el cortez mexican kitchen + tequila bar

el cortez, a mexican restaurant just off of whyte ave, has invited me to join their cinco de mayo celebrations on may 5. it was quite a coincidence actually, as i had just dined there the week before. at the time, i did notice the food was a bit different. it turns out the restaurant has just released a new food menu, as well as a reinvented craft cocktailmenu(based on tequilas of course, since el cortez is a tequila bar). and this cinco de mayo event was the perfect chance to showcase the new offerings. it was a bit cold that evening, and as the event was held outside in the patio, i was pleased to find that the heat was on and blankets had been thoughtfully laid out for guests. on one side of the patio, staff from calgary's rodney's oyster house were busy shucking away for a good portion of the evening. the el cortez folk really know how to throw a party. all-you-can-eat raw oysters? i'm in. i didn't realize how much i missed rodney's , or any good oyster place really. there is definitely a shortage of oyster bars in edmonton. west coast - smaller but sweet, the more popular choice east coast - fat and juicy, but more brine in addition to raw oysters, there were also free cigars. my friend convinced me to try it, but can't say i'm hooked. as the early comers sat and indulged in oysters and cigars, the appetizers started making their rounds. the first was ceviche, with a choice of tuna or swordfish. i found the tuna too mushy, but the swordfish was nice and firm with good flavour and a complementing accompaniment of avocado and tomatoes. next up were spicy chorizo meatballs and pork tenderloin served with salsa. el cortez did a good job with the sauces and seasoning. flavours were intense, but not overwhelmingly so. tacos are usually the main focus of a mexican restaurant, and el cortez serves up a variety of different fillings. i tried the beef and fish, and as previously mentioned, the meat was seasoned perfectly with just the right amount of sauce and garnishe

a couple of weeks ago, i went to el cortez for the first time and was really impressed! i had heard really good things about el cortez from a few of my friends, and when i was lucky enough to be invited to their cinco de mayo party, i was definitely interested!. el cortez is small building right off whyte. it offers a mexican kitchen and tequila bar. they specialize in modern latin food and tequila. chef lindsay porter has created amenuwhich encompasses everything from tapas, to latin entrées, to gourmet street foods & tacos, to nuevo latino fusion dishes. interesting fact : they are one of only 9 establishments in the world certified by the consejo regulador del tequila (the tequila regulatory council)!

i don't recommend this restaurant. first of all they don't sanitize the tables. i know this because we were seated at a table that had food from the last customer on it. that put my safety at risk as i'm immune compromised.

secondly we booked for a special 18th birthday. we were told there would be a churro birthday dessert but in fact there were no desserts available including churros.

themenuonline is not the actualmenuat the restaurant which was not explained.

we went on a sunday at 6 pm. it was super quiet but they ran out of many items we wanted to order like mussels, mexican street corn - 2 of our favorites. some drink choices were also not available. a very special occasion was ruined. i called the manager to discuss this very politely because i didn't want to do a negative review. he promised to investigate and get back to me but he didn't. so i will now review everywhere i can find. so disappointed. do not dine here!

we stopped in for fathers day afternoon, décor very nice, service was goodmenuwas disappointing. my wife had the taco salad lots of stuff but little lettuce. i had the pork enchilados nice flavor  for the price the portions as on the small side  again this is not a traditional mexican eatery thus i was a bit disappointed - if you wish to drink the bar looks very nice and stocked !  the red light in the men's bathroom was odd - i believe there are better choices in edmonton for mexican food. if you looking for a "cool" place to hang out off of whyte this is your place to drink.

a great place to stop in for a drink and/or meal! we stopped in on a wednesday evening, just to grab a drink and chat. the new summermenuis out and it is tasty! (drinks turned into food when we saw the new offerings! what? we're easily persuaded!)

great atmosphere, great service and a lot of fun. you're paying whyte ave prices, and have to pay to park, but that's the only downside.

a great place to stop in for a drink and/or meal! we stopped in on a wednesday evening, just to grab a drink and chat. the new summermenuis out and it is tasty!

this place is amazing. the cocktailmenuis delicious and always does the job. the food is always really good and very visually pleasing. you always leave more than satiated. one downside is that it is a bit pricey, but to be fair they are using high end ingredients and top shelf liquor. we always take family and friends to this place when we have visitors.

el cortez is a strong contender in the edmonton brunch scene. although themenuis small there is something for everyone at a very affordable price. service is great, food is tasty, and the lively environment is perfect for fun, casual brunch. if you don't feel strongly about any dishes in particular the regularmenuis available too, so swing by on the weekend and let me know what you think!

with two visits to el cortez in a week, this is on my list of my go-to spots for quick bites! it's a great option for mexican food south of the river, and i would definitely recommend stopping in during happy hour for some very affordable eats. chef lindsay porter has done a great job with themenuoverhaul and i'm definitely looking forward to trying other dishes on the menu. unfortunately for me, i only ever have cravings for mexican food in warm weather, so i'm going to have to get my fix before fall comes. if you're anything like me, head on down to el cortez for some tacos and cold drinks before saying goodbye to summer until next year!

great tacos. halfmenuwas 86d and beer was half out on tap. but again, great tacos. i'd come back to try the rest of the menu. great hipster feeling

cool atmosphere (its probably the best thing about this place), the tacos were better than "pub type" tacos ive had in the city and the patata dish was really tasty. the rest is pretty bad and after reading some reviews i have to agree with a lot of it... it took quite a while for me to get my drink, something like 15-20 minutes and when it came it wasn't too great :/ when we finally ordered we were starving and then we were brought some other tables plates. my ceviche was dropped off in passing without a word, i just guessed it was my ceviche. a little weird right? server wasn't really interested in us.

if i could sit outside and grab my own food i wouldn' mind returning lol. i usually try really hard to be accommodating about service especially if its busy because i understand how crazy things can get...but i really wonder how much experience or training the servers here have. another reviewer mentioned the restaurant management feeling very rookie and id agree. im sad honestly, i love tequila and their tequilamenuis extensive...it could have been so great! ;(

second time here. tacos were on special and so were margaritas. good drink but only 4 on themenuwhich is like a canadian bar not having more than 6 beer choices. guac was great and plentiful nice to have two types of chips in there. tacos were good too although flour tortillas.

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 theremenuand 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!

viva staff doing reviews. been there multiple times...hmmm...all three reviews.

unparalleled cocktails menu? get out much?

fresh flavourful ingredients?

a responsive kitchen? you mean the staff, all of whom left? now thats a heck of a "response".

knows that it is chili oil and habanero sauce on every table

speaks of the evolution of themenuin two cases.

defines the restaurant as the owners would want in two cases.

has precisely one review upon which great care has been expended.

has nothing even mildly critical to point out in two cases

equals: desperate staff review. the place was bad with sneazwell in the kitchen and plummeted from there.

at least two of the last three reviews are all suspect and seem to be advertisement not reviews. how foolish do you think the eating public has become?

edit: interestingly i pm ed a couple of the the positive reviewers...one even admitted to be friends of the servers hoping to help them out...hmmmm.

enjoy each visit!. i have been to el cortez a significant amount of times and cannot comprehend why so many bad reviews. drinks were flavourful, food was appetizing, service was excellent and the decor is neat. went here again friday night and thoroughly enjoyed our visit. our server jazmine even recommended we tried out the new cocktails on themenuand educated us on some of the restaurants tequila.
will definitely be back. the only issues with the place is their green salsa and maybe they could add the churos back to themenuas there is only one desert option!