The Rise of Mexican Food in Britain: A Cultural History

From Tex-Mex Confusion to Authentic Revolution

The story of Mexican food in Britain is, in many ways, a story of misunderstanding slowly giving way to genuine appreciation. For decades, what most Britons understood as 'Mexican food' was not Mexican at all - it was a highly processed, Americanised version of Tex-Mex that bore roughly the same relationship to actual Mexican cuisine as a frozen supermarket pizza bears to a Neapolitan margherita from Naples.

But something has changed. Over the past fifteen years, and particularly in the last five, Britain has experienced a genuine Mexican food revolution. Authentic taquerías have opened in cities across the country. Mexican ingredients that were once impossible to find are now stocked by mainstream supermarkets. Mezcal has become a serious bar spirit. And a growing number of British home cooks have discovered that Mexican cuisine is one of the world's most sophisticated, varied and rewarding cooking traditions. This is the story of how that transformation happened.

The Dark Ages: 1980s-1990s

Britain's first significant encounter with Mexican food came through America, and it was not an auspicious introduction. In the 1980s, Old El Paso and Discovery launched their 'Mexican' meal kits into British supermarkets - boxes containing hard taco shells, seasoning sachets and jars of mild, sweet salsa. These kits introduced millions of British families to the concept of Mexican food, but what they actually contained was a highly simplified version of Tex-Mex cuisine, itself already a fusion of Mexican and American Southern cooking traditions.

The 'Mexican night' became a staple of British home cooking - brown some ground beef, stir in a sachet of seasoning, pile into a hard taco shell, top with grated Cheddar and shredded iceberg lettuce. It was pleasant enough, but it was to authentic Mexican food what a pot noodle is to a proper bowl of ramen - a vaguely flavoured echo of something magnificent.

Restaurants fared little better. The few Mexican-branded restaurants that existed in British cities during this period were largely themed entertainment venues - think sombreros on the walls, frozen margaritas and plates of nachos smothered in bright orange cheese sauce. Chains like Chiquito (founded 1989) offered a fun night out but made no serious attempt at authentic Mexican cooking.

The First Pioneers: 2000s

The first stirrings of change came in the early 2000s, driven by a small number of passionate individuals who had spent time in Mexico and understood the vast gap between what Britain called 'Mexican food' and what Mexico actually ate.

Thomasina Miers' time living in Mexico City profoundly shaped her understanding of Mexican cuisine. After winning MasterChef in 2005, she opened the first Wahaca restaurant in London's Covent Garden in 2007. Wahaca was not fine dining and it was not trying to be encyclopaedically authentic - but it was a quantum leap forward from what existed before. The menu was based on actual Mexican dishes, the ingredients were properly sourced, and the cooking techniques were genuinely Mexican. For many Britons, Wahaca was their first taste of something approaching real Mexican food, and it was a revelation.

Around the same time, a handful of independent taquerías and street food stalls began appearing in London markets - Borough, Broadway, Maltby Street. Many were run by Mexican expats or by Britons who had lived extensively in Mexico. They served simple, authentic food - handmade corn tortillas, slow-cooked meats, fresh salsas, proper guacamole - and the response was overwhelming. People queued for an hour for a taco and came back the next week.

The Street Food Revolution: 2010-2015

The explosion of street food markets across Britain in the early 2010s was a pivotal moment for Mexican food. Markets like KERB, Street Feast and their regional equivalents provided low-cost, low-risk platforms for food entrepreneurs, and Mexican food was perfectly suited to the format - tacos, burritos and quesadillas are inherently portable, customisable and visually appealing.

This period saw the emergence of dozens of excellent Mexican street food operators across Britain: Breddos Tacos and Club Mexicana in London, Madre in Liverpool, Tortilla (the chain that actually cared about quality), and many others. The quality bar rose rapidly as operators competed for the increasingly knowledgeable street food audience.

Crucially, this generation of Mexican food businesses was different from what came before. They used Mexican cooking techniques - charring, toasting dried chiles, making salsas from scratch. They sourced proper ingredients - masa harina, tomatillos, Mexican oregano, chipotle chiles. And they talked about their food with passion and knowledge, educating their customers about regional Mexican cuisine in the process.

The Restaurant Boom: 2015-2020

As street food operators matured, many moved into permanent restaurant sites. Breddos Tacos opened a restaurant in Clerkenwell. Santo Remedio brought Oaxacan-inspired cooking to London Bridge. El Pastor, backed by the Hart Brothers (of Barrafina fame), opened in Borough Market and immediately became one of London's most celebrated restaurants - its al pastor tacos, cooked on a genuine trompo, were widely regarded as some of the best tacos outside Mexico.

The restaurant boom was not limited to London. Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool and other cities all developed serious Mexican dining options during this period. Some were opened by Mexican chefs who brought genuine regional expertise; others by British chefs who had trained in Mexico or studied its cuisine intensively.

The Supermarket Shift: 2018-Present

The most telling indicator of Mexican food's mainstream arrival in Britain is what happened in supermarkets. Between 2018 and 2025, the Mexican food offering in British supermarkets transformed beyond recognition:

• Tesco now stocks fresh jalapeños, chipotles in adobo, corn tortillas (including blue corn), masa harina, multiple hot sauce brands, dried chiles, and a growing range of Mexican cheeses and ingredients.
• Waitrose carries a curated Mexican range including whole dried ancho and guajillo chiles, achiote paste, Mexican oregano, and high-quality corn tortillas.
• Sainsbury's expanded its world food Mexican section significantly, and its own-brand Mexican range has improved in quality.
• M&S launched a premium Mexican range with surprisingly authentic products.
• Ocado stocks the widest online range, including specialist brands like Gran Luchito, Cool Chile Company, and Mestiza.

This supermarket shift both reflects and accelerates the trend. As ingredients become more available, more people cook Mexican food at home, which increases demand, which leads to wider availability. The cycle is self-reinforcing.

The Mezcal Moment: 2019-Present

The explosion of mezcal in British bars and off-licences deserves its own mention. From near-total obscurity in 2015, mezcal has become one of the fastest-growing spirit categories in the UK. Specialist mezcal bars have opened in London, Manchester and Edinburgh. Waitrose stocks multiple brands. The spirit's artisanal production methods, diverse flavour profiles and cultural significance have captured the imagination of the British drinks industry in a way that tequila - long associated with shots and bad hangovers - never quite managed.

Mezcal's rise has had a halo effect on Mexican food culture more broadly. As Britons discover and appreciate the complexity of Mexican spirits, they become more curious about and respectful of Mexican food traditions. The two are inseparable in Mexico - mezcal is not just a drink, it is an expression of the same terroir, tradition and craftsmanship that defines Mexican cooking.

Where We Are Now

In 2026, Mexican food in Britain is at an exciting inflection point. The quality ceiling has risen dramatically - the best Mexican restaurants in London rival those in Mexico City and Los Angeles. Ingredient availability is better than ever. Home cooking skills are improving as cookbooks, websites (including our own recipe collection), and social media channels provide detailed guidance on authentic techniques.

But there is still enormous room for growth. Outside London and a handful of other cities, authentic Mexican food remains difficult to find. The majority of Britons still associate Mexican food primarily with burritos and nachos. The extraordinary regional diversity of Mexican cuisine - the moles of Oaxaca, the seafood of Baja, the pit-roasted meats of the Yucatán, the street food of Mexico City - remains largely unknown to the British mainstream.

The next chapter of Mexican food in Britain will be written by a combination of Mexican immigrants bringing their regional traditions, British chefs training in Mexico, home cooks exploring authentic recipes, and specialist shops and online retailers making ingredients accessible. It is a story that is far from finished, and it is one of the most exciting developments in British food culture.

To be part of the revolution, start cooking with our authentic recipes, find ingredients at Mexican shops across the UK, and discover the best Mexican restaurants near you.

What Is Next for Mexican Food in Britain

Several trends suggest that the Mexican food revolution in Britain is only beginning. First, immigration patterns are bringing more Mexican nationals to the UK, each carrying regional culinary knowledge and traditions that enrich the food landscape. Second, the growing interest in plant-based eating plays to Mexican cuisine's strengths - corn, beans, chiles and vegetables have always been the foundation of Mexican cooking, long before veganism became a movement.

Third, the trend towards sustainability and reduced food waste aligns perfectly with Mexican cooking traditions, which are inherently thrifty - using every part of the animal, preserving food through drying and fermentation, and building complex flavours from inexpensive ingredients. Fourth, the rise of mezcal and craft tequila is creating a drinks-led pathway into Mexican food culture, much as Japanese whisky created interest in Japanese cuisine.

Finally, the next generation of British food lovers has grown up with access to better Mexican food than any previous generation. For them, Mexican cuisine is not exotic or unfamiliar - it is part of the fabric of British eating, as established as Italian or Indian food. This normalisation will drive demand for ever-more-authentic, ever-more-diverse Mexican food across the country.

To be part of the revolution, start cooking with our authentic recipes, find ingredients at Mexican shops across the UK, and discover the best Mexican restaurants near you.