal consommé for dipping. Yes, they can be described as decadent, but the richness will not stop you from gorging on at least two (or all four – no judgment).

Chef Cavita’s cooking style has all the finesse of a tried-and-true expert with each dish taking an unexpected turn, never pandering to less adventurous palates. See: the pig's
head tamal or the yellowtail aquachile (a Mexican twist on ceviche), dusted with a smoky sprinkle of roasted and ground red grasshoppers.

There are only two desserts, so why choose? Order them both, though the crumbly Pan de Elote – a sweet corn cake crowned with honeycomb ice cream and drowning in a bath of caramel-like cajeta – would win in a photo finish. Go with your friends for an all-but-guaranteed good time for all, and stay for after-dinner drinks at the downstairs mezcaleria.

The vibe With breezy, urban-chic Mexico City style, Cavita is a creative and cool
hotspot with good energy and great food.

The food Modern takes on traditional Mexican tropes by skilled chef Adriana Cavita.

The drink A minor-but-mighty cocktail list, plus page after page of tequilas,
mezcals, and under-the-radar Mexican spirits, like pox, sotol and bacanora.

Time Out tip Make it a night with post-prandial mezcal cocktails at Mayahuel, the atmospheric cocktail bar and mezcaleria, located on Cavita’s subterranean lower
level.