Within a short walk it is easy to find a few Mexican restaurants in Madrid. There is no denying, this, like many other cities, has succumbed to the allure of corn tortillas. It has become a necessity to eat a cochinita pibil taco, even if it is only one of the many that Mexican gastronomy has given us.
This extensive offer of Mexican restaurants has a great benefit, there is something for all tastes and prices. While some are faithful to the rich pre-Columbian cuisine, which has conquered the world with its acidic and spicy flavors, others are committed to fusion with local dishes or even with other cultures, such as the Asian in a display of innovation and experimentation.
1. Tobalá Taco Bar
Tobalá is to Madrid what the Rincón de Ademuz is to Castilla La Mancha. An exclave. A territory of a few square meters that is Mexico.
The name of this restaurant refers to an agave (the plant from which tequila is made) and its selection of tacos deserves that the owner be given a penthouse at Chamberí. El de lengua or suadero are something from another planet.
It is also an opportunity to try dishes that are not common in impost Mexican restaurants: sopes, chimichangas, chalupas poblanas, panuchos or pozole.
Calle de Gaztambide, 35 (Chamberí)
💶 €€€€€.
2. Barracuda MX
Barracuda MX is the second opportunity for chef Roberto Ruiz. With his last restaurant, Punto MX, he won the first Michelin star for a Mexican restaurant in Europe, although it had to close after the pandemic. This project transports us to the Mexican Pacific coast through raw fish, citrus sauces and fried foods.
Calle Valenzuela, 7 (Salamanca neighborhood)
💶 €€€€€.
3. Mawey Taco Bar
Fernando Carrasco and Julián Barros, both chefs with extensive experience (in several large Michelin-starred restaurants), are at the helm of this kitchen. You can’t miss their governor tacos, with blue corn tortilla, grilled Oaxaca cheese, ancho chile sauce, sautéed shrimp, pickled onion and quicos powder; or their cochinita pibil taco with roasted pork leg, marinated with achiote and orange juice. They are masters in bringing pre-Columbian cuisine to local gastronomy.
Calle de Olid, 6 (Trafalgar); Calle de San Bernardo, 5 (Santo Domingo) and Calle Manuel de Falla, 3 (Majadahonda)
💶 €€€€€.
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The idea is simple: eat as you would in the streets of Mexico City. Doña Guille, the chef, prepares the dishes she learned to cook in her homeland, Mexico. We all know the tacos, but their specialty is their tortas, a kind of muffin filled with a variety of fillings: plantain, cactus, tinga…. ah! Their nachos are also out of this world.
Calle del León, 31 (Las Letras)
💶 €€€€€.
5. Mami Tacos
Birria is a traditional stew typical of the state of Jalisco that has arrived in Madrid thanks to Mami Tacos. The stew: veal shank in a pot, low temperature, Mexican chiles, spices, clean, crumble, put on a tortilla and accompany it with the broth from the stew. That, and any dish you can imagine from this stew.
31 San Andrés Street, Malasaña (Malasaña)
💶 €€€€€.
6. Tepic Madrid
With a minimalist decoration and presentation, they define themselves as follows: “far from stereotypes and clichés, but with the spirit of offering authentic traditional Mexican cuisine”. And for those who are always looking for outdoor dining, this one is also on the select list of Mexican restaurants in Madrid with terrace. Its strengths? Their guacamole or their octopus tostada.
Calle de Ayala, 14 (Salamanca district)
💶 €€€€€.
7. Takos Al Pastor
There is always a queue to eat one of these tacos for a reason: price and quality are not always at odds. Years go by and the level of their famous tacos is maintained, although the price has gone up a little: a little over one euro. Yes, just over a single euro for some of the best tacos in Madrid. Don’t leave without trying the cochinita pibil and, of course, their specialty, tacos al pastor with the classic achiote marinade.
Calle de la Salud, 13 (downtown)
💶 €€€€€.
8. Son of corn
From the factory to the restaurant. If you’re familiar with Hijo del Maíz, you may also be familiar with Maíz Maya, the Mexican corn tortilla factory that sells its corn tortillas to chefs such as (for example) Dabiz Muñoz as reported by Mar Leon in this report in El Español.
With this experience, they have opened two stores. A grill and an antojería, the latter, in addition to pozoles, esquites, enchiladas or different types of tacos, has a variety of mezcals and tequilas worthy of appearing on the menu of one of the largest cocktail bars of Madrid.
📍 Calle de Mauricio Ravel, 4 y avenida de Brasil, 28 (Chamartín)
💶 €€€€€.
9. Bakan
Bakan is one of those restaurants that Mexicans themselves recommend. It opened at the end of 2021 near Puerta de Alcalá, after succeeding in Miami. Tradition is at the heart of this cuisine and the key to its success. Your big bets? The Chalaqueño corn used to make tortillas, the firewood used to slow-cook meat and the mezcal that, although less known than tequila, is gaining strength outside its borders.
Plaza de la Independencia, 5 (Salamanca neighborhood)
💶 €€€€€.
10. Iztac
Mexican chef Juan Antonio Matías is the creator of Iztac’s menu, which covers cuisine from the northwest of Baja California to the southeast in Quintana Roo. A total of 32 Mexican states are represented in dishes such as moné de Lubina, a sea bass fillet wrapped in banana leaves and steamed with vegetables; or chichilo negro, originally from Oxaca and made with mole, dried chili ashes and spices and pork belly cooked at low temperature.
Plaza de la República de Ecuador, 4 (Hispanoamérica)
💶 €€€€€.
11. Ticuí
Tucuí, Federico Rigoletti’s restaurant – named after a Mexican town in the state of Guerrero – is an evolution of his first restaurant, Puntarena. This Mexican restaurant in the heart of Madrid is a place where not only gastronomy is celebrated, but also the cocktail bar the architecture and craftsmanship of the North American country, with a modern look and where all these disciplines have the same weight
Ticuí’s menu is not extensive, but it is complete and nourished by high quality raw material, with touches and presentations of Asian influence.
Cedaceros Street, 6 (downtown)
💶 €€€€€.
12. Jerónimo
Enrique Olvera, one of the best Mexican chefs in the world -his restaurant Pujol is ninth in the list of the best Mexican chefs in the world World’s 50 Best Restaurants– has its own space in Madrid: Jerónimo is inside the Editon Hotel, in front of the Descalzas Reales Monastery.
The link between Mexico and Spain feeds this cuisine, which uses local products to create a 100% Aztec menu. The calamares a la veracruzana or the albóndigas enchipotladas are good examples of this premise. Of course, if you want to eat tacos, you won’t find them here.
Celenque Square, 2 (downtown)
💶 €€€€€.
With this review of the gastronomy there are no more excuses not to go to one of these Mexican restaurants in Madrid. And although the typical dishes, such as cochinita or al pastor tacos and a good guacamole, are hard to beat, it is clear that there is much to discover about the Mexican traditions and culture that has contributed so much to the world through its food.