Chabela is a small, brilliant Mexican restaurant on Westow Street in Crystal Palace, run by some of the friendliest, loveliest owners we’ve come across, and it’s fast become a genuine neighbourhood gem.
Westow Street has quietly built up one of south London’s better little restaurant strips, and Chabela is a big part of why. The space used to be home to a Venezuelan restaurant, but it’s now firmly, confidently Mexican, and all the better for the focus. It’s tiny, just a handful of tables, which is both the charm and the catch: it’s genuinely popular with locals, so there’s no wandering in on spec and expecting a table. Call ahead and book.
The tacos are the reason to go
The tacos here are genuinely excellent, properly charred, well-seasoned meat piled onto soft corn tortillas, finished simply with chopped onion, coriander and a wedge of pineapple that adds just the right hit of sweetness against the spice. Nothing about them is overworked or overdressed, which is exactly the point: this is confident, unfussy Mexican cooking that doesn’t need to prove itself with a long list of toppings.
The Arroz con Pollo is the other standout, a generous, well-spiced mound of rice studded with sweetcorn and peas, chicken worked through it rather than sat on top, and a scattering of pickled red onion and crisp plantain crackers for texture on top. It’s the kind of dish that sounds simple on a menu and turns out to be anything but.
A proper neighbourhood welcome
What really sets Chabela apart, though, is the welcome. The owners are some of the friendliest and loveliest we’ve met running a restaurant in London, the kind of warmth that can’t be manufactured and that turns a good meal into a proper occasion. It’s the sort of place that rewards regulars, and it’s easy to see why so many of its regulars are the people who live on the same street.
The verdict: Chabela is everything a neighbourhood restaurant should be: small, confident, unpretentious and genuinely warm. The tacos and the Arroz con Pollo alone are worth the trip out to Crystal Palace, and the welcome is what will bring you back. Just remember to call ahead, tables here don’t last.
Rating: 4/5
Need to know
- Address: 61 Westow Street, Crystal Palace, London SE19 3RW
- Nearest station: Crystal Palace (10-minute walk) or Gipsy Hill
- Opening hours: Tue–Sat, lunch 11am–3pm, dinner 6pm–9.30pm. Closed Sunday and Monday
- Price: ££
- Booking: Tiny and popular, call ahead on 020 8771 4078
“A tiny, confident, unpretentious Mexican neighbourhood gem with excellent tacos and a genuinely warm welcome — call ahead, it's small and popular.”
