Every now and again, a restaurant opens its doors which has been surrounded by so much hype that it’s difficult not to have heard about it. The tricky task for the restaurant, of course, is living up to that hype. This was the pressure faced by chef Santiago Lastra when he first welcomed customers into the hotly anticipated KOL in 2020. Thankfully, having spent years developing the concept and training his team to the very highest standards, it opened to rave reviews and Lastra hasn’t looked back since.

Nestled away in London’s Marylebone, the restaurant aims to celebrate the cuisine and culture of Mexico by using high-quality British ingredients, with an emphasis placed on refined presentation and seasonality. You won't find limes or avocados on the menu here; instead, the likes of woodruff, sea buckthorn and kohlrabi recreate textures and flavours reminiscent of traditional Mexican cooking. The elegance of the food at KOL is mirrored by its warmly decorated dining room which comes cloaked in woods, brown leather and terracotta and is centred around a stunning, central open kitchen, behind which tortillas are pressed for all customers to see.

Taking inspiration from the varying food regions of Mexico, the food offering consists of either a six or nine-course tasting menu, with the main event being a choice between two sharing mains. The menu might begin with a fermented carrot, scotch bonnet, honey and seaweed broth before moving onto more indulgent plates such as lobster tacos topped with smoked chilli, while Lastra’s signature grilled octopus taco dish served with bone marrow and tortillas is a guaranteed showstopper.

A biodynamic-focused wine list accompanies the food at KOL and is focused around central and eastern European producers. The house wines are made specially in Slovakia at the Slobodné Vinárstvo winery, which make their way into the bespoke wine pairings. Perhaps even more impressive than its wine list is KOL’s huge selection of mezcal (a spirit made from distilling the juice of cooked agave heart), which is the focus of the restaurant’s downstairs Mezcaleria bar.

Not a single corner has been cut at KOL, from the hi-spec décor to the meticulously thought-out menu. That’s why Santiago Lastra has been winning praise ever since he threw open the doors to the restaurant and why KOL is now at the forefront of London’s – and perhaps the world's – Mexican dining scene.