El Ta'koy

Tucked away in the basement of 3 Henrietta Street (two floors down from Mark Greenaway’s excellent Pivot restaurant), El Ta’koy is very easily walked past. Save for the small sign and friendly door-person, there’s little to indicate that there’s a cosy tiki bar just below your feet.

There’s no doubt that being walked down the stairs into this little hideaway is part of the charm. The host pulls back a curtain to reveal a tiki paradise. Rattan lamp shades cast gentle shadows across the room, which is small but intimate, with room for maybe 30 people at full capacity. 

The El Ta’koy menu is inspired by chef Luis Pous' fondness for Hawaiian street food culture, and promises an eclectic mixture of Pacific island dishes, from Filipino lumpia (think spring rolls but with different fillings) to tacos, poke bowls and even a bao bun. The portions are on the smaller side and designed for sharing, so you’ll have plenty of chances to explore your way around the menu. 

We did just that, hurtling from delicious tacos to crisp lumpias and taquitos, in a thrill ride of flavours and textures. The constant stream of dishes coming out of the kitchen meant that servers were moving back and forth in perpetual motion, which gives the restaurant a nice energy. Not every dish hits the mark but there are no disappointments, and a few real standouts. The tuna and caviar taquitos are the perfect two-bite morsel, a satisfying crunch, followed by briny caviar and a waft of chilli and rum. Sweet, spicy Hawaiian popcorn fried chicken is the sort of thing you really can’t go wrong with, and all the tacos we tried - chicken annatto, ahi tuna poke and ox ropa vieja - were fantastic. 

Some may baulk at the prices - £6 for a taco is a lot, even in London - but if cocktails and finger food is your vibe, there aren’t many better places to do that than El Ta’koy’s tiki den. And it sure beats the cost of a 7,000 mile flight to Hawaii. 

El Ta’koy is a fusion restaurant in the heart of Covent Garden, with a quirky menu designed by renowned Cuban chef Luis A. Pous. The El Ta’koy menu is largely inspired by Hawaiian street food - during his time spent in Kauai, Hawaii, Pous found inspiration from many local restaurants, farmers and markets, taking influence from many worldwide cuisines including the Caribbean, East Asia, Europe and South America.

El Ta'koy sits in the basement level of the 3 Henrietta Street townhouse, where it has converted the room into a moody, foliage-laden tiki den. The dark green walls are softly lit up by lamps and subtle lighting dotted around the restaurant making it a cosy, intimate place to enjoy dinner and drinks. Large groups can order a range of big sharing plates, but there are lots of smaller individual bites and sharers to try across the menu. 

There's a huge range of different influences and dishes on the menu, from Filipines-inspired lumpias to poke bowls, fresh ceviches and tiraditos. Tacos come in pairs and include fillings like Kalua pork, pineapple and lemon cream, tuna with furikake and wasabi mayonnaise, lamb barbacoa with pineapple chutney, and chicken annatto with chipotle agave. Hawaiian popcorn chicken is also popular, served with a sweet and spicy Filipino glaze, as are tofu and kimchi taquitos, salmon tiraditos and seabass ceviche with Thai chilli, coconut and lime. 

Food is only part of the experience here, as the tiki bar serves a selection of exotic cocktails too. El Ta’koy is conveniently located within striking distance of the West End, making it a great place to stop for dinner and drinks if you're catching a show, visiting the Royal Opera House, or doing some late night shopping.