Review: Los Amigos

When the owner of a restaurant chooses to offer you a friendly welcome and then sit down and eat and share a bottle of wine with you it says two things to me:

Here’s a restaurateur who feels comfortable meeting his diners and here’s a man who is happy with what you are eating and what he is eating. This was the pleasant scenario my companion and I enjoyed when we visited Epsom’s favourite Mexican cantina, Los Amigos. Proprietor Turan Akyuz was explaining how he has seen trade grow, since he opened in 2008 – despite the recession – and what his eaterie offered that kept his patrons returning, again and again.

‘We love parties and celebrations here,’ he says. ‘Group bookings are always welcomed and we make sure everyone has a good choice of food and a good time.’

He cracked open a cracking Rioja from his eclectic wine menu and ordered typically tangy Mexican starters: succulent barbeque ribs smothered in a hickory sauce and tostada – a corn tortilla topped with pinto beans, chorizo sausage, and king prawns and served with guacamole and soured cream cooling the fire of the chilli. We went on to more typical Mexican fare: Chilli con carne sombrero (so called because of the hat-like taco basket it is served in) and fajitas, with a filling of sizzling hot chicken, beef, cheese, salsa, guacamole and salad. Turan completed the picture by choosing a tasty burrito – a large, oven baked tortilla filled with, re-fried beans and his own selection of the other fresh ingredients he sources regularly for his kitchen.

Those with less adventurous tastes are well catered for, too, Turan naming his succulent sirloin and ribeye steaks and his selection of burgers among his most popular dishes.

How about a competition for our readers? I suggest. ‘I’m thinking of having a competition to see who can eat the hottest chillis,’ Turan says, playfully. If he gets some real interest he’ll do it – so why not give him a call if you fancy your chances?

27 East Street, Epsom KT17 1BD 01372 727122