Log in to My Time Out for your personalised guide to what's on in London. It's fast, easy and FREE!

Mestizo

Follow Mestizo to receive updates on special offers here.

What is 'following'?
103 Hampstead Road, NW1 3EL Full details & map

Restaurant: Mexican

 
© Scott Wishart

Time Out says   7 Users say 3/5 Rate it

Posted: Oct 19 2011

With its deep red walls, cream leather seating and backlit bar proudly showcasing tequilas, Mestizo has the air of a smart nightspot.

Evenings see plenty of émigrés from the hotels around Euston Road join New Yorkers in knocking back the best margaritas they've discovered in London. Turn up for Sunday brunch, however, and you'll find a relaxed family-friendly vibe with numerous expat Mexicans enjoying the all-you-can-eat buffet.

Staff bring complimentary jugs of hibiscus-flavoured agua fresca (think Mexican Ribena) and the sweet, milky, rice-based horchata to quell any fires started by the searing menudo (braised belly pork with guajillo chilli and tomato sauce).

Quesadillas (tinga, pastor, chorizo and potato, and more) are cooked to order on a hotplate, while other authentic dishes such as pozole (a spicy pork stew) are available to serve yourself from metal buffet trays. Enchilada papa suiza (potato and cheese) smothered with tomatillo salsa is blissfully squidgy, cheesy and tangy, and the choice of stuffed peppers delightful.

A small table at the end houses the day's desserts - a creamy tart topped with strawberry sauce, maybe.

Staff are friendly and hardworking, though it can be difficult to catch their attention when so much is going on.

Comment 10 Tweet
Save to foursquare

Book now

Mestizo details

Follow Mestizo to receive updates on special offers here.

What is 'following'?
Address

Mestizo

103 Hampstead Road NW1 3EL

Transport Warren Street tube or Euston tube/rail

Telephone

020 7387 4064

Mestizo website

Meals served noon-11pm Mon-Sat. Lunch served noon-4pm, dinner served 5-10pm Sun

Main courses £10-£24

Credit cards AmEx, MC, V

Facilities

Babies and children welcome ( high chairs ), Booking advisable ( weekends ), Separate room for parties ( seats 60 ), Available for hire, Disabled ( toilet ), Takeaway service

Mestizo map

Share your thoughts

  • or log in into My Time Out
  • *
  • *
  • Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.
* Mandatory fields for leaving a comment

Comments & ratings 3/5 (Average of 7 ratings)

By Nicolas B - Apr 6 2012
2/5

Ate here a few weeks ago. Overall a disappointing experience. The place is very noisy, crowded, the tables too close together, the waiters trying to do a good job, but simply not enough of them to cope. As for the food, it wasn't bad - but it was quite significantly overpriced for what it was. If I'd had this sort of dining experience and the total bill had been £15 a head, I'd probably have been happy, but at twice that price it's simply not good enough.

Report
By Laura - Mar 30 2012
5/5

That's proper mexican food, actually the only authentic mexican restaurant in London. Delicious food and drinks, and the best friendly service. I will come back not once, many!!!!

Report
By Cambria - Mar 20 2012
5/5

Fantastic food! Wonderful service, and an amazing range of tequilas. It's a bit out of the way, but the inside of the restaurant is beautiful and has a nice ambience. I recommend it to all of my friends for a fun night out.

Report
By Jen - Jan 18 2012
1/5

Awful food, do not recommend at all. Although the portions are large it goes to waste as the quality of the food is very poor. My main meal was so salty that I was unable to eat it and was told that it is from the same tub of sauce used in the other meals and so it was probably salty because I may have mixed the sauce with the beans ! The other main meal at our table was also inedible and the sauce looked like it was from an old el paso pack that you mix with water (although the old el paso tastes much better than this). I am very disappointed and will not be returning here again.

Report
By Rodrigo - Nov 14 2011
1/5

I am mexican, lived in London for 5 years and I have been quiet a few times only a couple on the last 2 years and seems to me that the quality of the food has been lowering each time I go. I went for a sunday brunch, price was very high and the quality of the food no so much, it felt like very cheap ingredients in general, beans were very liquid (hardly any been, i really felt like they were trying to save money!), they also had ribs which were not very good, all the meet was very hard in general, they serve cheap food which for the price is very disappointing!
My company had the Christmas party there 2 years ago, they served a very liquid mole sauce (no consistency at all, again like if they had added water to make get more meals out of it!) on top of a piece of turkey with rice, no-one of my 20 colleagues liked it and nor did I, it was embarrassing!
In my opinion the service is very good though.
Try Lupita in Charring Cross, food is good, pricey too but very good!

Report
By elisa - May 11 2011
5/5

Excellent food and great service. A bit expensive but of all the Mexican restaurants I've tried in London this one's the best so far. Great margaritas and imported mexican beers!

Report
By claire - Feb 21 2011

looked forward to going to this restaurant due to it's reviews. i have to say that the food was lovely, but the service...not so.

there was a group of 7, unfortunately 2 of them were 20mins late, not a great deal i would think. obviously the staff did, they made us order our food early, before they had arrived, and said it wouldn't be served till they got there, but they did serve it....when the final guests arrived they didn't get time to read the menu before being made to order, and as we had eaten our starters they missed out on them, the lovely tameles too! no sooner had someone finished their main meal and put their cutlery down the waitresses were clearing the plates and asking for dessert orders. all in all we felt rushed and unwelcome there, ok, so people were late, but we were spending quite a bit of money on their cocktails and drinks and were happy to do so, it's not as thought they were an hour or later, it was 20 mins....

i won't be going back.

Report
By gsm - Nov 21 2010

great food. loved it.

Report
By Jim - Jun 1 2010

Mestizo is the best place for mexican food, the margaritas are awesome and they have reasonable prices. Good for them!!!

Report