Resistance is useless
Pro As unTex as Mex is likely to get.
Con Short menu doesn't lend itself readily to regular dinner visits.
Pay
€
Per Person Shared dish of the day, three from tamales/quesadillas/tacos, 2 coronitas. €14.
Gratis: generous bowl of nachos and a shelf-load of sauces to try out.
Find
Website on Fb
Access San Fernando market is stepfree from Plaza Agustín Lara
In Short
Hopes? Is there enough grub to turn excellent snacking into a delicious dinner?
Reality? Yep, but no desserts.
First Impressions? More modern design than most of the market food stalls.
A USP? It feels like Mexico.
The food in three words? Perfectly presented punch.
Can they get the staff? Usually just the one when we've been. Don't really need more.
Service with a smile? First class. You're made a regular almost instantly.
Friend friendly? Worth a stop for sure.
Rating for dating? A few tables for two, so doable.
Tip? Heading for 10%.
Change one thing? Desserts would be delightful.
Going back? Again and again.
Compare & Contrast
More un-tex Mex at La Taqueria de Birrä.
In Pictures
On Facebook
What's the story?
If there's tastier Mexican in town than La Tentacion, I'll eat my sombrero.
How much Mexico can you get into thirty-odd square metres? Loads. Take away those taco takeaway places. This is the real deal. Oscar sums up our evening perfectly - and we can resist nothing at La Tentacion. Homemade spicy sauces compliment an entire shelf of bought-in authentic bottles, some we've never seen before. Mahou tostada is on-tap and makes for a tasty, more North-European flavour than the familiar lighter options. There's coronita and some of the other usual suspects too. We've not tried the red wine behind the counter. Beer seems better with tacos, we reckon.
So what do we go for?
Well, things kick off with generous bowl of nachos. So far, so normal. But then the patron's sauces come out to play. Mind, when we say play it's more rugby tackle than merry frolic. The red one looks like your standard chilli sauce, but it's got a fruity citric kick that makes it exceptional. The yellow one has a family resemblance. There's lime in there too, but somehow it manages to be somehow creamy and very lively indeed. The heat maybe intense, but it doesn't linger overlong. Homemade, (on a previous visit the patron was deeply apologetic that one hadn't quite turned out how she'd meant) these sauces alone are, instantly, recommended.
We've called this dinner, but in fact it's a succession of dishes, ordered at the bar, ad hoc, until we were, to use a technical term reserved for pro-reviewers, stuffed. On any given day, half a dozen taco fillings are on offer including two V-friendly ones. Mix and match them into tacos/quesadillas and so on, add the daily special and we might have to admit it's a delicious take on str**tf**d. So, ¡ándele!
Tamales birria
Putting the un-tex mex taken to the un-tex max, this feels like the real deal and when the sauces start to pay dividends. A meaty, corny parcel. It's €2. Available in birra (ie beef) or cochinata pibil versions, with the meat complemented by corn stuffing. Recommended.
Tacos and Quesadillas
The quesadillas and tacos are a way to get to those fillings in pure form, so here's the small perfectly formed cheese version, coming in at less than €2 a go. Now, let's be clear, this isn't intended as a hearty portion. On that theme, the mole taco is another tiny triumph, A chilli-chocolate-chicken concoction that reminds me instantly of Catalan Rabbit in chocolate spiced up.
We're talking about a 10cm tortilla, so these are really super-sized amuses bouches. In fact it's about fourish mouthfuls if your bouche is conventionally sized. Only one or two if it's nearer that of a British Foreign Minister.
Both these could be scaled up into superb main courses.
Pozole
It's corn stew meets ropa vieja. Topped with lettuce and radish. Add sauces as you like for extra oomph as and when. The corn has a unique texture and is pleasingly addictive. Its flavour comes through well, the broth is moreish. The salad vegetables add crunch, which is welcome. It's a special, so may be subbed by something different. Worth the effort if it's on.
Tostada
Another tasty corn tortilla variation, this is one size up from the tacos, and is heading nearer to a personal portion. It's - smallish - starter sized. Frijoles/beans and cream cheese add flavour variety. Lettuce again adds some texture, It's delicious stuff and needs careful cutting and forkwork if yours, like ours, comes with a lot of broth, which meant for a potentially messy countertop.
We got through several coronitas and a Mahou tostada as we scoffed our way through that little lot. There are plenty more beers displayed amongst the regiment of sauces and oils on the counter, and most of them are available to buy. We'd recommend the Tajin in an instant. Findable in various shops too, it's an astounding lime-chilli-salt seasoning that has to be tried to be believed.
There are no desserts, so a trawl of the market might be needed to give your evening a sweet finish. We'll just whisper pasteles de nata round the corner very quietly.
So, are you tempted? It's great value, the food is first class, the attention is friendly, personal and given to wearing spectacular aprons. Our only complaint is we'd like a longer menu with more things to try and a dessert or two. We'd like a whole restaurant, really.
Greedy, we are.
Pro As unTex as Mex is likely to get.
Con Short menu doesn't lend itself readily to regular dinner visits.
Pay
€
Per Person Shared dish of the day, three from tamales/quesadillas/tacos, 2 coronitas. €14.
Gratis: generous bowl of nachos and a shelf-load of sauces to try out.
Find
Website on Fb
Access San Fernando market is stepfree from Plaza Agustín Lara
In Short
Hopes? Is there enough grub to turn excellent snacking into a delicious dinner?
Reality? Yep, but no desserts.
First Impressions? More modern design than most of the market food stalls.
A USP? It feels like Mexico.
The food in three words? Perfectly presented punch.
Can they get the staff? Usually just the one when we've been. Don't really need more.
Service with a smile? First class. You're made a regular almost instantly.
Friend friendly? Worth a stop for sure.
Rating for dating? A few tables for two, so doable.
Tip? Heading for 10%.
Change one thing? Desserts would be delightful.
Going back? Again and again.
Compare & Contrast
More un-tex Mex at La Taqueria de Birrä.
In Pictures
On Facebook
What's the story?
If there's tastier Mexican in town than La Tentacion, I'll eat my sombrero.
How much Mexico can you get into thirty-odd square metres? Loads. Take away those taco takeaway places. This is the real deal. Oscar sums up our evening perfectly - and we can resist nothing at La Tentacion. Homemade spicy sauces compliment an entire shelf of bought-in authentic bottles, some we've never seen before. Mahou tostada is on-tap and makes for a tasty, more North-European flavour than the familiar lighter options. There's coronita and some of the other usual suspects too. We've not tried the red wine behind the counter. Beer seems better with tacos, we reckon.
So what do we go for?
We've called this dinner, but in fact it's a succession of dishes, ordered at the bar, ad hoc, until we were, to use a technical term reserved for pro-reviewers, stuffed. On any given day, half a dozen taco fillings are on offer including two V-friendly ones. Mix and match them into tacos/quesadillas and so on, add the daily special and we might have to admit it's a delicious take on str**tf**d. So, ¡ándele!
Tamales birria
Tacos and Quesadillas
We're talking about a 10cm tortilla, so these are really super-sized amuses bouches. In fact it's about fourish mouthfuls if your bouche is conventionally sized. Only one or two if it's nearer that of a British Foreign Minister.
Both these could be scaled up into superb main courses.
Tostada
We got through several coronitas and a Mahou tostada as we scoffed our way through that little lot. There are plenty more beers displayed amongst the regiment of sauces and oils on the counter, and most of them are available to buy. We'd recommend the Tajin in an instant. Findable in various shops too, it's an astounding lime-chilli-salt seasoning that has to be tried to be believed.
There are no desserts, so a trawl of the market might be needed to give your evening a sweet finish. We'll just whisper pasteles de nata round the corner very quietly.
So, are you tempted? It's great value, the food is first class, the attention is friendly, personal and given to wearing spectacular aprons. Our only complaint is we'd like a longer menu with more things to try and a dessert or two. We'd like a whole restaurant, really.
Greedy, we are.