One of the most recurrent questions I get on my blog by many Poles and many foreigners that are living in Warsaw is: “David, can you recommend me a good Mexican place in the city?” Of course I always share with them a couple of good places so they can try Mexican food. But one of the ‘issues’ I could say, is that many of the Mexican places that are outside Mexico do not offer authentic food, they adapt it to the culture of each country, or they are really influenced by the famous Tex-Mex food.
Difference between Tex-Mex food and Authentic Mexican Food
Many foreigners always confuse these cuisines and many times they say they ate something ‘Mexican’ but in reality it was a Tex-Mex dish, or the other way around.
The Tex-Mex food is a combination from Texan and Mexican food. This cuisine is really popular in the Southern part of USA, and in some parts of Mexico is gaining more popularity. The common ingredients of this cuisine are: a heavy use of shredded cheese, meat (specially beef and pork), beans, sweet corn, peppers and spices, and of course flour tortillas.
The most worldwide popular Tex-Mex dishes are:
- Chili con carne
- Chimichanga
- Hard tacos
- Nachos
- Fajitas
And now authentic Mexican food is really different especially on the flavour of the food. The main ingredient of the authentic Mexican cuisine is corn, many of the dishes are prepared based on this for example: tortillas, tacos, tamales, pozole or chilaquiles. Mexican gastronomy is one of the main reasons that Mexico is famous around the world, it is recognized by the UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
And believe or not, not all the Mexican food is spicy, most of the dishes are but we have a lot of dishes which are extremely delicious and are not spicy at all, for example: barbacoa, quesadillas, sweet tamales and many more. Our food is one of the things that all the Mexicans miss when we are abroad, sometimes I even dream that I am eating tacos.
And, don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying that Tex-Mex food is bad or anything like that, I just want to make clear that there is huge difference in ingredients, flavour and style on these two cuisines. I honestly like both styles, but when I get invited for example to a ‘Mexican restaurant’ in Poland, of course I feel excited and my stomach is willing to have that food asap! And when I realize that the food is not Mexican, and it is Tex-Mex style instead, I feel a little disappointed, my mind and stomach were not prepared for this failure.
The Best 7 Mexican Restaurants & Bars in Warsaw
On this list I decided just to include places which serve authentic Mexican food, and this is based on my own experience while visiting each of one of them, and of course by hearing the opinions of dozens of Mexicans that are living in Poland that had visited those places.
I will give a scale from 1-10 (1 equal bad – 10 equal perfect) in aspects such as price, location, or variety of the menu so you can have a better overview of those places.
Disclaimer: This is a personal list, I was not invited to any of the following places, I just went a few times as a regular customer and payed for my meals. These are places that I like to go regularly and that remind me my Mexican culture, this is only my personal opinion.
1. Dos Tacos
Price: 4/10 – expensive
Location: 10/10 – street Jasna 22 (Srodmiescie)
Menu: 9/10 – great variety
Decoration: 10/10
Payment options: card and cash
Website: http://www.dostacos.pl
The Good Things
This restaurant is still one of my favorites to go when my body is begging me to eat Mexican food. The main chef is Isabel Balderas, an extraordinary Mexican chef, so you can be sure that you will be eating real Mexican food. My favorite dish is: red enchiladas with chicken.
This restaurant is located in Jasna street, a few meters away from Świętokrzyska metro station, right in the center of the city. This place probably has the best location of all the restaurants on this list. The restaurant is really well decorated, the paintings on the wall are really great and since the moment you enter you will be surrounded by dozens of colors.
The Bad things
A few years ago, right when this restaurant was starting (they were located before in the same building as the Mexican Embassy in Warsaw) the prices were really attractive. However, when it started to gain popularity, and when they relocated to the new venue, the prices increased a lot and sometimes the amount of food was lower (some people agreed with me on this). As a client I didn’t like this, but somehow I understand it, as it is still one of the most popular Mexican places in Warsaw, so many people do not really care if they need to spend a lot of money on a dinner.
Would you recommend me to have dinner here?
Absolutely! As I said this is one of the top Mexican restaurants in Poland and you certainly will taste authentic Mexican food! But if you invite to your boyfriend/girlfriend you better save money to be prepared for this meeting.
2. Maria Kolendra / Margarita Kolendra (It’s temporarily/permanent closed)
Price: 5/10 – expensive
Location: 8/10 – street Okrzei 35 (Praga district)
Menu: 6/10
Decoration: 6/10
Payment options: card and cash
Website: Facebook
The Good Things
For me this is the place with the best tacos in Warsaw! The taste of the tacos are almost like the ones I had in Mexico City (I just got really hungry by writing this), so you definitely need to go there and try by yourself. The chefs are from Mexico, so again you are 100% sure that the taste is super Mexican. They have probably the most spicy sauce I’ve ever tasted in Poland and I’m thankful for that, I was missing to get red and cry while eating hot food (I’m not crazy :P ).
The restaurant has ‘multiple locations’, there is one place called Maria Kolendra (the original one) that is located in Puławska 246/5 (I’m not 100% sure if this venue is still opened), the other one is located in Praga district in Okrzei street, really close to the metro station Dworzec Wileński, and this one is called Margarita Kolendra, this is the venue where I normally go. Also, during summer they have another venue in the north part of Warsaw close to the river.
Each Sunday, they have live music with a Mexican singer that sings awesome! The good Pancho!
The Bad Things
The official menu that appears on the Facebook page doesn’t offer a lot of variety, I mean there are not main dishes (but they have lunchs from Monday to Friday), this place for me is more likely to have a snack with a beer.
The prices for 4 small tacos al pastor is 28zl,a little bit expensive. Also, sometimes in their Facebook they post season dishes like empanadas or pozole, so it might be possible that if you want to have dinner one day they will not always have it. Also, they could improve the decoration of the place, they could definitely make it more cozy, and it will be even better.
Would you recommend me to have dinner here?
For sure yes! For me it is the best Mexican place in Warsaw!
3. La Catrina (It’s temporarily/permanent closed)
Price: 7/10 – not that expensive
Location: 8/10 – street Francuska 31 (Praga)
Menu: 6/10 – it could improve overtime
Decoration: 10/10
Payment options: card and cash
Website: Facebook
The Good Things
This is the newest Mexican restaurant in Warsaw, I went there a few weeks ago and I was really surprised. The chefs are also from Mexico, and you can be sure about it when you taste the food.
They have a lot of variety in sauces, and the chipotle sauce was extremely delicious! The restaurant is located in the most beautiful street in Praga district in Warsaw, in Francuska street. The neighborhood is really nice, so before you even enter the restaurant you are already feeling good. The amount of food is fair with the price you are paying, so I assure you will not leave being hungry. They even have the most famous soda drink in Mexico: Jarritos, so if you are eating tacos de carnitas with Jarritos, you will feel for a second in Mexico.
The decoration of the place is really great! For me it is the best one on this list.
The Bad Things
If you go during the night, the back room is a little bit dark, so maybe if it’s your first time having Mexican food, or maybe you just want to save the moment by taking a picture, it will look not that great, I believe nowadays all the restaurant must be ‘Instagram-friendly’…well not really :P
The other thing I didn’t like that much about this place is that the variety of the menu is not that big, I understand mainly because it is a new restaurant, but having options to have a full dinner for example will be worth it! This place now is to go not to get a full meal, but instead for a big snack.
Would you recommend me to have dinner here?
Yes and yes! I was really surprised when visiting this restaurant, my girlfriend said it was her favorite in Warsaw! I’m glad to have new Mexican options in the capital.
4. Bar Pacyfik
Price: 3/10 – expensive
Location: 9/10 – street Hoża 61 (Srodmiescie)
Menu: 5/10
Decoration: 6/10
Payment options: card and cash
Website: Facebook
The Good Things
This is not a restaurant per se, it is more like a bar with delicious food. It is located in Hoża street, really close from the Central Railway Station in Warsaw, so the location is just perfect. What I really love about this place:
- Tacos al pastor
- Mexican beers
- Tequila and Mezcal
The first time I went to this place, I was not sure if it was the right place as it doesn’t look that they sell Mexican stuff. But when I started reading the menu and saw the drinking bar I felt like in a bar in Mexico City.
This place offer some of the most traditional Mexican food: ‘Quesadillas de Huitlacoche’, if you had no idea what you just read let me tell you, it is the corn smut and in Mexico we eat it with a tortilla. But this this not the only thing, they have a lot of awesome tequilas and mezcales (original from Oaxaca, Mexico), and this is not the best of all… they serve worms with chilli so you can eat them with mezcal! You can’t get more Mexican than this!
The Bad things
This place is quite expensive, they offer a lot of Mexican beverages such as Pacifico beer, Tequila Don Julio, etc. but the prices are not cheap at all.
As I said, if you are just walking by you will not have any idea that here you can get such Mexican food and drinks, so maybe they could promote this a little bit more. The place is always crowded, so you might need to wait to get a free place to eat and drink.
Would you recommend me to have dinner here?
Maybe not to have dinner, but to have a few shots of Tequila and Mezcal with great tacos for sure yes! I really love this place, and I try to go at least a few times per month to have a drink.
5. El Popo
Price: 5/10
Location: street Senatorska 27 (Srodmiescie)
Menu: 8/10
Decoration: 9/10
Payment options: card and cash
Website: Facebook
The Good Things
El Popo is one of the most popular Mexican restaurants not only in Warsaw but in all Poland. It is probably the oldest Mexican restaurant in the capital. The atmosphere of the place is great, the decoration is really colorful and the best part, it is the only place in Warsaw where a real Mexican mariachi plays every evening! The food is really good, great taste and good portions.
The location of the restaurant is ideal for those who are exploring the city center, it is located a few minutes away from the Old Town. In case you are more on the Tex-Mex style, don’t worry they have a few things as well on the menu.
The Bad Things
There are not so many things about this place, but the only ‘issue’ for some people might be the prices of the food, for example the other day I went with my friend, with the food a small entry and the main dish we pay more less 80 zl each one. This is understandable mainly because the street where this restaurant is located is expensive, and the popularity of this place allows to have higher prices. Also, in my opinion this is the most elegant restaurant on this list.
Would you recommend me to have dinner here?
Yes, absolutely! You will have authentic Mexican food while listening authentic music from Mexico.
6. La Sirena
Price: 3/10
Location: 9/10 – street Piękna 54 (Srodmiescie)
Menu: 7/10
Decoration: 7/10
Payment options: card and cash
Website: Facebook
The Good Things
La Sirena is probably the most popular Mexican place between Poles and foreigners (not Mexicans) who live in Warsaw, it is located in the most hipster area in the city (close to Hala Koszyki) and is a great place to have Mexican food. I’m not a real fan of all those hipster places, but we are talking here about the taste of the food, so yes! The food in La Sirena is really delicious. They have enchiladas, gringas, and even chile en nogada (the most traditional Mexican dish during the Independence Day Celebration).
The Bad Things
The place is small, and it gets really crowded. In summer there are a few tables outside, but if you go after working hours you might not find a free place to seat, so if you want to go there you should make a reservation in advance. Also, the proportion of food you get for what you pay is not really fair. The food is expensive and some dishes do not have that much food, so you might not be full. I understand quality over quantity, but quality and quantity would be much better!
Would you recommend me to have dinner here?
Of course amigo! It is one of the coolest places in Warsaw and they have great food! You will not regret it!
7. Loco Mexicano Grójecka
Price: 6/10
Location: street Grójecka 27
Menu: 6/10
Decoration: 9/10
Payment options: card and cash
Website: Facebook
The Good Things
Finally on this list I decided to include the restaurant Loco Mexicano Grójecka, this is a small franchise in Poland and it has multiple locations in the capital. In this review I will talk exclusively about the one that is located in Grójecka street (It was close from my office and home). The restaurant is super colorful and there is a huge Mexican flag on one of the walls, it made me feel at home!
Many people (especially Mexicans) might say that this place does not offer ‘authentic Mexican food’, and this is partially true. The menu of this restaurant is 50% authentic Mexican food, and the other 50% is Tex-Mex food, but I decided that it was good enough to get a place on this article. They have mole, enchiladas, cochinita pibil and flan for dessert. Also they have a chipotle sauce that is super spicy, ideal for those who have a Mexican spirit!
The Bad Things
One thing that I noticed regularly and I didn’t like was that they are really slow to serve your food, so this is a great area of opportunity to improve their service, especially for those people that come to this place really hungry and they will have to wait a lot of time to get their food. Each day of the week they offer certain promotions, for example on Monday they have 2×1 on beers, but this promo is not applicable for all the beers, and this is the case with Corona (probably the most popular Mexican beer in the world).
Also, this is not entirely the fault of the restaurant, but if you go by car it will be almost impossible to find a free place on the nearby streets. It would be better to go by tram or bus.
Would you recommend me to have dinner here?
Yes! It is a place where you can get delicious food from two different cuisines and you will love it! The staff is really friendly.
Go out and get some tacos
So now you know where to go to get authentic Mexican food, maybe you don’t have the chance now to travel to Mexico, so those are places where you can feel a little bit of my culture. I recommend you seriously to go to those places, and remember: Tacos are always a good idea!
Do you know any other Mexican place in Warsaw? Let me know so I can check it out and include it on this list.
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