Blue Habanero is a Mexican restaurant near Scoop on Strawberry St. in Richmond. There's free street parking in front of the restaurant and street parking nearby. The ambiance can be described as eclectic and casual. It's great for big groups and relaxed lunches. There's a variety of menu options for food and drink. Our server was nice, but she didn't really answer our questions about the menu or substitutions, which was a little inconvenient. Also, we kept having to ask for utensils and napkins, which made our food get a bit cold. The pineapple habanero margarita tasted like spicy pineapple juice and was pretty expensive. It was pretty, but not worth the money. The food also was really average, but the portion sizes were good for sharing. The huitlacoche tacos were a little bland and soggy, the chicken chipotle tacos had a good sauce but were also soggy and the fajitas did not have enough seasoning. Not a restaurant that I would come back to, but I liked it's proximity to other dessert places nearby. read more

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We arrived on Thursday night around 8 pm, and the parking was hit or miss. I had to circle the block to find a spot, but it was pretty close once I did. I noticed the ice cream/yogurt spot nearby was hopping. There was a person asking for change outside the front door. We were greeted by an enthusiastic host and seated immediately at a booth up front. The server came by within seconds and brought us water and place settings. We decided to get the chips and salsa for an appetizer and a pair of melting chimichangas for entrees. I can't resist some chorizo and steak. My partner got the chimichanga without chorizo and with chicken. The ambiance was colorful with beautifully painted murals on each wall, and the atmosphere was undeniably loud. There were lots of patrons. The place was packed, even at the bar, so your mileage may vary. We received our orders within minutes of each other, so there wasn't much of a wait time. The chips and salsa were homemade, fresh, warm, and delicious (muy rico). Same for the entrees; exactly what I want in a Mexican food restaurant. The chorizo and steak were well-cooked, seasoned, and chopped finely, but not ground. I was in heaven with that chimichanga. We had to take home leftovers. The next night, heated in the oven at 325 for 30 minutes, they were similarly excellent. The night ended without dessert, sadly (too full). However, the server was quick and efficient, and he was always around to fill water and bring anything we needed throughout the meal. Great experience overall. We will definitely return here whenever we have a hankering for some good Mexican food at reasonable prices. I can recommend this place to anyone who appreciates hearty and filling Mexican food. read more

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Great taco shop. Wife got a marg flight I had cerveza Service was quick. Food was good. I really liked their chips This is going to be our new taco Tuesday place read more

Blue Habanero - Marg flight---check - Tacos Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

This place was nice. The margarita flight was really good and my food came out really fast. I ordered the spicy chipotle mushroom tacos and they were really good. My only wish was that I could mix the tacos instead of having to get the same 3. read more

Blue Habanero - Margarita flight - Tacos Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Margarita flight? Say less. Excellent service. The place is beautiful and perfect if you're looking to catch a game. I had the salmon tacos and they're the best I've had. read more

Blue Habanero - Margarita flight with the strawberry, octopus, and spicy mango - Tacos Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Food was severely underwhelming and the service was a bit slow, though I'm not sure if this was because me and my friends visited during lunch (which seemed to be slower for them in terms of business). read more

Blue Habanero - Tacos - Tacos Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Their margarita flights are amazing. Everything on the menu is tasted amazing, their service is always great. read more

Blue Habanero - Margarita Flight. - Tacos Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

The inside looked beautiful, but the food awful. I got the fajitas, not only was then protein amount small, the vegetables were barely cooked. It had no seasoning. I have a small bottle of Tijan in my purse and that was the only thing that saved it. No chips and dip, that was extra you had to order. We ordered the pork belly which was also barely cooked. Myself and my friend spent the next 2 days glued to the toilet. Do not recommend, unless you want bland food and food poisoning. read more

Blue Habanero - Chicken Fajita - Tacos Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Always a favorite go to, the food is delicious. The staff is very helpful and knowledgeable with their great suggestions. The ambience is very chill and relaxing it is the place to enjoy with friends and great food and drinks. read more

Blue Habanero - Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos, The drink is the Hibiscus margarita also very well made. - Tacos Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

I went here with some coworkers. Really cute decor and friendly staff. Had the pork belly tacos and guacamole with chips. All really good! And the margs was even better! Great spot to check out if you're in the city read more

Food is delicious and they give you a huge portion, especially with the bowl. Service is nice and attentive. Great location in The Fan Love this spot :) read more

Blue Habanero - Carnitas Bowls - Tacos Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Came here for some drinks and snacks on our first night in Richmond. Portions are extremely generous, you won't leave here hungry. The biggest driver is the absolutely massive margaritas that are the size of your head - I went with the spicy cilantro one which gave me a decent buzz but my husband and friend swore their margs were incredibly light on the alcohol. Second are the sheet trays of tortilla chips they bring out when you order one of the dips. We got the guac, which was by far my favorite, though the chip to guac ratio was a little lacking. I got the chili lime shrimp tacos. Maybe the running theme here is the fact that I seem constitutionally unable to handle any spice but the shrimp was unbearably spicy and after a few bites I couldn't feel my lips. I did appreciate the side of veggies and quinoa. The street tacos were also a hit, nice blend of chorizo and pineapple. Fun place to grab some drinks. It was a buzzing Friday night but I could still hear my friends without having to scream at each other. read more

Good, not amazing. Server was slow to approach at the bar but once one of them came over to me the guy server was great. The tacos were nice I've just had better. The rice was good could've been less watery of taste but good nonetheless. Very cute inside and for this small city it's good they even have this food option. Go, enjoy read more

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Still one of the best places to get taco elote and all the above. It's my go to for any Hispanic food / Tex Mex! Their margaritas are bomb too read more

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I love this place and it's extremely popular. You don't have to make reservations, but there will be a little bit of a wait on the weekends. It's beautifully decorated and the staff is pretty nice. The mixed drinks are extra sweet... all of them are sweet... all! I didn't eat this time and only had drinks. But, what I do like is various tequilas that I've never had before. I like to try new tequilas and the bartender seems to be extremely knowledgeable on the subject. read more

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This is an update to my prior review. I have been a MASSIVE Blue Habanero fan for several years, I've been going there every day during my trips to Richmond....BUT.....I just went there this trip and for some reason the entire recipe for their Chili Lime Shrimp has changed. No longer is it heavy on flavor and spice - now it is bland and is just basic shrimp on a taco. So so so sad, I don't know what changed, maybe ownership or recipes, but it is no longer my "have to go to several times a trip" place. And I am not joking... the last 2 times I went to Richmond I went there EVERY DAY AT LEAST ONCE. An UBER fan. Unfortunately, unless they change back to the prior awesomeness that was in the photos below, I will be searching for other stand-out places in Richmond. Sorry BH, have no idea what changed, but boy did it. Text me if I have something wrong, but what I got today was not what I had the last many times. read more

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Great food and drinks, very lively bar crowd, great staff, nothing but good experiences here, 5 stars, totally recommend!

I have been here twice! This time I thought the food was delicious and the drinks were fantastic! I went with friends and we all enjoyed our food and drinks. It was pretty busy. we had to wait for about 20min but it was nice that they asked our name and for a phone number and they would call us when it's our turn! So we walked around the area. it was a gorgeous day! read more

This place has a vibe, but be prepared if you don't like noisy restaurants. Between the music and loud talking, it can bother some. I was able to tune it out. We went on a Friday night and despite it being so busy, we were seated quickly and the food came out fast too. I ordered the Pollo a la Crema y Espinaca, but substituted the cilantro white rice for Mexican rice and it was a hit. It came with 2 thin boneless breast and it had a kick to it, the flavors were the perfect combination. I really enjoyed it. My husband ordered the Quesabirria tacos. He says so far, these are the best he's had in Richmond. It came with a side and he chose pinto beans. He told me they tasted homemade and also the best he's had. I'm definitely coming back to check out their Happy Hour to see what's that like and will post a review. In the meantime, I'll just post the menu. read more

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Service is always fast and great at Blue Habanero! I've been multiple times, and every time I tell myself I'm going to try something different but I always end up going back to the tacos because they're just that good. Their margaritas are also solid, and the flights are a fun way to try a few different flavors. Definitely one of my go-to places! read more

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So my husband and I had an event to attend to in Richmond and we do what we always do when we are in a part of an area that we don't frequent-we Yelp, TikTok, Google, etc.; we research, we do all the things right. A lot of places that we wanted to try unfortunately were closed as it was Sunday. I guess closing on a Sunday is something that's the normal in Richmond...I don't know. It's also Palm Sunday so that could've been the reason why. Nonetheless we did decide on tacos as to what we wanted to eat, and I found a few places that were open. We chose Blue Habanero. We get there and we find a parking spot literally right in front of the establishment. From all accounts there's only street parking in the area. It's a nice quaint quiet part of town from what we can tell. You walk in and are greeted with a funky hipster type vibe with music playing (but not too loudly). There were quite a few patrons in here, but it wasn't overly crowded. I immediately went to the restroom to wash my hands and by the time I got back, my husband has ordered water for the table and chips and salsa. We were impressed by the presentation of the chips and salsa as there were separate bowls for the salsa for each of us. You're usually sharing from one bowl. I thought that was a nice touch. I ordered a margarita flight and the pork belly chicharrones. The waiter asked if we wanted the appetizer out first or could it come with our meal. That was another green flag as most of the times those portions of the meal aren't timed out correctly, so I'm glad that he asked. So I told him that the appetizer could come first, and then we'll put in our meal order. For our mains, my husband ordered the surf and turf fajitas and I ordered the quesabirria tacos. The first notable thing about this food was how flavorful it was and how piping hot it came out. Now I am in the camp where I feel that food should be served piping hot-and I will eat it piping hot. It's actually a pet peeve of mine for food to come out warm or lukewarm so I was thoroughly impressed with how fresh hot, crispy and delicious everything was after we got our food. Our waiter kind of disappeared for a while, which was great. We were able to take in the scenery and get some good conversation in and by the time he came back, we were finishing up. We normally don't get desserts however, my husband knows that I love churros and before we paid the bill he asked if they had them and if so, could they bring us some to go. We didn't realize that the churros came with ice cream, so we did eat that and it was some of the best quality ice cream that we've had in a while. I had half of a churro with some of the caramel dipping sauce it came with. It also came with a chocolate dipping sauce. The churros were really fresh, hot and delicious. We left so thoroughly impressed with this place and I am so happy that everywhere else was closed and that Blue Habanero was open. So much so that we have both decided that we are just gonna go ahead eat our way through Richmond and see how it goes. And I'm quite sure another visit to this place will be in the mix. Until next time RVA. read more

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Food Ambiance Service All around a great experience!!!! Parking not great but once you are inside it doesn't even matter. read more

Legit street tacos and a fun Mexican Dia de los Muertos theme with colorful murals and decorations. Very open and loud floor plan. Waiting for a table was so easy with Yelp's waitlist feature being leveraged by the hostess. Made the entire "waiting" experience soooo much better. Well done! These efficiencies were apparent throughout our experience as well. They use Toast table-side POS handhelds and pay at table. This speeds up the length of service overall and table-turn (which explains why when we arrived we were 8th on the waitlist but still seated in a short 15 minutes). The food was awesome. The menu has a few specialty dishes, but they are known for their street tacos, and they had about 12 different combinations to choose from. We opted for the salmon tacos and fried fish. Both have a tangy Chipotle crema (not spicy at all) and red cabbage. Each order comes with 3 tacos and a side of your choosing. I this case, buttery refried beans and cilantro white rice.We devoured our dishes. Food is fresh, ingredients are simple and tacos are well-prepared . They also arrived lightning-fast from their busy kitchen. Server was quick and efficient, very friendly. read more

Blue Habanero - Salmon Tacos - Tacos Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

This place hasn't missed yet. The happy hour, the staff, the cleanliness of the bathrooms and the entire place has been on point. This is our favorite taco spot now. read more

Blue Habanero - Happy hour is on to a great start! - Tacos Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

I wanted to like this meal so much more than I actually did. If I am being honest, I was a bit let down by (1) the price (2) the rice - very bland and (3) just the overall experience. Service was a bit slower than I would have expected for an early afternoon on a weekday as well. The Street Tacos were a fairly unique dish - juicy, savory, and a unique contrast of flavors between the spice of the chorizo, juiciness of the pineapple, crunch of the onion, etc. Maybe I just went on the wrong day - or was in a bit of a mood when I was there. I dunno. read more

Blue Habanero - Street Tacos - Tacos Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Sat at the bar for a lunch. Had good service. The bacon wrapped jalapenos stuffed with cheese were SUPER spicy.. like were the jalapenos steeped in habanero juice cuz WHAT?! I love jalapenos - never had any that hot before. My main were fried shrimp tacos, i believe and they were really good! Love the option of a margarita flight though i only enjoyed one out of the three, they have plenty flavors to choose from so no fault of theirs. Would certainly return for another good meal! read more

Blue Habanero - Tacos Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Food was amazing and the price is very good for the food taco are a good portion and always have some to take home. I had the margarita flight which was amazing. The ambience is always nice kind of like hole in the wall vibes and just altogether a pleasant low light environment. The service the is quick and they're very attentive one of my favorite weekly spots to go to. read more

Blue Habanero - Tacos Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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On a positive note, I was greeted and seated right away. Within 1-2 minutes water on the table (without asking if I wanted it). The food was just "average". I came here after reading glowing reviews. Portion sizes are gigantic. Enough for 2-3 people. I had the supreme nachos which was warmed over. Food came out so quick (within 10 minutes) I knew when it arrived, it wasn't fresh. Just as a backup I ordered the quesadilla sampler off the happy hour menu: it was fresh but bogged down with an unbearable amount of cheese. Like a lot of cheese. The flavor profiles are very boring, no dimension, very much in need of acid or something to cut the richness of the cheese. The steak quesadilla was the star with plentiful amounts of meat. On the positive, the drinks held up to the rave reviews. The guacamole was good. The waitress seemed disinterested. She asked me if I wanted everything in the nachos? When I asked her what was in them. She haphazardly pointed to the menu and said "here". I was brought the food with no plates, no hot sauce, no accoutrements whatsoever. I'm feeling like happy hour is not so happy for the workers here. The place was half empty - yet the waitress seemed annoyed by my question. This is the kind of place that serves re-heated, re-warmed over varieties of the same dish by a different name. (At least during happy hour) Very much a disappointment if you're one that only came as a result of the reviews. Also, bring a winter coat as the restaurant is absolutely frigid. When it was time to pay a different person came to the table, handed me the check and waited while I looked at the receipt to pay. I probably won't be back read more

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The food is great, the first time I went was a few years ago & now it's one of my fav places to go when the kids are at school. The service is A1 & the crowd is cool too. read more

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This is one of my favorite places for nachos! The drinks are always so good and the servers go above and beyond! This time we got the nachos supreme and the taquitos and both were jam packed with flavor! I got the frozen strawberry margarita and it was one of the better margs in the city! The prices are also reasonable for the good quality of food you get! read more

Blue Habanero - Tacos Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Blue Habanero is definitely a 10/10 for me. I ordered the chicken chipotle tacos and they were so good, super flavorful, filling, and just overall hit the spot. The vibe in there is really nice too, clean with Spanish music playing and just a chill atmosphere. Service can be a little slow when it's busy but honestly it wasn't a big deal and everything still came out right. For the price it's 100% worth it and I'd definitely come back again read more

Blue Habanero - Chicken Chipotle Tacos - Tacos Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

I went here on a Thursday night , reservation for 6 for a birthday dinner. They weren't super busy so we got there at a perfect time. As soon as we walked in we were seated and our server came out, friendly and smiling. She helped us with drinks, I chose the strawberry margarita. Let me tell you something... that margarita was delicious and had me feeling nice. It was just enough. Then our appetizer/starter came out, a Trio sampler. This is absolutely enough for 4 people. It is queso, creamy guacamole, salsa and a large pan of gmo corn chips. (Tortilla chips) the salsa and queso sauces had a little kick to them, but the guacamole was more mild. All three tasted really good too. My entree was a veggie bowl that had a mix of greens, black beans, cilantro rice, pico and I put the sour cream on the side. I didn't even eat it. I'm glad I didn't cause my bowl was delicious without it. Last but not least, the vibe in here was beautiful, there's a lot of cinco de mayo day of the dead decor that make awesome background read more

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SUCH A COOL PLACE!! I love the murals, I love all the color! The food and the drinks were so delicious. A great variety of tacos and the portions were a good size. read more

If you are in the Richmond area and you're looking for a good place that serves great tacos then this is the place you want to try... There is plenty of seating even for large groups... we came with a party of 12. The server was kind and attentive and orders came out quick. I would start with the guac and chips and get the quesobirria! The chili lime shrimp was also amazing... didn't really like the carne asada which is my usual go to... Come check it out! read more

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First visit to this spot, which took over the space formerly held by our beloved Strawberry Street Cafe. The decor change couldn't have been more dramatic. We started with the chips and salsa, a generous portion for $3. Then I had the carne asada tacos he had the spicy Burrito. We were both very happy with our food and both brought home leftovers. The service was a little slow, especially waiting for our check, but our waitress was clearly busy the whole time, so we understood. read more

Blue Habanero - Our $3 chips and salsa after we'd been eating a while. - Tacos Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

As someone who loves Mexican food, I like to consider myself a bit of a connesiour and the meal I had this past weekend at Blue Habanero was one of the BEST I've had in some time! To start, we had margarita flights. I asked our wonderful server Pablo about his favorites. He recommended the guava & passionfruit, explaining that no other restaurants nearby have anything similar. They were all tasty, with the right amount of tequila! For food, we split the trio sampler. The guac, salsa, & queso were all delicious. But the real star of the night were the tacos! My boyfriend got the fish tacos and I got the quesabirria style. They were so tasty I was still daydreaming about them the next day! The atmosphere was lively but not too loud & overall we had a great time. Will definitely be back! read more

Blue Habanero - Tacos la Paz + Trio Sampler + Quesabirria Tacos - Tacos Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Good food. Service good. Quiet, when we went. Better variety than most your standard Hispanic restaurant.

One of my favorite places in Richmond. Come here for girls nights, birthdays, and after a day out. The margarita flight is the way to go the first time here or the cucumber margarita if you need something refreshing. The tacos are amazing but I do love the gigantic burrito, the flavors are amazing. The service is always good, one time the server handmade a bowl of guac for my friend with specific allergies, she went above and beyond and it was so good! Fun and upbeat environment. read more

Pretty solid Mexican restaurant in downtown Richmond, VA. We stopped by on our way. The veggie fajitas are great - we asked for additional veggies, like mushrooms to be added, which they did. Veggie tacos and quesadillas were great too. Pinapple Habenero is a great drink to try. The service was reasonably quick. The ambiance is a bit upscale mexican restaurant. All in all, a solid pick in middle of downtown Richmond. If we are traveling by again, will definitely stop by. read more

Came on a Tuesday night and it was busy inside. After a 10 minute wait we got seated. I ordered the street corn ($7), short rib tacos($16) and quesabirria taco ($16). Street corn is very good. The lime,cheese and chili powder tasted all good together. Vegetables were a little soggy, but had an interesting spice flavor to it. Short rib meat was very tender and melted in your mouth however, a little under season but thankfully you could dip it into salsa Verde. Same applies to the quesabirria, fantastic meat , and texture but a tad unseasoned. With the dip everything was amazing. Food came out in a reasonable time however the wait staff was a bit slow and lacking. Overall food is good here, definitely a place I would come back to hopefully the service is better next time. Food: 8.0 Staff/service: 5.0 Value: 6.5 Overall: 6.9/10 read more

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