Sara C.

staff: friendly waitresses. service: we beat the taco Tuesday lunch rush so we were served quickly. establishment: big, spacious, lots it tables and chairs. Great colourful & folclórico looking decor. Bathrooms are clean. food: good flavour. Great portions! Taco Tuesday is great!

Jennie L.

We went here the day that COVID restrictions eased, so I am giving them the benefit of the doubt. First of all it was absolutely FREEZING inside. So much so everyone was wearing coats including the staff. I caught a chill even though I ordered soup and tea to start. Think about heating the building the day before you open to make your guests comfortable. Even though we were the only couple in there except two guys who were done eating the food was really, really, slow. The soup was tasty but lukewarm. The tacos we had (my husband had mixed ones - beef and pork and I had fish) were okay but not worth the price or the wait. I found my batter was a good texture but lacked flavour. The only thing that was amazing was their selection of hot sauces and the really cute atmosphere that we couldn't enjoy because of the cold. The sever was sweet but young and inexperienced and had trouble carrying even the tea. I wouldn't rush here anytime soon. If you want good food and service and a heated building there are a tonne of other places I would recommend. Message me for details.

Shanel M.

So disappointing. I've ordered take out a few times and everything is small portions and way overpriced; I ordered tacos and they were the little tortillas it looked like samples instead of a meal. the Torta I ordered was served on a small ciabatta bun. They charge like 16$ for a tiny poorly assembled Torta. This is not good Mexican food go to Mexico Lindo on the south side for real Mexican food. It's worth the drive. The milanesa was burnt too they clearly don't care about the food they cook

Chris C.

Popped in for a quick bite. Second time to this place, and it really never has disappointed... Super authentic Mexican food really friendly service. The prices here are also very reasonable, and quite big portions so you can have quite the meal on budget... A quick note the pazole which is a major amazing soup is only available on weekends. Tonight we tried to enchiladas and chorizoqueso so they were awesome the chorizoqueso so is like very cheesy with crumbled sausage. The guacamole was also to die for!

Christina B.

My second trip to El Mariachi did not disappoint. Both times I've left craving the complex flavours of their traditional fare. Portions are generous !!! Your favourite aunt could be the in house chef, if your aunt were one heck of a Mexican cook, at El Mariachi the owner infuses love and spice into each dish. Her AZTEC SOUP & POZOLE (pozole only available on weekends) are some of the best the city has to offer. TRYIT TRYIT! The Hichata, a refreshing spiced drink is fantastic too! Another crowd pleaser was the Chorizo queso, Oh boy was this cheesy, flavourful goodness....yes, yes it was !! VERDICT: El Mariachi has quickly become a favourite when we want great comfort food, made with love! Check them out.

Lily V.

The restaurant itself is very colourful with art adorning every surface. Loud music is played via the tv that got a bit distracting. Staff are very friendly, though the wait was long for food and water refills. I liked that the menu had things I haven't tried in Edmonton yet, and our server was very helpful in answering our questions. It's not a crazy big menu, but there are plenty of options. A tray of various hot sauces of different spice levels come to each table after you order. We started with the potato appetizer - a large baked potato topped with cheese and your choice of meat (ground beef, chicken or pulled pork), served with a tiny cup of pico de gallo and tortilla chips. So simple and yet so delicious. The potato was fluffy and when mixed together with all the toppings and a splash of hot sauce, it all worked perfectly on a crunchy chip. I'd go back for this alone and eat this as a lunch. For meals, we tried their tacos with pork - 4 small ones to an order. I found these too be too messy - the pork had a lot of liquid that dripped everywhere. The flavour was good, but bordered on a bit too salty. We also ordered a hot stone bowl that came filled with shrimp, chicken and steak over roasted peppers/veg and cheese. This was another dish I've never had before, but I found it to be very tart. To accompany this, two tiny portions of rice and beans came out. (Tiny. I'm talking small tea cups you get at Asian restaurants. Literally a couple forkfuls. I am Asian. I need more rice than that!!) We ended with flan - it came in a plastic pie container, so I'm assuming they are pre-packaged for ease. A delicious caramel flavour, but very very dense - almost like a cheesecake. Overall, I think it's a good addition to the Mexican scene for Edmonton. I like that you can get things that aren't served elsewhere that I've seen, though a bit quicker in service and a few tweaks with food are still needed.

Cindy N.

Last week, El Mariachi opened its doors alongside the shops of 124 St. Yesterday was their grand opening, a celebration of Latin foods and free tacos for all who came between 4pm and 8pm! I was merely doing my usual scan of #yegfood on social media when I came across a tweet promoting the event. Perfect timing too, I had a dinner with my friend Alex in two hours time in the downtown area. A taco can't hurt right? Now who to drag with me... who likes free food... Joshua! So we drove down to the area to make it to the 5pm crowd. The shop is small, lined with three rows of various Latin products and two coolers in the back. Ohhh, sopes! Looks exactly like the ones Joe and I got at Hawkers Market. I arrived earlier than Josh to quickly scope out the place. When I hit the chips section, I nearly jumped for joy. My last trip in January was to Cancun and I frequented plenty gas stations to stock up on Crujitos, a spicy, cheesy spiral, similar to our cheese puffs here. I have a slight addiction to chips, so when I saw their selection of spicy, lime-y flavours, ahhhh swoon. I will be back to try all of you! The shelves were filled with various sauces and spices. A whole section for salsas, re-fried beans, and the most interesting of all, mole! Perhaps I don't delve into the ethnic foods section of the grocery stores enough, but I have never seen mole in a can or jar before. I can ease my way into cooking Mexican food now but using these sauces! I thought the chips section was impressive... then I saw dried chili. Bags and bags of various kinds of dried chili. Oh, this is a dangerous section for me. I suspect that if I ever want to make sauces from scratch for Mexican night, I will be using these bad boys. There was a taco station set up, seven (!) different kinds. A plate was for two tacos, although I'm sure if I asked we could have tried them all. I knew I was only able to take a bite of each taco for fear of being too full for dinner in an hour, which is where my friend Josh comes in. He's a big guy and he will eat anything I can't finish. What we ended up with: pork carnitas (braised pork shoulder), rajas con creme (roasted poblano peppers with creamed corn), chorizo (spicy pork sausage), and pork (I think?) in a mole sauce. A separate table showcased all types of salsa, hot sauces, and guacamole to add to your liking. They were amazing. Definitely no Tres Carnales, but felt like more like home cooked, comfort food. My favourite was the rajas con creme, something entirely new to me. Creamy, sweet from the corn, heat from the peppers, whoa! Their tortillas were thicker than what I'm use to, although preferable than two layered thin tortillas that some restaurants serve. Which brings me to my last question. Who made these tacos? El Mariacha is a Latin product shop, rather than a restaurant. Asking the lady who served our tacos, she replied that they made it themselves. She pointed to a back room and told us that eventually it will become a small eat in/take out restaurant serving up exactly what we were eating. Hot tamale, I'm excited! The restaurant portion is expected to open next month, but judging from the completely empty back room, I think it could take longer. Can't wait to try more tacos! Great addition to 124 St and not too far from the main hub of restaurants and shops closer to Duchess. Until my next visit, I've got Crujitos chips to slowly ration out and savour (can't feed the addiction too quickly!), and picked up a churro kit. Churros! Complete with a bag to pipe out the mixture into your frying pan. Can't wait to try! For more photos of what they have available in the shop, visit their website or Facebook page!