It is the perfect size with maybe 30 to 40 covers inside and more outside. It always feels cosy and I love all the Mexican ornaments on the shelves and dotted around the room.
Among those decorations are the skulls synonymous with the Mexican Day of the Dead celebration
On November 1 and 2 many people in Mexico will be celebrating Día de los Muertos – Day of the Dead.
It is a festival held each year in South American countries, but especially in Mexico, like in the films Coco and The Book of Life.
The festival celebrates the cycle of life and death.
During the colourful festival big parades are held and people often paint their faces to look like skulls.
They are not meant to be scary but more about celebrating and remembering friends and family who have died and passed into the afterlife.
The special spicy salsa laid on as part of the Day of the Dead specials at La Choza could have been scary too. It did come with a warning so I was a little bit wary but in the end it came as part of a celebration of great Mexican food that we enjoyed on our visit to the bright pink restaurant in Gloucester Road, in Brighton’s North Laine.
I went for the enchilada suiza special. It was baked corn tortillas filled with chicken and a sauce using tomatillos – Mexican husk tomatoes – and covered in a deliciously creamy melted cheese sauce. It was a really hearty and filling dish and full of fresh, zesty flavour too.
That salsa special came with the No LLoras warning (no crying) so I was careful but it did add a cracking edge to my dish.
Talking of zesty, they do wonderful things with their Modelo lager, adding chilli to the rim of the glass and using lots of fresh lime and Worcestershire sauce. It’s called a Michelada Clamato and is a party in a glass.
Among the other specials at the moment for the Day of the Dead is the sea bass ceviche and the roasted squash, halloumi and chipotle burrito.
My fellow diners went for some of the La Choza classics. You can choose from burritos, tacos and quesadillas and then pick your choice from the fillings and salsa list.
My youngsters loved the pulled pork tacos with the mild salsa. The quesadilla with black turtle beans and roasted vegetables is lovely too.
The churros come with a fantastic trio of chocolate and caramel dips.
To add to the Day of the Dead celebrations there is also a children’s menu and fun craft.
For Halloween there is more face painting and fun. And on Friday a Mariachi band will be there too. On Saturday there will be face painting.
La Choza founders Aoife Sweeney and Annie Gelpey have been to Mexico countless times to make sure La Choza is inspired by their love of the country and you can feel that inspiration when you visit. Get down to La Choza this week or any week and you will enjoy it.
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