The Basement in Edinburgh, City of

Been here quite a few times for both food and drinks. Always love it, brought friends and family here too and they have a great time! Food is delicious, lots of options for vegan etc. And the margarita is my favourite! Reason for review is, had a couple of drinks in there last night and a girl next to us was looking like maybe she'd had one too many (happens to the best of us), place was absolutely packed but before I'd even noticed bar staff were checking on her and bringing water to the table. Love to see it

I had a terrible experience here on Tuesday. The staff were clueless and didn’t even acknowledge the fact that 3 plates of tacos took 30 minutes and my partner’s was cold by the time mine arrived. The tables beside us seemed to have timely and attentive service, having ordered and finished their meals before ours even arrived so I have no idea how it went so wrong for us. No cutlery dropped off, no offers to refill our drinks, no check back for our food. The servers had no clear sections which looked like it caused a lot of confusion between them and created this lack of organisation. I had to go up and ask for the bill and was then handed a £50 bill with a service charge. After asking for it to be taken off, the waiter did not even ask if everything was okay. I have eaten here a few times and cannot fault the food but I am completely embarrassed by this experience and will no longer recommend it.

The place never went down with quality. Went back after 5 years and still was having the best Mexican food in Edinburgh.

Quaint bar went for cocktail week but do try it if you like mexican

An easy to miss bar/restaurant that I’m VERY happy to have gone into :) Staff are really lovely and food was amazing - best we’ve had in a while! Cocktails were great and the music was excellent. Such a good vibe. We shared three kinds of tacos and left very well fed. Will be returning next time I’m in Edinburgh!

Came in on the off chance one evening. REALLY good tacos!

Great wee Mexican Bar with great range of tequila and mescal. Food is really tasty and service is friendly. Recommend.

Great food in a cozy basement. We had nachos, burrito and fajitas (all vegetarian). Love the presentation of the fajitas. Went there a Friday night so it was busy. The staff managed it well. Reserve a table! Quite some people who showed up without reservation had to turn around in the door. Well worth a visit.

I had a very nice experience at The Basement last Friday. Few days before I asked if it was possible to reserve a few tables for 10 people and Harry kindly arranged an area for me and my leaving party. The service was attentive and the food was nice quality and generous. Regardless it was a busy night the guys treated everyone always with a smile. I would definitely come back

Quirky Environment, Great Food, “Cute” Cocktails, Mood Lighting and Tequila Water Bottles were among my favorite! Good Service! Visited from USA and this is Upscale Mexican Food better than we get right across the border!

Good food, cocktails a tad on the high side, friendly staff.

Inventive delicious twists on classic Mexican dishes. I know this sounds strange but if you like broccoli, I highly recommend the marinated broccolini tacos with feta whipped sauce and pickled onions. SO good. And great cocktails too! Staff was an absolute delight!

Absolutely fantastic restaurant and bar. The service was incredible from start to finish despite it being a busy Friday night and the food was just incredible (as were the drinks). I get the impression the staff here genuinely enjoy their jobs which is so nice to see as an ex waitress/retail worker. The atmosphere on top of everything is just lovely. I will be back again very soon!

Really great restaurant with dedicated, friendly staff.❤️ The churros were sensational and the drinks were absolutely delicious! If you are in Edinburgh and like Mexican food you should definitely stop by.

Great buzz in this place and the Tommy margaritas are the way to go👌🏼

We had a lovely evening with our friends here! The atmosphere is amazing and the drinks are really really good! The frozen margaritas are perfect! The only little criticism I have is it might’ve been a wee bit overpriced. We paid £180 for one course each and 2 rounds of drinks for 4 people. Other than that perfect wee spot for food and drinks 🌸

The food is way too expensive compared to the quantety and the taste. It is just spicy and way too moist. The service is awfull - you can ask for a specific drink or food on the menu, and the staff will have you sit for half an hour and they'll come back and tell you it's sold out.

Good / okay food. I can recommend the refried beans, but the nachos were bland and bland. The music was a bit loud, but the service was good and the waiters were friendly.

I visited the Basement for dinner in September 2024. For me it was more of a bar than a restaurant. At least that's how I felt about the atmosphere. Especially since the rooms are in the (basement) basement. And many people probably have to think about whether this is the right place if they are looking for it. The staff was friendly and attentive, the food was very tasty, but the portions were small, so if you want to fill up, just order a little of everything. It would be good if the staff would point this out if necessary.

Great food and atmosphere. The staff are helpful come across as very knowledgeable about the drinks. I will be going back to try some more dishes.

Amazing food great atmophere and an awesome friendly vibe. We were really looked after the food arrived extra quick and the wine very much appreciated. We will be back the best food we’ve had ref eating out in a long time. Please go you won’t be disappointed.

Please, please ignore the one-star reviews from folks who only ever complain. This place is awesome. Staff were friendly and helpful and very attentive. We had lunch and drinks at a prebooked table. It gets busy and I recommend booking in advance. Tacos were fresh, tasty and generous. The frozen orange and mango margarita was super smooth and we enjoyed the choice of beers. Great experience, and I can't wait to visit again.

Really delicious Mexican food. Lots of great options and great service. The atmosphere is lovely. Definitely worth a visit if you like Mexican.

I don’t even know where to start. Food - ok, it was my daughter’s choice for her birthday. We had a party of 8. Our waitress was - without a question of a doubt and agreed on by all - the worst waiting staff I have ever had. Rude, entitled. Made the meal an absolute misery. When I had the bill was told there was a 10% service on top which I asked to have removed. So, I had 2 members of staff come and enquire why (discretionary-right?). There are too many good places to have a meal in Edinburgh without wasting time here.

Lovely service (and guac) from Muskaan! Thank you

Nice (noisy) place with super nice service, perfect cocktails and delicious food

Had an absolute ball! Mukaan and her guac really made the experience for me and my husband on our anniversary. We’re off to boogie the night away after some brilliant margs. Xx

Had a fantastic anniversary. Mukaan was amazing and the guacamole was simply to die for. Would absolutely recommend, top drawer.

Amazing food and lovely staff. The restaurant is located in a basement and has an very chill atmosphere. The Food and drinks were served fast, while being very delicious. Cood place to have dinner and some cocktails afterwards. Would definitly recommend :)

We literally want to fly back to ediburgh to have this meal again. Tacos were incredible

Best tacos ever. Those birria tacos were super spicy and delicious. Fish ones also great as was the pork ones. We want to fly back just for this dinner Friendly staff too

Delicious food! This place has the amazing atmosphere of a real Mexican restaurant.

Good pub for mexican food and drinks. Decor works really well with the theme. Food is normally good and sometimes excellent. On recent visit Carnitas tacos were excellent, had steak fajitas which were good because steak was good quality and cooked well but the accompanying parts were very average at best. The previous menu iteration where steak was available outwith the fajitas and with a really good fresh sauce was missed. Nachos and chicken wings were good. Fish tacos just okay this time bit greasy and just missing the spark that I remembered. Tacos not in a crisp taco shell but in same wrap as went with fajitas which was a negative. But downside of being regular for years old favourites get swapped out and find current choices less good. Some of the previous menus I preferred but still good spot and had great time (had to pause and revisit review to separate a 5 star afternoon from what was 4 star experience food wise this time)

Super friendly staff and delicious food. The drinks are super, I loved my passionfruit frozen margarita the best. The carne asada tacos were my favorite meal the entire trip. We really enjoyed our dinner here as a group.

The food and cocktails are amazing here. Loved having the gauc made at table and queso set on fire. The Birria tacos were so good. The service was really good, especially from Muskaan who made us our delicious and was lovely all night.

The atmosphere is great, a real buzz about the place but also not overly loud or distracting. The service was great and the food even better! We had hot wings and padron peppers to start both very tasty although the hot wings were not quite to the spice/heat we like 🔥 the beef burrito and the Reuben were amazing. Myself and my husband do not tend to be food sharers but we definitely split the dishes in this place and we're both as good as each other on the taste scale. The frozen margaritas are a bit pricey at £11 each but still nice nonetheless. Definitely would give this place a try if ever in Edinburgh.

The food is absolutely amazing, and don't get me started on the frozen cocktails 😋. It is a little bit on the expensive side, but it is so worth it. Definitely recommend.

Come here for the birria tacos - was super delicious and flavourful and just the right amount of spicy. Excellent service as well from our hostess.

Very welcoming bar! Great selection of beers and cocktails! Didn't have anything to eat, but will be back soon as the food being served looked delicious!

We had a bit of a misunderstanding with our booking but this was swiftly rectified by the manager Andrew, who went above and beyond to ensure we got booked in. The food, drinks, service and atmosphere were all second to none. I recommend trying the Guacamole starter (devine!), the Baja Fish Tacos (to die for) and the Corpse Reviver #2 (in blue) cocktail, which is one of the best cocktails I've had. Amazing place, delicious food, devine cocktails and wonderful staff. Perfect.

Had a meal here and on a Friday evening, delicious food, good atmosphere, service and little slow after initial order taking but would not hold that against them on a busy night

Been here twice, food is always bad

Excellent Mexican dishes and cocktails!!

What a vibe. It’s a great place and although empty when we arrived within an hour it was heaving. Look out for Harry as he is the master of ceremony. All the food we had was impressive

Loved everything about this place. Having a gluten allergy this menu was perfect for me. Finally got to try gluten free Churros. The guys really looked after us. Highly recommend it.

Here, we witnessed 2023-2024 league championship of Galatasaray. So, this pub has been added to our list of unforgettable places :) P.S.: The staff were nice and smiling :)

Came with my sister before the eras tour and had a fab time! We were served by a young waitress who was super friendly and helpful. We had fajitas and chicken enchiladas which were both tasty but the highlight was the guacamole handmade at the table. We also loved the frozen margaritas. Prices were reasonable for Edinburgh and the place had a great cozy atmosphere. Would definitely return if in the area again!

Deliciously creamy and freshly made gelato! Our new go to place when we are in town. Server was kind and patient, let’s you try flavours if not too sure what you fancy. We had tried the pistachio and fresh mint stracciatella

Good, St Mungo on tap. Expensive cocktails £10-£16.50.

fantastic place, best UK Mexican restaurant by far/ lovely food, staff, drinks & ambience! Well done guys:)

Really great service and food, will definitely be back

Served by Amante, maybe wrong spelling but she was brilliant thanks so much

Amazing, food was great. Very good selection as well

Friendly staff, great service and great food. Bathrooms needed some attention.

We had Sat down for 40 minutes before anyone even served us for drinks. When food order was taken by staff member they didn’t seem to care but rather try to memorise our order instead of noting it down like the rest of the staff were. This led to me as a vegan being given real cheese after having a conversation with the server about veganism and found a joint interest in it for him to quickly disregard it when putting through the order. This has led me to come home being sick as I haven’t eaten any dairy or meat for 7 years until tonight. We had poor service for the rest of the night not even receiving cutlery or napkins. It was a bad experience on my behalf especially for those with dietary requirements. Where this was taken off our bill which I was appreciative of the relaxed way it was dealt with wasn’t something I believe should be acceptable had it been an allergy this could have been detrimental.

Delicious food with good portion size. Service was very friendly.

Chilli con queso, Padron Peppers , Chicken Quesidillas and Birria Tacos out of this world. The chilli consommé is superb. My new favourite sauce

Everything was so good. Our groups rating was a 10/10. This place made me like guacamole for the first time ever. Must try!

The atmosphere in this place is the best thing about it. Drinks were also pretty good - I have no complaints there. However, the food did not impress me. The queso looks cool because they come out and light it on fire, but the taste is nothing to write home about. My husband also ordered the birria tacos and I thought they turned out greasy. Another annoying thing was they seated us right in front of a door and kept asking him to move so they could get around him all night - why not just seat us somewhere else? Otherwise the service was good.

Really tasty vegetarian food and a great atmosphere

Food was delicious and tasty. I bit long waiting for food. Music was very loud.

Delicious food, served in really good time by lovely and friendly welcoming staff.

Lovely wee restaurant full of character. Only complaint we were not served all at the same time

Good food. Well priced. Pleasant service. Food could have been a bit quicker perhaps and delivered all dishes together

Fantastic. Properly memorable. Already booking the next visit.

Delicious! Have been a couple times and never disappointed

2 margs, 5 smallish tacos, and some chips and guacamole was $70. All was tasty, but that’s a high price for what you get. Also, the “Are you ok with tipping us?” was a bit awkward and uncomfortable if you want to say no.

Went here with my mum for lunch and 5/5. The food was excellent, service incredible and great atmosphere i highly recommend. Thank you again

Very tasty, freshly made Mexican food. Reasonably priced. Excellent service. Would definitely go back.

Food was delicious and the staff were extremely friendly. We will be returning

Food is amazing the Birria Tacos are stupidly good.

Had a lovely dinner with a friend which was accompanied by great service and delicious food, not to mention the top notch margaritas made by Marcus.

Brilliant delicious Mexican food, full flavoured, fresh and we just wanted to eat more.

Great food and friendly service. Would recommend, the menu is simple and delicious

Pretty basic venue, nothing outstanding whatsoever, average drinks with usual high city prices, server was cheery enough and drinks arrived soon after ordering

Very enjoyable evening with delicious food. Would definitely recommend

Everytime I come here I just love it. Best Mexican food ever and such a relaxed, nice vibe!

My daughter, who loves tacos, absolutely loved the Birria Tacos.

Such a great place to meet friends and have fab margaritas with queso, guacamole and chips or more if you fancy it. The team are so lovely and always welcoming, if you haven’t been you’re missing out.

First time visiting for dinner on a Friday night. Was very busy - table not great as right in the centre of room which would be better suited for just drinks but had enough room to eat at. Margaritas were lovely and service great. Went for the famous guacamole at the table which was the best guacamole I have ever had. Drunken beans was also a winner. Then shared 3 tacos - all delicious and enough. Will definitely be back.

We had a lovely evening eating at The Basement. Great cocktails and yummy food. Staff were attentive, we would struggling to fault the service. Aim to be back to try other things on the menu.

Amazing, food was so good and atmosphere was buzzing

Best Mexican in Edinburgh and icing on the cake is staff members. Very attentive it not intrusive. Guacamole was the highlight of the evening as they prepared fresh in front of us.

Food was excellent the staff are very friendly and accommodating. A very nice place to eat

Pretentious waiter with long hair the rudest and least competent staff I’ve interacted with in a long time. Do not recommend coming here.

Possibly Edinburgh's best kept secret? Lovely little restaurant. Staff were absolutely spot on. The food was delicious and fresh (can't get any fresher than making guacamole at your table). Excellent in every way. Thank you.

Lovely staff very welcoming, it national margarita 🍹 day so had a couple hawaiian one was delicious , massive starter of nachos and chilli and chicken enchiladas were delicious so was the naughty churros very tasty , great night ,we will be back

The service wasn’t great. Asked to be seated early (came in at 5..20) and booking was for 6. Whilst the restaurant allowed this we were told we wouldn’t be allowed to order for a while. Bear in mind the restaurant was pretty quiet at this time (id say there was 3 other tables). We were not asked about drinks for 15-20 mins- long wait but ok. Drinks took a bit of time (all of them were soda and lime- no alcohol). We then were left for another 30 mins before we could order (this was after the fact we had to request to order and was quite shortly told ‘in a minute’). Food then did not come out for another 30-35 minutes and all came out at separate times, none of us had ordered starters so it was all mains. The food itself was lovely but the service wasn’t great. This is a shame as I have been before and it was my recommendation that we went here. Remembering both times I had been previous, service wasn’t great but the food made up for it. This time unfortunately I couldn’t condone the wait time and delay. I don’t think I’ll be back and I know my dinner party were also not pleased.

Great service, super friendly and attentive staff and tasty food and drinks.

Excellent food and really friendly staff. If you’re looking for great Mexican food and a superb, friendly atmosphere then look no further.

It was my partner & I 1st time at The Basement & we will definitely be returning.The only small,small quibble would be the size of the table it felt a bit small once our dishes,condiments ,drinks etc all arrived!

Great little place for mexican food and margaritas 🙌 highly recommend it

Wonderful fajitas and margaritas... the best in Edinburgh. Very friendly staff and a great atmosphere without being too loud to chat. We will be back!

Far too noisy. Wanted to sit in the dinning room but not an option. Enchiladas I didn’t enjoy. Claggy corn tortillas. Disgusting. Staff over familiar. The whole experience was awful. Won’t be back

We had a fabulous time! From service to food it was all excellent! Ambience is always brilliant and our dog loved it too

Such nice food reminded me of my trip to Mexico City and the margaritas were amazing

"An unforgettable dining experience at The Basement! From the moment we stepped in, the warm and welcoming ambiance set the tone for a fabulous evening. The menu, brimming with authentic Mexican flavors, offered a delightful variety of dishes that were both innovative and satisfying. Each bite was a testament to the chef's expertise and passion for Mexican cuisine. The cocktails, crafted with precision, complemented the meal perfectly, enhancing the overall dining experience. The attentive and friendly staff ensured our night was nothing short of perfect. Highly recommend for anyone seeking a taste of Mexico in Edinburgh."

Another excellent visit to the Basement, the food was nothing short of spectacular and we had the most delicious non-alcoholic margarita. A must visit for anyone in or near Edinburgh.

As a lover of Mexican food - and tequila - we thought we’d try this restaurant as it was also near to our hotel. So glad we did - great, friendly service with tasty food that was fresh and vibrant. Same could be said for the cocktails, mine had dragonfruit sorbet and was delicious. Great vibe to the place too, we will definitely back 😊

Great music, drinks, food and a friendly atmosphere.