Latin Shops with Mexican Products in the UK

Latin shops are small neighbourhood grocers that cover produce from several Latin American countries: Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico. They're typically located in areas with a large Latin community (London: Brixton, Elephant & Castle, Tottenham; Manchester: Levenshulme; Birmingham: Digbeth) and are the first port of call for a basic Mexican product without travelling to a specialist shop.

The Mexican section in a typical Latin shop is modest but useful: a shelf or two with Maseca masa harina, industrial tortillas, tinned refried beans, salsas (Valentina, Tapatío), tortilla chips, basic dried chillies (guajillo, ancho), Mexican beer and occasionally Oaxaca cheese or Mexican crema. Don't expect to find pasilla mixe chilli or fresh nixtamalised masa — for that you'll want a specialist Mexican shop.

Across the UK we list 16 verified Latin shops with a Mexican section. Advantages: competitive prices, local convenience, the option to combine your shop with other Latin produce (arepa flour, harina PAN, panela, Colombian dulce de leche). Limitations: dried-chilli rotation can be slow (check they're flexible, not brittle), staff aren't specialist in Mexican cooking specifically, and the fresh-produce range is virtually non-existent.