An east London kitchen kiosk in a Hackney churchyard surrounded by weathered headstones and tombs is probably the last place you’d expect to go for Mexican food, coffee and cakes, but owner Max Fishman who’s behind nearby wine shop and provisioner The Quarter Store on Mare Street, has transformed an old soup kitchen into a buzzy all-day cafe. Together with the help of chef Rodrigo Cervantes who used to work at the likes of Koya, Smoking Goat and Kiln, they’re here to bring something different to the city’s avocado on toast loving and oat flat white obsessed brunch scene.

“I was born and raised in Mexico City where there’s a big breakfast culture and I wanted to try to capture that here, but my cooking is strictly not traditional,” he explains. “I struggle with the term ‘traditional’ because there are other Mexican places like La Chingada and Mestizo, who are doing it better than I ever can, but I want to do something that’s exciting and fun for people that's not too serious.” 

Currently, Quarter Kitchen’s menu only has five items. The simple breakfast and lunch menu is written on a piece of paper taped to the hatch doors and mainly consists of gorditas (filled tacos), chilaquiles (tortilla chips, salsa, eggs, cheese, sour cream, onion and coriander), egg and bacon tacos, and breakfast burritos.

“I love that I don’t have the stress of coming up with a big menu, the pressure of a proper full-on kitchen and having to do an insane amount of covers a night,” Rodrigo says. “If we don't have the capacity or the time to prep, it's no big deal, it's just food at the end of the day.”

This relaxed approach to cooking has taken Rodrigo a couple of notches down from his former fast-paced, intense kitchen life to going at a slower pace in a hole-in-the-wall. “I’m a new dad and have been learning to live more in the present instead of always being stuck on go and planning ahead. I need to take my time to do a recipe, fuck it up and do it again,” he laughs. “Just because I’m in a small space that’s not a restaurant or a cafe, but a kiosk with only a hotplate and fryer. I can be more creative using what I have, having the freedom to test and try new things.”

Besides having a healthier work-life balance, prioritising the important things in life and having more time to experiment. The outpouring of love from the community has been an unexpected and rewarding bonus. 

“I can’t believe we have regulars already, but I love the direct feedback from customers who can tell us directly what they love or hate and that they’re able to see what we’re doing in the kiosk,” he explains. “In all my years working in kitchens I’ve never had that face-to-face relationship. It’s a great feeling being welcome and I already feel at home.”

However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. There is a downside to downsizing to a tight contained space. From accidental bumps to spillages and having a smaller team means wearing multiple hats and taking on more responsibilities of a kitchen porter, waiter and cleaner.

“Our streamlined kitchen set-up is a blessing and a curse,” admits Rodrigo. “I wish we could have someone come in and clean for us, but it’s the other side to cooking that people forget about and it’s an important part of running a kitchen that’s got to be done.”

They’ve only been open for two months, but Rodrigo is just getting started. “I want my own grill and a grinder to grind my own corn so I can make masa, but I don’t have space,” he says. “Having fresh masa for our corn tortilla means better flavour and texture. As for wheat tortillas for breakfast tacos, gorditas and chilaquiles, I tried to make our own but it’s really labour intensive and time-consuming, so we source from Cool Chile Co and Mextrade. 

Suppliers that Quarter Kitchen loves on REKKI: Cool Chile Co Ted’s Veg Allan Reeder Greens Produce Ltd Mr. Lemonade

Despite already experiencing growing pains and wanting to upgrade kitchen equipment, Rodrigo has big plans to add more to his changing weekend specials and invite other chefs to collaborate. “Weekends are where I really let loose, get creative and have fun with it. I’ve messed about with some stuff that doesn’t really belong anywhere like the kim-chilaquiles (kimchi salsa verde fried tortillas), and Big Mac burritos. There’s plenty more tricks up my sleeve, but right now I’m just enjoying myself, there are no rules.”

The Quarter Kitchen, St John at Hackney Churchyard, Lower Clapton Rd, London E5 0PD