Mexican food in Scotland? So we were going to go to a nearby famous brewery. The vibes there were off. It was empty, smelled weird, and we just couldn't stay for lunch. A couple doors down we saw Mexican and thought why not!?! As an American I had very low expectations, as I just couldn't fathom good Mexican in Scotland. But guess what, I was proven wrong!!! Everything was fresh, flavorful, and spicy! The queso wasn't the best but I'll give them a pass because my desert was maybe one of the best things I have eaten in my life! My dessert was horchata ice cream (that tasted like dulce de leche) and cinnamon sugar flour tortilla chips. We had a spa appt and couldn't stay, but I would have finished it all!!! Highly recommend if you are in Edinburgh and want something different. read more

See all

I call this fancy gourmet gringo Mexican food. Doesn't mean it isn't good, just not authentic and I would not expect authentic Mexican in Scotland anyway. The service is ok. The ambiance is upbeat and good Spanish music. Fairly extensive menu of street tacos, enchiladas, burritos, tostadas, starters. Good variety of tequilas and margaritas. We shared between three of us: grilled prawn tostadas, roasted cauliflower street tacos, charred corn and refried bean quesadillas, chipotle roast vegetables quesadillas. Husband also ordered shredded honey pork tacos. Everything was very flavorful. Nothing spicy though. The Union Mezcal old fashioned margarita was good with mezcal tequila although a bit too sweet. The Tommy margaritas were even sweeter. Overall a very good dinner and I would recommend. read more

See all

Coming from the US t's not really Mexican per se so we were somewhat disappointed. Service was great. Fern was very helpful with the menu. We ordered queso fundido, carne asada tacos, and a Barbacoa beef burrito. The food was ok. Burrito was a little dry. Fundido was tasty but not a typical fundido and hardly any chorizo. The carne asada tacos were good. Very small portions for the price. The margaritas were small and very disappointing. Tommy Margarita was too sweet. All in all I we wouldn't come back. read more

See all

Coming from the states (California) my expectations weren't too high but when we were in the area for another place I saw this restaurant and knew I had to try it. It's a very decent sized restaurant with lots of seating. It was quite busy and we were lucky to get seated within 5 min. It took a little while for our server to come over which was fine, it gave us time to look over the menu. Most of the food is set up to be shared amongst the table; so we ordered a few dishes. The prawn tacos were the highlight although the slaw that came with them didn't compliment them. The other items were seasoned with too much spice that all you could taste was the heat in your mouth. I like spice and I can handle spices things, I personally feel it should never over power the entire dish. read more

See all

On a recent trip, I'd had a couple of pints in Glasgow City Centre, hadn't eaten, and realized I was starved. I was near Topolabamba and decided to try it without checking reviews or knowing anything about it. It was a risk that didn't pay off. I ordered the shredded pork burrito, thinking it was a safe choice. The burrito arrived and the tortilla was more like wonton skin, almost transparent. The shredded port wasn't like the carnitas I had in mind but more like boiled pork with almost now flavor. The burrito was cut in half and had beans, but just on one side. The other literally did not have a single bean. And the beans that were there were whole black beans, not necessarily expected in a pork burrito. As much as I'd love to say the atmosphere was at least nice, it wasn't. Staff seemed to be walking on eggshells around a young worker who appeared to be the manager. The only bit that was at least average was the mild salsa. read more

The food is absolutely amazing and so flavour full and the service was very quick. Our waiter was lovely and tended to our needs so kindly as my partner had a nut allergy to be aware of. The drinks tasted amazing and couldn't fault the place one bit. Would definitely come back. read more

Nice place, good food, good ambiance, friendly waiters, good price. Fun place to hangout! read more

Topolabamba - Corn - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

See all

This place was a viiibe! The music and decor set the ambience. The staff was friendly, and overall service was jaw-droppingly quick. The was 10x better than expected. This would be a must to revisit when I go back to Scotland. read more

Summary: A great find in Edinburgh. The prices are great during lunch and the food isn't too bad. It's not as good as the tacos you find in Los Angeles--but it's easily one of the best taco joints in Edinburgh. Service: The service is very good--the staff is attentive and very kind. They are informed of what their menu has to offer and are genuinely excited to give recommendations to first timers. Food: I had the daily special fish tacos--flavor was quite mild but the spice levels were just right. The fish was slightly over-fried and the breading was too crunchy for my preferences. My friends ordered the burritos and constantly complained that there were way too many beans inside it. Keep note of these things when ordering. Cheers. read more

Called in off the cuff last night and unexpectedly ended up feeling too full, which is definitely no bad thing. The service was friendly and efficient and the tarta mexicana, chilli fries and tortillas/quesadillas the two of us ordered would have been more than enough without my addition of the queso fundido to share. It's definitely on the list of considerations for the office Xmas meal (and hopefully by that time they can again serve beer). read more

Vegetarians/Vegans Beware!! AWFUL Experience!! If you are vegetarian or vegan, be aware that all of the food marked as "vegetarian" on the menu that is deep fried in oil, is cooked in the same oil as the meat dishes. This is not made clear and I only discovered this as I asked if the vegetarian dishes could be made vegan - I was told no, as they were cooked in the same oil as the meat dishes. I found this confusing, as these dishes including the Tortilla Chips, Salt & Chilli Pepper Fries, and Cauliflower Wings were marked as vegetarian on the menu. I asked the staff why were they marked as veggie if they are cooked in oil that is shared with meat dishes and they shrugged it off without much consideration/care. The food in general was very poor. I'm not sure what is crazy about the "Crazy Corn" - it's just boiled corn on the cob served with a wedge of lemon. The cauliflower wings which are marked with 4 Chili's were not hot - they were sweet, not spicy. And the fillings in the tacos wouldn't fill a hole in your tooth. I asked for my food to be vegan, when it came out it had both cheese and crema on it which - to be fair - was fixed when I asked the waiter. Altogether, I had an incredibly disappointing meal at Topolabamba. Definitely to be avoided - there are MUCH better Mexican restaurants in Edinburgh. To top to all off, when I was leaving, I brought the issues above to the attention of the staff and was told to leave a Google review because there was "nothing they could do". No apologies, no responsibility taken... a manager didn't even bother to come to address the issues, even after most of the food was left on the table. TERRIBLE experience - if you're veggie/vegan, you like spice, good service and going to restaurants that care about their customers, be sure to AVOID Topolabamba! read more

Food was ok. If you order tacos I would suggest the pork ones. The beef had no flavor. The service was super slow. The food came out fast but our waitress would barely come around. Normally I'm not a complainer when it comes to service but if I start to notice then it's bad. Ambience was what you'd expect. Margaritas were really weak read more

I have to be honest, I love Topolabamba. I came here with no real expectations - other than that it would be good. And it was. Knowing (and being known in) the Glasgow location, The food is flavourful, the staff is friendly. You can tell that the place has just opened up as there are still some hiccups (like the frozen marg machines being out of order) here and there, but that does not detract from the ultimate feel of Topolabamba. What you can expect when you come here includes incredible music (the staff is still dancing to it themselves), favourful and delicious food: a definite recommendation remains to be the Queso Fundido, the crispy fish tacos if you like some spice, the beef tostadas, the chicken tacos (be advised there is some cilantro in there!), and alcoholic margaritas. A new found favourite of mine is the unfrozen watermelon margarita which is definitely worth a recommendation. I had never paid much attention to the desert menu, however this time around, I decided to order the Chocolate chilli ice cream. Warning: Eat with care because boy, does the heat kick you in the throat after about 5 minutes. If you like living on the edge and enjoy chocolate with heat, this is for you! Definitely an amazing desert! The restaurant is decorated to the same standards as the Glasgow one; it's colourful, it's vibrant, it's a happy place. It might be a little smaller, but it has a cosy and welcoming feel to it. I love the attention to detail and the little touches. The two person booths have coat hooks, which is brilliant. All I can say, is wake-up Edinburgh and go to Topolabamba! read more

See all

Super friendly staff & super speedy service even though it was really busy for a Monday night. The place has a great atmosphere, the decor is nice although our corner was a little dark for reading the menu. The dishes were tasty, full of flavour & very fresh. We shared the pork, corn & crumbly cheese tostadas - which we wolfed down before I had a chance to grab a pic, the smoked chicken quesadillas, the pasilla king prawn tacos & the albondigas con casabel. The food is good value, the portion sizes are generous. Great tapas sizes for sharing if you want to try a few things. Will definitely be back to try some more dishes. & the el borracho lager isn't bad either. Margaritas next time - but not on a school night ;-) read more

See all

This is my last night in Edinburgh, and when I saw Mexican food in Scotland, I thought: Take a chance. I was immediately brought an entire bottle of Jose Cuervo 1800 and a water glass. I thought, "wow, these are my kind of scoundrels!" As it turns out, it was a bottle of water. : ) I like the street food/tapas format, but I wish I had the option of ordering each item ala cart (like a real Tapas bar). I ordered Carne Asada tacos. Three small corn tortilla tacos per £6.25 order. They offer 6 taco options, and I would have preferred to mix and match. If you order taquitos, they are two to an order. Again, I would appreciate the ability to buy '1' ala cart since there were 5 choices. You have a tapas 'vibe', but not the customer choice. I ordered the Roasted Salsa Brava (4-chile warning) & chips (£1.50). The salsa had a nice heat that is slow-build. It was like a thinned-down tomato paste. Nice tomato flavor, but one-dimensional. With some chopped onions and fresh Cilantro, this could really shine. I spoke with one woman here a couple days ago that thought Haggis was "too spicy", so maybe the 4-chile warning was appropriate for the local market. I would rate it 1-chile spicy. The thin corn tortillas fell apart quickly, making for a "messy Marvin" eating experience. If they used two tortillas (like El Pollo Loco in the US), it would have held together better. The Carne Asada had good flavor, but was cooked well done. I was seated immediately, but I would describe the pace of service as "relaxed". And I don't mean that as a pejorative. Just plan on relaxing and enjoying your meal. I did. read more

This isn't owned by Rick Bayless like in the US. And It isn't very good .. super greasy & they use feta cheese on the taquitos which I've never seen before and is NOT Mexican. However the Service was great and very friendly. ended up leaving and looking for dessert elsewhere to wash down the grease .... The queso fundido was really good read more

Excellent restaurant with tasty tapas. Went here on a Saturday night with my boyfriend and it was great. Every dish was full of flavour and even though they look small, six dishes between the two of us left us stuffed. I also had the Golden Apple margarita which isn't as good as a 'real' margarita but for the price was really good. Overall this place is really reasonable and has a great atmosphere. The only negative I had was that the food came out so fast (because it's tapas and a couple of our dishes were dips) that I felt we had finished our meal within about half an hour. Will definitely be back though! read more

Topolabamba - Topolabamba - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

I have been here three times since it opened - it's a good choice for dining with pals as the format is tapas and there are loads of dishes to share. Each tapas dish is around £4 - £5, and there are also main courses on offer from about the tenner mark. I am useless with spicy food, and at least half of the options on the menu are out of my palate level sadly. However, what remains is tasty and varied - there is a reasonable selection of vegetarian grub up for grabs too. Must admit I am a fan of the cheese fondue thing. It comes with a stack of homemade tortilla chips to dip. Yum. Downside? No teapots (oh, the rage!). Plus the loos are not accessible as they are down a flight of stairs. read more

Great food. Great ambiance. Not precisely Mexican but still great. Recommendations for the management: improve your tortilla chips, they are kind of greasy, the salsa can be improved perhaps adding some garlic to it. read more

I am not the biggest fan of Topalabamba. I understand the concept of tapas size but I think the place is quite overpriced for what they served.. Tapas should be outstanding food and I just found the food quite mediocre. Ordered some nachos and burritos but the burritos were not that good and the nachos were not well assorted. I might try this place again but nothing really to crave for. read more

We were looking for a place to eat our last night in Edinburgh and this tapa bar looked interesting. Started out well - they seated us quickly and took our drink order. We got our guacamole (different but not bad, not really Mexican, but we are a long way from Mexico and people do strAnge things to guacamole). This is where it went downhill fast. We were totally ignored by our waitress (the restaurant wasn't busy). I tried to get the waitresses attention, but to no avail. 20 minutes later my wife and I decided to settle up for the drinks and guacamole and leave. I've had much better service at taco trucks! Avoid this place if you can!! read more

Poor quality food, bad service, weak and small margaritas. Food was cold, and worst of all nothing near authentic Mexican. Don't waste your money. There are many other new Mexican branded restaurants in Edinburgh and some close to this one. read more

Seriously spiced, seriously delicious food. A good opportunity for your taste buds, that I advice you don't pass on. Great experience

We ordered two chimichangas, one beef and one chicken. They were both absolutely perfect!! We also had an order of queso fundido which was very good and perfectly proportioned. After dinner, we were feeling something sweet and got some churros which were the best churros I've ever had in my life. Great portion size, crispy yet soft, coated with cinnamon and served with a side of chocolate sauce. The prices were very affordable. I highly recommend this superb restaurant and will definitely be going back in the near future. read more