We had an excellent Sunday lunch at Tacos del Cartel. The restaurant has pretty nice decor, and the music wasn't loud as I expected, which was nice. Service was excellent. They were very accommodating of the few alterations we requested. Drinks were delicious, if a bit pricey. We had a ceviche appetizer that was really tasty. She had the fish tacos and I had the shrimp fajitas. Both were delicious. For dessert we ordered the churros and ice cream. Best churros I've ever had. We'll definitely be back. read more

I love this place! The menu is so hard to choose from but from what I can see you really cant go wrong. My friend & I got fish, shrimp & birria tacos and shared them. I also got some guac and it was SO FRESH. Washed it all down with a Mexican coke :) read more

Tacos Del Cartel - Mexican Near Me - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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If you're looking for upscale Mexican food with a lively, party-style atmosphere at night, this spot definitely delivers. The appetizers and cocktails were excellent, and the food overall was really good. The service, however, was just okay--we had drinks spilled on us twice, which took away from the experience. That said, if you're going for a fun night out, loud energy, and a younger crowd, this place fits the vibe perfectly. Not the best choice for a quiet dinner, but great for a festive evening read more

Tacos Del Cartel - Mexican Near Me - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

First, the space is nice and open, airy, and has a very pretty vibe. I know they want to appease the instagram crew, and they certainly do. It's cute. Different that the other locations, but for it's location, it fits. Every staff member was very friendly. We enjoyed talking to everyone from the host and hostess to our waitress to the guys who presented the food. The bar poured an incorrect wine, and it was quickly taken care of with an apology (very much not a big deal), and we got to joke about it. I forget her name, but our waitress made some excellent suggestions for both drinks and food. The free chips and salsa trio were all great. Three very different spice levels were on point! I ordered the tortilla soup. It's brought to the table, then the liquid is poured over it. It was just okay, but I wasn't left craving more. Several other small plates were ordered by our friends, and everyone was pleased. I do want to try actual entrees because I was a little underwhelmed, but I know other dishes seem more enticing. Drinks - the guava marg on the rocks was delicious. It was a bit sweet, but it was pretty and different. The spicy skinny marg was almost too spicy but very strong! You get your money's worth for sure. I wish they would find another way to present the salt than taking about 1/4 the outside of the glass, but still...very tasty drinks. I'll go back, and hopefully choose a good time again because it was a late afternoon with beautiful patio weather. A good time overall. read more

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I had heard some negative reviews of this place but went for a friends birthday. Let's start with the chips and salsa. Not terrible. But not great. Some of the chips were shaped very strange as if someone just chopped a corn tortilla whatever way they pleased and threw it in the fryer. This was okay, except that the texture was inconsistent. They were very thick, and some were nice and crunchy while others were hard and inedible. They give you three salsa, I only tried the roasted one. It wasn't bad, just needed some extra salt. For dinner, me and my husband ordered from the happy hour menu. I opted for 2 tacos off the happy hour menu and my husband got the happy bowl. The two tacos cost about $6 each. My husband's bowl was $14. The prices were outrageous. Especially considering, that the flood was bland and unseasoned. The birria taco has NO FLAVOR, except for a strong cinnamon taste???? The shrimp taco was a little fishy and medium level of heat but no flavor. The consume that comes with the birria tacos was water. Idk how but it had NO FLAVOR AT ALL. My husband commented that his happy bowl was "OK" he said the only thing that had any flavor was the queso. He as also shocked at the price considering the amount of food he had on his plate. We were both still hungry after we left. We tried the Queso Fundido, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. Food wasn't good and I'm very disappointed for the price that it was that bad. Our server was amazing. She was very attentive and very sweet. I really liked her. But let's talk about the check. Restaurant policy says checks cannot be split more than 4 times. Inconvenient? Yes, but not the end of the world. We knew this so everyone figured out who would be on what check and so on. That's when our server told us checks can't be split by food item only price.................I'm sorry what? I worked in a restaurant and have NEVER heard of that. It's wild. I won't be back. I didn't enjoy the food. I didn't appreciate the check thing. The only thing that saves this restaurant from a complete 1 star is the staff. They were amazing! read more

Tacos Del Cartel - Happy bowl - Mexican Near Me - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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Tacos were delicious!!! The place was so fun, definitely a place I'm putting in my back pocket for a future birthday dinner place. Service was so fast and everything we got was so good! read more

Tacos Del Cartel - Asada Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Came to celebrate my friends birthday. Brought my own liquor since the bar was closed. They did inform me that the bar would not be serving alcohol during this time and that I could bring my own drinks. The food and service was just OK. Due to language barriers the staff brought out the wrong cake for my friend. Nothing could have been more frustrating. I do hope they improve in the future because it has the potential to be a nice place but for now it's leaving a lot to be desired. read more

Tacos Del Cartel - Mexican Near Me - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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Yes it's a pricey place but I LOVE it here. My first time here was a few months ago and while it was loud, it had a cool nightclub kind of atmosphere. Very sleek, light up menus, the works. We watched someone have a birthday shout, where the waiters came over with a plane of shots while singing "Shots". So much fun to watch. I don't remember what all we ordered that time, though I do remember the chef came out at some point. Our flan didn't come out to his standards, so while he was remaking it, he gave us free churros. Classy service, and really went above and beyond. Anyway we went back for lunch today; it was much more chill if you want a calmer experience. Margaritas were great, server was attentive, and my tacos were tasty and fresh. I LOVE the beans too. And the truffle fries. Really, just no bad choices. We are looking forward to coming back. read more

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This was my first time at the Perkins Rowe location. The food was consistent and tastes the same as the food at the Metairie location. Very pretty decor but the food is lackluster. The birria tacos lack flavor but the black beans were very tasty besides being super runny. I don't think I will go back to any of the locations. I would prefer tasty food over a pretty atmosphere. read more

Tacos Del Cartel - Mexican Near Me - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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My review is probably a little biased. (Simply because I was taken to this restaurant as a guest and did not have to pay). I think Tacos Del Cartel is great!!!! It's like no other restaurant in the area. I see it as an upscale Superior Grill. Service is great. The guacamole is to die for. The last time I went, the bartender was doing a fire breathing show. Where else can you see that in this area? I hope Tacos Del Cartel is around for a long time! read more

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My family and I decided to come here for lunch yesterday, after seeing an early movie. Upon entering, through the VERY heavy doors, my first impression was, wow, this place is gorgeous, but then came the smells. It smelt of strong mopping solution and rotting fruit, possibly from the bar. It was also freezing inside, so we opted for an outdoor table. The outdoor area was very nice and we were brought menus that had digital screens. Next came the complimentary chips and salsa. The chips were okay, some tasted stale while others were good, but the salsa was lacking in flavor. They also brought out complimentary samples of ceviche, which were tasty. We decided to order the queso and chicken tacos (Costra Taco) to split. The queso was very runny, but tasted fine. The tacos were good, kinda had the flavoring of a pepperoni pizza, but were missing something to brighten them up a bit, like pickled onions or cilantro. The lime alone just wasn't enough. Overall, this restaurant is beautiful, has great service, and an upscale feel, but the food is lacking, especially considering how high it's priced. read more

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I tried Tacos Del Cartel on its opening weekend. It was a great ambiance it has the same vibe as Habaneros the restaurant that was there before. It's an upscale vibe with an upscale price. Now it's not too pricey. It's around the mid level but to me it's just not worth it. I don't mind paying a lot for food when it's worth it. The food wasn't seasoned though it aesthetically pleasing the taste isn't there. We arrive they didn't offer any options just 'sparking long or still' for $6 I would have rather tap. (Which they have but don't offer us , I saw people get it) They give you itty bitty cups of salsa to share between two people. I don't know but when I go to a Mexican restaurant I expect chips and salsa in a sizable bowl and on repeat BUT everything can't always be the same but they only allow one small cup per two people and charge you for every cup after. I had two friends with me they all got the birria clothes line taco with me. We were all not impressed. i also got the queso with chorizo it was not cheesy it was very hard to scoop out the bowl it was like it was clumpy. I really didn't like that dish. I had the geisha drink it wasn't strong at all but it tasted really good. Overall I give my experience a 5/10. But I can see this being a spot for celebrating they bring out a big hat , bring a dessert, and sing a song to you. It's a very nice experience. Fair warnings: they don't split checks! read more

Tacos Del Cartel - Geisha Cocktail - Mexican Near Me - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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This is my first time visiting since they closed down Habaneros. I hear it's still ran by the same management, but they wanted a different feel. The vibe inside still gives the same and looks just about the same. It's a great spot to head up on the weekends. The price point is about the same as before. They do provide you with chips and salsa. However, if you do ask for additional chips, they will charge you $5, which is unfortunate but not surprising. The salsa that they give you has some stringy things in it which I did not like. It always seemed like I was putting hair in my mouth when I saw it so I would always have to pick it out. I ordered the Birria tacos, which came aesthetically pleasing. Very good and tasty. The rice and beans weren't the best which is unfortunate because you're mostly eating just the tacos and nothing else on the side. The frozen margarita was definitely a favorite of mine. I ended up getting two. Definitely recommend if you stop in. For service, I would say the service needs to get a little bit better especially at the bar area. This was the same issue I had with habaneros. It just seems like the management doesn't put in the work to train the staff. Prime example, we went and sat at the bar top and didn't get greeted for a good 5 minutes. The bar top also didn't look clean or wiped down whatsoever. Overall, great vibe, and the food and drinks were very good. read more

Tacos Del Cartel - Birria Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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Food, service, ambience was amazing. It's a must try. We had the queso, asada tacos, soft shell crab tacos, sparkling water and ice cream churro Dessert. read more

The description of this was "giant corn quesadilla" this plate was $30. I was expecting way bigger than this. Food was average only 3 small tables on the grassy hang out area read more

Tacos Del Cartel - The description of this was "giant corn quesadilla" this plate was $30. I was expecting way bigger than this. Food was average - Mexican Near Me - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The location and restaurant aesthetic is really nice but that's where the good ends. The food was not good at all which was disappointing (extremely bland). I had the birria tacos which were dry and lacked in flavor. The queso I ordered was melted white velveeta with tajin sprinkled on top with a sprig of cilantro. The black beans were not good either but the rice was just okay. The other people I dined with ordered the steak fajitas which they didn't enjoy unfortunately. We went in May 5th and they charged a "special event" gratuity on the checks which we didn't know and would've liked to have been informed about before dining. I likely won't be back. read more

This spot is so close to being great. We loved the decor, the music, and the service was excellent. Now as for the food, everything was very fresh and perfectly cooked. The meats were tender and juicy. This is a very protein forward menu, which I enjoy as someone who is a big meat eater. The main problem here is lack of salt. Unfortunately across the board, every single item we tried was under salted. Salt is what would really bring out all of these flavors and bring the food from just okay to outstanding. Hopefully something changes because this could be a great spot. read more

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Came here on a whim while in town for Marucci World Series. Food was great. Service was good. Highly recommend. Mango Margarita was delicious! read more

Tacos Del Cartel - Asada tacos - Mexican Near Me - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The food had a good flavor. It took a while to get our margaritas-came after our food. They do not have the kids menu printed. the waiter stated that they offer chicken tenders, quesadilla with either chicken, shrimp or steak or popcorn shrimp all of which come with fries. We chose the steak quesadilla. We were not informed that the kids meal was $14 with a $8 upcharge for the steak. That means the kids meal was $22 without drink included. That was more than my adult entree of tacos. The upcharge is something that you should be informed of when ordering if you are not going to have a printed children's menu. We will not be back. read more

This place is trying to be Republic or SUR with loud music you can't speak over and club energy. They don't split checks for parties of 4 or more and the ice cubes are so large in their margaritas you can Finnish one in two sips. They put a flower on it to hide how small it was. Food was ok but very pricy for Mexican. Would not recommend. read more

Tacos Del Cartel - Mexican Near Me - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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Tasty tacos and drinks. We had the Queso Fundido appetizer- amazing! We shared the brilla and shrimp tacos - super tasty. My had a strawberry margarita- super tasty! read more

This was awesome. Very nice place, great service, super cool atmosphere and creative menu! We loved it and would definitely come back! Kate and Christine took care of us and did a first class job! read more

Atmosphere was loud, the music could have been turned down. Food was mediocre at best but the drinks were good. Service was meh. Would only recommend for drink in the courtyard. read more

Service is nice, but food is DISGUSTING. I ordered shrimp tacos which were extremely over priced for the quality and flavor. Music was very loud and restaurant was somewhat upscale but the food was a BIG DISAPPOINTMENT. Food was cold, tasteless, and came across as very low quality. Shrimp were not fresh ! read more

Tacos Del Cartel - Shrimp Tacos, Chicken Tortilla Soup - Mexican Near Me - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Atmosphere is great. It's dark and has club music so you wouldn't think it would be relaxing but it was. They bring chips and salsa in a trio tray. They're tiny. Not enough for 2 people. We're the type to smash through a few chips and salsa so they didn't even bring out more we had to ask. The tray of salsa is so tiny you need more anyways. The chips are way too thick in our opinion and hard to eat. Salsa was mediocre. We got the Al pastor and the bone marrow tacos with truffle fries. The el pastor meat and the chorizo was the only flavorful part of our dishes. I've had never rice and charro beans from El Pollo loco. The bone marrow was flavorless and had to be added to the tacos myself. I can the same type of tacos from a taco truck. If I'm praying $24 for 3 tacos, my tongue better be having an orgasm. Portions were tiny and we both left hungry. Fries were cold and flavorless and needed salt. Drinks were excellent tho. I got the mango house margarita and another specialty drink I can't remember the name that had pineapple juice and watermelon juice. Be advised, this is a place where you pretty much pay for experience so be aware if that's not your thing. I feel like if you're going to pay $25-50 a plate, the food should be much better. This upscale place is not worth it. Save the money and go to a taco truck. read more

Tacos Del Cartel - Bone marrow tacos with the el pastor - Mexican Near Me - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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I learned an important lesson at a young age when I was a hostess at a pizza restaurant. When a person comes in to eat by themselves, be careful what you say. The two employees that greeted me seemed confused and I had to say I was there to eat. They asked if I wanted to sit at the bar so I did. A table would have been fine but the bar was good. I didn't check the menu before going in which was my mistake, so I was shocked by the prices. The menus are cool -- kind of like a kindle. I ordered the Aztec tortilla soup and was still hungry when I left. It was an unusual soup served in a flat bowl which made it hard to eat. There was not enough liquid for the amount of tortilla strips and it was much different from any tortilla soup I've had before. I was eager to leave. read more

Tacos Del Cartel - Aztec tortilla soup - Mexican Near Me - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

If you've ever wondered what a fancy over-priced Mexican restaurant is, this is it! The atmosphere is nothing short of an Instagram photo shoot with fake plants everywhere (why when you live in the south and could have beautiful real plants). When we were seated, we were given drink menu's that literally lit up. The actual menu's lit up as well, which I guess is what your paying for with their outrageous prices. The chips and salsa were very unimpressive. The chips are in a tiny little tin container that had a few matchstick type chips that were too thick and greasy tasting and the salsa was in a tiny saucer and flavorless. We were offered sparkling or still water and only realized we could've had free tap water when we saw another table served. Most of the tacos were $20 and everything was a la carte. This is basically just another tex-mex restaurant, touting itself as a "Japanese fusion" Mexican restaurant, I guess because they have sushi on their menu. The servers were super awkward, communication was difficult and there is such a thing as too much attention. Someone came by the table every few minutes making conversation strained and literally refilling your over priced water glass after every sip you take. Also, there was no wipe down services in between meals, replacing utensils, clearing plates, etc. for the kind of service you are expecting for the price. Instead you were introduced to managers and head waiters, etc. Food was totally unimpressive. I ordered the tuna bowl and it was saturated in oil. My daughter got the octopus tacos and they were so fishy she couldn't even get the second bite down. Sure the menus look nice...we don't pay to look at the menus, we pay for food and experiences. This is just another example of a failure doing too much and ignoring the basics. read more

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Sadly, this restaurant is a perfect example of style over substance. The service was poor and unfortunately the food wasn't much better. Will not be returning. read more

Omg. The absolute worst queso. The cheese does not even melt. The birria tacos are tasteless, small, and disgusting. I see why it was empty. Will NEVER EVER eat here again. This place should be closed. Please save your money. This is what I get for cheating on Blue Corn. Yikes. One star is way too many. Please avoid. Not even being drunk could save this mess. Sheesh. read more

Service -gave as wrong menu on happy hours. Did not answer the phone when we called. We were the first table there. Only one type of beer on draft that was in the happy hours . read more

Restaurant is very nice. However, I was expecting more from their food, I had the tendedero de birria and honestly it wasn't as good as I hoped. I am willing to give it another try and see if the other dishes are better. Also, our server was flat out rude and acted like we were bothering her if we had any questions about the menu. I cannot eat gluten for health reasons and whenever I asked about the menu she was very rude, and flat out told me that they don't have a gluten free menu and that she would have to go in the kitchen and ask if I could eat any of the plates (which I appreciated but also made me feel like I was burdening her). My friends and I noticed that she was much nicer to the table next to us. I'm hoping my next experience here will be better if I ever go back! read more

Location Great Ambience Great Drinks Great Food was really bad. Exteremly disappointed read more

I went with a Friend to try out Tacos Del Cartel. And was not impressed. First off they charge $6 for water. No im not kidding I wish I was! Other restaurants the water is free. Then you only get 1 very small taco. The chips and salsa was good but I left hungry. I can't see how this place expects to compete with Superior grill which gives you much larger portion sizes and also doesnt charge $6 for water. The margaritas were good but I most likely won't go back. You need to train your staff better so they can let customers know the water you serve is not free. We just bit our lip and paid for it but we should've had a manager take it off our bill since we weren't notified before hand. read more

Was so excited to try this place. Tonight me and a friend decided to dine here. The patio & light up menu is awesome but..everything else was disappointing. Drink menu was on the table. Had to wait until after we receive our drinks to get a food menu. Had to ask twice. My friend took a while to make a decision and the server seemed irritated. He made us feel like he was anxious to get the menus back. Guess they're worried about the LED lights/battery. Tacos were just meat and chopped onions. Corn tortilla was damp and cold, meat had no flavor. When the server asked how we liked the meal, I shook my head indicating it wasn't good. I asked why there wasn't any cheese or sauce with the tacos, our server said " that's Mexican tacos" and asked me if I wanted some shredded cheese to which I replied no thank you. BTW, the website advertises the cusine as Mexican - silly me. The tacos were terrible. I couldn't finish my meal. Asked for the check. When Juan D. brought the "check" it was on an electronic paid that he held onto while I tried to decide on a tip. When I mentioned it felt a little weird that he's standing here while Im trying to decide on a tip, his response was "no one else has said anything". PLEASE train your staff! read more

Tacos Del Cartel - Asad taco and brisket taco - Mexican Near Me - Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Extremely disappointed with Taco Del Cartel. I booked a reservation a month in advance for a party of 10 at 7:30 PM. We all arrived on time, yet waited over an hour and were never seated. Meanwhile, other large parties who arrived after us were seated right away. I chose indoor seating when called earlier that day, but wasn't told it would delay us or offered patio as an option when indoor tables weren't available. Staff kept saying they were "getting a table," but gave no real answers. No manager ever spoke to us. We eventually had to leave because some guests had babysitting arrangements. Terrible communication and service -- ruined a girls' night we planned for weeks. Won't be returning. read more

This is a great neighborhood location, and I'm always happy to see new businesses in our area. I walked in and was seated immediately by a friendly host. Unfortunately, everything went downhill from there. From the chips and salsa to the dessert, the food was subpar. The short-shell crab tacos were unedible. They had the consistency of mashed potatoes and smelled as if they had gone bad. I returned after one bite and ordered another dish that turned out a little better. I talked to management, and they said they would mention it to the chef. I paid for both of the entrees after being dismissed. I hope that the restaurant starts to make some significant changes soon. read more

Fun ambience - loud music and cute decorations. Food and drinks are great, but a bit pricey. The set up is a bit different. They only give you a cocktail menu to start then give you a food menu after you do your initial order read more

Sunel was awesome. Terrific waiter. Definitely will be coming back and for that tomahawk steak.

Went for a birthday celebration for my mom & fiancée birthday. Its one of those spots where u go to try & dont return. Service overall was good, Brittney was our server. Food was cold once handed to us. You're paying for presentation and not actually quality. Upon our reservation that we made online it stated that it was a $25 fee for cutting service of a party cake so we decided to opt out. We bought our own cake plates & all didnt need none. & we ensured to inform the restaurant upon rsvp that we didnt need the service. We paid & once ticket came out we still had the $25 fee on it. We asked manager on shift about it & his response was that if you bring an outside cake to their property they are automatically going to charge. Now, that was never in the description of the fee. I do wish that they were a bit more transparent about the fee. No one charges for bringing their own cake elsewhere on top of gratuity and everything. Highly disappointed overall. Try at your risk! read more

I ordered Birria tacos and mocktail, food was cold and small, I'm only 110 pounds and was not full at all, I complained before eating and was offered 3 extra tacos, you can obviously tell the ones given to me the first time were old and very small. The service was ok, waiter was cool but seemed condescending after I had to ask for a different meal even though that was not given to me (not the waiters fault). I'm just not fulfilled and feel like I wasted 40 dollars. read more