One of London’s most famous taco restaurants has birthed a street food sibling in Elephant & Castle.
The team behind El Pastor in London Bridge have opened a new spin-off at expansive food market Mercato Metropolitano, which is found just a short stroll from Elephant & Castle tube station.
The concept has been christened Pastorcito Mercato Metropolitano, and is inspired by the market taquerias of Mexico. Pastorcito is the brainchild of restaurateurs the Hart Brothers and Crispin Somerville, who have devised a short menu of tacos, wheat-based wraps, Mexican beers, Tequila, mezcal and frozen Margaritas.
Pastorcito makes all of its heirloom corn tortillas in house, and the corn used is exclusively sourced from individual farmers and producers in Mexico. On the menu, you can expect to find the group’s signature Al Pastor taco, which features 24 hour marinated pork shoulder, caramelised pineapple, guacamole taquero, white onion and coriander. Otherwise, you can tuck into Baja fish tacos with beer-battered sea bass, shredded cabbage and pico de gallo, or beef short rib to share that’s served alongside salsa and fresh tortillas.
The previously mentioned wheat-based wraps, called 'Super Gringas’, will be stuffed with carne pastor, pineapple and Oaxaca cheese, while vegetarian diners can enjoy the meat-free version, which features peas, corn and Mexican oregano.
The new Elephant & Castle site is the latest in a series of expansions of the El Pastor brand that have taken place in recent years. In 2018, Tortilleria El Pastor launched at the Coal Drops Yard development in King’s Cross, one of four openings at the site from The Harts Group, with a new branch of Barrafina, a wine bar called The Drop and an outdoor barbecue restaurant called Parrillan also all opening their doors.
Less than a year later, the first Pastorcito site launched at The Arcade Food Theatre, a food hall on the ground floor of the Centre Point development which also houses street food concepts from restaurants such as Chotto Matte, Lina Stores and Oklava.
Pastorcito Mercato Metropolitano is open now.
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