If you're walking into Frida Camden for the first time, the menu can read as a wall of unfamiliar Spanish — fajitas, albóndigas, chilaquiles, mole, pozole, al pastor, more. We get that. The kitchen has put together a shortlist for first-time visitors over the years, refined every six months or so, and these are the five that have survived every cut. Order at least two between you. Order all five if you came hungry.
1. Sizzling chicken fajitas
The most-ordered dish on the menu since opening night in 2011, and the one we're proudest of. Chicken thigh — never breast, which dries out — marinated overnight in lime juice, smashed garlic, dried chillies and smoked paprika. Cooked hard on a cast-iron skillet with sliced peppers and red onion until everything carries a charred edge. Brought to the table still sizzling, with the smoke half-rising off the pan.
The skillet comes with warm flour tortillas, sour cream, our hand-mashed guacamole and pico de gallo. You build each taco yourself: tortilla, chicken, peppers, a spoon of guacamole, a little salsa, a small line of sour cream. Don't overload — the joy is in the smoke and the lime, not in stuffing the wrap. Two or three bites per taco is the right ratio.
2. Classic nachos with everything
Nachos are a Tex-Mex invention, not a Mexican one — they trace back to a kitchen in Piedras Negras, on the Mexican side of the border, in 1943. We treat them as the snack they were designed to be: shareable, generous, built for a long conversation rather than a quick course.
The "with everything" plate is a single round of homemade tortilla chips topped with melted Monterey Jack, our slow-cooked chilli con carne, jalapeño slices, a spoon of guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo. The chips go down the middle so you can pull from any angle without breaking the cheese pull. They're the most-ordered starter on the menu, and the closest thing we have to a sharing dish that needs no negotiation about toppings.
3. Albóndigas in smoked tomato sauce
Mexican meatballs, but in a sauce that does most of the work. We hand-roll a beef-and-pork mix with garlic, onion, cumin and a small amount of stale breadcrumb (no egg — the meat needs to do the binding). The albóndigas go into a chipotle-smoked tomato sauce that has been simmered down for two hours and tastes nothing like an Italian arrabbiata.
The sauce is the part the kitchen is quietly proud of — a few drops of mezcal at the end, the smoke from chipotle in adobo, slow-cooked sweetness from caramelised onion. We serve the dish with rice, black beans cooked with epazote, and a warm bolillo roll. The roll is for sopping up the sauce, and that part is non-negotiable.
4. The house margarita
If you order one drink, this is the one. Fifty millilitres of 100% blue agave blanco tequila, twenty-five of fresh lime juice, twenty of Cointreau, ten of agave syrup, shaken hard for twelve seconds and served on the rocks with a half-rim of sea salt. The whole drink takes two minutes from order to glass.
It pairs particularly well with the fajitas (the smoke softens the lime), the nachos (the salt rim balances the cheese), and the churros (the sweet meets the tart). We've written the full story behind the recipe and the technique if you want the deep dive. For most first-time visitors, the right thing is to order one and let the bartender talk you through the rest of the bar.
"The right first order at Frida is two of these dishes between two of you. Three if you're hungry. All five if you came to celebrate."
5. Churros with chocolate
The dessert that closes the meal. Churros are deep-fried dough — choux paste, more or less — extruded into long ridged sticks, fried until golden, dusted with cinnamon sugar, and served hot. They're a Spanish import that Mexico took, made smaller and sharper, and never gave back.
The chocolate is the half that matters most. Mexican drinking chocolate — thick, dark, slightly grainy with crushed cocoa nibs and cinnamon — served in a small mug for dipping. The chocolate's the difference between a churro that's just fried dough and one that's a proper end to a Mexican meal. Eat them while they're still hot enough to soften the chocolate slightly.
How to order if you're new
The shortest version: if you're two people, order the fajitas and the nachos to share, plus the churros at the end and a margarita each. That's the first-visit menu in three lines. Total time at the table: about ninety minutes.
If you're four people, add the albóndigas and a portion of guacamole-and-salsa to start. Five people, add a round of mezcal flights at the bar before sitting down — that's where our other long writing on the bar lives, in the mezcal piece.
If you mention to your server that it's your first visit, the chef will usually come out to say hello. Not always — Friday nights are too busy — but often enough that it's worth saying.
What we've cut from the shortlist (and why)
This list has been five dishes for a long time, but the five have changed. Here's what's been on the shortlist and what's not anymore.
Tacos al pastor — still on the menu, still excellent, still ordered constantly. Cut from the first-visit shortlist because al pastor is hard to get right outside of Mexico (the spit-roasted pork, the pineapple, the specific marinade) and we'd rather you taste a dish where we have full control over every variable.
Pozole — the slow-cooked hominy stew that is one of the great Mexican dishes. Off the everyday menu and on for special weeks (Día de los Muertos, Christmas). On the shortlist when it's available; off when it isn't.
Mole poblano — eight hours to make and one of the most distinctive sauces in the country. We've written about it in detail. Off the first-visit list because mole is an acquired taste — the chocolate-and-chilli combination throws first-timers — but absolutely on the second-visit shortlist.
For the truly curious, this is the on-ramp rather than the destination. Mexican cuisine is among the most varied in the world — UNESCO recognised it as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010, alongside French gastronomy and the Mediterranean diet. The five-dish first-visit shortlist is just the entrance hall. The full menu — al pastor, mole poblano, pozole when in season, ceviches, half a dozen enchilada variations, three different mole-sauced plates depending on the week — is where the kitchen's real depth lives. Think of the first visit as the introduction. The second is where you stop ordering by signature and start ordering by curiosity.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I order for two people?
Two of the five dishes is the right amount for two people, plus a starter to share if you're hungry. The most popular two-dish combination is fajitas plus nachos. Add the churros at the end and a margarita each.
Are these the only signature dishes you serve?
No — these are the five we've narrowed down for first-time visitors specifically. The full menu has another twenty-plus dishes (tacos al pastor, mole poblano, pozole when in season, several enchilada variations, ceviches, soups, ribs and a chilli con carne plate). The shortlist is the on-ramp; the full menu is where regulars live.
Are any of these vegetarian?
The nachos can be made vegetarian (no chilli con carne, extra cheese and beans) and the churros are naturally meat-free. The fajitas come in a halloumi version on request. For a fully vegetarian first-visit shortlist, swap the fajitas for the halloumi version and the albóndigas for the avocado-and-halloumi salad on the starters menu.
Can I see the chef on a first visit?
Often, yes. If you mention to your server that it's your first time, the kitchen will usually send the chef out to say hello during the meal. Friday and Saturday evenings are too busy for this most weeks; Tuesday through Thursday is more reliable.
Do you do takeaway?
Yes — most of the menu is on takeaway via the usual delivery platforms and direct collection. The fajitas don't travel well (the skillet is half the dish) but the nachos, albóndigas, churros and most other items hold up. The house margarita is dine-in only.
Save your table
Frida Camden, 40 Camden High Street, London NW1 0JH. Between Mornington Crescent and Camden Town tube. Open Sun–Thu 10:30–22:00 (last food orders 21:30), Fri–Sat 10:00–23:00 (last food orders 22:30). Book a table online or call us on +44 207 383 3733.
