This article is part of the FT Globetrotter’s Guide to London.
The truth is, no one knows where tacos come from. Their straightforward simplicity keeps us guessing. Some say it is endemic to Mesoamerica and was enjoyed along with small fish long before the arrival of the Spanish. Some claim it is the product of 18th century silver miners. But in reality, once they arrived, they stayed and became beloved. Thus, they are personified by Manolo de la Torre. He appeared out of nowhere and quickly became a fixture among the lunchtime crowd in Peckham, south-east London, where he is known as ‘Taco Manny’.
I first visited his pop-up in November 2023 when he took over the stall at Rye Lane Market. Tacos! ” Those were his first words, at least to my ears. “The best in London!” Once we were seated, we were served three large golden tortillas stuffed with meat for less than $10. Slow-cooked beef birria, fatty carnitas (pulled pork) and inexplicably tender beef tongue. The three salsas were also a perfect match, along with a slice of lime. He was right. It was truly the best taco in London.
De La Torre’s pop-up soon became a permanent venue, Guacamole’s, which he runs with his wife Gabriella. Last summer, a lucky encounter with Jonathan Nunn, founding editor of the popular newsletter Vittles, prompted a glowing review, and guacamole’s appeal has spread beyond local Latinos. De la Torre, a deeply religious man, insists that God acted through Nan that day. Now, Guacamole’s is getting busier and the owners have less time to chat, but somehow they’re too busy to tell their stories.
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-run business was born and passed down through the generations to Manny. Manny balanced his professional duties with an early career as a DJ (he currently runs a night called Tacos and Techno at local music venue Peckham Audio). “I was a blessed person,” he told me, looking back on his old life.
One day, hungover from a concert the night before, de la Torre said she woke up to a flood of WhatsApp messages in her family’s group chat. His cousin had been shot and his family was still reeling from the murder of his uncle a year earlier. He said both men were killed by the Jalisco New Generation cartel. The cartel is a military syndicate estimated to have more than 18,000 members. “Then they killed my cousin, his nephew,” he continued. “I think I was next.”
De la Torre said that shortly after her cousin’s death, she received a text message demanding monthly payments in exchange for not killing her family. “At first I thought it was a food order. I was driving with my daughter when I got the message. The police were too scared to help.”
After a month in hiding, Mr. de la Torre sought asylum in the United Kingdom. Upon arrival, the Interior Ministry put him up in a hotel, where he remained for almost two years. “At first I was calm because I felt safe,” he recalls. “But you can’t do anything for a year and nine months. You can’t work. It’s like living in prison. It was the most difficult part of my life.” In the end, de la Torre’s pastor referred him to an immigration lawyer. He won in court and settled in East London.
Mr. de la Torre quickly noticed a gap in the market. “I looked everywhere and couldn’t find good tacos in London,” he says. This is true. London, a hungry, multicultural city, has a distinct lack of decent, affordable Mexican food. £10 per taco is standard. “This is fast food. It shouldn’t be expensive,” de la Torre insists. “One kilogram of masa (corn dough) can make 90 tortillas.”
Despite appearances, tacos are deceptively complex. Earlier this year, Mexico City’s El Califa de León became the first of Mexico’s 11,000 taquerias to receive a Michelin star, making corn containers eligible for institutional recognition. I couldn’t wait. At De La Torre, we value reliability. He painstakingly sourced meat and masa and worked hard to revive the flavors of his youth. “Our birria has 17 different spices, and our carnitas has 12 different spices. We taste it and if it doesn’t taste like (home), we don’t sell it.”
A permanent fixture at Rye Lane Market, Guacamole’s has an air of seriousness and unpretentiousness. In addition to our famous tacos (non-meat options available), we also offer pozole, a traditional Mexican soup filled with freshly made horchata, tamarind juice, corn kernels and avocado. But the unsung hero is Manny’s Tres Leches Cake. It’s a sponge base soaked in evaporated milk and other ingredients, a recipe passed down from the late de la Torre matriarch.
For the most part, de la Torre is enjoying his new life. He complains about the bland food and the miserable weather. But, as he says, “God is showing up in my bank account.” I’d like to keep the guacamole thing under the radar, but Taco Manny deserves praise, even if it means ceding all the credit to his empty business partner. As I walked away, he started serenading my wife with a love song. She stops making the masa, looks up dreamily, then presses another bunch of tortillas, one at a time, in her hands.
Guacamole’s, Unit 61, Rye Lane Market, 48 Rye Lane, London SE15 5BY. Website; Directions
This article is part of a new series about local gems: humble neighborhood restaurants that combine great, relatively affordable food with a sense of community. Do you have a favorite local gem? Let me know in the comments
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