My favourite London tacos in 2025

Tack-ohs, not tah-cos

Outside of the explosion of regional Chinese restaurants, Mexican food might be the pocket of London’s food scene that’s changed the most in the last few years. A decade ago there was basically no Mexican food worth eating in London, five years ago you had slim pickings, and at this point you’re… well, not quite spoiled for choice, but I did have to work a bit to whittle this list down to five.

I’m not sure why things have improved so much so fast, beyond the brute force of free market capitalism. London still has no ready access to authentic ingredients, and nor does it have a particularly large community of Mexican immigrants to draw from. If you believe the Americans, we don't even know how to pronounce the word ‘taco’ correctly, though I’d suggest that, as with ‘pasta’, the truth is a little more complex.

Whatever the reason, London’s Mexican food has gotten better. Much, much better. I’m going to be specific though: this list is for tacos, not Mexican food as a whole. And that’s for a few reasons.

Firstly, tacos are by far the most ubiquitous bit of Mexican cuisine in the UK (outside, perhaps, of the pub platter of nachos, which deserves its own post some time). They’re also the part that’s gotten best — I can only think of two places in the city I’d recommend you eat a burrito, and one of those only just reopened after a lengthy shutdown, whereas the taco scene is a little healthier. I also wanted to steer clear of assessing Mexican food at large because we have a burgeoning collection of high-end spots like KOL and Decimo which I haven’t tried at all.

So, on with the list. In no particular order, these are my five favourite places to get a taco right now.

Sonora Taquería, N16

The OG, the tacos so good they inspired a lawsuit, and the only entry on this list I’ve so far written up in its own right. Sonora has upgraded from a dinky little market stall to a dinky little restaurant, which gave owners Michelle Salazar and Sam Napier enough space to expand the menu a little.

The homemade flour tortillas are Sonora’s secret weapon — undoubtedly the best in the city — but the fillings are hardly a weakness. Don’t skip the barbacoa or equally oozy cabeza, though the cheese-crusted grilled beef caramelo is another favourite. Throw a bean taco on the side for a mere pound, wash it down with a sweet, sharp limonada, and ask yourself how exactly life is supposed to get better than this.