Jackson Boxer & Lalo Yishima - How TAQ Went From Struggling Restaurant to London Hotspot

About this episode

Jackson Boxer and Eduardo “Lalo” Yishima discuss the transformation of TAQ into a modern Mexican restaurant in London.

Jackson Boxer and Eduardo “Lalo” Yishima joined us at TAQ to talk about relaunching one of London’s original Mexican restaurants into something far more ambitious, produce-led and reflective of modern Mexican cuisine. Jackson explained how the former Taqueria had become trapped trying to compete on cheapness rather than quality, despite having an incredible location and loyal following. The pair discussed how London’s understanding of Mexican food has transformed over the last 20 years, with diners now far more educated and excited by authentic flavours, proper tortillas and regional cooking. Bringing Lalo back from Mexico to lead the kitchen allowed them to completely rethink the menu, from nixtamalized heritage corn tortillas to carnitas, tuna tostadas and deeply flavourful salsas that feel genuinely rooted in Mexico while using exceptional British produce. A huge part of the conversation centred around ingredients and the realities of running restaurants in modern London. Jackson spoke passionately about using rare breed pork, Yorkshire grass-fed beef and whole Cornish tuna across the restaurant group, while Lalo described the emotional significance of properly nixtamalized…

People in this episode

Guests: Jackson Boxer, Eduardo “Lalo” Yishima

Topics covered

• Mexican cuisine
• restaurant relaunch
• food quality
• London dining
• ingredients sourcing

Keywords

• TAQ
• Mexican food
• restaurant
• London
• tortillas
• salsas
• ingredients

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: TAQ

Places: London, Mexico, Yorkshire, Cornwall

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