Lower East Side Taqueria: Latin-inspired cuisine on the East side

PUBLISHED February 18th, 2014 01:51 am | UPDATED January 20th, 2016 05:31 am

With the Mexican wave of Latino themed restaurants popping up all over Singapore, it’s about time something opened up on the East side. Located at the start of East Coast Road lies the aptly named Lower East Side Taqueria. Well it is on the lower East side of Singapore… as far as being a Taqueria…well, perhaps slightly misleading.

What I do love about this place is the atmosphere. Paraphernalia hanging from the ceiling, massive wooden tables, a showcase of hot sauces and of course a selection of fine Tequila and Mezcal. This is the kind of place you could happily rock up in shorts and a t-shirt, order some tasty chips and dips and talk cock with your friends over a few ice cold beers.

Lower East Side Taqueria markets itself as something of a fusion of flavours from Central American and the Mediterranean. This can perhaps be seen more obviously when eating their Tilapia Taco ($12), which is essentially a piece of fish served atop some ratatouille. Whist being quite tasty, this is certainly not strictly Mexican.

What was probably my favourite of the tacos was the Chilli Con Carne ($13). Minced meat, tomato sauce, melted cheese on a taco. What’s not to like?

Moving on to Burritos, I gave their Cumin & Grilled Chicken burrito ($13) a whirl. This has got to be the neatest looking burrito I’ve ever eaten. Very well put together, everything just stays put. Packed with flavour, though it definitely doesn’t hurt to add a little hot sauce.

And of course once your mouth is firmly on fire from said hot sauce, you might consider ordering a beer from from their good selection of craft beer. If you’re more partial to a refreshing margarita however, you won’t be disappointed.

It’ very important to realise when coming to Lower East Side that it is not a Mexican restaurant. The ‘Chilli Con Carne Taco’ should be a dead giveaway, as is much of the menu which is clearly a playful interpretation of Mexican flavours.

Once you become comfortable with that idea, you’ll learn to love Lower East Side Taqueria for what it is. A laid-back, reasonably priced restaurant/bar to kick back after a day at the office, eat some scrumptious food and knock back a few beers or margaritas and listen to some chilled out music.

On this occasion the meal was compliments of Lower East Side Taqueria, located at 19 East Coast Road, Singapore 428746.