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Please note, Del 74 has now closed. Time Out Editors, November 2018.
Apart from a small, brightly-coloured sign, Del 74 – a pop-up bar and taqueria that’s gone permanent – is pretty inconspicuous from the outside. But once you step inside, it’s a different story. A green gnome and inflatable cactus sit on the bar, which is lit up with pink and purple lights, while the walls are adorned with even more inflatable things (a banana, naturally), a bike and prints with a Californian vibe. And while it’s not often that a bar’s toilet is worth mentioning, with bright, flashing fairy lights, an inflatable parrot and a radio pumping out the tunes, the loo is like a mini disco.
The booze menu is short and sweet, making things easy for indecisive orderers. The michelada (that’s a beer-y bloody mary, fyi) came in a huge glass tankard with a chilli rim, offering a fiery twist on the bar’s Mexican beer selection. But you can’t miss the margaritas: choose your booze – tequila or mezcal – and then pimp it with lime, watermelon or cucumber. Even if you’re the type of person who ducks out when someone suggests a round of shots, these bad boys will go down swimmingly.
They keep things simple on the food front, too, with a few well-crafted bar snacks. The fish taco came with a zingy slaw, while the pork pibil taco was stuffed with slow-cooked meat and topped with pickled onions – both were excellent. If you want something simple, opt for a quesadilla – oozing with melted cheese, it’s exactly the kind of food you want when you’ve been knocking back margaritas.
The bar itself is fairly small, so get there early if you want to nab a table. But with banging beats, good vibes and margaritas which slip down a little too easily – you might find it hard to stay in your seat.