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    Viva Mexico

    3.8 (87 reviews)
    ModerateMexican, Tex-Mex
    Open 12:00 pm - 2:00 PM, 6:30 PM - 10:30 PM

    Viva Mexico Photos

    VIVA MEXICO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Viva Mexico

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    Reviews With Photos

    Chimichanga!
    Roma N.

    Yes, I know it's odd to go to Edinburgh and go to a Mexican restaurant because you don't really know what you're walking into, but this place did not disappoint! Being a native Southern Californian, I know my Mexican food and this was it. The salsas were fresh, the chips crispy and the offerings classic and delicious. If you're a local and want some authentic Mexican this is it. If you're traveling and need a change of pace, look no further. It may look small, but they've got two floors with plenty of seating.

    Menu
    Ryan M.

    Some of the better Mexican food I have had in Scotland. Very good service and casual Mexican decor. Started with some fried tortillas chips and salsa, guacamole and sour cream. These were fried in house but didn't come out warm and must have been done earlier. They were still pretty good although unlike in the US there was a charge for the tortilla chips rather than complimentary as many places in the states provide. Chicken fajitas were nice ( I tried my friends) but there are better things on the menu that are tastier. I had the shredded beef chimichanga with refried beans and rice. It was good and I'd recommend it at £13.50 as very reasonable for central Edinburgh. My other friend had the chicken burrito with black mole sauce. I tried the mole sauce and it was good although pretty sweet an I didn't get much more than sweet chocolate coming through. I'd personally get it on the side but if you have a sweet tooth go for it. All in all very good and I would definitely come back again.

    Beef enchiladas!
    Jacqie B.

    I'm from Texas and grew up eating Mexican food, and I was so thankful when I discovered Viva Mexico when I moved to Edinburgh! It's authentic and delicious! The service was fabulous and I really love the decor is bright and festive! I particularly enjoy the ceviche, guacamole, beef enchiladas, & margaritas. Felt like I was home again!

    Chicken nachos
    Susan F.

    This place is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and so it has to be a bit if an Edinburgh institution, right? Wrong! Despite being a nice enough looking Mexican in a great location, this place goes to support the theory that it's hard to find decent reliable food in the touristy vicinity of the royal mile. So disappointing to find both our shared starter of chicken nachos and our mains of pork burrito and chicken fajitas tasteless and honestly substandard to something I could have rustled up myself from an old El Paso dinner kit in the flavour stakes. The presentation was pretty (1 star) and the staff friendly & efficient (2 stars) and so the only ingredient missing was - well - the ingredients! Won't be returning!

    Lesley S.

    I've tried three Mexican eateries in Edinburgh and I've been to this one a couple times and have to say it's my favorite! You can get sharing tapas where each Dushanbe us about £2-3 and comes with two portions.. Works out perfectly for trying different dishes! Everything we tried was great so young can't really go wrong.. Up was my first time trying mole sauce (chocolaty creamy sauce) and was not disappointed! There's lots of seating (surprised they had a downstairs which we were lucky to get a table) - gets busy so make a reservation! Oh and the first time we came, we were able to try the huge Mexican hats.. Good fun!

    Sui B.

    Aside from the refried beans and rice, our food tasted pretty bad, one dish even tasted exactly what I imagine a wet towel would taste like- GAG! We were seated in the basement and the service was pretty slow, not sure if they forgot us a few times. I ended up feeling quite sick from whatever I did intake - was not a fun experience at all. The table legs were uneven and the table surface was sticky - not a good look guys, not at all.

    Mojito
    Tanja R.

    I would give this place 3.5 stars, but not possible, such decided to pull out the daredevil and go for a 3 star. The location is ideal, just off Royal Mile. The big windows decorations just scream to come in and try a Mojito. Oh yeah. There is not much space upstairs. A few tables utmost. There are no table cloths, but the wooden tables match the rustic mexican interior with its yellow walls. I like it. It was Halloween, so the waitresses made efforts to dress up in scary costumes. I ordered the Mojito, which came in a small glass with large ice cubes. Hmmm, not enough Mojito and largest ice cubes ever, such a no no. The burritos came with beef, rice and various mexican typical sauces . I missed the proper spices for my taste buds. Nevertheless, I like this place and would go there, even for a romantic get together or with friends.

    Front entrance
    Scott M.

    My wife and I stopped in for lunch as we remembered eating fish tacos here on a visit a few years ago. We live in Southern California and eat Mexican food a couple of times a week. This restaurant serves the closest thing to authentic Mexican food I have experienced in Europe. My wife ordered the Chicken Fajitas cooked fresh and served with flour tortillas. She said they were very delicious. I ordered the beef enchiladas lunch special that was served with rice and tortilla soup. The enchiladas were tasty, however I think they were prepackaged and microwaved before served. The soup was delicious and was topped with sliced avocado. They only thing that would make this dining experience more authentic is if they served complimentary tortillas chips and salsa as you were seated. #edinburghmexicanfood #edinburghmexicanrestaurants

    Lauren N.

    I have been traveling and I'm always on the search for some good Mexican/Tex-mex and this place did not disappoint! I ordered a frozen margarita and then the ground beef tacos. Chips and salsa were good and I ate every bite of my meal. I will be coming here again before I leave. I'm from Texas and this is the closest I've come to Tex-mex since I left. Definitely recommend you give it a try! The service was good and friendly, too!

    Tomato soup...loaded!

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    7 years ago

    Perfect!! My family was craving Mexican so much and it totally hit the spot! I recommend the burrito;) their drinks are great too!

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    Page 1 of 3

    Review Highlights - Viva Mexico

    We got into Scotland a wee bit early before our hotel was ready and found this gem across the street.

    Mentioned in 15 reviews

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    People searched for Mexican 144 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

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    El Cartel - The fish tacos are incredible

    El Cartel

    4.5(95 reviews)
    0.4 miOld Town
    ££

    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.

    Photos
    El Cartel - Frozen Margarita

    Frozen Margarita

    El Cartel - Guacamole

    Guacamole

    El Cartel - Steak tacos

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    Steak tacos

    Illegal Jack's - Carnitas burrito.

    Illegal Jack's

    4.0(19 reviews)
    0.5 miNewington
    £

    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!

    Photos
    Illegal Jack's - Mmm mmm, hot sauce!

    Mmm mmm, hot sauce!

    Illegal Jack's - Inside

    Inside

    Illegal Jack's

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    Chimichanga

    Chimichanga

    3.4(5 reviews)
    0.7 miNew Town
    £

    So it's Saturday night and I've arranged a dinner for 15 of my co-workers. Some of them arrive…read moreearly at the restaurant and they don't appear to have my booking. BUMS!! It also happened to be the weekend the Six Nations was on so town was heaving. I was preparing myself for an onslaught from my hungry co-workers when I managed to get through to Chimichanga. Situated just around the corner from my work in the West End it seemed the perfect solution. Mexican food and cocktails galore, just what I needed to keep my co-workers happy. I called up with my fingers-crossed.... "Errrr... by any chance do you have room for 15 people now?" "Yes we do" Thank the Lord! I quickly explain to my guys the slight change in plan and push them out the door towards Chimichangas. As promised the table was ready and waiting for us. The cocktails are fabulous here, I shared a pitcher of frozen margarita. So good! The food is not just boring tex-mex either. They have your favourites of course including chimichangas and nachos etc but they lighter options too. I was torn between the seabass and the grilled chicken. I went for the grilled chicken and calamari to start. My calamari was amazing! Lightly coated and super tasty. It came with an awesome chipotle mayonnaise too. My chicken was simply grilled and came topped with fresh guacamole and salsa. Delicious! By this point the cocktails had worked their magic and my colleagues were more than satisfied! Phew!! The prices are reasonable here with cocktails at around £7 and mains at around £10. Definitely more to this place then just Tex-Mex! Cheers, Amy

    Having been here thrice means I found pleasant my experience!!…read more Friendly service, nice menu, tasty Sangria!! My colleagues were also pleased with the reasonable portions. The menu is what you would expect from a Mexican place: burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, and the other traditional dishes. They do have a Brazilian beer which was ok. I haven't tried any desserts though .

    Photos
    Chimichanga - Burrito!!!

    Burrito!!!

    Chimichanga - Closed

    Closed

    Chimichanga

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    Los Cardos - Chicken fajita burrito

    Los Cardos

    4.2(65 reviews)
    1.2 miLeith
    £

    In respect to the current global issue of highly pressured, low supply restaurants, I am ashamed to…read morehave expected more. Thank you for choosing to be open and offer food in this difficult time. I want to give 5 stars on that alone, but this is about food - as is. Given the area (Leith) and the attempt to offer Mexican (non-authentic), I rate my steak burrito and tacos below average. The accessibility, friendliness, and portion size makes up the rest. You definitely get a bang for your buck. Would not go back but it was filling. Suggest to focus on garlic, onion, and citrus flavors through marinades or infused rice.

    Black beans and salsa verde !!! O ya that's what I'm talking about! I've tried a few Mexican places…read morein Scotland this last year and 1/2 and nothing is ever good enough to bring me back. But this place is awesome! I only had the chicken burrito so I can't judge the rest of the menu but the people next to me had the quesadillas and they looked huge and awesome! My burrito was also huge and loaded with black beans !!! I LOVE BLACK BEANS!!! Something few places have here! And best of all this place was reasonably prices! Nothing worse then bad over priced Mexican. ... This place is like a connection to home (CA) for me! So excited! Will be back again for sure!

    Photos
    Los Cardos - Our Roastin' Red and Verde Salsa preserves

    Our Roastin' Red and Verde Salsa preserves

    Los Cardos - Fresh coriander, one of our most important ingrediants

    Fresh coriander, one of our most important ingrediants

    Los Cardos - Tortilla chips, pico de gallo, guacamole and black bean salsa

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    Tortilla chips, pico de gallo, guacamole and black bean salsa

    Blue Parrot Cantina - Very quaint interior!

    Blue Parrot Cantina

    3.9(15 reviews)
    0.8 miStockbridge, New Town
    ££

    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.

    Photos
    Blue Parrot Cantina
    Blue Parrot Cantina
    Blue Parrot Cantina

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    Viva Mexico - mexican - Updated May 2026

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