London is having a Mexican moment – and the latest to bring the flavours of the Central American country to the capital is Little Fires in Shoreditch. Here, the focus is on mezcal, with cocktails by Oaxacan bar Sabina Sabe, which was ranked 22 on the World’s 50 Best Bars North America list in 2023. The food menu is by another high-flyer: Rodolfo Castellanos, the winner of the first series of Top Chef Mexico, who has designed dishes to pair with the smoky flavours of mezcal.
The bar spans two levels. Upstairs, diners sit at marble-topped tables or a bar backed with green tiles – which has been lowered to give visitors a better view of the cocktail-making process – while arched doorways set into whitewashed walls echo traditional Mexican architecture. Downstairs, a moody listening bar decked out in oranges and reds is intended to “put the focus solely on the music while learning about and tasting new mezcals”, Christian Pecoraro, who founded the bar with Florian Schulze – they also run D8 Guesthouse in Shoreditch – tells Broadsheet. The music curation is led by Argentinian DJ and producer Martin Luciuk, and every Thursday night the venue hosts a DJ set.
Sabina Sabe’s cocktail list leans heavily on mezcals sourced from little-known independent producers, and several drinks incorporate ingredients from the kitchen. The house Picante is made with molé fat-washed mezcal and the Corn Colada contains house-made corn syrup. The team also hopes to convert mezcal sceptics with its tasting flights, with options including an introduction to agave, a greatest-hits of Oaxacan spirits and a selection of rare sips.
Oaxacan flavours are laced through the menu. “Oaxacan cuisine comes from 16 indigenous groups, each preserving unique culinary traditions dating back thousands of years,” says Pecoraro of the region’s cuisine, which is particularly famous for its molés, which contain dozens of ingredients. “These [molés’] deep, smoky flavours complement mezcal’s earthy character.” Expect tacos dorados (rolled-up tortillas) filled with duck confit and molé sauce, as well as plantain molotes (pastry) stuffed with aged cheese and sour cream, both dishes that Pecoraro says “represent true Oaxacan flavours rarely experienced in London”.
Little Fires
125–127 Bethnal Green Road, E2 7DG
020 4538 1173
Hours:
Tue & Wed 5pm–11pm
Thu to Sat 5pm–midnight
Sun midday–10pm
