Latin American Eating and Drinking

Brasil by Kilo

17 Oxford Street, W1 2DJ
Tel: +44 (0)20 7287 7161
This savvy little snack bar uses the Brazilian pay-by-weight system. You load up your plate from a dozen hot dishes and cold salads, then your plate is weighed. You pay per 100g. Dishes are simple, and the fruit juices outstanding.

Cubana

Step into Cubana and - with a bit of imagination - you get a sense of the country that inspired the creation of this lively bar. A few of their well-made mojitos will assist this process. The Cuban flag is proudly displayed alongside revolutionary slogans, and the decor is fun and colourful. One bar area is sunk below a huge street-level window and has just enough room to dance. The mound of mint at the bar is regularly plundered for those mojitos, and there is a comprehensive list of Latin-American- influenced cocktails, many of them available by the jug. There's also Sol, San Miguel and Budvar for beer drinkers. Cubana is usually packed in the evening, particularly on nights when there is salsa music, but the bustling crowd only adds to the whole experience.

Floridita

At Floridita you can experience the exciting and vibrant essence of Cuban culture - and some great cocktails.

Gaucho Grill

The food at the Gaucho Grill is great, but what's important is the bar. Here you'll find the most extensive wine list of Argentine vintages in London, probably in Europe and possibly in the world. Try those Malbecs from Mendoza, explore the whites from Cafayate, and luxuriate in this opulent embassy of River Plate style.

Green and Red

Green and Red is a typical Shoreditch bar that just happens to take Latin American flavours very seriously. It serves tequila flights, small sampler-sized amounts that allow you to compare and contrast a bewildering amount of different varieties. Soak them up with a plate of tacos. They're cheap, delicious and well above the standard you'll get in a slapdash Mexican restaurant.

La Mazorca

No pretence, no fuss, no fancy food - La Mazorca serves hearty paisa dishes (from the culinary heartland of Colombia, around Medellin) such as pork fat, spicy stew, maize arepas, ripe plantains. beans, rice and huge, ultra-sweet desserts. This is where the local community comes to celebrate family events and so most nights you'll hear a rolling chorus of "cumpleaños felíz" while you eat and (try to) chat. Rowdy or rousing? Depends on your mood, but it sure is authentic and amiable in its festive outpourings.

Sabor

Best for flavoursome fusions and a lively vibe, Sabor takes a bit of every menu from Mexico to Chile and mixes it into an appetising combo. Mains include tender ribeye steak paired with grilled plantain and succulent, smoky chicken on a bed of corn and blue potato salad.

Santa Maria del Buen Ayre

50 Broadway Market, E8 4QJ
Tel: +44 (0)20 7275 9900
This is the real thing: as well as the large steaks and traditional Argentine parrilladas (sizzling grills bearing piles of beef, black pudding, sweetbreads and chorizo sausage), people come to Hackney's smart, modern steakhouse for the warm welcome and lively atmosphere. Everyone raves about Buen Ayre, and rightly so.

Tito's

Tito's is a friendly cantina-cum-railway caff serving seafood, fish soups, fried yucca and rice dishes with a Peruvian slant. Portions are huge and a ceviche (fish marinated in lemon juice and coriander) does for two. Try a pisco-based cocktail or sip a cold beer as accompaniment.