Zapote celebrates 1st birthday with never-before-seen specials

Zapote, the trailblazing, contemporary Mexican restaurant and bar in Shoreditch, is celebrating its first birthday with never-before-seen specials and an extra special tequila tipple, available for the week from 27th February.

From its inception in February 2023, co-founders Tony Geary (a hospitality veteran, previously of Sketch and Aqua Group) and Chef Yahir Gonzalez, who hails from Mexico himself, brought their years-long friendship together to set out to create one of London’s most forward-thinking restaurants, positively filling the gap for high-quality, good-value Mexican food in London.

For the first birthday celebration, Zapote will take some unusual inspiration from Chef Yahir’s native city of Aguascalientes, best known for ‘El Museo Nacional de la Muerte’, the National Museum of Death - represented by skulls! Diners will be able to experience Mexico’s wry and often humorous approach to the afterlife with the restaurant’s unique and playful take on one of the city’s most famous symbols.

A beautifully crafted sharing dessert for two, the Skull, chocolate mezcal and prickly pear ganache (£15) in the shape of a white chocolate skull shell cracks open to reveal a delicious chocolate and mezcal ganache, centred around a prickly pear gel – a childhood favourite for Chef Yahir and a nod to the acres of prickly pears that grow in abundance on his wife’s family ranch.

Following in suit, the prickly pear is further celebrated as it plays centre stage for the birthday mains on offer with a bright and vibrant dish of Pink Bream, Prickly Pear Aguachile with fennel and compressed cucumber (£16). The prickly pear is compressed then reduced and blitzed with lime, Chile and coriander, salt and red onion – for the ultimate way to enjoy and celebrate this much under-represented plant in London.

Taking after the restaurant’s much-loved signature Zapote 70 cocktail, a newly created tequila and Mezcal based cocktail Zapote 1 (£11) will help to toast in the year-long milestone, available to order in the main dining room or at the stunning 12-seater horseshoe shaped bar.