Zoilo is, officially, the hardest restaurant to get into in London.
Nothing to do with the waiting list though, it just has a really heavy door which leads into a thick pair of curtains that take at least five minutes to navigate.
However what lies beyond them is worth the wait: an intimate “Cocina Argentina” set out over two floors and serving up Argentine sharing dishes like empanadas salteñas (like mini Cornish pasties); salchicha parrillera (Argentinian chorizo); amazing rib eye steaks with chimichurri sauce and – for the more adventurous – a range of Argentinian delicacies like pig’s head and sweetbreads.
Zoilo’s inspired by the ‘asado’, which is essentially a big weekly barbecue where friends and family in Argentina spend hours feasting and slowly getting drunk on Malbec.
Jade Nina Sarkhel
And this is what it feels like here, particularly as you’re either going to be sitting at the ground floor’s long café-style bar chatting to the Argentinian bartenders about the usual stuff – you know, like Eva Perón’s legacy, Diego Maradona’s girth, and the fact that you’re totally going to learn to tango… one day – or you’re going to be perched at the basement bar watching the chefs cook your food.
But wherever you choose to sit, Zoilo’s big list of Argentine wines (available by the glass or carafe) makes it very difficult to get out of this place sober…
But thanks to that big bloody door, getting out drunk’s even harder.
NOTE: Zoilo is open for lunch, Tues-Sat, and dinner, Mon-Sat. You can find out more, and make a booking, HERE.
Zoilo | 9 Duke Street, W1U 3EG
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