Kol's Santiago Lastra to open new Mexican restaurant in Mayfair

Santiago Lastra, the chef patron behind Michelin-starred Mexican restaurant Kol in London's Marylebone, is to open a second venue in the city's West End.

He will continue his partnership with MJMK Restaurants, the group behind Kol, Nuno Mendes' Lisboeta and chicken concept Casa do Frango, to launch another Mexican restaurant called Fonda at 12 Heddon Street in Mayfair.

Named after the family-owned eateries which serve traditional dishes in an informal setting in Mexico, Fonda will showcase Lastra's take on regional Mexican cooking.

The restaurant will build on the traditional concept and present recipes from across the country, with a focus on classic dishes.

Fonda's design will convey Mexico's artistic heritage. At its centre will sit the comal, a traditional clay griddle used for cooking corn masa.

This year has already seen Lastra appoint Rey Lopez as Kol's new head chef. Lopez previously worked as sous chef at Daniel Humm's three-Michelin-starred New York restaurant Eleven Madison Park, which he helped relaunch as a vegan concept in June 2021.

Lastra established Kol in 2020 after several years of development, and the restaurant won its first Michelin star in 2022.

Photography by Joe Howard.