London notes: Found! A really good Mexican restaurant in Europe

If you like Mexican food, then Europe typically offers nothing but frustration.

I've been living in Europe for nearly four years and I have never stumbled into a "Mexican restaurant" that hasn't ended up being only the thinnest interpretation of this revered cuisine. Europeans cannot do Mexican, for a number of reasons, but it comes down mostly to a blandness of palate that does not demand much on the flavor scale.

So, a Mexican joint is usually at the bottom of my list in terms of options.

Imagine my surprise, then, to arrive at Wahaca in London last night, the city's hottest Mexican restaurant.

I was encouraged right away by the line snaking out of the door and halfway down the street. And I wasn't disappointed: Wahaca is a seriously good Mexican restaurant that infuses its dishes with the requisite heat and flavor that you'll find if you spend long enough eating in Mexico.

The place's name is obviously a transliteration of the Mexican state of Oaxaca, and features what it calls "Mexican market food," small plates of simple tacos, quesadillas and tostadas filled with basic, but flavorful, ingredients. I tried the quesadilla filled with chorizo and potato and sampled the salmon ceviche tostada, which had some really good heat to it.

There are bigger dishes on offer, as well: Burritos, enchiladas and grilled fishes.

They get salsa right here (two kinds, green and red), habanero figures in a lot of dishes, and there is a whole menu of variously aged tequilas.

Perhaps best of all, it's not that expensive.

The restaurant recently won Britain's best "cheap eat" award. I wouldn't say Wahaca was cheap, but with many of the dishes in the $6-$8 range, it is cheap by London standards.

I usually don't like recommending restaurants, but I will in this case. If you're a fan of Mexican (and I'm talking Mexican, not Tex-Mex) and are in London, try Wahaca.

Filed under: United Kingdom