Review: Take a trip to Mexico with Homies on Donkeys’ inventive take on tacos
“By far the most creative approach taken to staple Mexican food I can imagine.”
Buried in Leytonstone, Homies on Donkeys takes the spirit of Mexican street food and elevates it into something creative and playful, filtered through the vibes of East London.
The eatery began as a crowdfunded dream by chef Erik “Smokey” Bautista and Sandra Bello after their tiny eight-seat Walthamstow spot built a loyal following; they knew it was time to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
But beyond its roots and reputation, it’s the food that truly defines Homies on Donkeys and is where the experience becomes unbelievable.
Their special menu included a rump taco that Chef Smokey described as the “beefiest beef you’ll ever have”, and it lived up to the hype.
Whole cuts of beef are aged for days, with the onions cooked down in the beef fat until sticky before being laid onto a blue corn tortilla with smoky salsa, making for an indulgent yet primal dish.
Other options to choose from include but are by no means limited to: the reimagined birria taco that’s cooked in two parts and then unified with clarified butter, the seasoned tuna taco, which I recommend to start with, the broccoli taco that showed that you don’t need meat to deliver, and my personal favourites - the prawn and duck tacos, which ooze in juice and have a hint of char.
For sides, the beans are a must-order with Smokey saying, “Our guacamole is good, but you can get guacamole anywhere. I recommend the beans, they’re the most beautiful beans, and nobody makes them like we do.
”The frozen margaritas also deserve praise for being made freshly in-house, refreshingly cold, and priced at just £5 between 12–4 pm on Saturdays—immediately putting it ahead of most London spots, where a cocktail doesn’t dip below £10.
The restaurant itself is unapologetically funky, with walls splashed in vibrant street art, hip-hop posters from the 1990s, neon flourishes, and an edgy, lived-in energy that makes you feel like you’ve stumbled into a mash-up of a taquería and a music video set.
A neat fact is that profits from their special cocktails are made in collaboration with, and go towards, The Donkey Sanctuary, as well as free period products being available in the toilets.
It’s a small but telling detail that shows this place is about more than just food and that a heart is behind the creativity.
While waiting for our food, I couldn’t help but notice how the staff didn’t operate like staff and more like family members running a small business with no hierarchy or order other than to give the customers the best experience they could.
With an ingenious approach to cooking, generous portions, adventurous flavours, and welcoming staff, the Homies on Donkeys experience is unapologetically tactile and vibrant, making it well worth the trek and a business only destined for greater success.
Homies on Donkeys, London
Location: 686 High Road Leytonstone, Bushwood, E11 3AA
Nearest tube: Leytonstone
Prices: £8.50-£19 per portion
Opening hours: Tues–Thurs: 5pm–10pm, Fri-Sat: 12pm–4pm; 5pm–11pm, Sun–Mon: Closed