Club Mexicana reveals launch date for first restaurant

Club Mexicana – the vegan, Mexican-Californian street food concept – will open the doors to its first restaurant on Tuesday 1 September in Soho.

Founder Meriel Armitage (pictured) first launched Club Mexicana five years ago and has operated in food markets, and has since operated the kitchen at The Spread Eagle pub in Hackney.

The Soho site, however, is the business’ first sole restaurant venture, serving vegan tacos, burritos and other street food classics.

Guests will be able to watch the open kitchen, with the team carving from the signature, plant-based al pastor spit.

The shawarma-style dish of house-made seitan is smothered in a secret marinade, with fresh pineapple sitting on top.

Other dishes include the ‘Baja Tofish Taco’ – re-imagined with a panko crust – and the barbecue short ‘rib’ tacos smothered with hickory-smoked barbecue sauce, topped with pickled cucumber, slaw and garlic mayo.

New tacos on the menu include the ‘Chick’n’ and avocado with vegan fried chick’n, corn salsa, pink onions and hot sauce, and the ‘chorizo’ with salsa roja and pickled jalapenos.

Club Mexicana will also be serving plates of loaded nachos and burritos wrapped in a toasted flour tortilla or in a bowl.

For dessert, guests can pick from raspberry sorbet spiked with a frozen margarita or dark chocolate mousse topped with salted caramel popcorn.

The bar will serve natural wines, Mexican beers and cocktails on tap – including ice-cold margaritas made exclusively for the Soho restaurant, as well as smoky palomas with mezcal and pink grapefruit.