Tigre Tacos/Pasco Photography

Features

Hattie Lloyd 11/01/21


Your Guide To The Best Tacos In London

Mexican food has become immensely popular in London over the past few years.

And tacos, for the most part, can take the wrap.

Because not only are they cheap and delicious, but wildly varied to boot – which is why we’ve deliciously researched and scientifically evaluated the best tacos in London, which evoke nothing less than complete, plate-licking satisfaction. And you can find them at…

Mexa | Tottenham Court Road

mexa tacos london

The first permanent spot from the team behind the legendary Sonora Taquería is without a doubt a destination spot for tacos in London. You’ll find them in Arcade Food Hall, the high-end street food hall that houses equally big hitters like Plaza Khao Gaeng. Mexa uses a flour-based recipe for tortillas which, combined with a little lard, gives their bases a moreish, slightly chewy texture. Try the beef suadero, a classic Mexico City taco made with confit beef brisket and salsa rojo.

Details: 103-105 New Oxford Street, London WC1A 1DB

Del 74 | Dalston

Del 74

Run by two chef buddies, Enrique Vivas and Jorge Felizardo (formerly of Nuno Mendes’ Taberna do Mercado), Del 74 is a raucous bolthole filled with genuine spirit and delicious tacos. The music is loud, the decor extravagantly kitsch, and those tacos come loaded with house-made salsas, slow-cooked meats and sumptuous chunks of sweet potato for the veggies.

Details: 129 Kingsland High Street, E8 2PB

Tigre Tacos | Clerkenwell

Tigre Tacos

Despite the name, Tigre Tacos don’t serve meat. They’re an all-fish & veggie outfit that take their inspiration from the laid back beach vibes of ’70s Southern California, then pack it all into hyper-fresh and creative tacos. Currently you can track them down at Borough bar Nine Lives, their own bricks and mortar spot, and in residence at Clerkenwell pub The Gunmakers which, despite being 300 years old, manages to remain cutting-edge in its choice of kitchen residencies. Prepare for beer-battered Baja fish, butterflied prawns in citrussy aguachile, and a whole damn octopus served up with a heap of tostadas & trimmings, all in the pub’s gorgeous secret garden.

Nine Lives8 Holyrood Street, SE1 2EL

The Gunmakers: 13 Eyre Street Hill, EC1R 5ET

Hacha Dalston: 378 Kingsland Road, E8 4AA

Santo Remedio | London Bridge & Shoreditch

Santo Remedio - best tacos in London

Santo Remedio translates as ‘holy remedy’. And their tacos will cure whatever ails you, thanks to toppings like soft shell crab, pork belly, or 8-hour braised beef – all delicious with a side of their signature guacamole. Which, we should probably forewarn you, comes topped with grasshopper.

Santo Remedio: 152 Tooley Street, London Bridge, SE1 2TU

Santo Remedio Café55 Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch, EC2A 3HP

El Pastor | London Bridge, Bermondsey, King’s Cross, Soho

Casa Pastor - best tacos in London

The hype around the Barrafina duo’s Mexican venture is entirely justified. The signature dish here is, of course, the taco al pastor (“shepherd style”), an import from the Lebanese who emigrated to Mexico in the 50s and 60s. Though inspired by lamb shawarma kebabs, it’s actually made with pork that’s been marinated for 24 hours in dried chillies, spices and orange juice, piled up on a house-made corn tortilla and crowned with chunks of zingy, fleshy pineapple. A-yes please.

El Pastor7a Stoney Street, SE1 9AA

Casa & Plaza PastorCoal Drops Yard, Stable Street, N1C 4AB

El Pastor Soho: 66-70 Brewer St, W1F 9UP

Breddos Taqueria | Clerkenwell

Breddos Tacos - best tacos in London

Former street food kings Breddos Tacos make all their taco bases in-house, following millennia-old techniques… but the flavours are anything but traditional. Expect hits of pepper-punched kung pao pork belly and shredded Brixham crab with just enough Mexican flourishes to remember what you’re eating.

Details82 Goswell Road, EC1V 7DB

Taqueria | Clerkenwell

Taqueria, Exmouth Market

Tostadas, quesadillas, tacos…these guys have ’em all. Over from Notting Hill, where their first site has been flying high for over fifteen years, they’re bringing a proper taste of Mexico to the city, helped along by three varieties of chelada style beer and  half a dozen margaritas – everything from a refreshing watermelon number to zingy chilli. 

Details: 8 – 10 Exmouth Market, Clerkenwell, East London, EC1R 4QA

La Bodega Negra | Soho

La Bodega Negra - best tacos in London

Ah, La Bodega. A heady, incense-suffused basement grotto with a killer tequila list and some seriously strong date night game. The tacos here are petite but game-changingly good, and come with toppings like soft shell crab with chipotle crema, and tender lamb with a peppery, beery splash of ‘drunken salsa’. And yes, its frontage looks like a genuine Soho sex shop – but to tell you how to recognise it would somewhat spoil the fun.

Details: 9 Old Compton Street, W1D 5JF

Tacos Padre | Borough 

tacos padre

After years of cooking at the esteemed Pujol in Mexico City, Nicholas Fitzgerald has moved to London and opened his own boutique taqueria, Tacos Padre. They specialise in authentic Mexican tacos – beef short-rib with morito salsa and pulled pork with burnt habanero pickled onions for instance – which are well worth your time. They also do a small number of other Mexican small plates, as well as regular and frozen margaritas, all served up al fresco in the heart of Borough Market.

Details: The Borough Market Kitchen, Winchester Walk, Jubilee Place, SE1 9AG

Temper | Soho

Temper Soho - best tacos in London

When you find Temper, prepare to lose it over their tacos. Because these bad boys are as far from traditional as you can get, but are, nonetheless, excellent. Served as precursors to the hefty portions of barbecued meaty mains, these tacos set the tone with toppings like bone marrow, soy-cured beef, black vinegar mushrooms and even aged cheeseburger.

Details: 25 Broadwick Street, W1F 0DF

Club Mexicana | Soho

Club Mexicana - best tacos in London

Welcome to Club Mexicana, where the tacos are (animal product) free. Their vegan takes on tacos and burritos replace baja fish with battered tofu, and pulled pork with fleshy barbecued jackfruit, to create some of the most filling of fillings.

Details: Kingly Court, Soho, W1B 5PW

DF / Mexico

DF Mexico - best tacos in London

Tucked into the Old Truman Brewery, this eponymous eatery comes from chef Thomasina Miers (who launched Wahaca) and promises a crash course in modern Mexican food via NYC. Tacos arrive in ingenious metal holsters, laden with buttermilk fried chicken with avocado mojo, marinated steak with grilled cheese, and oven-roasted mushrooms with ancho chilli and feta.

DetailsThe Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL

 

Last updated: 30th March 2022


Full up with the best tacos in London? Time to move on to one of London’s best tequila bars