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Restaurants 26 Oct 2026 7 min read

Halal Mexican Food in the UK: Where to Eat and What to Ask

The UK Mexican venues whose listings say they serve halal food, from birria stalls in London to Dundee and Cambridge, and the pork and lard to watch out for.

Edmond BojalilEB

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Halal Mexican Food in the UK: Where to Eat and What to Ask

Mexican food and halal eating are a better match than many people assume. Some of Mexico's most familiar meat dishes are built on goat, lamb, beef and chicken, and the chilli sauces, salsas, beans and tortillas at the heart of the cuisine contain no meat at all. The problem is the exceptions: several of the most famous taquería fillings are pork, and pork fat, in the form of lard, turns up in places you might not expect. This guide lists the UK Mexican venues whose listings in our directory say they serve halal food, and explains what to ask everywhere else.

A word on method. We have only included venues whose own listing in our directory states that the food, or a version of the menu, is halal. We have not inspected any kitchen or seen any certificate, so if halal certification matters to you, ask the venue directly which supplier and which certifying body it uses.

The venues

These are the Mexican venues in our directory whose listings describe halal food, with the Google figures we held in October 2026 where we have them. Names link to each venue's page in our directory.

VenueAddressGoogle rating (reviews)Closed (listed hours)
Birria Taco BOXPARK CamdenBOXPARK Camden, 56 Bayham Pl, London NW1 0EU–none listed
Birria Taco London Metropolis VauxhallLondon Metropolis, Vauxhall, London SE11 5RH–Mon
Birria Taco Mercato Metropolitano IlfordMercato Metropolitano Ilford, 1 Cranbrook Rd, Ilford IG1 4DU–Mon, Tue
Burrito Mex Earlsfield368 Garratt Ln, London SW18 4ES4.3 (959)none listed
Wee Mexico134a Nethergate, Dundee DD1 4ED4.4 (850)–
Nanna Mexico29 Petty Cury, Cambridge CB2 3NB–none listed

The list is short, and it is concentrated in London. If your town is not on it, that does not mean there is nothing halal-friendly nearby: many Mexican venues can cook chicken, beef or fish dishes without pork or lard if you ask, even if they do not advertise it. The questions further down this page are the ones to ask.

London: birria stalls and an Earlsfield restaurant

Three of the London venues are stalls from the same group, Birria Taco, in food halls and container markets: at BOXPARK Camden, at London Metropolis in Vauxhall, and at Mercato Metropolitano in Ilford. Their listings describe halal birria tacos with Cal-Mex sides, and the Camden stall's listing adds birria ramen and nachos. None of the three has Google figures in our directory, because food-hall stalls are often reviewed under the hall rather than individually.

Birria suits halal eating unusually well. It is a regional variation of barbacoa from western Mexico, the area around Jalisco, and it is made mainly with goat, beef or lamb, marinated in an adobo of vinegar, dried chillies, garlic, herbs and spices and then cooked in a broth. The version served as tacos with a cup of the broth for dipping is the one these stalls sell. For more birria across the capital, see our guide to birria in London.

Burrito Mex Earlsfield

Address: 368 Garratt Ln, London SW18 4ES
Google rating: 4.3 from 959 reviews (as held in our directory, October 2026)
Opening hours (directory listing): daily 10:00–06:00
Website: theburritomex.co.uk

On Garratt Lane in Earlsfield, south-west London. Its name in our directory carries the Arabic word for halal, and it has a large number of reviews behind its Google average, the most of any venue on this page. Its listing describes a relaxed restaurant with exposed-brick walls serving Mexican comfort food.

Beyond London

Wee Mexico

Address: 134a Nethergate, Dundee DD1 4ED
Google rating: 4.4 from 850 reviews (as held in our directory, October 2026)
Opening hours (directory listing): not listed in our directory

On the Nethergate in Dundee. Its listing says that its Tex-Mex classics, burritos and tacos, are all available in vegan, gluten-free and halal versions, which makes it the most flexible venue on this page for a group with mixed requirements. Of the two venues on this page with Google figures, it has the higher average. Our guide to Mexican food in Dundee and Aberdeen covers the rest of the city.

Nanna Mexico

Address: 29 Petty Cury, Cambridge CB2 3NB
Opening hours (directory listing): daily 10:00–22:00
Website: nannamexico.com

On Petty Cury in central Cambridge. Its listing says it caters for vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, paleo and halal diets. We hold no Google figures for it. Our guide to Mexican food in Oxford and Cambridge has more on the city.

The pork in Mexican food

If you are eating at a Mexican venue that does not describe itself as halal, these are the dishes to ask about first:

  • Al pastor. The spit-roasted meat sliced from a vertical trompo is usually pork. It descends from the lamb shawarma that Lebanese immigrants brought to Puebla, but in Mexico it is a pork dish. Some UK venues offer a chicken or lamb version; ask.
  • Carnitas. Pork braised, simmered and fried in lard or its own fat. There is no halal carnitas.
  • Cochinita pibil. Slow-roasted pork from the Yucatán, marinated in sharp citrus juice and annatto (achiote).
  • Chorizo. Mexican chorizo is most often made from fatty pork, though beef and chicken versions exist; it appears in breakfast dishes, quesadillas and potato fillings, so ask which one a kitchen uses.
  • Chicharrón. Fried pork skin, eaten as a snack or stewed in green salsa.

The hidden ingredient: lard

Pork fat is the bigger trap, because it does not show on the menu. In Mexico, refried beans are most often fried in lard, and tamale dough is traditionally beaten with lard or vegetable shortening. Some flour tortillas are made with lard too. Many UK kitchens use vegetable oil instead, but you cannot tell by looking, so ask three questions: are the beans cooked with lard, are the tortillas made with lard, and is the meat halal-certified? A kitchen that answers clearly is a good sign in itself.

Dishes that suit halal eating

  • Birria with goat, beef or lamb.
  • Barbacoa de borrego, lamb slow-cooked in the central Mexican pit tradition, wrapped in maguey leaves.
  • Carne asada, grilled beef.
  • Chicken tinga, shredded chicken in a chipotle and tomato sauce.
  • Fish and seafood: fish tacos, ceviche and prawn dishes.
  • Bean, cheese and vegetable dishes, as long as the beans are not fried in lard.

Cooking halal Mexican at home

At home, the problem disappears: buy your meat from a halal butcher and fry your beans in oil. These recipes work well:

Frequently asked questions

Is Mexican food halal?

Not automatically. Many dishes use goat, lamb, beef, chicken or fish, but pork and lard are common, and the meat must be halal-sourced. Ask the venue.

Is birria halal?

Birria is traditionally made with goat, beef or lamb, so it can be halal if the meat is halal-certified and the recipe has no pork or alcohol.

Which UK Mexican venues say they are halal?

The venues in the table above, according to their listings in our directory. Check certification with each venue.

Where can I find more Mexican venues?

In our restaurant directory.

Sources

Edmond Bojalil
Edmond Bojalil

Founder, Recetas Mexas

Mexican from Puebla, IT professional and foodie. Author of 1000+ authentic Mexican recipes adapted for home kitchens worldwide. Based in Madrid since 2018.

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