Nights out doing cheap tequila shots are likely to be forgotten, but evenings sipping awesome agave spirits at London's best tequila bars are always gonna be ones to remember - even if the end of the night does get a little hazy. These are the spots to visit when ya wanna try the finest bottles in the city.  

Café Pacifico

You gotta love a good Mexican, and Café Pacifico is as authentic as it gets. Tequila expert Tomas Estes, who sadly passed away in 2021 (RIP, legend), opened this joint way back in 1982. Unlike most Mexican hangouts in this town, it's as true to its roots as it can get - the décor, wooden tables, music, vibes and the tequila are the real deal. With hundreds of tequilas on offer, it’s safe to say the Margaritas are gonna be show-stopping. Have them any way you want, or dabble with the other cocktails on offer.

5 Langley St, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JA

El Camion & The Pink Chihuahua 

This is the ultimate Soho bar for a boogie, and you’ll find it between two sex shops. Mexican food is served upstairs, but it’s all about the Pink Chihuahua (sometimes called Dick’s Bar) down below. It was created and run by the legend that was Dick Bradsell (the creator of the Espresso Martini, FYI), and the team follows his legacy by mixing some killer drinks. Things can get kinda loco here, and it really kicks off late at night. The music is fun, and even the most modest of your mates will be dancing on the tables before closing time at 3am. Make sure you're part of The Pink Chihuahua club to avoid entry issues (ask the bartenders or check out their site before you go).

25-27 Brewer St, Soho, London W1F 0RR

Decimo

With its groovy interiors and prime location on the 10th floor of ultra-chic King's Cross hotel The Standard, Decimo is a place to see and be seen. It's also an ideal spot to enjoy some high-end tequilas and tacos, courtesy of Michelin-starred chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias. Yeah, you'll have to shell out for it, but remember: you're treating yourself, yo. Try a few pours from the resto's bangin' agave spirits collection, or go ahead and order a tequila-spiked horchata. You'll leave with a tequila buzz, a lighter wallet and camera roll filled with wicked pics of the London skyline.

10th Floor, 10 Argyle St, London WC1H 8EG

Doña

Founded by agave goddesses Lucia Massey and Thea Cumming, Doña is a racy boudoir of a basement bar all about mezcal - and tequila is technically a mezcal, meaning you're technically obligated to head to Stoke Newington and bask in some girl power glory. The bar's stocked with loads of awesome agave spirits, from tequilas to those made with other agave varieties. PLUS the team serves one of the best Palomas around - head over on one of their many live music nights and get sippin'. Peckish? Don't miss the ah-mazing tacos from Tigre, the resto upstairs. 

92 Stoke Newington High St, London N16 7NY

Tonteria 

Head down the stairs and into this Mexican-styled den of all things good and bad (bad being the imminent hangover). Tables sit in alcoves around the edge of the space, patches of exposed wall creep through the plasterwork, dried flowers sit pretty above the benches and the bar is a beautiful tiled masterpiece. Look up - a tequila shot train occasionally chugs around the room delivering potions to those who dare brave the working hangover. Come the weekend, this place is on overload. Drink Margaritas, or go big and whistle in the Tonteria Express. 

7-12 Sloane Square, Belgravia, London SW1W 8EG

Azteca

Twenty years on, and this place is still one of our fave hangouts. It’s sure got some core ingredients that have kept it going into the double decades. Enormous tequila selection? Check. Mexican mayhem? Check. Tabletop dancing is a go, and you're gonna want to work through the fabulous Margarita menu. Don’t make any late-night plans, because there’s enough choice to keep you here a while - you can thank us in the morning.

329 Kings Road, London SW3 5ES

La Bodega Negra 

With a Mexican taqueria upstairs and a hacienda-style tequila bar downstairs, the folks at La Bodega Negra guarantee you a good time. To really get into your Margarita groove, you’ll want to keep an eye out for the sex shop lookalike on old Compton Street, head downstairs and you’re there. Once you get past the doormen (a booking is helpful) you’ll wanna get a sneaky stool at the bar before your table is ready. The House Margarita is made with El Jimador Blanco Tequila, fresh lime and home-made orange liqueur, it’s served on the rocks with salt. But even better are their Frozen Margaritas (even if it’s cold outside), made with Herradura Tequila and their flavour of the day. Sexy.

16 Moor Street, London W1D 5NH

Hacha

Double trouble, baby. Agave heaven Hacha has two outposts - the original location in Dalston, and a newer location in Brixton - and both are ace. Headed up by Deano Moncrieffe, the former luxury tequila ambassador for Diageo Reserve, they offer all types of agave spirits and are super heavy on tequila - just how we like it. Check out their rotating selection, which sits on one long shelf behind the bar, featuring industry faves, a few newcomers and a couple of rare bottles that even the most seasoned tequila drinker might not recognise. Try 'em in Hacha's killer cocktails (Mirror Margarita, anyone?) and tasting flights.  

Dalston: 378 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AA

Brixton: 12 Market Row, London SW9 8LD

Kol Mezcaleria

Yes, this is a mezcaleria - but as we mentioned before, tequila is a type of mezcal, and you'll find plenty of the good stuff here. This beautiful, rustic, Mexican-inspired bar is bringing elegance to agave, with clever cocktails, intriguing flights and plenty of good chat on the agave subject from a team who love the stuff possibly more than we do. Oh, and order ALL of the bar snacks, which riff on Mexican street food. 

9 Seymour St, London W1H 7BA

Santo Remedio

Like your tacos with a tequila chaser? Head upstairs to the bar at Santo Remedio and settle in. Come for the weekend brunch and sink bottomless Margs alongside classics like huevos rancheros, or make a dinner reservation and feast on guacamole with actual fried grasshoppers (they’re a delicacy that the owners import). Whatever you do, get stuck into that cocktail list. Killer twists like a Hibiscus Margarita and a Mezcal Negroni? Congratulations. You've found a new happy place.

152 Tooley St, London SE1 2TU 

Taqueria

How many ways are there to make a bad-ass Margarita? Well according to Taqueria, the answer is seven. Definitely lucky for tequila lovers. We like our Margs to pack a punch, so the Smoke Chili Marg def has our name on it. Meanwhile, their back bar looks like a line-up of our favourite party starters, ranging from crisp blancos to robust Anejos all the way to artisanal mezcals if you're down for travelling down a smokier route to partyville. Order plenty to wash down the awesome tacos the kitchen has perfected (we're talking soft corn tortillas filled with organic prawns, free-range chicken and locally farmed steak) and baby, you'll never want to leave. 

141-145 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2RS

Café Chula

These people take their tequila and mezcal seriously, as we all should tbh. If you wanna work at this colourful canal-side bar, ya gotta undergo some pretty epic agave training. With a clued-up crew mixing up an ever-evolving selection of Margaritas (staff faves including the Hibiscus and the Grapefruit & Habanero), a back bar of meticulously curated bottles and a menu packed with tequilas and mezcals that have been infused and barrel-aged to give an extra je ne sais quoi, this is your one-stop shop for all the agave-based good times.

75-89 Lower Walkway, Camden Lock Place, London NW1 8AF 

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