A new eatery has opened on the fringe of Borough Market, Southwark's most eclectic culinary hotspot. Folded inside a narrow railway arch, El Pastór offers a contemporary twist on a traditional taqueria, serving spicy tacos, quesadillas, tostadas and aguachiles from an open kitchen not much larger than a street food cart.
Acclaimed proprietors the Hart Brothers (of Barrafina fame) enlisted the help of Michaelis Boyd Associates to dress and shape the intimate space. They've kept things refreshingly raw and simple, so as to highlight the location's existing features - most prominently, the atmospheric curved ceiling.
Choice new additions from the designers include an emerald green conglomerate marble bar, repurposed stainless steel window frames, and a lighting design best described as a fiesta of fairylights.
Fiery small plates pile onto Pyrolave tabletops, of which the chargrilled stonebass and pineapple taco is a particular hit. To whit, a drinks menu boasts multiple mezcal choices. The smoother, smokier cousin of tequila is served in carafes and sipped from hardened pomegranate shells, sweetened by hefty wedges of blood orange.
The no-booking policy often sees a healthy line of customers snaking through the covered market outside, but with the promise of Mexican warmth and bottomless Mezcal ebbing from El Pastór's shutter-shopfront, who's complaining?
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
7A Stoney Street
-
A revamped Edinburgh apartment combines Californian-style modernism with modern craftArcher + Braun have transformed an apartment in a historic house with finely tuned contemporary additions and sympathetic attention to detail
-
Formafantasma’s biodiversity-boosting installation in a Perrier Jouët vineyard is cross-pollination at its bestFormafantasma and Perrier Jouët unveil the first project in their ‘Cohabitare’ initiative, ‘not only a work of art but also a contribution to the ecosystem’
-
Gingerbread City: architects sculpt London out of the season's favourite treatUntil December 29 in Chelsea, see London brought to life in a seasonal-appropriate medium by leading architects and designers
-
This picky customer finds ‘perfection’ at Nipotina, Mayfair’s new pizza and pasta jointWallpaper* contributing editor Nick Vinson reviews Nipotina, a new Italian restaurant in London offering a carefully edited menu of traditional dishes
-
Beloved Italian, Babbo finds a new home in St John's WoodBabbo, the Mayfair Italian beloved of Premier League footballers, has re-located to St John’s Wood High Street. Is NW8 the new West End?
-
Osteria del Mare brings a slice of coastal Italy to The StrandSpanking fresh fish is the house speciality in this new London restaurant with a menu inspired by the Tuscan seaside
-
London's best Thai restaurants for flavour enthusiastsLondon’s best Thai restaurants each offer their own unique spin on the cuisine that push boundaries and present new culinary experiences. Browse our pick of the best
-
Harrods revives beloved 113-year old restaurant, The GeorgianRedesigned by David Collins Studio, The Georgian at Harrods in London is where art deco artistry, elegance and theatrical flair collide
-
Claridge’s welcomes ultra-chic new suites by Bryan O’Sullivan StudioThe newly inaugurated Brook Suites at Claridge’s, are uplifting, tactile and in touch with the revered London hotel’s timelessness
-
Chef José Pizarro’s artful new ode to Spanish dining in London is called LoloLolo, located in London’s fashionable Bermondsey Street, offers a taste of Extremadura in an art-filled setting
-
The world’s most enticing new hotel openingsExplore the best new hotels in the world, from beachfront living at Cheval Blanc Seychelles to otherworldly Zaha Hadid architecture at Me Malta
