Chilango

I’m from San Diego, California, so I can be a bit picky about Mexican food, and in London it can be quite hit-​or-​miss. I had heard good things about Chilango, and I’m pleased to say it lived up to my expectations. The assembly line is Chipotle-​style, but the food is better. My burrito was spicy, flavorful, and fairly big for the price. They have a student discount, too, which helps. I think it’s safe to say that Chilango will be my go-​to burrito place when I’m missing Mexican food from home.

Chilangos everywhere are good but I went to this branch most recently. Large satisfying portions and the veggie burrito tastes just as good as a meat one. That’s not the case in other chains! I have had pretty dull veggie burritos elsewhere. The hottest sauce is HOT, go for medium if you like a kick but you’re not used to a lot of Mexican spice ;-) Staff are always smiley and friendly, the manager appeared from the basement singing half way through my last meal which didn’t altogether surprise me. Really nice atmosphere.

One of the best tacos I’ve ever had! Really tasty! If you don’t want to be hungry until the next day.. Go to chilango! Tere are several branches in London :)

The wife and I were walking around London one day and needed a quick meal on the go. Chilango was fairly well reviewed and on the way, so we decided to stop in for a bite. We had no idea what to expect… turns out it’s a lot like Chipotle in that assembly line but delicious food for kinda cheap sorta way. We were pleased with our choice. Thanks Unilocal

I wanted to try as I love Mexican food and we’ve got a couple of places in Manchester which are nailing this type of cuisine pretty well. It just so happens that Chilango is across the street from our Chancery Lane head office so since I am here today I thought I’d give it a bump.
Result: I’m full though for how long I don’t know and I’m lighter of £7.70.
I don’t really know what prices I should expect to pay in London. But the experience of buying a Burrito was as horrendous as any. You get shouted at by staff with a strong accent (and before anyone starts to take offense, I am French, I know what it is not to be understood, shouting never meant articulation) and the making of your meal involves about 10 people. It’s back to the days of the Ford T manufacturing. If that is representative of modern street food sounds to me like we haven’t evolved all that much over the last hundred years.
Fair enough it was super busy for lunch time and they need to cane the stuff out but including the food, that was not an experience worth shifting almost 8 quid for.
Oh, and should I add that again you end up with beans on one side, rice in the middle, lettuce on the other side, a blob of guacamole and the medium sauce on your fingers…
Not worth it…

I’m from California, studying abroad here for a semester. The lack of decent Mexican food has been horribly unbearably for me. I find myself fantasizing about good burriots and salsa in class. It was becoming a serious problem.
Then I found Chilango.
First of all, I unknowingly first went on a grand opening day where they were giving out free burritos. That was enough for me to be pretty pleased regardless of if the burrito was any good. BUT THEN THE BURRITO WAS REALLY GOOD. They were out of pork by the time I got there, but I had chicken instead and it was amzing. Slightly crispy in parts and excellently seasoned. The hot salsa that I got wasn’t as spicy as it could have been, but the flavour was spot on.
I am very happy that I found this.

I used to work around the corner and ate here almost every day!
There is a lot of burrito competition in the area and this Chilango marks the eastern border of burrito central.
What is burrito central? It’s simply a high concentration of quality Mexican street food places in a relatively small area, encompassing Soho and the west end (and Midcity with this branch).
If you’re near Chancery lane, this is one of 3 burrito places that are worth trying.

Not a bad lunch option. It’s a bit expensive for what it is but then again this is central London. I had the chicken burrito with hot salsa and it was yummy although I warn you, this is NOT the thing to eat if you are trying to impress someone. Fortunately I was lunching alone (save for a Mexican-​loving pigeon, who was all the more appreciative of my messy eating when it meant he got cilantro rice).

Service was terrible. The girl barely spoke/​understood English or was just extremely spacey or both…
We asked for chicken and she says they are out of chicken. She piles some ingredients on and then says chicken or pork? Uhm… aren’t you out of chicken? The whole ordering process was not pretty.
They throw on shredded cheese for the nachos but do not even melt the cheese so you just have a random pile of shredded cheese over your chips.
The burrito was decent but the overall experience

Holy guacamole. HOW have I not reviewed Chilango yet? I literally go hear at LEAST once a week.
It’s frankly a bit outrageous, all around.
Chilango is my favorite midday place to eat. I ate it so many times I almost got tired of it. Almost. Now, it’s a once a week tradition-​in-​the-​making with a few classmates where we go and I always order the chicken totopos and eat myself nearly sick and then bring the rest back to class and make everyone jealous when I get hungry again a few hours later.
The recipe is this: chips, cheese, black beans, chicken, pico de gallo, verde salsa, sour cream, shredded lettuce and very hot sauce
Your taste buds and your stomach will thank me later.
You can’t go wrong in a world of take-​away amazing Mexican, especially when you find something good enough to replace Qdoba in your Mexican-​food-​loving heart. Carry on, Chilango, because you do it so right.

I have a big thing for Chilango, at least for the burritos (tacos…meh). I really like this branch because it’s generally a bit quieter and there is loads of seating space, although maybe that’s just because I’ve mainly come here in the early evening when I couldn’t make it home without stuffing my face with a giant delicious burrito. Staff are always nice and I just love the speed with which I can go from arriving to eating to leaving fully satisfied!

Best. Fastfood. Burrito. Ever… and that’s coming from a girl who lives a hop, skip and jump away from what is Little Mexico in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.
There is a strange Chipotle style approach to assembling tacos/​burritos here but dont let it fool you… this is no Chipotle. What set Chilango apart for me compared to many other taco/​burrito places is having so many different options for the salsas. That’s the one magical ingredient that can take an ordinary taco/​burrito to extraordinary. And that’s what happens at Chilango. Their habanero salsa (not for the weak hearted) was unlike anything I had tried. The heat and complexity of the salsa really took my chicken burrito to a new level. I’ve tried in vain to find an adequate substitute in Chicago. I guess I will have to continue looking,

I don’t really like the burritos here. The salsa is too chunky and the meat is dry and lacks flavor. After all the hype, I thought this place was a let-​down. I think Tortilla is a much better option for Mexican food, and it’s just down the road from here.

Same «pretty much as good as it gets» for Mexican food in London” (which doesn’t say that much but says enough) as the Upper Street Chilango. The lunch line is über-​long but it moves really quickly. I do like that they have started making their own taco shells – they are a bit thicker so they hold up better and are corn – always authentic. Friendly peeps – a good place to grab a workday taco.

Chipotle in London is expensive — like ridiculous, flying-​in-​the-​face-​of-​purchasing-​power-​parity prices that are the same in pounds as US Chipotle in dollars — and portions are slightly smaller. Add in the fact that London Chipotle lacks a soda fountain, and the value of an organic burrito plummets fast.
Chilango, though, is a suitable substitute. Prices are about 1 GBP lower per menu item, portions are as large as US-​style Chipotle, and free tap water is available, although I chose to drink the lackluster, fresh-​squeezed lemonade.
Staff at the Chancery Lane location are incredibly friends — no, seriously, like extremely friendly and helpful. The line moves fast, which is a good thing, as all the suits working in the neighboring legal, consulting, banking, etc. offices fill up the place at lunch time to play the «avoid getting burrito shit on my black suit» game.
I ordered a chicken burrito, chips and guacamole (Hmmm…let me contradict myself on the portion size compliment, the guacamole container was barely enough to slather a ¼ of my chips in guacamole. That needs to be larger, or lower the chip price, and give people fewer chips.) Everything was fresh in my burrito, but it was imperfect. The tomatoes in the pico de gallo were chopped too large, and I just didn’t like the flavor of the chicken at Chilango as much as the chicken at Chipotle. But, then again, I’m used to Chipotle — perhaps it’s just a matter of personal preference.
The restaurant is colorfully decorated and kept very clean — even during the busy lunch rush. It’s not Chipotle, but it’s still pretty darn good for British Mexican.

I had walked past this place a few times, and it had caught my eye because of its similarity to Chipotle. Being from the States, I was craving Chipotle, but wanted to try a place unique to the UK. My friend ordered steak tacos and I had a steak burrito. We had to wait at least five minutes for the steak to be cooked, because they claim they want the steak to be fresher during non-​peak hours (we were there around 5pm).
Overall, everything tasted pretty good, including the additional chips and guacamole we ordered. My friend wasn’t that happy that her tacos came on corn tortillas, rather than flour tortillas, and that her tacos fell apart easily.
The staff was friendly and the prices were decent. I would go back if I need another Tex-​Mex fix. Also, we didn’t order beer, but they have a happy hour special of buy one get one free Coronas. And they couldn’t get our US swipe cards to work, so we ended up having to pay cash.

My Chilango experience was inspiring. So inspiring, I decided to pen my review in the style of Procol Harum’s «A Whiter Shade of Pale»:
We skipped to fine Chilango
Made an order once through the door
Bit into a chicken burrito
My stomach cried out for more
A huge tortilla, rice and beans
Full of flavour, full of zest
When I called out in surprise to my friennnnnnnd:
«I don’t know if I can finish the rest»
And so it was later
As my senses told their tale
One thing was clear and certain
I’d be back, without fail

Two words ladies and gents — Birthday Burrito!
So it’s my choice where we had lunch today and I was craving a ‘Mexican’ salad bowl which packed a punch of spice. Super excited that Chilango’s latest branch is so close to the office, I rallied the troops and we head on over here for a tasty lunch.
So yes it’s just a Chilango I hear you cry, not as you would expect. A tap water tap, free fresh limes, portions are huge, and I mean HUGE. They also have quite a bit of seating which is great for when its rainy outside and you don’t want to take your lunch back to the office.

When life hands me lemons, I usually go on a hunt for tequila and salt, STAT.
So when Chilango handed me unlimited limes, what else but look for a Corona or five?
Luckily, this shiny new venue had plenty of Mexican beer (plenty by London standards, that is) behind the bar, along with plenty of delicious guac, plenty of decently good salsa selections, and plenty of tomatoes… seriously, stacks and stacks and stacks, alongside their Chipolte-​esque set-​up and selection.
It’s definitely my favourite Chilango aesthetically speaking, and the fact that it’s within walking distance of the office means that those limes may become a lunchtime staple… you know, for the vitamin C…

I’ve just devoured a burrito in a size of a big jacket potato that I got complimentary in the new branch of Chilango open today. Not as colourful on the outside as its Islington sister, but still funky inside with elements of Mexican culture that let you feel the vibe. The walls are decorated with murals depicting Jesus next to Lucha Libre masks, and there is also a little shrine on the wall of virgin Mary and obviously Latino tunes in the background.
As usual, I can only share my opinion on the vegetarian options, but as most of the burritos consist of more or less the same ingredients I believe the meaty options are equally tasty. Lime rice, grilled peppers, black beans, tomato salsa (3 levels of spiciness to chose from), guacamole, cheese, salad and coriander create a perfect combination for my veggie taste. What surprised me, was that even after I got home the tortilla was still fresh and crunchy, and not sloppy as it often happens in other places when you decide to keep your wrap for longer than 10 minutes. Apart from burritos Chilango serves tacos, totopos and salads and its prices are slightly cheaper than the competition.
The place was voted the best Mexican restaurant in 2010 and I think they rightly deserve this title.
The only thing I don’t like about the chain is the fact they use eco-​unfriendly tin foil to pack their burritos.