El Guaca, Clacton-on-Sea

We recently visited Clacton-on-Sea, Essex for a weekend full of dance competitions with Bridget’s dance school, and on the Saturday afternoon we found ourselves with a few hours to kill and so headed to the seafront, a place I spent lots of time at during my own childhood. Following a couple of hours spent on the pier and the fun fair, we looked for something to eat.

We stumbled upon El Guaca and were enticed by the sound of the Mexican menu and then even more so once we saw that the children would eat a free 3-course menu with each full meal purchased by an adult – definitely the decider.

Accustomed to some great standard Mexican restaurants in London, I admit we wondered if this would meet those exacting standards, but was actually pleasantly surprised in that El Guaca actually surpassed some places that we frequent regularly.

We ordered some tortilla chips with guacamole to start over some Coronas, and these were a great start – freshly made guacamole really offset with a squeeze of lime.

El Guaca Tortilla Chips, Guacamole, Kiddie Nachos

The girls had some nachos which were simply baked with a little grated cheese – perhaps a bit bland but perfect for young taste buds and they devoured the lot.

The mains were an actual triumph all round though.

For the kids, we played it safe and opted for the chicken strips which came with chips and salad – the chicken was actually not the usual breaded situation, but instead deliciously marinated and tender slices of cooked chicken – much better than we anticipated.

Children's Chicken Strips, El Guaca

Also the kids menu is great – they had a good range of main courses from the likes of quesadilla, fajitas, burritos and paella; which I think is great – stepping outside of the ‘norm’ for children’s menus and much less patronising. It’s reasonably priced at £6.95 got three courses and includes juice in that price which is great compared to a lot of chain restaurants where the add ons for a juice mean you’re looking at £10-12 for a 3 year old’s meal.

I had the pork pibil enchilada and it was fantastic. The pork was juicy, tender and had a fiery chipotle heat running through it, it really packed a punch. The creamy, cheesy topping on top of the rolled and pork-filled tortilla was generous and helped make this a real comfort dish and despite it being a generous portion it was served on a bed of Mexican rice too and had a little heap of guacamole there too. I didn’t manage the rice, but the enchilada was just great. I’d return for that in a heartbeat.

Enchillada, El Guaca

Glen chose the beef Chimichanga; basically for the un-initiated, this is a burrito filled with all of the delicious things you would expect in a burrito – cheese, peppers, refried beans, rice and salsa and then deep fried and topped with more salsa, sour cream and guacamole. In a word – epic.Served with Mexican rice and demolished.

Chimichanga, El Guaca

The girls had an ice cream included with their meal or they could have had churros with chocolate sauce, a brownie or buenelos. It was a hot day though so the ice cream went down a treat.

El Guaca was such a great find in Clacton, if we return next year for the competitions, I’m sure we’d head back. The staff were super friendly, especially with the children, the location is great – right on the seafront, overlooking the comings and goings and there’s seating both inside and out. The place is bright and airy and has some of the kitsch Mexican items you’d expect, from sombreros for picture opportunities to the décor with skulls etc. Apparently there are several El Guaca restaurants dotted around Essex and one in Wiltshire and one is Suffolk, if they’re anything like the Clacton outpost I’d give it a try.

The offer we enjoyed – the kids eat free - is apparently available every Saturday and Sunday and I would highly recommend it. It's a great family restaurant with something for everyone.

We paid around £45 plus tip for our meal and that was with a couple of rounds of Corona. They also have a ton of cocktails on the menu that looked very appetising – maybe next time we’ll go without the kids.