El Cartel

I did not have reservations but they were able to fit me in with a couple in about 20 minutes. The couple I shared a table with offered me one of their Bombers and it stole the show over everything I had ordered. I like the creativity of the food and cocktail menus. I was surprised that the taco shells were soft, I wouldn’t have minded a slight crunch texture with them having been grilled slightly but overall they were good. The frijoles were sweet somehow which which wasn’t ideal but the cheese on top and crispy chips made up for it. The cocktail was a nice change and everything was reasonably priced. So nice to have decent creative, Mexican fare in Edinburgh which is severely lacking where ai live in England.

Lovely food and kind staff. I loved the guacamole the most, although all tacos were lovely, specially the beef tongue one. Tacos comes two and quesadillas comes three, perfect for sharing! The only reason I don’t give them 5 stars is because we needed to pop twice the same day to be able to book a table, and then we needed to wait over half an hour for it to be ready.

Good Mexican food is hard to come by in the UK, but I feel lucky to have found this place. These are Def fancier and slightly hipster-ized tacos, but they are well worth the £. Their special taco sauce which is in a small bowl on each of their tables is particularly memorable and keeps me coming back. Their appetizers are especially amazing -- I would highly recommend their guacamole and street corn. And let's not forget their margaritas -- they have more traditional flavours as well as a daily flavour. Last time we were in I had their coconut margarita and it was delicious and refreshing.

Bloody marvellous place, real small and intimate. Food was really special. Staff were lovely and helpful. It was mobbed when we went and had to wait 1hr 20 mins which was a small bummer...... However, you give 'em your mobile number and name and they'll call you when you're table is ready..... This means that in the meantime you can hit a few of the neighbouring bars. Problem solved. OH! And don't forget the frozen Margherita's.... Awesomeness in a salt rimmed glass! Will be back!

What can I say I liked the food so much I went again. It's small so it can get pretty busy but it's well worth the wait. The food is just so delicious and the frozen margaritas are a bit too easy to drink. The lady was kind enough to warn others certain dishes can be spicy and which ones are popular. The steak was so tender, actually all the meats were very tender but so tasty. One of my favourite meals in Edinburgh. Ribs were quite a big portion the sauce was tasty not so spicy it made it hard to eat. The beef was sublime and the ox tongue was wonderful with its crispy outside with soft middle. Enjoy people.

Our curiosity was raised some time ago when we tried to get in here for dinner but had over an hour wait for a table. “This must be good!” we speculated. So, today, we came at lunch time just after they opened and got a seat (people were in already). The verdict? Indeed this was very good Mexican street food served with the intent of having more than one dish. As we were a couple, four dishes are recommended to share but for a light lunch we got less. Everything was prepared to order and served immediately when ready. The guacamole with plantain chips was absolutely excellent. And if you’re into spicy sauces then there is a good choice which will have a great flavour as well as knock the wimp out of you. I did find the music a little off my comfort zone and perhaps not for the ears of the more sensitive, but it did not put us off the experience. We most definitely will be back here, or even the new one planned to be open soon at Bristo Square, to have our taste buds tantalised, and likely with a wee tequila to go along.

I spend a lot of time in Texas eating TexMex and this is great food. Authentic enough to capture the favors of this type of food but different enough to make really speical to this city. Its really a blend of TexMex, Mexican, and South American flavors. You cant order anything wrong here. Can fill up but will take your name and number and will call you when a place of free. Takes cards. ... the music is not authentic...