# Why isn't Mexican food more popular in Spain? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [August 4, 2019, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-mexican-food-more-popular-in-spain/838149 "2019-08-04T00:57:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-mexican-food-more-popular-in-spain/838149/61 "2019-08-09T12:23:44Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > I’m using Trip Advisor because I don’t know any of these good restaurants you are referring to. You claim there are plenty of them, yet fail to name any of them, and anywhere they are. > > You claimed to know some. In some areas. Please name them, like asked, and stop diverting, I’m the one who doesn’t know, and I’m not the one claiming there’s plenty of these great restaurants and because its a big damn country with plenty of places. > > I really don’t give a crap about Tripadvisor, and I don’t use it as a source of very much at all. Type in best mexican restaurants in Birmingham into google, and its what you get. > > Over to you, oh patronised person with all these mysterious restaurants you know, but won’t tell of. Continuing the UK hijack… Wahaca’s a sit-down dining chain that’s making it’s way around the UK. To use US terms, it’s more Cali-Mex than Tex-Mex. I’d say there food would be considered above average in the US. Wahaca’s made it to Manchester and Liverpool so I’m sure Birmingham’s on their list. For take-out, the American chain’s Chipotle and Chilangos are both reliable and have strong footholds in London and are expanding. There’s also a bit of a hipster Mexican movement happening in London. I don’t know where the hipsters hang out in Birmingham, but there’s a good chance that neighbourhood will have an El Pastor equivalent fairly soon. So if you’re looking for good Mexican in Birmingham, be patient, it’s coming. Or hop on the train down to London and give Ella Canta a try. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-mexican-food-more-popular-in-spain/838149/62 "2019-08-09T13:54:18Z")
Mexican food isn’t that popular in Latina America, either. For most of us, Mexican food is tacos and enchiladas and we don’t really see them as anything special. Here in Peru, some sandwich places offer “tacos” and “enchiladas” which, while good, offend Mexico as a nation. So much so that when Peruvians go to Mexico and eat taco there, they don’t like them, they aren’t what we’re used to. People are somehow more familiar with tex-mex stuff.By the way, Taco Bell is on its third try at Peru, having failed miserably twice before. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-mexican-food-more-popular-in-spain/838149/63 "2019-08-09T15:59:21Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > Mexican food isn’t that popular in Latina America, either. For most of us, Mexican food is tacos and enchiladas and we don’t really see them as anything special. > Here in Peru, some sandwich places offer “tacos” and “enchiladas” which, while good, offend Mexico as a nation. So much so that when Peruvians go to Mexico and eat taco there, they don’t like them, they aren’t what we’re used to. People are somehow more familiar with tex-mex stuff.By the way, Taco Bell is on its third try at Peru, having failed miserably twice before. Right–as I mentioned above–in Colombia if you get a burrito at one of the “Mexican” stands found in the food court of most shopping centers, it will be some bizarre thing that has nothing to do with Mexican food. Same with the other items. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2019, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-mexican-food-more-popular-in-spain/838149/64 "2019-08-12T07:49:15Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > That’s a very provincial comment, and assuming that I’m only mentioning chains. > > There might be plenty of good mexicans in SOME parts of the UK. It might be good to tell me where you think that is. They are certainly not plentiful or good yet across the country. And I’ve eaten a lot of terrible Mexican food in the US: greasy and with stodgy tasteless burritos. And I’ve had great Mexican food too. But if the existence of the bad restaurants enables one to make blanket statement then do I get to say the same about the US? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2019, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-mexican-food-more-popular-in-spain/838149/65 "2019-08-12T10:41:31Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > And I’ve eaten a lot of terrible Mexican food in the US: greasy and with stodgy tasteless burritos. Chipotle, for example ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2019, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-mexican-food-more-popular-in-spain/838149/66 "2019-08-12T16:42:04Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > … _touché_ – but those were only incidental details, anyway. > > Switch up the thought experiment, then: we’ll go with soft corn tortillas, barbacoa\*\* or carnitas, diced onion, cilantro, and the fixings for pico de gallo. Tougher to make at home in Paris, Warsaw, or Brussels than it is to do the same in the U.S. (due to item availability or any other factor)? > > And would the end result be less likely to win over European friends than American ones? I lived in China for five years, and while I couldn’t get everything I needed at a Suguo across the street, I was able to get everything I needed for making most homemade Mexican food, as opposed to carnitas, which are never made at home, or other non-at-home foods. Between the German Metro store, the western stores, and online, global trade made it pretty easy to eat in China what I ate at home, which was primarily Mexican food and American food. I was acquaintances with the guy that owned the local Mexican restaurant (because expats all go to the same two western bars, of course), and when I told him his food sucked, he didn’t say anything about matching local tastes, but lamented that he couldn’t get all of the correct ingredients, which is B.S. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2019, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-mexican-food-more-popular-in-spain/838149/67 "2019-08-12T18:32:21Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > … _touché_ – but those were only incidental details, anyway. > > Switch up the thought experiment, then: we’ll go with soft corn tortillas, barbacoa\*\* or carnitas, diced onion, cilantro, and the fixings for pico de gallo. Tougher to make at home in Paris, Warsaw, or Brussels than it is to do the same in the U.S. (due to item availability or any other factor)? > > And would the end result be less likely to win over European friends than American ones? > \*\*\* well, an ersatz barbacoa, anyway, that can be done in an oven or crock pot. Trying to stick with items readily done in the home.\* Not 100% on point, but my Salvadoran-American college roomie has lived in small town England for over 20 years. There is no masa or masa harina or any number of other Central American ingredients to be had for many miles around. When I have gone to visit her, half my suitcase has been filled with things like that. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-mexican-food-more-popular-in-spain/838149/68 "2019-08-13T12:38:53Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > And I’ve eaten a lot of terrible Mexican food in the US: greasy and with stodgy tasteless burritos. And I’ve had great Mexican food too. But if the existence of the bad restaurants enables one to make blanket statement then do I get to say the same about the US? No. Because you’ve “had great Mexican food too”. I have not yet. Or at least not since I think it was 1987. In a restaurant long gone. It might be possible for there to be great Mexican food here. The person I was questioning was saying there was, and never did get back to me as to where this was. I’d like to. It sounds as if some suggestions in this thread might lead me to something, which seems to be more London based, somewhere i tend to avoid (even if working nearby). Existence of bad restaurants does not allow that blanket statement. Never having found good ones does. You’ve found some (I’ve found lots in the US when there, and never had a bad mexican meal in Vegas for instance). ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-mexican-food-more-popular-in-spain/838149/69 "2019-08-13T15:14:14Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I was able to get everything I needed for making most homemade Mexican food, as opposed to **carnitas, which are never made at home** … Might be inauthentic, [but it’s done by at least some gringos](https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/make-ahead-carnitas/) and it’s still quite tasty 😃 … I’m starting to think the Europeans-don’t-do-Mexican-food thing is nothing much more than a cultural “who knows?” than it is a correctable, concrete set of factors. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-mexican-food-more-popular-in-spain/838149/70 "2019-08-13T17:29:48Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Might be inauthentic, [but it’s done by at least some gringos](https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/make-ahead-carnitas/) and it’s still quite tasty 😃 I’ll admit to having made such, too, because, well you can’t get good carnitas at anyplace aside from a carnita shop. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-mexican-food-more-popular-in-spain/838149/71 "2019-08-13T17:54:42Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > I’ll admit to having made such, too, because, well you can’t get good carnitas at anyplace aside from a carnita shop. You can also try [this method](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN2y17BsySg), which is deep-fried in lard, just not in the vast quantity carnitas usually are. That said, I have a friend from Michoacan who makes enormous portions of lard-fried carnitas at home for parties, so it is certainly possible to make at home. Make sure you have a good ventilation system or do it outside (I do all my oily stuff in a wok or Dutch oven set on a gas grill outside.) ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-mexican-food-more-popular-in-spain/838149/72 "2020-11-07T16:44:46Z")
We’re just back in México after 3 months in Milan where our daughter lives. There isn’t much of a Merxican community there so it was very hard to find ingredients to prepare Mexican food. Canned chiles such as chipotle or jalapeño were available but fresh jalapeños,serranos or poblanos were not to be found. Maseca brand harina de maíz was available but the first bag we bought was made in Italia and was a much inferior product. A small store in Torino, owned by a Italian-Mexican, carried the Maseca (along with other products) from Mexico which produced a far better tortilla. We found some substitutes that produced a passable product but the difference to our palates was noticeable. We had better luck with cheeses than other ingredients. But we did have a nice time hunting down different sources. Of course the friends of our daughter that were invited over were thrilled with finally tasting authentic Mexican dishes. Several of them mastered the art of tortilla making and had ordered a tortilla press online. And the store in Torino ran out of Maseca! My wife also filled the freezer with many different dishes from mole to cochinita pibil, chilaquiles and huevos rancheros plus many varieties of sauces. Our daughter is an executive for the Italian food emprium Eataly and travels to the different Eataly locations throughout the world. Here are a few of her recommendations for Mexican food in Europe. There is a taquería in London called simply Taquería. And for more upscale a place called Ella Canta. She also heard good things about a place named Mestizo. In Stockholm a taquería called La Neta. In Copenhagen try Sánchez, Hija de Sánchez Cantina or Hija de Sánchez Taquería. She has yet to find anything to recommend in Italia, France or Germany. And none were as good as what her mamá prepared in Milan! ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-mexican-food-more-popular-in-spain/838149/73 "2020-11-09T14:11:15Z")
I guy I’ve known casually for years opened a [Mexican Restaurant](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g274913-d12692731-Reviews-Dos_Puertas-Szekesfehervar_Fejer_County_Central_Transdanubia.html) in Hungary, about an hour SW of Budapest. He used to own and run a couple of casual bars/restaurants in Cozumel. It’s been interesting watching his missives about trying to find ingredients, train staff, etc. I liked his places in Cozumel, and I expect that he’s doing his best to recreate his menus at the new place. Not the greatest Mexican food I’ve ever had, but certainly not bad. So, if anyone ever happens to find themselves in the neighborhood of Székesfehérvár, Hungary, check it out and report back please. Ask for Chad. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-mexican-food-more-popular-in-spain/838149.md?page=3)