Cartel Taqueria - Qbn - Queanbeyan East, New South Wales

Terence Ha

Great Mexican restaurant that is very busy and a little hard to find at night. Parking can be a challenge but the food is amazing. We have a range of taco's, drinks and chips - all were amazing. We will definitely be back to try other dishes. Highly recommended!

bruce elissa

Great new-ish spot on the Queanbeyan River. We had a family lunch on a sunny winter arvo and the place was packed with a relaxed atmosphere. I remember when it was just a quiet and mostly vacant riverside park - Cartel Taqueria has brought a lot of life to the area. Kudos to the owners. The staff were friendly and the food arrived quickly. We got tacos and a shared nacho dish - delicious food! My only criticism is that the non-alcoholic drinks were a bit pricey (eg $6 for a can of coke)

J

Location was beautiful. I really wanted to love the food but my baja fish taco was pretty soggy and oily, missing the flavour and freshness I was hoping for. The pulled pork was much better value but incredibly wet, so the flavour was diluted. The waffle fries were delicious but also really really oily. Getting my meal was a bit of a nightmare, it wasn't ready when I got the msg to say it was and staff didn't really communicate that so I was just kinda standing there awkwardly for ages. I was excited to try Cartel Taqueria and it really is a beautiful place but it was an expensive meal that didn't quite deliver what I had hoped.

Venus Oh

A friend of ours recommended this place. I really wished I like it, Tacos were good. Totally recommend that.

However, Queso was bad - not hot at all and just couldn’t continue to eat it, I tried not to waste it. Chips were a bit stale. So that was kinda disappointing.

Had read the reviews and said the tres leches cake was amazing and it really was! But I was too full to enjoy it.

Service looks busy, lots of people lining up. So they couldn’t attend to us. Had to go up and serve ourselves which is no problem to us. Anyway our experience could be better.

Summer Lake

Visited three times now!

MUST get the la gamba tacos and the steak with chimichurri tacos (can't find the menu name)... ?
The churros is so so yummy and must pair with the hot chocolate, but the hot chocolate is only available during the colder months.

Other beef and pork tacos are very good as well! The lobster one was too creamy for my taste, and the vegetarian one was ok, but I haven't tried too many vegetarian dishes elsewhere so I don't think I'm in the position to compare and rate vegetarian dishes.

I always go on a whim so I never got a table, but they have mats and it feels like a nice picnic and a unique experience.

Nick Worrell

Service was fast and friendly. Ordering was done by a tablet left at the table which was intuitive and simple. Carnitas tacos were moist and very tasty. Not spicy at all. La Gamba were amazing. Quite spicy and very flavoursome. Los Pollos Hermanos were also very flavoursome and a little spicy. Fritter bites were delicious and the waffle fries were great. Fries were delicious. The sangria was lovely. Will definitely go again next time we’re in town.

Abdul Alaubidy

Cartel Taqueria was recommended by a coworker, I went there with my girlfriend for lunch as we are searching for the best Mexican food joint in (I guess around) Canberra. I mistakenly thinking it wouldn't be too busy did not book therefore there was no tables available however a kind employee got us one of their many picnic blankets and we had our picnic laying on the grass next to the water which was a nice experience. We ordered the queso with tortilla chips - The queso itself was amazing and the cheesy sauce was rich in flavour and did not use any American cheese which can taste a bit fake. Tons of tortilla chips provided which we didn't really eat as we bought waffle fries that were used to dip into the queso. Very yummy combination! I had two beef tacos and my partner had the sweet potato taco. We were dumbfounded by how amazing they tasted! They were also massive, I was a bit sceptical when they said they weren't your average taco on the menu, definately worth the price tag. The Churros were amazing as well they are cooked perfectly and melt in your mouth and the Mascarpone cream was a perfect combination. We both agreed that after a few Mexican restaurants in Canberra this one makes our cut and definitely worth the drive!

Liz @ Pop Art Inc

Had to make the drive from Conder to have the lobster tacos last weekend cos FOMO was real!! One is not enough we ordered three to share between two people and I regret sharing! Divine!

Churros still the best in the land.

Frozen margaritas are magnificent. Highly recommend the chilli and the jalapeño margaritas. They have an edge to them.

In summary- Protect cartel taqueria at all costs!!!!