Meriel Armitage is the owner of Club Mexicana in Kingly Court, Spitalfields and Seven Dials Market, where you can enjoy 100% Vegan Mexican-inspired street food in a fun atmosphere.
Meriel’s journey from running a pop-up to finally running a Vegan restaurant is an inspiration. Her story in the food space started with a Saturday night supper club in a Hackney café. Meriel wanted to build an aspirational brand. She wanted to showcase vegan street food in London to “create great vegan food and show people it’s exciting”.
From the streets to ‘brick-and-mortar’
After a successful time as a pop-up, Meriel took Club Mexicana into the UK’s leading street food organisation, KERB, doing as many street food events and festivals as possible. But Meriel always dreamt of opening a “proper” restaurant where she’d rebrand Veganism to be enticing and fun.
But it was not straightforward as her dream materialised when the pandemic hit. Although she had to navigate the unique challenges hospitality faced during the time, she feels they came out of it as a stronger team.
So after seven years of success in the food space, the brick-and-mortar version of Club Mexicana opened in August 2020 in Soho. You can also enjoy Club Mexicana’s experience in Seven Dials Market. And now, in a second restaurant opened in Shoreditch.
Rebranding Veganism
Meriel took a cue from her background in advertising. Ever since the beginning, she has set her Vegan restaurant apart with an 80s colourful tropical theme. She explains how she wanted to differentiate her brand in a sea of minimalist food stands.
Meriel tells us how she wants to create an aspirational brand and a fun atmosphere. Away from the stuffy, ethical seriousness of most Vegan places.
The success of her restaurant lies in the service, music and vibe. Meriel explains that “90% of why people are there is not for what’s on the plate”. People want to sit there, have a drink and have fun.
By breaking the preconceived ideas around veganism, Meriel wants her customers to have a fantastic time while enjoying excellent food.
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