Lupe Pintos
About
Imported Food
Price Range : Under $10 (££)
Location
Adress: 24 Leven Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9LJ
Phone: +44 131 228 6241
Work Hours
Business info
- move_to_inboxTake-outYes
- local_parkingParkingStreet
- directions_bikeBike ParkingYes
Reviews
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David S.
An Aladdin's cave for spice lovers and fans of Mexican food, that really is the only way I can describe Lupe's. It doesn't look much from the outside, however it has to be one of the best independent grocer shops in Edinburgh (and Glasgow). If you want to make any sort of Chilli then stopping into Lupe's is a must, but this is also true of certain rare American foodstuff and a good selection of asian cooking sauces and ingredients. Add to this a selection of different soft drinks and beers alongside some interesting tequila, lets just say for a small shop it has a big range of interesting stuff.
Somehow the staff actually know what is in stock and what is coming soon or being re-stocked, which genuinely is impressive. On top of all this they organise the yearly Tollcross Chilli Cook-off event, host wine and tequila tasting evenings and even launched a cookbook!
Honestly I love Lupe's and if you enjoy the spicier side of life or just want something a little different I would heartily recommend it. -
America A.
Aunt Jemima syrup, pinto beans, corn tortilla husks, a wall of salsa and hot sauce, and CORN TORTILLAS for the win.
This place is a little mix of everything great. -
Mariana M.
Wow!!! After seeing the great reviews for how well-stocked this place is I walked in and was surprised at how small it was since I was under the impression it would be bigger. But it didn't matter, the stock was just as excellent as I'd been led to believe.
Immediately to the right of the entrance there are Asian specialty foods. Good basics such as soy sauces, sambal oelek, chutneys and many varieties of pastes for all kinds of sauces from Thai to Chinese to Malaysian. A bit further on you'll see mostly Spanish (as in Spain) foods.
Dozens of hot sauces, many varieties of dried chillies, salsas, and several Mexican ingredients I've had a hard time finding elsewhere such as huitlacoche (corn smut/fungus, but it's absolutely delicious, especially in a quesadilla!) and large cans of posole/hominy.
There is a decent selection of some American foods such as pancake mix, canned pumpkin, cake mix and peanut butters. Canadian maple syrup too. I was hoping they would stock iced tea for drinks but didn't see any on my visit.
There's also a small section of Jamaican and other Caribbean foods, not just hot sauces.
The refrigerated case by the till offers chorizo, various Mexican cheeses (I didn't see any cotija on this visit but I'll be on the lookout), some really delicious looking fresh salsa and guacamole (a mum and daughter got some along with a bag of the excellent tortilla chips to share).
The freezer by the entrance offers pre-made burritos, ribs, frozen tortillas.
Yes, prices are a bit high generally since nearly everything is imported but for the most part they're fair especially considering the quality and selection. Service was super-helpful in recommending hot sauces and the right type of chilli powder for what we were looking to use it.
We didn't get as much as we would've liked because we had to carry it back a bit of a ways and the visit was sort of spontaneous, but it's a place I'll definitely return to. -
Alan S.
What would I do without Lupe pintos... well my chili's would be blander and my nachos far less interesting. That in itself is a great reason for the 5 stars, but this great wee shop is a lot more than just a place to grab Mexican ingredients.
Dougie and his staff have created a fantastic spot for foodies. Their range caters for Asian and south American ingredients with a few other interesting cultural points thrown in. The place its self is small, but jam packed with goodies.
Some of my favourites are:
- the frozen burritos, I introduced an American friend to these and they now swear by them for some proper comfort food.
- The tortilla wraps, about on par price wise with a super market, but leaps and bounds in front in terms of quality.
- Chill con carne pies... yep that needs no justification
- the ingredients for nachos, last time we had roasted green tomato salsa with our usual refried beans etc and what a treat.
- the naga paste for curry makes a good curry excellent, just a teaspoon in a vat is all that is needed
Actually I could go on all day, so will leave that there.
One aspect that makes this place unique is the annual chilli cook off. All the bars in the area put on a massive pot of chilli and compete against another 9 or so local venues. The atmosphere is amazing and involves a fantastic pub crawl around Tollcross and slightly further afield. I think this is a prime example of how Lupes is not just great, but a part of the neighbourhood.
Not cheap, but a prime example of you get what you pay for. Great staff and fantastic products. Just go and see!! :D -
Clarissa M.
Moving from the southern United States abroad to Edinburgh means that I go missing some things I took for granted, HARD, back home. For example: tins of black beans. After searching high and low all over town, in Asdas, Lidls, Aldis, and then some, I found tins of organic black beans available at Real Foods. And that was fine--in fact, I shelled out the soul of my unborn to have a whole box of 'em delivered to my flat. No cost was too high to get my fix.
So imagine my sheer delight when I breezed into Lupe Pinto's for the first time and see my prize: tins of black beans. The cheapest I'd yet to see in town. Oh, be still my Southern heart! The only pain I experienced here was the labor of mentally calculating just how many I could fit in my backpack and still be able to walk home.
If you're not as huge of a fan of beans as I am, not to worry. Lupe Pinto's has loads of other stuff to entice you, such as a whole wall of varying spices from all over the world, as well as shelves upon shelves of delicious hot sauces and salsas from Latin America. And in the corner behind all of that, a little corner of American heaven: packets of instant pudding, Crisco shortening, Ranch dressing, and A-1 sauce. Oh, bless it!!! (huge Southern belle fan appears, heavy fanning commences) Not only that, but they have another entire wall dedicated to more Eastern cuisines, but honestly I couldn't tell you anything about that wall, because I've barely spared it a glance in my narrow-minded pursuit of beans.
If that's still not enough for you, let the lure of potential samples captivate you. When last I popped in, they had a wee display set up with chili chocolates, rum cake, and even some sort of alcoholic beverage. Awesome. I had a nice chat with the gentleman at the till over the chocolates in particular--I'm not sure if he's the owner, but he's been there each time I've been in before, and was super friendly both times. Little does he know I consider him my guardian angel of tinned beans.
In short, this place is my little slice of heaven near the Meadows. Thank you, gods of wayfaring Southern gals. Now, can you get me some Nilla wafers so I can make my banana puddin' or...?