Fantastic Mexican street food place with great drinks and really friendly staff. Small restaurant so you'll have to wait for a table in the bar across the street but the wait is worth it. Highly recommend!
Awesome margaritas and delicious food. Great atmosphere, and really helpful and friendly staff. Only problem is that it's popular and doesn't take bookings, so you may have to wait a while for a table, or may not get one at all.
Two pairs of tacos swooped onto the table next. "Baja cod" featured crisply battered fish fillets, sitting on top of a crunchy pomegranate infused salad, dressed with smoky/spicy chipotle-spiked creamy sauce, all encased in moist, soft taco shells that possessed the subtle piquancy of lime-soaked corn. Equally delicious were their beefy counterparts - "Carne Asada" the same lovely taco shells but this time surrounding flash-fried, succulent strips of flat iron steak (an underused cut in my opinion) combined with a complimentary mix of chunks of avocado and roast cherry tomato, given a real kick by subtly fiery salsa featuring arbol chilies. Literally mouth watering.
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Tacos are my favourite food and El Cartel is my favourite place to get them in Edinburgh! It's a small restaurant which means it's quite difficult to get a table but as long as you don't mind waiting, you can grab a drink in the adjacent bar and the staff will let you know when you're table is ready.
The setting is very intimate, but because it's so busy there is always a great atmosphere. The staff are very chilled and extremely friendly.
I have been here a couple of times and I've enjoyed it more with every visit. On my last visit, my mum and I popped in for lunch and took what felt like an exceptionally long time to decide what to order!Eventually, after help from the waitress, we decided on the avocado tacos, carne asada tacos, street corn and frijoles. Everything comes when ready and everything was delicious! The tacos especially were a taste sensation. All items had a kick but they were nice and spicy rather than overly spicy.
If you're looking for authentic corn tacos you will not be disappointed by El Cartel - the cocktails are also yummy!
I love that El Cartel doesn't serve 'typical' Mexican fare - instead you'll find Mexican street food with a modern, gourmet twist. The portions are small, tapas-style, and ordering multiple dishes is the best way to sample the innovative offerings.
My favourites are the ranchero taco (fried avocado, scrambled egg, guajillo chile, and sheep's milk cheese), the guacamole – topped with pomegranate seeds and sheep’s milk cheese, served alongside crispy plantain chips, and the corn slathered in cream and spiced cheese. The uniquely flavoured frozen margaritas are fantastic as well!
Went here last night with my friends who were visiting from Bristol. I was so impressed! We tried a good selection off the menu with the help of the really friendly staff. All the dishes we tried were incredible- really fresh ingredients with a good kick to a lot of them aswell. The frozen paloma was also amazing! I'd definitely go here again and recommend to anyone who love Mexican food. It's so easy to do wrong but El Cartel hits the nail on the head. I'll be dreaming about those tacos for a while 😜
This is such a great restaurant, especially if you're needing a break from shopping. The portions are small , so that you can have more off the menu, and are perfect for sharing. I had the duck tacos - which come in soft shells, and my friend had the lamb ones (speciality of the day). I'm not good with spice, and found them to be a little spicey, but the combination of flavours were great, and I loved the pumpkin seeds. We then shared the quesadillas, which were equally tastey.
The restaurant has a really cool feel to it, with some ace decorative skulls, and all the staff were friendly and quick to recommend dishes.
I'll have to come back with an empty stomach so I can taste more that they have on offer, and try the frozen margaritas!
This is exactly the type of Mexican dining Edinburgh has been screaming out for! Gone are your sour cream and refried bean mound of slop, and in comes the delicious fresh tacos and amazing sides. And who doesn't like frozen margaritas?! Will be frequently visiting here to eat allllllll the tacos
I have been wanting to go here for a long time, and I really wasn't disappointed. It a Mexican that serves Mexican street food, the dishes are quite small so you are told to order a few dishes and share them, like tapas. The food was so nice we has 5 dishes, I had the quesadillas which were really yummy and then the pumpkin tacos which were really good. My friend got chicken wings and ribs and we shared some red rice, which was great. We also had a frozen margarita each, I had a mango one and my friend had a white peach one, which was really tasty. The food was so tasty and the service was great. I was quite surprised how small the restaurant was. It wasn't overly expensive. I will definitely be going back!!
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As part of the Bon Vivant group I expected the food at El Cartel to be good and thankfully wasn't disappointed.
Had some tasty sweet potato and chorizo quesadillas; pork tacos; duck tacos (I think it was this that was particularly fiery) and delicious cod tacos with light and crisp battler. Had all three of the accompaniments too, including a beautiful slaw, though I wasn't crazy about the flavour of the "drunken beans." Had a scoop each of chocolate chilli and rich pudding (more like hot cross buns or something) ice cream to finish: tasty and with an interesting, almost chewy texture, though at £3 each feels a little steep.
All washed down with a tasty frozen margaritas (I had a rhubarb one) that are churned in machines - grown up slush puppies (I'm not really a tequila fan but when in Rome...)!
Everything comes out as and when it's ready with friendly service and, while they don't take reservations, I heard the staff suggest having a drink across the street (in Bon Vivant, of course) and they will get you when a table becomes ready which is a nice touch.
With colourful tiles and knick knacks and a corrugated iron ceiling (and slightly creepy dolls to mark ladies' and gents' toilets), it feels like an authentic hole-in-the-wall you might find in the streets of Mexico.
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Things that make me love a place: happy and relaxed atmosphere, friendly people, cosy window seats, good music, good food and a dash of quirkiness. El Cartel ticked all these boxes. My friend and I wanted to grab a bite and drink in between festival sessions and heeded here for it. We ordered some frozen margaritas and a selection of tacos. The margaritas were beautifully presented, nice enough but a tiny bit tart for our tastes. The tacos were very delicious; my favourites were the carne asadas and the corn fritter versions. The ingredients used were unusual (but probably very Mexican!) but the result was very tasty indeed. We weren't rushed off despite the evening being very busy-extra points for that. I'd have given the place a 5 if I enjoyed my margarita a bit more than I did. My friend thought the tacos were a teeny bit expensive but I wasn't too worried. Two wholesome tacos with flings for £7ish didn't seem bad value at all. Greta place, do check it out. No reservations so get there early and plan your trip well.
I love El Cartel! Located on Thistle Street, El Cartel does Mexican street food very, very well. Specializing in Delicious, home-made Mexican food served with amazing Tequilas and Mezcals, El Cartel is a perfect pit stop when running between festival shows. You have to try everything! MY favourites are the Guacamole with feta and pomegranite, The Bombers and the steak taco. Closely followed by everything else on the menu and washed down with a frozen margrita. That's it I'm going back tonight!
I was initially going to Henderson's on Hanover Street for a quick lunch, but on the way I was drawn towards this little taco den by its fresh appearance. A vegetarian, I wasn't sure that they would have tacos for me. As it turns out, a couple of (intriguing) options were available.
I started off with one pair of tacos, filled with sweet potato and chipotle sauce and topped with pomegranate seeds. (I had a small margarita as well, which tinted my meal a little with the rose coloured ecstasy of alcohol.) It was delicious and reasonably priced, so I decided to order seconds, consisting of two tacos filled with tequila-soaked beans and fried avocado. This was also very good.
The service was friendly, natural and not too fussy.
Summary: this place serves original and tasty Mexican-based food and drink. It's a refreshing little nook to relax in.
Great fresh food, small portions so try many things( drunken bean and the steak taco proving to be scrumptious) the cocktails were hellishly expensive(more than the food of two overeaters) and frankly rather disgusting, we had the frozen margarita and mezca-something. Would be better off just eating instead of drinking. Great plus that they bring a jug of water and glasses to the table. Would have a 4 if I didn't have the drinks
TheHannarchistCookbook
+4
El Cartel July 2015
Tigre Uno or Juan step too far?
The dishes are served as and when they are ready rather than in bulk, which encouraged the finger food nature going from one dish to the next and back again. The plantain crisps which came with the dip were resounding favourites, the pork shoulder had a heap of kick whilst retaining a bucket load of flavour and the steak had a perfect medium cook. Everything was colourful and fragrant and fresh.
Once again we found ourselves saved by the fantastic side streets of Edinburgh and on this occasion El Cartel. We’d had yet again rubbish service on George Street so hot footed it down in the hope that there was a table for two waiting for us. For those of you who don’t know El Cartel is a Mexican Street Food style restaurant and after drooling over many pictures on Instagram and Twitter we decided we really need to go. Unfortunately the first time we tried to go they had just suffered a fire and were closed but thankfully they were back up and running and actually had a table for us. If you’re planning on heading along, remember they only do walk-ins. They don’t take reservations so it might take a few attempts to dine. If you’re happy to wait until a table becomes free, we’ve heard they’ll come fetch you from Bon Vivant across the street.
We dined here tonight on a whim and boy am I glad we did. The staff were great from arrival. They explained exactly how it all worked. They recommend 4-5 dishes to start with and then you can order more. We opted for 4 to share and then ordered a 5th. The food is Mexican street food so it's all pretty tasty but no dish is massive.
We tried the wings which had the meat falling of the bone and three of their tacos. Each dish was well presented and extremely tasty. All good quality ingredients added to the taste.
The passion fruit margarita was exceptional. And certainly packed a lot of punch!
We had a great time here and would recommend anyone thinking of going to just go and give it a try! They don't take bookings so make sure you're early!
While I’ve clearly missed out on the gene for “adoration of Mexican food”, it’s hard to argue that Edinburgh is not spectacularly well-served for this type of cuisine. One of the better places we had was Tex Mex, but this sadly closed earlier in the year. El Cartel arrived in its stead in late in 2014, to save the day, but was struck down by a serious kitchen fire after only eight weeks of trading. Along with friend and colleague Adrianos, I was lucky to be one of those who sampled its original version.
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Saturday night visit to the newly opened El Cartel. They don't take bookings and we arrived to a full restaurant. The waiter greeted us and suggested that if we popped over the road to sister restaurant/bar The Bon Vivant for a drink he'd come and get us shortly when a table was available.
True to his word he hotfooted across the road midway through our drink to let us know that our table was available whenever we were ready.
Our root to our table was narrow to say the least. The owners have ensured maximum covers in a very small room which can feel a little cramped, however, with El Cartel I think it adds to the atmosphere as you're effectively eating Mexican street food and the hustle and bustle is fitting. This combines well with the stylish but rustic modern decor which is littered with 'Mexican' finishes.
The menu is small but perfectly formed for what they're trying to achieve. We went with a seafood ceviche, corn on the cob and a plantain dish to start. All were utterly delicious and packed a full flavour punch. The mains are tacos all the way. We ordered twice because the first order was so tasty and we wanted to try all the remaining options! All in all the favourites were the ox tongue and turkey tacos (all were great though). Both were absolutely booming with vibrant, fresh flavours; the ox tongue being meat heaven and the turkey full of fruity sweetness.
The mezcal and tequila Old Fashioned were both a fantastic liquid accompaniment to what was simply a perfect casual Saturday catchup dinner.
Edinburgh's seemingly going more Mexican by the day but what makes El Cartel stand out from the rest is it's authenticity in the food department by delivering fresh casual sharing food whereas most of the competition offers heavy TexMex.
Love this place. Will be going back again and again.
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.
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.
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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
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.
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 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...
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!
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.
Small but nicely decorated . No bookings taken but we were there for opening at 12 noon. It filled up fairly quickly.
Tacos were lovely also frozen Margaritas. Our tacos were not spicy but they have lots of bottles of hot sauce on the tables.
Would definitely return, nice friendly servers.
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