11 restaurants where you can try Mexican cuisine in Moscow

Mexican cuisine is always associated with the holiday, as if after eating a taco, you will definitely go to crack colorful piñatas in search of sweets and gifts. Eat an empanada and start a cabaret dance with live music (we swear that’s how they describe it). And as soon as you take a sip of mezcal with sangrita, a white calavera skull will appear on your face, just like the Day of the Dead.

In principle, everything is like that. Bright flavors, spicy salsa (there are more than 50 types of hot peppers), unusual combinations and an abundance of cornmeal – and now Mexican cuisine has become a super popular destination in Moscow gastronomy. Fortunately, the chefs tailor the cuisine to our liking, so there is no menudo (cow stomach soup) or huitlacoche (a corn-grown mushroom) on the menu, just pleasant, straightforward and somewhat exotic dishes.

We sent The Fashion Vibes columnist Anya Baturina in search of the capital’s tastiest tacos, smoothies and chili peppers.

Anya Baturina, author of the Telegram channel “Gastrology”

Sangre Fresca

The Sangre Fresca restaurant opened a little over a year ago in Patriki, where the name “fresh blood” really conveyed the situation – Mexican cuisine was no longer a recent invention, but something surprisingly fresh nonetheless. Turns out the founders were absolutely right – full board runs from opening day, you’re in luck if they sit at the bar and offer you a glass of mezcal with sangrita (we recommend adding a few drops of mezcal hot sauce that the men make themselves).

Cozy Mexican food, white tablecloths, the most famous painting at Patriarch’s, cocktails from Eastern Europe’s most famous bar team (it’s time to come up with an abbreviation for this title, the guys travel to Moscow very often) El Copitas. Octopus with Mexican rice, several types of tacos, tempting empanadas, the famous truffle tortilla, Mexican-inspired breakfasts have recently launched here. But our hearts go out to churros turned snails with cinnamon and a scoop of ice cream, topped with cocoa sauce. Don’t tell anyone it’s possible, but ask for two servings – we tried it once, now we can’t forget it.

Address: Ermolaevsky per., 10/7

Michelada

If you want to try Mexican hits, take a closer look at the signs in Kitay-Gorod. Michelada Bar is bright and loud, just as we imagine Latin American establishments in our heads. At the bottom you encounter a bar counter that’s hard to pass up without ordering a dozen Margaritas (there’s a cold, frozen version of the bright blue, especially good for photos). By the way, on Thursdays this cocktail is given for only 390 rubles.

The tradition of taco Tuesdays is perfectly rooted in Michelada, every Tuesday you can order any taco for only 150 rubles. Fillings include vegetable salsa, shrimp, tuna, chicken, pork, beef, lamb or mutton. Also good chili con carne and an interesting real Mexican dish enmolados – “tubes” of bread baked in the oven with ground beef and a thick brown chili sauce.

Address: St. Maroseyka, 4/2с3

la virgen

You should also look for La Virgen, it is located in the courtyards of the taqueria Lubyanka, you can recognize it from the colorful patio filled with garlands, light bulbs and multicolored wooden tables. The entrance inside is a staircase leading to the basement under a white-green canopy. Here you’ll find a full immersion in Mexico. Ceviche in glasses, huge burritos, huge tacos for sauces, water pouring from a faucet on the wall, overflowing michelada.

The interior here is no less interesting than the menu. There are painted walls everywhere – demons and the dead are dancing on them, on the way to the second hall you will see the open wooden doors of the urinal (they say there is a game console there but no way for the girls to check). And in the hall itself there is an altar of the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe. By the way, the guys have great products – t-shirts, key chains, hot sauce and tacos, and hats with the inscription burito.

Address: Lubyansky pr., 5, building 1

tacobar

At Tacobar on Pyatnitskaya they try Mexican cuisine – of course, that’s the basics, but then the kitchen opens up space for fantasy. For example, you might find porcini mushroom tacos, sweet potato custard or gooseberry salsa on the menu. Of course, there are also traditional flavors on the menu – and even in the form of the “Impressions of Mexico” set (only 3 thousand rubles for seven servings – one of the cheapest in Moscow). Quite suitable for exploring the cuisine, there are tostadas, tacos, aquachili, the famous mole sauce and churros.

Here’s a cool patio with wicker umbrellas, rugs, boho chairs, and greenery—the feeling you’re in a Mexican resort—directly to Tulum. The atmosphere is more or less the same.

Address: Pyatnitskaya str., 59/19с5

“Knorozov stick”

Bar below Tacobar – go down the stairs and you’ll find yourself in a completely different area, of course also on a Mexican theme but more mysterious. Bar is named after the Soviet scientist and linguist who managed to decipher the Mayan language. As proof, hieroglyphs from this ancient language are painted on the wall.

You can eat the same as in the Tacobar, but the menu has been shortened, but for drinking – experimental cocktails based on texts and mezcals named after the same Mayan hieroglyphs. In the meantime, you can start learning this language from cocktails and in a very short time you will be able to make sentences with the words “cloud”, “yellow”, “sea”, “sun”. We have already found our own: “take me through the clouds to the sea, where the yellow sun shines.”

Address: Pyatnitskaya str., 59/19с5

Veladora

Mexican bar with dance hall and canteen in Pokrovka. The location of these areas is great – the kids are dancing in the first place but you have to go into the bar and find the door to eat.

Bar card – from the co-owner of the institution – Vitalik Bgantsov (we remember him at the beginning of the journey – for bar competitions and a wonderful cocktail, which is somehow connected with a lucky ticket). And local tacos go well as appetizers for cocktails. Meanwhile, at Veladora, they (and not the only ones) prepare according to authentic recipes that the bar crew personally bring from a small town in southern Mexico.

Address: St. Pokrovka, 2/1с1

Veladora garden

The courtyard (really just a courtyard) is next door to Veladora from the same owners. You can find it next to the neon snake in Starosadsky Lane and to get there you have to push the iron door on the left. And behind the door is everything you can imagine: a lawn, courtyard benches, wooden tables with benches, a grill and a room reminiscent of an old garage where tables are set and only mezcal is poured.

You want to try all kinds of mayonnaise and parmesan (perhaps the best in Moscow) of this Mexican drink with relaxed, calm and divine corn.

Address: Starosadsky lane, entrance next to neon snake

Patio Dacha x Fahrenheit

A cool and somewhat unexpected collaboration of two Moscow restaurants – Dacha Gastropub and Fahrenheit – takes you to a cottage right in the center of Moscow. Rocking chairs, linen curtains, carpets, sofas – the best atmosphere of country life. Ideal for those who do not like to travel long distances outside the Moscow Ring Road.

What is it about Mexico? For some reason, the two chefs decided to focus on Latin American dishes and snacks on their joint menu, which included cold marbled beef nachos, a selection of tacos, shrimp with guacamole, beef quesadilla and mozzarella. But only until September 30.

Address: Tverskoy boulevard, 24, building 5

mescalito

New Mexican bar near Arbat. Along with the usual tequila and mezcal, there are more exotic Mexican whiskeys and liqueurs here. The menu basically consists of all the classics – chicken tacos, shrimp, guacamole, corn chowder, fajitas, chili con carne (and here’s a surprise – you can also try it with lamb) and cactus salad.

DJ parties are held on Fridays and weekends and they adhere to the philosophy that mezcal, tequila and cocktails based on them help generate dopamine and stay happy!

Address: Nikitsky Boulevard, 12

K by Hydra

The Mexican bistro is located in the courtyards of Novy Arbat (the entrance is hidden in an arch next to the Children’s World, it has a neon sign, don’t miss it). The cuisine here is called Aztec, not Mexican, but it turns out that the Aztecs actually ate the same tacos, guacamole, grilled corn, tostados, octopus, and anticuchos (these are kebabs).

A cool interior reminiscent of a greenhouse with a transparent kitchen – light, concrete with a multicolored art object on the wall and tall green cacti on the veranda.

Address: Serebryany Lane, 4, building 2

Casa Agave

Restaurant, club and bar all in one. At Casa Agave you can not only eat nachos, tacos, empanadas, quesadillas, but also learn Latin American dance moves – bachata, salsa. Improve your Spanish with a native speaker, crack a piñata, listen to real marriachi. Parties run from Thursday to Sunday, dancing breaks out in the street and it’s not over until 6am! Overall, there is no doubt about the Mexican character of the place.

The bright interior adds a sense of celebration to any day of the week. As for food, it is most interesting to order in sets to try everything at once, but for this you need company. For example, six burritos or quesadillas at once, or all mixed – different burritos, queso and empanadas.

Address: Bolshoi Cherkassky lane, 15/17