Mexican Brunch: Where to Find It in Spain

Mexican brunch is the best way to start a Saturday or Sunday. It's more substantial than American brunch, tastier than the continental version, and it comes with the option of curing the night before with a michelada. The Mexican brunch trend is growing fast in the UK.

What to Expect from a Mexican Brunch

An authentic Mexican brunch includes dishes that in Mexico are normally eaten at breakfast, but served in the relaxed weekend brunch format:

The Classics of Mexican Brunch

• Chilaquiles: red or green, with a fried egg, soured cream and cheese. It's the quintessential Mexican brunch dish — crisp, spicy, comforting. Read about red chilaquiles.
• Huevos rancheros: fried eggs on a tortilla with red salsa, beans and avocado. The classic of classics.
• Huevos a la mexicana: scrambled with tomato, onion and chilli. Simple and delicious.
• Molletes: bread with beans and grilled cheese. The most comforting option.
• Enfrijoladas: tortillas in bean sauce. Maximum comfort food.
• Machaca with egg: dried beef with egg, onion and tomato. Hearty and northern.
• Tamales: if they have them, order them. With atole if it's cold.

The Brunch Drinks

• Michelada: THE Mexican brunch drink. Beer + lime + salt + hot sauce + Clamato. It's the official "cure" for the night before and works surprisingly well.
• Café de olla: coffee with piloncillo (raw cane sugar) and cinnamon. Sweet and spiced.
• Green juice: nopal + pineapple + celery + spinach. The Mexican detox.
• Horchata: sweet, creamy, with cinnamon. Children adore it.
• Champurrado: chocolate atole. Perfect in winter.

London

London has more and more Mexican brunch options, especially at weekends:

Soho: several restaurants offer Mexican brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 2pm. Chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, molletes + coffee or a michelada. Prices: £12-18/person.

Brixton: more economical, authentic options. Less "Instagrammable" but more flavour. A Mexican breakfast menu from £8-10.

Shoreditch: more premium options with a full brunch service. £15-22/person.

Tip: on Sundays, the terraces around the markets have Mexican brunch options that are perfect for rounding off a morning of browsing.

Manchester

Northern Quarter: Mexican brunch with a relaxed weekend atmosphere.

Ancoats: boutique brunch options with a Mexican touch. Pricier but with careful presentation.

Chorlton: brunch in a laid-back neighbourhood setting, informal and pleasant.

Tip: Manchester has embraced brunch culture, and the competition pushes Mexican restaurants to make a special effort with their weekend offering.

Bristol

Stokes Croft: the brunch heart of Bristol, where some Mexican restaurants offer very complete weekend options.

City centre: more limited options, but they exist.

Tip: in Bristol, Mexican brunch can be combined with a morning visit to St Nicholas Market to buy fresh ingredients to cook at home in the afternoon.

Other Cities

Edinburgh: the city has weekend Mexican breakfast options.

Glasgow: emerging options in the West End.

Brighton: the North Laine has Mexican brunch with a terrace.

Making Mexican Brunch at Home

If you can't find a restaurant nearby or you'd rather cook, home-made Mexican brunch is dead easy and cheap:

Express Menu (30 min, 4 people, ~£9)

• Chilaquiles: tortilla chips + salsa (bought or home-made) + eggs + soured cream + cheese. 15 minutes.
• Pot beans: from a tin, heated with onion and coriander. 5 minutes.
• Café de olla: coffee + piloncillo (or brown sugar) + cinnamon. 10 minutes.
• Fruit with Tajín: mango, pineapple or watermelon cut up with chilli powder and lime.

With 30 minutes and £9 you have a Mexican brunch for 4 people that will impress anyone. See our Mexican breakfast recipes for more options.

Mexican Brunch Prices in the UK

• Basic (1 dish + coffee): £8-12
• Full (dish + drink + dessert): £15-20
• Premium (brunch tasting menu): £22-30
• With a michelada: add £5-7 to the price

The Difference Between Mexican Brunch and American Brunch

American brunch (pancakes, bacon, eggs benedict) is very different from the Mexican one. Here are the main differences:

• Flavour: Mexican brunch is more spiced, with salsas and chillies. The American one is sweeter (syrup, jam).
• Base: Mexican uses corn tortillas as the base. American uses bread, pancakes or waffles.
• Protein: Mexican combines eggs with beans and salsa. American combines eggs with bacon and sausages.
• Drink: Mexican has michelada, café de olla, horchata. American has mimosa, bloody mary, filter coffee.
• Portion: Mexican brunch tends to be more abundant and substantial — it's really a complete meal, not an elegant snack.

Mexican Brunch Recipes to Impress

If you want to make a Mexican brunch that surprises your guests:

Brunch Menu for 6 people (~£22 total)

• Chilaquiles station: make a red salsa and a green one, tortilla chips, soured cream, cheese. Each guest chooses their version. Fried eggs to order.
• Molletes: a batch of bread with beans and grilled cheese as a side.
• Fruit with Tajín: mango, pineapple and watermelon cut up with chilli powder and lime. The fresh, different touch.
• Horchata + café de olla: one cold drink and one hot.
• For the brave: a jug of micheladas ready on the table.

Express Brunch for 2 (20 minutes, £7)

• Chilaquiles with egg (15 min): tortilla chips + bought salsa + soured cream + cheese + egg.
• Tinned beans, heated (3 min).
• Coffee with cinnamon (5 min).

It's the quickest, cheapest and most satisfying brunch you can make. See more Mexican breakfast recipes to expand your repertoire.

Mexican Brunch Prices in the UK

• Basic (1 dish + coffee): £8-12
• Full (dish + special drink + dessert): £15-20
• Premium (brunch tasting menu): £22-30
• With a michelada: add £5-7 to the price

Mexican brunch is a trend that will keep growing in the UK. See our restaurant guide to find options in your city, and don't forget to order the michelada — it'll change your Sunday mornings.

Essential Dishes at a Mexican Brunch

In our experience trying Mexican brunches across the UK, these are the dishes that can't be missing and that you'll find at most restaurants offering this experience:

Chilaquiles (the king of brunch)

Fried corn-tortilla triangles bathed in green or red salsa, with soured cream, fresh cheese and onion. Served with a fried egg on top and refried beans on the side. In British restaurants they cost between £10-14. It's THE quintessential brunch dish in Mexico, the equivalent of eggs benedict in Anglo-American brunch. If a Mexican restaurant offers brunch and doesn't have chilaquiles, be suspicious.

Huevos Rancheros

Fried eggs on a corn tortilla, bathed in ranchera salsa (tomato, chilli, onion) with refried beans and avocado. Simple, hearty and comforting. Usual price: £9-12. The British version sometimes swaps the beans for chips, which works surprisingly well.

Huevos a la Mexicana

Eggs scrambled with tomato, onion and serrano chilli (or jalapeño). It's the Mexican version of scrambled eggs, with far more flavour. Easy to make at home: sauté chopped tomato, onion and chilli for 2 minutes, add beaten eggs and scramble. Serve with warm tortillas. Home cost: under £2 per person.

Molletes

Bread cut in half with refried beans and grilled cheese, topped with pico de gallo. It's the quickest and most economical brunch. Many restaurants offer them as a starter or appetiser to the brunch for £6-8.

Where to Go for Mexican Brunch in the UK

The Mexican brunch offering has exploded in the last two years. It used to be hard to find a Mexican restaurant that opened before 1pm; now many offer a brunch service at weekends from 11am to 3pm. See our directory of Mexican restaurants and filter by city to see which ones offer brunch.

London

Brixton and Soho are the epicentres of Mexican brunch. You'll find options from £14 (basic brunch: one dish + drink) to £28 (full brunch: starter + main + dessert + drink + coffee). On fine weekends, the terraces fill up from midday, so book or arrive early.

Manchester

The Northern Quarter and Ancoats have the best options. Manchester has embraced Mexican brunch enthusiastically, blending the Mexican tradition with the local brunch culture. Brunch menu between £16-25.

Bristol

Stokes Croft is where the action is. Prices more accessible than London: full brunch for £12-18. The advantage of Bristol is a relaxed scene that suits enjoying brunch outdoors much of the year.

Hosting a Mexican Brunch at Home: Budget and Logistics

In our experience, a home-made Mexican brunch for 6 people is surprisingly easy to organise and costs a fraction of going to a restaurant:

Shopping list (supermarket + Latin shop, ~£22 total)

• 12 eggs (~£2.20)
• 1 pack of corn tortillas (Latin shop, ~£2)
• 2 tins of black beans (~£1.90)
• 4 ripe tomatoes (~£1.20)
• 3 avocados (~£3)
• 1 red onion (~£0.40)
• Fresh coriander (~£0.80)
• 4 limes (~£1.20)
• Fresh cheese or a mild mature cheese (~£2.50)
• Soured cream (~£1.50)
• 1 tin of chipotles in adobo (Latin shop, ~£2.30)
• Jarred green or red salsa (Latin shop, ~£2.30)
• Bread for molletes (baguette or roll, ~£1)
• Coffee (whatever you have at home) + cinnamon (for café de olla)

Total: ~£22 for 6 people = £3.70 per person. In a restaurant, the same brunch would cost £15-20 per person.

Home brunch timeline

1. Night before: make refried beans (open tins, fry with garlic and onion, mash) and salsa (if you make it from scratch). Keep in the fridge.
2. 1 hour before: make pico de gallo and guacamole. Cut limes. Set the table with bowls of toppings.
3. 30 minutes before: if you make chilaquiles, fry the tortilla triangles (or use bagged nachos as a shortcut, ~£1.50).
4. At the last minute: heat the beans, coat the chilaquiles in hot salsa, fry eggs to taste, warm tortillas, make café de olla (ordinary coffee + a cinnamon stick + a little piloncillo or brown sugar).

Discover more Mexican brunch recipes in our directory and find all the ingredients in the specialist shops in your city. Mexican brunch is the best way to start the weekend: full of flavour, colour and the perfect excuse to have a michelada at midday.