Benito's Hat - Yelp Elite Showcase Dinner

12 Great Castle St
London W1W 8LR
020 7636 6560

Feel the burn! Usually something you hear from a personal trainer trying to get you to go just that little bit further. However, as I discovered last night at the Showcase Dinner (it’s good to be an Elite!), this also applies to the special Diablo salsa on offer at Benito’s Hat. But more on that later.

This was an intimate gathering of 8 Elites, our valiant leader, one of the owners (Ben), and a representative (Stewart) from the PR firm which helps craft Benito’s Hat’s image. We had the run of the downstairs which is perfect for small groups to sit, chat, and stuff their faces full of quality Mexican food.

Quick shout out: Yelp is a review website with a massive social aspect. I'm fortunate to be one of the Elite members which means invites to great events with free food and drink where we get to meet the owners and learn more about the place beyond the usual visit.

Tortilla chips with (left to right) pico de gallo, sour cream, salsa verde, and salsa brava

A quick blurb about BH. A relatively new entrant to London’s burrito business, they’ve brought a winning combination of home-cooked flavours (quite literally just like Mama used to make) based on old family recipes of the head chef (who we sadly didn’t get to meet). Added to that, BH provides a colourful welcoming setting, pretty reasonable prices for the food, and a selection of delicious margaritas. There are four central locations (Goodge St, Covent Garden, Oxford Circus, and King’s Cross) which just begets the question: when are you coming East?

Traditional margarita (left) and Watermelon margarita

Back to the event! We started of with some classic margaritas that were on the slushy side of frozen. I actually prefer them this way as they are cold enough to give some texture to your drink and balance our the fiery salsa with the chips but not so cold that you feel that your teeth are acting like mini-ice picks just to get a sip. You can also order them on the rocks with an optional salt rim if you are so inclined. This was quickly followed by a strawberry marg which was absolutely delicious. I’ve had many flavours of margaritas in my time (in fact I had many just last night), but this was exceptional with the sweetness of the strawberries, the  tanginess of the lime, and the bite of the tequila blending together in a perfectly balanced and refreshing drink. I could knock back a pitcher of this on my own and will likely do just that in a couple of weeks.

Ben (the owner) serving up my burrito. Now that's what I call service!

After a quick Q&A where Ben shared some of the history of BH (and also the challenge and cost of sourcing avocados – never will I complain about the small guac surcharge again!), we ventured upstairs to order our food of choice. BH offers the street food staples of burritos, tacos, burritas (at some locations and I’m not sure how this differs from a burrito), salads, and soups. Being a burrito guy, I had to opt for it and, on Ben’s recommendation, selected the slow-cooked braised pork. A full array of cheese, lettuce, rice, beans, and guac filled out my tortilla and then I took the plunge and asked for both the salsa brava and salsa del Diablo to really knock it up a notch.

The delicious meats. Bottom right is the slow-cooked pork.

The meat was delightfully tender and had a rich smoky flavour that I crave in my slow-cooked meats. I’m guessing a mix of adobo and chipotle chillies to give it a depth of flavour without overwhelming heat but I can say for certainty it’s the best Mexican shredded pork I’ve had in London (sorry Freebird). The guac didn’t make as much of an appearance as I would have hoped and could have used a bit more lime before fading into a creamy background. It’s possible it merged with the taste of the black beans which were suitably soft and are cooked with avocado leaves. The dual salsa choice was perfect however with the salsa brava kicking in at the start with its bold in-your-face heat and the salsa del Diablo being a more slow burn that builds with each bite. 

A variety of toppings. And doesn't beer make such good decor?

Even more food followed us downstairs in the form of tofu tacos and chicken tacos as Ben has noticed we had gone wholeheartedly for the beef and pork. The tofu tacos, served with sour cream, pico de gallo, and salsa verde, were delightfully refreshing as the meat and spice feast I had just demolished. I never thought I’d say this, but I’d consider getting tofu tacos again. The chicken was tasty but didn’t stand up to the pork in my opinion but was still a welcome addition to my belly (along with an unhealthy serving of salsa del Diablo).

Pomegranate Margarita. A bit pink but delicious!

Ben also demonstrated how to make the perfect margarita by following a 1x1x1 ratio of tequila (use a good tequila blanco made from 100% agave), fresh lime juice, and triple sec. You can up the tequila amount if you want a more potent drink but two simple rules to follow: 1) a margarita must have tequila and lime juice, and 2) you should never have a larger quantity of any ingredient than you do of tequila!. Simples!

Ben told us the history of the name, Benito’s Hat. I thought it was perhaps a term of endearment (the Spanish are forever adding –ito or –ita to the end of names to make them cuter…perhaps the Mexicans do too) for him but it turns out that Benito Juarez, the first Mexican president of Mexico, used to be a very sombre dresser until one day he rocked up with a truly flamboyant hat. Although he went back to his all-black dress code, that story is immortalised in folk tales ever since.

A trio of desserts. Tres Leche cake in the center.

And we finished off with a trio of classic Mexican desserts. The Tres Leche (3 milk) cake was moist and soaked in a rich sweet caramel sauce. The flan (essentially creme caramel with cinnamon) had a great robust and slightly bitter flavour with the silky smoothness you'd expect from such a dish. And finally, there was a crispy wafer covered in cinnamon sugar that would make an excellent movie snack or really good for any time.

More desserts!

Overall, an excellent time and one that I really felt I got more of a feel for the place and our gracious hosts rather than just eating and drinking my fill (not that I’d ever complain about that)! Oh also they just released a cookbook which is beautiful and full of delicious Mexican recipes and will be signing at Covent Garden Waterstones this Thursday!