KOL

Almost nothing on the plate at Kol comes from Mexico, and that is precisely the point. Santiago Lastra, who spent time working under Rene Redzepi on Noma’s Mexico pop up before opening his own restaurant on Seymour Street in 2020, builds his menu around British ingredients filtered through Mexican technique and flavour, with only corn, chillies and chocolate imported to preserve a genuine sense of place. The approach extends to the drinks list too, where agave spirits sit alongside cocktails built from British produce, blurring the same line the food menu draws.

The result earned Kol a Michelin star and a spot on the World’s 50 Best list, the only Mexican restaurant in Britain to hold either. Lobster and smoked chilli tacos, whole grilled octopus finished with bone marrow, and a chalk stream trout tostada with berries and black garlic are among the dishes that show the approach at its best, familiar Mexican forms rebuilt from ingredients most diners would recognise from a British farm shop.

The dining room is understated compared with the ambition of the cooking, pale wood and simple lines, letting the plates do the talking rather than competing with an elaborate interior. A tasting menu and an a la carte option both run, with the tasting format giving the clearest sense of the kitchen’s full range.

Booking well ahead is essential, the dining room has stayed full since opening and tables regularly go weeks in advance, particularly for evening sittings.

The honest caveat is that the concept, however cleverly executed, occasionally prioritises the idea over pure enjoyment, and diners expecting the boldness of traditional Mexican street food may find some dishes more restrained and technical than that reputation suggests. It is a genuinely original restaurant rather than a comfortable one, and works best for diners curious about where the two culinary traditions actually meet rather than those chasing a classic taco fix.