el cortez mexican kitchen + tequila bar

ok, but has major shortcomings. cool place with uncool service.

atmosphere: 9/10
food: 7.5/10
prince: 5/10
service: 3/10

this is a neat place, but the crass, entitled 20-something blondes who serve here are a major issue. they're rude and aloof, and feel as though they're above serving. they took away from my above average experience (otherwise) to the point i wouldn't go back.

a big giant "meh" with a side of "really?". décor & look – neat
appetizers – good but pricey
dinner – meh, pricey, small portions and still hungry
server – not the greatest, passable.
bar & kitchen – confusing and fail.
overall – would not go back, nor recommend to other....

first impression was pretty neat and cool with all the decor and design of the place. very colorful with the mexican feel and impressed with the loads of tequila bar. girl serving us was very nice and since we were joining a larger party she was quick to ask about drinks. we ordered some beers and they came pretty quickly, yet there was a small item missed, who serves "shock top" beer without a slice of orange? that's like asking for a corona and not getting a lime! no biggie....we asked politely for some slices and the server apologized and promised to come back with some.

we moved on to appetizers and got the “fried cauliflower” & “fried cornbread”, they pretty good and we really enjoyed it.
one....two...three... times she came back to the table during this time and we asked again, again and again about the orange slices as we’re still waiting to drink our beers. *sigh*

finally on to the main course, the other servers came out to help bring out the food and they had no idea where or want was in their hands. for example, i ordered the “braised beef tostata” and he calls it the “short rib taco”??? so obviously, i didn’t say that it was mine and somehow, he says it the same thing and places it down in front of me... sure ok....
the other people at our table ordered “shrimp tacos” and the same guy gives them “fish tacos”, we inquire if that is correct and he says that it’s a fish-shrimp taco.... again...ok....
we didn’t want to make a fuss since we’re pretty hungry at this point and quietly eat our $15 tacos, hmm three tacos for $15......$5 each? with no sides, just tacos on a wood plate.....

taste wise...not too impressed, very sweet with the sauce, very plain meat with some onions and tomatoes. apparently to get any spice, we had to add our own hot sauce as well.

el cortez is interesting. as if they were creating dishes for the sake of innovation, they have, in essence, strayed away from their calling of authentic mexican cuisine. indeed some of these dishes work well (bulgogi for example) but for each that work there are just as many that did not (braised beef). this inconsistency in flavour profiles is troubling and make it difficult to wholeheartedly recommend el cortez, especially with them being on the pricier side. nevertheless for anyone looking for a new take on mexican food or bored of the current options in edmonton, el cortez is definitely an option.

better than expected but still objectively mediocre. given el cortez's crumby rating and poor reception i had low, low expectations, but the place wasn't quite as bad as all that. the food was palatable, the waitress was friendly, the price was acceptable, and the atmosphere was top notch, clearly they spent a lot of time, energy and money turning this place into a kitschy, ghetto cantina.
but aside from the atmosphere, nothing else here was really noteworthy. and there were a few things about this place that really stuck in my craw. for starters i am willing to bet the owner is not an experienced restaurateur, there were just too many things that struck me as poor management and rookie moves. things like that both of the hot sauces at the table were empty, or that the dipping bowls for the salsas were deep and narrow, forcing you to tilt your nachos at a steep angle to dip them, dumping their contents in the shared sauces, or that we had to ask three times for our check, or that we had to ask a couple times for the bill, or that the staff kept bringing other peoples dishes to our table.
the food was ok, but a bit bland. they used the same flavourless pulled pork for my tostadas as they did for our nachos. and on the tostada they stacked on such a mound of it that it was somehow overwhelming, it was an odd sensation for something so bland to somehow be so overpowering, i think it was by virtue of its dry-mush texture. the sauces were good though, the smoky chipotle mayo aioli was an interesting idea for the nachos.
in the interest of fairness i should note that the people i went with loved this place. it was their first time here but they had quickly determined it as a "new favourite".
i don't seem to see what they did though, this place was a solid 2.5 out of 5 for me, certainly ok. there are much better places for mexican food in edmonton.

great place!. went here with a large group from work. food was awesome with some nice vegetarian options. service was excellent and the vibe of the place was really cool. i will go back for sure.

i'll have to admit, i was pretty skeptical on trying out el cortez tequila bar and kitchen but i figured that it wouldn't hurt to try something new right? everyone has different tastebuds anyways. well, in the end i left the place feeling full but wish that i had been more satisfied.

great food. amazing drinks. awesome staff. stellar decor. everyone needs to go, many times.

overall experience was great. taco tues are a good deal and drunks were tasty. as we were about to leave the screens changed from the hockey game to naked women music videos (i am guessing?). not sure it that was a one off or standard practice after 9pm. good rule to live by if you are wondering if something is sexist or not, consider would you like to have the person in the video be a naked guy running around. if not than it is probably disrespectful. would go back for a second try hopefully sans awkward videos.

i don't understand the poor reviews for this place. i had the tortilla soup, chicken taco pork taco and nachos with salsa. everything was incredible! the servers were very knowledgeable and friendly overall i had a great experience here.

would recommend. came in for $2 taco tuesday. i was a bit skeptical based on the reviews read on here. however, they were all amazing, particularly the short rib and the steak tacos. meat was extremely tender. some of the staff mentioned they recently got a new chef, so the food seems to have done a 360.

food and drinks quick to come out, and pleasant staff.

additionally, the decor is next level and really unique. something to see for sure.

i'll be back.

25 person christmas party was a hit! amazing experience!. first.. awesome place, the décor is unbelievable!!!
second.. knowledgeable and friendly staff that introduce themselves.. awesome, super friendly and wonderful

food amazing overall experience.. flavors and textures were great.. we as a group tried
short rib taco- effing amazing,
steak taco was soo good we'll be coming back soon for more,
pork adobo taco.. pretty good (i’d eat it again but the short rib was better),
valentina’s fried cauliflour – sooo good.. everyone devoured this and ordered more!
carne asada fries.. i licked the bowl
mussels, i drank the leftover “juice”
salsa and chips with guacamole – i loved the peanuts on top.

overall everyone was super happy with the experience and no-one had a single negative thing to say.

my favourite drink was the coconut margherita!

the worst bouncers and management and mediocre everything else. tldr= awful customer service and moronic management. do not go here.

went there on saturday night, place was full, ordered food and a 12 dollar drink, as well as a beer, everything was mediocre. server was nice. they had a private function in their basement (also where the bathrooms are), so instead of setting up a rope that allowed the busy upstairs to use the bathroom--like any competent management would--they blocked everyone out and made an entire packed restaurant share one handicapped bathroom stall. the line was always at the very least five people long, and its not like everyone just had to go pee so you were in that thing for up to a half hour. it was ridiculous, the bouncer at the bottom of the stairs was rude, plus was waiting at the bottom of the stairs so you had to walk down then be told to turn around and go back in front of a crowd of people.

not so bad. i had been reluctant to try this place because of the bad reviews on here but a friend tried it and said it was good so i went last night and was pleasantly surprised. the food was really delicious. i had the penne. it was 1/2 price bottle of wine night as well. the service as good. the only down side was the stripper video on the screens.

fantastic experience. we checked out el cortez for the first time and we're incredibly impressed. mike was our bartender and this guy is a master of his craft. absolutely checking this place out again.

amazing!!!! if you have no.... amazing!!!!
if you have not been here recently you have to give it another chance. the food and service has done a complete 360. cheaper and better quality food. service was great. this may be my new hang out.


-----02 nov, 2014-----

amazing!!! my first experie.... amazing!!!
my first experience at el cortez wasn't great at all but despite terrible service and mediocre food the decor was worth checking out. then i heard they changed there menu and hired a new chef so i wanted to try it out again. it has made a full 360. the food is cheaper and delicious! the service was great! this may be my new spot!