Where To Celebrate Cinco De Mayo In London 2013

Dean Nicholas
By Dean Nicholas Last edited 130 months ago
Where To Celebrate Cinco De Mayo In London 2013


Such is Mexico's reverence for its heritage and love for a good party that they have three pretty big national holidays: Independence Day in September, Day of the Dead in October and Cinco de Mayo on (obviously) 5 May, which commemorates the Battle of Puebla in 1862, in which Mexico’s underdog army overran the occupying French forces.

Here's some ideas on how to celebrate it in London. If we've missed anything, drop it into the comments.

We've already mentioned the Mexican-themed Cantina de Cuervo at Callooh Callay. They're hosting a big ol' Cinco de Mayo party this Sunday, featuring "everything awesome in the world (Mexico), ever, under one roof". Booking required.

Lupita East on Commercial Street hosts a Cinco de Mayo Brunch Celebration and Afterparty from 12.30-6pm. Reserve a table by emailing east@lupita.co.uk

Over at Roxx London in Notting Hill pop-up dining group Fat Cheeks are hosting a Battle of the Senses. £30 gets you eight small courses throughout the event, before the Latin Dub Soundsystem cranks into gear and has everybody working off the calories. Tickets here.

Mariachi Mexteca, the band seen covering Eighties classics in those Doritos commercials, will perform at the Cinco de Mayo party at Amathus Drinks in Soho on Sunday. There will also be a tequila tasting and offers in-store. From 4pm.

Benito's Hat are cooking up pozole (a Mexican broth) and tamales throughout the weekend. Follow them on Twitter @BenitosChat and they'll be handing out prizes each day.

Cantina Laredo in Covent Garden are hosting a tequila masterclass on Saturday 4 May at 1.30, with representatives from the Herradura group on hand to guide customers through the world of blanco, reposado and añejo tequila. Tickets cost £25 and the tasting includes Mexican canapes. They'll also have the aforementioned Mariachi Mexteca in over the weekend for a bit of horn-tooting.

Islington's Barrio North hosts a Cinco de Mayo party from 8pm - 3am, with a live mariachi performance alongside Latin-themed DJ sets. They're also promising £5 margaritas for anybody "with a moustache or in Mexican dress". 8pm-3am, free entry.

If you prefer to keep things closer to home and are near Borough Market, then head down to the Cool Chile stall where they're selling Cinco de Mayo cookery kits for £10. As of this afternoon they only have ten left, so make it quick.

Finally on this Mexican tip: if you didn't see it earlier this week, Picky Glutton has reviewed nearly every burrito and taco in London in a single, mammoth article. Hungry yet?

Photo / Pallab Seth

Last Updated 02 May 2013