MEXICALI TEX-MEX SMOKEHOUSE

Had a night out at Mexicali, first time here. Food is delicious and huge portions, full of Mexican vibe and staff service are good. Background music wasn't too loud, able to converse with friends. It all comes to payment, standing at the till for 15 minutes without served by the manager and there is only one person who is able to make payment which is understandable but the manager does not seem to bother about payment as manager was not even there given the staff has reminded for couple of times. Standing there for 15 minutes not only wasting my time and have caused me to spend additional 30 min to catch the bus. Very professional from the manager. The management need to have more than one manager which able to handle transactions.

First impressions the decor and location is lovely. Gives a really good vibe when you see it down at the bottom of the street with all the bright colours, skulls and art. Upon arrival we had no one to greet us after standing for about 5 minutes we called out to the staff downstairs. The upstairs area is decorated really nice and gives a cozy feel. Once seated we ordered drinks and food all at once. I ordered a margarita, hubby a beer and our cousin had the Mexican punch. We had the tacos to share, side of chicken wings (buffo hot sauce) and she ordered the shrimp heaven and a side of corn. So far so good, the cocktails were nice. Our food arrived and the sharing platter was presented nice but here is where it goes downhill. The shrimp heaven didn’t do much for the eye. It honestly looked like a party platter from Iceland and the tater tots were undercooked. The corn on the cob was just that, no seasoning, butter etc for the cost of £3.50. The tacos were ok, really lacked freshness. I expected fresh coriander, salsa, jalapeño and hot sauce out on the table. Non of which we had, even the guacamole wasn’t fresh. The wings were again just ok but if I see buffalo sauce I expect something hot and it really wasn’t even spicy. We swapped out chips for tater tots which were told it would be an extra charge. They charge a whole £4.50 which is what a side of them would have cost…. Might as well have had the chips as well. We had a second round of drinks this time a mojito… honestly the worst I have ever had. No brown sugar and couldn’t even taste the mint, very dissatisfied. Dessert was a disaster, curros were over cooked on the outside and raw in the middle. The cinnamon Croftle didn’t even taste of cinnamon and the ice cream was as so had I used a knife and folk in the end. Not once were we asked if everything was good or how was the food. By the time we left we had minimal interaction with the staff we just paid and left. £135 for 3 people… not worth the money. Will not be returning.

Quality all round. We travelled 15 mile, as the reviews were very good, and we were not disappointed. Great food/drinks, great service and a good atmosphere. The menu is varied and the portions sizes were good, apart from the cookie dough, however this did not affect my scores. Highly recommend and we will return.

A fantastic Mexican and smokehouse restaurant. Great food and drinks menu (cocktails are 2 for 1 before 7pm) 😁. Well worth a visit it's always lively if there's a gig on at the Picture Dome and has a good atmosphere. The staff are very friendly too 😀 👍🏻

Our first visit to Mexicali. A really cosy and colourful place. Seating area outside and a downstairs bar, this was closed due to the time of year. Resteraunt upstairs which was quiet when we arrived around 6 o clock but soon got busy. We were welcomed by Natalie who looked after us really well throughout our visit. Great food and drinks menu, plenty to choose from. The tacos were oustanding the Pit Stack burger was amazing! Tried their cocktails...again didnt dissapoint. Really enjoyed our meals that evening so much we had to visit again before we went home.