Mariachi

Superb fajitas (the seasoning on the chicken was fantastic) good nachos, fast and friendly service. Decent prices. Large area for a downtown restaurant. Was quite busy but not noisy during a Saturday lunch.

Chips and salsa good — u can’t mess that up. The enchiladas tomato sauce is like Italian. Very strange. Good service but This is just a basic «Mexican» food joint. I wouldn’t come back…

We went for that lunch offer 2 course £10 and 3 course for £12,5.
The restaurant was pretty much empty-that’s why I guess it was so cheap.
None of the staff was actually Mexican-​just as a note.
On offer were chicken wings, nachos and button mushroom in chilli salsa for starter. As main you had the choice of burrito and fajitas.
To be honest: the burrito is not Mexican but ok. The filling of sour cream rice beans and salsa was quite ok but it was not authentic. Same for the fajitas.
The tortillas were flour which is fine. The salsa was suspiciously similar to the one you can buy in supermarkets called ‘Old El Paso’ Mexican dishes to make at home.
The best though was the dessert. I had a non Mexican dessert: vanilla ice cream topped with espresso, patron café XO and whipped cream-​it was very good.
The churros are very good and their chocolate sauce is amazing. I could take daily baths in chocolate and I can tell the chocolate sauce was very good.
Overall it is alright to go there but it’s not authentic enough for a Mexican to be satisfied I would recon.

We went for lunch.
Lunch deal is starter and main for £10, and I would recommend it to absolutely everyone. They open at 12, and we were first there. The waiter was absolutely amazing– professional, helpful and humble. We had Nachos, fajitas, mussels, and enchilada, and none of us had a single bad thing do say. The salsa sauce was tasty, the nachos and cheese well cooked, the mussels were served with a great tomato sauce, the fajitas sizzling hot and wonderful, and the enchilada cheesy and creamy. The interior is greatly inspired by Mexico, and it was overflowing with people in the evening when we walked by. I understand why– the drink menu looked to die for! Toilets are clean and fresh. I have nothing to complain about. Will return as soon as I can!

Summary: Great service, great chips & dips, average food otherwise.
The good: The service was fantastic, with having the right balance of checking to be sure things were going well without being intrusive. The chips, salsa, and guacamole are also probably the best we’ve had in the UK. (Having lived in Texas for many years, many Mexican restaurants in Europe are just disappointing, but their chips & dip were a tasty surprise.)
The bad: The chicken tacos and cheese quesadillas, while not bad, were not as flavorful as desired. The beans were also a little odd — not really British, not really Mexican.
Overall a great place for drinks and a snack, just perhaps not the full meal.

This is the closest I’ve come to stereotypical, completely inauthentic yet delicious Mexican food that you can find in the states. Technically this place would probably garner a solid 3.5 from me, but I’ll round up here out of fondness.
My partner in crime and I ventured here on Valentine’s day. Surprisingly we managed to find seats quickly, although it was luck of the draw for couples appearing later in the door – they ended up sending quite a few people on their way, so we enjoyed our good fortune! The interior of this place is larger than it would appear from the outside, and comfortably decorated with big hats and maroon walls. Not bad – it did remind me a bit of Mexi restaurants back home there.
However, where you would immediately be greeted by friendly staff bearing gifts of (free) bowls of chips and salsa back home, here you had to order nachos to get the same experience. Le sigh. It’s okay though – the nachos were quite delicious, topped with sour cream, peppers, cheese, and the like. We promptly tore into those, which made eating our decently sized main course all the harder. At the same time we’d ordered two «Perfect Couple» special cocktails, designed to be a His and Hers sort of thing, that weren’t bad! Couldn’t tell ya what they were, but I appreciate the diligence for the holiday.
The main courses – for me, vegetable fajitas, for her, a fajita salad – were pretty dern good if a bit perplexing for me. My vegetable mix contained things like baby corn and sweet potato. While delicious, and I’m not complaining, I’ve never before seen that sort of thing in a fajita mix. I will however issue a hearty complaint at the lack of refried beans and rice that didn’t magically appear with my meal. Perhaps I should have studied the menu more, or perhaps I just need to lower my expectations for «the real deal.» Seriously though… no refried beans?! What world am I living in here?! Excellent healthcare and public transport totally doesn’t make up for this offense!
Anyway, if you’re looking for a decent meal of Mexican fare in a pinch, I’d give Mariachi’s a go! Just don’t be alarmed if you’re American when they don’t swamp you with free chips and beans.

I have been to Edinburgh a few times and every time I come here I go to mariachis. I love the welcoming atmosphere and the food is amazing! I have never had a bad experience and if I had seen the reviews before going I would honestly never try it but I’m glad that I have been! I’m going tomorrow night for the second time in a week! It truly is really good! :)

I had my doubts about this place — in the middle of tourist central, slightly garishly painted frontage, and blasting salsa music out into Victoria St. Hmm, tacky much?!
But I tried it out with a mate who is a keen bean when it comes to Mexican — and was actually nicely surprised by the food. Portions are pretty big, as we discovered when our starters could’ve been a whole meal on their own. I went for the chilli mushrooms in their special mariachi ‘HOT!’ sauce, which were indeed as spicy as the name suggested. Chicken fajitas for main were fairly standard but tasty (and I always enjoy their DIY fun).
Highlight was the drinks menu — tempted as I was by a jug of sangria and a straw, we enjoyed sipping some Modelo and Pacifico goodness mmm. The atmosphere inside is also quite fun — salsa tunes, red walls and all.
Lowlight of the experience was how slow the service was — friendly yes but it was nigh impossible to catch anyone’s eye and we had an unreasonably long wait in between courses (though we did need a break after the starters), and an even longer one for the bill.
Probably a useful stop if you’re in a large group and not in a rush — it’s much bigger inside than it looks and certainly more so than other places on Victoria St. Bonus tip: leave for the toilets in good time — they’re a bit of a trek down a warren of corridors downstairs!

The worst, NON Mexican food I have ever had. The worst food I have ever had. The restaurant is nice enough, the staff nice, too, but the food, BAD!!! Tasted more like Indian, but did not look like Indian!!! AVOID!

Being from California, I thought this was some of the best Mexican food I had yet to find in the UK, until I was terribly sick with FOOD POISONING later that night.
I came here with a friend on 31÷12÷13 for a quick, last minute dinner as all the other restaurants in town were fully booked. I ordered the chicken burrito and for £11 it was actually pretty decent. However I’m 100% positive that it was the burrito that gave me food poisoning about 6 or 7 hours later.
Don’t come to Mariachi if you can help it!

Very tasty food in a great location, with an unbeatable price! Chili Con Carne is recommended…

I unfortunately fell into the trap pf ordering chips and salsa first. Way too much food. But other than that, it was exactly what you would expect from a Mexican place. Big serves, as often happens in Mexican, and fresh ingredients. Nothing earth-​shattering but reasonably priced. I would go back, next time I am in the area and in the mood for Mexican.

being a natural Unilocaler, when i saw this was where the HR christmas night out was booked, i immediately went and read all the reviews. which in turn caused me to be a bit concerned that the meal would be a flop and my £22 would not be well spent! however, on the night of i found my meal to be more enjoyable than expected.
the restaurant is quite sizeable, which i didn’t expect walking through the door. they have the ability to set up long tables for larges parties which is quite suited to a night out as many other office parties seemed to agree. however, there is a strange downstairs bit that must be for private parties but then you have to walk through the party to get to the toilets, so not sure how great that is…
the festive menu was compromised of a number of items from their normal menu which i greatly appreciated as i’ve had a few too many turkey dinners as of late! i choose the nachos and the pulled pork tacos accompanied with a shared bottle of white wine. i felt our starters came out fairly quickly and i really enjoyed the nachos. the salsa was super tasty and fresh and the portion was just the right size. at the same time though, it’s a bit difficult to mess up nachos, i mean melt cheese over tortilla chips top with salsa and sour cream. however, the fresh ingredients definitely help to make the dish better.
my main course seemed to be a bit delayed as everyone else was served their meal and i was left sat at the end of the table with a sad face that had no food in front of it. the waiter noticed and came right over to check what i’d gotten and then assured me it would just be a few minutes. now a few minutes while everyone else is tucking in feels like forever, but my pulled pork tacos did arrive shortly and i tucked in as well! now pulled pork is a recent discovery of mine and i have to say the best come from other tex mex establishments in edinburgh. however, the tacos were tasty and stuffed full of meat and salsa, but could have used more sour cream.
i ended the meal by sharing a few bites of a warm chocolate pudding with ice cream. it was tasty, but i’m pretty sure it was store bought and not made on premises. overall, i enjoyed the meal and may be tempted to return. however, i didn’t feel like this place stood up to my favourite tex mex locations which is why it’s only 3 stars. it seems like a good party location as the waiters are friendly and helpful and more than happy to provide shots of strawberry margarita round the table. but for a more enjoyable tex mex fix i’ll be visiting somewhere else.

Gutes mexikanisches Restaurant mit leckeren Cocktails und prima Fajitas. Auch die Muscheln als Vorspeise sind zu empfehlen. Preislich völlig in Ordnung. Der Service war etwas konfus, manchmal kamen drei Kellner gleich hintereinander, um Bestellungen aufzunehmen und dann wieder gar keiner.

My friends and I happened upon this place on the way to our hostel and, being from Southern California (and therefore having quite a bit of experience with Mexican food), we were so taken aback by a Mexican place in Scotland that we just had to try it. It’s a fine attempt, but ultimately misses the mark. My blended margarita didn’t taste good, and my beef tacos were a bit over-​the-​top. The food isn’t bad if you’re desperate, but I don’t think I would go there again.

I am a mexican from california and my wife wanted to have mexican food for dinner. She wanted the tacos and I wanted the burrito, but for £11 I wasn’t sure how big it was or now good it would be. I asked the waiter how big it was and was pretty disappointed in the size but a man in a suit came by and said he has never heard any complaints in the quality of the burrito. WELL LET ME BE THE FIRST!
For starters, your appetizers were bland. Your chips and dip was over £4 and the «tortilla» chips did not taste like corn tortilla chips. At least the guacamole was good. Your salsa was just big chunks of tomatoes. Your Camarones Picante was pre-​cooked shrimp and then recooked with some spices laid over some veggies. The pre-​cooked shrimp didn’t soak in the spices so it tasted plain. What a disappointment.
The burrito came out and it was small but I was hoping it would make up in taste what it lacks in size. WRONG! This £11 burrito tasted like someone went to Tesco and bought a small tortilla and a can of chili con carne, wrapped it up and made it into an over priced burrito. My wife’s two tacos; fried corn tortilla taco shells filled with the same chili con carne and sprinkled with cheese. The refried beens tasted bland and the rice was WHITE RICE. You don’t serve WHITE RICE at a MEXICAN restaurant! You serve red, mexican rice!!!
my £42 bill was $ 67US Dollars of disappointment that I will never get back. I even told people that were looking outside at the menu not to waste their time.

The only reason I’m not giving this 1 star is purely because of how much i LOVE anything vaguely fajita/​enchillada/​burrito-​related. It would be almost like cheating on them if I did that.
But, if you’re reading this Mariachi, you’re really not that great. When I go to a latino restaurant I expect a great lively atmosphere, cheesy latino music, and amazing home-​made food. Unfortunately, the only one of these criteria that Mariachi met was the cheesy music. And 1 out of 3 definitely is bad.
The food was mediocre at best. Having lived in South America for a year you could say that I’m being a bit harsh on them, as nothing back home ever tastes as good as the real thing. But Tex Mex 2 on Thistle Street absoutey blows that theory out of the water, as well as offering much better value for money.
If they insist on charging as much as they do here, they should up their game. Otherwise, they should lower their prices. But until they do, I don’t see this place being the massive success that it should be given its location. I’m not surprised the Potterrow branch of Mariachi closed down!

Dining here with a sizeable bunch of friends I expected the resulting drunken camaraderie to mask any shortcomings of the Mariachi, one of a number of Mexican restaurants in Edinburgh. Watery salsa, shop bought tortilla chips, unnecessarily large splodges of sour cream, and a limited selection of beers tainted my image of the place and I nearly got lost heading to what seemed like an endless journey to the gents. Nonetheless, I left suitably sloshed and with a full belly. Diners can expect to pay around £12 for a main course and £5 for a starter, which considering some of the afore mentioned minor niggles isn’t that bad, its just not particularly good either.

First things first — Mexican food is something that I can love one day, and hate the next, so for my review I put on my unbiased hat and entered Mariachi’s.
First thing I noticed is how glad I was that I had booked ahead, as the moderatly sized restaurant was jam packed with customers and full of people looking hungry as they waited for a free table. So tip one — book!
That aside, the traditional mexican music that is barely audable above the hubbub of diners and the neutral décor lends a relaxed atmosphere and the margaritas we had while waiting in the bar area was second to none.
The menu is jam packed with traditional mexican and tex-​mex foods, but we had to wait a little while for our orders, and the food was basic and according to my dining partner, the fajitas were bland.
That said, Mariachi’s is smack bang in the middle of the city, and is always going to be busy with its trade from tourists — so the atmosphere is great, even if the food is a little uninspiring.

I love Mexican cuisine, but know that Edinburgh isn’t renowned for this type of food. However I’m easy to please as long as my meal is warm, fresh, tasty and nicely presented I’m a happy bunny.
My vegetarian main course was none of those. The vegetables actually weren’t that bad, but the rice was bland and cheap, the refried beans were almost cold and none of it tasted particularly fresh. I would have expected a main-​course mexican meal to arrive complete with fresh salsa, but it did not, so there was no spicy foil for the guacamole and sour cream, which were unceremoniously slopped on top of the wrap. As a result it looked about as appetising as a dog’s dinner and didn’t taste much better.
Add to that the fact that a vegetarian main course at lunchtime cost a whopping twelve pounds and you’d be forgiven for thinking I was disappointed. The place was pretty empty even though other nearby restaurants had people queuing at the door. Given the sub-​par meal and the grubby/​tired restaurant décor, I wish I’d joined them and waited a little longer for a better meal. On the plus side the margaritas were good, but that was no compensation.

I’m a bit of a snob about Mexican food. I keep trying to find authentic Mexican or Tex-​Mex in the UK. Mariachi gets points for being pretty damned close.
They, like the others I’ve tried, have no idea what refriend beans should look like. They, like others, use not only the wrong kind of bean but seem to just bake them or somesuch. And this is coming from a woman who hates beans with a passion.
That said, they also mixed beans into the meat for the tacos. WTF? That’s just WEIRD. (and caused me a lot of extra work). I give my tacos 2.5÷5 stars. The nachos get 4.5÷5 — they were superb. And my boyfriend’s steak fajitas looked great (and my stolen nibbles give them a 3.5÷5.
I’m waiting for a Mexican place in the UK that does the traditional North American thing of a bottomless supply of fresh tortilla chips and salsa on the table as part of the meal. Having to order/​pay extra for it is silly. Since I got the nachos to start I didn’t bother, but otherwise I really want to be able to expect it and have it there.
The décor was pretty nice and the waitstaff was friendly and attentive. Not a perfect Mexican, but getting closer to what I hope for!