This article is part of the Globetrotter’s FT guide to london
In truth, no one knows where tacos came from. Their blunt simplicity keeps us guessing. Some say they are indigenous to Mesoamerica, enjoyed with small fish long before the Spanish arrived. Others argue that they are a product of 18th century silver miners. But the fact is that once they arrived, they stayed and became lovers. In this way, they are embodied by Manolo de la Torre – a man who appeared out of nowhere and immediately became established among the lunch people in Peckham, south-east London, who know him as “Taco Manny”.
I first visited his pop-up, which took up a stall at Rye Lane Market, in November 2023. “Tacos! Tacos!” were his first words, at least to my ears. “The best in London!” I sat down and, for less than a tenner, was presented with three large golden tortillas filled with meat: slow-cooked beef the new onegreasy carnitas (pulled pork) and ox tongue inexplicably. Even the salsa came in three, perfectly matched, along with a lime wedge. He was right. They really were the best tacos in London.
De la Torre’s pop-up soon became a permanent location, Guacamole, which he runs with his wife, Gabriella. Last summer, a chance encounter with Jonathan Nunn, founding editor of the popular newsletter Vittles, prompted a glowing review, extending guacamole’s appeal beyond local Latinos. De la Torre, a deeply religious man, insists that God was working through Nun that day. Now Guacamole’s is getting more and more crowded, and although its owner has less time to chat, he’s somehow never too busy to tell you his story.
Fast food is in de la Torre’s blood. His grandfather started selling burritos to industrial workers in Veracruz, on Mexico’s east coast, and became wealthy. A family enterprise was born, moved through the generations and arrived at Manny, who balanced professional duties with his nascent career as a DJ (he now runs a night called Tacos and Techno at local music venue Peckham Audio). “I was a blessed man,” he tells me, recounting his old life.
One day, hungover from a concert the night before, de la Torre says he woke up to a terrible flurry of WhatsApp messages in his family group chat. His cousin had been shot and the family was still reeling from his uncle’s murder the year before. He says the two were killed by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a militarized syndicate estimated to have more than 18,000 members. “Then they killed my cousin, his nephew,” he continues. “I guess I was next.”
Not long after his cousin’s death, de la Torre says he received a text message demanding an unpayable monthly sum in exchange for not killing his family: “At first I thought it was a food order. I was driving with my daughter when the message came. The police couldn’t help – they were too scared.”
After a month in hiding, de la Torre sought asylum in the UK. On arrival, the Home Office put him up in a hotel, where he stayed for nearly two years. “At first I was calm because I was sure,” he recalls. “But it’s a year and nine months where you can’t do anything. You can’t work. It’s like living in prison. It was the hardest part of my life.” In the end, de la Torre’s pastor set him up with an immigration attorney; he won his own court and settled in east London.
De la Torre quickly noticed a gap in the market. “We looked everywhere,” he says, “and we couldn’t find any good tacos in London.” It’s true: London, a hungry, multicultural city, has a distinct deficit of good, affordable Mexican food – £10 a taco is standard fare. “This is fast food; it doesn’t have to be expensive,” insists de la Torre. “With a kilogram of time (corn dough), I can make 90 tortillas.”
Despite appearances, tacos are deceptively complex. Earlier this year, El Califa de León in Mexico City became the first of Mexico’s 11,000. taquerias to earn a Michelin star, soaking up corn dishes with overdue institutional recognition. De la Torre takes authenticity seriously. He secured his meat with great effort and timeworking hard to revive the tastes of his youth. “Ours the new one There are 17 spices carnitas there are 12. We taste it and if it doesn’t taste good (at home), we don’t sell it.”
From its permanent spot in Rye Lane Market, Guacamole’s is honest and unpretentious. As well as the famous tacos (also available as meatless options), there are freshly made ones horchata and tamarind juice, and pozolea traditional Mexican soup filled with corn kernels and avocado. But the unsung hero is Manny’s three milk cake – a sponge base soaked in evaporated milk and other ingredients in a recipe handed down by a departed de la Torre matriarch.
Mostly, de la Torre enjoys his new life. He complains about the bland cuisine and the miserable weather. But, as he says, “God is showing up in my bank account.” Part of me wants to keep Guacamole under the radar, but Taco Manny deserves the kudos—even if he pushes all the credit to his sky-high business partner. As I leave, he begins to serenade his wife with a love song. It stops working time and looks caressingly before hand pressing another set of tortillas, one at a time.
Guacamole’s, Unit 61, Rye Lane Market, 48 Rye Lane, London SE15 5BY. Website; direction
This article is part of a new series on local gems—underrated neighborhood restaurants that combine great, relatively affordable food with a sense of community. Do you have a favorite local gem? Tell us in the comments
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