Coyo Taco

Coyo Taco has some very famous fans. Born in Miami in 2016, the original restaurant has seen visits from both Barack Obama and David Beckham. The chain has since grown to eleven sites worldwide, and the debut London edition is close enough to Westminster that the crowd is a mix of suits and sightseers. Family-friendly by day with chilaquiles and Mexican coffee, it is noticeably more grown-up once evening hits, attracting a mix of date-nighters, tourists, and late-night gossips. 

The menu is an exercise in escalating temptation and the real dilemma is the birria, which competes for your attention three ways; as a taco, a quesadilla, or a burrito. We opt for a spread of prawn tacos, pork quesadillas, and a beef birria taco, and while they look deceptively slim on arrival, each is packed tight and bursts with flavour. The prawn tacos have a zesty crunch and the pork quesadillas are oozing with melted cheese, but it’s the beef birria taco that steals the show, accompanied by a consommé so savoury you'll want to drink it straight. 

Order this

The birria tacos. The beef is so tender it barely needs chewing.

Time Out tip

Wash it all down with a frozen marg del dia, a rotating daily flavour that on our visit was gloriously fruity. For those in particularly thirsty mood, you can even go bigger with a half-gallon sharing jugs.