The Hungry Mexican

Price for two: €€
Portion: Moderate
Overall experience: 4/5
Website: https://www.thehungrymexican.ie/

If you want to indulge in delicious Mexican food this weekend, head to The Hungry Mexican restaurant. Located at the heart of Dublin city centre, this restaurant will impress you with its quick service and lovely Mexican vibe. The restaurant is at Temple Bar, a prime location for one to enjoy an evening meal and stroll along the River Liffey in Central Dublin. As you enter this restaurant, you will either be provided with a table on that same floor or guided to their basement, where ample seating is available. I liked being seated in the basement as it seemed quieter and less crowded. The interior of this restaurant is a compilation of a lot of their local mementoes. I urge you to make reservations before visiting; this restaurant gets busy quickly and is jam-packed on weekends.

Since tequila was invented in Mexico, my husband and I couldn't think of a better drink to start with other than some Margaritas. We did not stop at one gulp. I ordered a Strawberry Margarita, while my husband ordered the Blue Margarita.

This called for starters, so we ordered Spicy Tequila chicken wings and Grande Nachos. It was by far the best chicken wings I had ever tasted because I had never tasted chicken wings coated in their homemade marinade, which was then dipped in spicy tequila sauce and served with sour cream.

The speciality of the Grande nachos was that they had corn tortillas instead of flour. This added a very distinct flavour to the whole dish. The crunchy tortillas were topped with cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo salsa, sliced jalapenos, and sour cream. This is a great starter option for vegetarians and quite filling. The only difference between a Grande nacho and regular nachos is the size, but I would say the size difference is more than the price difference, and it would be more worth the money to order Grande nachos.

Since our drinks were almost over with these delicious starters, we ordered a Pornstar Martini and Strawberry daiquiri. The cocktails here were delicious and added a lot of flavour to their already-flavoured food.

We then ordered our main course. I ordered the tacos and chose the soft flour tortillas instead of the corn tortillas with slow-cooked chicken and the jalapeno sauce salsa. This sauce came in their category for 'spicy sauce' but not the 'super spicy sauce'. Believe me, when they say a sauce is spicy, they mean it. The dish came with three tacos and was incredibly filling, especially after the drinks and the starters. If you have a small appetite, these many food items might be a bit much for you.

We also tasted two other main course orders, one was the Enchiladas, which again had three pieces of tortillas with our choice of meat and the Enfrijoladas, which consisted of three pieces of tortillas with pulled pork and beef, chilli soya with chilli-infused bean puree, onion, queso and your choice of salsa. I loved the enchiladas the most as they had an outer coating of spicy sauce, making them extra delicious.

You can customize the main course dishes by making them vegetarian. For example, you can choose vegetarian fillings and your choice of dressing. They also have other vegetarian options for starters and the main course.

We concluded the meal with Deep-fried ice cream. I did not quite enjoy this dessert as its outer layer was very thick and hard to break, and it was not as sweet as I expected most desserts to be. However, the inner layer consisted of a vanilla-flavoured ice cream, which was just about alright.

My experience overall was extremely satisfying as their food was very delicious, and their service was quick by their courteous staff. So, if you are looking for a fine Mexican restaurant with a budget of €€, then head on to The Hungry Mexican restaurant.