Leños & Carbon
Colombian restaurant · Elephant and Castle ·
Colombian grills, huge portions, fruit juices, lively atmosphere
Colombian grills, huge portions, fruit juices, lively atmosphere
"Leños y Carbon — a vast venue in Elephant and Castle — is one of the best places in the city not just to watch sport among South American fans, but also one a fine restaurant in which to experience generous, fairly priced Colombian food. A mixed grill includes chicken, beef and pork steaks, huge Colombian sausages and a rack of fatty pork ribs; churrasco al carbón is a thick slab of T-bone steak blackened, crispy on the outside and still rosy within. Equally good to try are cassava fries, plantains, and a selection of delicious Colombian fruit juices, particularly the guanábana or lulo, diluted with either water or milk." - Adam Coghlan
"Here, in the arches of Elephant and Castle, the move is Colombian churrasco. Less a T-bone steak and more a dictionary-thick, grill-snogged slab, it remains rosy in the centre thanks to deft cooking, the blistered exterior hiding treasure. If wishing to add, there are two directions — more meat, with pork ribs and Colombian sausages, or patacones con todo: a plate of chicharron, shredded beef, shredded chicken, guacamole, farmer’s cheese, mayonnaise and pineapple sauce that would definitely do as a meal but here, on a menu of heft and generosity, is definitely a side." - Adam Coghlan
"Fruit is a big deal in Colombia — fruit juices even more so. In Elephant and Castle, one of London’s Colombian hubs, the monopoly on fruit is owned by Chatica, a tienda under the arches that imports these technicolor marvels from across South America. Soapy guanabana, acidic lulo, and mora, an Andean species of blackberry. Ask for these in any restaurant, Lenos and you will be asked ‘con agua’ or ‘con leche’ — the mora is good with both, and even in milk is a striking Grimace purple." - Jonathan Nunn
"Out of all Elephant’s restaurants, Leños y Carbon is perhaps the best introduction to the carnivorous side of Colombian cuisine. A mixed grill here comes with chicken, beef and pork steaks, huge Colombian sausages and a rack of fatty, rich and barely-sticking-to-the-bone pork ribs, while the churrasco al carbón is half a cow draped over an inadequately large griddle, a thick slab of T-bone steak blackened, crispy on the outside and still rosy within. It’s not just meat here: patacones con todo from the specials is a riot — green plantains mashed and fried into a crispy base, divided into a Trivial Pursuit pie of chicharron, shredded beef, shredded chicken, guacamole, farmer’s cheese, mayonnaise and pineapple sauce." - Jonathan Nunn
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