El Nivel is the latest project by Tomas Estes, founder of Café Pacifico and La Perla Bars. The bar has already been nearly four years in the making. The idea to launch El Nivel started off as a way to use the space in the floor above La Perla Maiden Lane in Covent Garden. Tomas Estes, along with Blake Perrow and the La Perla Bar team, wanted to create a laid-back, intimate bar specialising in rare
, unique and unusual agave spirits and innovative Mexican tasting plates. The food menu consists of a carefully tailored selection of small plates, perfect to accompany a good sipping tequila or long cocktail alike. The goal was to create the most exalted place in London to drink agave spirits. The food menu is a fusion of what we've seen from bars and restaurants from around the world. The menu will be created by Eamonn Mullen, Cordon Blue trained chef with over 35 years experience creating Mexican and Latin fusion dishes. There will be a small cocktail list, drawn up by Bar Manager Massimiliano Favaretto, comprised of mixed drinks made exclusively with agave spirits, although all classics will be available. The bar features all categories of agave spirits: tequila and mescal, and also their lesser known siblings bacanora, raicilla, and sotol. All categories will be represented by rare and unique bottlings not normally available. The décor is Latin retro with all original pieces of art on the walls. The ambience will be relaxed and low key with the emphasis on high quality products and good service without pretense. The bar is named El Nivel as an homage to the first licensed cantina (drinking establishment) in Mexico (opened 1855 with license no. 001), named El Nivel (the level) because the building also acted as the water level measure during the city’s floods. Che Gueverra and Fidel Castro were also known to hang out and drink in the cantina while they were in Mexico City plotting the Cuban Revolution. El Nivel also refers to the next level up, both physically (first floor) as well as in terms of quality.
