TYPE IN YOUR SEARCH AND PRESS ENTER
This Mexican restaurant and cocktail bar is open until late, serving up authentic Mexican food and drinks, as well as a mean Saturday brunch.
Sam Barker - Secret London - Staff Writer
There’s no shortage of Mexican restaurants and eateries in London. And there’s definitely no shortage of places in Dalston serving up tacos and burritos for the clamouring masses. But Corrochio’s, on Dalston’s Stoke Newington Road, lands on the scene with a hefty backing of authenticity.
Chef Patron, and founder, Daniel, who grew up in Guadalajara, Mexico, learned local cooking techniques interning at Yucatan hotels. He then left for the UK where he studied bartending and mixology, working across Shoreditch’s bustling nightlife. Following a 2-year stint running the iconic Dalston venue, Ruby’s, he re-discovered his love for cooking. Kick-started by a Taco Tuesday residency at Tottenham’s Bluecoat Arms, Corrochio’s opened less than a year ago in November 2021. Fusing the craft and passion found in great cocktails and cooking, the focus is on regional Mexican dishes and cocktails made from Mexican spirits.
Located underground, right next to Ruby’s and sharing the same space under the cinema sign, Corrochio’s is a blink-and-you-miss-it spot that is not to be missed. While there are tacos on offer, the menu is a rotating showcase of the breadth and possibility of Mexican cuisine. Enchiladas and huaraches sit alongside tacos and taquitos and a never-ending bevy of specials. Toppings range from grilled octopus and prawn, to ox tongue, to plaintain or courgette flower, among others.
Their Saturday brunch menu, meanwhile, lets you choose from chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, and gorditas, with guacamole available on the side. The brave can add some extra heat in the form of salsa macha or a pickled habanero topping. And those in need of a pick-me-up will want to grab the traditional Mexican Cafe de Olla, clay-pot-brewed coffee with cinnamon and piloncillo (raw brown sugar). It’ll have you up, and raring to go.
Anchoring the whole affair is a particularly impressive drinks menu – clearly illustrating the venue’s emphasis on being a “cocina & coctelería“. Not simply one or the other, Corrochio’s excels in cooking and cocktail-ing. The menu offers up a selection of traditional drinks and contemporary twists. Among others, there’s the historic Jalisco favourite Vampirito – which mixes up sangrita, tequila, citrus, and grapefruit juice – and the El Tomáso, a Mexican twist on the Tom Collins made with Mexican gin and a hibiscus salt rim. Or choose from a selection of Mexican beers (particular favourite: Tecate!), as well as wines and non-alcoholic options.
And then there are the spirits. There’s a tequila and mezcal list that could give any other tequila bar in London a run for its money. Corrochio’s doesn’t stop there, though, instead highlighting regional and lesser-known spirits as well. There’s sotol – a softer spirit, similar to tequila but made with ‘desert spoon’ instead of agave – and raicilla, a typically sweeter and fruitier alternative to it’s cousin mezcal. Add to that list the only-recently-legalized (in 1992) bacanora: an appellation-protected agave spirit from the Mexican state of Sonora, and you still haven’t covered everything!
Grab a seat. Grab a cocktail or a beer (and of course upgrade it to a clamato michelada). And order as much food as you think you can bear. You’re in good hands at Corrochio’s.
Corrochio’s’ tasty offerings can also be found at Sadie’s, where their tostadas are exclusively on offer, alongside Sadie’s’ coffee and cocktails.