While the city is underserved for a cuisine that long ago became an old favourite rather than the new kid on the block, there are a few gems for authentic Mexican eats in Edinburgh.
Here's our pick of five to try:
Miros Cantina Mexicana has been on Rose Street for what feels like forever (since 1991). The food is authentic and the menu expansive, with starters outside of the usual chips and guac including ceviche and king prawns with smoky bacon and jalapeños; inventive takes on old faithfuls, such as the spinach and artichoke enchilada and typical regional cooking like slow-cooked lamb with chipotle and Mexican honey; sweet potato, coriander and corn cakes and, a menu highlight, the pollo en mole – chicken with chilli and chocolate.
Tiny and lively (so be sure to book), the friendly service and enormous frozen margaritas make for a great night out.
Mariachi on Victoria Street is a colourful cantina where the food is equally vibrant. On the go for more than a decade, it's family-run and has previously been voted Edinburgh's best Mexican restaurant.
All the staples are present and correct – nachos, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas, chimichangas and chilli con carne – with some great side orders such as corn slathered in chipotle and lime, and imported Mexican beers and agave tequilas to wash it all down.
Picture: Mariachi
Decked out in Day of the Dead murals, The Basement bar, a stalwart of Broughton Street, has always had an excellent Mexican menu, which has been relatively recently revamped for a more rustic take on its prior crowd-pleasers.
Nowadays you'll find soft tacos filled with sweet potato and goat's cheese or duck confit and pickled carrot; beef slow-cooked in mole sauce; three-bean chilli cooked in Negro Modelo beer; huevos rancheros for brunch and desserts like a tequila snap with avocado ice cream and tequila and lime jelly.
Picture: The Basement
Arriving on the scene in 2013, Elm Row's very own Mexican taqueria Bodega brought a burst of fresh air along with its street food-inspired menu. Small and as such convivial, the star item is the tacos, which come in pairs, filled with smoky pineapple pulled pork, tempura tiger prawns, crispy cod bites with matchstick potatoes and chipotle mayo.
For dessert there are churros, lime and avocado pie and to chase it all down, imported Mexican sodas (or BYOB).
Picture: Bodega
Viva Mexico on Cockburn Street is welcoming from the first, with its fairy-lit doorway and beautiful interior of hanging paper lanterns, walls painted in warm, chalky-hued pastels and festooned with beautiful black and white photographs of traditional Mexican dress and chairs upholstered in Mexican blankets.
Run by the same family since 1984, this is Edinburgh's original Mexican restaurant and it's as authentic as can be, using family recipes to cook up a good mixture of classics and regional dishes – ceviche, calamares with chipotle mayo, refried beans topped with melted cheese and guacamole, deep-fried tacos de pollo with salsa verde, chimichangas, fajitas and tostadas, deep-fried flautas and chicken in mole sauce or with apples, raisins, olives and capers.
