Overview
In this article I review our trip to the wonderfully fun taco restaurant Homies on Donkeys.
Location: Leytonstone
Price per head: £30 – £40
Our opinion: An absolute bargain
Summary: A really fun restaurant selling yummy cocktails and original tacos that are packed with flavour. Not only that, but the tacos are huge and come at incredibly reasonable prices.
Restaurant Review
London loves Mexican food. There are Tortilla outlets on seemingly every corner, incredible fine dining restaurants like Kol, and there are also a lot of places claiming to do tacos.
I love Tacos. They are fantastic at demonstrating the importance of quality ingredients, understanding how to cook meat properly, and the balancing of sweetness and acidity in cooking. They are fantastic at demonstrating these things because, when they are done right, it is incredibly evident… and when they are done wrong, it is even more evident still. So I should correct myself, I love good tacos. Unfortunately they are all too hard to find, and often when you do, you end up paying a fortune for measly portions.
Because of the above, I had my guard up going to Homies on Donkeys for the first time. They had been getting great reviews and booking a table had been a challenge, so the signs were good, but I didn’t want to be let down. Fortunately this was not to be the case, believe the hype!
We live in Walthamstow and knew of the Homeys On Donkeys outfit when they were running a pop up in Wood Street, but they only did lunch times and we never managed to find the time to go. So when we heard they were opening up a restaurant proper we knew we had to check them out. I doubt they are regretting their decision to scale up, every time we have been they have been busy, and booking is never easy.
Their new home is in Leytonstone, but if that seems far away please don’t be put off. It’s close to the Central Line and so worth the trip. The walls in the restaurant are painted with wacky colours, animal prints and graffiti. It hits you when you walk in and serves as a great precursor to the flavours that will be hitting you shortly. It’s a very laid back, relaxed atmosphere, with attentive waiters and good music playing in the background.
The Food
The thing about the tacos at this place is that not only are they delicious, incredibly well balanced and original in flavours, but they are also massive. I am so used to getting served tiny, limp tacos on cheap tortillas that I keep going on about how good value these tacos are. Knowing that you will be full by the end of your meal without spending a fortune is a welcome change.
When you arrive, you will be duly informed that they don’t do cutlery. Don’t ask for it, because you won’t get it. There are napkins, you will get messy and you will have to use them. I love it.
They also warn you that spiciness can vary depending on which chef is making the taco, which I think is just great! It shows that they are all very freshly made, they are not too formulaic, and that they allow for some creativity. I think these are great qualities in this kind of restaurant.
You get 2 tacos per portion, and they cost between £8 and £10. 4 tacos each will fill you up, but you can always get a 5th if you’re particularly hungry.
Their taco menu changes, and they often have specials, but I will talk you through the dishes that we had.
Birria
Beautifully slow cooked beef, with a rich and wonderfully smoky sauce. Just the right amount of sweetness to really balance the whole thing out. Spring onion relish, coriander and pickled onions top this, and they work well with it. My only mild complaint would be that I could have done with more of the toppings. However, this is a classic taco executed very well. I really recommend you try this.
Camaron Enchilado
King prawns cooked with garlic, tomato and chilli. This is apparently a classic dish of theirs. There is a kick to this and the tomatoes deliver a nice bit of sweetness. The prawns are well cooked and meaty. I love prawns and this taco did them a good service.
Bavette Steak
Rare bavette steak with a sweet onion, coriander and jalapeño relish. This has a slightly BBQ taste. The steak is obviously good quality and has a charred meaty flavour, but the salsa is less interesting than others. This dish does really allow the lovely flavour of the corn taco to shine through. This is a decent dish, but there are better on the menu.
Sea Bass
I was a little weary of the sea bass taco as it seemed a little less traditional to me. I was being silly, and what does tradition matter anyway! This was absolutely fantastic. The fish was cooked to perfection, with beautifully crispy skin, and it was served with a really garlicky salsa. It was messy to eat and just all round fantastic. I wish I had had another one.
Chicken Barbacoa
We were particularly hungry the evening we visited, and given we had loved our previous dishes so much we chose to order one more. I am so glad we did. I think this was probably the standout for us. Topped with smoky chilli, roasted tomato salsa, coriander and sweet pickled onions, it all just came together beautifully. I usually get less excited about chicken tacos, but I have learnt my lesson and will certainly be ordering them again.
Everything else
We had some margaritas which were really good, and our friend really enjoyed her paloma too.
Louise did also try the alcoholic horchata. She usually likes the traditional version of this drink, but really didn’t enjoy this one because it tasted of almond essence. If Almond essence is your thing go for it, but otherwise you have been warned.
All in all, we had a great time. I think that this place is a great venue for great cocktails and yummy tacos without breaking the bank!
