New Mexican restaurant set for launch in London's Marylebone

The launch of the debut solo restaurant from Mexican chef Adriana Cavita is set for May 6.

Cavita, on Marylebone’s Wigmore Street, will serve Adriana’s takes on traditional Mexican dishes that tell a story of her heritage and the people who taught her the craft of cooking. Dining at Cavita will introduce Londoners to the sights, sounds and smells of Mexico.

Downstairs sits Mayahuel, a dedicated mezcal and cocktail bar where guests can enjoy a drink before dinner or visit for cocktails and bar snacks separately.

The menu at Cavita opens with a ‘raw’ selection which rotates depending on the seafood available, this celebrates the wealth of British seafood on offer with Mexican flavour profiles of chilli, lime and smoke.

Raw dishes will include Carlingford Rock Oysters with Clamato oil and jalapeno vinaigrette as well as Yellow Tail Aguachile Rojo with watermelon, mezcal and ‘grasshopper’ seasoning - a smoky topping made from roasted and ground red grasshoppers.

Appetisers follow - this section includes the Cavita Caesar Salad, often overlooked as a Mexican creation, Adriana’s version will include pink radicchio and green beans alongside the classic anchovy and parmesan cheese dressing.

A section of the menu is dedicated to street food, an intrinsic element of Mexican food culture. A changing roster of tacos features - Birria taco, guajillo adobo sauce and veal bone consomé made with beef cheek and a Baja fish taco, hake in masa tempura with smoked cabbage escabeche.

Adriana will be introducing some lesser known street food favourites to her guests including Tetelas, a Oaxacan stuffed masa snack made with blue corn and served with roasted potato, salsa tatemada and house made queso fresco as well as Tlayuda with chargrilled pumpkin, Oaxaca beans, nacha sauce, Somerset cheddar and duck fat.

The dining area at Cavita includes cosy areas, bar seats and larger tables to showcase the materials and textures of Mexico with wooden and tile elements, exposed bricks and a warm earthy colour palette.

The restaurant will offer bookings at their ‘top table’, a communal dining spot with the best view of the kitchen which is served by Adriana herself. The cacti and plants help bring a sense of the outdoors inside in this central London location.