Mirtala

Mexican food in London is a bit of a touchy subject. It’s the pain point of choice for any visiting North American foodie, who will be quick to tell you that the capital’s taquerias are verging on offensive, and don’t hold a candle to whatever their favourite place in Queens is. Which is, itself, not a patch on their favourite place in LA. And look, it makes sense: there are more people from Malta living in the UK than there are from Mexico. Slowly, though, these tectonic plates are shifting, and more and more good quality Mexican restaurants are opening, serving a population who either want to graduate from chains like Chipotle, or try to re-live their millennial sabbaticals to Tulum. 

Mirtala is, as their Instagram bio states, ‘proudly in Chiswick’ which must be the first that’s ever been written down. The brainchild of Actonite couple Rishad and Benaisha Mehta, the restaurant is an ode to the food of northern Mexico, specifically Monterrey. In practice, I don’t particularly know what that means, but in reality it doesn’t matter, because everything at Mirtala is great.

If you’ve been around the houses of London’s Mexican restaurant scene, you’ll know they often fall into two camps: fun and funky taquerias where the emphasis is getting smashed on margs, or serious gaffs that either try and capture the magic of Santiago Lastra’s KOL, or… are Santiago Lastra’s KOL. Mirtala finds space between the two, aesthetically and executionally. It has the warmth and bustle of a local favourite (rammed to the gills at 8pm on a Friday) but the tasteful smoked mirrors and folk-modernist linocut prints of a more boujie restaurant. This desire for a happy medium is reflected in the food.

Luminous, fresh guacamole comes with crunchy tortilla chips

There’s an extensive a la carte, but at Benaisha’s recommendation we opt for the feasting menu, and try a bit of everything. Luminous, fresh guacamole comes with crunchy tortilla chips, and a thwack of sikil pak (sort of Mayan hummus) which is dark, smoky and filled with charred chillies for a delicate warmth. 

Next came tostadas, crab and tuna, both piled high, and accompanied by chipotle oil. The crab was as sweet as it was generous, with a flurry of herbs inside, the sheer volume of flaky meat creating an amazing texture. The tuna was allowed to speak for itself, with minimal interference, but as is so often the case, what it says is ‘I am good quality tuna’, and not much else. 

Speaking of good quality, two XL king prawns were next. Often you’ll see XL king prawns on a menu and they’re about as XL as a Sylvanian Family member. These prawns? They really were XL, and grilled, retaining their juiciness, with a gentle char around the edge. 

The main event was a giant hotplate of Galician beef, cooked to a turn, with warm, fresh tortillas, supplemented with pico de gallo, pickled red onion and fries, which saves you having to order them. It’s always fun crafting your own tacos, letting a secondary tortilla soak up the spillage of the one you’re currently eating. The only thing missing was a psychedelically spicy salsa. 

In fact, the lack of a slap-in-the-face salsa was emblematic of a thing Mirtala should watch out for: being too polite. There’s so much to love about this food, but it would benefit from having a little more fire in its belly, not to mention its salsas.

The vibe Upscale neighbourhood Mexican in suburban west London

The drink The spicy marg is obviously good, but they also have an extremely nice 0% peach IPA if you’re that way inclined.

The food Tasteful and tasty dishes from Monterrey and beyond, with no-fuss twists on classics.

Time Out tip Co-owner Rishad Mehta told us he makes a loss on the jumbo prawns, and we believe it. Order them before they become financially untenable.