Zapote opened in 2023, bringing contemporary Mexican cuisine to Shoreditch in East London. This is the first restaurant from chef Yahir Gonzalez and hospitality legend Tony Geary. They aim to innovate traditional Mexican dishes with their all-day dining experience.

Yahir was born in Aguascalientes in North-Central Mexico and began his career at 15 working in a local French restaurant. After graduating, he moved to Spain to study at the Centre Superior Hosteleria de Galicia and worked in acclaimed Spanish restaurants. He relocated to London in 2010, joining the Aqua Restaurant Group where he remained until 2022. Last year, he pursued his own restaurant, keeping ties to his Mexican heritage by matching Zapote’s logo to the branding mark on his family’s cattle ranch.

Beginning as a hotel bell boy at 15, Tony found a passion for hospitality, honing his craft at college and university. After working on cruise ships and managerial positions at restaurants in London, including Sketch and East@West, he opened the Aqua Restuarant Group’s Aqua Nueva and Aqua Kyoto in 2008 as general manager. He earned the global managing director position there, operating the group’s twenty-plus international locations spanning Hong Kong, Beijing, London, New York, Miami, and Dubai.

Interiors

Zapote’s interior reflects the bright orange flesh of the Mexican zapote fruit, which inspired the restaurant’s name and vibrant colour palette. Located at 70 Leonard Street, the restaurant has been refurbished in Yahir’s and Tony’s image, with central open kitchens surrounded by the 65-seat dining space, a horseshoe-shaped cocktail bar, and a private dining room that will be added in the coming months.

The eclectic space includes a colourful mural wall with contrasting midnight-blue banquettes surrounding the walls. Live cacti and plants pepper the large dining room made up of upcycled wooden chairs, giving a warm and contemporary feel. 

The Menu

From homemade tortillas to imported chillies, Zapote’s ingredients match Yahir’s ethos of sustainability and authenticity. The seasonal menu features Mexican comforts, including a wild mushroom quesadilla; crispy artichoke; charred lamb neck with smoked aubergine; scallop ceviche; grilled octopus; seabass aguachile; and grey mullet recado rojo. 

Their signature tacos include a beef tartar variation with roasted bone marrow which was a real favourite. So many textures and flavours combined with great depth from the bone marrow. They also offer tostadas from native Mexican corn varieties, including yellowfin tuna with spicy crab and vegetarian roasted red pepper and almond tostadas.

Another highlight was a crispy baby artichoke with pipian verde. Sounds so simple yet was so delicious. The artichoke already had a well rounded taste and then in comes a pipian verde sauce made with pumpkin seeds, peanuts, sesame seeds, leafy greens, and spices. It married SO well with the artichoke and had so many different textures and tastes. Another very popular dish at the table was the spicy chorizo, potato and burnt cheese. Hearty, big flavours and crispy burnt cheese.

Their mostly-European wine list is affordable and includes several organic, biodynamic, and skin-contact varieties. The cocktail menu mirrors the seasonal food offerings, with a focus on tequila and mezcal. The bar offers an exclusive selection of small plates, including crispy pork skin with pico de gallo, totopos and guacamole, and whitebait with habanero ali-oli, in addition to the full menu that is available to the bar during lunch and dinner.

With their extensive experience in the restaurant industry, Tony and Yahir’s collaboration is sure to shake up the East London dining scene emphasising the importance of Mexican heritage and flavours.

To discover more, visit: zapote.co.uk

 

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All imagery courtesy of Zapote.