Notes from London
KOL is a London restaurant where Mexican cuisine meets British ingredients.
During my university years, I met a few Mexican friends and travelled to Mexico to visit them. I was captivated by the culture, the beautiful landscapes, and the amazing food. In Europe, though, I could never find a truly authentic Mexican restaurant—most places served Tex-Mex. That changed the day I first walked into KOL.
A Mexican colleague of my husband recommended it, and I was blown away.
KOL opened in late 2020, led by Mexican-born chef Santiago Lastra. It’s more than just a Mexican restaurant in London—it’s a thoughtful exploration of what happens when a cuisine rooted in one place is reimagined in another.
Lastra had a bold, deceptively simple vision: to cook authentic Mexican food with mostly British ingredients. This raises immediate questions. How do you make Mexican dishes without limes, avocados, or tropical fruit? How do you keep the soul of the cuisine when the location changes?
The answer comes from research, respect, and imagination.
After travelling widely across the UK, Lastra started finding British ingredients that could match the flavours of Mexican cuisine. Sea buckthorn takes the place of lime. British herbs replace native greens. Scottish seafood, Cornish crab, local lamb, and foraged plants form the base of dishes deeply rooted in Mexican traditions.
Only the essentials—corn for tortillas, dried chillies, and chocolate—are brought in from Mexico.
The result is food that feels both deeply Mexican and clearly British. It’s not a compromise; it’s a conversation between the two cultures.
What’s on the plate
The tasting menu changes all the time, depending on what’s in season and available.
You might find dishes like short rib with black truffle, which feel both traditional and new, or the langoustine taco, which is the only mainstay that has never left the menu. Nothing is just for show—everything has a purpose.
Downstairs, KOL Mezcaleria has one of the UK’s best collections of agave spirits. The cocktails follow the same idea as the kitchen: Mexican heritage shown through British seasonal ingredients.
On our recent visit, we enjoyed the seasonal menu upstairs, then moved to the Mezcaleria for dessert—a clever idea. I don’t like sitting at one table for hours, so changing to a new floor and atmosphere helped break up the long meal.
Why KOL resonates with me
I believe tradition should move forward, not stay frozen, so KOL feels very familiar to me. It reminds me that authenticity isn’t about copying exactly, but about understanding why something tastes a certain way and honouring that with integrity.
Lastra’s work shows that roots don’t vanish when you cross borders. They adapt, grow in new ways, and sometimes become even more expressive.