Bryan D.

I ate here on a food tour of Soho this week - it was fabulous. So good I decided to come back for lunch the following day. Had the beef, chicken and cauliflower tacos. Excellent. House margarita was very good as well. This place is well worth it and great Mexican food in London.

Nida K.

As much as I wanted to see the peep show, I couldn't get reservations until 10PM so my friend and I settled for the cafe. LBN is crazy popular and always buzzing with a crowd. There weren't any tables at the time, but there was space at the bar so we just sat there. Our bartender was friendly and I let him surprise me with a special drink. I have no clue what it was, but it was very good. So what makes LBN cool? The atmosphere. To be honest, the food isn't really all that great. Taste-wise, you can do a lot better. I felt I got a little ripped off because I got 3 measly little tacos for 9 pounds. When you get Camaron tacos with only one prawn in it, it doesn't exactly count as a substantial meal. My friend and I also decided to split a mushroom quesadilla. I wasn't expecting much but it actually was really good. Wish I went with the quesadilla as opposed to the tacos. At least with the quesadilla, you'll get more of your money's worth. Although I wasn't overly impressed with my overall experience here, I still want to check out this underground tequila peep show side of LBN.

Michael B.

Move over Wahaca! Finding good Mexican in London is no easy task, but La Bodega Negra goes some way in filling the gap. I had high expectations, so I was initially disappointed that the staple guacamole and corn chips didn't really impress. However everything after was delish. The highlight was the De Camaron Salteados, soft shell prawn tacos - of which we ordered a second serving straight away. The chorizo quesadillas were a very close second (I would have loved a second serving). The Tuna Tostadita was another highlight worth mentioning. We had desserts, which were definitely good - but if I had my time again, I'd order more mains (to share!). The food is backed up with solid cocktails, which frankly go down a little too easily. We ate in the cafe, where we had a short wait to get a table. The restaurant was booked out. Given it has only been open some seven days, I highly recommend going now before it becomes popular. After all, Geri Haliwell was walking around scoping the place out - that means it's going to be popular. Doesn't it?

Dave S.

La Bodegra Negra is above average Mexican fare in Soho on par with Wahaca. The menu looked great --- especially the selection of tacos. However at the time I wasn't able to mix and match---I had to get 3 tacos of the same kind which was a bit of a let down and hopefully something they will address---I really wanted to try multiple. The steak tacos were the highlight by far. Service was spotty, they forgot a few of the dishes even with a few reminders. I went opening month so it's possible there were quite a few kinks that team Bodega Negra didn't have a chance work out. They do make nice margaritas although they are very tiny. Again as the service was slow (and this was on a not so busy weekend afternoon), we had to order 2 margaritas at a time to ensure we constantly had a drink as one does not want to be eating Mexican food without a margarita in hand. Note this review was for the casual cafe and not the restaurant (I might be slow but it was unclear that there were 2 separate parts to the bodega).

Jason E.

So..... the ceviche is good, but the portion size is small. The tacos, and I tried beef, chicken and pork were all bland. Don't bother trying to spice them up with the supplied range range of sauces in ramekins on your table, they're bland too. The chicken quesadilla is OK, but really, it's bland. Even their salsa de tomatillo is bland......How the F$%& did they manage that!!!!!!????? The only thing that isnt bland here are the two little bottles of chilli sauce on the table and as they're both made with habaneros they make your tongue hurt and your mouth numb which is what you reach for in a desperate attempt to stop the £50 of food you ordered taste less like cardboard. Fortunately, deactivation of all oral sensory capability makes no difference to the food here. As an alternative, why not buy a small packet of tissues for 50p and chew them for a Bodega Negra taste experience while you look for another local restaurant using the handy Yelp application on your IPhone. It's overpriced by about 30% and underflavoured by about 70%.

Heather L.

Again... the quest for Mexican food continues! I have to say that the website was very interesting and the menu looked a little similar to Wahaca, but still a bit different. When I got there, I had to wait for a staff member to acknowledge me... the hosts/hostesses seemed to be a bit occupied at the bar chatting. I was shown to a table, but the tables were so close that it was difficult to squeeze through to the bench... I thought my butt was going end up in the lunch at the table next to me. And that's saying something because my butt is flat as a pancake. Anyway, the waitress came over and asked me if I had any questions about the menu. I asked her if she had any recommendations since a lot of the things on the menu looked good to me, but she just looked at me blankly. So I just ordered. I'm not used to having to pay for tortilla chips and salsa as that usually comes free at Mexican restaurants in the states, but I wanted some, so I decided to order some. One of the quesadillas that was on the menu online, was not on the menu at the restaurant, so I went with the Chorizo and Butternut Squash Tacos with the Cowboy Beans and Green Rice. The tortilla chips came out with guacamole and salsa fresca (I'd call it pico de gallo...). The chips could have been warmed and salted, the guac was nice and the salsa fresca was nice. The waitress who brought the chips over explained the two sauces on my table. One was a chili sauce and the other was a cilantro (coriander if you are British) based sauce. I liked the cilantro sauce and liked mixing it with the salsa fresca. I did like the fact that there were lots of tortilla chips, but I didn't feel like there was enough guac or salsa fresca for the tortilla chips, especially if I were sharing these with friends. My tacos came out... wasn't sure what to expect since at Wahaca it is the tiny tacos... the tacos were the same. There was too much filling inside to pick them up and eat them, but I refuse to eat a taco with a fork and knife as they are meant to be eaten with your hands. So I took my fork and speared some of the filling and ate it separately. HOLY HEAT! And I mean spicy heat! I'm not sure if it was the sauce or the chorizo, but my tongue was burning. I like spice, but this actually hurt a bit, so much so that I couldn't enjoy the flavor of the green rice. So I took a moment, had more salsa fresca and took a couple of gulps of my Corona (which was cool, but really should be ice cold). I decided to eat the green rice first... which was lovely and I liked it more than Wahaca's green rice. I hate to keep comparing to Wahaca, but from my experience, it is the most similar to it. I did not enjoy the Cowboy Beans, which were more like a bean soup. I finished the tacos, but my mouth was on fire. I had wanted to try dessert... the banana bread with the cinnamon butter, but I wouldn't have been able to taste it! The only flavor I could taste before my mouth started burning was the chorizo, I didn't get any butternut squash. If they could tone down the heat on that one, it would probably be delicious, but then again for those of you who like the pain, then this one is for you. I did think that the place was a bit pricey, especially since I was eating at the cafe, not the restaurant. I would go back to try something else on the menu and I would definitely ask for another side of the green rice instead of the Cowboy Beans if they came with whatever I ordered.

Brett K.

For the first inaugural Taco Tuesday, we went to La Bodega Negra. Did the name seem eerily similar to La Bogedita del Medio which would suggest Cuban food? Sure.... it's a stretch, but a little. Was the restaurant COMPLETELY empty from noon to one? Yes....But why heed any warning signs. Both of us went for the two course lunch menu: * Empanada- In my experience, empanadas are not an obvious Mexican starter. I am not a food historian or anything and really like empanadas, so .... o Huitaloche - This was the vegetarian option, but for the sake of completeness we ordered it. The mushrooms, which were featured, were hearty and there was a nice spice. I didn't know it at the time, but it would be the best part of the meal. o Oxtail - Again, oxtail is not the meat that comes to mind when I think of Mexican food. (I am not nearly the purist that I sound). The filling had a cinnamony mole-esq feel, that I was not all that into. * "pastor" burrito - Thank goodness for the word meh and the Cholula on the table. The burrito was on the dry side and there. I do not say this lightly, but I think a Chipotle burrito is better. * Chicken tacos - First off, why was fish not an option? Seems a bit (un)fishy to me. I have already used the word meh, so ... I will resort to ho hum. We discussed ordering a pitcher of Sangria but they say it's not good to drink alone. This may indeed be a place for good drinks and a fun night out, but it is not a place for good Mexican food.

Nic N.

Very, very cool and well hidden. Find it beneath loads of seedy neon and you've hit the jack pot! During our visit we enjoyed... *Camarones - Just the right amount of spice and cooked to perfection *Bbq octopus - Not my favorite dish there but definitely good *Rock oysters - Fresh! Well prepared will pico, a unique twist on this simple delight *Scallop and yellow fin ceviches - Both worth a taste for sure * Sea Bass - One of the best sea bass dishes I've EVER had. Done sooo very right. * Tacos - Small but ridiculously good. They come in a very ingenious serving tray. I am originally from Austin, TX and this place reminded me a bit of home. The interior is very well done and the food is great so I definitely recommend trying it for yourself!

Ari S.

This place is loud!! But yes fun and a great place to get together for drinks and Mexican food if you are in the soho area. Food was ok my favorite was the quesadilla and the tuna. I had a regular was a regular one and I definitely had better but other people had the mascal margarita and they said it was great!

Adam B.

I've been here twice now and both were great experiences. The tacos are all fantastic but the duck and fish ones are especially good. The quesadilla rustica is also very good. They have good mixed drinks, some I've never heard of but were fantastic. Neat atmosphere and a convenient location in SOHO. I highly recommend.