Halal-friendly Mexican food is certainly something slowly on the rise in London but still scarce in the market. That’s why I was ecstatic when I heard about DF Tacos, a sister restaurant from the nationwide chain Wahaca, is now offering halal chicken across all their branches. With our love of Mexican flavours, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to check them out. Having previously enjoyed their fish tacos at Market Halls Victoria, we were excited to get our hands on their chicken tacos & any other offerings.
This time around, we visited the Tottenham Court Road branch, which has plenty of seating available instead of the crowded food court in Victoria. Even though you get seated by a staff, everything is very much self-serving at DF Tacos. You order & pay via a QR code and simply help yourself with condiments and/or drinks at the salsa & drinks bar.
*Disclaimer: this was a complimentary PR meal but all thoughts are our own.
DF Tacos: Influenced by Mexico City
The name DF stands for Distrito Federal, which is another name for Mexico City. It is where DF Tacos gets its influences from, the home of the best street tacos. So it’s no surprise that tacos take centre stage of the menu but there is also a great selection of sharers, side dishes, burritos, rice bowls, etc.
DF Tacos serves halal chicken across all branches. Pork & alcohol are served at the restaurant.
The Food at DF Tacos: What We Ordered
Date of visit: July 2023
Diablo Grilled Chicken Tacos (£8.75)
There are three options to choose from for the grilled chicken tacos and we opted for the Diablo one which got fiery scotch bonnet salsa & chipotle mayo – i.e. the spiciest option out of the three. It certainly got a good kick of heat to it, earning a nod of approval from my spice-loving husband. Everything was pretty good about the taco except for missing a good squeeze of fresh lime. We were actually surprised that there weren’t any lime wedges served along any of the tacos. For us, it was just slightly missing that burst of freshness from the lime but it was great otherwise.
Buttermilk Chicken Tacos (£8.75)
We then also tried the buttermilk chicken tacos which, to be honest, was very much similar to that of the grilled chicken tacos above but less spicy. Initially, I was expecting it to be like a big piece of crunchy fried chicken but they came in small pieces of lightly crispy chicken bites instead drizzled with chipotle mayo. The bed of slaw added a slight refreshing touch to the tacos but we still feel it’s missing a bit of fresh lime – just a little squeeze to perk up the flavours, you know?!
MSC Fish Tacos (£8.50)
We already know we like their fish tacos and they continued to be a delight on this visit. MSC indicates that DF Tacos are sourcing sustainable fish Contrary to the buttermilk chicken, the battered pollock got a really nice crispy crunch that added texture to the taco. The red slaw was a lot more prominent to taste in the fish tacos and was refreshing to savour. Once again, extra fresh lime would’ve made it better but it’s still good nonetheless.
Cheesy Fries (£4.95)
Moving on, we ordered some cheesy fries and were pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The crispy crinkle-cut fries were slathered with their smooth DF cheese sauce, which was nicely seasoned and didn’t feel too heavy to taste at all. It’s not always a common occurrence to have us both fighting over a plate of cheesy fries yet this one did. Typically, cheesy fries could get soggy quickly but these remained crispy throughout, which was a win.
Grilled Chicken Rice Bowl (£11.75)
If you need a quick and satisfying lunch, this grilled chicken rice bowl would be the pick. It comes loaded with a hearty portion of Mexican tomato rice, pinto beans, chipotle-rubbed grilled chicken, red slaw, pickled cucumber and salad. The chicken was well-marinated and tender to taste, topped with a green sauce that strongly reminded me of Assenheim’s. Personally, having both slaw and salad was a little too much for me but I’m sure many would find it a great healthy balanced meal!
Other Side Dishes: Pinto Beans (£3.60) & DF Slaw (£3.25)
For side dishes, we got some pinto beans and more slaw. Starting with the pinto beans, they were delicious and moreish to taste. The beans had been cooked till soft & mushy, with rich & earthy flavour notes. I preferred these over the ones served in the chicken rice bowl – the cream dressing in the latter sort of diluted the flavours for me. As for the red cabbage slaw, it’s tossed with lime juice, hibiscus dressing, and sesame seeds. They’re basically the same as the ones served in all the tacos so you already know that we found them lovely & refreshing to taste. We probably ended up with too much slaw for this meal but finished them all nonetheless.
Bottomless Drinks (£3.50)
It was a no-brainer to grab the bottomless drinks at DF Tacos. The bottomless offering is not just for soft drinks but it also includes several Mexican drinks such as Hibiscus, Passion Fruit, Lime, and Horchata. I do adore Horchata, which I was especially excited to try out. However, I wasn’t the biggest fan of it here. The horchata, unfortunately, has got a cheap artificial syrupy taste to it and was a stark contrast to the sweet & refreshing flavour profile I had before from different Mexican restaurants. Nonetheless, all the other drinks were nice and you can definitely get good value for your money on this.
Churros (£4.75)
Last but not least, we finished the meal with some churros, coated with cinnamon sugar and drizzled with chocolate sauce. You can’t really go wrong with churros and these were decent to taste. Though my suspicion is that these churros were pre-made and frozen rather than freshly made each day. It was missing a robust crunch and fluffiness that give fresh churros that extra oomph. They’re okay but I wouldn’t particularly come here for the churros.
DF Tacos Food Review Summary
Was it the best Mexican food in town? Not quite. But for somewhere you can sit down for a no-fuss meal at a reasonable price, DF Tacos would make a decent pick. Ultimately, it’s like a fast-food-style Mexican restaurant, serving approachable Mexican food for everyone. It’s not the most refined Mexican food you can find in town but it’s an adequate place for an easy taco fix. You can also find DF Tacos in Shoreditch, Market Halls (Victoria, Oxford Street, Canary Wharf), and Brixton (delivery only).
Looking for more halal-friendly Mexican restaurants? Check these out too:
OUR RATING
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Halal Status
Chicken is halal across all branches. Pork and alcohol are served at the restaurant.
Restaurant Information
Nearest station: Tottenham Court Road
Tel: 020 3951 9753
Restaurant Website
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