West London
TAQUERIA
Serving up some of the best Mexican grub in the capital, Notting Hill’s Taqueria ticks all the right boxes. Very much channeling a Mexico City cantina, they keep things low key with a sexy menu, killer drinks list and buzzy atmosphere.
Eat this: Love tacos? Who doesn't. It's difficult to choose from this killer menu but you can't go wrong with the slow-roasted pork Pancita Tacos.
Drink this: They have 8 banging Margs on the menu, and the Watermelon & Chilli Hibiscus with a salt rim gets our vote every time.
141-145 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2RS
THE MEXICAN AT ANNABEL'S
Rumour has it that Annabel's is the only club that HRH Queen Liz has ever frequented. We reckon it was cos she loves herself a soft-shell taco. Same, babe. You'll find The Mexican on the 2nd floor of this mega luxe Private Members Club in Mayfair, and trust us when we say the food is as authentic as the decore is lavish. BOOM!
Eat This: With main dishes starting at £34 a pop, you may as well just go all out and order Coko's Menu Degustción - Head Chef Coko Becker's daily menu of the best produce of the day. It won't get better than that and at £70 per person, it's banging value.
Drink This: You don't have to have tequila when chowing down on Mexican grub; the Hacienda brings the party vibes of Central America with Tanqueray 10 Gin, sesame seed tincture, cold fermented pineapple tepache and mango & terragon Cordia. Don't know what half those things are? Who cares, it tastes epic.
46 Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London W1J 5AT
North London
CAFE CHULA
This colourful canal-side joint is all about Mexican street food at its finest. They take their tequila and mezcal seriously, and when it comes to quesadillas, Café Chula means business.
Eat This: The Quesadilla de Camerones - a chipotle prawn-stuffed monster with pico de gallo, Oaxaca cheese and mountains of guacamole. You can thank us later.
Drink This: Hit 'em up with your crew during Happy Hour every Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 5-8pm and get the party started with a pitcher of their signature margarita for £20.
75-89 Lower Walkway, Camden Town, London NW1 8AF
MESTIZO
With over 200 tequilas to work your way through, this place is the real deal. There are authentic Mexican treats (red and blue tortilla chips, anyone?), first-rate Sangritas and a lounge bar downstairs for post-dinner dancing.
Eat This: Get in on their Mexican tapas menu for a bad-ass mini banquet of Mexico's finest. Don't forget the Jaladas; the grown-up jalapeno popper!
Drink This: If you're here for a taste of the agave plant's best work, settle in and work through one of their tequila tasting menus. You'll enjoy 3 x 25ml serves of tequila: Blanco, Reposado and Anejo with a red sangria and lime to cleanse the palate. The night has begun.
103 Hampstead Road, London NW1 3EL
CASA PASTOR
This is the newest addition to the El Pastor fam. Just like its Bermondsey and Borough siblings, the Coal Drops Yard site is laidback, chilled and pumps out freshly made tortillas daily which can be topped and filled with all the crowd-pleasers.
Eat This: The Seabass Ceviche is laced with so much lime and red onion that your fork will be going back for more before you can say pucker up.
Drink This: Mexican food always tastes like a party to us, so better order a drink to match. La Piñata serves 4 and arrives in a giant ceramic piñata, made with Herradura Blanco, Briottet, Pamplemouse Rose, Cassis, Taittinger Reserve NV, all topped with Haribo gummi bears. Let the fiesta begin!
Coal Drops Yard, London N1C 4DQ
Central London
EL CAMION
It's gone midnight and the party's just getting started: there's one place you need to be. Upstairs this cheerful cantina serves late-night Mexican food that rivals any kebab. Downstairs is legendary bar The Pink Chihuahua. The only thing you really need to know is that BarChick (and most of the drinks industry, TBH) are regulars at this infamous basement bar. We've often lost a few hours to the Margaritas and dance floor and emerged, blinking in the early hours.
Eat This: The kitchen stays open til 2:30am Monday to Saturday and we can't think of a better way to round off your night than with one of their loaded burritos filled with black or pinto beans, jack cheese, Mexican rice, pico de gallo and pickled Jalapenos, plus whatever meat or veg you're craving.
Drink This: Head down to The Pink Chihuahua and hit up the Tequila Espresso Martini made with Altos reposado tequila, Kahlua, Tia Maria and espresso. Dick Bradsell, inventer of the original, was the much-loved head bartender down here for years. People still lift a shot to him, RIP.
25-27 Brewer Street, Soho
ELLA CANTA
Female-fronted fine-dining Mexican is ALWAYS our jam. Renowned chef Martha Ortiz is at the helm of this Mayfair restaurant, serving up the vibrancy of Mexico to those who prefer to use cutlery when shovelling salsa into their faces.
Eat This: Let's face it, you're always gonna order guac when you're eating Mexican, but in this case, order extra. Cos this guac is extra, made with fresh cheese, pomegranate and… a grasshopper. It gives the crunch you didn't know you needed.
Drink This: Ever had a Mezcal Negroni? If the answer is no, lose your v-plates to Martha's Ancho Negroni, made with Montelobos Mezcal, Mancino Chinato, Rinomato Aperitivo and Ancho Reyes Verde. It's got an extra kick from dark green Poblano chilli. You'll never forget your first time.
One Hamilton Place, Park Lane, W1J 7QY
LA BODEGA NEGRA
Some like oysters, some go for chocolate. BarChick? She chooses tequila when it comes to a winning aphrodisiac, and considering you have to walk through a sex shop to get to this basement restaurant, you'll probably already be hot under the collar before you've even sat down.
Eat This: The Slow roasted lamb barbacoa is a juicy hot plate of an 8-hour slow-cooked shoulder of lamb, with salsa borracha and corn tortillas, plated up for 2 to share. Take someone you trust to not eat the best bits.
Drink This: The Hibiscus Margarita - sweet, zingy, fresh and made with their own homemade hibiscus syrup. Gets us every time.
9 Old Compton St, Soho, London W1D 5JF
CAFE PACIFICO
Cafe Pacifico has been around since 1982, making it one of London's oldest Mexican eateries - no surprises they've perfected pretty much every element of their menu, including their vegan and gluten-free options. Legends.
Eat This: We love the taco selection here, but we always make sure we have room for the cinnamon and sugar-laden Churros with the spicy chilli chocolate sauce. Hot hot hot!
Drink This: The Pacifico Sangria is a classic sangria turned up several notches. You can add vodka, rum or tequila to yours to give the mix of Cabernet-Merlot, sweet vermouth, lime, orange juice and lemonade a hit of extra OOMPH!
5 Langley St, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JA
MADERA AT TREEHOUSE LONDON
Want killer views on the side of your freshly-made blue-corn tortillas? That's rhetorical. Of course you do. This restaurant and bar is high-end in all senses of the word, and it has one of the best vegan menus we've ever tried.
Eat This: The vegan ceviche won us over, made with hearts of palm, baby heirloom tomatoes, shaved coconut and mango for a sweet, juicy plate that'll make your most carnivorous mate salivate.
Drink This: The Mono See Mono Do fuses Ilegal Joven mezcal and Monkey 47 gin together, then adds homemade blackberry, strawberry & cilantro gomme to create a serve fresher than a new pair of kicks.
14-15 Langham Pl, Marylebone, London W1B 2QS
East London
BREDDOS TACOS
Tacos, tlayudas and tequila; it’s a recipe for one hell of a good time. This is the kind of place you can stop by for a lunchtime taco or stay all night eating small plates, sipping Margaritas and top-shelf mezcals, picking vinyl to spin and kicking back. Our kinda vibe.
Eat This: The Carne Asada is the best BarChick’s snacked on since being streetside in the Yucatan. Get involved.
Drink This: The Limontour is the good cop, bad cop of this banging cocktail menu - the Jalapeno tequila will smack you with the face with a fiery punch, while the St Germain Elderflower liqueur will sooth with its floral sweetness.
82 Goswell Rd, London EC1V 7DB
DEL 74 DALSTON
The motto at this grungy Mexican joint is "keep it simple, keep it real". As if a place that churns out good vibes and banging Mexican fair didn't speak to us enough already, it's also the place to go if you have your four-legged pal in tow. Woof!
Eat This: Almost half the menu is veggie, and the Veggie Tinga is banging. We're talking veg in a smokey chipotle chile & roasted tomato sauce topped with crispy sweet potatoes.
Drink This: The margaritas are TOP, so get involved. If you can time it well, you get 'em at a steal during their Happy Hour from 5-7pm Wednesday to Friday.
129 Kingsland High Street, London, E8 2PB
South London
TACO QUEEN
Wanna get some street cred with your crew? Take 'em down to the coolest neighbourhood in South London and rock up to the Taco Queen for chilled vibes, bad-ass loaded nachos and epic tunes that'll have you asking for their Spotify playlist at the same time as the bill.
Eat This: The Jackfruit Nachos - nothing like the sad, stale pile you’d buy at a pub. They've nailed the chip to dip ratio, with a creamy, spicy cheese sauce, heaps of fresh guac and salsa, and a garnishing of refreshing lime cream, sliced radishes, jalapenos, and coriander.
Drink This: If it rhymes, you know it's gonna taste EPIC: The Pink Drink brings all the colour with Los Siete Misterios Doba-Yej mezcal, ginger liqueur, hibiscus + ginger syrup, orange and lime. Looks pretty but packs a helluva punch.
Image by Ruby Lott-Lavigna & Sophie Ankel. 191 Rye Lane, Peckham
SANTO REMEDIO
The SM crew take authenticity very seriously at their London Bridge outpost. Everything they do has been inspired by the taquerias, markets, houses & celebrations of Mexico. They even import speciality ingredients like pasilla, serranos & grasshoppers from Mexico to give the dishes a true taste of their home country. British grasshoppers don't have the same crunch, ya know?
Eat This: We can never not order the Grilled Octopus with Plantain Tetela; sweet, juicy n' slightly smokey. It's a winner every time.
Drink This: Upstairs there's a dedicated tequila and mezcal bar, and it's a stunner. We always like to order the margarita's taller, tarter cousin: the Paloma, made with El Jimador Blanco, Campari, Grapefruit Tonic and a twist of Lemon and Lime.
152 Tooley St, London SE1 2TU
Looking for more Mexican indulgence? Check out our 5 Fave Margs in London + Our lowdown on all things mezcal & tequila