Viva Mexico

The oldest Mexican restaurant in the city, offering some truly authentic dishes among more familiar options.

The 2018 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £7.95 (+p&p).

The Gonzalez family have been tempting tourists and locals to Edinburgh’s Old Town for 34 years with a taste of traditional Mexico. The menu features family recipes handed down for generations alongside familiar Mexican-inspired dishes, all in abundant portions. It’s well worth sampling these more authentic options so be sure to ask for a recommendation. Like the generous servings, the restaurant itself is big, with upstairs and downstairs dining rooms as well as a third room reserved for private parties. For those lucky enough to have visited Mexico, the décor evokes a genuine sense of la patria – with papel picado (Mexican paper cuts) and atmospheric black and white photography throughout. Back to the menu and choriqueso – cheese fondue with chorizo sausage and spicy tomato salsa served with warm flour tortillas – is a tasty, fusion-style starter. For the main event, chickpea and spinach-stuffed burritos provide a satisfying, home-style combo. The stars of the show are the desserts, with a devastatingly good chilli cheesecake and crème-caramelesque flan baked by las mujeres of the family.