There's a very specific craving that hits on a Friday evening. Not ramen, not chicken rice. Something with guacamole still chunky from the molcajete, a frozen margarita sweating through the glass, and an ice-cool glass of Jarritos.
Singapore's Mexican scene has quietly grown into something genuinely worth exploring. From a 37-year-old institution hidden in Dempsey Hill to a halal birria spot that's already on its third outlet, here's where to go.
01. Margarita's Dempsey Hill: Singapore's oldest, still going strong
Margarita's sits tucked into the trees of Dempsey Hill, far enough from the main road to feel like you've found something. The dining room has that comfortable, well-worn feel that only time gives a restaurant.
I first came here years ago with zero idea what I was ordering, and the Carnitas de Puerco was the dish that made me stop treating Mexican food as just a vehicle for sour cream. Fork-tender pork, slow-roasted and served with salsa verde on warm corn tortillas. Simple, but properly done. Reservations are recommended, especially on weekends.
📍 Address: Blk 11, 11 Dempsey Road, #01-19, Singapore 249673
⏰ Opening hours: 11.30am – 10.30pm daily
📞 Contact: 6471 3228|
🍴 Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: margaritasrestaurante.com
02. Papi's Tacos: Mexican food, street-style
Chef Mauricio Espinoza — "Papi" — is from Papalotla, Mexico, and his tacos make that clear. No fusion detours. No unnecessary embellishment. The food is what you'd find at a good taqueria: honest, well-seasoned, made from fresh ingredients, priced fairly. The only thing here that you wouldn’t see in Central America is a Singapore government-issued A-grade hygiene rating.
The fish taco is where to start. House-made flour tortilla, fried dory with red cabbage and pickled carrots, finished with chipotle aioli. Crisp, tangy, and disappears faster than you'd like. The Burrito de al Pastor is the pick if a taco portion isn't going to be enough. Come on a weekend for additional brunch goodies like Chicken Chilaquiles and a Breakfast Burrito with Chorizo.
You’ve got four locations to choose from: Seah Street, Tanjong Pagar, Joo Chiat, and Tyrwhitt Road. Papi also co-founded Mami's Tamales (coming up at #04 on this list), so you can see this is a duo that takes Singapore's Mexican food scene seriously.
📍 Address (Tanjong Pagar): 33 Tanjong Pagar Road, #01-01, Singapore 088456
⏰ Opening hours: Mon to Thurs, 12pm – 2.30pm, 5pm – 11pm | Friday, 12pm – 2.30pm, 5pm – 12am | Saturday, 11am – 2.30pm, 5pm – 12am | Sunday, 11am – 2.30pm, 5pm – 11pm
🍴 Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: papis-tacos.com
03. Huevos: the one everyone's queuing for
The queues at Huevos' North Bridge Road outlet are a running joke among Singapore foodies by now, but they exist for a reason. Huevos started as a pandemic-era delivery concept in 2019, went viral, and eventually opened two physical outlets. Both physical locations are compact and fill up quickly, so plan ahead and don’t expect a quiet meal!
The Birria Beef Tacos, with short rib and brisket served in a crispy shell alongside a side of consommé for dipping, are a huge crowd favourite. If you make it to the New Bahru outlet in River Valley, the menu skews grillier and bolder. The Beef Tongue (Lengua) Taco (slow-cooked, caramelised on the grill, layered with salsa verde and pickled habanero) is a favourite pick for anyone looking for the indulgent, loud flavours so often touted in Mexican food.
📍 Address (North Bridge Road): 803 North Bridge Road, Singapore 198771
⏰ Opening hours: Tues to Sun, 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm | Closed on Mondays
🍴 Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: huevossg.com
04. Mami's Tamales: Singapore's first and only tamalería
Here's something you probably haven't tried.
Mami's Tamales on Keong Saik Road is, as far as I can tell, the only restaurant in Singapore (and maybe Asia) that specialises in tamales. Chef Maribel Colmenares grew up helping run her family's tamale shop back in Puebla, Mexico, so when she planted her feet in local shores, bringing that heritage here is a
So what's a tamal? Think of it as Mexico's answer to bak zhang. A corn masa dough, filled with slow-cooked meat or vegetables, wrapped in a corn husk or banana leaf and steamed until dense, soft, and savoury. Slightly crumbly when you cut into it, a bit like well-seasoned mashed potatoes. Nothing else tastes quite like it. Individual tamales start from $13. The Pork Salsa Verde ($18) is the one I'd go back for: well-seasoned pork, jalapeños, garlic, and fresh herbs. Balanced and warming. The platter (any four tamales for $58) is the right move if you're coming in a group and want a spread.
One more thing: order the Tableside Molcajete of Guacamole and Chips ($26). It's freshly made at your table, still chunky, properly salted, with lime squeezed over at the last second. The difference from pre-mixed guacamole is genuinely worth it if you have the scratch to spare.
📍 Address: 55 Keong Saik Road, #01-02, Singapore 089158
⏰ Opening hours: Tues to Thurs, Sundays, 12pm – 2.30pm, 5pm – 10pm | Fri and Sat, 12pm – 2.30pm, 5pm – 11pm | Closed Mondays
📞 Contact: 9711 1487
🍴 Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: mamis-tamales.com
05. Lucha Loco: good tacos in a garden
Duxton Hill on a Friday night is a kind of organised chaos, and Lucha Loco lies at the heart of the storm. The Tulum-inspired, open-air garden setting isn’t the only reason why this restaurant has been going strong since 2012, but it certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
Thankfully, this is the kind of spot where the food is actually good and not just incidental to neat setting. The Crab Tostadas ($18 for two pieces) are reliably excellent: crispy corn tortillas, fresh blue swimmer crab, jalapeño, cilantro, and a spicy mint lime mayo with a real kick.
📍 Address: 15 Duxton Hill, Singapore 089598
⏰ Opening hours: Mon to Thurs, 11.30am – 11pm | Fridays and Saturdays, 11.30am – 12.30am | Closed Sundays
📞 Contact: 8798 1035
🍴 Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: luchaloco.com
06. Chimichanga: Bet you’ve never tried Sing-Mex before
Not every Mexican craving calls for strict authenticity. Sometimes, performing a little culinary sacrilege gives you a lot more wiggle room for fun, unexplored flavours. Chimichanga has been doing this since 2016, and they're good at it.
The burritos with Asian-spiced fried rice and molten mozzarella sound like they shouldn't work, but they do. The fish is battered in the restaurant’s in-house Neon Donkey beer, accenting every bite with malty sweetness. Perfect for a group that wants to show up without a reservation and still have a good evening.
📍 Address: Multiple outlets at Holland Village, Paya Lebar Quarter, VivoCity, and Raffles Place
⏰ Opening hours: Generally 11am – 11pm (hours vary by outlet, check website)
🍴 Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: chimichanga.sg
07. Bored Tacos: halal-friendly, wallet-kind
Finding halal Mexican food in Singapore used to take some effort. Bored Tacos changed that conversation. Muslim-owned and running three outlets across Joo Chiat, Hougang, and Kampong Glam, Bored Tacos serves Tex-Mex classics at prices that feel almost too reasonable: nett pricing, no GST, no service charge, and CDC vouchers accepted, with mains starting from $9.90.
The Birria Beef Tacos ($14.50 for two pieces) are slow-cooked short rib and brisket, crispy-shelled, served with consommé for dipping. That pull-apart beef with the rich dipping broth is what birria (slow-cooked meat stew) is supposed to taste like. If you come in a group, be sure not to miss the Loaded Nachos, which are generously topped for their price.
📍 Address: Multiple outlets islandwide
⏰ Opening hours: 11am – 8pm daily
🍴 Halal status: Muslim-owned
🌐 Website: instagram.com/boredtacossg
08. Fuego Mesa: heartland vibes, Tom Yum quesadillas
Not every good Mexican spot is on a hill or down a heritage shophouse. Fuego Mesa is under an HDB block in Farrer Park, a two-minute walk from the MRT, and it's been quietly building a following since it opened. Yellow walls, sombrero lampshades, mosaic tile vinyl wraps, and murals covering most available surfaces. The colourful vibe plus the fact that you can pay with CDC vouchers make it basically impossible to be in a bad mood here.
The single curveball in Fuego Mesa’s menu is the Tom Yum De Fuego. You are not ready. Just the opportunity to have tom yum with cheese, in an oil-drenched quesadilla shell, is so, so singlehandedly decadent that I had to lie down right after eating this. True story.
📍 Address: 681 Race Course Road, #01-305, Singapore 210681
⏰ Opening hours: 10am – 3:30pm, 5:30pm – 10pm daily
🍴 Halal status: Not halal
🌐 Website: instagram.com/fuegomesa
(Featured photo from: Papi's Tacos)
