Food & Drink

Danny Trejo on opening his first international restaurant ‘where The Beatles shopped’

The Hollywood actor’s restaurant, Trejo’s Tacos, has opened on Portobello Road in London.

Trejo’s Tacos is opening its first international outpost in London
Danny Trejo Trejo’s Tacos is opening its first international outpost in London

From Dusk Till Dawn actor Danny Trejo couldn’t be more excited at the prospect of opening a taco restaurant in London.

He spent some time in the UK when filming 2014 movie Muppets Most Wanted, where he starred as a prisoner alongside Goodfellas star Ray Liotta.

“Me and Ray Liotta – bless his soul – when we were in London, we had such a blast. Every day was fun,” Trejo, 79, told the PA news agency.

Part of the movie was filmed in Oxford, where Trejo picked up a sweater that said he went to the university. “Every once in a while, someone would be like: ‘You went to Oxford?!'” he said with a laugh.

Desperado and Machete star Trejo also remembers going to Portobello Road Market in West London with Liotta, who died in 2022.

“They have like 50 markets in one spot – we went berserk. Portobello is the only place I’ve ever seen more crowded than Venice Beach on a Sunday,” said Los Angeles native Trejo.

So it’s something of a full circle moment for the actor, as the first international outpost of Trejo’s Tacos has opened on Portobello Road.

“It’s unbelievable – what a place for [a restaurant]. That’s putting a restaurant somewhere where everybody’s hungry.”

Trejo opened his first taco joint in LA in 2016, and said: “I’ve never had a complaint and we get five stars on Yep? Yap? Yelp! The food’s good.”

And he said it’s “unbelievable” that someone like him – from a modest upbringing, who had spent time in jail before becoming a Hollywood star – would be opening an international restaurant.

“I love the fact that we have enough room to have concerts there, because I have a record label – and we’re going to where The Beatles shopped,” he said – referencing the fact that Portobello Road is close to Abbey Road Studios, and band members were often seen shopping in the market.

“I’m dating myself here, but I remember when they [The Beatles] flew in and landed in New York [in 1964]. It was crazy, you know? I remember when long hair was not in – they had long hair. It’s so funny, three weeks later you started seeing [long hair everywhere].”

The impact of The Beatles was so huge, Trejo added: “They really changed the style.” When the band landed in America, “All the thugs started wearing high heels”, Trejo said – just like The Beatles. “Everybody got an inch-and-a-half taller.”

London marks the first international outpost of Trejo’s Tacos, but the actor-turned-restaurateur isn’t quite considering world domination yet.

Trejo said: “I don’t want to think ahead – I want to do this, and do this right.”

Trejo’s Tacos is open at 299-301 Portobello Road. To subscribe to the mailing list and for bookings visit trejostacos.co.uk.