L’Autre Restaurant

nice vibe, very tasty food.
Not as interesting a story as you’d hope for how a PolMex restaurant came about but I’ll come back next time I’m around.

I went to L’autre restaurant with a large group for a birthday meal. It was a disappointing experience. I ordered the chicken pancake for starters. The pancake was soggy and the chicken was rock hard — completely inedible. for the main — I had the meatballs — which were fine. but just fine. A restaurant with a french name and polish Mexican food, I expected a more creative menu — something a little out of the ordinary. All of my party felt it was very underwhelming. What a shame.
The table we were sat in was just inside the door and not suitable for a large party — people were sat at the end behind a pillar away from the rest of the group and unable to join in with any conversation. With a a large (and from what I saw mostly empty) dining area downstairs — this seemed like bad planning considering we booked 2 weeks previously.
the restaurant itself is quint and quirky and has a nice atmosphere — if they got their act together it could be an amazing place for a meal — need to work on the menu!

There are a lot of restaurants in this area and on weekends it is quieter as this is a business district, so it’s easier to find a table. We have tried several places in this square and decided on something new. Most certainly a «Mom & Pop» style restaurant. Quaint, cozy, and an eclectic style of hats and other stuff. I liked it. I’m guessing less than a dozen small tables and no bar, but plenty of alcohol right there. An odd combination of Polish and Tex-​Mex, so we ordered Polish only. The Pierogi were delicious and the borscht was a bit salty, but then that was my first time so maybe that is how it’s supposed to taste. The staff of three seems nice and there were two other tables occupied with customers. Everyone cleared out before 9:00 PM. So why only two stars? First, I don’t like my tip included with the bill. You’ve taken my right to decide on how much I should tip on your customer service. Second, when the last group of six left, the staff sprayed Windex all over the table to clean it. That cloud of chemicals drifted right into our table and now I had to inhale at crap. Awful! Awful! Awful! Ruined the experience.

A Polish-​Mexican restaurant with a French name? Yes and it works. Some reviews stated that their is no crossover. We started out with the Mexican/​Polish nachos. It was a huge plate that the four of use realized we should have ordered the smaller plate. However, we finished it within minutes and could have had more. I wish the Mexican restaurants in L.A. would add Polish sausages to their nachos.
All and all we had a wonderful time. The women who waited on us was very nice and explained the clash of cultures to us.

I have been passing in front of this place for 4 years every day and always wanted to try it, so I finally did it last weekend when my parents were visiting.
The place is really small and cozy and it serves polish AND mexican food (it is not fusion in the sense of mixing the 2 cousines). I went for the Polish menu, having a salmon blini as starter and a plate of pork pirogi as main. Both of them where delicious! we also had some nachos with guacamole to share.
the atmosphere is really great, because the place is so small, but it is also very quiet and it feels like being brought away from real life for a little while. Also, it is full of empty bottles of very good wines that make it very special. The wine list is indeed impressive and they also have polish and mexican beers.
the service is good and it is not expensive: I think I will come more often now that I found the courage to try it!

Not quite what I was expecting. It’s definitely two separate menus with no cross over. Maybe the owners never had any intention of it being a fusion restaurant and that’s fine. My friend and I ordered from the Polish side of the menu. I’m from SoCal so the idea of finding good Mexican food in London seems a bit far fetched. Anyhow, the perogis where pretty decent and the borscht was really tasty. We also ordered a bottle of French red wine recommended by the owner that turned out to be pretty darn good.
All in all it’s a nice cozy restaurant that is quiet and homey with pleasant service. It’s a little on the pricey side considering all the options in this area of London so I won’t be back any time soon. There are too many other places to try.
Cheers.

Shepperd’s Market is always such a lovely experience and so I decided to take an old school friend out there for dinner. We found L’Autre, its one of those independent gems, quirky to say the least. Polish & Mexican food WTF! The food is alright, we had the Game Feast which was on the specials board, Pheasant was dry but came covered in a thick gravy which worked, wines were different and quirky. Service was good, friendly Polish waitress and the other patrons were enjoying themselves so there was a nice atmosphere. I wouldn’t go here if you’re looking for fine food, its more home cooking well done, I’ll be going back when I’m in that part of London just because its there and it is what it is!

I eat cottage cheese and jam sandwiches. My favourite flowers are orange, pink and red gerberas. I’ve been known to team clompy brown boots with a floral 50s halterneck frock. I am all about the weird combinations. So it’s perhaps no surprise that when I stumbled across this restaurant offering a combo of Polish and Mexican food, it took little persuasion to get me through the door.
I was hoping for dishes offering a fusion of these very different cultures on one plate. Two continents meeting in a tectonic tremor of culinary innovation. Sadly, it was not to be. In reality, L’Autre offers a list of Polish food and a list of Mexican; not even an attempt to marry the two. Disappointed by this revelation, we decided to mix it up ourselves and shared nachos to start before opting for Polish mains.
The nachos were apparently a packet of Doritos with a barely-​there sprinkling of cheddar and incredibly mean servings of sour cream, salsa and guacamole, all of which clearly came from jars. If you’re going to serve nachos, do it properly; these were uninspired, boring and done on the cheap.
I then moved on to the barszcz: beetroot soup with a selection of vegetable, chicken and pork meatballs. The portion was smaller than I’d expected considering that my friends who’d opted for the grill received plates groaning under the weight of their offerings, but the chicken dumplings were delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed the sweet, tangy soup. Sadly this isn’t enough to warrant a return visit.
I really wish that they had been more inspired with their menu choices. As it is, I don’t understand the point of this place; if I want good Polish food, there are other, better alternatives. If I fancy Mexican then the same applies. With an innovative, adventurous chef this could have been so fresh and exciting, a real foray into the unknown. Instead it’s a disappointing list of tired dishes which aren’t even served particularly well anyway. Why raise my expectations like this? What a genuine shame!

We happened upon this place while walking to King in Arms for pub food but had to stop here. Mexican and Polish, couldn’t imagine. The food was amazing everything from entrees to desert. The service was fantastic. The place is a quaint as can be. Love it.

With so many chain restaurants in London, it’s wonderful to find a place which is totally unique. And it doesn’t get much more unique than a Polish Mexican restaurant! Hidden in wonderful Shepherd’s Market, l’Autre is a gem. A proper bistro full of character with candles, wooden tables, a lovely atmosphere and friendly staff. Nothing pretentious here, just good wholesome food and great wine. The Polish/​Mexican combo really works! I’ve been to l’Autre numerous times and never tire of it.

The idea of a polish and mexican restaurant is intriguing. I had thought that there would be a fusion of the two food cultures but there wasn’t– on the menu there was a list of mexican food and then a list of polish food. Clear separation between the two. While the wine was very good, the food wasn’t so great. In my opinion the mexican was low quality and the polish sausage that we had might as well have been a hot dog from a food stand. I can’t say I would go there again and my boyfriend and I left with our stomaches feeling off.

I noticed this restaurant many years ago but never managed to eat there, until last night because Mr Penguin and I were in the area for the cinema.
I always thought Mexican and Polish are an unlikely combo. To be honest, I am biased because an aunt by marriage is Tex-​Mex and her Mexican food has set the standards for me. So I focused on the Polish offerings on L’Autre’s menu and found myself quite excited about hearty, meaty dishes. It was a cold night and we both needed warming up.
Service is efficient, warm and faultless. Seating space was really rather cramped! But the food which arrived made up for it.
The borscht was really very good: hot, naturally flavoursome and additionally flavoured with fresh chopped dill which is the herb of choice in Poland and the nordic regions. It came with lightly chewy little mushroom dumplings which I loved especially for their strong mushroom flavour. The little pot of soured cream on the side was perfect for getting the borscht to one’s preferred degree of richness. I really loved their borscht. It reached a certain warm spot in my stomach.
Mr Penguin then had a roasted meat dish which came with bigos — the meat was fine but the bigos made a stronger impression. It was a sauerkraut type casserole flavoured with pieces of smoked sausage. It was very tasty and unique.
I had a seafood main course blinis which was good (generous amount of fillings). However, I felt it was an easy to make dish which I might have been able to make myself at home and wish I ordered something which I couldn’t easily make for myself.
I also had a vodka long drink called Tatanka made with apple juice. It was very refreshing and deceptively alcoholic! By the time I had drunk half a glass, I was VERY relaxed …
Our bill came to just over £50 for two excluding desserts which included one vodka long drink and one Polish beer (we didn’t order wine). So it was a little pricey but given the area, the good quality of the food and good service, it was fair value.

We were intrigued by the idea of Mexican/​Polish cuisine, so we stopped by when we happened to be in Mayfair.
First thing any potential customer should know is that this restaurant doesn’t have a stove! We sat downstairs and saw first hand how everything we (and the rest of the restaurant) ordered was microwaved. All you hear is the «ding» of the microwaves completing their 1 minute cycle, one after the next.
Nothing is freshly cooked or prepared, aside from the salad perhaps. I started out with Smoked Bavarian cheese salad as an appetizer, however to my dismay, they microwaved that too in order to melt the cheese. So I got a lukewarm salad with half melted gobs of non-​descript cheese. Gross. We also got the seafood blini which was average tasting at best and clearly not fresh.
For a main we split the venison sausage which came on a platter with salad and potatoes. This was also reheated in the microwave and very muddled flavor wise. But the worst part was the lack of texture in any of it. It was like a big pile of mush.
This isn’t the worst place I’ve ever been too, but it’s very far from the best as well. On the positive side, they do have a nice atmosphere and the staff is friendly. It also looks like they have a great selection of wine and alcohol. For drinks it may be cool, but for dining, this place is a total miss.

Novelty factor makes it worth a visit. Cosy and very ‘of the neighbourhood’. Neither the Mexican nor Polish is amazing but solid, comfort food. It’s been a fixture of the area for over 15 years with some faithful clientele. Buffalo Grass Polish vodka — nice way to clear the sinuses.

This place is a real hidden gem: Mayfair style without the Mayfair prices. Polish and Mexican foods seem like unlikely bedfellows, but the novelty of getting pirogi and enchiladas in the same meal is too great to pass up. Neither cuisine is exceptionally good, but the small menu gives a good offering of two different cultures sorely underrepresented in London. If they’re old favourites you’ll be satisfied, and if they’re new experiences you should be well pleased with your first tastes.
The restaurant itself is really lovely. It’s an intimate little spot — not bad for a date with someone a bit adventurous — with wooden tables and wooden walls, nice bay windows looking onto the quiet street, and portraits of Hedy Lemarr on the walls. Plus you can get good Eastern European beers with your nachos.

Does seem to polarise opinion both here and on other review sites. Couldn’t fault the atmosphere, comfortably cosy and just what was required for the company at lunchtime!
We were both in a meaty mood so wild boar sausages followed a shared plate of Polish charcuterie. Both were OK, but not stunning. A (slightly overpriced) bottle of Polish lager helped proceedings along.
We didn’t try anything Mexican, though I do think I’ll be returning for a second opinion!

Famously oddball: French name, but serves Mexican and Polish dishes. It’s a great place to get some hearty food after hanging about in Mayfair.
It’s very small (especially upstairs) but quirky and charming. Old trinkets on the walls and — usually — ‘50s music playing gently in the background. It’s a kitschy place. Service is good and friendly.
Most of the starters are Mexican: nachos and the like. The mains are a mix of Mexican (chicken quesedillas, seafood enchiladas, etc) and Polish (perogis, roast pork, chicken in sauce, etc) dishes. Not life-​changing food, but everything I’ve had has been good.
A fun place to eat.

From the first time I walked by L’Autre, I was intrigued. A Polish and Mexican Restaurant? With a French name? Things didn’t quite add up. But the more I walked by, the more I wanted to go in and try it for myself.
I was worried I wouldn’t find any vegetarian options, but was pleasantly surprised to find several potato and cheese pierogi, vegetarian burritos, nachos, borscht, vegetable blinis it was quite a selection. And thankfully they don’t try to take the Polish-​Mexican concept in the fusion direction. There are two separate menu sections for each cuisine.
We and I started with borscht and nachos. The borscht was decidedly better from what I gleaned from our waitress, the restaurant had a Mexican chef for many years to cater to customers from the Mexican embassy nearby, but the Mexican chef left and a Polish chef came in, still cooking the Mexican (or rather, Tex-​Mex) specialties along with her own Polish ones. The borscht was sweet and hot and had small, mushroom-​filled tortellinis in it. It also came with some cream and hearty bread.
The nachos seemed pretty prepackaged I doubt we’ll find homemade tortilla chips and salsa in London but we still ate the whole small plate.
The décor of the place also leaned heavily on the Polish side, with lots of photos of Greta Garbo, military hats and lots of bottles of wine in the small, dim main room. There were some sort of funny Mexican items, like a sombrero and a Speedy Gonzales figurine. We had a lot of fun just looking around the room and finding new oddities.
We stuck with Polish food for our main courses. My friend got kielbasa and I got vegetable blinis, which I enjoyed. Both portions were huge. We walked away stuffed, and we want to make sure to save room for dessert next time we go since there were plenty of chocolaty items we wanted to try.

I entered this restaurant wanting to like it so much for its traditional polish decorations and friendly staff. The restaurant is quite small but manages to maintain a cosyness against the odds. The staff are curteous and extremely friendly and again my pidgen polish may have helped with that! My partner had a plate of pierogi and I joined her whilst our friend tried the Bigos — antoher traditional polish dish which is very tasty — I thought the pierogi a touch too much in size and texture. Traditional pierogi is far far smaller than the gargantuam portions served by L’autre. That said, our friend enjoyed his Bigos greatly.
Although it was quiet on the day we entered, the service was swift and efficient. My only gripe is that for the Shepherd’s market restaurants in common with so many london eating establishments aren’t afraid to amplify the cost of their beers and my receipt made me wince. If you aren’t afraid to spend a few pounds or don’t have a raging unquenchable thirst then this won’t be a problem.
Paddyman’s verdict??? Good restaurant for the area, but there are better polish places in London to visit. As for the mexican angle, please, dont even go there!

Quite possibly one of my favorite restaurants in London! Tucked away off Green Park in Shepherd Market in Mayfair, L’Autre’s name belies its two specialties — Polish and Mexican food.
Originally began as a Polish restaurant, L’Autre added Mexican fare after requests from nearby employees at the Mexican embassy. They handle both styles deliciously! The best nachos I’ve found in London and very tasty enchiladas, not to mention mouthwatering Polish dumplings, pancakes and stews.
The staff is very warm and friendly, the space is cozy with small tables on the top floor and a large room downstairs for groups/​bigger parties. Desserts are to die for and the prices are very reasonable.

Un restaurant étonnant
Un nom français, une décoration anglaise et une cuisine mexicaine et polonaise… l’Autre c’est l’Autre… les plats polonais sont excellents et très bien servis et la cuisine mexicaine je n’ai pas eu le temps de goûter mais je peux vous dire que les prix sont très bons puisque un plat coûte entre 8 et 10 livres et est très copieux.