I can finally recommend another Mexican restaurant in London that is worth checking out. It’s called Cantina Laredo, located in the Covent Garden/Leicester (pronounced ”Lester”) Square area.

My husband and I went there recently on the recommendation of another American expat who is from Dallas. Apparently there are multiple locations of this restaurant in the states so you may already be familiar with it.

The tortilla chips were served warm and fresh (and not at all oily!). We ordered the “top shelf guacamole” which was prepared table-side (kind of cheesy, but fine, if they must put on a show). The guac was amazing!

I ordered chicken enchiladas which, in addition to fabulous flavours and spices, was topped with crispy tortilla strips. These weren’t taqueria enchiladas so they weren’t drowned in sauce or oozing with cheese, which I would not have complained about. Instead, it was very fresh, seasoned, shredded chicken and crumbly cheese.

My husband ordered a steak (I think it was skirt/flank steak…) that was topped with little bacon-wrapped prawns. I was skeptical of this one but it was actually really good! Again, very fresh tasting, warm with nice crispy, salty accents…so good.

Mexican rice side dishes are typically a letdown in London and there isn’t much to recommend it here, either. It wasn’t terrible but I suppose I’m just used to a certain type of Mexican rice.

I had a couple of non-alcoholic drinks from their cocktail menu that were delicious and well-prepared. The husband had a pure and basic margarita (just tequila and lime, I think) which he enjoyed.

Service was great as our hostess and server were very nice. The food came to our table very fast–so fast I was wary before eating, thinking it would be lukewarm or stale. Not so! The venue is nice as well and in a great location.

All in all, we would definitely come here again and recommend it to people from the states that are looking for either a Mexican food fix, or a nicer dinner out.

I should mention this place is considers itself  ”gourmet Mexican” so don’t go in expecting low taqueria prices. I think our total bill came to about £80 for two. (If you are looking for lower-cost Mexican food in the area, try Wahaca. We go to the Canary Wharf location often because the food is good and the prices are right. But I may soon start pestering my husband to  take me back to Cantina Laredo, for the quac and non-alcholic drinks alone!)

Ladies and gentlemen,

If you live in the UK and haven’t tried Marks & Spencer’s Cava (sparkling wine), go out and buy some now. It’s only £7.99 or so. Cheap and delicious! You can also buy a case online.

You will not be disappointed.

Oh, I wish I could say this was a really good burrito. It was a decent burrito.

There is this little chain in London called Tortilla and they have burritos, burritos-in-a-bowl, fajitas and tacos. It’s not bad (I did scarf it all down) but it’s not as great as it could be. The tortilla chips were, surprisingly, amazing considering most English joints like to serve seasoned tortilla chips (kind of like barbecue-flavoured corn chips). These were just plain, salty goodness.

If I had to sum it up, I’d say the overall problem with ordering Mexican food in the UK is that it lacks the spice and kick of real Mexican. Even mild misses the mark. Sometimes the components are just wrong (as in the seasoned tortilla chips mentioned above).

In this instance with my carnitas burrito from Tortilla, the actual tortilla was properly steamed which made it nice and pliable (no stale, broken edges). The carnitas was tender if not a little bland. They didn’t skimp on the sour cream and also offered lettuce (called “salad”), cheese and guac. The rice, on the other hand, was disappointing and usually is. It’s often a little bit undercooked and I don’t know what kind of rice they use but the grains are huge.

I should say: I’ve had worse burritos in California. I should also mention that I wouldn’t expect to march into, say, Moscow moaning about how there isn’t any decent Mexican food there. I know what’s up; this is England. Why would the Mexican food kick ass?

But see what’s on that bag in the picture? mexico > california > london. If you’re gonna be representin’, you gotta do it right.

(left) Soft, pliable tortilla. (right) Too-big-rice and but decent enough carnitas.

If you’re looking for burritos in London:

1. I’d first suggest you wait until you got back home.
2. If you can’t wait, I’d point you in the direction of Benito’s Hat or Tortilla, but only if you can’t wait.
3. If you can’t get to Benito’s Hat or Tortilla, I hear there is a Chipotle in Covent Garden. I haven’t tried it yet, but a lot of non-Americans rave about how “it’s like the amazing burrito they had in New York!” Ha-ha.
4. Lastly, there is Wahaca. Yes, pronouced like Oaxaca, but…yeah. Anyway, this isn’t a burrito joint but is a full-on restaurant that often has a long queue of people waiting to get in. I’ve only been a couple times (all I want is a taqueria!) but the flavours are all right on and I remember liking the margaritas (even though they were kind of small).
5. Someone has already done a load of research on burritos in London on this site, LondonBurrito.com. Wicked! I didn’t even know there were so many burrito places around.
6. Just remember that when we compare one bland burrito joint to another bland burrito joint, we’re just looking for the best bland burrito joint of them all. Which leads me back to point 1 and point 7.
7. You’d be surprised what you learn to live without while living in London.