Here in the UK we love a US import - especially when it comes to fast food. From the Golden Arches and the Colonel’s finger licking good secret recipe to the of-the-moment brands such as Popeyes, Dave’s Hot Chicken, and Wingstop, we can’t get enough of American companies, which seem to be able to deliver product and scale in the QSR sector in a way that homegrown brands can’t.
Such an open-armed welcome has no doubt continue to encourage US brands to chance their arm over here, the latest of which is Velvet Taco, which next month will open its first site on UK soil in London’s Broadgate Circle. The London restaurant marks the first step in the brand’s global expansion through a multiunit franchise agreement with Velvet Taco UK and will see its globally-inspired tacos jostle for popularity with protein-rich salads, sandwiches and burgers in the City’s lunch and dinner trade.
As with fried chicken, which has experienced a boom in the past couple of years led by the aforementioned US protagonists, the taco sector in London is more buoyant than ever before. Hollywood actor Danny Trejo chose Notting Hill to launch the first international outpost of his LA-based Mexican restaurant brand Trejo’s Tacos last year and CDMX Tacos also caused a stir last year when it opened a minimalistic site in Soho last year (the taco brand has since gone on to open locations within Market Halls’ Canary Wharf and Victoria food halls). El Pastor, the Harts Group-owned taqueria brand has expanded steadily across the capital in the past few years and is now looking to make its Manchester debut.
There has also been a buzz on social media around tacos, flagging up brands such as Sonoria Taqueria in Stoke Newington, Tacos + Tequila in Tooting Broadway market, and La Chingado in Surrey Quays and Euston to name a few.
Velvet Tacos will also soon be joined over here by another US taco brand. Miami-based Coyo Taco is on the hunt for a flagship London site, expected to open in early 2026, having signed a franchise deal with Kuvi Hospitality.
Against this backdrop of activity and increased interest in the taco the stage looks set for Velvet Tacos to come in and make its mark. Yet if the brand thinks that the UK is going to be plain sailing then I’m here to offer some words of caution.
First, tacos do not have the same appeal over here as US-style fried chicken and burgers. This is partly down to the fact that the UK is not home to a Mexican diaspora as the US is, and partly down to availability of ingredients and the skill required in the tortilla-making process, which makes producing authentic tacos on these shores more of a challenge than other styles of cuisine. In the same way that another US favourite the hot dog has never managed to experience the same type of success here as across the pond, eating a taco is not ingrained into the UK eating psyche.
Second, tacos are often regarded as expensive in the UK when its humble Mexican street food origins are taken into consideration, and this can create operational challenges, especially for brands looking to operate at the more premium end of the QSR category. With the exception of Taco Bell, which now operates around 140 standalone sites in the UK, the taco category is very fragmented with small single-site operators typically selling their products in casual settings that are often grab-and-go. It is telling that brands that started as standalone bricks n mortar sites have since expanded into food halls – as well as CDMX Tacos Breddos, which has a permanent site in Clerkenwell, is also now found within Market Halls – most likely to keep capex and operational costs low and to meet consumer expectations of the taco as something still associated with street food than a proper sit down meal. DF Tacos, the Wahaca-owned taco brand that standalone sites in Shoreditch and Tottenham Court Road, recently closed due to weaker than expected trading.
Perhaps my biggest misgiving, however, is not over the market or operational challenges but with Velvet Taco itself. While its London menu is yet to be revealed, menu items at its US restaurants include options such as spicy tikka chicken with buttered coriander basmati rice, raita crema and Thai basil; fish ‘n chips - beer battered cod, curry aioli, French fries, malt vinegar and napa slaw; and a bacon smash burger made with peppered bacon and smoked cheddar. It will also serve a weekly-changing special, where past options have included paneer hash; and mango kerki-churri.
This approach flies in the face of the current trend towards authenticity in the taco sector and a push to show UK consumers the different styles of the dish and fillings that have made them such a popular staple across Mexico and part of the US and beyond. In the US, Velvet Taco is riffing on a dish that is already understood and appreciated and is bringing something different to the table; in the UK there is not that bedrock of understanding on which to play and experiment with.
I have little doubt that Velvet Taco will generate a buzz when it opens. And the brand can’t be accused of not bringing something different to the capital’s dining scene. Whether it’s what Londoners really want will become clear over time.