Beans were burnt which ruined the meal. A new chef? The waiter was great. He didn't charge for my margarita saying he can't take off for the burnt beans. I feel the meal was awful. read more

Cuates Grill - Meal - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

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Delicious is the word of the day! Random visit has we live close by and our usual Mexican restaurant isn't nearby. It was fairly empty and we were seated immediately with chips and salsa. Typical Mexican restaurant in ambiance. The menu had a good variety of combo options so I went with three chicken tacos. Soooooo good! The sides + sauces combo on top of how perfectly grilled the chicken was made these like top 3 chicken tacos I've ever had. Everything was just a great bite every time. I did order a pina colada but it wasn't all that so I would stick to a different drink the next time. Good service as well! read more

Cuates Grill - a taco and salad on a plate - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

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Excellent, authentic food and drinks! I've been here many times and the food, drinks and service have always been consistently amazing! I have similar food at other places but this place tops my list. The seasoning is on point for everything. The portions are large. Love the tortilla soup and tamales (I'm picky about tamales and this hits the spot) the most but their fajitas are also great to share with a friend. I LOVE their drinks! Mango mojitos (several flavors to choose from), margaritas in several sizes and flavors, frozen drinks, draft and bottled beers and wines. The happy hour is Monday through Friday from 3:00-6:00 PM. They also offer catering and online ordering for individual and group orders or for catering. This is a solid go-to for office and private party catering! They have three locations, and I've been to all of them. That's how much I love their food and drinks, I'm never disappointed. There's also karaoke at their Alexandria Old Town location every Friday and Saturday from 10:00 PM - 2:00 AM. It's so fun! If you haven't tried this place, I encourage you to try it. It's great for groups and families. It's always happy and friendly. read more

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I guess the good chefs are gone. Past couple times, food has been pretty bad, and then I went at like 7pm on a Thursday last week, and staff were sitting at the bar and the door was locked. I went to El Tio. I had to drive instead of walk, but the food and service is always top notch. I am giving up on this place /: read more

Great food! First time here at Alexandria Old Town and service is consistent. The portions are large. My husband and I shared the chicken burrito. I wish they had horchata, but they don't. I'm sure their drinks including their Mango mojitos and margaritas are good. read more

Food was pretty good. We're from Texas and always looking for good TexMex. This place is legit. Good guac, delicious rice and beans with every meal. Salsa could be more spicy and they need to fix the AC. read more

The restaurant is closed. We went there tonight. Some new restaurant is opening there. I see construction. They closed other locations. The restaurant business is tough. read more

This place is okay but nothing really stands out as amazing. The spicy guacamole was pretty good and the beef enchiladas were the definition of average, not bad but nothing amazing. The service is always friendly here and they don't usually seem to be overly crowded. I'll probably come back here since it's the closest Tex-Mex place but there are other better places in the area. read more

Cuates Grill - Beef Enchiladas - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

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Pass here everyday to/from home and finally decided to try this out. Was not busy for a Friday night, so no wait for a table. Around 9pm, the music turned up and the screens turned on to full blown karaoke night! It was the first of such event. But am I glad to finally try this place out. The chips and salsa to begin was nothing special as the chips were mostly all broken and some hardened, so may have been from the bottom of the pile. The salsa was good but big chunks of tomatoes. The server was very nice and helpful with his explanations of between the fajitas or the Arracheras Molcajete, which is what I ended up ordering (grilled steak and chicken). DELICIOUS! I know now to next time removing the cheese and meat surrounding the hot bowl as it quickly stuck to the bowl. It was perfect with the corn tortillas and chunks of the grilled jalapeño. Will be back and enjoy! read more

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Is this place about to go out of business? It sure seems like it. We came to the place at a prime dinner time hour and it was almost empty. 1. When you walk in on a hot day, you'll notice it's hotter inside than it is outside because there is no AC. 2. There is outdoor seating, but it is next to the road and somewhat loud. 3. It took us 10 minutes after we walked in for somebody to acknowledge we were there and seat us (the restaurant was almost empty at that time). 4. The server got one of our orders completely wrong and didn't seem to care. 5. The "large margarita" was basically a "large lemonade" that still cost $25. 6. Otherwise, the food was decent, but not overly great. read more

Cuates recently opened near me, so I dropped by for lunch. Fresh chips and fresh salsa are served immediately upon being seated. The first time I visited, I had 3 tacos. They were OK, but nothing to write home about. Taco Bamba is the yardstick against which I measure tacos in NoVA. Cuates has a green sauce which is AMAZING. It's spicy enough to be interesting, but not so spicy you'll regret it later. The second time I went, I had the grilled steak arracheras Molcajete. If you're a hot stone bibimbap fan, you'll likely enjoy this. The steak was grilled and laid on the edge of a hot stone bowl. Inside the bowl is a sauce with scallions, nopales, jalapeno, avocado, and panela cheese in a home made red and green sauce. It is served with rice and beans on the side and several corn tortillas. This is my "go to" when I visit. They also have an excellent selection of top shelf tequila, but no Topo Chico. They also have a fantastic selection of Mexican beers. This is a great spot for lunch and they also serve dinner. On weekends, they have brunch, as well. read more

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I'd give it a 0 if I could. Food is terrible, not fresh. Even the margarita tasted off. The waiter gave us a smart answer when asked about one of the dishes "I don't know I'm not the chef." The chicken enchilada was supposed to have tomatillo sauce-there was none. We will not be back. read more

If I could leave a 0 star I would. When dinning in make sure you still wear your coat because it's still cold inside. Like turn up the heat. Took over an hour from ordering food until food hit the table. Ordered the camarones mezcal (shrimp roasted peppers and onions) . Got shrimps with vegetable medley. Father in law ordered a steak mid rare came out will done and burnt on top of that. Food was flavorless. Recommend chipotle over them read more

Cuates Grill - Camarones mezcal with the wrong vegetables - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

I really can't understand how anyone has had anything good to say about this place. We went back last week to give them another chance after we had our orange peel enchilada and carrot burrito experience when they first opened. I'm sad to say it isn't any better. We were cautious and got medium house margaritas and the nachos. The margarita order was messed up even though we were the only ones at the bar. $15 for a pre-made house margarita seems steep to me, but they were pretty good overall. The "nachos" were another story. The "nachos" consist of 3 1/2 soggy corn tortillas cut in 1/2 and toasted (kind of) - not fried - and smothered in melted cheese with some beans on top. That is all. Please see the pictures - something that Cuates would be wise to add to their menu. I grew up in New Mexico and have been eating Mexican food my whole life and have never seen anything like what has come out of this place. Save yourself the trouble and go to Two Jefes in Arlington (the best IMO), Uncle Tios, or Rangos. The service was terrible and to top it off they overcharged my credit card and I've been calling to get ahold of a manager for three days no with no success. So roll the dice at your own risk. read more

A great Mexican dive bar. Happy hour margaritas. Chips and salsa automatically. I ordered the fish taco platter and it was very good. Their spicy green sauce is good and spicy. I'd put that sh!t anything. Sorry the food looked so good and I was hungry that I didn't take a photo. Perhaps next time. read more

Came here on a Saturday evening and the resto wasn't packed, maybe 50% capacity. Food was not worth mentioning. The chips were fresh and salsa ok, but the arracheras molcajete was gross. I thought it looked cool, and it really did. But the three pieces of 'steak' were inedible, so chewy that I had to spit out. The chicken was dry, flavor was meh. It did absolutely nothing for me. Fish tacos were mediocre. Margaritas were pricey especially if you go for the premium versions. But taste was decent... but still mediocre at best. Music was good, and ambiance is fun. I'll give them that. read more

Great decor and ambiance. Great service. Great food. Salsa is mild, chips are fresh and excellent. They leave water bottles at the table for refills. Good experience, would definitely return. Parking is a bit of an issue but i don't hold that against the business. read more

Cuates Grill - Nachos chicken - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

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To be fair I came in an hour and half before closing on a Sunday night. We were the only diners and the though the staff was friendly the nacho chips were stale. I will give this spot another try as I only had nachos and margaritas. read more

Read the mixed bag of reviews, but gave it a shot. Call me impressed. Had the Mexican street tacos platter and there wasn't a single morsel of food left on my plate. I'm pretty picky when it comes to Mexican food and there are a ton of average places around here, but by my experience today, this may not be one of them. I got a combination of the steak and al pastor for my 3 tacos. They were served with an amazing hot green sauce, rice and beans, sour cream and pico. All of it was extremely delicious. Looking forward to trying more dishes on the next visit. read more

I dined here with a few friends last weekend. The food and service were both good, but we had to keep our winter coats on during the meal because it was so cold inside. read more

Came here last night with my brothers and the food was good. Not only did we came last minute, they still served us. There were two servers there and both was super friendly. Drinks were good. Reasonable prices. Also I freaking left my waist bag there and I had money, my phone, and other things in there and went back this morning and everything was still all there. But I already knew that I would get there and my bag would be given to me with everything because they were so nice. Also nice to have good people and honest people. We will definitely be back for dinner Definitely a nice spot for a large group to have drinks and good food. read more

I just worked a 10-12 hour day and when I arrived at the restaurant the manager shook my hand and told me the meal was on the house. I am not sure why but it was really nice of him especially after my extra hours at work. I am extremely thankful to him. the people at this restaurant have always been kind when I come in for my orders and I am thankful for there service. the food is great and always cooked well and ready quickly. it is a great place to eat read more

Service is ok, food is mediocre at best, tortilla look/taste as if bought at the grocery store and they charge an extra $3 for additional tortillas to finish off your fajitas. Mentioned to the Manager that we got charged $3 for the tortillas and he said they don't charge for it. He didn't offer to return the $3 but rather a desert. :/ read more

Cuates Grill - Cuates bill - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Falls Church, Virginia

Two stars for service. Haven't even eaten the food yet. I've been waiting since 40 minutes for an order of a couple burritos and guacamole. The inside is not super busy. Next time I'll just go to chipotle. If the food is good, I'll come back and give a third star. read more

I really want this place to be great. I'll try again in a few months and then update. About 2 weeks ago we sat down for dinner to learn that they're not yet serving cocktails. Ok. No problem. Then we notice that only on of the staff working is wearing a mask in the midst of Omicron. That was it. We left. Hoping this restaurant can pull it together. Simple fixes would go a long way. read more

First visit to the newly opened location. Happy to be able to walk to dinner in Falls Church. Medium crowd on a Sunday night. Staff was courteous but given they are new in the area I expected the leadership (who was present) to stop by and check on things or at least thank us for visiting on the way out. Nope. Chips tasted like they were out of a bag and I've never seen salsa that looked like this - more like cold soup with little taste. We ordered the nachos with chicken. Good portion size but not good to have the nacho chips sitting in a bath of liquid from the pinto beans. Kinda makes them soggy. Overall bland taste for everything, even the jalapeños did not have much taste. Wait staff checked on the meal but I had to ask for a refill of ice tea even though the glass was empty. Liked the bottle of water that was delivered to the table and one star added because I was able to use Apple Pay to check out via QR code and their Clover POS. That worked well. Nice decor. Will give them another shot but given they have been in business for a while in two other locations I expected a better first time experience. read more

I recently ordered takeout food here. They have a small dining area and a decent bar with seating. They appear to be a somewhat upscale Tex-Mex restaurant with a pretty extensive menu. I ordered for three. We had chicken quesadilla, shredded chicken burrito, and a 2 item combination of cheese enchilada and chicken viajero taco. The burrito and combo included sides of Mexican rice and refried beans. Everyone really liked their selection. All were nicely cooked. The staff was friendly and attentive. The only issues were no margaritas (liquor license is pending) and the restaurant did not receive the online order due to a technical glitch. The manager provided complimentary chips and beverage while waiting for the food to be prepared. I am looking forward to returning to try some of their other selections and enjoy a margarita. read more

The food is not authentic nor good. The rice tastes like it cam from an instant box and the salsa is just tomatoes and parsley. It's a shame because the decorations and the name are very convincing and it's in a nice location. This place is only good for tequila shots and sweet margaritas. read more

Seemed like a new restaurant and the decor looked new. The service stood out. I tried out a new dish of a combination of Steak, Shrimp and chicken Arrachera. My friend tried out the enchiladas. The dinner came with a complimentary chips and salsa. They gave out seconds too. The Arrachera dish was enough for two people with the rice, tacos, beans etc. It was a good experience. Parking is on the street. read more

Have been before and have had great service as well as drinks. Went over the weekend and decided to grab drinks at the bar. The margarita was the worst I have ever had. The bartender poured pre made mix and "topped off" with a glug of cointreux which turned my margarita brown. After an attempt to drink it I brought up that it did not taste like a margarita after which she stuck a straw on the drink to taste it and immediately made a sour face and said that is what a margarita taste like. We decided to ask her to remake the margarita .... Which she did but we found an unknown particle floating in one of our margaritas. We promptly paid and left but this was by far the worst experience. If I could rate less then a one .... read more

Food is tasty but a bit overpriced. The portions were smaller than other nearby places. Service is good but they need more people. My server was very nice but she had 8 other tables at the same time. read more

The food is fair, at best. It is overpriced! It is not be managed properly. They are understaffed. read more

Service is good but food is not good. No flavor and got really bad stomach problems from it.

My husband and I tried this place last night. We both love Mexican food and were hoping to find a new favorite. I ordered beef tacos. The food arrived and it was cold. There was no flavor in the tacos or anything else. The pinto beans on the side were watery and made everything soggy. I asked for a bottle of hot sauce, and the waiter didn't understand what I was asking for. He returned to the table and said that he spoke with the cook, and said that the chef didn't add anything spicy to the beef. That was the problem! For two plates of food and soda, the total came to over $50. This place is very overpriced for what it serves. The chairs are also very uncomfortable if you have a booty that's more than 10 inches across. I miss the Thai restaurant that used to be there. I hope they improve. read more

If I could give 0 stars I would. I placed an online order, and when my mother and I went to pick it up, they hadn't received it. The bartender was very rude about it, told my mother that she must have the wrong location, and then walked away. I showed the chef (who was very polite) the confirmation email which included their address, so he went to make it at that point. I took it home, and when I opened it up, the sides and toppings were missing from the tacos. Disappointing and really inconvenient. I would NOT recommend. read more

Went for a walk during recent snowstorm and lo and behold, these guys were open. Decided to give them a try and support a new local business. Only a few other customers braved the weather for Mexican food, but we were rewarded. Our salad entrees were spot-on, chips and salsa good, server good, interior decor fun, only deducted one star because they don't yet have their liquor license. Impressed these guys had their act together for a new restaurant but from the menu they have a couple other locations so obviously the crew was seasoned. Once word gets out, this place will likely get busy. read more

BAD MEXICAN FOOD!!! I ate here a few days ago with my family. I have been to hundreds of Mexican restaurants in my life and this one was terrible, I am sorry to be so honest. I ordered tacos and they simply tasted BAD and the burritos were also below average in taste. My 10 year old daughter said it was the worst burrito she has ever eaten. I thought prices were very high and portion sizes were too small. I am not trying to be mean but I will never eat here again. For Mexican food this was Very disappointing! Come here at your own risk! read more

First impression is good service, cool inside decor, and nice outside sitting area but the food is bland and nothing special. Given they are new, maybe food will improve. Got skinny margarita which was good. Ordered Michelada which was terrible. The salsa that came with the chips had no flavor, literally it was tomatoes with onion & cilantro and nothing else (no salt, lime, etc.). Had to have them make a new one with more flavor which was better. Ordered nachos which were super soggy which ruined the flavor. And had a burrito which lacked taste. I hope they improve their food because it's a great location but for now will wait before trying it again. read more

So disappointing! We made reservations for Cinco de Mayo over a week ago. We got there and were seated right away (good), but 40 minutes later no one even bothered to take a drink order (very bad). We asked 3 different staff--to include our waiter who said he'd be "right back" and yet no one cared we were there. Have you ever felt invisible? The worst part is our "waiter" served us the previous visit and was amazing. Though this is walkable, we are going back to El Tio where customer service matters. read more

First time here and will definitely be coming back! Our server was Nicholas, professional, attentive, and made us feel welcome! Food was amazing and best margs in town! read more