The President's Bar (Bar)

Top 10 things we learnt about Presidents Bar:

1) Benito Juárez was the only full-blooded Zapotec native to serve as President in Mexico. A man of the people, he was known for his penchant for funny hats. It’s in his honour that friends Ben and Felipe opened Benito’s Hat and the President’s Bar above it.

2) A liberal, he fronted a rebellion against the conservatives in Mexico, almost getting executed in the process. It’s perhaps fitting then, that this friendly, unpretentious venue brings a shot of riotous Mexican colour to the heart of London’s grey money-making district.

3) To find it, enter burrito bar, Benito’s Hat, and keep on walking – straight up the wooden stairs where the enthusiastic staff will show you a seat.

4) Let go of your British inhibitions and order an Antojitos sharing platter. Eat with your hands, grabbing bites between chatting and laughing with South American abandon, like someone from a Dorito’s ad.

5) Damn well priced at £6.70, it offers a mix of starters including earthy spinach and cheese quesadillas, chicken tinga tostadas and black bean and feta tostadas. The earthiness of the spinach and the melting Monterey Jack cheese in the quesadillas merit a mention.

6) The feta and bean combo didn’t really work for us though - the tostadas were the only things we didn’t finish.

7) Continue your communal eating fiesta with a taco platter featuring chicken tinga, braised pork and tilapia. We ordered a side of oregano sweetcorn with feta that was surprisingly tasty – a zing of paprika gave it a smoky kick.

8) Drinks wise, explore your Latin spirit via the themed cocktails. I convinced myself that the pomegranate margarita was ‘antioxidant rich’ and therefore enjoyed re-oxidising for the rest of the evening. There’s also a beer menu featuring the usual Mexican suspects as well as some pale ales.

9) Living up to the Benito Juárez name, Benito’s Hat is a place for the people. Not exactly a destination restaurant, this is a great, cheap place to catch up with friends for a bevy and bite after work. The sharing platters, bench seating and general ambience really suit big groups.

10) It’s more intimate than similar chains like Wahaca, but with the same cheerful Mexican vibe. These guys do standard Mexican fare - but they do it well....read more