Ixchel opened its doors in September of last year on the King’s Road and has already solidified its place as a vibrant addition to the thriving Chelsea restaurant scene.
The quintessential contemporary Mexican restaurant is inspired by the cuisine of Tulum on the beautiful Caribbean coast of the Yucatan peninsula, which many centuries ago was an important Mayan walled city.
It combines a warm, soothing ambience which approaches a hip beach club vibe, with an exciting menu and a fearsome cocktail and tequila list (more of which later).
The décor is most stylish, comprising well-spaced tables for dining, a fun bar at the back complete with moons which represent the Mayan goddess of the moon. There are also comfortable alcoves which boast hand woven artisanal fabrics and there is a spacious private dining room downstairs. Happily, Ixchel is well served by natural light during the day time, both from large windows and cleverly placed skylights throughout the dining area, juxtaposed with subtly back-lit cacti.
The Mexican chef, Ximena Gayossa Gonzalez, who trained as a sous chef at La Patria in Mexico City (which is now closed), curates an imaginative menu which ranges from tapas-style dishes to larger plates which are designed for sharing.
The smaller “para picar” plates were delicious, particularly the guacamole and the cactus salad. The larger plates were also great, especially the fish and pork belly tacos and the squash blossom quesadilla. I have never encountered so many edible flowers! As a final flourish, the puddings were exceptional and the Mango crème brule was quite exquisite.
This was all accompanied by cocktails and margaritas, which contained plentiful mezcal and tequila from local distilleries in Mexico and packed quite a punch. Thankfully, the non-alcoholic cocktails were more soothing. The Dirty Lemonade, and the rather more demanding Mezcalita, should not be missed.
Ixchel certainly deserves its mention in the “A to Z of Food” in the December 2023 issue of British Vogue and is sure to delight unsuspecting visitors to the Chelsea Flower Show at the end of this month.
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