U.K. Mexican food?

Let me say right off that I LOVE British food... everything from a Ploughman's lunch to a full Indian.

However, the one thing they lack is authentic Mexican food, both in the supermarkets and in restaurants. I have yet to find proper Mexican food, contrary to advertising.

It seems that the typical Brit thinks Chile con Carne is the quintessential Mexican dish!

And the odd thing is that I think most Brits would love proper Mexican. The first person to come along with real Mexican food in the U.K. is going to strike it rich.

I would even welcome Taco Bell! (not really, but nearly)

Hi David if you do a search in the food section on Mexican you will find a ton of links and suggestions for finding Mexican in the UK.  True, there are pockets of the UK that still don't "get" what Mexican food is, but there are a ton of people in the USA that have a similar issue. 

One persons definition of good Mexican will vary greatly depending on what they are used to! 

I am glad though that there are more Mexican places and food in the UK than ever before as well as more product selection!  That said it still could be more!

Marks and Spencer have a pretty good fajita box, it's excellent. I never thought barbecue would be considered a Mexican dish, but the flavors are very good.

"He also referred to Mexican food as ‘refried sick’ while May said it was ‘like sick with cheese on it’."



http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/02/01/article-1352604-083A72C3000005DC-593_468x376.jpg

Marks and Spencer have a pretty good fajita box, it's excellent. I never thought barbecue would be considered a Mexican dish, but the flavors are very good.

They also do a REALLY good Enchiladas box as well.

True, there are pockets of the UK that still don't "get" what Mexican food is, but there are a ton of people in the USA that have a similar issue. 

The burrito place in Putney has a sign that instructs people that "burritos are meant to be eaten with your hands".

"He also referred to Mexican food as ‘refried sick’ while May said it was ‘like sick with cheese on it’."

haha. Of course a country that eats so much pâté should LOVE Mexican food then! 

Don't eat Mexican too much anymore, as I can't quite stomach shelling out £25 for a decent Mexican meal here when I know it costs $5 for the same quality food in the States.

I've learned to cook my own and am now a huge hit with my UK family.     Coming from LA area, I was used to mexican food on almost any street corner.  I miss that but, I enjoy my own cooking much more.

I would even welcome Taco Bell! (not really, but nearly)

http://www.tacobelluk.co.uk/index.html

  

But I make my own - yum!  And really, VNP is right - there are threads & threads & threads on here with UKY member reviews of Mexican restaurants here in the UK, places to source ingredients, etc etc.

I think it's getting better & I think particularly, in the last year or so, 'Mexican' food (as the Brits understand it anyway) has sort of come more into fashion as I'm seeing burrito places & whatnot spring up here & there much more so than I ever have before.  Whether that will last or just be a passing fad, and whether the food for sale at them is any good or not, that I don't know. 

I'm happy to hear all this feedback and glad to see that so many others feel the same about Mexican food.

But I must say I've been around the south coast of England quite a lot and I've yet to discover authentic Mexican food. And that includes large population areas such as Poole & Bournemouth, Exeter, Folkestone and Canterbury. As I mentioned, I see "chili con carne" everywhere but that's actually Tex-Mex in origin and hardly what I'm after.

I come from the central coast of California along with several years in L.A. and San Diego so I know my burritos from my chimichangas. The places I've been to in the U.K. that claim to offer Mexican food were truly awful without exception.

I have to admit I haven't tried Mexican in London. I could imagine there might finally be something Mexican worth eating there but as one poster said, it's hard to spend 25 pounds on something that would be $5 (and better) back in the U.S.

Mind you, I'm not complaining because the overall quality and variety of British food puts America to shame on every other level.

I definitely agree with you about the south coast.  The "Mexican" here is thoroughly revolting.  However, I also agree that "getting" Mexican is not universal in the US.  I grew up in Wisconsin, and it wasn't until I moved to California that I realised I'd never really eaten Mexican food before.  I don't think proper Mexican will ever catch on in the UK because it'd be hard to source the ingredients.  Avocados, for example, are particularly pathetic and so what passes for guacamole tends to be adulterated with all manner of things.  Still, the burrito places and good restaurants in London are a promising start!

Mind you, I'm not complaining because the overall quality and variety of British food puts America to shame on every other level.

Dave, Dave, Dave....

desert

desert

I think you mean(??):



 

puding?

The first person to come along with real Mexican food in the U.K. is going to strike it rich.

Unlikely....my town had an excellent, authentic (owned and run by a Mexican couple making dishes from their area) restaurant but it didnt succeed unfortunately.

But the main reason we don't have the same sort of Mexican restaurants is because we don't have a great deal of Mexican immigrants due to our location. Similarly, Indian restaurants aren't as common in the US.