El Mexicano

Awful.

Fajitas cost me 10.95 and consisted of three tortillas, a plate with a table spoon of refried beans (with a sprinkle of cheese on top), a table spoon of guacamole, and a tea spoon of sour cream that had the consistency of water.

The chicken that was served was of a nice size but impossible to eat with the three tortillas. Why skimp on these things, they aren’t expensive...

Beer was expensive and limited.

Staff were fine, no complaints there, didn’t take long to be served the main course.

I can’t see how anyone could say it was authentic without knowing what real Mexican food is like. This place is not authentic whatsoever.
Comment on this reader review

Sunday, October 28, 2007

We went last night, in fear of being ripped off after reading the last review (post booking a table). However, we found that it was actually very good. The food was cooked nicely and there was plenty. Not an expert on mexican food, but we would definately go again. In particular, we really appreciated the service. The waiter bought us a new jug of tap water without us having to ask, didn't rush us, and we were never kept waiting. Excellent.
Comment on this reader review

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Went here last night after reading the other reviews. They have not been written for a while so don't know if things have changed but there is nothing authentic Mexican about serving steak and chips (albeit with the steak having been soaked in Bovril/OXO cubes for 24 hours). This is not what Carne Asada is. The £12 prawns in tequila although not bad was simply too insubstantial (5 prawns and a tiny bit of rice). Mexican food is not gourmet lean cuisine. It should be hearty and tasty. The vanilla ice cream and Bailey's pudding thing at the end would have been nice (though hard to muck up being just baileys poured over a dolop of ice cream £5) were it not for the fact that the ice cream had melted and been refrozen at some point and so had ice crystals in it. Raise your game please or lose your customers.
Comment on this reader review

John Higginson
Thursday, May 17, 2007

I've been a regular to this restaurant for just over a year now. It's slowly transformed it's decor and menu into a far more mature experience. The food is extremely authentic (many people make false assumptions on Mexican food) and this is reflected in how most of the food uses the same base ingredients. I love coming here, and the wine list is a touch of class. On the odd occasion my wife and I will treat ourselves to a drink above the restaurant in a cocktail bar that recently (I think 1 year ago or so?) opened, which has one of the best atmospheres in town.

Hats off to El Mexicano - They haven't succumbed to the terrible English assumptions of Mexican food, and they've stood by their principles!
Comment on this reader review

Ron Williams
Thursday, October 12, 2006

Finding this restaurant in the heart of Brighton was a very welcoming surprise for my friends and I when we went down there a few weeks ago. We love both Mexican and Spanish food and so we were delighted when we saw that they did both! The weather was nice and the restaurant had its front bay windows open. It was very busy inside but the table right by the window was leaving so we jumped the chance and took their place, sitting alfresco and watching the world go by. We ordered some Spanish tapas to share as a starter and they were extremely tasty and 100% authentic, plus they came with a free glass of wine. Bargain! Even though the Tapas were good-sized and would have been enough for a light lunch, we decided to go all out and try a Mexican main course. My friends ordered a chicken Fajita to share and I took a more adventurous route and tried the chicken Mole. The sauce was made with chillies and chocolate but it wasn’t overly spicy or sweet; it was very rich and tasty. I’m a fussy person when it comes to coffee and ordering one in a restaurant is sometimes a bit of a gamble. I wasn’t disappointed with the cappuccino the waiter set in front of me - it smelled great and tasted even better. My friends are not big fans of coffee but they shared a Mexican flan for dessert (how they had space for it after such a hearty meal I have no idea!) and they loved it. The staff were nice without coming across as over-bearing and when we asked for the bill we were happy with the prize and left a nice tip on the side. All in all we loved our experience at El Mexicano and we’ll definitely go there again next time we are in town. Highly recommended.
Comment on this reader review

Lisa
Monday, September 25, 2006

Great place to eat Mexican have been here several times over the years and has got better and better. Had Spanish Tapas for starters great to share with friends then the Albondigas, Mole and enchiladas I really like this place and the staff are great you won't get better than this outside Mexico.

After living in San Francisco this is a good send from the Awful Tex-Mex I have visited up and down the UK
Comment on this reader review

John
Friday, March 24, 2006

El Mexicano had a pretty lively atmosphere and the service was generally okay. I have to say that I didn't rate the food much. I ordered the chicken enchilada, which was piping hot on the outside and got progressively colder towards the middle - which made me think it had been microwaved. I reckon that for a menu comprising mostly of tomatoes, cheese, rice and refried beans that it wouldn't be that difficult to cook food to order! It's sort of place you go to with loads of people, where you can drink loads of beer/tequilla, but you're not really bothered what you eat!
Comment on this reader review

Michele
Wednesday, March 08, 2006

This restaurant was appalling. I have never met such rude staff and had such bad service. We booked a table for 9.20pm as they were full before then. When we arrived we sat down and as it was so cold inside we left our coats on. After about 10 minutes eventually our order was taken. Starter was good. Then, after repeated asking, our main course eventually arrived at 10.45pm WAY TOO LATE. There was no apology. One of the dishes was still frozen in the middle (meatballs). The table next to us had complained that their food was burnt and they had it replaced. The staff then was trying to insist they paid for the original meal and the replacement. Appalling attitude, appalling service. Never again.
Comment on this reader review

D Down
Sunday, February 19, 2006