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.

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!

We were staying at the Virgin Hotel right up the street. This place was chosen out of pure…read moreconvenience. 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.

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

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.

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 .

Paella in Edinburgh? YES PLEASE - the dishes are good and the staff was very attentive (kind of an…read moreodd for European ways, but I always welcome kind and friendliness). The salsa lacked tomatoes so it was okay, but the guac was yummy! Fajitas and Paella were delicious.

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.

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!

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.

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

This is a hole in wall taco place and so good…read more It was a rainy day so I don't think think the employee anticipated how many pick up orders were coming through as well as a few parties coming in. He explained the situation, apologized, and said he reached out to a co-worker to come help. Poor guy was hustling. With that, when he made my tacos, they were a bit sloppy but since he was rushed - he loaded them! I got the hard tacos with barbocoa beef. Very tasty!! I couldn't finish al 3 since they were so loaded. They had so many condiments to choose from at a counter away from the food order spot. We food a couple of bar stool seats on a ledge facing the window. I'm glad we stopped in here and surprised how well Scotland can do Mexican!

Can't believe I'm writing this review for a Mexican joint in Europe - goes against everything I…read moreknow to eat Mexican food while I'm abroad but I was starving and had a craving and decided to chance it on the amazing reviews from everyone else. This place is GOOD. It's as close to Mexican food from home as I've ever had while I've been abroad AND it's reasonably priced -- don't miss this one!