If you’ve ever been to Mexico, or spent as much time obsessing over Mexican food as we have, you’ll know all about the deliciousness that is a perfectly prepared taco.
El Pastor sits in a railway arch on Stoney Street, right on the edge of Borough Market, and the pedigree behind it is worth knowing before you even look at the menu. This is the Hart brothers’ operation, Sam and Eddie of Barrafina fame, joined here for the first time by younger brother James, alongside ex-A&R man Crispin Somerville, who ran a restaurant and club in Mexico City with Sam back before either of them were household names on the London food scene. That background shows in how seriously the kitchen treats technique here, this isn’t a Mexican-inspired menu, it’s the real thing, built using traditional methods and specialist taco cornflour to get flavours as close to their Mexico City origin as the ingredients in London will allow.
The room leans into its railway-arch bones rather than fighting them, a zinc-lined, barrel-vaulted ceiling overhead, an open kitchen running the length of the space, and the kind of buzzy, slightly chaotic energy that mirrors the market madness happening just outside the door. It’s not a quiet dinner spot, and it isn’t trying to be.
The menu opens with a choice of ceviches before moving into the sharing-inclined heart of the operation: tacos, tostadas and quesadillas built for passing around the table rather than guarding on your own plate. The signature is the Taco Al Pastor itself, pork shoulder marinated and grilled with pineapple, the dish the whole restaurant takes its name from, and it’s every bit as good as that billing suggests. We’re particularly partial to the Cochinita Pibil, a Yucatan classic of slow-cooked pork that’s almost too good to share, though sharing is very much the point here, so do it anyway. Can’t decide what to order? Nobody can, that’s what the share plates are for.
Margarita fans are properly catered for too, a wide array of creative takes on the classic alongside a broader mezcal and tequila list that rewards a bit of exploring rather than defaulting to the house pour.
The catch, and it is a real one, is that El Pastor doesn’t take bookings. At peak times the wait can stretch to two hours, though at least you won’t be standing in the rain for it, they’ll take your number and text when your table’s ready, leaving you free to wander the market or duck into a nearby bar in the meantime. Go early, or go with patience, or ideally both.
The London x London Take: El Pastor backs up its considerable pedigree with cooking that genuinely earns the wait. It’s loud, it’s busy, and the no-bookings policy demands a bit of planning, but the tacos are some of the best you’ll find in London, and the atmosphere is exactly the kind of fun that Mexican food is supposed to come with.
Rating: 3.5/5
Need to know
- Address: 7a Stoney Street, Borough Market, London SE1 9AA
- Nearest station: London Bridge (2-minute walk)
- Website: tacoselpastor.co.uk
- Booking: No reservations, walk-in only with a text-back waitlist
- Visited: August 2026
“Genuinely authentic Mexican cooking backed by serious pedigree. Worth the wait, but plan for one.”
