The Top Mexican Restaurants In London

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Restaurant, Mexican
Worth going to if just to say you’ve breathed the same air as Kate Moss, La Bodega Negra lurks under the streets of Soho. To find it, you’ll need to find the sleazy sex shop it’s hidden in, and ask to be shown downstairs (make sure you’re in the right place or this could have dire consequences). Despite the out of the way location, this Mexican joint is immensely popular so booking is essential. People flock there for the incredible buzzing ambiance, which feels like a nightclub, but with more tables and quesadillas. FYI, if you know of a nightclub that actually serves quesadillas, please let us know.

Restaurant, Bar, Cafe, Mexican, $
The UK’s oldest Mexican restaurant, Café Pacifico is a whopping 33 years old. Set up by Tomas Estes, the International Tequila Ambassador for the National Chamber of the Tequila Industry (a.k.a the best job title we’ve ever heard), the food is great but it’s the tequila that’s truly special. Laid out like a cantina, the setting is informal and energetic, with a huge wooden bar on one side of the room. Housing an incredible selection of tequila, many of which are Tomas’ own brand, Ocho, you need to make sure you ask for a tequila tasting alongside your quesadillas. There’s no salt and lime to mask the taste, and you’ll want to sip these high-quality spirits rather than shot them. By the time you’ve made it to a finishing glass of sangrita (imagine a Mexican bloody mary), you’ll have experienced a full tequila paradigm shift.

Bar, Restaurant, Mexican, $
At Mestizo you need to forget all the surrounding elements and focus on the food. The menu is a little lengthy, so let us help you out. All you need to order are the flautas to start, corn tortillas filled with chicken or potato, deep fried and topped with queso fresco and green tomatillo salsa, and the incredible Molcajete ‘Mestizo’. A sharing dish, it comes to your table in a volcanic stone bowl shaped like an elephant, still bubbling away. Inside you’ll find tender chicken and beef, cheese, chorizo and avocado in a salsa of your choice, and flour or corn tortillas to spoon it all into. To order anything else would be a crime. With that out the way, feel free to have as many margaritas as you like. If you’re lucky, the margarita festival will be on, with 20 different variations to choose from.

Restaurant, Mexican, $
Located on Villiers Street, Lupita is rarely without business both from the constant stream of tourists that flow from Embankment to Charing Cross, and the hungry workers residing in the area. Tacos, toastadas, burritos, this place has it all, and while you won’t find any wild fillings, the classic Pibil pulled pork, Tinga chicken and beef and Baja fish are all done to very high standard. The ‘Volcan’ house speciality is a must-try, grilled steak or chicken oozing with melted cheese and served on crispy corn tortillas. Be sure to pair it with a (very good value) pitcher of margarita or sangria.

Restaurant, Mexican, Street Food, $
Taqueria is a name for taco street food stalls, so you should be unsurprised by what the menu mainly consists of (yes, you guessed it, tacos). Albeit, tacos served in a far more lovely setting than a street corner, with a café-like restaurant and pictures of Zapata, the famous mustachioed Mexican, on the wall. The food, however, stays true to its street origins. Unfu
ssy and simple, with a few changing specials among the tacos and tostadas, the prices are spectacularly good value, and the dishes all sized for sharing. If you want something a little off the cuff, opt for the Milanesa taco (breaded fried chicken and browned cheese) or the Veracruzana (smoked cod, green olives and jalapenos). Otherwise, the slow cooked pork is always a success.

Restaurant, Mexican, Street Food, $
Arguably the branch that made Mexican street food mainstream, Wahaca comes from former Masterchef winner, Thomasina Miers. These days, you can’t think ‘Mexican food’ without Wahaca coming to mind, with branches popping up all over London. The key to its success lies in a combination of shareable tapas plates, cheerful décor that manages to not feel too much like eating in a chain, and an easy-going, friendly atmosphere. Dishes often have a slight British twist, making this Mexican food for even those who don’t eat Mexican. Rather than a negative, Wahaca’s chain status means that if you ever fancy Mexican, you’re now likely within distance of one of their easy, high-quality, Mexican restaurants.