Dinner / £££ / 8/10

The Northerner has been following Taquero on social media for over a year, hoping Nottingham gets a Mexican restaurant that rivals those in his home city. We are under serviced in Nottingham for Mexican cuisine but as it’s never been my favourite I was ambivalent to the gap. Matching the reservation policy of its sister restaurant; Bar Iberico, it is ‘walk ins’ only so I approached our visit with some strategy. We needed to go early enough to miss the crowds but not too early that we’d be in meal time no man’s land and an empty restaurant. We walked in at 17.30 and were seated straight away, 20 minutes later they were queues for a table. To say I was chuffed was an understatement. I felt like doing a footballer style celebration as we walked to our table.

The dining rooms high ceilings are inescapably grand and there’s an uneasy juxtaposition between the building and the decor. The interior design theme of simple modern colours, concrete floor and lightweight seating match the menu but don’t live up to the promise of the building. A little voice in the back of my head thought this restaurant could have been in any of the more modern buildings and this building should have been saved for something ‘grander’, before chastising myself that open restaurants and used buildings are what this city needs. We decided to go taco heavy and after reading a review from Jules at The Nottingham Food Guide, I included the fish taco as it was her favourite. We had 5 taco dishes (Al Pastor – Pork, Lamb Barbacoa, Beef Birria, Chicken Pilbil and Baja – Fish), the Esquites side (a corn dish) and the Tuna Tostades.

The fish taco was excellent, light and spicy with delicately fried fish providing texture. The pork was another highlight as the coriander and pineapple salsa cut through the richness of the meat. The beef taco was fried with crispy cheese laced around the edges giving it a welcome difference in texture and flavour, with a delicate consomme to dip if you needed more flavour/juice. The sweetcorn side dish was a perfect partner to the tacos and we forked mouthfuls of its salty, cheesy, charred corn happily. The Northerner was smiling, he ranked the tacos in order and sipped his margherita contentedly.

The lamb missed the mark slightly, it was being compared to the other meat dishes so it had stiff competition. The Tuna Tostada over promised and under delivered, the overiding flavour being sesame and we didn’t finish them all. I always hope when plates come back to the kitchen someone is noticing which come back clean and which don’t. Perhaps a lot to ask but I’ve worked in restaurants where it was a more honest part of the feedback process.

As the room filled up the restaurant felt vibrant, people ordered with excitement. A rare sight on a drizzly January evening and a reminder that new restaurants come with a sparkle that lasts about 6 months and should be celebrated.

Taquero worked really well for us dining as a couple but I can imagine an odd number of diners may encounter a challenge as all taco dishes are served with 2 portions and they aren’t easy to split into a larger multiple. After 5 taco dishes I was covered in food, the tacos aren’t dry but as a result I had taco ‘juice’ all over the table, my plate and my hands. A finger bowl (some ideas from the 1980’s are worth a renaissance) would be awesome or more napkins. 

Taquero hasn’t changed my mind about Mexican food but I’d happily go back, it’s almost a certainty given the enthusiasm from The Northerner. It is a great addition to the city centre restaurants and a welcome piece of Central America in Nottingham

Family – there isn’t a childs menu at Taquero and the loos are downstairs, our host was really accomodating with our massive pram when we visited but save this one for a get together without kids or date night.