Review: Mariachi, Edinburgh

 I’D COOKED RELENTLESSLY from Christmas Eve through to New Year’s Day; that’s what you get for being the resident chef, not that I mind.  It was time to loosen the apron and let someone cook for me – I was beginning to forget what that felt like.  We decided to take our traditional festive stroll down the enchanting Victoria Street hoping our favourite Mexican, Mariachi’s, had a spare table.

After a couple of well-earned drinks in the Jinglin’ Geordie we tactically wandered up the Royal Mile just in time for their 5:00 p.m. opening, swithering whether to have a cheeky half in the Bow Bar before or after the meal.  This was the first proper Edinburgh New Year since before the you-know-what hit; it was almost emotional seeing these old streets properly back to normal at this special time of year. Anyway, we managed to get a slot just in time it seemed, as tourists from across the globe began filling the place up.

We opened with a classic Margarita, which Mariachi do excellently well with a small portion of nachos (£4.95) to share.  This was just the right size for a snack, as I don’t think there’s anything worse than trying to polish off a huge portion of tortilla chips before the mains arrives.  The chips appeared homemade and had a decent amount of salsa and sour cream, although they were a little stingy with the cheese.

I ordered a burrito with barbacoa de res filling (or braised beef shin) priced at £13.  A neatly packaged tortilla arrived adorned with salsa roja and sour cream on top of a smattering of Mexican rice.  I duly cut it open to find it packed with more rice, refried beans, juicy pulled meat and nippy jalapenos. Everything was cooked superbly and an ice cold bottle of Modelo Mexican lager went expertly with the rich, spiciness of the food.

Sarah went for a chimichanga with conchinita pibil (£13) as her choice of filling.  The deep–fried parcel housed sweet pork shoulder, shredded to perfection with a well-balanced amount of rice, beans and accompanying sauces – real comfort food. 

It’s always pleasing to see the owner (his name escapes me) present in the restaurant. When he arrived, he went round all the staff asking how their New Year was before taking a seat with his small army of grandkids. You can tell the staff take pride in working there and there is very much a  family feel to the team.

Overall, Mariachi has been trading for so long for good reason.  It’s family friendly, always consistent and leaves your belly well and truly satisfied.  Time to hit the Bow Bar.

Web: mariachi-restaurant.co.uk

Phone: (0131) 623 0077

Address: 7 Victoria Street, Edinburgh, EH1 2HG

Open: Tues-Thurs - closed, Fri 5pm - 10pm, Sat 12-10pm, Sun-Mon 5pm-10pm