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London's best Mexican restaurants
Evening Standard 29.10.08
Good value, small bills: office workers queued down Fleet Street to try Chilango's burritos
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You have to applaud restaurateurs as they try to adapt to these uncertain times. Any restaurants launching now will have been planned for at least a year, so they will have had to be a good deal more prescient than most investment managers.
If you had to design a cuisine for hard times, it may have ended up looking like Mexican food. Many of us now are looking for good value and small bills. We like wholesome, filling food; we need some zing, a touch of chilli maybe.
For some strange reason Mexican food and its cousins, Tex-Mex and Cal-Mex, have never fulfilled their potential in Britain — but that looks set to change.
WAHACA, 66 Chandos Place, WC2 (020 7240 1883, www.wahaca.co.uk) £10pp ex-drinks.
Thomasina Miers is the brains behind Wahaca, a bustling canteen-style restaurant on the edge of Covent Garden. The menu is based on Mexican street food, and dishes are straightforward. There's no booking but the queue, and your meal, will move along briskly. The tacos are good, also the guacamole and the burritos. A second branch opens at Westfield White City tomorrow.
MUCHO MAS, 27 Upper Street , N1 (020 7704 2123). £5pp ex-drinks.
A lively, informal establishment opened by Eric Partaker and Dan Houghton in Islington, offering excellent burritos, tacos and salads.
Chilango 142 Fleet Street, EC4; 020 7353 6761, www.chilango.co.uk; open Mon-Fri 11am-9pm £5pp ex-drinks)
Opened only last week as a second branch of Mucho Mas. A free burrito offer saw queues of office workers stretch down Fleet Street.
BENITO'S HAT, 56 Goodge Street, W1 (020 7637 3732) £6pp ex-drinks.
Has already established a decent local following, having opened in August. The hat in question belonged to Benito Juarez, who threw the French out of Mexico, ended up serving five terms as president and yet is still remembered for his taste in hats. This place was set up by Ben Fordham and has all the makings of a restaurant that's set its sights on becoming a chain. No frills, no fuss.
GREEN & RED, 51 Bethnal Green Road, E1 (020 7749 9670, www.greenred.co.uk) £22pp ex-drinks.
Cocktail bar and restaurant combo taking its name from its location (the junction of Bethnal Green Road and Redchurch Street). The food is sophisticated and showcases the cuisine of Jalisco but is still good value. The presentation may be home-style but dishes stand out through an intelligent use of different chillies, thus the slow roast pork belly is seasoned with pasilla chillies while the meatball dish — albohondigas — is made with chipotles. If the range of tequilas doesn't tempt, there are excellent Mexican beers.
TAQUERIA 139-143 Westbourne Grove, W11 (020 7229 4734, www.coolchile.co.uk, www.coolchiletaqueria.co.uk) £10pp ex-drinks.
When it comes to Mexican food, Dodie Miller deserves a long-service medal. Since the early Nineties her company, the Cool Chile Company, was the only place to get a decent choice of Mexican chillies and then, in 2005, she opened Taqueria. The food here combines simpler dishes such as tostadas and tacos with more ambitious ones such as sea bass ceviche. Miller has now imported a huge tortilla-making machine capable of turning out 3,500 tortillas an hour.
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Reader views (8)
When is Taco Bell coming to the UK.
- Mike Patel, Solihull
So glad that we now have a bright and friendly new Mexican on the old Ask site. Its turning out to be a great local restaurant, with lots of choice and really reasonable prices. Have been 3 times now, and each time still had difficulty choosing what to order! Keep up the good work.
- Charlie, Putney
I was taken to Los Mexos for my Birthday last Saturday. Mexican isn't one of my favourites so how surprised was I!!
We had a mixture of starters, the flavours where fabulous. My main dish was Pork which just melted in your mouth and was presented beautifully.
All the people at my party are huge foodies so to keep us all happy is amazing - believe me!!
All I can say is book a table NOW!!
- Lou, Clapham, London
Crazy Homies, 125 Westbourne Park Road is the best of all - if you can stand the wait.
- Lb, London
I have also tried Los Mexos and concur. Having, as well, eaten in the Wahaca in Covent garden and their new opening in Westfields, I think it is fair to say that Los mexos wins out in authenticity, delivery and value for money. Well worth a go.
- Richard Blades, Wimbledon
Another one to add to the lexicon is "Los Mexos" on the Fulham Palace Road in SW6. Properly prepared Mexican food in a simple unpretentious environment. Good value and well worth trying.
- Mark Furness, Putney London
What to say,where to start?!
Peter from Maryland,La Cucaracha closed down sometime towards the mid to late 80's.
Why has Cafe Pacifico in Covent Garden not been included? Still gong strong after 26yrs! Regarded by many in the restaurant and bar industry to be the godfather of Mexican and Cal-Mex food not just here in London,but Paris and Amsterdam where they have sites too.
Mexican Embassy staff,Americans living here,are regulars and they should know the real deal.Not to mention many American musicians on tour who have a craving for this type of food......bit like us Brits having a craving for a good curry in the USA!
Check out their website,full of fab stuff and see how the owner,who I've to know well over the years,Tom Estes,has been asked by the Tequila makers in Mexico to promote their products as a big thank you for raising the profile of good quality,premium and rare Tequilas,and Mexican food and drink in general.
Even Green & Red mentioned above have a cocktail named after him!
I've been going to this place too long to remember and have never,ever had a bad meal or drink.
- Paul Murphy, London
London's first--and still best in my opinion--true Mexican restaurant is La Cucaracha on Greek Street. Authentic food and drink, and excellent ambiance.
- Peter Bradford, Ellicott City, Maryland, USA
