Mexican Food a la London

The cardinal rule of Mexican food in London (and possibly in Europe in general): Don't get your hopes up.

From what I'd read before we moved here, I knew that Mexican food and good, American-style pizza would be hard gets around here. We gave up on pizza a couple months back. We can find tasty pizza, it's just not American pizza. Mexican food is another story. We keep hearing about great places and getting recommendations from friends and getting REALLY excited to finally get a taste of our SoCal home, only to be sorely disappointed when we realize that our non-SoCal friends have no idea what they're talking about when it come to good Mexican food.

We have spent almost ten months in London. Here is what we have found (from worst to best):

6. Lupita
Visited in March 2014
Don't be fooled by the claim that Lupita is an "authentic Mexican taqueria in London." It's awful. We were so excited about this place that we traveled 45 minutes by bus just for dinner. Before our food arrived, we were already planning what items we wanted to try on our second visit. Oh, how foolish that seems now. Maybe we should have taken the guy at the next table eating his street tacos with a knife and fork as a sign that this was not the place we were looking for. Alas, we were too excited to recognize the signs.

Positives: On the way, we discovered Tortilla, a Chipotle-style taco shop (see #2).

Negatives: chips were too thick, guacamole and salsa were flavorless, cheese was disgusting (and smelled like feet), and every single ingredient just felt OFF

bean tacos that had about half a cup of flavorless refried black beans on them

See that? That's a triangle of English cheddar in a quesadilla. It was so gross I couldn't even eat it.

5. Cafe Chula
Visited in April 2014
Cafe Chula was significantly better than Lupita. Located in Camden, it was only a fifteen minute bus ride for us, which was a plus. However, halfway through our meal Joe gave me the saddest look of defeat and just said, "I think we should give up."

Positives: Location, drinks.

Negatives: Again, the flavors were just off. The cheese and peppers aren't right, and the seasonings are just not as intense as they should be.

4. Benito's Hat
Visited in June 2014
This is a Chipotle-style restaurant that we found in King's Cross station, though I believe there are several locations in London. The chips were good and so was the burrita (a smaller version of a burrito). The braised pork I had was tasty, though the bland rice and raw white onions somewhat interrupted that. They did serve Jarritos sodas, though. If we were staying longer, this one would rate a second attempt wherein I order tacos or something that doesn't come with rice inside.

Positives: Meat flavors

Negatives: One of my go-to salt beef sandwich places is about 50 yards away and the KERB street market is around the corner on most weekdays at lunch. In other words, there are better options a Kings Cross.


3. Home-Cooked
This is possibly unfair to include since I brought my taco seasoning packets from California and have not tried what is available at my London grocery.

shredded pork tacos (that I didn't cook long enough, so they didn't shred)

ground beef tacos

Positives: Bringing the seasonings from home means it tastes the way I think it should. Mission tortillas are available in the store, but good tortilla chips are difficult to find and nothing comes close to the fresh tortillas from Casa de Bandini in Carlsbad.

Negatives: the "Mexican orange cheese" at Sainsbury's is a bit weird but is our best option. Also, condiements such as sour(ed) cream, salsa, and guacamole are hard to come by in pre-made form, unless you're up for the squeezee bottles they sell (unrefrigerated) next to the taco shells.

2. Tortilla
Visited in April 2014
Located just across from Trafalgar Square, Tortilla is a great stop if you're going to the National Gallery or the National Portrait Gallery. You can see Big Ben down the street and it's near Charing Cross tube station. Basically, this California-style taco shop scores aces in the location department. Joe and I smelled this place on our way to Lupita and vowed to come back for it, even (and maybe especially) after that attempt was such a disaster. Notice that Tortilla advertises itself as "Real California burritos and tacos," which, let's be honest, is what we're really looking for.

The restaurant is casual, a Chipotle or Pei Wei-esque system of ordering at a counter and then having the food delivered to your table is in operation, which works. I got carnitas soft tacos and they were delicious, if a little too juicy. In fact, they smelled so good that I forgot to take a picture.

stolen from the website but still surprisingly accurate

Positives: All the flavors were spot on and the location is great for touristy things.

Negatives: Too far from our flat to be a regular place and the order-at-the-counter system means we're still lacking a good sit-down Mexican restaurant. Also, like Chipotle, the menu is very limited.


1. Wahaca
First visit in November 2013
Wahaca is good enough that Joe and I have actually taken other Southern Californians out there. I had read about this restaurant before coming to London and knew we'd try it at some point, though I was a bit reluctant to go somewhere that completely bastardized the spelling of "Oaxaca." Our first try was at the location in Southbank near the BFI IMAX theatre, but mostly we frequent Charlotte Street since it's near my school and is one of our favorite parts of London.

Positives: The menu is varied enough and it's a real, sit-down restaurant. The drinks are good, and the tapas-sized dishes mean you can try several items without feeling like you're making a big commitment to just one flavor. We love the chicken taquitos, pork pibil tacos, and the black beans especially.

perfectly crispy shells and flavorful filling

Negatives: None really. I don't necessarily approve of British-y items like herring or sweet potatoes on a Mexican food menu, but I don't have to order them.


Of course, there is still Chipotle here in London as well and we have visited more than a couple times. We made a trek to the one on Baker Street during our first few days in London when we were desperately craving a taste of home, and we've visited the ones in Leicester Square and Covent Garden as well. I think there are 6 total (or at least there were when the first Mexican food craving hit me when we were in Prague and hadn't yet arrived in London).

#mexicanamericanembassy

Let it suffice to say that I am excited about getting home to some real SoCal-style Mexican food. Miguel's is high on my list of must-visits when we get back, but there has been many a-time this year when I would have been equally as excited for El Torito.