Take a trip underneath Shrewsbury to taste genuine Mexican street food and enjoy warm welcome

When you think of Mexican restaurants in the UK, you think of cantinas full of light materials, the sounds of Mariachi music and more than a few sombreros on display.

It can lead to a feeling of being surrounded by kitsch and objects that are more a tribute than actually authentic, and that can also translate to the food.

In many cases, the food can have a Tex-Mex feeling to it, cooked and prepared to more local tastes than to the actual authentic feeling in Guadalajara or Mexico City.

However, if you venture down Green Dragon Lane in Shrewsbury town centre and take a right, you’ll see a sign for a very new and very unique restaurant which takes the tastes of Mexico and plates then out in a place which feels comfortable and without that kitschy feeling.

Elephant Underground has been a part of the Salop culinary scene since the end of last year, opened by chef Liam Tinsley after the success of the Elephant Crossing in Ironbridge and dedicated to the idea of proper, traditional Mexican street food.

As you walk under the sign and enter the building, you’re met with a warming feeling and a great smell which permeates the staircase leading down to the restaurant, past the first set of tables set up near the entrance.

A step through the doors provides you with a view of a big and well-stocked bar, smiling and friendly staff and a wall not cluttered with pictures and keeping a nice minimalist feel to it.

That feeling is extended to the main restaurant area, full of tables and with a nice lighting set on the ceiling and windows affixed to the walls the only clutter in the place, plus some nice tunes playing over the stereo system and not too loud either.

Taking a seat, I chatted with the venue manager Ally Stockwell about the restaurant, with her enthusiasm for the food and the place very infectious. She also showed me how some of the cocktails were made alongside the barman, who made the Orbit cocktail, an enticing blend of orange liquor, raspberry vodka, citrus and apple juice and topped with a huge, vapour-filled bubble.

It look good and smelt tremendous, but as usual, driving duties meant no alcohol for me, which Ally made sure wasn’t an issue by whipping up a non-alcoholic Mai Tai, topped with a flaming passion fruit (luckily, blown out, lest it set my beard on fire).

That was a good choice as it had a sharp, citrus flavour and was very refreshing, plus I am a sucker for a nice glass and the totemistic glass was really nice (yes, I am still 10-years-old).

The cooking is what really makes the place and I was able to sit and chat with the head chef and owner Liam about the food, the philosophy around the place and his own love for it.

Of course, the whole point of coming to Elephant Underground was to get my trunk into the food, and that’s where I started talking to Liam about his recommendations, with the Mexican cheese bites being his top recommendation as he said that they were addictively good, even to him with a lactose intolerance.

It sounded good and so we worked it so that he’d bring me that and another starter, then I would work through a selection of chicken quesadillas, a steak Burrito, a couple of pork and a couple of lamb tacos and loaded chimichurri and chicken fries.

(By the way, if you’re keeping score at home, you’ve probably already worked out that I’ve already ordered way too much food. I know, I realised my mistake later on).

The food options are really good, from nachos to Ensalata (I have to Google that to find out it was Spanish for salad), small plates for tapas and a fine range of steaks, including the Mexican Feast Board for £72.50, which gives you a 10oz ribeye steak, tacos, quesadilla, nachos, messy fries and some smaller items.

The three steaks of 8oz rump, 8oz sirloin and 10oz ribeye for £64 is also worth a look as well.

My starters were the cheese bites so recommended by chef, as well as two pork carnitos taquitos, a pair of pork wraps with lime crema and a Mexican coleslaw on the side.

One bite into the cheese bites made me realise that everything Liam said was entirely true as they were absolutely divine, full of rich and creamy cheese and with a nice tangy taste and crunch. I could have eaten these all night and had some very funky dreams afterwards.

The pork carnitas taquitos were no slouch either, rich and with lovely, well-cooked and seasoned meat, as well as a sauce which was rich and nicely spiced.

You could have ended proceedings there and I’d have been satisfied, but that was only the start of my Mexican street food culinary adventure as, gradually, my table became full of wrapped meat and brightly coloured sauces and a mixture of smells, as well as a sudden realisation that I had far too much food for one person (indeed, lunches for the next two days).

The presentation was everything, from the brightly coloured tacos with the mixture of vegetables and the toned taco shells to the luminous green chimichurri sauce to the whole show of green, purple and white of the messy, loaded fries.

It went on, with the quesadillas covered in the bright and white sauce alongside a bed of coleslaw and the burritos with the most wonderful looking steak inside and, unusually for a burrito, no rice inside, due to the stodginess of the rice taking away from the flavour and texture.

It was a massive meal and a lot to work through, so common sense prevailed and I took tasters of each course to get the flavours and tastes, a good idea as I found myself waddling back to my car afterwards.

The quesadilla was soft and full of rich flavours from the meat and fillings, while the steak burrito was tangy and had a nice feel in my mouth, not tough meat and seasoned well.

The fries were, for want of a better word, phenomenal, providing a really kaleidoscope of flavour from the nicely spiced fries to the tang of the onions and the rich, deep sensations of the chicken.

The tacos were excellent as well, easy to eat and not overly messy (I’ve had tacos in the past where I’ve found most of it on my lap) and compact enough to finish off in a few bites. I have two of each, but you can order up to five which, if I am honest, would seem too much as you’re caught out by the richness of it.

If that seemed too much, then Liam really caught me off guard when, halfway through my burrito, he told me that churros were coming as well, so I also had a dessert option to give a go to.

While very full and wanting to be able to walk properly, I gave the churros a go and was overwhelmed by rich chocolate, soft dough and a sprinkling of cinnamon which enhanced the rest of the dish further.

It was, to be honest, a triumph by the chef, a meal rich with flavour and spice and as true a representation of some of the food you could get in Mexico as it’s possible to get on a weekday evening in Shrewsbury.

My only advice would be to not over-order as you will not finish it all, even if you’re a seasoned eater and like a big meal. I used to be a really big eater and I’d have struggled then to get that all down me.

Price-wise, you can have a decent meal and drink for anything between £30 and £100, depending on your tastes and how much you want to enjoy the cooking of Liam and the excellent cocktails from the bar.

Liam and his team are warm, welcoming, happy to chat and really enhance the experience. Elephant Underground is literally that, an underground restaurant, but once you’ve enjoyed the food, drink and friendly banter, you’ll want to bring it above ground very quickly.