Mechada @ Castro’s Cafeteria
8A Hackins Hey, Liverpool, L2 2AW
Italian sandwiches often steal the limelight but there’s a good argument to be made that the Spanish have perfected the art. At Castro’s Cafeteria they’re making that case, one bocadillo at a time.
Every sandwich I’ve tried at Castro’s has been excellent but special mentions should go to the Lomo — juicy grilled pork loin with aioli and crushed tomato — and the Tortilla — typical Spanish potato omelette with cheese.
The pick of the menu, though, has to be the Mechada; a crispy baguette spread with tangy Mojo Picon (a Canarian spiced red pepper sauce), generously filled with meltingly soft, fatty shredded beef and topped with sweet, nutty cheese.
The tiny shop on Hackins Hey — modelled after the bar-cafeterias common across chef-owner Borja’s native Tenerife — is always busy, but never more so than on payday Friday when workers from the nearby blocks of offices around Old Hall Street descend for a sandwich and a cold caña of Estrella Galacia.
