We arrived at 5.30pm on a Saturday evening, without a reservation, following an afternoon concert at Old Woollen in nearby Sunny Bank Mills. It seems we were lucky – by the time our food arrived, before six, walk-ins were being turned away. A few tables were in use even at 5.30pm and there was a long reservation list.
On entering Sabroso Street, I was impressed by its bright and airy interior. It felt modern and different from the red and yellow painted walls strewn with sombreros, which used to be a feature (and still is in some places) of Mexican restaurants in Britain. The interior design at Sabroso Street features white walls with attractive photographs of Mexico.
The menu here could meet a variety of eating styles. You could order a three course meal, or a number of small plates to share or you could have a snack alongside a cocktail or beer. We adopted the small plates approach, ordering from various sections. This is Mexican Street Food rather than Tex-Mex cooking, so don’t expect huge portions covered in cheese. This is much more subtle.
We opted to share a number of dishes although formal sharing platters are also available on the menu. We chose tortilla chips and dips, a chicken quesadilla, pulled pork and pineapple salsa tacos and a chorizo stew with Mexican rice.
There is an impressive drinks menu including cocktails and wine. We were grabbed by the local beers on offer: Amity, Kirkstall and Horsforth. My friend chose the Amity IPA, brewed just across the road at the Mill. I went for a Horsforth beer, El Calavero, a light beer with lime, developed as the result of a collaboration between the restaurant and brewery. (There is a branch of Sabroso Street in Horsforth, but this has a shorter menu than the Farsley operation.)
The tortilla chips were served with a salsa verde and sour cream. The salsa was zingy without being overly hot. I would have preferred a tomato salsa to sour cream but found the cream useful for adding to other dishes. There were also bottles of authentic Mexican chipotle and hot salsa on the table to spice up your food. The food was flavoursome but not hot, so some people may want to reach for these bottles.
The tacos were heaped with tender pulled pork and chunks of marinated pineapple. The soft tortillas were only just large enough to wrap around the generous filling. I regretted not eating all the tacos as soon as they arrived, when returning to them later I found that juice from the pineapple had made the bread too soggy and had to resort to a fork to scoop up the filling.
Quesadillas can be ordered as regular or large. They come with a cheese filling as standard but you can add meat or vegetable filling or add a topping. We went for the chicken filling and used some of our dip as extra topping.
My favourite dish was the chorizo stew. This came from a small plates section that also included chilli and chowder dishes. The dish contained beans, chunky tomato and vegetables alongside chorizo. The chunky texture worked well with a smooth tomato base that had become infused with paprika from the chorizo.
The day we visited was prone to showers, so no-one was seated in the outside dining area. I’d like to return on a sunnier day as the decked courtyard looked inviting. A sign identified the area as dog friendly, so perhaps I’ll bring my dog with me.
As it was still early, we skipped dessert, but on another day I might opt for either churros or Northern Bloc ice-cream, simple sweet treats that will work well after a spicy meal.
Our bill came to £42 which seemed very reasonable.
Sabroso Street
10 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds LS28 5LD
https://www.sabrosostreet.com/restaurant
Photography by Debbie Rolls.
