El Cartel in Edinburgh

I went in with high expectations given the young crowd and upbeat nature of the restaurant but was sadly let down by the drinks and certain items on the menu. The drinks were perfectly fine priced (Tommy marg and the base marg) but their size was laughable and our group decided not to order additional drinks given their diminutive size. The Tommy version was drinkable but I ordered the normal version just to try it and I like 75% of it in the glass as was absurdly sour and undrinkable. The food prices for tacos were actually very reasonable and the tacos were very well filled with meat and veg. I applaud their ambitious filling of the tacos but the flavors were very muted relative to real mexican food or comparable restaurants in the states. The quesadilla was also drenched in sauce so the fact it was seared and crispy was washed away under a bath of watery pico and other toppings. Overall I would suggest more aggressive seasoning and making the guac fresh as you could tell it sat in a fridge for several hours and was bland. The service was good and the ambience is actually great as it is very lively. Overall not a negative experience but I would expect much better flavors and margs from a mexican/taco restaurant.

Yummy tapas!! A quirky place with some unique selection of Tapas. We had Taco de Hongos, Taco de Habas, Guacamole National. All of these were quite good. Staff was friendly as well.

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.

Legit delicious Mexican food, like I have never had before! The unique flavours were out of this world, and the homemade tortillas were very appreciated.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This relatively new place was terrific! 7 quid for two tacos so it can't be considered as too cheap but it's bloody delicious! Staff are friendly, the extra sauces at the table are nice too! The whole place feels young and vibrant. Top notch place, will be back

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...