Mexican Food in Oxford and Cambridge: Where to Eat and Drink

Oxford and Cambridge are usually compared on rowing and rankings. On Mexican food, they make a closer contest than you might expect. Our directory lists 4 Mexican venues filed under Oxford and 5 in Cambridge: in both cities, a cluster of burrito counters in the shopping streets that students walk through every day, a couple of independents a little further out, and, in Oxford's case, something you will not find in many British cities, a supper club devoted to mezcal. This guide covers both, with the Google figures our directory held in October 2026.

It is a guide, not a ranking. Neither city has the five venues with fifty or more Google reviews that we require for a ranking; Cambridge's two rated independents appear in our East of England ranking, and the Oxfordshire venue in our Thames Valley ranking.

Cambridge

Cambridge's Mexican food falls into two groups: chain counters in the centre, on Sidney Street and St Andrew's Street, and independents on the roads leading out of it.

Mr Taco

Address: 68A Mill Rd, Petersfield, Cambridge CB1 2AS
Google rating: 4.7 from 270 reviews (as held in our directory, October 2026)
Opening hours (directory listing): Mon–Sat 12:00–22:00 · Sun 12:00–21:00
Website: mrtacocambridge.co.uk

On Mill Road, the long, mixed street of independent restaurants and shops running south-east from the centre towards Romsey. It has the larger review count of the two rated Cambridge venues, and the same high average.

Mexuk

Address: 59 Hills Rd, Cambridge CB2 1NT
Google rating: 4.7 from 84 reviews (as held in our directory, October 2026)
Opening hours (directory listing): Mon closed · Tue 16:00–22:00 · Wed–Sat 17:00–22:00 · Sun 16:00–21:00

On Hills Road, on the way to the station. Its average matches Mr Taco's, on a smaller pool of reviews.

Nanna Mexico

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

On Petty Cury, the pedestrian street between the market square and the Grand Arcade, right in the centre. Its listing describes an independent restaurant that caters for vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, paleo and halal diets, which is unusually broad and makes it the safest choice for a college group with mixed requirements. We hold no Google figures for it.

The city-centre chains are Tortilla Cambridge on Sidney Street and Chipotle Cambridge on St Andrew's Street, both burrito counters, both without Google figures in our data. Our guide to the Mexican chains in the UK explains how these brands differ.

Oxford

Oxford's city-centre venues are all burrito counters, close together around Cornmarket Street, the main shopping street that runs north from Carfax.

Mission Burrito Oxford

Address: 8 St Michael's Street, Oxford OX1 2DU
Opening hours (directory listing): Mon–Thu 11:00–21:00 · Fri–Sat 11:00–22:00 · Sun 11:00–21:00
Website: missionburrito.co.uk

On St Michael's Street, a side street off Cornmarket. Its listing describes Oxford's original burrito restaurant, serving Mission-style burritos since 2007. The Mission burrito is the large, rice-filled burrito wrapped in foil that became popular in San Francisco's Mission District in the 1960s, and Mission Burrito is a small British chain built on that style. We hold no Google figures for it.

The other two city-centre counters are Tortilla Oxford and Chipotle Oxford, both on Cornmarket Street and both without Google figures in our data. If you want to compare three takes on the same format, this is the street to do it in, all within a short walk of each other.

El Antojito

Address: 5 Park Rd, North Leigh, Witney OX29 6RZ
Google rating: 4.8 from 65 reviews (as held in our directory, October 2026)
Opening hours (directory listing): Mon–Thu closed · Fri–Sat 18:00–20:45 · Sun closed
Website: el-antojito.com

Out of the city, in the village of North Leigh near Witney, though filed under Oxford in our directory. It is the only Oxfordshire venue with Google figures in our data, and its average is high on a small pool. Its name comes from antojito, the Mexican word for snacks and street dishes, such as tacos, quesadillas and sopes, eaten on the go.

A mezcal supper club

Mextapas Mezcal Supper Club

Address: Oxford y Londres — supper club itinerante
Opening hours (directory listing): not listed in our directory
Website: mextapas.co.uk

Our directory lists this as a supper club devoted to mezcal, which pairs regional Mexican cooking with mezcals from small producers and holds events in Oxford and London; its listing also describes it as an importer. Mezcal is the family of Mexican spirits distilled from agave, of which tequila is one specific kind, made in designated regions from blue agave. Most mezcal comes from Oaxaca, and the cooking of the agave hearts in pits gives many mezcals their smoky flavour. A supper club is a good way into the category, because you taste several side by side with food. Check its website for upcoming dates. Our guide to reading a tequila or mezcal label is useful preparation.

Oxford or Cambridge?

On the evidence of our directory, Cambridge edges it for eating out. It has two independents with solid Google records on Mill Road and Hills Road, and a central restaurant whose listing covers almost every dietary requirement. Oxford's city centre, by contrast, is all burrito counters, and its rated venue is a drive away in west Oxfordshire. Oxford's trump card is the mezcal supper club, which is a different kind of experience altogether and worth planning an evening around.

Two caveats. First, our data is incomplete: several venues in both cities have no Google figures, so the comparison rests on a handful of numbers. Second, both cities change fast, with students arriving and leaving every year and small food businesses opening and closing with them. If you know of a Mexican venue in either city that is missing here, our directory is where it belongs.

What to order

Both cities lean heavily on burritos, which are a food of northern Mexico, reimagined in California. To taste more of the corn-based cooking that UNESCO recognised when it inscribed traditional Mexican cuisine as intangible heritage in 2010, look for tacos on corn tortillas, made from maize cooked with lime before grinding. In Cambridge, the Mill Road taquería is the natural place to start; in Oxfordshire, the village venue near Witney.

• Our chicken tinga huaraches recipe is a weekend project for a shared kitchen.
• Our carne asada burrito recipe is the student-budget classic.
• Our refried beans recipe stretches any meal.

Cooking Mexican in a student kitchen

Both cities have plenty of supermarkets, and the basics of Mexican cooking are easy to find: tinned black beans, onions, tomatoes, limes, coriander and fresh chillies. Corn tortillas and dried chillies are harder; our guide to online Mexican shops lists the specialists that deliver, and our guide to Mexican cooking on a student budget is written for exactly this situation.

Frequently asked questions

Which city has more Mexican venues?

Our directory lists 5 in Cambridge and 4 filed under Oxford, including one in a village near Witney.

Where is the rated Mexican food in Cambridge?

On Mill Road and Hills Road, both outside the centre. The central venues have no Google figures in our directory.

Is there halal or vegan Mexican food in Cambridge?

According to its listing, the restaurant on Petty Cury caters for vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal diets.

Where can I find all the venues?

In our restaurant directory, and the supper club in our shop directory.

Sources

• Wikipedia, Mission burrito (including the UK chain Mission Burrito in Oxford): en.wikipedia.org
• Wikipedia, Mezcal: en.wikipedia.org
• Wikipedia, Antojito: en.wikipedia.org
• UNESCO, Traditional Mexican cuisine: ancestral, ongoing community culture, the Michoacán paradigm (inscribed 2010): ich.unesco.org