Tex Mex 2

There are so many reviews already and you kind of know what to expect. However, it is always good to try out yourself and be inspired or disappointed!
Well, you might be glad to hear, the place is still «awesome». We luckily reserved a table, called at 14.00 and got one of the last remaining time slots available at 18.00. All it means — DON’T forget to reserve as the place is pretty small.
The interior is purple and funky. The Mexican sign with the word SOL on it near the kitchen (=beer name) definitely stands out. I think that the biggest party they can accommodate is a number of 6.
Their menu is quite extensive and you get enchiladas, nachos, tacos — anything MEXICAN! I had ordered the Nachos Grande and learned my lesson that when it says this dish is good for sharing — it definitely is. I did not even manage a third of it. Nachos with cheese, sour cream, salsa sauce, guacamole, chicken (instead of vegetarian) and bean sauce.
I could also not stop eating the spiced popcorn on the table — yum yum. Very addictive!
They also offer a selection of cocktails and I can definitely recommend their flavored (Peach, Strawberry, Raspberry) and/​or original Lime Margaritas (apprx £5.00). The Pina Colada (apprx £6.50) is fine too, if you like more a creamy kind of cocktail with Vodka and Malibu.
It is not the cheapest place. My Nachos were £9.25 and pretty much the cheapest of the «mains» on the menu. However, the taste and texture is AWESOME!
The staff was very nice and accommodating!
I will definitely be back, even if it is just for the Margaritas or the Nachos :-)

Basic Mexican food with weak margaritas. The food was fine, and the service was friendly.

Right! Time for an update! I’ve been back a couple of times since I wrote my last review. More recently on Saturday with my boyfriend who has never been before. One word. YUUUUUUMM!!! The décor is nothing fancy but I honestly can’t say I’ve had better Mexican food anywhere else. Instead of my usual beef burrito I thought I’d change and go for the popular speciality of pork carnitas (basically a slow cooked pork stew served with guac, salsa, sour cream, salad and soft tortillas). I died and went to heaven! Although full, I refused to let go off plate until every scrap of food was gone from it. Who knew that a pork stew could be so tasty?!! Everything is clearly homemade and beautifully presented. These people care about food and they care about good service! My bf did the obligatory
«Hot sauce challenge» and was presented with a series of hot sauces to try including one which was so hot they are not allowed to serve it with food. I laughed while he coughed and spluttered. A small dish of yoghurt was given to him to neutralize the heat. Men!
Margaritas = amazing!
Food = amazing!
Service = these guys care and want you to come back!
I’ve now upper rating to 5 stars.

Another pleasant surprise from recent weeks!
Now, Wahaca of London fame, this is what I wanted you to be… great Mexican food with a genuine twist.
To be honest the name and sign had me write this place off initially, despite having heard good things and being near so other fine Thistle Street establishments, but I’m glad I caved one afternoon and came by.
The frozen Margarita starter, which is just me having a drink, was quite nice… it seemed a fine mix if what I was used to in the US and what I’ve gotten used to here and I loved that you could get them in baby pitcher sizes… I’m sure there’s a fancier name for the baby pitchers, but it escapes me. Carafe? Moving on!
I ended up with two actual starters in and a side of refried beans in leu of an actual main… I did want the tuna, it sounded fantastic, but unfortunately they had run out of tuna that day so it wasn’t meant to be.
The Chile Rellenos I had were smaller peppers than I’m used to, but definitely had a good flavour… when querying things the waiter even admitted they weren’t his favourite, which I’m a big fan of… honesty, that is.
The star of the show this afternoon was the Soft Shell Crab Flautas… wow! (Unlike the Chile Rellenos the waiter expressed his love for these, which was well founded.) They’re definitely on my list to try again, and gleefully come with the tuna as a side so here’s hoping if manage to get the two together next visit.
The refried beans were also a treat… I loved that there was something to them with the spring onions and pink peppercorns… definitely impressed.
From what I saw of other people’s dishes I didn’t see anything that made me cringe or look even remotely bad, always a good sign.
True to their menu they have some random hot sauces… they gave me one simply called «Pain 100%», and it definitely lived up to it’s name. If anything this was my one slight gripe this visit however… I didn’t get a really good hot sauce, the initial ones I was offered (while having good taste), weren’t too hot and the Pain 100% was a bit over the top sacrificing too much flavour for immense heat. They had a few others, so hopefully I’ll get to sample more of the range on another visit.
(Side Note: where was this complimentary spicy popcorn everyone raves about?!?)
So, Tex Mex II, with your shopping-​mall worthy name and funny purple sign you’ve still won me over… good on you, I’ll definitely be back.

I really liked Tex Mex 2. I’d been wanting to go for awhile but didn’t quite make it but with a girls night squeezed in before Christmas, we fancied margarita’s and headed here.
I liked my margarita and the ½ litre jug is around £7.50 for the original type and about £1 more for flavoured (mango, strawberry, peach). The menu is pretty good — all the usual suspects such as chips and dips, chilli con carne, tacos, tortillas, flautas, burritos and more.
I was tempted by the soft shell crab flautas and they were really good. Corn tortilla, fried, with a generous portion of crab, with guac, sour cream and salsa on top and salad on the side. They were good and I’d probably eat two lots of these and be happy!
I went for carnitas as a main — more like a tender pork stew with gravy rather than anything spicy but still tasty and would make for a good comfort food choice. I got corn tortillas with it as I’m GF and it was good. This dish probably didn’t wow me, but I also probably should have ordered just two starters instead of a starter and main as I was pretty full as I worked my way through those chunky pork carnitas.
Staff were friendly and helpful — drinks and food came quickly and I loved the very moreish popcorn that was on the table as I arrived — yum. For two courses, ½ litre of margarita and a coke I was £27.
I was totally stuffed and all tex mex’d out. Well worth a visit but it is small so it would be worth booking as there were more than a few disappointed peeps turned away…
Note — they do cater for gluten free peeps — most stuff can be amended and they have corn tortillas and tacos — there were only a couple of things on the menu which were totally off limits so this was great too, rather than half your choices disappearing after the question of ‘what can be made gluten free?’

Oh I love this place. it’s staple in my thought patterns when trying to think of somewhere to go and eat in town…
The Margarita’s, I confess, do quite heavily draw me to this place… they’re so yum it’s unreal… probably the best in town.
The food has always been consistently good in here and I, nor anyone I’ve dragged here (if they like Tex Mex or not) have had cause for complaint.
The staff I always find are friendly. I was in here a couple of days ago and the chap noticed that I was waiting for a friend so brought me over some water and a magazine whilst I was waiting… like I say, nice staff!
Oh and you get Jelly babies instead of mints with your bill… enough said ;)

Tex Mex 2 is a real gem, hands down! The atmosphere is awesome, food and daiquiries are awesome and staff is soooo friendly. Don’t miss this restaurant during your stay in Edinburgh!

A really good Mexican restuarant I found late-​night in Edinburgh, when places all around seemed to be closing and I was hankering after some spice action.
We went for tacos and burritos, with a side of chili in a fried tortilla. This is some of the freshest Mexican food I’ve ever had, the flavour was bursting out with lime, lemon and chilli, just how it should be.
Portions are really big too, in fact so large I had to ask for a doggy bag. This was a shameful event as I just wanted to eat it all fresh, it tasted so good.
If you love Mexican food get over here. Prices are reasonable too.

i have to apologise as this update is rather overdue! i was in tex mex about three weeks ago after my boyfriend and i were turned away at two sushi restaurants because they were too full and couldn’t seat us until some ungodly time by which point i think my stomach would have eaten itself. i was starving!!! and getting grumpy and wanted delicious food and drink on a friday night… but it seemed like the world was against me and then we went to Tex Mex 2 and all was well.
we walked in and the waiter recognised us (since we go at least once a month) and gave us a table right away. while we were looking at the menu the couple in the corner table by the window left and we were offered that table since we were regulars and the table we were at was a bit crammed. so bonus points for giving your regulars a bit extra :)
the food was delicious as always as were the margaritas! but it was really the customer service that night that pushed this review up to five stars. we were given a table straight away and then moved to a better one. we were noted as regular customers and given a refill on the popcorn that you get while reading the menu. our food was delivered promptly but with enough time to enjoy the meal and not feel rushed. also when they brought us the bill they us gave us a voucher for a free margarita. so yay for tex mex 2! my beacon of light while other restaurants have the gall to turn us away. you’ve earned your five stars!

On a rare blue sky day in Edinburgh we found ourselves chilled from the motorcycle ride and in need of some heat — so Tex Mex seemed like a good idea. As the flaming fajitas were lit and placed in front of me, I knew that we had made the right choice. There was a medley of colours and textures in the vegetarian fajitas and once the butternut squash, peppers, onions and melons were wrapped in the tortilla along with some sour cream, jalapenos, cheese and /​or guacamole the resultant taste explosion was delightful. I enjoyed every mouthful of my meal.
Ian had the carnitas (shredded pork) and, although I found it too salty, he enjoyed it thoroughly.
We were given the hot sauce as a condiment and immediately asked for the hotter one as neither of us felt that there was any heat in it. The next level up wasn’t available so we ended up with the kitchen’s chilli paste — which had a lovely kick and great flavour.
Our only disappointments were that the key lime pie had run out the night before and that we couldn’t drink the margaritas as we were riding home. We’ll be back!

We needed margaritas.
And boy did we get them! This place does great margaritas, in a range of different flavours (most of which I have sampled) and they’re not too heavy on the tequila, so you don’t up in the bathroom crying before 10pm.
There was a large (ish) group of us and I must say it was nice of them to accommodate us. It’s not a big place! We took up two tables but thankfully, the staff had moved the tables so that we could all see each other. We ordered a sharing plate of nachos to start and they were delicious. Everyone commented on how, amongst the mounds of toppings, the butternut squash was an odd but tasty addition. For main I ordered the Tex Mex Burger. I was disappointed it didn’t come with chips but the burger was really good and the sour dough bun in particular was lovely.
This would be 5stars but… well, when a restaurant says they close at 10 I always assume that refers to the kitchen. This place actually tries to get you to leave at 10. By 10:10 we were feeling a little awkward but still had almost a full pitcher of margarita left. Then the waiter did something which goes against my (unwritten and constantly changing) ‘restaurant rules.’ He brought over the bill before we asked. I find this quite rude. He could have asked if we wanted the bill first! A minor thing but it would have made all the difference.
Then…he broke another two rules! We totted up the notes and coins and I brought the total up to him, I was paying by card so while we went through the motions I explained that I didn’t realise the place would actually close at 10 and apologised for my oversight (it was about 20 past at this stage) he said it was fine but made a song and dance about how much work he still had left to do. Fine, message received. I handed him the cash and returned to my seat. When he hadn’t brought the change after 10minutes we resigned to just leave, we’d intended leaving it as a tip anyway (maybe he’d heard us discussing it) but I made a point of ‘asking if it was all there’ (I’m Irish, I don’t do full confrontation well) he said yes and gave me the thumbs up.
Now, this is getting very long, but between bringing over the bill, complaining about how much work he still had to do and not returning the change, I must say, this was not the kind of service I was expecting. In my opinion we weren’t drunk, loud or obnoxious but past 10 pm everyone at the table was left feeling awkward to the extent that most won’t be returning.
It’s unfortunate because the food is fantastic and the margaritas pretty darn good too.

Sadly I was not impressed with my food this time around.
I ordered the carnitas chimichanga and didn’t expect my chimichanga to be entirely full of meat! Yes, no beans or rice or veg, only MEAT. That is more meat that I eat in an entire week. Not impressed.
There was salsa on top of it but would have much rather it had been inside the burrito to give some relief from the meat fest. Also the carnitas meat was way too seasoned. It didn’t have that fresh taste that I expect from mexican food. Mexican food has a lot of veg and not so much meat.
So, I ate like a quarter of the chimichanga before I felt like I might pass out. I brought the rest home and my partner had the rest for lunch and let me tell you he can pack it away and this thing filled him up. completely.
All in all I guess many would think good value for money, yes, if you like LOTS of meat. Otherwise it would be better if they lowered the price a wee bit and put a fraction of meat in their chimichangas and add some beans and rice and veg.

I’m going to have to downgrade, unfortunately.
I’ve visited Tex Mex 2 a few times now and have had really varied experiences. This time, our server was great but the food left a lot to be desired.
I ordered the carnitas tacos and was delivered a plate of meat, with a small side salad, a little rice and small blobs of sauces. The tacos had more meat in them than I expect you’re meant to consume in a week, let alone a meal. Yeah this doesn’t sound like a bad thing — value for money and all– but it was. They were so meaty that I actually only managed half of a taco before I just felt unwell. A taco is meant to have meat, veggies, beans, cheese, etcetc not… meat. period. end of story.
Add to this the fact that the carnitas were *incredibly* salty. Really really really really salty, and kind of sicky sweet too? It certainly didn’t taste like any carnitas I’ve had before, and the saltiness was painfully over the top.
Fortunately we were able to take our food away and the leftover carnitas (with rice and beans and veggies, like they were meant to be!) were enough for the two of us to have tacos for dinner a few nights later.
I would suggest lowering the prices and cutting down on the meat (and salt!). Until that happens, I don’t see myself returning.
(I’ve actually just read my previous review… if only I’d read that before ordering the *same* dish again! d’oh)

Mexican food in the UK? You can understand I was pretty skeptical — no offense, but this is not something that your country has down. But my expat friend recommended it, and she did not lead us astray!
Came for lunch on a Sunday, they opened up at noon. Interior is small, but bright, colorful, and cheery. Service was some of the friendliest I’d had in the UK. They put a little plate of spicy popcorn on the table, which is a nice touch, and much less filling than the loads of chips/​salsa you’d get at a Mexican restaurant in the US — for better or for worse. I got the veggie fajitas and my boyfriend got the carnitas burrito, which he’d been craving all day — and a side of chips, despite my protest that that was a strange accompaniment to Mexican food.
My fajitas were really nice and light — just squash, mango, and regular fajita veg flambeed with tequila (in front of me!) and lightly seasoned — delicious in a tortilla with salsa and guac. Definitely needed some hot sauce though! Didn’t try my boyfriend’s burrito, which he really liked, but wow was it messy! When he cut into it, sauce just poured out. I munched on the hot, crispy chips, loving them as I thought to myself «why am I eating fries with Mexican food?»
It’s a bit pricey, but it’s competitive in terms of taste with Mexican-​American food, and that’s all I’d hoped for! Oh — nothing is that spicy though. They have a bunch of hot sauces displayed, they gave my boyfriend the mildest which he tried and immediately asked for two levels up. He tried that one and asked for one more. They had to check and see if they had any of the hottest one, finally bringing it — more of a chile paste, really — in a bowl. Even THAT was spicy, but not so bad! I had a dollop on a chip and it was spicy, but not what you’d expect from what is literally the spiciest sauce in the house! That’s the one thing I’d ask from Tex Mex II — turn up the heat, guys!

This place is ok, I wanted to check it out for a while but found it ok.
The drinks are probably the tastiest things on the menu.
The food was again ok but not so special, there was too much cheese and the actual portions were a bit small.
All in all not bad but not so good.

Mexican food in the UK has been grievously disappointing, both in price and representation. Gone are the days when $ 4 can score me a half-​pounder cabaza/​lengua burrito.
Tex Mex was the last I expected this far up north. Scotland rocks.
Let’s do this bullet-​point style:
Margaritas — decent tequila content and thoroughly slushed. Nothing more annoying that semi-​icy concoctions that don’t travel up straws well.
Much respect for carrying Dos Equis, Corona, Sol, Modelo and that obscure little label Pacifico.
Tequila — they carry the good stuff; these guys have done their homework. Gun for the Anejos. Don Julio Gold Anejo was my pick.
Floutas — more like giant taquitos, the corn tostada-​wrapped chicken is deep fried to crunchy perfection. Topped off with salsa, sour cream and guac it’s what I’d expect to see in higher-​end Mexican restaurants in LA or San Diego.
Carnitas — the pork was served in cubes and was much too salty, unfortunately.
Enchiladas — covered in a healthy layer of cheese to be called such, it’s an accurate enough representation of what my Mexican friends’ moms would make at home. Approved.

My husband and I stopped in for a quick bite to eat since we had just arrived in Edinburgh and were starving but knew it was a bit too early for a full dinner.
We ordered the quesadillas and guacamole and chips. I had Corona and he ordered a margarita. He said the margarita was delicious. My Corona tasted like Corona and was properly served with a lime. I would not consider the quesadillas a large enough portion to eat as a meal but they are good for a starter to share. The guacamole was odd to me. It had huge chunks of onion in it and now that I’ve perfected my own guacamole, I really have a hard time finding a proper one in restaurants, none-​the-​less, Mexican restaurants in the UK.
Having lived in the UK for a period of time now, I don’t have high expectations for Mexican food, however, this place was actually quite good. I wish we would have had another day in Edinburgh to return to Tex Mex 2 and have a full meal but unfortunately we had to return to England after only a couple days in Scotland.
Reservations are recommended as this place is tiny (probably 10 tables). We were only able to get a table because we arrived at like 5pm and there was no one there. Not shortly after we given our food did the place start to fill up — with people who had reservations.
As for dress code, we were in jeans and light jackets. I think anything would go here — casual to dressy.

Hmm oh dear, how the great can fall. I came here for a wee birthday dinner with some friends as last time Emily V and I came we really enjoyed it.
The food was still good, if in fact even better. I ordered the same combo platter of tuna with crab flautus and this time my tuna was actually rare as requested (if a little cold). And the margaritas are goooood. I do need to give them that.
But the service left a lot to be desired. The waiter was friendly, and smiling, and seemed like a nice guy. But it was incredibly slow, at times bordering on arrogant, and very cheeky.
I arrived 10 minutes early to find Emily V already early herself. Waiting for two others, we sat. And waited. We were one of two tables. I saw many members of staff wandering to and fro. The waiter didn’t look busy. He never came over to our table but when I finally managed to catch his attention and ask «could we please order some drinks?» he responded with «yeah I’ll be over in a bit» in a very nonchalent manner. «In a bit». Not a case of «oh yes I’ll be over» whilst grabbing his note pad. It was literally a case of «I’m not yet taking drinks orders». A bit turned out to be 10 minutes.
Fine during the meal itself, but when it came to paying we paid by cash. It was taken away, and not returned. We waited again. And waited. And saw him clearing tables, serving other people, still no change. Eventually, the polite Brit in me overcame my anxiety of appearing rude myself and asked for the change, to which he brought it over straight away. This makes me think he was hoping we wouldn’t ask for the change and leave the in excess of 20% change as tip. Which was really quite ironic considering how slow and nonchalent the service had been.
It was also quite cold in the restaurant when we first got there and I didn’t take my jacket off until the mains arrived. A small note but when you’re eating hot, spicy mexican food you kind of want to feel hot and spicy not shivering.
Now I don’t know if I would go back. Their margaritas really are sooooo good and great value. I like I said the staff were nice, not flat out rude, but their attitude of ‘serving us when it suited them’ and the very cheeky trick with the change put me off slightly.

I was surprised to discover this was the first Mexican restaurant to open in the whole of Scotland. Ever since 1984 they seem to have been refining their speciality frozen margarita as it’s a crowd pleaser. The concoction of lime juice, tequila and triple sec seems to be just right, leaving you willing to delve into their Mexican fare.
The food offerings are decent enough with the nice touch of a real salad instead of the usual carrot shavings and a wilted leaf.
Top stuff!

I had heard good things about this place so I thought it was worth a try. It was a wet Monday evening so it was pretty quiet, just as well because this place is tiny!
When you sit down you are given a rather interesting bowl of popcorn. We don’t do much with popcorn in the UK apart from salt or sugar it, so I was pleasantly surprised by the popcorn spiced goodness. The food was okay, I rather enjoyed my Chimichangas, even I ordered it just for the name. My boyfriend got the impression his came out the microwave. It resembled a microwave meal and I guess he felt it tasted the same, so he wasn’t very impressed. Plus the food came out so quickly you always kind of wonder if it is freshly made. I don’t know for sure, maybe it is worth trying again as this place has been around for so long that perhaps we just went on an off night.