Ixchel

Mexican restaurant and Tequila bar Ixchel brings Chelsea one of London’s most impressive agave selections alongside a collection of signature cocktails. The hidden bar’s extensive tequila and mezcal list is one of Europe’s most impressive and also features 20 signature cocktails, including six different margaritas. While food and drink are at the heart of Ixchel, it’s the space that creates a truly unique environment. On ground level, light fills the restaurant thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows, while the downstairs bar’s mood is dark and seductive.

mood Elegant, Cozy, and Unique. The ground level features floor-to-ceiling windows with plenty of light, while the downstairs bar has a dark and seductive mood. The space features works from Mexican artists, including hand-woven artworks and sculptures. Music includes a playlist of house music with latin vibes.

A brand new south eastern Mexican restaurant and Tequila bar set across two floors. The menu is designed by Mexican born Head Chef, Ximena Gayosso Gonzalez, and consists of an all-day tapas style offering, boasting a diverse range of intoxicating flavours and aromas. The launch party was a fun and fabulous event, replete with cocktails, canapes and traditional Mexican performances. The restaurant is stylishly decorated with deep burgundies, alcoves filled with hand-woven art, and plush sofas, excellently located just four minutes from Sloane Square Station. The décor is chic and luxurious, the star of which being a mural by Mexican artist Rafael Uriegas, which blends Mexican mythology with contemporary Mexican art. This all pairs with a drinks menu from a bar which contains one of the largest collections of agave spirits in Europe. There’s a choice between seven kinds of margaritas, eight house cocktails – including a delicious Paloma volcan blanco with Cointreau and three cents grapefruit soda – and five Tequila & Mescal flights.

mood stylishly decorated with deep burgundies, alcoves filled with hand-woven art, and plush sofas; chic and luxurious; features a mural by Mexican artist Rafael Uriegas blending Mexican mythology with contemporary Mexican art

Ixchel Kings Road is a game-changing new addition to the Chelsea scene. Serving up Yucatán fare alongside artisan mezcals and tequilas, in a carefully-designed lively atmosphere honing all the terracotta and greenery of traditional Mexican design whilst nodding to the moon as an ode to the goddess Ixchel herself. A tasteful spot for tostadas and tequila in the epicentre of Chelsea. The space offers a vibrant menu from Mexican-born chef Gonzalez alongside fresh-mixed cocktails, artisan Mezcals and Tequilas. The bar also boasts one of Europe's broadest selections of agave-based liquor with numerous artisanal Tequilas and Mescals.

mood Carefully-designed lively atmosphere honing all the terracotta and greenery of traditional Mexican design; beautifully atmospheric as they are instagrammable; luminous ambience of the Moon Bar; moody and mysterious to open and breezy - filled with light soaking in from the floor-to-ceiling windows; top-notch Bang and Olufsen sound systems.

A taste of Mexico on the King’s Road, Ixchel is a must for taco and tequila lovers. Chic and stylish Ixchel opened on the buzzing King’s Road, Chelsea in late 2023. Named for the Mayan Goddess of the Moon, Ixchel is a modern Mexican restaurant and tequila bar and certainly one you should add to your list. Perfect for a girl’s dinner or get together with a group of friends, yet equally special for a date night, the space is beautifully fitted throughout with dark lighting and secluded alcoves aplenty. In homage to its namesake, moon symbols can be seen throughout the contemporary space alongside warm brass accents and bespoke tiling, with varying textures adding depth and intrigue. Playing into its Mexican identity, hand-woven artworks adorn the walls alongside unique sculptures and distinctive lighting by local Mexican artists. Home to one of the largest collections of agave-based liquor in Europe, Ixchel boasts a diverse selection of premium tequilas and mezcals sourced from artisanal distilleries in Mexico. With its beautiful interiors, buzzy atmosphere and friendly service alongside perfectly mixed cocktails and delicious Mexican plates, Ixchel is well worth a visit.

mood Chic and stylish; buzzing atmosphere; dark lighting and secluded alcoves; contemporary space with moon symbols, warm brass accents, and bespoke tiling; hand-woven artworks, unique sculptures, and distinctive lighting by local Mexican artists.

Late November 2023 saw the launch of Ixchel, the highly anticipated Mexican restaurant and Tequila bar that opened in the heart of Chelsea from Fairbairn Capital, offering a Tulum-inspired experience. Featuring a tapas-style menu curated by Mexican-born Head Chef Ximena Gayosso Gonzalez, who has an impressive background, including work at Michelin-starred Brat in Shoreditch. Ixchel’s menu showcases a wide range of flavours and aromas, emphasising fresh, locally sourced ingredients to reinterpret traditional Mexican dishes like ceviches, tacos, and tostadas... Immediately noticeable from its King’s Road exterior, Ixchel’s interior is hidden from the public by ceiling-to-floor opaque cream curtains. Not only does this unique conceit shroud the Mexican restaurant in an intriguing mystery but it creates a virtual cocoon, an oasis of insularity for diners to forget London’s hustle and to focus instead on the feast inside. Inspired by Tulum’s beauty and tranquillity (the non-tourist part, naturally), Ixchel’s interior design is idiosyncratic for London but thoughtful and elegant. Pastel-coloured and abstract wall murals, poured concrete floor, cacti, jungle greenery, and a bamboo ceiling evocative of an Indian chief’s jungle residence all conjure up the specific foreign destination. Trance-like dance music blends into the background for an atmosphere which is noticeably calming and impressively collected throughout the evening... I drink Tequila Sour which is smoky, infused with amaretto and decorated with a layer of egg white; not to be bolted but sipped slowly. My friend opts for a Spicy Margarita which is more refreshing and decorated with freshly cut jalapeño strips for an overall zingy, tickly tang.

mood Tulum-inspired experience; interior hidden by ceiling-to-floor opaque cream curtains creating a virtual cocoon/oasis; pastel-coloured and abstract wall murals, poured concrete floor, cacti, jungle greenery, and a bamboo ceiling evocative of an Indian chief’s jungle residence; trance-like dance music; noticeably calming and impressively collected atmosphere.

A taste of Tulum in Chelsea. Anyone who truly knows me, knows that I’m a self-proclaimed Mexican Food Junkie. Londoners now have another option. Nestled on the illustrious King’s Road in Chelsea, Ixchel emerges as a culinary gem, offering an authentic Mexican dining experience curated by the talented Mexican-born Head Chef, Ximena Gayosso Gonzalez. ... Boasting one of the largest collections of agave-based liquor in Europe, Ixchel is not just a restaurant but a tequila bar where traditional Mexican distilleries contribute artisan mezcal.

mood A tasteful fusion of chic and luxurious elements, featuring deep burgundy hues, hand-woven art adorning alcoves, and plush sofas. A standout feature is a captivating mural by Mexican artist Rafael Uriegas, seamlessly blending Mexican mythology with contemporary art. The interior design pays homage to this legacy with contemporary macramé... Large communal tables set the stage for convivial group meals, creating an animated atmosphere.

Drawing inspiration from across Mexico, Ixchel offers all-day dining in the heart of Chelsea with menus of tacos and quesadillas to ceviche and homemade salsas. Named for the goddess of the moon, Ixchel’s interiors are appropriately eye-calching, offering understated elegance from its vibrant mural paintings to the woven macrame that adorns the walls. Not only that, but you’ll find a rather extensive collection of mezcals and tequilas at Ixhel's bar. Perfect to be enjoyed on their own or as part of the site’s bespoke margaritas.

mood eye-catching, offering understated elegance from its vibrant mural paintings to the woven macrame that adorns the walls

Situated in prime Kings Road territory down by Sloane Square, IXCHEL is the place to book if you are looking for a hot Mexican with a cool Ibizan edge. Serving up delicious smoky adobo short ribs and whole chilli marinated bream alongside a cacophony of small plates, tacos and quesadillas, there’s something for the fussiest of eaters. This place is always heaving so book ahead and be prepared to immerse yourself in excellent food and hit-the-spot cocktails whilst people-watching the beautiful crowd.

mood hot Mexican with a cool Ibann edge; always heaving; great for people-watching the beautiful crowd

Headline openings in Chelsea are few and far between these days but this Mexican-inspired newcomer should have an appeal beyond SW3. Co-founder Fraser Carruthers used to own Albert’s nightclub in the Royal Borough, so has his finger on the pulse of the jeunesse doré of the King’s Road, though Ixchel is very much a restaurant. Mexican-born head chef Ximena Gayosso Gonzalez has done time in the kitchens of Ella Canta in Mayfair as well as Dulce Patria in Mexico City; her menu here will include all-day tapas of sautéed prawn quesadillas, and avocado and Granny Smith corn tostadas, while larger plates from the robata grill will take in achiote chicken thigh and aged ribeye with a chilmole sauce reduction. A bar overseen by former Cavita bar manager Manuel Lema is out to prove there’s more to tequila than margaritas.

mood Mexican-inspired newcomer

London has recently acquired an exciting new venue that delivers a taste of the Yucatan peninsula to Chelsea’s King’s Road. A surprisingly peaceful set-up welcomes you with reeded ceilings and macrame cushions that pay homage to Ixchel, the Mayan goddess of the moon and textiles; an interior that, behind closed doors and curtains, takes you straight to Tulum. This playful space has been designed by Behind the Door Designs, who chose to give voice to art and artisans within the walls, such as the welcoming mural painted by Mexican artist Rafael Uriegas or the stunning hand-woven artworks by local Mexican artisans. Similarly, chef Ximena Gayosso Gonzalez curates a twist on traditional recipes bringing to the table familiar flavors with an artistic spin. Dinner here wouldn’t be complete without an agave-based cocktail: the hidden tequila bar is said to have one of the largest collections of premium tequilas and mezcals in Europe, sourced directly from artisanal distilleries in Mexico.

mood A surprisingly peaceful set-up welcomes you with reeded ceilings and macrame cushions... an interior that, behind closed doors and curtains, takes you straight to Tulum. This playful space has been designed by Behind the Door Designs, who chose to give voice to art and artisans within the walls.

Modern Mexican restaurant & tequila bar Ixchel to open in Chelsea. Founder Fraser Carruthers and Mexican chef Ximena Gayosso Gonzalez are bringing a taste of the Yucatan peninsula to London. Forget about travelling to Tulum because Tulum is coming to you with new Mexican restaurant and tequila bar Ixchel, opening in Chelsea this November. Founded by Fraser Carruthers, Ixchel, named after the Mayan goddess of the moon and textiles, will be all about showcasing the authentic flavours of the Yucatan peninsula. Mexican chef Ximena Gayosso Gonzalez... will be in charge of delivering those flavours, with a menu that includes: tuna sashimi with toreada sauce, sauteed prawn quesadilla, refried beans, pickled red onions & morita chilli, achiote chicken thigh with watercress leaves & chilli sauce, pork ribs wrapped in banana leaf with pasilla chilli glaze, aged ribeye with chilmole sauce reduction, roasted celeriac pastor with charred pineapple, coriander & red onion salad, lentil stew with plantain chips.

mood Modern Mexican restaurant & tequila bar; features a hidden tequila bar that will be stocked with one of the largest collections of agave-based spirits in Europe.

Tulum comes to the King's Road with Ixchel, a sleek new south-eastern Mexican restaurant and tequila bar set across two floors. Chef Ximena Gayosso Gonzalez is at the helm of the all-day tapas-style menu... Her small sharing dishes sway towards the sea, showcasing the spice and flair of traditional Tulumnese recipes, with dishes like Albacore tuna sashimi with Ponzu toreada sauce. Bigger dishes like Platos Fuertes, come prepared on the Robata grill. As with Tulum, the night doesn't end at dinner – head to the tequila bar that has "one of the largest collections of agave-based liquor in Europe". Though there are some great O% options too – we particularly loved the fresh and dark Dirty Lemonade made with activated charcoal, fresh lime juice and agave.

mood a sleek new south-eastern Mexican restaurant and tequila bar set across two floors