Comalera, which opens at CRATE St James Street on Saturday 11th January, promises traditional home-style dishes that tackle the ‘taco supremacy’ of London’s Mexican street food scene, reports Marco Marcelline
Inset: The El Pambazo filled with pork longaniza, potatoes, lettuce, sour cream, fresh cheese and salsa verde, Credit: Sarai Caprille/Comalera
A new Mexican street-food eatery is opening in Walthamstow’s St James Street this weekend.
Comalera, run by chef Sarai Caprile, will open a unit at CRATE on Saturday 11th January at 1pm.
Sarai, from Mexico City, says she is bringing traditional home-style dishes to Walthamstow in a bid to tackle the “taco supremacy” of London’s Mexican food scene.
Last year she briefly took over Stoke Newington cocktail bar Doña for “Vitamina T”, which highlighted how tortas, tlayudas, tostadas are just as much central to Mexican street cuisine as tacos are.
Announcing the opening of the new CRATE food spot, Sarai said: “At Comalera, we’re all about maíz – the heart of Mexican cuisine. Our aim is to showcase home-style dishes and street food favorites. We’re thrilled to open our doors in this lovely community!
“As E17 locals, CRATE holds a special place in our hearts and we can’t wait to share our beloved Mexican flavours which fill us with nostalgia and inspired this project. See you soon!”
To celebrate their opening day this Saturday from 1pm to 8pm, Comalera is giving away a free mezcal shot with every order, and having a Sonidero (Cumbia street sound party) from 6pm to 8pm.
On 1st January 2024, Waltham Forest Council took over the management of CRATE St James Street after CRATE’s co-founder John Walker walked away from the business.
The council has said it will own and manage the site until “at least” January 2026.
It was opened in 2019 with the understanding that it would be a non-permanent space. It occupies council-owned land that had previously been a car park blighted by anti-social behaviour.
Check out Comalera’s Instagram here. You can find Comalera at Unit 31, CRATE, 35 St James St, E17 7FY
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