When you find a restaurant that leaves you dreaming about its food for days, even weeks, later, then you know you’ve stumbled upon a treasure that must be protected at all costs. And this is how I’ve been feeling about El Diablo – a new restaurant on Gloucester Road that really is serving up the best tacos and margaritas (and more) that I have ever tasted in my life. Ever. I’m not over exaggerating.
We booked a table for 2pm one Saturday afternoon in March. The online booking system was super easy to use. When we arrived, we pushed open the door, taking in the colourful walls and decor, and we were hit instantly with an absolutely delicious smell of the food on offer here.
It wasn’t overly busy, but certainly not empty and, having only opened back in November, it wouldn’t surprise me if, before long, there’s a waitlist to visit.
The staff were so warm and welcoming, acknowledging our entry straight away, finding our booking quickly and seating us at our table within seconds. We were seated in a private spot looking towards the bar area and the orange-hued walls were covered in artwork and Mexican-inspired decor. The place looked incredible.
The staff spoke to us about the menu, talking us through what they’d recommend, how big portion sizes were, and it was refreshingly obvious to see that each staff member had a real love and passion for the food – and drinks – being served up here. They could answer any of our questions about the menu in a heartbeat, and service was quick and extremely well organised.
Thanks to their recommendations, we ordered three portions of tacos between two of us – each portion comes with two nicely filled tacos, served with tortillas that are made fresh on site from imported Mexican corn flour. You can buy two taco portions (four tacos) for £9.50.
We went for the beef brisket birria (which consists of beef brisket slow cooked in salsa roja, with fresh red onion, coriander and a side of birria broth), pork cantinas (pork shoulder slow cooked with garlic, orange and bay, with sweet pickled jalapenos and lime-cured red onion), and the chicken tinga (pulled chicken cooked in a smoky chipotle sauce, with fresh red onion and coriander).
Alongside that, we opted for the nopales salad (priced at £5.50 and consisting of marinated cactus, queso fresco, cherry tomatoes, lime-cured red onion and coriander) and, thanks to the recommendation of one of our servers, the Diablo croquettas (priced at £7 for two, these are chopped jalapenos in bechamel and mozzarella, rolled, breaded and crisp fried).
And, of course, we ordered a traditional margarita or two (priced at £10.50 each) – here they have been dubbed ‘the best’, and I couldn’t agree more.
Each taco had its own flavour profile, meaning you were graced with multiple unique flavours, especially if you’d opted to try a few of them. The chicken was tangy and refreshing, the beef was incredibly warming, with the birria broth magnifying the flavours tenfold, and the pork combined with the sweet pickled jalapenos and lime-cured red onion was genius. Every piece of meat was perfectly cooked and tender, every taco nicely filled and, as my dining partner said, it was so good, we actually shed a tear as we were eating.
The nopales salad was incredible – refreshing, flavourful and just utterly delicious. Each element was perfectly considered (and that’s a theme here for sure).
The croquettas were smooth, creamy, packed full of flavour, and melted in the mouth – each bite was heaven, and the jalapenos left you with just the right amount of a kick. What’s more, El Diablo make their own salsas with varying degrees of heat – I tried each one and was blown away by them.
Finally, we ordered ourselves some El Diablo churros to share, priced at £7.50, and again these were the greatest churros we had ever had. Dusted with a plentiful coating of cinnamon sugar and served with a pot of warm Mexican chocolate dipping sauce, they were to die for – six decent sized churros that were crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle, and not oily or greasy in the slightest.
All in all, El Diablo is the perfect destination for lunch, for dinner, for a taco fix, for some Margaritas, and even just to enjoy some absolutely incredible food and drink in one of the warmest and friendliest spots in the city. If I could give it 10 stars, I would.
You can find El Diablo at 39 Gloucester Road, Bishopston, Bristol, BS7 8AD.