Chef Santiago Lastra Unveils New Culinary Chapter at KOL

From 2 July, in collaboration with his Head of Pastry, Laura Petersén, Santiago and his team will introduce a brand-new dedicated dessert and drinks space, housed within the KOL Mezcaleria. The space will now be incorporated into the KOL dining experience, where guests will be invited to enjoy the final act of their meal. This experience mirrors the dining culture in Mexico:

“It is important for me to create a menu that tastes of home,” explains Santiago, “to share a taste of my Mexico in London. After dinner, particularly in Oaxaca, everyone typically ends their evening in beautiful mezcal bars. With that in mind, we will now welcome our guests to join us for the finale of their meal and beyond in a little post-dinner Mexico.”

Mezcal will remain central to the drinks list, celebrating the indigenous Mexican artisans involved. The bar team will also introduce a custom trolley featuring fine mezcals, cocktails, dessert wines, digestifs, and infusions made with British botanicals.

Rooted in hyper-seasonality, KOL welcomes the summer with updated menus featuring new dishes rich in inspiration and flavour, celebrating the height of British summer. Tamal pays homage to Santiago’s childhood, with ingredients sourced from England’s forests, including fermented acorn flour, birch water and bark. Strawberry Taco, inspired by the creamy pumpkin seed dip from Yucatán, includes local seaweed, strawberry, elderflower and nasturtium leaf. The traditional turkey stew of Yucatán, Chilmole, is reimagined with semi-dehydrated pineapple tomatoes, fermented chillis, fresh currants, ash oil and tortilla.

These new seasonal dishes will feature in a shortened lunch offering, giving guests a taste of the full KOL experience. The five-course lunch menu will be available from Wednesday to Friday. The full KOL tasting menu and dining experience will continue to be served at dinner from Tuesday to Saturday, and on Saturday lunch.

Since opening in 2020, KOL and Chef Owner Santiago Lastra have captivated guests with their bold, refined approach to modern Mexican cooking rooted in the British terroir. Santiago’s endless curiosity and analytical research have seen him create authentic Mexican flavour combinations from native and British-grown ingredients.

With this new experience, Santiago and KOL continue to redefine what Mexican food can be, creating one of the most innovative voices in international hospitality and crafting an identity that is as much about tradition as it is about transformation.

This new era of KOL is the beginning of a much larger journey, where art, design, gastronomy and research culminate, bringing an unparalleled sense of place and purpose to every plate.