A Mexican round up: My top 5 Mexican restaurants in London

This summer (if you can call it that!) I found myself living in London and my sister and I took it upon ourselves to find the best Mexican food we could!

In doing so we ate at 15 different restaurants taking us from our neighbourhood area of Notting Hill right down south to Balham, up north to Angel and everywhere in between! These included Wahaca, Chilango, Taqueria, Tequila Tex Mex, Santo, Crazy Homies, Lupita, La Perla, Cantina Laredo, Whole Foods, El Camion, Loco Mexicano, Desperados, Tacuba and Navajo Joe.

It was a good thing we did so too, because having just moved to Bangor this week I have discovered there are NO Mexican restaurants in the whole of North Wales so it could be a while before I get my next taco fix!

I thought I'd sum up what we found out and where we think are the best places to eat should you ever find yourself hungry in London and in need of a chimichanga or two! 

These are the restaurants we thought should make the top 5.  They aren't really in a particular order but our clear front runner was Santo in Notting Hill - we even ate there twice this summer which shows you just how yummy we thought it was! We had a one time only policy to try and fit in as many Mexicans as possible but we just had to break the rule for Santo and here's why...

 

Hands down the best nachos you will ever taste, we could quite happily go back and order only nachos all night long and have the best meal ever! but I wouldn't advise you do that because you would be missing out on the amazingly delicious burritos they serve (and remember I'm not even a burrito fan!) The service was fantastic, I think if my sister wasn't married she would have quite happily tried her luck with our cheeky little waiter! They had an extensive and interesting juice and smoothie selection like my raw tropical juice that came topped with a slice of Kiwi, and to top it all off it's located bang on Portobello Rd so it's perfect if you want to check out some awesome shops post meal! p.s did I mention you get free nachos and salsa to start? :)

Next up was Crazy Homies in Westbourne Grove.  They were a close contender for first place, but unfortunately we had some pretty bad Churros that let them down.  

 

 The rest of our experience at Crazy Homies was pretty cool though.  Their ambience was one of the best and I loved their decor inside.  Their menu was even called 'The Bible' and Bible it was, have you ever heard of a Mahi Mahi Tostada? That's an option freshly returned people from the Caribbean like us love to see! I had butternut squash and chorizo tostadas...both were completely inventive flavours and completely delicious!

A fun filled night at Desperados in Islington made it a firm favourite.

 

They had an excellent drinks menu, and you gotta love mocktails with curly straws! It was packed the night we went but the hustle and bustle didn't equate to slow service fortunately.  Their portions were pretty mega, and refried beans as a side always wins me over.  I had beef enchiladas which were pretty amazing and the colourful and decorative interior really gave it that old school Mexican feel! 

Loco Mexicano in Westbourne Grove was our first Mexican we went to way back in May, so the fact I can even remember what it was like speaks volumes!

 

This was the only Mexican we ate at that came with a Sombrero attached to your chair and that makes it pretty special in my book! Another huge plus was they did hard shell taco's...which is a bit of a rarity these days and they're one of my fave Mexican dishes.  They too had some rather impressive mocktails and their portions were on the hefty side which is always a bonus!

Finally, a late entry (and the last Mexican I managed to squeeze in before I left London) was El Camion in Soho.  I'm so glad we did manage to fit it in though because as you can see it made it to the Top 5 and is definitely somewhere I will be returning to in the future!

 

They have 2 branches, one on Portobello Rd (just a few metres away from Santo actually) and the one we ate at in Soho.  We had seen the one in Notting Hill lots of times before but it is much smaller and not quite as cool as the one we ate at so I was glad we made it to Soho.  We nearly sat upstairs but it was full, which was lucky for us, because I had no idea how cool their basement area is! and I would choose to sit there every time now I know.  Check out all those cute little tealights in the picture! Our waitress was super friendly and our fajitas and enchiladas were cooked to perfection.  The best part of the night - introducing Jade to their amazing Churros.  You may recall if you follow my blog that I have shared many exciting firsts with Jade, like Shakeaways, Krispy Kreme's, S'mores, Conch, Root Beer Floats and more recently pulled pork so I was excited for Jade to experience that Cinnamon-y goodness of deep fried Churros! It was the perfect ending to an oh so yummy Mexican! 

I also thought it would be fun to award a best starter, main and dessert.

For the starter there was really no question, it had to be Santo for their nachos as I've already mentioned...but don't just take my word for it - go and try them out - it will be the best money you can spend!

The best main was far trickier with many contenders, but in the end the mammoth sized portions of Tequila Tex Mex made me think they deserved this award! along with the fact they make a mean chimichanga and served the most enormous stuffed peppers ever!

 

I have a small obsession with Churros, you may or may not have noticed! Anytime we found Churros on a menu, which wasn't all that often surprisingly, we would have to order them.  We were on a quest to find the best, and whilst the rest of our evening and meal at Lupita was less than favourable, their Churros were hands down the best we've tried in London.  They were really warm and soft with tons of yummy chocolate sauce for dipping and they are lucky they make such a good Churro because I'm pretty sure I wouldn't go back there for anything else! 

 

So there you have it! What did we learn from our Mexican quest? that Wahaca and Chilango didn't make the cut! Are you surprised? I'm not.  I've learnt that branding is everything, people love names and so Wahaca has grown into this super popular Mexican (that does a decent meal don't get me wrong) but you can eat at far better Mexicans than Wahaca that's for sure and hopefully now you all know where they are! and all you had to do was read this blog! Simple!

Tex Mex Tuesday: A little taste of California in the middle of Notting Hill!

Right now, my two sisters and brother in law are roadtrippin' it up in Californi-a.  I am beyond jealous and it's something we're not going to dwell on! Swiftly moving on...so the night before they all left we had a night out in London town (but secretly I pretended I had joined them on the Cali trip!)

Mel, who currently lives in Yorkshire, is an avid follow of my blog and has been watching and drooling over our past few months of Mexican madness.  So when she arrived in London she wanted to be taken to the best Mexican we had eaten at so far.  Mara and I both decided it just had to be Santo on Portobello Road...if for no other reason to try some of their amazing chile nachos again!! and this time I got a better shot of them on my camera too!

I opted for Enchiladas, as this is usually my fave Mexican dish, but I have to say I was left craving some burrito loving once the girls dishes arrived...

and that's saying something because I've made it clear before I am not a burrito fan but the burrito's at Santo are hands down amazing!

Mel was definitely impressed and being the veggie she is, she was pleased at their choice of veggie dishes too!

Afterwards we ended the evening with something sweet at Lucky 7.  We toasted to a great Cali trip with our milkshakes (again I was pretending I was in on it too!) Oh how I wish I was milkshaking it up with them right now! Last I heard they had rented bikes along Santa Monica boardwalk, eaten at an amazing Mexican restaurant and found a cupcakery with a frostinator machine where you could make your own cupcakes!!!if that doesn't scream perfect holiday I don't know what does!

I had a mint Oreo shake, while Mel grabbed a double thick chocolate malt and Mara had her old favourite of banana. 

It was a great night out, and whilst I'm missing them all loads I'm even more excited for their return because of all my favourite American goodies they have promised to bring me! Roll on A&W, mint Oreo's and maybe just maybe a few cupcakes!!

Tex Mex Tuesday & Thursday! Santo & Desperados

This week was a double Mexican whammy...and both were a success! We began with Santo which is just around the corner from where we work on Portobello Road.  Unfortunately it was a pretty rainy afternoon when we stopped by but once inside our spirits were soon lifted.

I ordered a sparkling tropical juice, the main ingredient seemed to be Kiwi which was a pleasant and tasty surprise, and they also brought over some complimentary nachos and salsa whilst we perused the menu which is always a thumbs up for us! 

They claim to have the most amount of Mexican dishes to choose from this side of the Atlantic, and their menu was certainly alot broader than most.  We ordered some nachos with chili con carne as a starter, shown in the out of focus picture above, but it was too good not to feature! This had to be the highlight of the visit for me.  Piled high with chilli, sour cream, guacamole and refried beans...we literally finished every last crumb and both unanimously agreed they were THE best nachos ever! 

What followed was a burrito that, for me, knocks spots off any burrito Chilango can rustle up.  Even the outer tortilla appeared completely homemade and was almost pancake like in texture as it was lovely and fluffy.  Mara declared it the best Mexican she had ever eaten.

I ordered a chicken quesadilla and again was so impressed with the actual tortilla used, I literally could have eaten 10 of the things! The ingredients are fresh, inventive and most importantly delicious! Unfortunately they didn't have a dessert menu per se and only offered a few different ice cream options when we enquired about if they did do dessert so that was a bit of a let down...we all know dessert is my favourite part of the meal! but somehow that didn't dampen our spirits as we left Santo because we had been left so completely satisfied with what we had eaten! 

Thursday presented another opportunity for Mexican as I met up with some friends in Islington, and I'm of the mindset the more Mexican the better! Desperados describes itself as a Mexican Cantina & Bar and from the second I arrived I fell in love with it.

From the chilli bunch hanging on the wall...

to the table decor...

to the awesome curly straw and my non alcoholic cocktail! 

Desperados cocktail menu was as extensive as their food menu, so if Mexican and cocktail is your thing this is definitely the place to go! and there were about 6 or so non alcoholic cocktails on offer as well!

One thing we weren't too sure about was the service.  In the 10 minutes after we arrived, whilst waiting for 2 more friends to join us, we got asked by no less than 7 different waiters for our drinks orders!!  The first couple of times we were impressed by how on the ball they were, but eventually it got a bit ridiculous! and we felt they should have somehow had waiters assigned to tables to avoid this happening.

The service was quick though, and we were served our main dishes very promptly.  

Amy's steak fajitas were still sizzling away in the dish as they arrived and we were loving the huge portions! 

I had side dishes of rice, beans, guac and sour cream...along with an actual salad too! It's definitely the place to come on an empty stomach.  I went for an enchilada, and usually would always order chicken but apparently they had run out of chicken that night! so I went for beef...which turned out to be just as well because it was SO delicious and something I may just have to order again in the future! Jade also had to go for a beef burrito...after trying to order a chicken one (it had been a long day for her!)

There was a great vibe at Desperados, and it was pretty packed all night long...the people didn't stop coming which is always a good sign in my book! and it was a great place to spend the night catching up with old friends.

The nacho starter which Pip had as a main course was more than adequate and we thought pretty reasonably priced considering how much you got, check out those awesome nails as well - I couldn't resist! 

When the bill came they brought everyone little shots of one of their exotic cocktails.  The girls were all suitably impressed and if it hadn't been a 'school night' would have probably indulged in some more! 

All round, a great week of Mexican munching!

Tex Mex Tuesday: Tequila - where the chips are free and the mocktails are sweeter!

So yet again I've veered off 'the list' and I'm beginning to question my Trip Advisor list altogether.  Some of the Mexican restaurants in the 'top 20' only have like 2 reviews so I'm not sure how they got their rankings! I've decided I'm a better judge of character so I'll pick them from now on....like this week, I stumbled upon Tequila Tex Mex in Notting Hill and their extensive range of mocktails made me think they were worth a visit.  

Prior to finding them, I had been trying to google if there were any Mexican restaurants in London that gave you free tortilla chips while you were waiting.  I didn't come up with any results, my sister Mara had told me that would be her favourite kind of Mexican! so imagine our delight when shortly after ordering we were brought these goodies...

yes completely free! the Salsa was delicious and it certainly made our wait far more enjoyable! 

Being the non alcoholics we are, I always love a menu that has interesting drinks.  I had an amazing virgin pina colada and Mara had the most delicious passion fruit smoothie.

Mara had a stuffed chilli, and look at the size of it! We came to the verdict that if you're feeling very hungry and in the mood for Mexican then Tequila Tex Mex is definitely for you because their portions are massive, especially after the bite size portions we've been experiencing at the last couple of Mexicans we've been too! 

I had a Chimchanga, which I was pretty excited about.  They are rare finds on Mexican menu's so when I see one I can't help but order it.  It was served with refried beans, which I wouldn't touch growing up but I've since grown to love and the rice and salsa were equally delicious.

The service was fanastic, all of the staff were super friendly - even down to the waitress who offered to take a picture of both of us when she saw us with the camera.  I had seen the 'Taco Lover Zone' sign and had to have my photo taken with it! Unfortunately she also hit on the idea of bringing us both sombrero's and in the process they have blocked out the very sign I was trying to be snapped with! but you get the idea, and you've got to appreciate her effort for trying!  

All in all it was a great Tex Mex Tuesday, unfortunately no Churro's on the dessert menu so we went without, because we had bought some cupcakes on the way so we knew we would be feasting on those later! 

After, we went to a bargain showing at the Coronet Cinema.  Every Tuesday night they show films for £3.50 - I'm pretty sure that's unheard of in London! and it was quite a cool old theatre inside but if you are going to go book early.  The screen was completely full, and we were glad we had pre booked tickets and didn't have to wait in the long queue.  We saw 'Last Night' which was okay but I'm not really sure I particularly related to the morals in the film so maybe it wasn't the best choice in hindsight but for £3.50 it wasn't a bad night out! 

Tex Mex Tuesday: Crazy Homies & Lucky 7 Diner, Westbourne Grove

This week I deviated off my Top 20 list, but for good reason.  I stumbled upon Crazy Homies online and I instantly knew we needed to pay this place a visit, not only for the original and inventive flavour contributions on the menu, but because it was located right next to this place: 

Lucky 7 Diner...anyone who knows me well will know that, to me, this is a perfect combo!!  

Situated side by side on Westbourne Park Road, just off Portobello, you might miss these little Gems since the neighbourhood has so much else to offer but I would invite all of you to pay them a visit because they are awesome!!  

We decided since Crazy Homies only opened at 6pm and we came straight from work that we would try out a triple thick milkshake at Lucky 7 while we waited.  At £5.50 a shake, it doesn't come cheap but too often I am left disappointed by milkshakes that aren't thick enough for my liking and so it was a few extra pounds definitely well spent! I had tried to order the mint choc chip, yum, but was told they would only be able to make it medium thick (I presume they had run out of mint ice cream) but that wouldn't do, I had come to sample the triple thick! so I opted for a strawberry, you know it's going to be delish when it's so thick it won't even pour out of your extra refill! and it was! We had planned to both get shakes but as soon as we saw ROOT BEER FLOATS on the menu we just had to order one of those too so we shared! 

I totally didn't plan to be the walking A&W advert that day! I had just thrown on my brown converses and looked for a tee that matched, so we thought it made for a funny photo op! This has got to be one of the best Root Beer Floats we've had in the UK, perhaps second only to All Star Lanes.  We might have ordered a sneaky hot dog too, I didn't photograph it as I wasn't planning to share what fatties we truly are but it was too delicious not to mention.  So as the clock struck 6 we headed over to kick off our Tex Mex Tuesday...

and Crazy Homies has got to be the coolest Mexican we have tried so far.  With a name like that, how could it not be! It's tiny inside, I think with extra seating downstairs, but that adds to the appeal! It has a bench seat all the way around with cool little cushions that you can chill out on, and is very bright and colourful inside...

Check out that cute bunting and the crazy spider light! plus it's menu is called The Bible...and I think that's a testament to just how many different delicious offerings are available to you...

I, for one, have never heard of or even imagined Butternut squash and Chorizo Tostadas, but luckily for me Crazy Homies dreamt them up and they were amazing!! Butternut is one of my favourite foods ever and it complimented all the black beans underneath it perfectly, and the salsas were all incredibly fresh too.

It got more exotic too, Mara relived her Caribbean days with some Mahi Mahi Tostadas! which came with a pineapple relish! How they got Mahi Mahi here, I'm not quite sure.  It was a fish I had never come across until we lived in Turks and Caicos where it was one of the most common Caribbean fish offerings you would find at restaurants.  However they managed to get it here, we're glad they did because we both devoured our meals (yes after the shakes, floats and hot dog too..oops!) 

Unfortunately, just as it was going SO well for Crazy Homies, we had to go and order Churros - our fave Mexican dessert! and after raving about the ones we had last week at Lupita I knew they were going to have to be pretty spectacular to compare...

spectacular they were not, and actually cooked they were not.  Even from this picture I think you can see the glossy wet like sheen is not normal! When we bit into them they were still gooey inside, not gooey in a good way, gooey in a raw batter sort of way! I called the waiter over and asked him if this was how Churros were meant to be, he assured me it was, but obviously he didn't know my love for all things Mexican and how I know what a Churro should taste like!! We sent them back, he took them off the bill, we didn't want to chance ordering any more.

It was a sad end to the evening, dessert is usually my fave part! So my advice would be definitely go for some amazingly delicious Mexican at Crazy Homies but perhaps pop next door to Lucky 7 for some all American dessert or a milkshake to finish off the night with in the future!