marlo tacos — Restaurant in Edmonton

Saw a post on IG about a new taco place on Whyte Ave and immediately asked friends, who wanted to join me and try out their food and drinks?! They open at 10am so I showed up at 1130am. Found a booth for my group of four and happy I arrived when I did. No sooner did I sit down, all available tables were taken and just the bar had space left. Place is quite small but I love how quaint it is. Sits 30 people including the bar. They were also playing some fun music as I waited for my friends to show up. Due to the small space, and that includes between the tables, parents, do not bring in your stroller. There simply is no room inside. Plan accordingly as the restaurant does not have the room. The menu is simple but there is more options then you think. Everything is ordered individually, which allows you to mix and match. Read about some confusion when it comes to the chips and dip and I now get it and believe it needs to be worked on. So the chips, just the chips are $5. That does not include any dip. The dips are individually priced. So to order the chips and pico, it's $5 + $4. Now, if you order all the dips it's $17, which includes the chips and you get one free refill of chips. But only if you order the $17 option. However, $4 for pico and you get maybe ¼ or ⅓ of dip, that is a little pricey. We did order the $17 option so as to try all the dips and they were all delicious. But again, $5 for a dip when we got maybe ⅓, or at best ¼ of dip is not much for what you pay. The back side of the menu has all of their drinks options and there are many to choose from. Love that they serve the local beer Sea Change here on tap, good job! They also have canned drinks which include local and imported options. The cocktails and mocktails looked soo delicious and you can not forget the zero proof options too. Decided to try their Cinco Drink Co in a can with a glass of ice. It's made in BC and it was perfect and I would happily order it again. Decided to try their Birria, Mushroom and Fish Tacos. All of our orders came out at the same time, nice and hot and it smelled amazing. My Birria came with a consommé to dip it in. It was so fresh, the meat was tender and spiced just right and I loved dipping it into the consommé. The Mushroom Taco came with pickled onion, though they initially forgot about them, it was quickly fixed when a bowl of it was delivered to the table. The flavors of this taco surprised me, along with the tender mushrooms. What a unique option and taste. Lastly, the Fish Taco which I absolutely love to eat. The fish was perfectly battered, and was not greasy at all. The cabbage added that delicious crunch and it was just what I hoped for. The tortillas are delicious, but you do need to eat a little quick. They tend to fall apart a bit if you wait too long as they are that fresh. The three sauces on the table were all well loved by my group. We used them on everything and they added that extra flavor or spice that you needed to make the meal that much better. Since I was on a role, deiced to also order their Mexican Chocolate Tarte. It's bigger then I anticipated. Bought it for everyone to try, and they did try it, but I ate 99% of it. It's served cool with some whipping cream. The texture is soo smooth and it's not dense. It's light and also not super sweet. Was devine and the perfect way to end my meal. Would love to see them offer an option where if you order two of the same taco, you get $1 off. Or a deal when you order three tacos. Lots were ordering multiple tacos, would be interesting if they offered something that would entice people to order their tacos all at once and not one at a time so as to keep the tables moving. Table next to me order their margaritas and the salt on the rim was crazy. They looked delicious. Another table ordered the burrito and it too looked very yummy. I'll happily return to this restaurant as the food is delicious and I hope to find a day when it's not soo hot out. They have the ability to put out four tables on their patio and that would be a great...

Marlo Tacos was a HUGE disappointment! This evening my daughter, my wife and I attempted to have supper at Marlo Tacos. We were to meet my brother there for a birthday get together. My wife had called and tried to make a reservation a week prior but was told that they did not take reservations. Upon our arrival at 5 pm, there were 3 sitting arrangements available. We asked if we could sit at the two tables which would seat 4 people. We were told that this setting was reserved. We asked why it was reserved seeing as we had called a week earlier and were told they didn’t take reservations. THIS was a bit confusing to understand as we were told they just started taking reservations a week ago. Sooo, we then asked if we could use the two tables which were still unoccupied. We asked if we could use a chair with one of the tables to allow for our group of 4 to sit comfortably. We were told that this was not possible as the other table could not seat 3 then. I asked why they were prepared to turn away 4 customers who were ready to eat at their restaurant in hopes of getting their magic group size. The remaining table could have accommodated a group of two with our group at the next table. I again asked why they were prepared to turn away customers in favour of the possibility of future customers arriving. The fella wouldn’t allow for this seemingly reasonable request. I guess Marlo Tacos isn’t that hard up for customers as many other restaurants which are struggling in our area. Usually, restaurants are more than willing to adjust seating arrangements to allow for different situations. Marlo Tacos either doesn’t get what good, let alone normal, customer service looks like. Another explanation is that they simply don’t care!!! Very sad...

Marlo is the newest taco joint in Edmonton, and it definitely delivers on flavor and atmosphere. The cozy atmosphere creates a small, intimate setting, making it perfect for a relaxed outing with a friend. However, keep in mind that large parties might have difficulty finding seating due to the limited space.

The service at Marlo was excellent. Despite it being our first visit, the staff provided a warm welcome and took the time to explain everything on the menu. They were attentive and made us feel well taken care of.

While the menu may not be geared towards kids, my 4-year-old still found something enjoyable—their in-house made tortilla chips. It's worth noting that the main dishes may not be as kid-friendly, but the chips are a great option to keep little ones satisfied.

Now let's talk about the highlight—the food. We had the opportunity to try every taco on the menu, and each one impressed us. Our personal favorites, in order, were the Birria, Al Pastor, Chorizo, Bean, Fish, and Mushroom. What's great about Marlo is that they sell their tacos individually, allowing you to mix and match without feeling obligated to order three of the same kind. We also indulged in the Chips and Three Dips starter, which was absolutely delicious. A pro tip: if you opt for the chips and three dips, they'll generously offer to refill your chip bowl for free. It's a pleasant surprise that isn't clearly mentioned, but the staff informed us about this perk.

To complement the food, Marlo offers a solid selection of drinks. They have a variety of canned beverages available, as well as two beers on tap. It seems like one tap consistently features Sea Change Death Wave, while the other rotates different options, providing a nice variety for beer...