Cantina Laredo

A very good take on Mexican

A couple of points about Cantina Laredo stand out, firstly its excellent location on the frontier between Covent Garden and the west end, its opening hours and its quite refined but still buzzy atmosphere which is more refined than most Mexican contenders. The service is excellent and honest, meaning that if you are not up to speed on the details of Mexican food, here the team has been trained to explain patiently. Overall it is a slick and fun operation which is usually busy well into the night. Making a claim to be at the higher end of Mexican cuisine, I missed a bit of zing in some of the otherwise very high quality dishes. Mexican food is fun, and doesn't work when taken too seriously, but at least the quality and freshness can not be faulted.

Gourmet, as an adjective, is used to flog most food nowadays – sandwiches, sausage rolls, even Cat food. It has become a meaningless term which should now translate to ‘good’ or ‘not crap’. I think it is quite unlikely that the very restaurants designed to serve gourmets where this term orginated, would wish to be associated with it any longer.

Cantina Ladero's tagline is ‘Gourmet Mexican Food’. I am a big fan of Mexican Food but we don't do it very well in this country. The Mexican restaurants in London particularly are generally in tourist traps and serve 4 pint pitchers of blue margaritas to noisy tables of 20.

I am pleased to confirm that Ladero does not conform to this genre and actually turns out some very well presented and delicious Mexican food in very civilised surroundings. We ordered a couple of items from the ‘Tapas’ section (same language I guess) followed by Taquería (Tacos). I did also see some sizzling skillets of Fajitas being transported to tables and experienced momentary food envy.

One reccomendation I would make is for the ‘Guadalajara Michelda’ which is actually a regional drink recipe – Beer served with Tomato juice, Lime, Chilli sauce and with a rim of sea salt which will put thick black hairs on your chest.

I've never been to Mexico so cannot comment on the authenticity question, but as a new pre-theatre venue for me, it ticked all the right boxes. I have to agree with the SM reviewer as the room itself is somewhat uninspiring – personally I went for hotel foyer rather than dining room, but that doesn't detract from the enthusiasm and friendliness of the waiting staff who seemed genuinely pleased that the food was appreciated. The “top shelf” guacamole was interesting being that it is made at your table, but would have been better with slightly riper avocados and although advertised as sufficient for two, make sure your dining companion does not have a big appetite! Our mains or steak wrapped around a pepper and steak with bacon wrapped prawns were very good but the accompanying sides of rice and sauteed vegetables were a tad disappointing – vegetables being somewhat overdone and rice just lacking in any sort of flavour.

That said, it was an enjoyable meal (margaritas v good and half price at the time) and I will return but probably for a swift informal meal, rather that a leisurely, lengthy evening.

Think of Mexican food and you might picture lurid chilli reds and guacamole greens, and the tendency to slather sauce or cheese over most dishes; certainly not a cuisine that to lends itself naturally to the term ‘gourmet’. So it was with some intrigue that we ventured into Cantina Laredo, proudly boasting just such credentials. How could this slick-looking place turn tacos and enchiladas into something more elevated than your average.

Certainly service was a step above being thrown tacos in tin foil and offered a slice for your beer. The whole place was achingly efficient, with door staff gliding us to the bar as we waited for a table and at the same time expertly upselling the house margaritas. The drinks were good – certainly not timid on the tequila – though to my taste perhaps just missing quite the right balance to make this a truly memorable incarnation.

Salsa with nachos comes as a complementary appetiser, and is a crisp, fresh start with a great kick. Yet good as they were, these somehow seemed only to remind me about how over-priced much of the rest of the menu appeared. Table-made guacamole added nice theatre and shared the zesty, full flavours we’d experienced thus far, yet at £6.95 felt like a twisted misappropriation of that gourmet tag.

With familiar mains at unfamiliar prices, we were hoping for something with a real zing. However fillings in both a chile relleno (stuffed pepper) and enchiladas were significantly under-flavoured and disappeared quickly on the palette. A bizarre side of sautéed vegetables (courgette and sweetcorn) was a flabby addition to both plates that tasted as if they might as well have come out of a tin.

Stylishly outfitted in thick wooden cuts, in a prime location in the new St. Martin’s Courtyard complex close to Covent Garden, and with consistently good service, Cantina Laredo can lay some claim to its gourmet tag. Yet read by another (and frankly more important) meter, this was average cooking at above-average prices which left me hankering for something held together in tin-foil and where a cocktail simply means the choice of lemon or lime with your drink.

We went for dinner before the theatre and opted for the pre-theatre menu. Great decor and some very comfy booths. Friendly staff and our waiter – Andrew was extremely helpful and polite, he also made an amazing fresh guacamole at our table. Food was delicious and fresh with healthy sized portions. Will definately be going back…

We popped into this restaurant for light tapas lunch and were so taken bv the menu that we decided to have main meals. Service was excellent – helpful, friendly and knowledgable. The food arrived fairly quickly and was delicious. Free tortilla chips and dips while we were waiting were far above the usual stuff given free in restaurants. I'd definitely go back to this restauarant – the only reason i gave a low score on atmosphere was because it was lunchtime and quite quiet.

I came across this restaurant on a Friday night. Excellent customer service, great atmosphere. The margarita was huge and its taste delightful. Let's not talk about the main meal…to die for…I would have licked the plate if I could. Dessert was sizzling at the table and absolutely very tasty. I will definitely go back again and I highly recommend it.

I met a couple of my girlfriends here, as an experiment. As a Californian, I'm always looking for good Mexican in London. This place wowed us all! The margaritas are amazing, the ceviche was fresh and delicious. Service was great, and the decor is chic. They even made me fajitas with prawns (not on the menu) because I don't eat chicken or beef. Not to mention they were so friendly the entire time. The guacamole is made fresh at your table, and its the first time I've had it freshly made since I moved here three years ago. I told them I would post a review just so that there is not even a small chance that the restaurant doesn't make it. Its right next to Jaime's Italian, but having eaten at both places – take it from me go to this place!

Best Mexican food I have had outside of Mexico.

We traveled to Mexico a year ago and stayed in Tulum and had the freshest tastiest food I have ever had and have always been disappointed going to other Mexican places. We have been to Wahaca, Tortilla and Santo and this place by far had fresher tastier food.

Best meal I have ever had in London.

The service was fantastic, I don't eat dairy and asked to have no cream on a dish I ordered and they brought out a different sauce on the side which was a personal favourite from one the staff members, they offered to change the sauce if I didn't like it but I loved it!

My daughter and I visited this restaurant last night after a Texan colleague recommended it. Wow was she right. Finally after living in London for 24 years, a proper Tex Mex restaurant with fabulous Margueritas has come to town. I know some of the reviewers belowthink it is expensive but I think that £8.95 is actually a decent price for a marguerita given that it was so large it lasted the entire meal. I have been known to drink at least 3 of these in other places when I can stomach them. They were so bad in Cafe Pacifico I actually went behind the bar to show them how it was done. No problem here.
The Guacamole was excellent-and repeat myself but how can anyone complain about paying £6.95 for a hugh bowl with complimentary chips (unlimited) and salsa too? Wahaca charges less but the amount is about a quarter the size and you have to pay for refills. Not here.
Ok a restaurant is not just about size of portions . The food was really wonderful. I had chicken mole which was spicy and rich. My daughter had an enchilada which she loved. For dessert, the brownie and the apple pie excellent. The former was so rich ,almost like a block of fudge, that we could only eat a tiny bit, the apple pie and cinnamon ice cream-just yummy.
This is a fabulous Tex Mex restaurant . I have absolutely no idea why anyone could give this place a bad review. Maybe they work for Cafe Pacifico and feel threatened.