Test Driving Taq, the Notting Hill taqueria that has reinvented itself with help from Jackson Boxer

The inside of Taqueria hasn't changed half as much as the menu has. 

What can you tell us about Taq?

This was originally Taqueria in Notting Hill. For over 20 years it had been at the forefront of Mexican food in London, but with recent huge steps forward in authentic Mexican cuisine in London, it needed to reinvent itself to stay relevant. For that, it brought in a restaurateur who did very well reinventing another Notting Hill restaurant, Jackson Boxer. His transformation of Orasay into Dove proved to be a big success, making him the ideal person to help relaunch this taqueria. 

Jackson Boxer isn't the most obvious person to revamp a Mexican restaurant, though?

As Boxer himself would be the first to say, while he's come in to help them transform the restaurant, he's not the man responsible for the menu. For that, they've brought in chef Eduardo Yishima, who has been behind the launches of the hugely successful Side Hustle (on the food side) and the viral CDMX taco restaurant in Soho. The Mexican chef is the one behind the new menu at Taq. That said, Jackson did tell us that he's spending as much time as he can in the kitchen with Yishima, so that he can properly learn authentic Mexican cooking from one of the best. 

Taq chef Eduardo Yishima with Jackson Boxer

Where is it?

If you haven't been to Taqueria before (and we have to admit to being in that category ourselves), you'll find what's now Taq on Westbourne Grove, close to other Notting Hill restaurants like Sunday in Brooklyn, The Princess Royal, and The Barbary. It's about equidistant (roughly a 5-10-minute walk) from Notting Hill Gate, Bayswater and Royal Oak stations.

The restaurant itself hasn't really changed in the way it looked from before, with the main difference being the outside signage. But given that the shift from Orasay to Dove was mainly one that took place in the menu, it looks like they're approaching the changes here in the same way. 

The new-look TAQ.

Where could we go for a drink first?

On the way there, we made an abortive attempt for a drink at the excellent pub The Cow on the way from Royal Oak (reminder to self, that pub is a bit busy on St Patrick's Day). Otherwise, nearby is The Princess Royal or The Walmer Castle. There is also a small bar space at Taq, and given their excellent margaritas, that's a good option in itself. 

So what can we expect from the menu?

Much as Taqueria has always been one of London's good Mexican restaurants, Londoners have been taught to expect great things from Mexican cuisine of late. Restaurants as broad as Kol, Santo Remedio, Sonora Taqueria and CDMX Tacos have all shown us just how good Mexican food can be. The new menu at Taq simplifies things from its previous life as Taqueria, concentrating primarily on tacos, tostadas and quesadillas with a focus on doing traditional takes very well, alongside a few truly exceptional specials. 

We'll take one of the most obvious specials first - the Dove taco. This is based on the now legendary, limited, off-menu burger at Dove (which even we haven't tried yet) and reimagines it into taco form. It is unmissable:

The Dove taco - dry-aged beef rib burger, Red Leicester, grilled onion, pickled jalapeno (£9) - Yes, it is essentially a cheeseburger taco, but it's by far one of the best you'll ever try. 

Sticking with beef, another special is the prime steak taco, which is unlike any other taco we've personally seen (in a good way, mind):

Prime steak taco (£10), which is primarily two large thin-cut, flash-fried slices of dry-aged beef sirloin. 

And even outside of the specials, things are extremely strong throughout the menu. Here are some more high points:

Mushroom quesadilla (£5) - Based on this, we can recommend all of the quesadillas, also available as chorizo, beef suadero, carnitas and more. 

Tuna tostada (£13) - raw line-caught tuna, salsa verde, chipotle mayo, macha oil, crispy shallots.

Fish taco (£7) - Line-caught coley, shredded cabbage, jalapeno crema

Carnitas taco (£6) - slow-roasted heritage pork, salsa verde, escabeche pickles

Corn (£6) - it may not look like much, but this is sautéed corn kernels, chipotle mayo and topped with cheese. It's a phenomenal snack to have on the side. 

And what about dessert?

There is a chocolate mousse, which was decent enough, but we'd instead point you in this direction:

Churros and cajeta-style salted caramel (chocolate is also an option) at £8. Crisp, perfectly cooked churros (not as easy to achieve as you might imagine) with a gloriously good sauce. 

What about drinks?

The drinks list is cocktail-led, as you'd probably expect, with margaritas in the classic, watermelon and smoked chile varieties (and a no-alcohol option) alongside a paloma, michelada and more besides, with most priced £12-£13. That's alongside Mexican beers, a decent low/no-alcohol section including several agua frescas, and a small wine list (starting at £39 a bottle). 

Their Mezcalita (mezcal, lime, sugar syrup, sal de gusano rim, £13) - a good, strong cocktail, and well-priced too

Overall thoughts

When we were eating at Taq, Jackson Boxer was in the house and said how he wanted to help them make it a great Notting Hill restaurant, but one that's in the lower end of things price-wise. The team, led by some excellent work in the kitchen by Yishima, have created a great local taqueria that ranks very well against some of the best in town. Even better, it's also reasonably priced for Notting Hill these days.

If you're a local who hasn't been in a while, this is a very easy recommendation, but it's also well worth checking out by anyone who wants to try more great Mexican food in London.