Athina Benia
Desperados Angel Restaurant is the perfect place to unwind with your colleagues after work. The cozy ambiance, rustic decor, and friendly staff create a warm and inviting atmosphere. The menu offers a mix of Mexican and American cuisine, with delicious dishes like homemade guacamole, sizzling fajitas, and juicy burgers. It's a spot where you can indulge in flavorful dishes and enjoy excellent service. Highly recommended for a cozy and authentic dining experience.
Sharon Naisiko
Such a wonderful restaurant! Inexpensive and the food quality is amazing. Reis (me and my sisters waiter for the night) gave us amazing service and made sure we was satisfied with the food and drinks that he served us. Definitely will come back! Drinks were really strong but not complaining cos they tasted really good!
Epifania Amoo-Adare
Decent food, and there is a lot of it! A nice spin on what was Cuba Libre's cuban vibe, even if a bit of a faux Mexican atmosphere.
Rob Flann
Really enjoyed the chicken fajitas my partner had the steak ones both delicious and we'll be back soo for more š
Liza
Love this place and the atmosphere. It's fairly cheap and has delicious food (if you order the right things). It has many flaws, but for the price it's hard to fault it.
If you go, DON'T order Nachos, go for jalapeƱo poppers and fajitas.
Music is a bit loud so would be bad for a first date, but good for meeting friends.
Be very careful not to leave your phone on the table, there are thieves in the area and they will come with weird printouts and try to distract you while they take your phone.
Some staff are great, and friendly, but there is a lady who just stands there and does nothing. Not sure what her job is, she just seemed to do nothing apart from chatting the whole time, and ignored us when we tried to order. She definitely works there, but maybe shouldn't š
I know it sounds not great, but with friends, this place is really fun and tasty.
Farooq Yousaf
The food was great, the prices were also fine. Overall, the quality and presentation of food was better than what we expected. The staff was also very nice and polite. I don't know why it's rated under 4 stars, but I'd definitely recommend trying it before believing the bad reviews.
Charlotte Milano
Very nice food! For sure not light because was all deep fried but really teasty. Also the quality is very high and the beer is original!
Good costumer service and clean restaurant
For sure Iāll be back!
Chan Chan 2
Beautiful service ā¤, lovely food too!
Only thing table are very close to each other.
Saying that the food and service makes up for it,really does!
I've been to Desperados a few time's always a lovely experience āŗ.
Ps, they give you a Complimentary Tequila shot with was nice wasn't expecting it š
Alessandra
Loved the deco, good service and had the beef tacos which were yummy! Only 4 stars as I felt it could have been better value for money
Bukky
Been trying to check this place out for a while now and i finally got to which is really good
Plus ive never been to a mexican restaurant before so i decided to try it out.
The venue is definately really great its got a mexican vibe to it the place is clean the music is great.
The staff were really accomadating and just all round friendly and easy to talk to which i always love
Also the fact desperados isnt a chain makes it even more exciting to write about.
I decided to go for the
Ribs, wings and chips
Where as my friend tried out the vegi wrap.
The food was definately banging the ribs were super nice some of the best ribs ive had.
The wings were good not the best ive had but they were definately tasty only little issue is that they only gave 3 wings i think 5 would have been better only tiny issue.
The chips/fries which ever term you prefer were honestly some of the best ive had in ages.
Personally i dont think many restaurants do good chips/fries in the uk.
My friend seemed to really enjoy his vegi wrap which is also great
Its somewhere where its great for a friday and saturday night.
Would i come back again to Desperados
Definately really like the venue, the staff, the food it really is amazing. Looking forward to my next visit.
Izzy B
My partner and I came here on New Yearās Eve, and were very surprised to see all of these mixed reviews after we left! Service was outstanding and we felt very well cared for by staff.
We had the nachos, veg enchiladas and a chicken burger and thought the food was really nice and great portions. Lovely ambience in the restaurant and once again, we were blown away by the friendly and attentive staff. We also really enjoyed the margarita pitcher.
Of course, prices are about Ā£8 - Ā£12 a plate, but itās hard to find anywhere in London these days that isnāt in this price range! Really enjoyed our visit.
Ivelisse Hernandez Carrion
Excelent food and cocktail, mexican beer so the staff is very attended.
Mark John Kirk
It's very poor for vegetarians. There's three others within ten yards of the place try them!
Sarah Day
Great food! Great service! Great price! What more could you ask for? ššš
Craig Powell
Excellent food and even better service.........
Myself and daughter will definitely be eating there again šš
Glenn Price
Loved the food, atmosphere and cocktails. The team are aāØ Too
The VW camper bar and toilet art are brilliant š
Tony Emberson
Great food at reasonable prices. Good portions too.
Sarah Saleh
Food, drink and atmosphere great!! ļæ½ļæ½ well priced too
Nina Sheridan
Mmmmmm...interesting...food ok, lovely atmosphere....nothing special
Dominic Matteo
THEY ADVERTISE "EAT OUT TO HELP OUT SCHEME - 50% DISCOUNT" BUT THEY DO NOT GIVE DISCOUNT!!! CHEATING!!! SHAME.<br/><br/>On the UK Government's website, Desperados Restaurant is in the "Eat Out to Help Out" Scheme. That means, there must be 50% discount when you eat in at this restaurant from Monday to Wednesday. I checked out on the Government's website & Desperados is definitely registered with the "Eat Out to Help Out" Scheme. Also, there are many "Eat Out to Help Out" posters at the restaurant's entrance!!! But, the restaurant DOES NOT GIVE 50% DISCOUNT!!! Shame. Will make a complaint as soon as possible. This is very serious. P.S. We dined at the restaurant on a day between Monday-Wednesday. So, why do you advertise that you are registered with the "Eat Out" scheme? You must remove all those "Eat Out to Help Out" posters from your restaurant!!! FAKE.<br/><br/>In addition, most probably the restaurant does not have any Mexican chef. Cocktails are very basic/average.
Ana Oliveira
The food wasnāt good, nor were the margaritas. It doesnāt taste like real food, the margarita just tasted like bad syrup. I had never seen a burrito with the rice and beans outside the wrap, nor a margarita on the rocks.
Murdi Althaf
Another great place to celebrate with an amazing feast and friends. They have got happy hour till 7:00 pm and wow - a huge variety of meals and drinks!
Amanda Panda
Great Mexican restaurant on the main road! Fun interior, upbeat music and great choices of food! Service is great! However is can get very crowded and cramped. But that i guess adds to the fun!
Celso Ribeiro
Restaurante mexicano com bom ambiente para petiscar algo com Guacamole e beber umas Margaritas, apĆ³s um dia longo a passear por Londres! Aproveite para ver a decoraĆ§Ć£o na casa de banho.
Saral Gupta
Amongst the few places who have their kitchen open after 10 on Sunday nights in the Islington area, this place is a good spot if youāre hungry and would eat absolutely anything that comes your way.<br/><br/>A spacious outlet with the Mexican theme totally makes this place a great spot to hang around with friends at the Upper Street.The staff here is very polite and at your service as soon as you step foot into this place.<br/><br/>The menu is dominated by Mexican food as one would expect but also has a variety of other items,albeit with a Mexican touch(Try Garlic Bread with Cheese for oneš).The Fajitas are also very delicious as are the Tacos.The cocktails are very well stirred&shaken and you may not even realise that thereās alcohol in there.The bar has pretty much everything with the restaurant adding something on the house to make your experience even better.<br/><br/>Cost for two: Ā£50 with alcohol<br/>Ambience- Great<br/>Outdoor Seating- Available<br/>Food and Beverages- Excellent<br/>Must Haves-Fajitas,Garlic Bread with Cheese
Alexa Helm
We went last night (7th August) for a quick bite. I was really impressed with the service. The waitress outside the front (we were seated in the patio/outside section) was really friendly and helpful. I ordered a starter portion of prawn tacos and the way in was prepared was not what I was expecting (not due to the kitchen's fault, just my expectation). I mentioned this to the waitress and I guess the manager (not 100% sure who the man was that I spoke to) and they kindly altered the dish for me so that I could enjoy it more! Above and beyond expectation. They also gave us complimentary drinks because of the inconvenience. I hope these guys are recognised, this is what true service is! Thank you :)
Khushboo Khanna
Love the ambience! Amazing food, definitely order the nachos! They do what seems like baker burritos not quite the fan, but you'll never taste better margaritas šøthey're so good it's sinful! Always keep coming back for more
Justin
This place is really close to my work and had good ratings so I had to try it. It's a little pricy.. But the daily special is where it's at! Yummy beans, yummy rice, a drink, and a main dish . I will have to say my girlfriends and my favorite dish is the FLAMED GRILLED SIRLON STEAK . Their beans and rice go well together too, all getting washed down with a cocktail. Love it all!<br/><br/>Def going to come here again, as well as bringing the co-workers!
Margherita
Mariachi music = happy vibes :)Ā <br/>We tried the tacos, quesadillas and fajitas and loved them all. They did the key components of bean and sour cream well so that commonality served well.
Princess' Leigh
The meat was cooked perfectly, my friend ordered the t-bone steak and it was like butter. Just a perfect meal all over. The space is small, and doesn't smell very pleasant but the service and food is great.
Kingy
Good fun restaurant to go to but be warned it can get quite squashed!! The food is plentiful and pretty good and the cocktails are also extensive. The service is a little slow at times as the restaurant is generally packed. Overall a good atmosphere and it will not break the bank balance.
MercedesMac
Amazing amazing! real Mexican vibes inside. Decent priced burgers and fajitas. A crazy list of different cocktails made even more enjoyable with am happy hour during the week. Been many a time and will continue to go
Carla
Do not go!. Worst service I have ever received and the food was the same. Awful. <br/> <br/>So bad that for the first time ever I refused to pay. <br/><br/>Rude staff and no flavoured poor quality food.
Shearie25
Rude service and they had run out of chicken that day,which happens but really should have told people before they sat down- chicken made up 75% of the menu and when we asked for beans instead of chicken we were told we would be charged extra. Cheap but not so cheerful and beware of the service tax added to the bill at the end.
Javier Rodriguez Catao
Poor service/awful management. I would never recommend this place to anyone. The service was horrible and the staff including the manager on duty was so rude, because of this we decided not to pay the service charge yet they tried to force us to pay it, claiming they would call the police if we did not. <br/><br/>UK law states that even if service is added to a bill, if the service is poor you can refuse to pay it. We had to ask several times for things as simple as forks, the table sauces had gone off and never once was anything like this acknowledged. 4 staff surrounding us at the end was just plain intimidation. Never again.
LuD
Great location, terrible food. 6 of us for Dinner on a Wednesday evening.<br/>Service was okay, Nacho Starters arrived quickly and were fine (can't really get them wrong thogh, can you?). Then the Mains 'should' have arrived. 1st main arrived, 5 mintues later the other 4 arrived, then 5 mintues after that the final Main arrived - Chilli Con-Carne (which is the easiest thing in the world to make!!)<br/>Four of the meals were cold/tepid - the Chilli was not warm, Jacket potatoes half-cooked - had to send them back to the kitchen, which took another age for them to return.<br/>When it came to paying we refused to pay the Service, the Waiting staff stated they could not remove it - duhh?? Gave them a simple ultimatum; remove the Service or remove some of the meals - Service was removed!<br/>Needless to say, I wish we'd checked reviews before we went there, truly awful food, average service - If you're in Islington and want Mexican, go to Chillangos :o)<br/>Oh, and the toilets have the creepiest of art on the wall - EVER!, Now I know about 'DĆa de los Muertos', but I don't recall it championing hard core Porn and images of rape/ & sexual voilence - i'm not a prude, but it's just plain 'WEIRD'??
Paulaniuk
Horrible. Tonight was one of the worst experiences I ever had in a resturant in London. I always try to be understanding with the floor staff, but this was outrageous. POOR service, the waitress was actually pushing us to ask for the food. I chose the first thing I saw on the menu under pressure, but I change my mind the minute she walked away, so I called her when she looked at me and I said I was sorry but I didn't have time to look at the menu and would like to change my main course. She said (literally): Well, I think they're cooking it already. I was in shook and I said that that was not my problem, and also we were having starters so they are NOT suppose to be cooking the mains yet. She took my order.<br/>My main came first, ribeye, with a jacket potato and the nice aluminium FOIL around it, I couldn't believe it, and the potato was so overcooked that it was brown.<br/>After 5 minutes waiting for my boyfriend main course, with main on the table, his fries were cold as snow but he asked me not to complain, we were really fed up at this point. After 10 minutes waiting for the dessert menu, the waitress went to the table next to us and she took my drink while she was flirting with the other table and without even looking at me, who was expecting to ask for the dessert menu. Another time, I couldn't believe it, she was standing up with my drink in her hand, lying against the wall and flirting with the guys next to me!! UNBELIEVABLE!<br/>The bill came and the service was included: 10%. Of course I complain about this. But still I paid it because the waitress said that it must be paid.<br/>I am SURE that the service does not deserve 10% because it was really unprofessional and poor.<br/>Avoid this place if you can.
Alessandra
Desperados Islington. I have never posted a review before but after my horrible experience, I think is it is my duty to stop people wasting their money and having a bad evening. The problem is that the drinks pricing is unfair. You can order 2 cocktails in fancy glasses for a total of Ā£12 /1000ml or you can choose a pitcher for 4 people in small, boring glasses for a total of Ā£18/1000ml. Is that not the most ridiculous thing that you have ever heard of ? and when you try to reason with the Manager (who by the way being a Mexican Restaurant you expect would speak Spanish or a least good English but no they don't ) he was extremely rude and argumentative. The funny thing was when my cousin arrived later in the evening, the first thing she said to me was " Don't get the pitcher, it is a complete rip off" The food is ok but the terrible service and staff who think their job is to outsmart the customer rather than giving them what they want, make it not worth coming here again EVER !
Em
Em J.. This restaurant is horrible to the point of hilarity. We started off with the top shelf margaritas; we were brought original margaritas (the price difference was nil so we decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and not say anything). Then we ordered nachos as a starter and asked for no guacamole as I'm allergic to avocados. We received the starter with guacamole which was cleverly covered up by some sour cream. Again, i just ate around it and didn't mind. BUT THEN... we were brought chimichangas rather than our burritos (chimichangas are deep fried as opposed to burritos which are served with normal soft tortillas). We informed the server of the mistake in advance of him putting the plates on our table. Five minutes later we were brought the same exact plates except this time the chimichangas had melted cheese and salsa on top. We let the server know that these were still the same plates, but with extra food on top of them (the table next to us had ordered a burrito as well so we were able to compare). We refused the entree and instead just asked for our check for what we had eaten and left. This place has mediocre food, terrible service and a cooking staff which thinks they ought to outsmart the customer rather than giving them what they want! On the plus side the margaritas were nice; however, we would not recommend!
Tim
Awful. This was the worst culinary experience I have ever had. <br/><br/>The weather ended up driving us into this place and we were mildly attracted by the steaks and nachos on the menu by the door.<br/><br/>We hadn't even taken our coats off before being asked for drinks, and when we said can we think about it, he told us he thought we would just want beers!!<br/><br/>To be rushed once by 1 waiter would be enough, but to have a different waiter harass me and my girlfriend literally every 30 seconds really drove me up the wall to the point where I had to ask them politely to back off until I called one of them over. Of course, when we were ready, I had great difficulty catching anyones attention.<br/><br/>The drinks we ordered were poor excuses for cocktails and at the price of Ā£6, we were expecting better.<br/><br/>Once the food arrived, no sauces were offered so we had to find another one of the 1 million different waiters walking past to ask. The BBQ pork ribs were alright,in all honesty. They don't however know the way to cook steak. My girlfriend ordered a medium rare sirloin and both of us always have and know what to expect with medium rare. What came to the table must have been put on the grill for 10 seconds each side and when she cut into it, it was completely rare. I called the manager over and he was very rude and argued the toss over what he describes as medium rare. After it was recooked, it was still unenjoyable. <br/><br/>Our meals almost ended up on the floor with all the waiters banging into our table. Once we got the bill, I was appalled to see a 10% compulsory service charge added onto it. I called over the manager to confront him, bringing to his attention the "service", which led to another very rude argument concluding in me giving up rather than making a huge scene. <br/><br/>We quickly paid and left. On the way out, we looked at the menu by the door to check for any mention of a compulsory service charge. It was very conveniently hidden by some miniature mexican hat. <br/><br/>This restaurant is to be avoided at all costs!!!
Barry Mann
Very poor indeed - avoid. A memorably bad meal. I only place negative reviews after careful consideration (easy to be negative) and I recommed that you avoid this place. It was retail park food, nachos were no better than a bag of crisps and it wasnt very fresh or well prepared. Its not wacaca. if you want mexican, use urban spoon to find the good ones not this SLOP.
Grumbling Gourmet
Not a fan. OK, it makes no claims of authenticity. Which is handy, because there is no attempt either - check out the pornographic DĆa de los Muertos paintings in the loos if you're unsure. Ideal for birthdays and big (cheap) gatherings. <br/><br/>The nachos are better than expected, the fajitas are acceptable and the BBQ is best avoided. Service is hit and miss but the queues still snake out of the door.
Amy Taylor
Give it a miss. Watered cocktails, Ā£3.00 for nice homemade chips,expecting a nice portion but only got about 5 in a tall glass? whats that about.. Ā£2.00 for a can of coke, had a steak fajitas but plastic cheese and store bought gaucomole. Long wait between starter and main and staff had poor understanding of english<br/><br/>Avoid it, too expensive for what it is.
The Picky Glutton
There are a few Tex-Mex restaurants with the Desperados name in London with the two located in Petts Wood and Islington sharing the same owners. The most remarkable thing about the Islington Desperados isnāt the grumpy, monosyllabic service but the murals depicting demonic copulation in the gentlemenās toilets. A case of art imitating life? I couldnāt possibly say.
Paulina Greenie
I love this place! The food is delicious and good portions, I especially like the rack of ribs or the steak. Also this place has the best cocktails. The decor is great and it provides a fun environment. Situated in a great location if one wants to hit another bar or club.
Faith Chapman
I went their with friends ,I do not know how I feel about the place . <br/>Starting from the starters we ordered nachos which were okay , one can not do much with the nachos . After that mains were supposed to arrive but they were bit late in that . <br/>Service was just okay and our food was also not that great. <br/>I don't think that i will be giving this place another chance.
Jackson Lambert
This place is quite good if you want to have a big gathering or just want to celebrate a special occasion like a birthday. I had the nachos, fajitas and BBQ. The nachos were pretty good compared to my experiences at other restaurants and the quality of fajitas was acceptable. However, I would recommend you all to avoid the BBQ at all costs.
Reuben Woods
The food is bad if you are looking for some good Mexican snacks. The nachos lacked taste and flavour and were utter disappointment. The food wasn't freshly prepared either. This is not the place to go to expecting amazing nachos or good food even. The food is very much below expectation.
Erin Allen
We were extremely disappointed with service at this place so much so the we refused to pay the service charge. the manager however, was rude too and tried to force us to pay and even threatened to call the police. The service was downright pathetic and we had to wait for a long time for the cutlery and even the table sauces.
Ava Taylor
The major downer for this place is their impolite and inefficient service. They ran out of the Chicken the day when i came to this place, which although is not a problem but they should really inform their customers in advance knowing that chicken is a major dish which everyone wants to have. They charge you with exorbitant service tax which you should double check at the end.
Ā CharlotteĀ Perkins
The service here was not at all good , the staff was very arrogant and they did not know how are they supposed to act with the customers . They really should use proper training. <br/>The food was also horrible , size of the dishes were good but the quality of the food was very bad. <br/>I won't be going here again.
Isha Kapur
Desperados is a Mexican restaurant located in Angel.The place is casual fun place and their decor is very Mexican and there is a personal touch to it. The staff is super friendly.<br/>The good thing about this place is it is super cheap and you usually don't pay more than 20 pounds for 2 people.<br/><br/>The frozen margaritas and long island ice tea are a big yes here.The nachos with salsa cheese and guacamole are also good.<br/>Recommended : try the chimichangasĀ <br/>On sundays they have a special offer . check it out.<br/><br/>Desperados lacks a bit of freshness in their food according to me. If you are looking for a fun and cheap evening with decent Mexican food , this is the place for you.
Hannah Greene
Desperados is located right opposite Islington Green, serving relatively cheap tex mex food. It is definitely a novelty place to eat, the gimmicky Mexican theme meaning walls are adorned with sombreros and cactus' and the bar is the shape of a VW camper van (not sure how that is Mexican).<br/><br/>I came here with a friend and we decided to share some tapas dishes and nibbles rather than order individual mains. We also ordered some caipirinhas which took a long time to get to our table and were overpoweringly sugary. We ended up eating some mini chicken enchiladas, a plate of nachos and chorizo pieces. Food was not a gourmet experience but quite tasty. We did feel ignored by our waiter at times but overall the experience was fine.<br/>
Kesta
Desperados is great if you are going for the fun environment rather than a gourmet meal. I often meet friends here on birthdays as you can order jugs of frozen margarita which can be shared alongside a few plates of nachos and other tapas plates, which cost around Ā£4.00 each. <br/><br/>There are lots of fun features to the place; the bar has been designed to look like a large orange camper van and on the street outside always lurks an actual van emblazoned with the restaurantās name. The food is absolutely fine, serving up tasty Mexican style food, the best of which is the fajitas which come to your table on a sizzling hot plate.<br/><br/>The place also does very reasonable lunch deals so is nice to come to for a cocktail on your day off. All in all, Desperados is a fun, relaxed Mexican restaurant where you are guaranteed nice food in a light hearted environment.
Hannah Beauchamp
I booked a table for dinner as part of my sister's hen party six weeks in advance. We were eating at 6.30pm and I arrived ten minutes early and the restaurant was understandably empty...but they wouldn't show me to my table "until the full party has arrived". What?? So we all had to loiter. Fortunately on the third time of asking, after fifteen minutes of hovering, I managed to get them to seat us before my sister showed up, but it wasn't the smooth start to the evening I'd envisaged. The staff were rude and unhelpful, and the food wasn't good. I really wish we'd gone somewhere else.
Vishal Bagaria
One of the places with perhaps the best Long Island Iced Tea in Angel, Desperados has the environment and ambiance of a proper Mexican joint in London. My friends ordered for a mixed grill and were all praises for the massive portion at the price. I had the same opinion about my Taco platter. It is a definite go for anyone in London, IMO. <br/><br/>PS: Take a loo break, you'll be in for an adult surprise!
Shiv@nee
Happened to spot this mexican restaurant while in search of some other restaurant that seemed to have been shut down in.We were quite hungry so thought of stopping at Desperados as were had heard good reviews for this place.The service was good and so was the food.I liked taco corn shells and quesadillas..did not try much from the main course.
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