Lupes Cantina Mexicana in Leeds

Went for a friends birthday on Saturday evening. Table was booked for 7:30 and we was not seated until 8:20. Our food was served at different times, 2 of us ate about 30/40 minutes after everyone else had finished food and one meal was forgotten about and cooked last minute afterwards. The food was not great either. It’s understandable the staff were understaffed and extremely busy but there was no accountability or explanation for the poor service. When the bill came we questioned this, and they knocked four beers on the bill (there was 8 of us).

Lovely food. Gluten free food good. They were a bit short on the phone when asking about cross contamination, but in restaurant they were fine & super helpful saying what was safe and not for coeliacs. Would go back

We're an awkward couple, I am vegan and my partner is gluten free. We both are really well here and were really impressed! Thank you so much to the staff who were lovely, attentive and very helpful.

Best Mexican place , we travel from Sheffield To go to this place because is the best

Excellent food full of passion cooked by a very talented chef. Update: Still amazing! One of my favourite restaurants.

We visited Lupe's for our anniversary meal and were absolutely delighted with the experience. The staff were incredibly attentive, ensuring we were well cared for from start to finish. The highlight was the 'Camarones Al Diablo', recommended by our server—the prawns were perfectly cooked with a deliciously spicy sauce. We couldn't have chosen a better place to celebrate, and we'll definitely be returning to Lupe's soon!

Lovely meal at Lupes- staff were very attentive and meals came out super fast and hot. Really enjoyed the steak and the enchiladas : )

Delicious food, great value and amazing atmosphere. The locally brewed Mexican style beer was a great addition. You have to book ahead as the space is quite small and well known to locals. For the best experience book about 3 taco/enchilada/street food dishes between 2 as you’ll want to try everything. For vegetarians I’d highly recommend the mushroom enchiladas.

Unfortunately, Lupe's Cantina not only failed to live up to the expectations from its glowing reviews, but the expectations were shattered. On a positive note, though, the atmosphere was vibrant and inviting, and the food was reasonably priced in most cases. The menu offered a variety on paper, but in reality we found a majority of the dishes had a consistent lack of something special; go here for pleasant food, not to be blown away. The most significant impact on our experience was the service. Our table was not ready when we arrived at the time offered to us - understandable on a busy evening, but made no better by failure to get any service while we sat at the bar for more than fifteen minutes. Our drinks were forgotten; then the drinks delivered were wrong, and then finally, one hour into our visit, we received the correct drinks (thankfully, they were brilliant). When we needed to clarify what food had been delivered to us, our server helped greatly with their response of, "I'm not sure". To finish our evening, we were presented the bill without requesting it, immediately after we finished our mains - not after ten minutes, not after dessert was offered as it was for another table who finished after us, but immediately after we stopped eating. I hope our experience was unique, but I can safely say that even on food itself, Lupe's Cantina was lacking.

Great little Mexican cantina. Nice variety of food and it was all tasty and very reasonably priced. Great selection of cocktails, the margaritas are awesome.

The food is really delicious, authentic and flavoursome! My ultimate favourite is the homemade tortilla chips (which come out warm) with the dips and guac. Thank you for being on my doorstep, I will be back 🇲🇽💚

The food was excellent. Enjoyable lunch.

What an amazing find! Any reviews that give less than 5 stars just cannot be right. The food is some of the best Mexican cuisine I've had in the UK, with the most important dishes (especially the guac) being absolutely world class. It really does feel like a diamond in the rough, punching way above its weight when it comes to the menu. Do yourselves a favor and order the Mezcal Margherita, and the grilled pepper guac. You cannot go wrong! Prices were very reasonable, especially the tacos and the cocktails.

Amazing food - would recommend the grilled prawns, the lamb and mash potato main and the cakes!

The best Mexican food ever !!!! I live for the sea bass and mushrooms Diablo

Really nice place. Family run, authentic Mexican food and a relaxed welcoming vibe.

This was the best Mexican restaurant we have ever visited. It's a wonderful family run business that provides an incredible authentic Mexican experience. The sopa Azteca was perfect, and the tacos were just amazing. So happy we chose this restaurant for lunch. We will be back soon. Muchas gracias.

The obvious joy and passion put into the food is absolutely incomparable to any restaurant I’ve been to. All dishes are authentic beautiful works of art. I hope the chef is as proud as I am when I take friends there over and over again. The service is always wonderfully welcoming too. Recommend -The Chipotle Prawns(dream about them), Chicken Flautss, Cactus Salad, Pork tacos and their homemade dips.

An excellent, authentic Mexican restaurant with great range of freshly-cooked food, friendly attentive servers and offering good value for money. My first visit but I hope to be back. Good selection of vegetarian/vegan options.

The food is always so so good here! Absolutely have to order the cactus salad and the championes diablo!! Warning to book in advance as its often booked up due to popularity though! :)

I am reluctant to leave a review because I do not want this amazing place to get so busy I can not get in. Despite not booking on a Saturday night (I know stupid of me), they were accomdating and let us eat at the bar. The service was impeccable and the food even better. We can not wait to go back.

Tansy and Libby and the whole team did a great job in making our visit enjoyable and fun. The food was excellent with a great choice. Very authentic experience which we hope to repeat v soon when we’re next in Leeds.

Disappointed. Good vibe and very busy, with a cracking marg… However, tortilla chips aren’t fresh, but managed to be worse than bagged ones too… Was also disappointed to find 50% of guacamole portion is just lettuce at the bottom, clearly trying to cut costs here - why not price it up or give us a smaller bowl? Don’t lie guys! Generally food was quite nice, personally can’t hack spice & was disappointed to find NONE of the salsa’s cater for the ‘white’ palate - but fair enough for keeping the heat! Lots of (student) staff, could be charming, could be annoying when they try to clear half eaten plates without your consent. *Al fresco dining isn’t possible because of “health & safety” - something unique to their licence. Think they said it was dangerous if it rained? In summary, disappointed as it’s average but it’s plastered over Instagram.

greta authentic mexican in hyde park

This is by the far the best Mexican I have ever eaten! Quirky place with great music - feels like being on holiday. Really helpful staff and they catered well for gluten and lactose free restrictions. The food was absolutely delicious! We cannot wait to go back

Let's start with the food was amazing the staff were friendly and helpful they found us a table even when we turned up without a booking on a very busy night. This place is well worth a visit we all had tasty food and the bill was very reasonable

Great place, highly recommend the haddock tacos

The absolute best Mexican I’ve ever been to. And I’d go as far as saying the best food I’ve ever eaten out. A delight to be here. Will probably come here regular. Book a table though. Plenty people turner away.

Brilliant Mexican restaurant in student area of Leeds. We had rib eye steak which was absolutely amazing , well cooked and good quality. A load of tacos , enchiladas Quality and quirky gaff!!

Cute little place, good customer service and amazing fish tacos

Have been meaning to come here for months and it lived up to, if not exceeded, expectations! Firstly the food: between two of us, we started with the tortilla chips and salsas which were gorgeous. I particularly liked the green salsa, to the point where we ordered an extra pot of it to have our mains with. The tortilla chips were authentic and so much nicer than store bought. We then got the tacos ensenada (fish tacos), tacos vegetarianos (veggie tacos) and enchiladas de championoñes (mushroom enchiladas) to share between us. All were beautiful, but I’d say the veggie tacos and mushroom enchiladas were probably tastier, although you did get more in the fish tacos than the veggie tacos. We really enjoyed all the dishes and they left us feeling full at the end. Drinks-wise, I had the Mangorita and Lupe’s Spicy Marg cocktails and I absolutely loved both but would recommend the Mangorita the most, it was like a mango smoothie with a kick of tequila! We were also impressed with the prices, particularly because we normally eat and drink in the city centre where it is generally pricier. I thought £7.50 for the cocktails given how nice they were was quite reasonable, and my boyfriend had a large glass of wine for about £6. The food is also really reasonable. Overall really impressed and absolutely will be coming back!

Unique ambience, one could be sitting in a restaurant in Mexico. The menu was well curated and not just Tacos and burritos. We had Cactus fir the first time in the Cactus Salad, the salsa was fresh and nachos were home made. The enchiladas, Flautas, Sopes Ranchero were all delicious. The desserts were to die for - Mexican flan and Pastel de Tres leches. Though not located in any commercial area, it's worth driving down to. It's busy, so make sure you've made a reservation!

We love it at Lupe’s, we’ve been coming for a few years and are always left wondering why we don’t come more often Interior is fun and rustic, and I read that the owner built the bar by hand which is super cool! Staff are always very friendly and attentive even when it gets busy (which it frequently is!!) Everything we’ve tried has been delicious but our favourite by far is the Smokey rich beef enchiladas which are to die for. The cocktails are also amazing especially the spicy margs!

Food is very good, tacos are the best I have ever had.

Good food, good friendly service, fair prices and a great atmosphere

First time visiting here. Fabulous food and lovely service. The food had a kick so don’t visit if you don’t like some spice. Lots of variety in the dishes. Can’t wait to come back.

Best authentic Mexican in the UK!

I have always lived in Leeds but not been to Lupe's but was blown away! Every dish was unique and different to the last, little Mexican 'tapas' type dishes which were presented beautifully. A lot of thought has obviously gone into the menu and it works so well. The staff were attentive and there is a huge drinks choice. We will be back soon!

It was so nice to have authentic tacos in Leeds! This place is a MUST

very lively atmosphere. busy, but cosy. cool interior design. food varied from okay to great. we got the calamari special which was delicious and cooked to perfection. the al pastor tacos and enchiladas were alright- not as flavoursome as hoped. the mangorita cocktail was delicious ! furthermore, the staff were friendly (though clearly stressed).

This is indeed authentic Mexican food. Great tacos (Al pastor, de carne, de cabeza), cactus salad, ceviche. Try it once and you'll never go to Taco Bell.

Portions were not small! So delicious and the cocktails were absolutely stunning. Will deffo be back very soon, food was so so tasty and reasonably priced with a fair few vegan options

Brilliant and very authentic Mexican restaurant. Very good value for money. Outdoor and indoor seating

Love this place. Feels like somewhere youve stumbled across but so has everyone else because it's so good. V relaxed vibe and great fresh flavours

Sat outside on a rare sunny evening. The food was delicious and authentic. Plenty of choice available and all made by people who care. Can't wait to visit Leeds again so we can have more tacos.

Real authentic Mexican food. It’s a hidden gem in leeds very reasonably priced and the mangorita is fab. If you aren’t a fan of frozen cocktails I would ask for a margarita on the rocks which the staff are happy to accommodate for. The prawns are absolutely delicious and the fresh guacamole with chips is amazing with the extensive cocktail menu. Many Mexican beers are also served. A real, genuine restaurant with good atmosphere. A place you don’t get many of nowadays. My new favourite restaurant in Leeds for birthdays and just a good meal. Will be returning again Thanks guys!

Delicious food but minuscule portions. Order accordingly.

Had a fantastic evening for our first experience at Lupes! The restaurant was buzzing, and its’ standard was easily evident by the popularity. The mango margaritas were delicious as was the food, the only pointer being some portions may be smaller than anticipated - but easily fixed by ordering some tortillas chips and dips on the side ! Overall such a lovely meal, the staff were ever so friendly and definitely recommend

Small portions and had a funny taste.

REAL homemade Mexican food highly recommended 👌

Great almost hidden gem in Hyde park that's well worth a visit. The food was really tasty and the service friendly. I would suggest going big on the ordering though as we ordered a couple more dishes later on, although I like that style of eating anyway, grazing whilst enjoying cocktails, what's not to love

Outstanding food and drinks! If you go with 1 other person you can have a decent round of drinks, several meals, leave feeling very full and for a reasonable price. The lager-rita is a great drink! Tacos were excellent. Definitely worth a trip.

Fantastic proper Mexican food at great prices

Visited the restaurant twice now and both times have been brought wrong and more expensive items than we had ordered. This time we were overcharged by £7 on our bill for no reason and this wasn’t noticed until we returned home so we are unable to get the money back - wonder if they are purposely overcharging people

Sauce overwhelmed rest of my dish. Great atmosphere and service

Delicious food, friendly staff and great price, definitely recommend

I was looking forward to dining at this Mexican restaurant but left disappointed. Rude, racist service. The older waitress clearly favored white customers, greeting them with smiles and prompt service, while completely ignoring us. We weren't even given menus and had to watch as a white couple who came in after us was seated and served first. However, there was a silver lining in the form of a younger waitress who was friendly and welcoming, making a small part of our experience positive.The food was just okay, with portions that left much to be desired, especially for the price. Honestly, I've found Taco Bell to be a better value. This experience was a letdown, particularly because dining out should be enjoyable for everyone, regardless of background. Every customer deserves to feel valued.

Excellent authentic Mexican Cantina with a relaxed atmosphere and delicious food with a great selection to chose from. Will definitely be returning!

As a Mexican I have to say this place it is so authentic ! The flavours brings me so much joy because it transports me to Mexico itself. My partner and I enjoyed the tacos and cochinita and agua de Jamaica so delicious! I can’t wait to go back and try the rest of the menu! Oh btw nailed it with the flan napolitano.

The food here is amazing!! The atmosphere, drinks and everything was perfect!!! Dave was so lovely and attentive… a credit to the business!! Thank you

Fablus, authentic, home made, Mexican food with excellent service, who could want more!!

The food is good but portions are small.

Lovely little place, feels authentic and brilliant service, very warm and welcoming!

Very nice, intimate little venue. Service was perfectly timed from drinks to food orders. The food we all chose looked and tasted the part. I can't fault anything and can't wait to return

I’m originally from Spain and I can confidently say this meal was one of the best I’ve had since moving here. It’s so nice to have fish so nicely cooked , the seabass was definitely a highlight. Will be coming again soon!

The staff are very friendly and helpful. Would go again 👍.

Fantastic and kind staff will definitely visit again next time I'm in Leeds

They are amazing! We've had the Al Pastor. Which I completely love. We've had the enchiladas mole negra and verde, the guacamole l, chipsbanr red and green salsas, homemade. Oh and something even I can't always find back home, cake of the tree leches! If you haven't had it before you have to try it:) Amazing! I'll be coming back for sure. I'm used to mexican food in California and this place could easily fit in among them. Give yourself a treat and go there straight away!:)

When for dinner in Summer and the place was the vibe. Nice meals that have a home cooked kinda taste. Would recommend. Service was a little slow.

Was visiting family in Leeds and wanted to go somewhere for Mexican food as it had been a while since we’d had any. Wanted to visit here after hearing good things. I emailed the address on the website to book a table and received no response. I also messaged the Facebook page and and received no response. As it wasn’t far we just tried on the off chance and thankfully got a table as someone was just leaving, but it was slightly annoying that nobody ever got back to us (and still hasn’t to this day). So I would recommend ringing them direct if you want to book as they don’t reply to messages / emails (in our experience anyway). With all that being said, we had a great meal. Nachos and guac to start with the accompanying sauces, then some amazing prawns and fish tacos as well as tasty drinks. Very friendly staff and authentic Mexican food and drinks. Definitely recommend.

This place is great! Love the decor and the atmosphere. Great vibe

Attended with family. Ordered vegetarian options. Food & service was great. Highly recommended. Will definitely go again. Seating was a bit tight.

First time here and sooooooooo impressed. Great atmosphere and the food was absolutely delicious. Highly recommend can’t wait to bring the kids.

Really good Mexican restaurant. Have been a couple of times now, and both times have been excellent. The food is delicious, and really reasonably priced too. Staff are very welcoming, friendly and attentive and they accommodated us at short notice on valentine's day which was brilliant. There is a lot of choice for places to eat in this part of Leeds, but this is well worth a visit. Would very highly recommend! Parking options are limited, as it's in the yard of a builders merchant.

The waitress was very nice and the food is good.

Great little place. Lovely vibe and great food!

What a lovely little place. Food amazing, in fact best Mexican food I’ve had in a long time. Very authentic. Lovely staff too. Will definitely come back and don’t know why it took me so long to come in the first place.

Gorgeous food and drink and lovely attentive staff

We had a really great evening at Lupes! As soon as you walk in, the atmosphere hits you around the face. The colours interior, the bustling kitchen and bar, the busy seats! We arrived a little bit early so were shown to the bar where we ordered the cocktail specials and they went down a treat. We ordered a couple more throughout the night. All of the staff were very attentive and friendly! We ordered most of the vegetarian options plus the fish tacos and the prawns. The prawns were quite possibly the best I’d ever had! We ordered another plate of them, so incredible! Thanks for a great evening Lupe’s, we were so happy that we impressed our mates from London with our Leeds food!

We went for a wellbeing lunch as a team. We had a lovely time. I adore the decor.

Arguably the best place in Leeds for authentic Mexican food. There's a wide selection of dishes, which on the whole are flavoursome and reasonably priced (the cactus salad is a personal favourite). There's also a great selection of drinks (Mexican and local beers, cocktails etc.). Great atmosphere and on the whole decent service.

The food is absolutely the best with authentic flavors. Highly recommend!

Great food, lovely atmosphere, friendly service! First time trying cactus (in their 'cactus salad'). Loved it! Definitely a must visit. Will be back in the future.

I cant change my previous review!!! Still....... I can honestly say that the food here is the best I've had outside of Mexico and definitely in the UK! The authenticity and Love that has gone into the food here is Fantastic!!! We will return again and again no doubt!!! Keep up the good work!!! Support our local businesses people and show them Love back!!! XXX

Hands down the best Mexican food I’ve had in the UK. I’m from Los Angeles and Mexican/American, so I’d consider myself an expert on Mexican food 😉😜. I’ve been told of several other restaurants that had authentic Mexican food, which I’ve gone to, and sadly, I’ve left disappointed. So, of course, I was skeptical about trying this spot, but I’m so glad I was persuaded to check it out. The staff was fantastic, and the chef/owner is from Veracruz, Mexico, and one of the assistants was from Guadalajara, Mexico. Same areas my parents are from. I didn’t get the chance to take photos of my food, but I had a carne asada taco, a fish taco, and an al pastor taco. The favorite was the pastor taco, but all were very good. We also had some guacamole and queso fundido, which were good as well. The prices were just right for the quality of the food and flavor. If you ever find yourself in Leeds, I highly recommend this place if you want real authentic Mexican food. La comida era muy buena, el personal era muy amable y el ambiente era perfecto. Si alguna vez te encuentras en Leeds, asegúrate de pasar para comer unos tacos y tomar una margarita. Muchas gracias por la hospitalidad y buena suerte en el futuro. Hasta la próxima.

Saludos al Cheff y todo su equipo muy amables

Had a lovely meal here before going to a gig at the Brudenell. Service was great from the young staff and the food was tasty and plentiful. Will be back.

So glad I saw this place on maps when I was looking for something to eat on a trip to Leeds, all the food was DELICIOUS, the staff were friendly and I have also discovered a new ska band to listen to from the music that was being played while I was there! Prices were reasonable too. Plenty of vegetarian options, I had the smoked pepper guacamole, veggie enchiladas and a flan for dessert.

Sorry to say that this place serves food that is both overpriced and under seasoned. Disappointing to say the least.

Wow hidden gem! My husband and I drove past this place last year and immediately googled it, we managed secure child care (so we could enjoy our meal in peace) and picked a date to visit. We were not disappointed, it was worth the wait, the food is incredible! Flavourful, heart warming, food dance inducing food. Everything we ordered was delicious and we cannot wait to go back! The service was great and the atmosphere/decor was really lovely too. Next time I will be sampling more off the drinks menu as the Mangorita I had was one of the nicest cocktails I've ever had 😍 Keep it up guys, you have something really special. I'm still dreaming about the Sopa Azteca and guacamole 🤤

One of the best mexican restaurant I have try in englad! Lovely food good price cheff mexican definitely 100% recomendable if you live on the area you need try I recomend to book in first because always its busy! Thanks again for the good time we had here! I have not pictures because food was too nice to think on pictures! I just eat the plate before think on the picture!

Had a lovely meal and will definitely be back, dishes came really quickly and there were a great selection of drinks. Variety of vegetarian options could be improved but loved the bean tacos!

Not been here since before lockdown so I was really looking forward to trying Lupes again. We shared a delicious guacamole and tortillas and some absolutely gorgeous king prawns in a spicy sauce (camarones al Diablo) The flautas and battered haddock tacos were fantastic, not so keen on the cheese fundido which quickly solidified as it cooled. Overall, great food and service and excellent value.

The food was nice, a good "Mexican" experience in Leeds. I would recommend providing corn tortillas instead of wheat. We tried the nachos and they were really good 👍 The team is excellent 👌

Overall we loved the flavours and the place. Enjoyed the smaller dishes more than the main dishes, we found that the tortilla went soggy and broke up which we didn't enjoy.

Food was great will definitely go back

More flavourful and finesse than a lot of Mexican places but still room for improvement (though I am no connoisseur of Mexican food). Nice to have North beer on tap. Quite busy for a late Saturday lunch.

Great ambiance and decor inside. True to a the whole Mexican theme of the place. Had the steak tacos and enchiladas. Great taste, had a nice spicy kick to it. Would definitely go back to try their seafood options and explore more on their menu. Recommended for sure!

Food fantastic. Lots of choice and good portions. Staff very friendly and helpful. Seating inside and out, and not squashed into small spaces. Parking only on the roads nearby but that's the only drawback. Would love to go again

Went in without a reservation on a busy Friday night but they found me a space. Glad they did! Great food, friendly service, good atmosphere and good tunes in the background. The prawns in chipotle sauce were so good. Not a huge portion but I'll take quality over quantity anytime. If I'm in the area again would definitely revisit.