The Best Mexican Restaurants in London

Posted by Guest on Apr 11, 2011 in News | 12 comments

This taste of Mexico in our capital is brought to us by this week’s guest blogger, Wendy, and we think she did a rather good job. What do you think? Thanks Wendy!

My name is, Wendy McCooey, I’m a southern Tennessee girl with a sales and marketing background who recently started “London in a Day”,
a private tour guide company. I love to travel, cook, craft, read, dabble in photography,
blog and do just about anything if it’s fun. I’m currently seeing what Notting Hill and the rest of London (if not the world) has to offer.

When I moved to London my taste buds went haywire. They kept saying,”GIVE ME BURRITOS”, “GIVE ME SALSA”, “GIVE ME GUACAMOLE”.  I had heard rumors that good Mexican food was hard to find and, as I quickly learned, those rumors were true. Nonetheless, I was determined to find good Mexican in this city.

At the beginning of my search, I was served things like liquid guacamole, ketchup salsa, and nacho cheese Doritos.  Just when I was about to give up, the Mexican cuisine revolution happened in London.  It started with Wahaca.  They bill themselves as, “gourmet meets market fresh street food” – whatever they are, the food is excellent.  Their fresh guacamole and salsa keeps me coming back.  I sometimes dream of their tender and juicy pork tacos with pickle red onions – I love them so much.  Since then, numerous high-quality (and often low-price!) alternatives have arrived on the London scene. Please read along to know what else I have found:

Tortilla

It’s hard to miss the line that forms out the door at lunchtime. It’s an assembly line setup, which is fine because I appreciate seeing the food-preparation process.  They told me that chicken was most popular, so I chose a chicken burrito with their smoked black beans.  I am so glad I did because it blew me away with its deliciousness! The chicken had been marinated for hours in a mellow adobo and then grilled to perfection.  They also offer grilled steak, and a braised pork (my next choice!) that has been braised for hours until fall apart tender. They even have a frequent buyer card! The prices are fantastic – A medium is only £5 and a large is only £6, not to mention their bucket of 5 beers for £12 and silver tequila margaritas.  I’m now a regular.

Wahaca

It is more of a sit-down restaurant, although still very casual . They take Mexican-inspired dishes and source them as ethically and locally as possible.  Their chunky yet creamy guacamole, tomato salsa, and tortilla chips are spot on. The portions there are small, but I find them extremely tasty. I always order their market fresh street food options, and my favorites are the melting pork pibil tacos with pink pickled onions, crispy chicken taquitos, covered in a delicious tomato salsa drizzled with crema and their warm frijoles with crumbled cheese. Although, my friends really enjoy their fish tacos.  As for drinks, they have good, albeit, expensive margaritas made with fresh lime juice and a unique beverage called “Michelada“, a beer with tomato juice, lime juice and spices.

Cafe Pacifico

It has the Mexican decor of a real authentic cantina, which is rare for London.  One should always start with their high-piled nachos with cheese and chili’s or smoked chicken quesadillas with a side of traditional tomato salsa or chunky guacamole.  Then, move onto one of their tasty enchiladas with delicious red sauce with mouth watering re-fried beans and rice or sizzling hot fajitas. Don’t forget to wash it down with an affordable margarita with specialty tequila. You can even make reservations, which I recommend because they can get very busy.

Benito’s Hat

It’s an assembly line set up, very nice staff, and a very cozy environment. The ambience is somewhere between eat-and-run and sit-down.  They keep it simple with few options: burritos, tacos, salads and soup. That’s it. I had the marinated chicken tacos with chips and a water for only £5! What a deal!  The tacos were very tasty, but one of my shells was stale and my beans tasted like they came from a can.  They sell beers and margaritas here too.  They even have a happy hour special!

Cantina Laredo

It serves Mexican cuisine in a more sophisticated atmosphere – so if you are going on a date, this may be your place!  My favorite thing about this place is that they make their Top Shelf guacamole table side. The portion is huge and all ingredients are fresh – and it should be for what they charge.  Their chicken fajita soft tacos are tasty, but dry.  The margarita I got there was £10 and not the biggest in the world, but in their defense, it was tasty.  Their menu is quite extensive so I recommend going online and taking a look.

by Wendy McCooey

Photography by Mr. T in DC, Smohundro, and Roboppy