Wahaca © Ming Tang-Evans
Cheap Mexican restaurants in London
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By Time Out Food & Drink editors
Posted: Fri Nov 7 2008 -
Forget sizzling self-assembly fajitas, cocktail pitchers and stag dos, London's new breed of Mexican eateries offer some of the best fast food around
Indian | Chinese | Italian | Korean | Vietnamese | Thai & Malaysian | Mexican African & Caribbean | Lunch | Buffets | Comfort | Romantic | Award winners
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Taqueria
139-143 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, W11 2RS
Taqueria has recently installed yet another new tortilla making machine that produces light, tender white maize tortillas made from maize grown in Oxfordshire. Try them in the choriqueso, with house-made Mexican-style chorizo rolled inside browned cheese and red salsa (£5). A bottle of Negra Modelo will set you back £3.85. Meal for two with wine and service: around £35. Read more
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Benito's Hat
56 Goodge Street, Fitzrovia, W1T 4NB
London’s TexMex eateries are currently ten a peso, and while there’s only one Benito’s Hat, the branded interior looks ripe for replication. The production line serves some of the best burritos in town. We plumped for one loaded with slow-cooked pork and loved the soft, floury tortilla, the freshness of the fiery salsa brava (made several times daily) and the black beans authentically flavoured with avocado leaves. If you’re drinking, the margaritas are suitably merciless. Meal for two with drinks and service: around £20. Read more
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El Burrito
5 Charlotte Place, W1T 1SF
El Burrito couldn’t be more Mexican if it was built out of old Coke cans. A juicy pork cochinitas (slow cooked and flavoured with achiote in the Mayan style) with everything at lunch costs a fiver and will likely see you through until breakfast. Lunch for one with soft drink: around £7.
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Chilango
142 Fleet St, EC4A 2BP
This colourful new kid on the block (from the people behind Islington’s Mucho Mas) has a long production line of people constructing each burrito (from £5.40), taco or salad. A glass window shows off Mexican kitchen staff to reassuring effect. We particularly liked the zingy lime taste of the rice. Note: guacamole costs an extra 80p. Lunch for one with soft drink: around £8.
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Santo
299 Portobello Rd, W10 5TD
Quesadillas start at £5.50 at Portobello’s new Mexican café-bar. Alternatively, opt for one of the hunky sourdough bread sandwiches or a bowl of rice, black beans and your choice of stews, grilled fish or veg. Prices are higher and dishes fancier in the evenings. Margaritas are modestly portioned but delicious. Meal for two with wine and service: around £40.
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Tortilla
13 Islington High St, N1 9LQ
This is a decent little snack bar serving burritos (£4.50 medium, £5.50 large), fajita wraps (where you get sautéed peppers and onions instead of beans), tacos, salads and Mexican beer, and their expansion plans are ambitious. There’s already a second branch behind Tate Modern in Southwark. Lunch for one with soft drink: around £7.
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Wahaca
66 Chandos Place, WC2N 4HG
Wahaca’s canteen-style dining experience is almost worth queuing for. Vegetarians should try the quesadillas with chestnut mushrooms, cheese and huitlacoche (a fungus that grows on corn, considered a delicacy in Mexico). They’ve just opened a branch in Westfield, too. Meal for two with wine and service: around £45. Read more
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5 comments
I just been in Tacuba a small venue in balham south west london and we love authentic mexican flavours,definitely 100% reccomend it!!
I have just had the best tacos ever in Chilango - lovely fresh food. I could recommend the pork which is slow-cooked and melts in the mouth, plus black beans, salsa and topped with sour cream. My partner thought the guacamole was to die for. There's a wide choice of fillings and the burritos, tacos etc. are all put together by the counter staff. Three tacos each was quite some handling! Those plus a Mexican beer for around a tenner. Open kitchen and fast service. Being sunny that day we sat outside at Chilango's Islington branch at 27 Upper Street (it was formerly called Mucho Mas). I gather there's another branch in Fleet Street which I'll be giving a try too as I'm now a Chilango addict!
I took a friend for dinner at Santo. The food is ok, but the service is appalling. It took about 3 tries to get our order right and we then nearly got our neighbours' drinks. They closed the kitchen without asking if we wanted anything else, so we had no choice but to go somewhere else for dessert. All nice people but clearly incompetent as waiters/staff.
I'm from SoCal and I love Mexican food. Wahaca [a name I'm not fond of but I understand why they changed it from Oaxaca] is
not bad and bloody brilliant for London. Only been there once but am going back for sure. Its a bit precious but the food I had was very tasty. what's up with the micro-tortillas? the tacos I ordered were generously filled and could have easily filled out a standard sized corn tortilla. I can't believe the masa flour is that expensive. Hey I make my own tortillas so I think I understand the process ;^)
Went to El Burrito Sat. night at 9 pm based on the review above. Despite the hours listed here, it was closed, with a sign saying that it's only open for lunch. Be forewarned. And, BTW, I really don't think lunch-only restaurants should be included on any best-of lists other than lunch related ones. Suggest Timeout remove or at least update the hours before too many others plan their precious weekend dinners around this review. (Yes, I'm a bit irate.)