Nachos

The 2013 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the current (2013) edition.

You have to climb stairs above a coffee shop to get to Nachos, a surprisingly large space adorned with colourful murals of pyramids, banana trees and exotic dancers. The food is on another level too, with Nacho Servese cooking up something more like haute Latin cuisine than the standard wraps and fajitas we’ve come to expect from anything that calls itself Mexican in the UK. Certainly you can get burritos and tacos here, and there’s a brisk takeaway service that concentrates on these (and pizza) from a separate menu. But better reasons to seek out this Southside location would be the pabellon criollo that’s almost like a smoky, creamy, chipotle-flavoured stroganoff, or chicken in a rich and complex mole of bitter chocolate and chilli. Presentation shows care, with dishes smartly plated, and rice and beans on the side rather than piled up with the protein. Nachos holds ‘tapas nights’ on Tuesday and Wednesday, with over 30 little dishes starting at a pound (for, unsurprisingly, nachos), but the carefully made main dishes are where the interest lies.

• High point: Careful cooking and delicious flavours in mains
• Low point: Vegetables are low on the list of priorities