Breddos Tacos
Mexican
82 Goswell Rd, EC1V 7DB
£
Breddos was founded back in 2011 and began as a humble street food van. Its popularity has since grown, with multiple pop-up’s worldwide, a cookbook, and a permanent establishment in Clerkenwell. The founders Nud and Chris pride themselves on providing authentic Mexican cuisine inspired by their travels, whilst utilising the best of British produce. Sounds like a win-win to me.
After some abysmal tacos a few weekends ago at Del74 in Dalston, I didn’t have the highest of hopes for what Breddos would provide. I had, however, heard good things and with multiple stalls across London (both Swingers crazy golf venues, Flat Iron square and Market Halls) I figured they couldn’t be fooling that many people. We booked one Saturday night for a friends birthday and despite the venue being pretty teeny they kindly accommodated for a larger group of us (10 in total). The restaurant was ambiently lit, had the music just loud enough, complete with some iconic vinyl albums along the back wall near the loo.
Service was sharp and friendly and the drinks list had a long selection of Tequila options. I went ahead and tried the Nomade (£10) – a passionfruit take on a Margherita, complete with tequila, Cointreau, lime and agave. It was good, however the passionfruit was a little lost amongst the other bold flavours so I went for just a Clasico (£9) second time around. For food, Asta and I went for the Queso Fundido with chiltomat (£7)– we originally asked for it with chorizo, and when they didn’t have any were questioning if we should get some guac instead. The waiter, however, simply insisted we get it anyway as it was one of the best things on the menu so we happily obliged. We also ordered the Masa Fried Chicken Tacos (£8) and the Baja Fish Tacos (£8).
The Queso Fundido arrived and was essentially a small dish of molten cheese. No complaints here, as it was as delicious as you’d imagine and had one of the best cheese pull’s I’ve ever seen. The whole table stared at us in bitter jealousy, and we ended up giving away quite a few nibbles which let to a few more orders. This ended up for the best, as tortilla chips with purely melted cheese does get pretty filling after a few bites. Whilst it was delicious, I do think it would have been much much better with the chorizo option. I couldn’t really see past the majesty of the dish being simply a pot of melted cheese and would have liked a little more purpose to it.
The tacos arrived and were truly a thing of beauty. No skimping here: just packed out, decadent hunks of meat and fish encased in a perfectly crisp batter and topped with fragrant salsas, chilli mayo and slaw. The tortillas were the traditional fried corn kind, still warm. It was actually a struggle to fit them around the filling as there was so much of it. Nor the fish or the chicken were overdone, their crispy exteriors giving way to tender and juicy pieces of protein. The flavours all complimented each other brilliantly although I was surprised at how similar the toppings and sauces were for both, it would have been nice to have a little variation perhaps. The others around the table seemed to be happy with their orders too and everything looked top notch. Clean plates all round.
Overall, Breddos Tacos is probably the best place I’ve been for Tacos in London. The casual but efficient service is the perfect balance to the street-food style of Mexican dining. The Tacos are incredibly well priced for the amount you get (after that cheese I could barely finish two of them!) and the cocktails are strong and a million miles away from the watered down disappointment you’ll find elsewhere. Whilst there could be some more exciting toppings, the flavours of the tacos are pretty faultless and I’m excited for us to meet again so I can try more of the menu.
OVERALL RATING: ****
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