With the rare winter sun shining, and our brains all mushed by the work week – being such diligent workers that we are, we were in need of some injection of fun (and food), and decided to make a meal outta lunchtime, as it were, by heading out to The Mexican on Long for a quick bite.
Ive been wanting to head out to this establishment ever since I spotted it since my return from maternity leave, so I was beyond happy when the group all decided on it. Because whether, it was just the fact that my colleagues are a fun bunch to begin with, or if its the close association of Tequila with mexico, (maybe a bit of A and B), we had an absolute blast there!
From the time that you enter, the funky and vibey décor holds promise for a fun authentic experience. Vibrant colours, with interesting art pieces, stunning murals,great outdoor views of Long street from the balcony and clever furniture pieces, all just added to the ambience.

The entrance and downstairs area. The rough translation of the sign is ” for everything bad, tequila; for everything good, the same”. Original saying actually refers to mezcal – but hey, potato-tomato 🙂
What I truly appreciated was the decent space: The floor area is quite large, but not sparse. It still manages to keep a warm atmosphere about it without making you feel claustrophobic, should it get busy.
Add to that, the very attentive staff, who are genuine in their interactions with you as patrons ( We LOVED Andre!), they really know their stuff hey, and can happily advise you on the various menu choices.
This all added to the awesome dining experience, that often left me thinking, I need to come back to try that!
To kick things off, I had to try the Imperial Tequila Ale – Andre made it sound so intriguing, so I was totally bets. Its basically a cider that was matured in barrels that had tequila in it right before. So all the great flavours get stirred and conjured up in there.

The dwinks: Thabz getting his mexican on, with his pink drink, and sombrero to match;Tal looking like he’s really enjoying that tequila ale; and thats a cappacino in glass, ladies n gents
There were also some cappuccinos served differently, as well as a virgin mojito using basil instead mint. All in all, a pretty standard, but fun drinks menu to try. However, as you should expect, they do have a killer selection of tequilas!
Now talking about trying, most of us didn’t try anything but the nachos. I know, boring, right? I seriously wanted to explore the menu, but my cravings ruled, so screw “boring”: Nachos was it! And they didn’t disappoint.
It was a fair amount of nachos served, bursting with flavour, accompanied by ample guac, and crema. In fact, aside from the nachos Ive had that were made by an actual mexican, this has got to be the best nachos Ive ever had! I had chicken with mine, which was yum and no need to hunt them out – decent amount. And trust me, it was not these cubes of seemingly processed chicken, but clearly real, shredded chicken. At R50 for this plate of latino deliciousness, I thought it was a a great deal.

A trio of yumminess: Chicken wings top left, Mexican fish ‘n chips top right, and those fish tacos at the bottom
My one dining companion had the Mexican Fish and Chips (R55), who only sang its praises, and it definitely looked far more appealing to me than our local variety of fish ‘n chips. My other amigo had the Fish taco (R75), which was a surprisingly large serving – but clearly yummy enough for him to move past that, and finish it off. My homie, S’lu went with the crispy chicken wings. It came with two tiny tin cups of different sauces, which we all sampled, and left us smacking our lips. ‘Nuff said. My other compadre though, totally skipped the savoury phase and jumped straight to the rice pudding (R35). (not pictured- sorry guys) He thoroughly enjoyed it, however, totally woes’ed out on finishing it the large serving.
For more prices, squint your eyes here.
The lesson here ladies and gents, is: come hungry and be prepared for a taste bud fiesta.
Book a table today, or perhaps pop over lunchtime. (It starts getting busy around then). I can only imagine how it rocks at night. Also,with the vibe, the lighting, sexy food, and just the general latino ambience had me thinking that this would be a great spot for a fun date night with hubby…..hmmm, now where is that babysitter?!
What you need to know:
- Address: 158 Long St, Cape Town
- Tel: +27 21 426 0770
- Trading hrs: 9am – 1am
- Website (under construction): http://www.mexicanonlong.co.za

Outdoor views from the balcony of Long street. And my fave celebrity, Table Mountain always photobombing with its awesomeness
Goshhhhh, Im seriously craving some Mexican right now, as I write this post! Let me know what you think of this hot spot. Or maybe you know of another trendy Mexican spot worth a holler, do let me know! Vamanos!
Thanks for the fab blog! Saludos from the team @ The Mexican!
Im glad you like it, Peter and the team @ The Mexican. I speak nada but the truth! Im totally coming back for more. Thanks for taking the time to stop by.