At Proper Tacos, a couple’s craving for the flavours of Mexico has become a generous, deeply personal feast of blue corn tortillas, slow-cooked meats, and Mexican hospitality.
Most people who crave something from their hometown that isn’t available in their area simply sit and sulk, wishing they had it and getting excited for the next time they can go home and get a taste. I myself am a prime example, sitting and daydreaming about In N Out’s animal-style fries while I sit in my London flat. But then there are people like Teresa and Scott, who saw a gap in London’s offerings and decided to fill it themselves. They had a ‘craving for true, authentic Mexican food that reminds you of family, laughter, and cooking that comes from the heart,’ so instead of sitting and pining after Mexico, they started a restaurant.
Squeezed in the back of Nag’s Head Market in Seven Sisters, Proper Tacos is an easily-missed food stall serving up homemade blue corn tortillas, slow-cooked beef birria, slow-simmered pork shoulder, shredded chicken mole, and more. Though it took me a few minutes to find the right stall, Teresa greeted me with a large smile and immediately made me feel at ease. She quickly gave me a rundown of the menu, asking how I would like to sample her many items and what drink I’d like to pair it with. Her passion for her food and her patrons was immediately apparent.
I started with a frozen margarita rimmed with Tajin, the perfect balance of sweet, salty, spicy, and refreshing. Then came the plate of carnitas, birria, and spicy pork chicharrón tacos on their signature blue corn tortillas. Every single protein served from Proper Tacos was incredibly tender and juicy. Each of the spices in the birria shine through, and the spicy pork was not overwhelmingly spicy—as a spice wimp myself.
The next plate’s tacos were piled with chicken tinga, chicken in mole, and cactus nopales with sautéed onions. To my surprise, the chicken tinga, not named as spicy, was far spicier than the ‘spicy pork chicharrón.’ I’m sure for anyone who can appreciate good spice, this chicken would be a smash hit, but for me personally, the spice was all I could taste. Fortunately, by this point, I was on my second drink: a creamy horchata, so delicious it was hard not to down it in one gulp. It was packed with cinnamon, the rice flavour truly came through, and it was the perfect respite from the chicken tinga. This was also my first time trying mole; I could never picture how chocolate could fit into a savoury sauce, but now it all makes sense. This taco was a flavour bomb in all the best ways. You can actually taste the chocolate, which is strange yet fascinating, and it adds a beautiful, rich earthiness. The nopales are served in a sweet tomatoey sauce, and while a great option for any vegetarian, were fine but nothing groundbreaking.
Highlights
- What to order: Chicharrón quesadilla, chicken mole, and a horchata
- The standout: Crispy, cheesy chicharrón quesadilla
- The setting: A tucked-away stall inside Nag’s Head Market, Seven Sisters
- The verdict: Exceptionally tender meats and warm hospitality, though several dishes could use more salt and acid
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of being served a meal in a Mexican home, you know that you will be served until you cannot eat another bite and then sent home with leftovers. In authentic Mexican fashion, I still had three plates to go aftermy six tacos. The quesabirria was stuffed with the same slow-cooked beef as the taco but was grilled with cheese inside and crispy cheese on the outside of the tortilla and served with the same spiced consommé. This dish is beefy, cheesy, and extremely rich—though aided by the bright, citrusy avocado salsa drizzled on top. As I was nearly out of room, Teresa was kind enough to make me the cutest mini gordita to try, a homemade blue corn masa shell stuffed with spicy pork chicharrón, lettuce, soured cream, onions, cheese, and green salsa. If you’re familiar with Taco Bell’s menu, you’ve likely heard of or tried a gordita or a crunchwrap. This is like that, but with a tuxedo on.
I saved my favourite bite for last: the chicharrón quesadilla. Now, normally if someone told me their favourite dish at a Mexican restaurant was the quesadilla, I would be judging them hard for having the palate of a four-year-old. However, I can assure you this is a grown-up quesadilla. The one thing missing from nearly every other dish I ate was salt. But here, the cheese adds the perfect amount of salinity that was missing before, plus the crispiness of the tortilla makes it an absolutely flawless bite.
For anyone looking for genuine Mexican hospitality and spices, Proper Tacos is your place. Salt in the corn tortilla dough, a dash more salt in the meat, and a squeeze of lime over the tacos would have made the meal beyond reproach. But maybe for you Brits who don’t love salt as much as us Americans, it may just be the perfect balance.
