The Scene: Dinner with friends on a Friday night
Delight: Amazing guacamole & strong margaritas
Disappointment: Lost our reservation & general disorganization amongst staff
The night as I remember:
We were m
eeting some friends for dinner post work on a Friday night. We weren't able to get a reservation until 8:00pm so we settled for a few rounds at a pub down the street called the 10 Bells. When we finally arrived at Boho Mexica we could barely get in the door, it was so crowed. A good sign, I thought to myself.
eeting some friends for dinner post work on a Friday night. We weren't able to get a reservation until 8:00pm so we settled for a few rounds at a pub down the street called the 10 Bells. When we finally arrived at Boho Mexica we could barely get in the door, it was so crowed. A good sign, I thought to myself.Boho Mexica opened about 2 months ago and there has been a lot of buzz about it as one of the truly affordable, truly authentic Mexican restaurants in London. Being from California, and sick of the Tex Mex food people call Mexican in London, I knew I had to give this place a whirl.
When we finally got the attention of the owner he said he had no reservation f
or us but we could wait until a table opened up. We knew there was little chance we would be able to get into any other restaurant in the neighborhood without a reservation so we decided to stay. The owner was kind enough to give us some free guacamole and chips while we sipped on our margaritas and waited for a table.
or us but we could wait until a table opened up. We knew there was little chance we would be able to get into any other restaurant in the neighborhood without a reservation so we decided to stay. The owner was kind enough to give us some free guacamole and chips while we sipped on our margaritas and waited for a table. We finally took a seat at around 9pm. Our food was brought out shortly after we ordered it, which I was thankful for, because at that point I was starving.
Here's what we ordered (all tapas style): 
1. Empanadas de Flor de Calabaza - made with zucchini flower and cheese, topped with salsa verde. I could have used a spicier salsa for more flavor. I also tend to think of empanadas as more traditional in Central and South America, so it threw me off a little that they were on the menu. But according to Wikipedia, they're a native to most Spanish speaking countries, including Mexico.
2. Enchiladas de Mole - The mole was a huge disappointment. It tasted of nothing. I wouldn't waste your time on this dish, as some of the tacos are much more savory.
3. Cochinita Pibil Yucantan - Mayan style pork served with pickled red onions reminded me of Korean food more than Mexican. An ok taco dish, but I would probably give it a miss next time.
4. Tinga Poblana - Shredded chicken with tomatoes and chipotle chili sauce. Very spicy! I really loved these tacos and was tempted to get another round.
5. Puerco a la Jamaica - Pork cooked in their secret Hibiscus flower sauce with a side of corn mash. The pork was very tough (almost hard to eat) but I loved mopping up the secret Hibiscus sauce with my corn mash. Yum!
6. Carne D.F. - Steak tacos topped with Pico de Gallo. These were a very well done version of a classic (simple) dish. Steak was much better prepared than the pork on the Puerco a la Jamaica.
7. Los Verduleros - Portobello mushrooms, raja poblana and cheese. This must not have been that great because I don't even remember what it tasted like.
And for desert...we ordered all 3 options on the menu
1. Elote de Domingo - Corn on the cob smothered in chili powder, mayonnaise, lime and and cheese. This reminded me of the many ears of corn I ate from street vendors in Mérida. I wish I had seen this prior, because I think it would have gone better with the tapas, than as a desert.
2. Copa Nevada - A cream and meringue desert that I think was supposed to be a modern twist on flan. I personally would have preferred some traditional flan.
3. Bunuelos de Nacidad - Homemade doughnuts drizzled with sugar cane syrup. These may have been good if they were straight from the oven, nice and warn and gooey. But the batch we got has obviously been reheated and poorly at that. They were a bit soggy but I know if you got them straight from the oven they would have been to die for!
There was mass confusion as our food came out, because we had more than 1 waiter. Even though we mentioned that 3 different people were serving us, none of them seemed to take notice. It was great being waited on hand and foot but putting your order in through 1 person and then checking on it's status through another was a nightmare. At one point one of our waitresses offered us a round of free drinks for all the confusion, but as she brought them out, another waiter rang them into the cash register, so we ended up paying for them.
The food was cheap, authentic and the atmosphere alive and buzzing. I did have some problems with the food and service but I think in a few months time all these kinks will have been worked out and it will be a true gem.
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