A Taste of Mexico in Belfast: La Taqueria
I flippin’ heart Mexican food. Having been underwhelmed of late by the most popular purveyors of burritos in Belfast, I thought any hope of great Mexican food close to home was gone. Praise be then for La Taqueria.
Truth be told, I’d been hoping to get in to try it out for a while. After an afternoon wandering round the city centre a while back, Sinead and I decided it was time for an impromptu and overdue visit.
The first thing that strikes you about the place is the location. Located on the first floor, slightly off the beaten track on Castle Street, it feels like a literal hidden gem; the sort of place Adam Richman might show you on Man Finds Food.
Once seated, we had time to take in our surroundings. The décor feels authentic yet unfussy. The music played at a sociable level - something that I find a bigger problem in cafes and restaurants than it should be - and the playlist is full of familiar tracks. Familiar to me, that is. Sinead was somewhat bemused as I sang along to Mano Chao’s Bongo Bong.
Our biggest problem on our visit was deciding what to choose. The menu is thankfully very simple and clearly laid out. Mains are divided into two categories; Quesedillas and Tacos, with your biggest decision being which of the delicious sounding fillings to try. We opted for the Carnitas (crispy confit pork) and Pescado (Battered fish) accompanied by Papitas Fritas (crispy potato cubes) and Frijoles Refritos (black bean mash).
The first point to make is that we perhaps got a little carried away. The tacos are deceptively filling. I’m not usually someone that likes to share their food. Generally speaking, tapas is not my idea of a good time. It’s one of the implied rules of marriage I have tried and failed to protest. This is one time I really didn’t mind, however. When the food arrived both dishes looked incredibly appetising and we proceeded to have one and a half of each of our choices.
The fish in the pescado tacos was coated in an incredibly light and crispy batter, accompanied by some cabbage and mayo. The pork in the carnitas tacos is superb. Not too fatty but supremely addictive. The only down side is that eventually you have to stop eating it.
Like all true Mexican dishes they are instantly enhanced with the addition of one or more of the three in house salsas. I opted to stick to a combination of the tomato salsa and the salsa verde on my tacos. It’s a combo that has served me well, not to mention the fact I’m too chicken to tackle the hot salsa. I found both worked well without overpowering the flavour of the dishes.
Like all true people from this Fair Isle I enjoy a spud, or two. The papitas fritas take the humble spud and elevate it. Little crisp cubes of potato give way to a fluffy potato centre, topped with coriander, onion and sour cream.
It should be said that La Taqueria has an pretty extensive drinks menu, the focus of which is unsurprisingly Tequila, but as I was driving I had to pass on the chance to sample some of the cocktails and drinks on offer. Sinead made up for my abstinence and raved – at length – about the margaritas.
From a pricing perspective , La Taqueria definitely offered good value for money. Dinner and drinks came to less than £35 and we left incredibly full.
This is a welcome addition to the ever expanding dining scene in Belfast; the sort of place that is great for a casual dinner and drinks with friends. The best advice I can offer is to arrive hungry.
To find out more, check out lataqueriabelfast.co.uk
Note: Due to a bit of a blogging backlog, there was a delay in publishing this post. Menus may have changed.
