El Mexicano

johnnyrealfood

Si Sigñor 17th March 2009

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What a night we had 25 of us company dinner.
reaaly good food the fajitas the mole chimichangas we all tried eachothers food and we got extra salsa from the helpfull staff and to top it off..........Venganza de Monctezuma (i think thats how you spell it!) chilli chocolate fondant need I say any more.
They also have a cocktail bar Valentino upstairs with very impressive cocktails and 2 for 1 deals.
I was impressed yet again with the whole evening definetly recommed..............not all is spicey

johnnyrealfood

True Food wonderfull!!!!!! 12th October 2008

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I lived in Mexico with my familiy for many years and was amazed to find a true Mexican eatery in Brighton amazing Mole ,Tinga, tacos de carne, Tarta de Garbanzo and the list goes on...real good Spanish tapas too….(better than the likes of big chain La Tasca)
As always there are mixed reactions to authentic real Mexican fare; unfortunately Tex Mex has a lot to answer for. For this place to have been opened so long it is well ahead of the Mexican food game & obviously has its hoards of fans with well experienced palates and well done for not succumbing to the British perception of Mexican. In Brighton & Hove Mexican restaurants or should I say its Frankenstein half cousin "TEX-MEX" have come & gone in droves over the years this is by far the best I have encountered in the uk ………….well done keep it up.
Reading other reviews here I’m astonished how offensive and shallow some people can be with their opinions maybe they should chase the closing down Tex-Mexs around the country to get their swill fix ……. bring on the real foodies!!!!!

truefood

El MexicaNO! 25th September 2008

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Quite possibly the worst food to be served to humans. Ever.
I'm still trying to fathom how this place is still running....in most other places a restaurant serving food I wouldn't feed to a starving pig would have closed down ages ago...but then again, maybe i've under-estimated the food tastes of pigs.
Food Quality - Non-existent.
Service - Basic.

There is no reason anyone should eat here, except maybe as a drunken bet where a meal here is preferable to stapling your eyelids to your toes and running a marathon.

the truth has spoken.

mane

awful!!! 7th September 2008

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This is the first food review I wrote in my life but, when you are served like the one I ate last night in this restaurant, I think you have a duty to let everyone else knows what you think of it: the food in this restaurant is awful. Mexican food? No one that works in that restaurant has ever been anywhere near Mexico…believe me! But this review it is not about Mexican food, it is about not serving that type of “food” at all in a restaurant (and make your customers pay for it).
My boyfriend and I went there on a Saturday night. We did not want starters so we ordered main courses. There were no beef enchiladas on the menu but there were chicken and veggie so, since I was craving beef enchiladas, I decided to ask anyway if they could make beef enchiladas (after all they have beef dishes on the menu and enchiladas as well) but they said No. Fair enough, I understand some restaurants do not want to do this but this should have triggered the first warning: why does not this place want to do it? Because it is too much trouble or because everything is pre-made and the only thing the “chef” does when receives the customer’s order is heat the food… Unfortunately the latter. So, I ordered the veggie enchilada and my boyfriend the chicken enfrijolada.
When the food arrived it was, (how can I describe it?)...Disappointing? Pathetic? Sad? The menu describes the enchilada as: “Traditional soft flour tortillas filled with roasted carrots, courgette, potatoes and onion, bathed in a medium light spicy red sauce and topped with cheese and sour cream. Oven-baked in a terracotta dish”. But in reality it was one lonely enchilada floating in tomato sauce (poured from a Tesco value can) with no flavour whatsoever! Only two drops of sour cream on top and the cheese I think it went missing. The tortilla was soggy but hard in the edges, it was so frustrating! A frozen ready meal micro waved at home would have tasted better. My boyfriend’s enfrijolada wasn’t any better (but for the tortilla was floating in black bean sauce rather than cheap flavourless tomato sauce).
The service was alright except we ordered extra hot salsa which we never received but we were charged for!
My advice: Places like this should not call themselves restaurants. Unless you are in a large group, very, very but very drunk and this is the only open place...don’t go there!

Review_Mouse at 15/09/08

Grrr...it seems like you had a similar experience to the one I had at La Cantina in the Lanes. I am still trying to find a good Mexican restaurant in Brighton so I'm glad I read your review before trying this one!!

imagespace at 22/09/08

I have never been there, but have noticed that it is frequently empty when all the other nearby restaurants are pretty full. Guess that's a fair reflection and you have borne this out. Thank you for your sacrifice ;-)

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vivster

Awful! 28th January 2008

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Ok, the margarita was alright but the food was terrible, only a friend of the chef would say otherwise.

kittieskitchen

Authentic Mexican fare and fab margaritas! 3rd August 2007

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This tiny Mexican restaurant has never disappointed!

Try the spicy salsa as an appetiser - warning, not for the light-hearted!

The meatballs and mole are definitely worth a go but I have never tried something here that I haven't liked.

The portions aren't huge, which isn't a big issue for me, but I know can put some people off. I have never left feeling in any way hungry!

The place is small, maybe a dozen or so tables, so it may be worth booking during busy times (or go in and ask for a table, then go to the cocktail bar upstairs while you're waiting!)