Cartel Taqueria - Belco — Restaurant in District of Belconnen

We booked a table for a friend’s birthday, but despite having a reservation, we were told we needed to wait for a free table. This left us questioning the point of booking in the first place. After an unacceptable 40-minute wait, we were eventually seated in what appeared to be a storage area—a far cry from a welcoming atmosphere, especially for a pre-booked celebration.

Our experience continued on a disappointing note when the waiter, without any greeting, immediately informed us that several menu items were unavailable. "Several" turned out to mean nearly a third of the menu, which was shocking. After such a long wait, we debated leaving but decided to compromise and ordered from the limited options available.

The ordering process itself was confusing. We were only made aware of the QR code system, which is fine in theory, but it’s not user-friendly for those with dietary requirements. Nobody explained that ordering at the counter was an option, and there was no staff guidance to help navigate the process. Throughout our time there, staff seemed disorganised and directionless, with many walking around looking unsure of their tasks. The lack of energy and enthusiasm was palpable, and glancing at other tables, it was clear many diners shared our disappointment.

It took another 50 minutes for our food to arrive. Unfortunately, the food did little to salvage the evening. I ordered two tacos, which were so drenched in oil that I could have squeezed it out into a glass. The oil completely overpowered any flavour the dish might have had, and the tacos felt more like soggy, open wraps than the vibrant, flavour-packed dish they should have been.

Service was another letdown. After being seated, we didn’t have any further interaction with staff until the food arrived and then not until we had to pay. Basics like offering water or checking in with the table were entirely overlooked. Meanwhile, staff appeared to be standing around, disengaged.

To top it off, the dessert we wanted was unavailable, and by that point, it was late, and we decided to cut our losses and head to McDonald’s for dessert instead. A stark difference to what we had hoped for.

Overall, while the concept of the restaurant might be promising, the execution was a complete failure. Between the disorganised service, lack of menu options, long wait times, and subpar food, it’s hard to recommend this place. For the prices they’re charging, the experience simply doesn’t measure up. I would suggest holding off on visiting until they have ironed out their issues—if they manage to...

As a big fan of the Queanbeyan store, I was super excited to hear they had opened in Belco. Sadly, the entire experience was really quite disappointing.

I booked a table for 2 inside at 12pm today. Arrived at 11:55am and had to stand in the scorching sun (30°+) for 15 minutes before we were seated. No aircon inside and we were seated right outside the toilets which have no outer door (you are literally sitting directly outside the actual toilet cubicals and sink, can watch people washing or not washing their hands, and can hear and smell everything). This put an instant damper on the experience.

We ordered one taco each (one chicken one beef), small waffle fries to share, small zucchini and corn fritters to share, and one virgin marg each. We were really disappointed that a number of things on the menu were "sold out" (some of the marg flavours, the cake, the corn etc) despite it being the first service of the day.

Drinks came quickly. The chicken taco and fritters came out within about 30mins (they were delicious) but the beef taco and fries were significantly delayed. This was incredibly frustrating when other tables around us that had arrived after us had received all their food and the kitchen was also pumping out a large volume of take away orders but couldn't keep up with seated patrons. About 50mins after ordering (and 20mins after the first taco arrived), my friend asked one of the young male waiters for an update on her food and his response verbatim was "yeah we're really busy, it will come out eventually". Not satisfied with this response, she then followed up with one of the young female waitresses and she was alot more helpful. She told us there was a mix up and she would ask for my friend's order to be prepared quickly. 10mins later the remaining food arrived however the beef taco was literally saturated in oil to the point where my friend could not eat it. She opted to eat the filling instead and found a large peace of fat almost the size of her pinky amongst the meat. This put her off her food entirely and she left the rest of her meal.

Overall a really disappointing experience and for the price we paid for the food, there should have been an offer for a refund for the incredibly poor quality of the beef taco. Customer service was also poor. We...

D. I. S. G. U. S. T. I. N. G

(I’m really sorry to make this review but I have never felt a restaurant and felt this sick before in my life)

Seriously like someone else said; avoid this place like the plague.

2 people, we ordered 4 tacos, corn, and waffle fries and a drink. It cost $120. We were the only people in the restaurant.

Young waitstaff were kind. That’s why it gets +1 star.

I have never in my life experienced the amount of oil I have there. You thought maccas or kfc was bad? I had about 1L of oil all over my hands, the ENTIRE table had to be covered in napkins, it was all down my sleeves, all over my hands and under my nails.

The taco tortilla is very small and is extended by cheese burnt to a crisp, and entirely stuffed with the most amount of day old meat you’ve ever had in your mouth. Seriously I could not even take a bite without oil up my sleeve and feeling my internal organs shift. I never leave reviews but I am so sorry this was otherworldly disgusting.

We used every napkin available at the table to get through half a taco each before deciding okay maybe we just chose a bad taco! Let’s try the corn. So we went to grab the corn, and it was cold and wrinkled up, as if it was sat out of the freezer/ fridge thawing on the bench cold. Genuinely how can corn not be good?

So off we went to the waffle fries, which were okay at best. The only thing that got us through this were the prepackaged drinks we ordered.

I hope the business continues to grow, and maybe take into account people’s reviews instead of making jokes in response. It’s not going to be a joking matter if someone gets food poisoning and ends up in hospital.

I do want to also point out the positives which include the lovely young waitstaff, hard working chefs, and the options of seating.

Although there are positives, the disgustingly oily food, potential for becoming sick, horrible parking options, loud atmosphere and the stomach churning feeling after leaving really makes me want to never go there again. And I would absolutely not recommend this place whatsoever.

I support all local and small businesses, but the public should really be warned about what they’re...