La Casa, 6 Devizes Road, Old Town, SN1 4BJ.

017913 6144185

Most chain pubs serve a pack of supermarket tortilla chips, covered in melted cheddar cheese and pass them off as “Mexican” food – this isn't the case at La Casa.

Formerly known as La Casita, the restaurant was re-bought by New Mexico-raised founder Tony Gallegos in 2008 and re-launched with a selection of family recipes.

The restaurant isn't much bigger than your bedroom but spicy aromas coming from the open kitchen fill the air as soon as you enter and give the place a homely feel.

All the staple Mexican dishes are on offer, as well as imported Mexican beers such as Negra Modelo, and even Lajita tequila shots, which are bottled with the worm inside.

To start, I ordered a quesadilla with melted cheese and jalapeno slices whilst Jacky had prawns fried in tequila, honey and chilli.

The quesadilla was tasty but lacked spice whilst Jacky found the sauce on her prawns to be too watery.

The main courses more than made up for the starters. I had Chicken Mole Poblano, chicken breast sauteed in a mix of spices, chilli and cocoa, topped with sesame seeds and served with Mexican rice.

Jacky went for the medium-spiced chilli con carne but asked for it spicier. “We can always go hotter,” replied the waitress.

The chicken was full of smokey, chocolatey flavour and Jacky was thrilled with her spicy dish and the pieces of juicy sirloin steak.

To finish, she had a piece of pecan pie while I enjoyed sweet cinnamon crispers with cajeta dip, a warm caramel sauce.

Our bill, with drinks, came to £50.10 for a fiery and authentic Latin treat.

Open seven days a week

Lunch served 11.30am-2pm, evenings 5.30pm-late

Margaritas 99p with any main course on Mondays?

Meal deal offers Two eat for £22, choosing starts/mains/drinks from set menu