Restaurant El Mexicano Basel — Restaurant in Basel

Overall rating: Restaurant El Mexicano Basel

Food: Cordón azul a la Mexicana

The chicken with breading was black and very hard, and it was not served warm to hot (the cheese was okay to some extent, and the chicken was cooked through with a few chorizo slices in it). The fries were cold and already a bit slouchy (no bite and dry). Vegetables were ok, but nothing special. The corn on the cob is very small and served cold The white sauce was okay. Dark sauce was also ok, but not to my taste. The main course was poorly presented and unimaginative. The meal cost 31.00 CHF, which, in my opinion, is way too expensive for what was offered here.

Service: Staff

Were quite decent, but not above average in terms of friendliness. In terms of competence, I have to say that I was not asked what I would like as a side dish when no recommendation was made. It was simply served to me without asking. Efficiency was also in the absolute average range; nothing worth mentioning. One thing surprised me: you have to pay as a guest at the counter or at the cash register; that is, you could not pay at the table where you ate. I find it strange and special.

Atmosphere: The restaurant

The atmosphere was appropriate for this place, with good Latino sounds to hear. The light was okay—not too bright or too dark. The noise level was within the normal range. The design and ambience were fittingly colourful, with primarily yellow, orange, and red, which should signal a touch of warmth. I think the restaurant was stuffy; airing it several times would be appreciated.

Price-performance ratio: the cost and performance

5.00 CHF for a bottle of Rivella 0.33l, which is rather expensive. 31.00 CHF for the main course with breaded chicken breast was too expensive for what I got, and the taste was below average to bad. I would not recommend it, but I still ate everything because of food waste. I expect more service, love, and performance even for this money.

Special Features: Special Offers

I can't comment on specials at this time because I haven't tried everything. Happy Hour is not known to exist in this restaurant; maybe for drinks and a small appetizer, but I can't say more about it. Special offers not properly observed or not very strongly promoted.

Recommendation: My personal opinion

-A visit may be worthwhile for guests who do not have high expectations for good. quality Latin food, staff, and service, but it will definitely not be a special experience. For guests who have higher expectations and want to get value for their money, they should look for and try another Latin cuisine (a few examples would be: Cucaracha Basel, Papa Joe's Basel, Cartell, etc.).

Note: I try to keep myself fair and objective...

The introduction to the experience was sub-par for several reasons. First, my partner and I were declined to use a coupon (which was the main reason for choosing the restaurant in the first place). Apparently we should have called and reserved- fair point, however the restaurant was far from overbooked and we were all but shrugged off to make up our minds. It did not make me feel welcome. We decided to stay and it took the waiters quite long to approach us to collect the order. Again, this wouldn't be a problem if the place was packed, but considering that a group of 6 people who got there 10 minutes later than we did, got approached almost immediately (and before us), it felt unfair. We also got a feeling the waiter was an acquaintance of the group and they received preferential treatment because of it. At some point, we were considering leaving (as we felt forgotten), however shortly after we were approached and served. From there on, the whole experience improved. After the order, the food arrived reasonably quickly and it was tasty. We ordered Nachos for a starter and then Tacos and Enchiladas (both with pork). All in all the food was tasty and plentiful- good value (considering Swiss prices). The waiter also became more amiable as the evening went on.

Altogether it was a very mixed experience, mostly because of the varying quality of the service. The place has a great location and decent food- if they want to get from a good restaurant to a great one, they should invest in making the guests...

Nice little place with tables on the street and an inside bar area. Outside seating allows people watching, conversation, and just fun. Some in our group were from Texas and wanted to try some Mexican food in the Basel, Switzerland area. We tried a place earlier down the street from this place, but settled on this restaurant. We sat, ordered our drinks and some nachos with all of the sides, and quesadillas. Service was good, staff spoke English, Spanish, and other languages and were professional as well as service minded. Like the previous restaurant the nachos appeared to be chips from a Doritos bag, sprinkled with shredded cheese heated up to melt the cheese, and side of sour cream, avocado, some very mild picante sauce, and jalapeños in very small portions, but you could ask for more. The jalapeños tasted more authentic and hotter. Even though the chips did not seem to be authentic chips and salas is very mild, the flavor, jalapeños and other sides were tastier. The quesadillas were shrimp (we had a vegetarian in our group) and also were quite tasty too. I hope your visit and experience is as...