Cartel del Taco - Hawthorne — Restaurant in Brisbane City

We visited Cartel Del Taco last night with my friend and partner. We always wanted to try it since they opened last year and finally got an opportunity to try it out.

The food was exquisite down from spices to sauces there was nothing I could say that wasn't perfect. We tried their authentic guacamole, and Elote as an entire, chargrilled corn was amazing that tajin chilli with lime and mayo sauce was a favourite.

The guacamole had the perfect texture and flavour. Just the right amount of spices was amazing.

For our mains, we ordered 3 items, the Suadero, Pollo Asado, and a Lamb Barbacoa shank.

The slow-cooked beef brisket was so tender and juicy that it was perfectly caramelized. This one was my partner's favourite.

Pollo Asado was my friend's favourite and marinated chicken with guacamole and salsa taqueria sauce was beautifully done.

Lamb Barbacoa Shank was my favourite, it was perfectly cooked and the tamarind carrot puree was light yet thick, and flavourful.

Pastel Impossible, is a vanilla flan chocolate mud cake that was something light; a perfect balance of appearance, texture, and flavoured paired with a mescal romp sauce.

Pastel De Cajeta is a soft caramel cake with an Oaxaca cheese that tastes divine light, and the texture was excellent, it was my favourite plus my friend and partner enjoyed it.

The mango sorbet with tajin chilli was amazing we all enjoyed this very refreshing.

Horchata was something else. We never had anything like it before. It was smooth, creamy consistency with a hint of cinnamon taste, made with rice water, and condensed milk we ended up buying 3 it was too yummy not to this one was my favourite.

Mandarin Mocktail was good it had a beautiful light tangy flavour that went well with the tacos something I would order again.

Martinez Martini was great, it had a tamarind-infused vodka, with habanero and citrus and vanilla undertones. The chilli note was there so that we could taste them but it was also light enough that you can enjoy this drink.

All in all, the restaurant has great décor and ambience. The food was phenomenal and fantastic service we didn't have a booking as we had never been here before. This is a place where I can see myself coming here regularly with friends thank you so much for such a...

The concept is unique and restaurant visually is eye poppingly inviting and fun, the food portions however are just way to small for the price, corn tortilla chips were on stale very hard side (that may be just the style, but not a fan sorry, question that they are home made as looked like packet tortillas, very hard though). Quality of food is discussed online by restaurant as rationale for prices, however not reflective in what you see on the plate. It probably wasn’t but it tasted like tomato sauce on the entree of Pescadillas (which were otherwise quite bland). $13 for 1 x ear of corn is crazy, but it was also the most delicious thing we ate, really yummy. We had a couple of other mains which were quite tasty but portions surprisingly small. Bar area is awesome, tap beer delicious and cold, staff are very welcoming, friendly and observant of the diners, the window and bar seats are great too. It’s a fun restaurant, agree with some other reviews that music too loud for the space. Over $100 for two and we left hungry didn’t feel great, but glad we tried it. Personally it’s not for me due to the food, but a couple of tweaks to portion size, quality and price will see it continue to pump, worry that many people will visit once and not again.

We really wanted to love this restaurant in our local area and wish it all the best as you can see the passion, effort and love in getting this place open. Unfortunately when going out for dinner it’s the food that needs to be the highlight and for us it wasn’t, also happy to pay any amount for a meal that’s worth it e.g. never left Walters, Detour or even Marinara down the way and felt we have paid too much, we instead leave good tips and talk about the meal for the next few days and plan the next visit. Anyways just my opinion, everyone’s got one as they say, the feedback is honest and hopefully helpful, providing the review as the team here is great and truly wish this...

I’ve visited this restaurant four times recently, mostly because my partner enjoys it, but after the last experience, we won’t be coming back.

To be honest, I’ve never been a fan of the food here. I’ve tried different dishes each time, hoping to find something I enjoy, but it consistently misses the mark. Despite claims of authenticity, the food lacks flavor to such an extent that it is coming across as a major gaslighting attempt by paid influencers.

The chicken tacos were bland, with the only redeeming quality being the avocado. The beef tacos were dry and also tasteless. The corn dish was decent, but honestly, grilling corn isn’t exactly a culinary feat. My last attempt was the suadero, and once again, the beef was dry and oily, and the bread was stale.

I came back, hoping to try something else, as my partner still likes the tacos, and we were in the area. Unfortunately, the restaurant was very busy, which I understand, but we were told to wait two minutes, only to be left standing for almost ten minutes before being told, “Sorry, I have too many bookings. I can’t seat you.” Why not mention that upfront instead of making us wait? It seems your service matches your food – both are disappointing.

Additionally, the space is incredibly cramped and noisy. It’s so small that you’re almost sitting on top of other diners unless you sit outside, and the noise level makes it hard to hold a conversation. While we were waiting, we noticed how “bookings” were being seated at the bar and each group looked disappointed by where they were placed. If I make a reservation I don’t expect to be seated at the bar that is being cleaned right in front of me because staff can’t monitor their booking system. A lot of other restaurants will only sit people at the bar if they chose that seat, or for walk ins only… not reservations.

Overall, a frustrating experience, and we won’t...