The best Mexican restaurants in London

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Lizzie Thomson15 March 2019

Great Mexican food leaves you with a full belly and flame-kissed lips.

London’s Mexican food scene is booming thanks to excellent restaurants popping up over the past decade offering tantisiling tacos, enchanting empanadas and gut-pleasingly good guac.

There’s variety too, with street food-style vegan places rubbing shoulders with high-end spots, each bringing something different to the table.

Here are some of our favourite spots to feast on Mexican food in the capital.

Ella Canta​

This place offers an exotic alternative to Mayfair’s white-collared dining scene. Drinks are perfectly executed, particularly the margaritas the fiery Mayahuel features elderflower liqueur and a complex salty chilli grapefruit shrub, whereas the Coa de Jima is deliciously rich; it’s served with a decadent passion fruit and champagne foam. Martha Ortiz’s menu has a real sense of drama to it, with courses broken down into theatrical acts. The devil is in the detail at this spot; the guacamole comes with a grasshopper nestled in the middle (as an ode to the times when Mexican royalty used to snack on them), octopus is cooked to perfection with the right amount of bite and chew, and fish tacos melt in the mouth. Don’t leave without trying the lollies.

Park Ln, W1J 7QY, ellacanta.com. Read our write up here.

El Pastor

Helen Cathcart

Anything with the Hart Brothers behind it is destined for culinary gold, and this spot in London Bridge is no different. It came about following Sam Hart and co-founder Crispin Somerville’s stint at running nightclub El Colmillo in Mexico City during the nineties and noughties. The food frontrunner here is the al pastόr, made with 24-hour marinated pork shoulder, giving it a salty, sweet and rich flavour similar to ham hock. Another standout plate is the beef short rib made with a wildly tantalising chipotle, muscovado and coriander seed spice rub. Head chef Laura Alvarado Aleman is behind the noteworthy food and she’s worked to make the menu gluten-friendly, with tacos and tortillas cooked with corn. The restaurant doesn’t accept bookings so you’ll have to queue, but the Mexican delights at this place are worth waiting for.

7A Stoney St, SE1 9AA, tacoselpastor.co.uk. Read our write up here.

The best restaurants in London Bridge and Borough Market

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Club Mexicana at The Spread Eagle

Jade Nina Sarkhel

Mexican food brings visions of meaty burritos with lashings of sour cream but this brilliant spot has a menu bursting with creativity, making Mexican delights accessible for vegans. Located in the Spread Eagle, London’s first fully vegan pub, the food is inspired by the vibrant street food of Mexico City. Traditional beef is swapped for jackfruit in tacos and beer-battered tofish replaces meat in tortas. It also has a brilliant brunch menu offering a vegan twist on traditional Mexican classics, such as the Huevos Rancheros with scrambled “eggs”, “chorizo”, black beans, avocado and salsa verde on a grilled paprika tortilla and chick’n and waffles with chilli-infused maple syrup. Founder Meriel Armitage ditched her job in advertising to jump in the kitchen and thank goodness she did, otherwise Londoners would have never tasted her brilliant plant-based creations.

224 Homerton High St, E9 6AS, thespreadeaglelondon.co.uk

Santo Remedio​

Nick Hopper

Back in 2016 people were truly gutted when the first Shoreditch branch of this restaurant was forced to close after five months due to building issues. Still, husband and wife owners Edson and Natalie Diaz-Fuentes made a triumphant return, launching a new site a stone’s throw from London Bridge. Both of them lived in Mexico and this authenticity can be seen on the menu, which offers regional specialities from Yucatan Peninsula, Oaxaca, Mexico City and the Pacific. Highlights include the earthy beef barbacoa tacos and tangy chicken enchiladas.

152 Tooley St, SE1 2TU, santoremedio.co.uk. Read our write up here.

Corazón​

 (Steven Joyce)
Steven Joyce,

Good old Mexican comfort food is on the menu here – it’s nothing fancy but it certainly does the job. Scallop ceviche and a three cheese quesadilla starts things off nicely but tacos are the thing to order here and they’re hearty to say the least. There’s something to suit every taste, from 12-hour braised ox tongue and slow cooked pork belly to beer battered haddock and chargrilled swordfish. Dig in.

29 Poland St, Soho, W1F 8QR, corazonlondon.co.uk,

Tonteria

"Tonteria" means "nonsense" in Spanish and while the parties at this place are often fuelled with peculiar antics (think latex and fire-eaters) there’s nothing silly about the food. Alain Dona's place is all about small plates, which is great as there are plenty of Mexican delights to try. Four different types of tacos are on offer including a seared tuna creation with a spicy jalapeño salsa and burritos come in chicken or veggie form. Once you’re done with the grub, be sure to get a drink from the tequila train which does the rounds delivering shots to the tables. All aboard.

7-12 Sloane Square, SW1W 8EG, tonteria.co.uk

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