Halisco — Restaurant in Great Britain

We visited Halisco for the first time to try the ''october best'' menu. Choosing to go for the Vegan option.

The food was shocking to say the least, given the overwhelmingly positive reviews we were looking forward to this meal for weeks, booking well in advance to take advantage of the offer.

The pickled veg starter was OK, probably the best part of the meal. This was followed by a mushroom dish that looked and tasted much more like a French dish than a Mexican one, the Texture of the mushrooms gave the impression they had been sitting around for a long time, as the block of mushrooms were dry and tough on the exterior and lacked any real texture inside.

The main for this vegan menu was a pumpkin taco, which looked great, but the pickled onions on top were very slimy and the corn taco itself was VERY dry and hard, when holding the taco to begin to eat it, it broke apart at the bottom before folding, that's how dry it was.. Taking a bite into the breaded pumpkin, the pumpkin was very watery, the liquid pouring out of the bottom of the taco was just water, rather than what you might expect from a filled taco. The pumpkin had almost no flavour and seemed like it had been boiled and seasoned in a rush.

The staff were reasonably attentive and did notice that I wasn't eating the food and asked if there was something wrong, when pointed out what the issue was with the meal, primarily the taco we were given an explanation that due to high demand, they had had to source the corn tortilla's for the taco's from a different supplier, and that they were ''just that way''. It seemed to be like they had been heated in a batch and had been sitting around for a long time, as they had lost all elasticity and had gone very dry, particularly around the edges. It was also explained that due to how the pumpkin was cooked, some of it would be wetter than others... Not exactly sure what that means, but what I was served was very poor and not appetising in the slightest.

The member of staff did apologise and said they would give us a discount on the bill as an apology. My meal was 90% uneaten but I thought at least it was being handled appropriately.

However upon receiving the bill, we discovered that we were given a 10% discount... £5 off for multiple courses being poor and one being completely unedible. I found this to be rather insulting given that the staff member that had given us the bill and issued the discount with had accepted that there were problems with the main course.

Also worth noting that the tables were sticky and the floors were very slick. The whole experience left a lot to be desired and we would definitely not...

Overpriced food, disappointingly small portions, frustratingly weak drinks, all at a premium price that will leave you disappointed. The taste of the food is good enough...but the experience as a whole falls well short of expectations—justification enough to save your money.

▬▬▬ BREAKDOWN ▬▬▬

⭐⭐⭐⭐➖ | FOOD ⭐⭐➖➖➖ | DRINKS ⭐⭐⭐➖➖ | ATMOSPHERE ⭐⭐⭐⭐➖ | SERVICE ⭐➖➖➖➖ | PRICE

► FOOD: The taste of the food isn’t, by any means, bad—it’s clear that someone behind the scenes knows what they’re doing—but the quantity doesn’t match the price… Two small tacos will run you no less than £10—each of which can be easily finished in 2-3 bites. And the “Small Plates” live up their name: often delivering more decoration than substance. (The stuffed squid, in particular, is a tiny portion at £11 a plate.)

► DRINKS: Disappointing and best avoided. A basic margarita will run you (at minimum) £10, and you’ll need AT LEAST two to begin to feel them. The variety and flavors are not necessarily bad, but the value is abysmal.

► ATMOSPHERE: The restaurant is in a small space that can get crowded during dinner hours. During the summer, the outdoor tables provide a little more room to move your arms, but the vibe is usually pretty positive regardless of how crowded it gets.

► SERVICE: Not bad. The staff are friendly, though it can be a little slow to get to you if there’s a big party or a bunch of tables to serve. On one occasion, a friend did not get their starter until the rest of the table were receiving their mains, so it’s worth being clear and direct when ordering.

► PRICE: The breaking point, and the reason I will not go out of my way to return. With a starter, a main, and two drinks, you’re not leaving at any less than a £40 bill, which can buy you SO MUCH more at many of the other top-tier restaurants around Brighton.

▬▬▬ FINAL THOUGHTS ▬▬▬ I would LOVE to love Halisco; it’s one of the few Mexican restaurants in the area and the food isn’t actually bad...

However, at its current pricing and quality, there are numerous other options around town where you’ll get far better value for your money. At the prices and the portions it offers, Halisco positions itself as worthy of a fancy dress night out…but nothing about it is so memorable to justify the bill at the end of the night. And even if Mexican is hard to find, there is (ultimately) both better Mexican and better margaritas...

We came here because we saw it so highly rated on Google Maps. But sadly our experience wasn't so good. 😕

The good thing first - staff were on point. There was a moment were we were given the wrong dish, but that sort of stuff can happen and it's no biggie.

We had a couple small plates and then went all in with the tacos. 🌮

On the small plates, the chicken croquet wasn't tasty at all 🍗. Maybe it would have tasted better as 2 smaller portions as opposed to the single large piece that was served (plus easier to share if it's 2 smaller pieces). But sadly the chicken itself tasted bad.

We then tried the cactus 🌵 hash browns. These were nice, though slightly overcooked perhaps.

When it came to the tacos 🌮, the flavour was nice, though the tortillas felt a bit undercooked as they ripped apart really easily and we're perhaps a little too soft.

Beyond the food, there's a few things I'd recommend to help elevate this place into a better restaurant:

1. I ordered orange juice 🧃 and it tasted like it was from a concentrated carton. Having fresh orange juice would be stand-out 🍊

2. The tables were unpleasantly sticky. It would be lovely to be able to put my hands or arms on the table without them feeling sticky afterwards.

But overall, I get this is a small joint with a tight knit vibe, but just a few tweaks here and there would have made my experience here a 4 star experience as opposed to a 2 star...