El Vino

Once a month, I try to schedule a “date night” with my best friend Irina. This time we were both looking for cheaper options, as we knew a long weekend was coming. Found El Vino to be an affordable options, with mostly good reviews, and very conveniently located in the heart of Amsterdam. Moreover, I’m constantly looking for good tacos and Mexican food in general that won’t break my wallet, so I thought I should give it a try.

El Vino is a Mexican / Argentinian place – Irina and I only tried Mexican dishes there, thus I will only focus on those (if you are looking for a good Argentinian steak however, try this one).

One thing to know straight up, definitely do not go to El Vino if you are looking for a quiet meal. The place is loud and alive. The owner is a very happy and enthusiastic man, but in my opinion he can get into your personal space a bit too much. I’m sure he only has good intentions, though.

We started with the cheesy nachos, without meat – now nachos in the Netherlands never seem to be exactly what they’re meant to be, and El Vino was no exception. However, I loved the guacamole. it had decent pieces of avocado in it. The salsa and creme fresh were also good, although the salsa did not seem home made. Meal started well!

I continued with a Mix Mexicano for main, which was a dish combining tacos and burritos. I was really excited about this part! Unfortunately, my excitement came to an end when I’ve seen my hard shell taco…strike 1. The taco had minced meat in it, and the rice and beans on the side. I did not find any of these particularly tasty. The burrito was quite blunt too. I could not handle spicy food that day, so maybe the spicy version is better…however, the ingredients on their own, did not impress my taste buds.

Irina had the beef Fajitas and I liked her dish better. Flavors were combining better than in my burrito.

We’ve had the house wine to complement our meal – maybe it’s just me, but if I’m getting a hard shell taco, I do not really want to try the margaritas. Wine was okay for the price, similar to most house wines you’ll have in Amsterdam.

I have to admit that we ate an impressive amount of food for what we paid – they often have Social Deals that can get you 3 meals for as low as 15 EUR. Looking for a cheap, big meal? Could be a choice! Looking for actual Mexican food? I would not recommend El Vino in that case. Oh well, maybe for some nice guacamole, and the owner who will go head over heels to make you laugh.

Value for money: 7 (with a coupon)

Food quality: 6

Location: 8 ( Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 51, 1017 NG Amsterdam)

Service: 8

Website: http://www.elvino-amsterdam.com/

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