
Over in East London, there is a wonderful road that changes identity as it moves through the city of London on its way north into England. Officially part of the A10 (which actually runs from South London all the way north to King’s Lynn in Norfolk), it’s also known as Kingsland Road, Stoke Newington High Street, and more. It counts to its length an incredible selection of drinking and dining destinations, and it’s also home to an impressive selection of London’s taco restaurants. In fact, there are so many good taco spots, we’ve put together an East London taco crawl that takes you to some of the best taquerias in London.
Now, due to fluctuating opening dates and times, this taco crawl can’t be done on just any day of the week. The optimum time to do it is early afternoon on a Saturday. This allows you to get to Sonora before it closes and also gets you to the other venues late enough for them to actually open. You’ll ideally be walking around and chowing down on tacos for a good few hours. But frankly, I can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday!
So, next time you’ve got a full day ahead of you, an empty stomach, and are ready for some walking – why not try out this East London taco crawl? It starts up in Stoke Newington…
1. Sonora Taqueria
The taco crawl starts here, at Sonora Taqueria, because it has the most limited hours of any venue on the route. Having said that, it arguably also has the best tacos – not just along the crawl, but in all of London. They’re all about the flour tortillas here, which they make fresh by hand, and flavour-packed tacos. You can’t go wrong ordering anything on the menu but don’t miss the humble-sounding Bean Taco, which highlights the incredible quality of the ingredients they use.
Honestly, if you come here and decide to just stick around and rejoin the queue for even more of their incredible tacos, I wouldn’t blame you. I’ve been known to visit multiple times a week… But if you’re keen to explore more of East London’s tacos, it’s onwards along the taco crawl. Our next stop is a bit of a walk away, just under a mile away, but at least you’ll work up an appetite for the other stops!
📍 208 Stoke Newington High Street, N16 7HU.
🚇 Nearest station is Stoke Newington.
2. Corrochio’s
You can either choose to eat upstairs at Corrochio’s‘ main restaurant or head down the stairs beneath the cinema sign to Corrochio’s Cantina. Either way, you’re in for some of the best Mexican food you can get in London – and some of the spiciest margaritas. The house Margarita a la Diabla is by all accounts one of the spiciest in the UK (if not the entire world) – no wonder since it throws Corrochio’s ultra-spicy hot sauce into the mix!
It’s a much shorter walk to the next stop on this taco crawl. Get moving – you’ve got tacos to eat!
📍 76 Stoke Newington Road, N16 7XB.
🚇 Nearest stations are Dalston Kingsland and Rectory Road.
3. Latino Hits
Despite the name of the street, at this point, you’ve well and truly left Stoke Newington behind and are entering Dalston. And the tacos are about to start adding up with plenty of joints to hit across a small distance. Latino Hits is the next stop, with an incredible array of deals across drinks and food – and good vibes aplenty. And, of course, some banging tacos. Throw some in your mouth, and then it’s onwards to the next stop – which, fortunately, is mere steps away.
📍 14 Stoke Newington Road, N16 7XN.
🚇 Nearest station is Dalston Kingsland.
4. Viva Dalston
Like Latino Hits, Viva Dalston is a vibe-filled venue cocktail and tapas bar, with a focus on Mexican-Latin American food and ingredients. Everything is cooked fresh daily, and where possible they source from local businesses – so it tastes good and does good to dine here. A selection of 3 tacos here will run you less than a tenner, and even their classic margarita is just £9.50. Score! Oh, and they also serve their margaritas in jugs if you want – everyone’s having one right?
Now, we’re going to ask a lot of you at this point – you have to cross the road for more tacos, over on the other side of the street! It’s all been easy walking along one side of the road so far, but fret not, the next stop isn’t far. In fact, you should be able to see it from here…
📍 2 Stoke Newington Road, N16 7XN.
🚇 Nearest station is Dalston Kingsland.
5. Del74
Just across the road and down a few doors you’ll find the next stop on this taco crawl: Del74. Another spot that specialises in cocktails as well as tacos (noticing a theme?), Del74 has a retro, devil-may-care vibe that goes perfectly with their no-frills all-thrills food and drinks. You’ll be raring to return for their Taco Tuesday specials, or for their happy hour deals throughout the week.
But you’re not done yet! There are tacos waiting for you! Get back on your feet and head to the next stop.
📍 129 Kingsland High Street
🚇 Nearest station is Dalston Kingsland.
6. Pako Taco
We’re going to make a tiny diversion, here, but we’re only taking you mere steps away from the main road. Hidden away inside Dalston’s Farr’s pub, you’ll find Pako Taco. This taco spot fuses the spectrum of flavours in Mexican and Pakistani cooking. Fillings range from a fusion take on Birria (cooked in a spicy red Rajistani sauce and served with a dollop of tamarind ketchup) to Pulled Chicken Jalfrezi, Tandoori Paneer, smashed Seekh Kebab, and more. And instead of the usual salsas, you can choose from a variety of chutneys and yoghurt sauces.
📍 Inside Farr’s, 17, 19 Dalston Lane, E8 3DF.
🚇 Nearest station is Dalston Junction.
7. Hacha
And here we are, the final stop of the taco crawl. And it’s just the perfect place to enjoy the rest of the evening. Hacha is famed for its incredible margaritas and agave cocktails. They also serve a mean selection of tacos and snacks from kitchen residents Tigre Tacos. Keep an eye out for their monthly specials, and don’t miss their legendary Mirror Margarita. Hacha provides just the antidote to stop you from feeling sluggish after all that food. It’s the perfect place to end your Saturday taco crawl on a high!
📍 378 Kingsland Road, E8 4AA.
🚇 Nearest stations are Dalston Junction and Haggerston.
So there you have it – a delightful taco crawl designed to cram your belly full of delicious Mexican food. Can you think of anything better?