Acme Taco is a permanent street-food venture from acclaimed chef Andrew Clarke and the team behind Hackney’s live-fire favourite, Acme Fire Cult. Set within 40ft Brewery on Blackhorse Road, the concept brings Clarke’s bold cooking to a casual, beer-hall setting, pairing the brewery’s drinks with a menu inspired by regional Mexican flavours.
Acme Taco takes its cues from Clarke’s travels through Mexico, particularly Ciudad de México, where double-layered tortillas, slow-cooked meats and vibrant salsas form the backbone of everyday eating. That influence comes through clearly on the menu, which blends traditional techniques with Acme Fire Cult’s signature playfulness. Expect reinterpretations of classics like mole, salsa roja and Clamato, woven through dishes built around high-quality British produce.
Tacos are the heart of the offering, from the richly layered Suadero Taco – a rarely seen UK speciality featuring confit ox cheek, beef sausage, heart and tongue, finished with smoky bone marrow and salsa roja – to the indulgent Jalisco Mariscos Shrimp Taco, served in a crispy shell with shrimp béchamel, avocado and clamato. A playful Quesabirria combines Westholme Wagyu chuck with roll-fried cheese and consommé, while the Castacán offers a premium spin on chicharrón with slow-cooked pork belly, crackling and gooseberry-poblano ketchup. Vegetarians are well-catered for too, with a plant-based option built around Symplicity chorizo, vegan stracciatella and pickled corno peppers.
Acme Taco is a collaboration between long-time friends Andrew Clarke and 40ft founder Steve Ryan, who have spent years honing a menu that matches the brewery’s beers, cocktails and lively atmosphere. True to the Acme Fire Cult ethos, this is food designed for sharing, soundtracked by loud music and grounded in the joy of cooking over flames.
Clarke himself calls tacos “the best handheld food on the planet”, and Acme Taco leans wholeheartedly into that philosophy – fun, generous and full of character.