Located at the top of Trinity Leeds, with a skylit indoor terrace, Cielo Blanco in the middle of a heatwave felt like an authentic Mexican experience from the get-go.
Yes, it was hot and sunny, but the atmosphere of the restaurant and especially the bar inside transports you away from a shopping centre – and it takes a lot to make me want that to happen.
Visiting to try the new Street Food experience menu with a friend, we were spoilt for choice by the drinks menu. But you can’t not order a margarita on a summer Friday evening, so that made the decision slightly easier. The strawberry and maple margarita and watermelon and pear (our favourite) were perfect, even if they did make navigating our way through a 6-plate tapas menu slightly trickier afterwards.
Luckily, our waitress rescued the situation with recommendations that made sure we had all the food we could eat – seriously, 6 plates is a lot between 2 – with a lot of variety.
We ordered Con Devon quesadillas – essentially, a cheese toastie with extra mature cheddar and Pico de Gallo, but the crispiest and cheesiest, therefore best one you will ever eat, plus slightly more adventurous dishes including beef tostadas – which was actually overnight smoky ox cheek with onion puree and shallots – chimichurri steak tacos made with dry aged rump steak and salsa, Portobello mushroom tacos with mole sauce and pickled mushrooms for good measure, and pork and chorizo albondigas in a spicy tomato sauce, which were another favourite (that’s meatballs, but albondigas sounds much better.)
For £13 each, the street food menu at Cielo Blanco brings a delicious and authentic summer dinner option – you’ll leave with a new-found appreciation of quesadillas and even more in love with margaritas.
With excellent service, superb food and that Mexican summer vibe, I think we made the perfect choice.
