Serious Mexican food in London and where to find it

Anyone in the UK, keen to try a new Mexican dish, looking for a Mexican restaurant or perhaps missing their native cuisine is in luck. A quick Google search for Mexican restaurants near me will bring up a huge range of options almost anywhere in the country.

These restaurants tick all boxes, serving a lot of traditional Mexican dishes as well as groundbreaking new cuisine. Without much ado, the following is the list of some of the best Mexican restaurants in the UK:

1. Mestizo
2. KOL
3. El Pastór
4. Corazón
5. Temper
6. Breddos Tacos
7. Taquería
8. Santo Remedio
9. Cravings La Carreta
10. Tacos Padre

Best Mexican restaurants in London

Mestizo

In London, it can be challenging to find authentic Mexican food, yet Mestizo provides it. This establishment is praised for delivering a comfortable experience, as well as good Mexican dishes that are true to tradition and does great honour to the country’s vivid tastes. 

The restaurant serves many of the Mexican dishes that are harder to fine in London, such as nopales (grilled cactus leaf with tomato, onion and queso fresco) and pastel de Elote (a special kind of cornbread), as well as classic favourites like enchiladas and tostadas.

Their margaritas are also fantastic, and the steak is perfectly prepared. Additionally, vegans need not worry because they have a menu that covers that too.

Lastly, Mestizo has a reputation for friendly service and large serving sizes.

KOL

KOL is a Mexican restaurant in the UK that transforms seasonal British foods into vibrant Mexican flavours. This restaurant offers a great dining experience that expertly mixes well-chosen food with Mexican soul, rather than the standard taco affair. The restaurant is well known for serving a special dish of seared bone marrow with octopus, and offers a variety of foods on its menu.

KOL offers elaborate, carefully considered, and exquisitely prepared meals that are ideal for a special event for anyone looking for something extra exceptional.

The restaurant offers a friendly welcome to visitors, who are assured a great time. Due to its popularity, it’s best to make reservations well in advance.

Santo Remedio

This bustling establishment is a modern Mexican restaurant that promises excellent meals on generously-sized dishes meant to be shared. If diners can get beyond initial skepticism of the offered grasshopper-topped gua, they’re in for a beautiful lunch.

The best options at this casual restaurant near London Bridge have to be the fresh tuna tostadas and crab tacos, which are advertised as being simultaneously spicy, lemony and crispy. While the crab is a must-have on the menu, the potato and avocado also make a terrific taco substitute for vegetarians.

The colourful décor of this establishment, which spans two storeys, creates an inviting atmosphere that’s best appreciated with one of their excellent coconut margaritas.

El Pastór

This restaurant is found just outside Borough Market. It’s a busy venue that serves delectable meals to match. Fresh guacamole is the ideal starter here – sometimes the simplest things are the greatest.

They also serve avocado and passionfruit margaritas, which are likely to become a new favourite drink to go with the delicious menu. Additionally, diners may sample some of the offerings, such as their tortillas and several desserts.

Last but not least, visitors to this establishment will never leave hungry.

Corazón

Corazón is a well-liked establishment in Soho that offers affordable meals and zingy drinks. The flavour of their dishes reflects the high quality of their ingredients. Although there are many tacos, tostadas and taquitos available, the mouthwatering lemony crab cakes and slow-roasted pork belly carnitas are definite favourites.

The restaurant has knowledgeable staff who are always willing to assist and provide courteous service.

Breddos Tacos 

This option, situated in Clerkenwell, guarantees to sate any taco needs. The charming venue employs locally sourced meats to create tasty Mexican-inspired dishes, drawing inspiration from the many taquerias and eateries its founders saw on their travels around Mexico and South America.

This restaurant’s generous starters, such as the sticky tamarind chicken wings and fresh sashimi-grade tuna tostadas, make it ideal for sharing a variety of courses. Particular standouts among the main courses have to be the Baja fish tacos and the Birria de Res.

Taqueria

Taqueria, a lively Mexican restaurant in West London, combines classic and contemporary aspects of Mexican street food. Whether utilising organic prawns or meats from nearby farms, only the best ingredients are used to produce the dishes, and this quality is evident in the flavours.

Even if their panko crumb deep-fried oysters are a good enough incentive to go, their fish tacos are unquestionably their specialty, so it’s worth getting those too!

This one needs a reservation before going.

La Carreta

La Carreta is a cozy, vibrant restaurant in Peckham that serves tasty totopos and substantial burritos among other Mexican cravings. La Carreta offers generous quantities at a low price and combines favourite fare from Mexico and Venezuela on one menu to create authentic tastes to remember for a long time.

Their fresh rice dishes, handcrafted sauces and meats, mixed with South American and Mexican cuisine, all demonstrate their commitment to quality. They have slow-roasted pork carnitas tacos and amply stuffed burritos with all the extra fixings on the menu.

There are also plenty of vegan options, including tacos filled with crisped potatoes and cactus leaves.

Tacos Padre

The tacos at Tacos Padre are spectacularly favourful. This taqueria, located in the busy Borough Market, offers a satisfying lunch menu with tacos for between £3 and £3.50, as well as smaller items such as delicious grilled corn on the cob. 

The menu’s standout item is their soft pork cochinita tacos (diners will need to order roughly three of these to fill up).

It’s worth trying to grab a space for Taco Padre’s evening menu, though. The restaurant serves an entirely different cuisine in the evening and has a covered patio seating.

Temper

While Temper’s menu has changed a little since lockdown, its excellent, in-house butchered beef and traditional corn tacos remain the same. The options feature standard Mexican dishes, like carnitas, mole and tortillas, but also incorporate flavours from Argentinian, Spanish and Korean cuisine to create delicious food that is on point.

To guarantee getting one’s fill and trying as many as possible, it’s best to order a good number of their small plates. The Cochinita Pibil (a Yucatan dish of spicy braised pork with sweet and earthy tones that balance one another) is a must for those looking for a step up from typical tacos.

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