OK, we're all geeks here, right? Right. We've all seen Guardians of the Galaxy?…read more The scene in the prison where all hell breaks loose, and Rocket and Groot are fighting bad guys, and the bad guys are all like "PEW! PEW! PEW!" and Rocket doesn't have a gun, and then Drax arrives and is like "BAM! BAM! BAM!" and kicks people and throws Rocket a gun, and Rocket says "Oh.... yeah!" in an almost religious way? That "Oh... yeah!" was how I felt when I took my first bite out of a Jack's burrito for the first time in a long time this evening. I donated to the Jackstarter to help Illegal Jack's return from the dead, so I popped in today for the first time since the reopening to see how things had gone (and pick up my swag bag, priorities, people!) and I didn't plan to stay and eat due to lack of time... Then I saw a couple of burritos being built in front of me. And I smelled the pulled pork... and I caved, people. I folded quicker than a paper tent in a hurricane. I watched the staff look after the woman ordering two burritos to takeaway, wrapping the first one and leaving it where steam and heat would stop it going cold while the second was assembled. I love attention to detail like that. Also, using the lid of whatever filling you choose to catch any spillage so the fillings aren't cross contaminated. Little things make a difference, people. It came to be my turn. I opted for carnitas (that's what the pulled pork smell wafted out of) with a mild salsa, sour cream, pinto beans, seasoned rice and cheese. I watched in awe as the burrito was rolled. I really need to learn how to do this myself some day, I took my cup, filled it up with Coke and sat down. One bite later, I was back in Tex-Mex heaven. I'd missed Jack's, I really had. Other places may have more branches, but quantity isn't quality. Jack's is quality. The new premises are still a work in progress as Mr. Jack (nice bloke!) explained to me, but are still clean, bright, comfortable and welcoming, and even the music being played ticked all the boxes for me. Black Crowes, Lynyrd Skynyrd? Perfect Tex-Mex music. Honestly, I can't fault it. I will be back, I will eat too much every time I go, and I wil swear that I'll never do it again. But it's a lie. It's all a pretty little lie... Oh, and if you're in over the next week or so? Ask about the cranberry salsa - it's astonishing! Welcome back, Jack. You were missed..

BURRITOS! WHO DOESN'T LOVE EM??…read more Last night after a long and rainy day at work I coerced two coworkers of mine to join me for a bite out. My bus routes being what they are, I'd not only seen the remnants of the old Illegal Jack's on Lothian Road (though never got to try it), but now had spotted the new location along St. Patrick's Square nestled in the corner. Because we were looking for a budget meal that we could still sit down to, we decided to give Illegal Jack's a go. The first thing that became apparent to us is that Illegal Jack's has actually employed friendly staff. Wha... what? Where even am I? Walking in the door to being greeted with smiles and genuine friendliness is such a novelty when so many places give you the ambivalent "I'm being nice because I have to" luke-warm treatment at best, or downright snubbing at worst. And yet when we walked into Illegal Jack's the two gals at the counter of wonder were chatty and all smiles, and we had a short conversation about how good the music they were playing was. (Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack anyone?) Next comes prices. I got a small veggie haggis burrito (score!) that was somewhere around 6 pounds. Normally I'd be greedy and add chips or sides, but even this burrito being small, it's actually massive (I was impressed the gal at the till managed to perfectly roll it, and even smush it all around so the proportions were evenly mixed--MY HERO). So I topped it off with a nice wheat ale from Stewart's and left with my bill around 11 pounds. Not bad at all for a solid beer and a solid burrito. Next came seating. Illegal Jack's isn't quite up to restaurant standards of atmosphere for obvious reasons, but the seats feel a lot cozier and less standardized than your typical Pinto's or burger chain. We sat down next to a gentleman mysterious staff member who was doing some laptop work--he very nicely jumped to shift some of his things to the side for us so we could sit. Again, as I was remarking loudly that the music was lovely he thanked me for noticing as he must've been the man in charge of the playlist (come on, Grateful Dead was playing, my hippie heart rejoiced!). But enough about my music tastes. How was the burrito, you may ask? Delicious, of course! That was a really damn solid burrito. My coworker even did a happy dance (twice) whilst she ate it, which I think is a good sign for any burrito. Even more than that, when the gentleman staff sitting next to us noticed my bottle of Louisiana hot sauce on the table he disappeared into the back and plopped down a bottle of Scotch Bonnet + Mango hot sauce from his personal supply in the back for us to try. Damned if it wasn't delicious, but whoo it had some great heat! Overall I left this place feeling 1) chuffed as all get out 2) with super duper happy tummies 3) pleased at how NICE everyone was and 4) STOKED that I have found an amazing burrito place that I can easily get to (lamenting the fact that Los Cardos is all the way on the other end of town in Leith!). So if you're fancyin' a fairly-priced burrito in a joint that feels just a little bit closer to home, give Illegal Jack's a scope. I know for certain I'll be back!

Stopped in for dinner on a Monday night. The place was pretty full (it's a small place) and we only…read morehad to wait a few minutes. We started with a couple of their local draft beers, the chilaquiles(special) and the elote. The chilaquiles were delicious! Very flavorful but all the chips were quite soggy and a little thick. We also got a hot sauce on the side which was divine! It was spicy and had a great taste as well! The elote was sweet, juicy and the spices it was covered in were delicious! For our meals we got the steak and chorizo tacos, cauliflower tacos, Baja cod tacos and the pork carnitas tacos. All of the tacos were delicious! Again, the tortilla was a little thick, which was nice but it was falling apart a little. The cauliflower tacos already had a nice amount of spice to them. These were a great veg option for our vegetarian. The steak and chorizo tacos were interesting as it seems they were blended into a crispy pan fried patty and the sauce it came with was incredible. The cod tacos were my favorite! The fish was well seasoned, super crispy and very light! The sauce it was served with was rich abs tasty as well. I wasn't a fan of the pomegranate but that was my fault--should have ordered without it. They did not have any dessert. The service was also so great! The staff is very friendly and efficient. Would definitely recommend!

My friend and I came here on whim while walking through Edinburgh. When we arrived, we were the…read moreonly customers in the restaurant. They have good specials and we ordered their two taco special. The beef in the tacos was on the tough side and definitely could have been more tender. The service was slow despite us being the only people in the shop at the time and the waitress we had was not very friendly. The margarita was weak and watery. Overall this was a disappointing stop and I likely wouldn't come again.

Went here a few years ago and had an incredible meal! Went yesterday, had a very sad excuse for a…read moremeal. Can't say one good thing about the food anymore. Poor food quality, enchiladas tortilla fell apart like it was super old and dried out, the enchiladas were cheese only but had a very sharp aged white English cheddar in them. Not edible. Beef tacos had no cheese at all and were so greasy they also fell apart. Rice was ok, beans were old and bland. Nachos were ok. A half carafe of plain margarita was like £28!!!! It was only 2.5 drinks in there! Plus it was frozen for some reason (did not indicate that style anywhere on the menu) and were difficult to drink. Brain freeze! Unfortunately, the staff/owners probably don't care because the place is packed anyway. Eat here at your own risk.

My family and I went here to visit my sister and were really craving some good Mexican food…read more Originally we went and they put us in the basement and there was not many people and no music so the ambiance was a bit awkward. After a little while more people came and they put on some music which made it a pretty good vibe. The service was really good and we ordered the nachos, burritos, and chimichangas with vegan hagis and they were all really delicious. The tortilla soup was a little too spicy for my comrade but still delicious nonetheless. They crammed us in to one table with 5 people but it turned out to be fine so I'd give a review of 4.3/5.0.

Margarita was better than food but expensive. Nothing was right. It seemed like they didnt know…read morewhat Mexican food was supposed to be. Ordered Queso and it was some orange mystery stuff totally wrong. I ordered chili relleno which is a pepper stuffed with cheese ... not here. Husband commented seemed like a Turkish guy trying to do Mexican food but no idea what he's doing. Didnt bring salsa or chips. Would never come back. Do not recommend.

Sorry but not good. Service was fine, restaurant was clean but the food was certainly a Scottish…read moreinterpretation of Mexican and it really missed the mark as far as flavor.

I visited the Blue Parrot twice on my most recent trip to Edinburgh, and each time there was…read moresomething seriously wrong... On my first visit, my friend found three cocktail sticks in his food that weren't supposed to be there - it made him reluctant to finish his meal after he took a bite and found a stick in his mouth :-( On my unquestionably last visit, I asked that our entrée be prepared without peanuts because my friend has a mild nut allergy. When it came out, it was COVERED with peanuts! The staff are friendly and nice, however I don't think I'll be returning.

Wow. Very underwhelming. And I was so looking forward to boasting about having an amazing Mexican…read morerestaurant within metres of my home. Let's get straight to it. I can't fault the service. They were friendly, helpful and prompt. Drinks were ok, I didn't care for the wine glasses which were quite small and cheap looking. Oh and the food. Starters were the guacamole and pico de gallo. Both under seasoned and quite bland. There was nothing exciting about it. Corn chips were also on the less salty side to eat was like eating crunchy and mushy anything. My main was the beef enchilada. I will say this is very reminiscent of taco bell (US) or taco bill (Australia) which is like tasteless meat wrapped in carbs with a side of mush (refried beans) covered in cheese. There was nothing explosive or enticing about this meal. I wouldn't go back because I get the gist. It didn't feel exciting or authentic and not really a meal I would want again.

I was enticed into Au Bar by its stylish art nouveau font on the outside. I'm aware it's a rip off…read morefrom a beautiful period in art and architecture, but since everywhere is commercialised these days, I figured you could do a lot worse than to take inspiration from that kind of ornate beauty! I thought Au Bar was grand inside, without being high brow. I guess that kind of makes it harder to slot it into a category. It's not one of the trendy, glossy bars of Edinburgh, nor is it an old man boozer. But it's nice to find somehwere that settles into a happy medium. It's calm inside, even when it's busier. It seems clientele have a common shared interest for wanting to enjoy a quiet drink without too much noise. Their bar menu is nice, with some fancy offerings on the table, but it seems surplus to what the bar is actually about. They sell a good stock of booze, including cheap pints as some of the other reviewers have said. It's hard to come by a pint that's cheap and also tasty these days, but Au Bar manages to come up with the goods. I'm not sure what market Au Bar is gearing itself towards, but that's not a bad thing at all. It's a very serene place to go that will appeal to people looking for a quiet and intimate night out. It's nice enough to deter a rowdy bunch, and calm enough to steer away from cocktail bar wankery (sorry, it has to be said). So Au Bar, with its soothing atmosphere and darker interior, is my kind of place these days.

I came to Au Bar with my friends after the rugby at Murrayfield in our first year. Being early on…read morea Saturday evening it was pretty busy, but the staff coped well with the queues and the place had a really friendly and bustling atmosphere. The decor is comfortable and stylish with plenty of cushioned seating and contemporary art on the walls. The drinks are fairly well priced with most pints costing less than £3. Further, they have a great range of real ales and beers as well as high quality malt whiskeys. It attracts a fairly lively crowd of mixed ages which is always a good sign. I didn't try the food, but apparantly their burger and pint looked pretty tempting!

Smelled great. Room was cozy and lively. We walked in without a reservation. Many tables had tent…read morecards reserving them for an hour later and we were told we couldn't be served until 2-1/2 hours later because of the reserved tables. I guess it seems common in Scotland. It's just weird to be turned away to let tables sit empty for an hour. Plus the tall hostess girl was the only rude person we encountered in all of Scotland. Give it a try but make a reservation? ‍

This place was recommended on Reddit and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I got the chips that came with…read moremultiple dips and salsas. All of those were delicious. I had a great mojito. I also had carne asada tacos. They had nice chunks of tender steak. Overall, a great recommendation.

We found the food tasty, the service excellent and the atmosphere jubilant without being over…read morepowering at Topolabamba. Traveling through Scotland we've been amazed at all the Mexican food restaurants. After a terrible plate of natchos, we've avoided them until last night. The lure of a margarita brought us in to this place that serves water out of Jose Cuervo bottles. The ambiance was lively and had the bright ceramics of our home town neighbor. Ben, our waiter, was wonderful-calmly dealing with our concerns and bringing us dishes one at a time. We started with fish tacos which were delicious and had slices of Serrano peppers. The spiciness was welcome. We had prawn tostadas that I would order again without hesitation. Quality of the prawns was excellent. The spirit of Mexican cuisine was in these dishes although they were different than the Mexican food we've had in Mexico and in San Diego. The calamari was a stretch for being Mexican but tasted great. We were disappointed to not have the margarita rims salted and the avocado was barely adequate for us but otherwise this place is great for Mexican food in Scotland.

The service was so nice--truly lovely people--but if you have ever had actual Mexican food you will…read morebe unbelievably disappointed. If you're just craving churros then this is the spot! Just avoid everything else.

We love Mexican food and eat it often. I have to say this was the freshest (farm to table) Mexican…read morefood I've eaten and this includes within Mexico. A little pricy but I had the Wahaca for one which was a nice selection and of course a margarita (small for the price). Would definitely eat here again on a future visit. Service was exceptional!

This place was such a vibe! We were seated upstairs next to the open windows during one of the most…read moreunusually warm, breezy Scottish summer evenings. The tacos were incredible (especially the beef and pibil), we tried their signature apple cocktail which was so refreshing, and the service was great