Lucia's

Lucia’s is a total scene. Whether you’re leaning in the courtyard with people subtly showing off their knock-off Gucci tote, or sitting inside and metres from flickering flames in the open kitchen, there’s a frisson in the air at the Hackney Wick taqueria. It comes from knowing what’s behind the unmarked door, a soundtrack of vinyl and mezcal bottes jangling, and the hours melting away from one round of great tacos and cold beers to the next. Like the makeshift tequila and grapefruit Jarritos ‘palomas’, Lucia’s is a little rough about the edges in the best way—and the lively crowd embraces its charm.

video credit: Daisy Meager

The best dishes touch the fire: a grilled vegetable plate—piled with smoky tomatoes, courgettes, beetroot, and more—comes with corn tortillas sprinkled with sea salt. Those same soft but sturdy tortillas make an appearance with the tender sliced lamb rump and saucy, mild tomato salsa. Not everything hits: bone marrow tacos need salsa with more oomph, and a black bean and sweet potato tostada is too one-note. But the appeal of cool and casual Lucia’s goes beyond the food.

Food Rundown

video credit: Daisy Meager

Grilled Vegetable Plate

This tangle of on-the-vine tomatoes, sliced courgette, chopped beetroot, and charred spring onions have been well-acquainted with the grill, bringing out their sweetness and adding a little smokiness. Pile the vegetables onto the soft corn tortillas and add your choice of hot sauce from the table selection. We loved the hot, sweet habanero and pineapple El Yucateco.

Black Bean And Sweet Potato Tostada

The mix of black bean and sweet potato was a little one-note: both brought sweetness to the party which wasn’t balanced with anything else. Plus it was a big pile of smooth, mashed vegetables and pulses to a thin, crunchy tostada. Even the spring onion garnish couldn’t provide enough contrasting texture.

Beef Barbacoa

Ding ding ding, we’ve found our perfect match to Lucia’s ice-cold bottles of Victoria. The juices from the rich, fall-apart meat soak into the tortilla, and it’s sprinkled with chopped white onion and parsley.

Lamb Rump

Thank you to the server who insisted we try this. Slices of charred-around-the-edges lamb are served with tortillas, diced onion, herbs, lime wedges, and thick tomato salsa. Once bundled up and bitten into, the tender meat gives way for a dreamy bite.