The long-awaited launch of the debut solo restaurant from Mexican chef Adriana Cavita is set for 6th May.
Cavita, on Marylebone’s Wigmore Street, will serve Adriana’s takes on traditional Mexican dishes that tell a story of her heritage and the people who taught her the craft of cooking.
Dining at Cavita will introduce Londoners to the sights, sounds and smells of Mexico, so beloved by Adriana.
Downstairs sits Mayahuel, a dedicated mezcal and cocktail bar where guests can enjoy a drink before dinner or visit for cocktails and bar snacks separately.
The menu at Cavita opens with a ‘raw’ selection which rotates depending on the seafood available, this celebrates the wealth of British seafood on offer with Mexican flavour profiles of chilli, lime and smoke.
Raw dishes will include Carlingford Rock Oysters with Clamato oil and jalapeno vinaigrette as well as Yellow Tail Aguachile Rojo with watermelon, mezcal and ‘grasshopper’ seasoning - a smoky topping made from roasted and ground red grasshoppers.
Appetisers follow - this section includes the Cavita Caesar Salad, often overlooked as a Mexican creation, Adriana’s version will include pink radicchio and green beans alongside the classic anchovy and parmesan cheese dressing.
A section of the menu is dedicated to street food, an intrinsic element of Mexican food culture. A changing roster of tacos features - Birria taco, guajillo adobo sauce and veal bone consomé made with beef cheek and a Baja fish taco, hake in masa tempura with smoked cabbage escabeche. Adriana will also be introducing some lesser known street food favourites to her guests including Tetelas, a Oaxacan stuffed masa snack made with blue corn and served with roasted potato, salsa tatemada and house made queso fresco as well as Tlayuda - often referred to at the Oaxacan pizza - with chargrilled pumpkin, Oaxaca beans, nacha sauce, Somerset cheddar and duck fat.
Larger sharing plates will be the main event; Mole Verde - wood grilled herb fed chicken, green mole with coal-roasted vegetables, green herbs and pumpkin seeds, Serandeado Whole Fish - whole brill cooked over hot coals with morita chilli paste and lastly, Barbecued Octopus with guajillo & pasilla adobo, avocado and pickled vegetables, served with tortillas.
The sharing dishes can be ordered with a selection of sides and extra salsas.
The dining area at Cavita includes cosy areas, bar seats and larger tables to showcase the materials and textures of Mexico with wooden and tile elements, exposed bricks and a warm earthy colour palette.
The restaurant will offer bookings at their ‘top table’, a communal dining spot with the best view of the kitchen which is served by Adriana herself. The cacti and plants help bring a sense of the outdoors inside in this central London location.
Downstairs at 56 Wigmore St sits Mayahuel, a mezcal and cocktail bar with its own entrance to the street outside.
Mayahuel will champion and promote the incredible work going on in Mexico to preserve traditional methods around mezcal and tequila production by stocking brands including Lost Explorer, Ojo De Dios, Amores, Bruxo, Alipus, Corte Vetusto, Casa Dragones and Fortaleza.
A cocktail menu using these spirits can be enjoyed alone or alongside a variety of antojitos (Mexican snacking plates) crafted by Adriana, such as Tuna Tostada - Macha sauce, avocado puree, ginger vinaigrette and Esquites - a Mexican corn salad with chicken broth, jalapeño mayo and Applebey’s cheshire cheese with the option to add bone marrow.
Adriana trained back in Mexico City where her commitment and skill pushed her to apply for roles in the best restaurants in the country. Her first full time job in 2006 was at Pujol - currently ranked at #9 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants - at just 19 and later with Eduardo Garcia at Lalo! In 2011, Adriana worked under Ferran Adria as Chef de Partie at El Bulli in Spain.
These restaurants are famed for their ongoing revolutionary approach to Mexican cooking, which Adriana cites as key in shaping her approach to food.
Adriana later returned to Pujol as Chef de Taller and helped with creative menu choices for the restaurant. Cavita represents this outstanding training and the knowledge gained on trips through Mexico taken by Adriana in 2018 and more recently towards the end of 2021.
