Ah, the margarita. It’s, perhaps, the most unifying cocktail of them all. Enjoyed by virtually everyone, there’s something about the blend of earthy tequila and bright, zippy, lime that will never cease to intoxicate us – quite literally! And with Margarita Day (February 22) approaching, it’s time to celebrate the beloved drink! So, here are our picks for the must-visit places that serve London’s best margaritas.
1. Hacha, Dalston and Brixton
We kind of have to start here. The margaritas at Hacha are so popular, and so delicious, that they’re the stuff of London legend. And given their reputation as London’s only agaveria, it’s safe to say they know what they’re talking about when it comes to tequila! There’s surely no better place to start than with the Mirror Margarita, where the Hacha lore began. The crystal-clear margarita looks harmless, but packs plenty of flavour – and punch! (Psst… you can also buy bottles of it to take home and impress your friends.)
📍 Hacha Dalston, 378 Kingsland Road, E8 4AA. Nearest stations are Dalston Junction and Haggerston.
📍 Hacha Brixton, 12 Market Row, SW9 8LD. Nearest station is Brixton.
2. Corrochio’s, Dalston
We couldn’t write this list and not mention one of the best Mexican eateries in London, could we? Of course not! The margaritas at Corrochio’s are absolutely thrilling – and are easily among the best margaritas in town. Go for the Margarita a la Diabla, which is, by all accounts, one of the spiciest in the UK. The best part? If you’re after a sit-down meal, you can head to the restaurant. But if you’re after a casual affair (that’s sure to turn rowdy as the night progresses) just go through the neighbouring door into Corrochio’s Cantina where you can even enjoy Happy Hour margaritas for just £7 before 7pm!
To celebrate National Margarita Day (“The Christmas of the agave world”) Corrochio’s has partnered up with ARETTE tequila for their ‘Margarita Day Weekend’ (from February 22 – 24). They’ll be presenting a special limited-time menu that ranges across margarita styles, from their “Margarita a la Diabla (hottest in the world*🔥) to a tejocote marg, made from a sweet Mexican berry, in memory of our chefs mum, Mago.” We can’t wait!
📍 76 Stoke Newington Rd, London N16 7XB. Nearest stations are Dalston Kingsland and Rectory Road.
3. Cavita, Marylebone
We’ve got two words for you: ‘watermelon margarita’. And this ain’t the typical sugar-laden drink you’d typically associate with a watermelon margarita. The Cavita Margarita adds fresh spiced watermelon to balance the sour lime for the ultimate refresher that you’ll have to keep from downing in one. You’ll be telling everyone about this one. As if that wasn’t enough, they also do standard, spicy, and hibiscus margaritas. Be still my beating heart…
All this and more is also available at the recently opened El Bar De Cavita, downstairs from the restaurant. There, guests can enjoy a wide range of Margarita serves, and even a Mezcalita that swaps the tequila out for Mezcal.
📍 56-60 Wigmore Street, London W1U 2RZ. Nearest station is Bond Street.
4. Viajante87, Notting Hill
For a delicious margarita with a dash of style, a travel-inspired spirit, and lashings of flavour and ingenuity, head to one of Notting Hill’s most seductive cocktail bars, Viajante87. We’ve already heaped absolute bundles of praise upon the stunning new bar and it’s definitely one of the best places to order a margarita in London. Their travel-focused menu aims to expose London’s drinkers to the possibilities and flavours of Latin America and opens with the ‘Be Comfortable’ selection of drinks. Spearheaded by a stunning Spicy Margarita, these drinks take familiar classics and give them a Viajante87 twist. But because it’s so tasty, your travels might falter as you simply order margarita after margarita. (But if you do venture on, you’ll be handsomely rewarded with intriguing and exceptional cocktails.)
📍 Basement, 87 Notting Hill Gate, W11 3JZ. Nearest station is Notting Hill Gate.
5. Nightjar, Soho and Shoreditch
Across both of their London sites, Nightjar is celebrating the humble margarita with a not-so-humble limited-time-only menu in collaboration with Grand Marnier. For National Margarita Day they’re giving away 100 free Grand Margaritas, as well as offering up some unique twists on the classic cocktail throughout February. Don’t miss, either, the Habanero at Nightjar Carnaby or the El Rey at Nightjar Shoreditch, both of which take the margarita off into unexplored new lands.
📍 Nightjar Shoreditch: 129 City Road, EC1B 1JB. The nearest station is Old Street.
📍 Nightjar Carnaby: Kingly Court, 49-51 Carnaby Street, W1F 9PY. The nearest station is Oxford Circus.
6. Callooh Callay, Shoreditch and Chelsea
Want a good cocktail? Then… head to a good cocktail bar. Duh. And if you head to one of London’s OG high-quality and low-pretension cocktail bars you’ll find yourself face to face with a flawlessly executed margarita. Currently, a Pokemon-inspired cocktail menu has them serving up drinks that will have wanting to ‘sip them all’. From this offering, the Gengar is the go-to; a slightly sweet take on the margarita, it incorporates unusual ingredients like toasted rice, violet, and vetiver.
For Margarita Day they’ll be serving up three special takes on the marg, from high-ball variants to spicy riffs and one that’s kinda-sorta-maybe a margarita-ish. Oh, and they’ll be available all week long, not just for one day!
📍 Callooh Callay Shoreditch, 65 Rivington Street, EC2A 3QQ. Nearest stations are Shoreditch High Street or Old Street.
📍 Callooh Callay Chelsea, 316-318 King’s Road, SW3 5UH. Nearest stations are South Kensington or Sloane Square.
7. The Sun Tavern, Bethnal Green
This famously raucous neighbourhood bar can always be depended on for delicious cocktails at affordable prices that don’t skimp on quality or flavour. Don’t be deceived by the relatively small menu – with fewer drinks to choose from, you can be sure that everything is executed flawlessly. One such example of this: the Bonnie’s Margarita. Giving the classic tequila cocktail a spicy twist, The Sun Tavern’s take mixes up Ocho Blanco Tequila, Pisco, Lively White Vermouth, Scotch Bonnet Ferment, and citrus. Not one for the faint of heart, but delicious nonetheless.
📍 441 Bethnal Green Road, E2 0AN. Nearest station is Bethnal Green.
8. El Pastor, various locations
El Pastor took the margarita, a seemingly simple drink, and ran with it. They offer up outrageously conceived, but damningly delicious riffs on the classic ranging from the Avocado & Passionfruit Margarita to the frozen Lagerita which is topped up with Corona, and even the Breakfast Margarita which throws Orange Marmalade into the drink. Know exactly how you like your margarita, or want them to shake one up with a premium agave spirit, order the Backbar Margarita and they’ll make it just the way you like it. But you have to try some of their wacky concoctions too!
📍 Find your nearest El Pastor here.
9. Skylight Peckham, Peckham
Skylight Peckham offers up blue-sky views over London and red-hot margaritas that will have your taste buds dancing. Their Picante swaps out the base tequila for a chilli-infused alternative that brings the heat to the drink. What hits you first – the spice or the booze? Head on down to find out!
📍 Theatre Walk (in between Peckham Library and Mountview College), 120 Peckham Hill Street, SE15 5JT. Nearest stations are Queens Road Peckham and Peckham Rye.
10. Yauatcha, City and Soho
Yauatacha makes a case for two bests at their bars – their Szechuan Margarita isn’t just one of London’s best spicy margaritas, it’s one of London’s best margaritas, full stop! The fiery and numbing punch of Szechuan pepper and chilli is accented by a hint of pineapple and an ‘agave mezcal mist’ for a rollercoaster ride of a drink.
📍 Yauatcha Soho: 15-17 Broadwick Street, Soho, W1F 0DL. Nearest stations are Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Circus.
📍 Yauatcha City: Broadgate, EC2M 2QS. Nearest station is Liverpool Street.
11. The Lillie Langtry, Fulham
Another margarita that’s been given a spice-forward twist can be found in a perhaps unexpected venue: the cosy pub environs of The Lillie Langtry. When the pub was refurbished just over a year ago, they also gave their drinks menu a swift kick up the butt. The result is, among others, a Jalapeño Margarita offers up just enough kick to make you question why you can’t stop sipping it.
📍 19 Lillie Road, SW6 1UE. Nearest station is West Brompton.
12. TOCA Social, The O2
Add some footy fun to your margarita-drinking experience by heading to TOCA Social. There, at the venue’s special Tequila Taka Bar, you can sip at your choice from 34 delicious tequilas – but you’re here for a margarita! In that case, opt for the Lionel Mezzi, which spices things up with a mix of Koch El Mezcal, Ginger, Lychee, Yuzu, and Lemon. Score!
📍 Peninsula Square, SE10 0DX. Nearest station is North Greenwich.
13. Korean Dinner Party, Soho
Korean Dinner Party is a frenetic mix of east-meets-west dishes, kitsch cocktails, craft sake, and Korean hip-hop. So, essentially, it’s an incredibly fun time! They also have a contender for one of London’s best margaritas in the form of their delicious Yuzu Margarita. It promises ‘citrus, spice, and everything nice’.
📍 Top Floor, Kingly Court, Carnaby, W1B 5PW. Nearest stations are Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus.
14. Señor Ceviche, Soho
A fusion restaurant merging the worlds of Peruvian and Japanese cuisine might not be the most obvious choice for drinking the best margaritas in London. But just wait until you’ve tried them. Their Mamacita Margarita, for example, adds chilli cordial to the typical margarita specs, for an exciting twist on the classic. The best part? You can nab two Mamacita Margaritas for the price of one during their Lima Happy Hour from 3-7PM, Monday to Friday.
📍 Kingly Court, Carnaby, W1B 5PW. Nearest stations are Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus.
15. Hakkasan, Fitzrovia and Mayfair
For truly unique (and sophisticated) margarita sipping, you’ll want to head to one of Hakkasan’s London restaurants. There, the ultra-special Silk Road Margarita awaits – a special blend of pistachio-infused tequila, pineapple, lime, and cardamom. You’ve never tasted a margarita like this before!
📍 Hakkasan Hanway Place: 8 Hanway Place, Fitzrovia, W1T 1HD.
📍 Hakkasan Mayfair: 17 Bruton St, Mayfair, W1J 6QB.
16. Mezcalito Brompton, South Kensington
This new late-night opening in South Kensington is an off-shoot of the Mexican tapas-style restaurant and bar, Mezcalito Chelsea. But the party is much louder, and goes much later, here than it does in Chelsea. And they’ve got plenty of drinks to keep the night going at their upstairs cocktail bar. There’s a house margarita, a mezcal margarita, and a picante margarita that’ll all be battling for your attention. One of each, perhaps?
Psst… for Margarita Day they’re giving away the first 25 margaritas on the night of February 22 completely for free! Hurry on down!
📍 158 Old Brompton Road, SW5 0BA. Nearest station is Gloucester Road.
17. Barrio, multiple venues
With one of their bars laying claim to being the biggest tequila bar in the world, where else would you go for affordable and delicious margaritas? But that’s not all they offer. They also host incredible party nights of MARGARITA PONG. That’s right – the typically beer-oriented endeavour is massively improved by smashing up everyone’s favourite cocktail with the classic college game of mayhem. As if that wasn’t enough, from February 15 – March 15 it’s Margarita Month at Barrio, with 2-4-1 margs available from Monday to Thursday.
📍 Find your nearest venue here.
18. Blues Kitchen, Brixton
Now, we can’t exactly pretend these are London’s best margaritas (just look at the quality represented on this list), but a new deal might just make them one of London’s cheapest! And they’re still plenty delicious, even if they’re not world-class bevs. Every Thursday at the Blues Kitchen’s Brixton site, from 5pm to close, margaritas are just £5. And that goes for the whole margarita range, from the Tommy’s Margarita to the Mezcalita, Cucumber Margarita, and beyond.
📍 40 Acre Lane, SW2 5SP. Nearest station is Brixton.
19. DF Tacos, Shoreditch and Tottenham Court Road
Well, now hold up – because DF Tacos are sliding in with their own absurdly cheap margaritas. Head to DF Tacos’ Shoreditch or Tottenham Court Road sites and you could nab a margarita for JUST £2! They’re celebrating National Margarita Day and the launch of their first ever freshly-shaken margaritas with the special deal. The catch? The cheap-as-(tortilla)-chips margaritas will only be available on Margarita Day (February 22). But if you miss out, you’ll still want to head to DF Tacos for their frozen margaritas, which you can order in a 1 Liter jug!
📍 DF Tacos Shoreditch: The Old Truman Brewery, 21 Hanbury Street, E1 6QR. Nearest stations are Liverpool Street and Shoreditch High Street.
📍 DF Tacos Tottenham Court Road: 28-29 Tottenham Court Road, W1T 1BL. Nearest station is Tottenham Court Road.
20. Wahaca, various locations
For even more cut-price margaritas in even more flavours at even more locations, head on over to your nearest Wahaca. They’re launching their first ever Margarita Month Club on Margarita Day itself, with their collection of margaritas (which come in flavours like Classic, Picante, Passion Fruit, and Blackberry) available for just £6 each. To take advantage of the deal, just sign up here, and you can use the deal each time you visit – for a month from February 22.
📍 Find your nearest Wahaca here.
21. Margarita Mile, East London
The rest of this list may consist of individual bars, but we couldn’t possibly ignore this momentous inclusion. After all, who can resist the allure of 26 different cocktail bars, all within walkable distance of each other, each serving up special drinks for National Margarita Day? What started in Manchester last year proved so popular that it’s now launching in three UK cities this year. The best part? It’s not just for National Margarita Day, with the event running from February 19 – 25. How many of the bars do you reckon you could hit up in that time?
Find out more about the Margarita Mile here.
So, there you have it. The best margaritas in London. Go forth and libate. (And feel free to invite me too!)