We were staying at the Virgin Hotel right up the street. This place was chosen out of pure convenience. We were seated immediately. We ordered chips and salsa to start. The chips were served with a chipotle style salsa and another salsa that I would describe as "Pace Picante" supermarket salsa. I ordered the steak tacos and my husband ordered the steak burritos. The steak tasted like it sat in a crockpot in a sauce of some kind. What's it terrible? No. Was it great? No. We were pretty hungry, it was pouring rain and we got a meal out of convenience. Would we go back? No. read more

The steak taco good, the tequila good, the chicken enchilada ? Avoid. Very little meat and over sauced with sweet taste. If expecting good MEXICAN food, not quite it. Some margaritas and tacos maybe the best option. read more

Right on Victoria street, really really good chicken tacos. Good salsas. Excellent drinks. Couldn't ask for a better location or vibe.

When I entered the restaurant I could smell the food; a good sign. Great prices and portions. Burrito is nice and big. Enchiladas are very yum. Sharing nachos can be eaten as a meal. Excellent service. read more

The food was good. The service wasn't. There was only 2 waitresses. Ours never smiled. I didn't care that the food was delayed but a smile will make a lot of difference. The food was very good though. read more

The food was very tasty. A bit different from Mexican food in the US. It was the staff that really takes the restaurant up a notch. They are all so kind and helpful. read more

Eating at a Mexican restaurant called Mariachi drinking a coconut margarita Surrounded by Aztec and Day of the Dead Art, Listening to a Jazz rendition of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and Hip Hop music Staff is wearing Taco shirts In Edinburgh Scotland The cultural mashup is awesome and so is the food! Come to Mariachi and be delighted!!! read more

Mariachi - Raspberry margaritas and a coconut margarita YUM - Mexican Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Wee visit with my pop to the fabulous Mariachi today & a lovely welcome from Majid & Matt as always, we were just passing through an unexpected visit after a show in Edinburgh Festival but the smell of tacos & the vibes, will be back real soon lovely to see you guys keep up the great work, fav restaurant, best Mexican in Edinburgh! read more

Mariachi - lovely welcome from Majid & Matt @Mariachi unexpected visit after a show in Edinburgh Festival Best Mexican - Mexican Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Mariachi was very underwhelming. The margs were too sweet, and the guac had no flavor. The crema on the fish tacos was the only thing giving it flavor, but they barely put any on. If you don't eat a ton of authentic Mexican food, maybe you'd like this. read more

Four of us went to Mariachi for dinner, and we found it to be thoroughly enjoyable, and a good value for our money too :-) The nachos are about as authentic as I've found outside of North America, and the Salsa is very good (though it could use more chili). The Guacamole has just the right consistency, and is truly delicious! We all ordered different dishes and then shared to enjoy a wide range of tastes and flavors. All the dishes were quite good; no one was better than the other three. That said, if there was a stand-out in that meal, it was the Refried Beans - if you order nothing else when you visit Mariachi, get the Refried Beans and you'll be a happy camper :-) The next time I'm craving authentic Mexican food in Edinburgh, I'll visit Mariachi for sure! read more

If you're well acquainted with traditional Mexican cuisine, you will find this place rather underwhelming. The food was not particularly flavorful, nor was it cheap (£7 for chips and guac). Aside from that, the frozen margaritas were quite nice. read more

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! read more

Mariachi - Mexican Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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 cafe 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. read more

Mariachi - Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

See all

INCREDIBLE MEXICAN FOOD! You don't usually come to Europe for Mexican food, but I was looking for a comfort food and that is exactly what I got! The staff are so kind, but were stretched a little too thin when we were there for dinner. We had to wait about 45-60 minutes for our food to come out. Our waiter felt horrible about the wait and he gave us free tequila shots! Despite the wait, I would definitely go back for more of their yummy food. read more

Great small restaurant. Good margaritas and mocktails. Solid option on Victoria Street.

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 decor was pretty nice and the waitstaff was friendly and attentive. Not a perfect Mexican, but getting closer to what I hope for! read more

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! read more

Horrible service!! Took forever to get the food as they got busy! The attitude was also very negative They were so late for getting the dessert that we had to cancel it then Will not recommend this place to anyone who I know can read more

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. read more

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! read more

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! read more

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. read more

Mariachi is a good sized Mexican restaurant near to a large number of pubs. A great place to stop by to feed after a drink! We made a reservation for a group of ten visitors to Edinburgh on a Wednesday evening. Staff were friendly and even when we expanded the group by another two people, they looked after us admirably. The food at this Mexican restaurant was delicious. I had a Chicken Enchilada which was delicious and served with a side order of refried beans and rice. There is local beer on the drinks menu, alongside traditional Mexican beer, wine and other beverages. Our bill came to £27 per head for a two course meal with drinks. Good value! read more

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 decor 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. read more

Mariachi - Mariachi - Mexican Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Not the most amazing restaurant I've ever been to, but then it's also not one of the most expensive so I guess you get what you pay for. The food is ok, it's nice enough, just not amazing. One of the people I was with had a burger and didn't really enjoy that very much. It's a lively place which is good for larger parties. read more

The place is good and the service was good. Being from Texas, it is close. I gave them a 4 due to the fajitas being wet. I should have eaten the burrito. The nachos rocked! read more

If you think they don't have good Mexican food in Scotland-think again. We came here thinking it was going to be horrible but we were mistaken. I ordered the shredded beef burrito and it was so delicious. My husband ordered their fajitas and it was delicious as well. The chips, salsa, and guacamole were exceptional. Stay for the dessert. The churro's were warm and good. Bottom line is if you're craving Mexican food, this is the place to be. Enjoy! read more

Stumbled upon this Mexican restaurant while walking through the old Town streets in Edinburgh. We were 2 of us and we tried the starter button mushrooms in sauce and the vegetarian burrito. Loved the taste and enjoyed the well cooked vegetables. Filling meal at an affordable price. Neat, clean place and the service was good. read more

Mariachi - Mexican Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

7 Victoria Street Edinburgh EH1 2HE Phone: 0131 623 0077 E-mail: enquiries@mariachi-restaurant.co.uk http://www.mariachi-restaurant.co.uk A tad over prised but defiantly worth it. Very authentic atmosphere and friendly staff. Large yummy portions. Good location to clubs and buses. read more

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. read more

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. read more

Mariachi - Frozen margarita - Mexican Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

See all

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 decor, 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. read more

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. read more

Mariachi - Mexican Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

While in Edinburgh I got a crazy craving for Mexican food! What? So as I was meandering down to the grass market I passed this place. I thought, sure why not I'll give it a try! I got enchiladas which were fabulous- a perfectly crafted sauce on too, shredded pork inside, and guacamole made from a real avocado! They had a great margarita selection as well. I got one with patron silver, lime juice and agave nectar, shaken and served straight up in a martini glass with a salted rim. Service was a bit slow at first but did improve. All in all, I'd recommend this place! read more

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... read more

being a natural yelper, 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. read more

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. read more

They have a the choice of a set menu until 6.45 pm and we asked at 6.15 if this was still a choice you could make. Realised now that we got home that they charged us for everything separately. Why even bother to have a set menu and answer "yes" when asked if this is a choice if you're going to rip people off by charging the original prize? We were a group so didn't pay attention at first to the higher price, as one of us paid for everyone. read more

Surprisingly good Mexican food! We were looking for a break from traditional Scottish fare and riled the dice... and this place is great! Delicious food and friendly service! read more

My wife and I love spicy food and really enjoyed this restaurant. We had chili mushrooms, which made our noses run, and nachos (which were gorgeous) for starters and for mains we had a steak (average) and fajita's (very tasty). Service was pretty good and the margarita's were tasty. We'll definitely go back. read more