Chilango, Fleet St

Chilango: Ever since I tried the tacos at a Lucha Libre event at the Roundhouse in December of 2008 (where I was rewarded with a voucher for a free burrito) I've been a fan. They were, at the time, the best tacos I had tried in London, and they're still up there, along with the efforts by fella who has a stall on Lower Marsh in Waterloo, and those from Daddy Donkey. Unashamedly spicy and full of flavour, they pulled no punches; a refreshing change from the myriad of bland and ultimately lazy tacos and burritos available in the city, pre the recent burrito-craze. Of course, restaurants such as Taqueria and wahaca are attempting to bring a more 'Mex-Mex' (rather than Tex-Mex) slant to Mexican food in London, but Chilango's burritos remain a firm favourite. I've had a countless number of burritos from both the Angel and Fleet St stores; some have been paid for by myself, whilst others have been generously handed to me gratis, either to say thank you for being a loyal customer or to entice me in and draw my regular custom (it worked). The burritos always taste incredibly fresh: the fillings are never meagre or bland, packing a punch in both the flavour and spiciness ranks on their own. The chicken, for example, is a recent favourite of mine with its hot and spicy chipotle marinade leaving a trail of fire on my lips. That's not to underestimate the chargrilled, tender steak, a firm fallback in any situation. Additionally, the other components of the burrito are also paid a great deal of attention it seems. The coriander and lime rice is probably the best example thereof in London, whilst the pico de gallo is delicious enough to eat on its own - zingy and fresh tasting. I like that they give away free burritos whenever a store opens, and that they're always willing to support a good cause. The negatives for me are the usual in any burrito joint: you have to pay for guacamole (a mammoth 80p here!) and the tortilla wraps aren't as good as those at Luardos.

P.S. Have a look at a couple of pictures:

Steak burrito (£5.90)

Agua Fresca (£1.60 - unlimited refills)