Eat Out Edinburgh!El Cartel
Home-made, authentic, fresh Mexican tacos, street food, tequilas, mezcals, cocktails and good times in Edinburgh
El Cartel Mexicana - Edinburgh
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El Cartel Review | Stacebuds
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Due to a fire they unfortunately had to close for a short period but since reopening this has been the place to go for fresh Mexican flavours and is proving to be a very popular eatery.
However, if there are no tables available you are encouraged to have a drink in Bon Vivant, a stylish bar opposite El Cartel, where you can wait for a phone call from the restaurant to let you know when your table is ready.
Two soft light tacos packed with sweet potato, red onion, and sheep’s milk cheese.
Our other taco, ‘Carne Asada’ was also tasty but lacked a tangy element.
El cartel is certainly delivering a bold statement of fresh Mexican flavours in a chilled environment.
El Cartel, Edinburgh, restaurant review: Mexican flavours with ...
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Yet it would appear that Mexican street food in particular has captured the imagination and appetite of Edinburghers of late, with a gaggle of restaurants - includingand- purveying this cuisine having opened branches in the Scottish capital in the last few months.
Being only an (avocado) stone's throw from JML's work, it was apparent that we had put off for too long sampling's "own take on freshly-made, authentic Mexican street food", so the other week these two hungry hombres dropped by this particular cantina Mexicana.I'm glad to say that we had decided to dine early, as the interior of El Cartel is relatively compact, meaning you can be on fairly intimate terms with your fellow diners, and the restaurant doesn't take reservations, so if the place is full, front of house will take your mobile number and call when a table becomes available.
The house frozen Margarita is a thing of both deliciousness and beauty, to the point that my over-enthusiastic supping resulted in a moment of brain freeze...This being a venue focused on street food, as our server explained, the dishes are not huge so it's recommend each diner choose two or three plates of what they fancy, scoff, then see if they are ready for more.
The culinary offering basically falls into two categories: soft tacos - hand pressed in house frommaize flour, and filled with a range of alluring ingredients; and- literally "little cravings" in Mexican Spanish, referring to street food such as quesadillas, barbecued corn on the cob, and other such delights.
But until I get the opportunity I would wager that a trip tois about as close my taste buds can get to experiencing the authentic flavours of Mexican street food.
El Cartel Casera Mexicana (64 Thistle Street, Edinburgh) | The List
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Food is served tapas-style, arriving throughout the meal, making sharing almost mandatory.
The menu is brief, focusing on doing those dishes extremely well.
Start with the antojitos (snacks), including spicy corn topped with crema and sprinkled with melted cheese, or frijoles, the deliciously ‘drunken’ refried pinto and kidney bean dip.
Guacamole is served with crispy plantain and topped with feta and pomegranate.
Hand-pressed tacos are the main event, including the tasty (and mild, for those avoiding spice) baja cod, or the veggie-friendly sweet potato with sheep's milk cheese, pomegranate and pumpkin seeds.
El Cartel, Edinburgh, restaurant review - Scotsman Food and Drink
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Is it the result of one too many chillies in the tacos at El Cartel, Edinburgh’s hippest Mexican street food gaff?
The décor is street food chic: dark paint, a corrugated metal ceiling, rustic tiles and a light smattering of Mexican wrestling paraphernalia.
Mr Finch tempts fate by ordering the Baja cod tacos, which have a crunchy batter, fresh radish salad and some superfluous pomegranate seeds.
Meanwhile the pork tacos are moist and marinated; the drunken beans (£3) are earthy and hot, and the red rice (£3) gets extra points for texture thanks to the pumpkin seeds that are dotted throughout.
My dish of the night is the Mexican slaw (£3), which takes red and white cabbage, raisins, coriander, Granny Smith apple and toasted peanuts, then dances the tango with a citrus dressing.
El Cartel Casera Mexicana, Edinburgh: restaurant review - olive ...
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Delicious fresh Mexican food, alongside amazing tequilas, frozen margaritas and mezcals.
Antojitos including Mexican Slaw – chile, lime and crema, raisins, pomegranate and peanuts, £4 – and Guacamole National – sheep’s milk cheese, pomegranate, spring onion, £4.50 – are the highlights.
The tacos are light, zingy and fresh; forget Tex Mex, this is the new wave of Mexican food that Edinburgh has been crying out for.
Highlights include Cochinita Pibil (yucatan style pork shoulder in achiote and orange, escabeche onions, £6.50) and Carne Asada – flat iron steak, arbol salsa, avocado, spring onion, dried cherry tomatoes (£6.50).
Various taco specials are available and vegetarians can try a sweet potato and red onion, sheep’s milk cheese, chipotle crema, pomegranate and pumpkin seeds option, or mushroom and chipotle salsa.