This is the first time I tried the drunken shrimp and I am in love. There is a lot of food here and it tastes great. What I love about this family run restaurant is that everything seems super fresh. From the salsa to the vegetables, I don't think there is a frozen box in the place. The service is friendly and fast. And while this is not high cuisine and it is not for date night, it is really good for a regular night out. read more

Desperados - Shrimp - Mexican Near Me - Williamstown, Massachusetts

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My son just invited me to this Mexican restaurant tonight and we both had amazing meals! Great food, perfect service and large portions at a very affordable price. Very happy to have found this restaurant, which is located in the strip mall where the SPOKE Bike shop is. I promise you won't be disappointed! read more

Desperados - two men standing on the sidewalk - Mexican Near Me - Williamstown, Massachusetts

Ehhhh.... Very expensive for food that wasn't very good. I'm not one to leave a negative review, but I can't in good faith recommend Desperados. It's too bad because it's so close to home. read more

Great to get out and have a great dining experience . Jim is always attentive and making sure we have everything we need ! Keep the margaritas flowing and chips and salsa coming ! Great to be able to visit our favorite local spot ! read more

Desperados - a man on a tv screen - Mexican Near Me - Williamstown, Massachusetts

Love this wonderful quant Mexican restaurant. Wonderful service and good food. Great fresh salsa. I could eat it all day.

This is our go to place, very close to home and the margaritas are amazing! All the salads are great and the staff is always so helpful and friendly! read more

I have been coming here for years, however it's been awhile since my last visit for take out. I stopped in tonight to get some takeout. I placed my order the fundito with chicken. I ordered inside I didn't call ahead was told about a half hour went back in in 20 minutes and my order was ready. nice. I asked about chips and salsa which I have always received with my take out on every other occasion was told it was $2.00 extra. she did say she would give it to me if I wanted it. I declined but it kind of pissed me off, okay my fault. I did notice every table in there had chips and salsa on the table, guess it's only for dine in customs now. I got home to eat had to get a fork and napkins as none were included in my order. then realized there was no sour cream I had to go online and look at menu to make sure I was correct that it should have been included with my order. I also left a 25% tip on my takeout order when I ordered the food and waited should have left 10% in hindsight. the food was good not great it needed sour cream and salsa. please do better next time. read more

I expected bad food being in rural Massachusetts. But the food was actually good! I liked it!

It was very obvious that most, if not all, of the food was microwaved even though the menu says everything is made to order and done fresh. My plate was hot to the touch and the enchiladas looked oily and over-cooked in the microwave. My girlfriend got the Cali tacos and the cheese came unmelted. When they brought it back it, it was obviously microwaved as the tortillas went from normal looking to oily and droopy. Service was nothing spectacular even when most of the restaurant was empty. Prices were high, at least in my opinion, for bad food made by people who probably think Taco Bell is authentic Mexican cuisine. read more

Vegan review: I had the classic tacos: one crispy one soft ask for it without cheese or sour cream, it's vegan. The beans and rice are vegan too. It's not the best or the worst Mexican I have had but it's there and there are vegan options. What else can you ask for, the bartender was pretty awesome as well. read more

Desperados - Vegan Tacos (check my review for the details) - Mexican Near Me - Williamstown, Massachusetts

Their tacos were cold, and rice and beans looked like they came from a package. Would not recommend

Cheerful atmosphere ... great service. The quacamole is delicious and the black bean dip is unique and very tasty! I honestly arrived in a bad mood and this place and it's yummy food and cozy vibe cheered me up! I didn't eel like having a margarita so that wasn't it. I like that their delicious tortilla chips aren't salty - good for us salt conscious folks. I'll be back when I'm hungry. ::) read more

Before you read, please know that this review may be influenced by the fact that before eating at Desperados, I had climbed the nearby Mount Greylock (a 10 mile, 6 hour hike). I was HUNGRY. We came in and were treated to chips and salsa right off the bat. After a hike like that, I really appreciated something to munch on right away. My girlfriend had enchiladas. We both liked them a lot. The sauce was flavorful and rich. I forgot exactly what I ordered. I think it may have had the word "tostada" in it. It was a crunchy tortilla with steak pieces inside. The steak was cooked perfectly. I can't stress that enough. It was juicy and flavorful. It was also a perfect portion. The dish also came with rice and beans which I didn't finish - simply because the tostada thingie filled me up. I had the leftovers later on. If we were ever back in this area I would definitely come back. The margaritas were good too, by the way. Not overly strong, but very refreshing. The service was good too. We were waited on quickly. The food came out quickly, and we never had trouble finding the waitress. If you're in the neighborhood and you like this type of food, definitely give it a shot. read more

I was in Williamstown, MA visiting my boyfriends sister from NYC. We went to Desperados via a recommendation from her housemate. Appearances were somewhat confusing as Desperados is located in strip-mall just past the college, but the sign reads: Fine Mexican Dining. In fact Desperados is very simply feel-good Mexican fare in a casual, friendly atmosphere. Had we noticed it earlier we would have liked to order the MONSTER Redheaded meal (located bottom right on the back of the menu). If you eat it within 60 min you win a t-shirt and your picture goes on the wall! Make sure you check out the entire menu as it does not highlight everything clearly. Also the font is somewhat small. Generally a good spot if you are visitng Williamstown and want to have a fun casual meal. Rating: 3.5 read more

Came here not too long ago with my boyfriend. We were traveling from NY and stopped here. This place advertises as an "authentic mexican restaurant" but would be lucky if it could even pass as TexMex...i got the wings and he got the steak "street tacos". We went down the road to park and eat and we were back in less than 30 mins to get a refund.. this place sucks! if i could give 0 stars I would and I honestly don't know how they are still operating if that's how they serve meals daily. The wings were DRY and cold with little to no sauce and my boyfriends tacos looked like literal mush. The taco shell fell apart the moment he went to pick it up... it was so bad he started eating with his hands (they also didn't provide silverware....not surprised). Anyways.... save yourself, Taco Bell is better "mexican" than this place. read more

Desperados also has a location in North Adams, MA, which is where I ate a tasty late lunch/early dinner for Cinco de Mayo today. I don't know Mexican food very well, so I can't speak to how authentic this place is (it's possibly very Americanized), but I know my meal was absolutely delicious and they have margarita by the pitcher in every flavor imaginable. So alls well. The price is right, everything was cooked perfectly. They have a killer house salsa that they serve you when you're seated with freshy fresh chips. Cactus glasses. TVs in some of the booths if you're into that. What more do you need? Oh, and p.s. whenever I go here, I always get a side order of their marinated mushrooms because they're sooooooo yum-o. Yay Despos! read more

Very good good and nice service. My only complaint is that they put cilantro in otherwise DELICIOUS guacamole. Oh well, so nobody's perfect. read more

I wasn't happy with my meal at Desperados so I asked to speak with the mgr / owner. In the past the food was ok and the staff was always super, plus I felt good about supporting a local businessman. "Bob" was definitely not interested in his customers experience and basically said so. Wow! If you are looking for a good local option for Mexican check out Tony's Sombrero for great food quick. For sit-down you can't beat Coyote Flaco. read more

We went at 7:30 on a Wednesday night for a bite to eat. They seemed busy but not particularly so. Waitstaff repeatedly walked past us without greeting us. When I finally spoke up to get some attention, the waittress pointed at a table we could sit but didn't bring us menus. Actually a patron at the bar who was watching the whole thing brought us menus out of pity. Almost 10 minutes later our waittress had not even brought us water or asked for our drink orders. We walked out. I will not return. read more

I love this place...Desperados is great! We had gone here at the end of this past summer. I kept hearing about it and hearing about it. Finally I got to try it! So Desperados looks to be family ran. I like this. The service here is pretty good. But I think we got a newer server. They where a little slow at getting our drink and food orders. Not a huge big deal. The place wasn't to busy it was just a Sunday night and they did not see us after we got sat. The location is nice. Right off of the main road in town. A lot of parking other shops around. They keep it pretty well clean. So this is a huge plus in our book. After ordering our food and drinks we waited for our food. During this time we got an app of nacho's! Yes they hit to spot. We had also ordered two taco salads! Both of them came out and they are HUGE! So be ready to eat. They offer a TON of food here. Over all the food was very filling tasted great. The server even came over to make sure the orders had been correct and kept up with the drinks! So in the end we spent about $45.00 total. not to bad if you ask me! If you end up coming here...Come hungry! Very very good 4/5! I will be back on our next visit in this area! read more

Really nice atmosphere and really good Mexican food. This is our favorite local Mexican restaurant. My personal favorite meal there is the Red Headed Mexican. read more

Pretty great food, pretty great drinks! I really enjoy the coconut shrimp, the fajitas, and surprisingly, the bacon cheese fries. They also make a pretty solid margarita! Service has always been good, I never had a problem. I would recommend it for sure. read more

Overall, I like the food which is why I go back. That being said- service was terrible- we waited AGES for our food- to the point where my husband was getting grumpy and insisting I flag down a waitress (who was relatively inattentive)- food is also not cheap- you'll pay as much or more for a Tex mex enchilada at Desperado's than for a high end enchilada meal at Coyote Flaco. Drinks are good. Worth visiting if you have lots of time to spare and plan to keep busy with a margarita or two during the (possibly very long) wait. read more

I hate to trash a place, but seriously the only redeeming qualities from Desperados was the water and our server, who was super nice, attentive, and on top of her game. Five stars for her, one star for the food. The salsa was maybe home-made but just tasted a lil odd. The chips were chips, and now for the regretful decline. I ordered the two tacos with rice and beans. The rice was salty as hell and had the strangest (and kinda overpowering) flavor, unlike any Mexican rice I have ever had. Three odd forkfuls in, and all done. Weird rice, I cannot hang with you. The beans that I thought would be refried were canned black beans that were kinda hard and not so hot, and had with them the canned black bean juice that is usually rinsed off before cooking. Skipped those too. Then there is the tacos. I was transported back in time to teenage attempts at homemade tacos, which consisted of a McCormack taco seasoning pouch (read: salt bomb) and more cheese than actual filling. Not to be mean, but Taco Bell would have been better (even though it is gross). In short, 12.95 plus tax and tip for a 95 percent poor food experience. Absolutely ZERO complaints with our server. But the rice beans and tacos, holy crap. Start over, aim for spiceless, and slowly add specific flavors until you come up with a balanced and flavorful spice profile that is not dominated by salt alone. Sorry peops, but this was baaaaaaad. read more

From the outside, this place doesn't look like much, but don't let that fool you! It's definitely worth a try if you're in the area. I have been here twice and both times ordered a shrimp dish - first the Caribbean wrap (with coconut shrimp) and then the shrimp fajita salad. Both were cooked perfectly and were absolutely delicious. I've frequently gotten overcooked shrimp at restaurants but Desperados has not let me down yet! Also very importantly, the guacamole is fresher than fresh and perfectly seasoned. When paired with the warm tortilla chips that you get before your meal, it is unbelievably yummy. There seems to be no shortage of flavor here. read more

This place is always great. The best chicken wings and custom sauce. Fantastic food and great service every time I've been.

I LOVE Mexican food. I've been to many Mexican restaurants and this by far was the worst. The food was very greasy and it made both me and my fiance sick to our stomachs. The marga's were too full of sweet and sour. Our waitress was young and irritated to be working later than planned and she was tryingly rude. Many of our friends like this place, but I won't be back. read more

If you are looking for good mexican cuisine at a fair price you found the right place. Don't be fooled by their ambiance and less than stellar, out-dated decor, they deliver on food. It's delicious! If you like carnitas, Deperados hits the nail on the head. They had a nice crust on them but are braised perfectly, resulting in a tender, moist product seasoned perfectly. I had burritos with green chilies and onion and they complimented the carnitas nicely. If you like hot sauce, you may want to ask they for something hotter than what they bring out. I also had the chorizo, which for my liking had too much all-spice or clove, which overpowered the flavor of the meat. If you are considering sides, make it a platter. It's the same price as a side dish and you get two sides and a salad. Uh, that's a no brainer! If you're considering this place, go for it. It's a tasty destination! read more

I came in on a Monday night because I was craving Mexican food and forgot that Coyote Flaco was closed on Mondays. My husband and I ordered the guacamole, which was actually really yummy. However, my main course of the California Tacos was clearly heated up from frozen, because the outside of the tacos was warm but the inside was really cold. Noticeably cold to the touch I would say. The taco shells themselves were extremely greasy. For the $16 price tag for 3 tacos, I was at least expecting for them to be made fresh. Unfortunately the actual meat (chicken, shrimp and beef) was not seasoned the the meal overall lacked any flavor. I was really hungry, so I did end up just putting a ton of hot sauce on the tacos to make them edible. I think this place is really trying, the service wasn't bad, I just wish the food would have tasted better. read more

Good service- relaxed and a swell range of items on the menu. I've had better food in the southwest, but this is pretty satisfying for a Berkshire Mexican restaurant. read more

I ordered the Taco Salad and the Fundido and was totally satisfied with the meal and extremely friendly service. I'll be back real soon :)

I tried this Mexican place out on my way through a nice town called Williamstown. So let's get into the negatives and (very few) positives. The chips were obviously put under a heat lamp, the sauce for my "award winning" chicken wings was disgusting, and the beans and rice had taco mix powder poured into it. After my meal (I don't even know if you could call it that) was done, the waitress said to me," Why did you order such a big portion? What a waste!" I promptly told her," Have you tasted what you're serving?" On the other hand, the wings WERE fresh, and not frozen, as stated on the menu. Also, my companions kind of enjoyed their meal. So as much as I would like to, I'm afraid I cannot recommend this place. read more

I am a big fan of tomatillo (verda) sauce and I was lucky enough to be here when a fresh batch had just been made. The waitress was great with suggestions when I was torn between 2 choices (chimichangas or enchiladas verde). She reminded me that one was baked one was fried so I went with baked (enchiladas). They were outstanding. The chicken one was slightly dry but the pork was incredible. The verde was sweet and tart with a little heat... Just right. I am only giving it 4 stars because the tortilla chips on the table were very hard and thick and maybe on the edge of stale but the salsa and side of guacamole were fresh and tasty. I would definitely go there again. The prices were good too... Compared to another "fancier" Mexican-Spanish place not far away (which was closed on Monday btw). read more

I'll try to be fair here, again. Desperados was once one of our favorite places for a Friday night dinner. No longer. A while back the owners "upgraded" the bar to more of a sports-bar presentation, but it seemed like the quality of their fare simultaneously tanked. Oodles of cheese microwave-melted over lukewarm enchiladas. Enchilada fillings that were heavy on beans and very light on carne. We've had similar experiences several times now. While the drinks are nice, the beer cold, and the waitstaff helpful and not overly (obnoxiously) attentive, the food is just, well, rank. read more

I can't see why anyone would give this place more than 1 star, unless they just came here to drink. If you own a jar of peanut butter and a package of crackers, you can make a better meal than you will find here. #1 it is not Mexican food. (note to chef: serving food on top of undercooked tortillas and throwing a few whole canned pickled jalapenos on top does not make a dish "Mexican") #2 Someone who had never tasted Mexican food in his life but actually knew how to cook could have made something interesting and flavorful from the ingredients, but this was not done in the case of our meal. Even if the food were cooked correctly, it would be overpriced for the quantity and quality of ingredients. They could improve their offerings immensely by microwaving and serving the "Mexican" entrees from the freezer of any supermarket. Please don't eat here. I don't know if the drinks are any good or not. read more

Top notch Mexican cuisine! The burritos were generously sized, the tacos were good, and the house made chips and salsa were excellent! I had knee surgery, and the waiters/waitresses helped me to get in and out of the seat. If you have a birthday, go! You can have up to a $15.95 meal for free! read more

Nice service and calm atmosphere, but the food was nothing special. Edible but not outstanding

I have eaten at many Mexican restaurants, probably on average, once every two weeks. This is the absolute worst ever. Service was terrible and with only four other customers there, it should have been much better. I ordered a side of rice and beans and couldn't get past the first bite. Absolutely disgusting and obviously straight from a can. The tacos were greasy and the consistency was more akin to a thin sheet of wet leather. Also, who serves tacos without lettuce? Mountains of cheap cheese, not a shred of lettuce! This place was highly recommended, but I think that people probably come here for lack of anything else. Surely not for the food. Sorry for the bad review, but I honestly could not find one thing good about my meal. read more

This little family owned Tex/Mex/American restaurant has been in this convenient Williamstown location for many years. My family and I have been here many many times as we used to live in nearby CT. The food portions are huge! Albeit, the food is really Americanized Mexican, it is excellent, and the selection is more than you might expect. Its hard to imagine someone not finding a dish they would like, The cook was also able to accommodate special orders, which was nice. Good service too, Margaritas are first rate and the beer selection was more than adequate, Try it! read more

This place is expensive and the service was HORRID!! Had to wait a long time for a table. Then when we were seated, it took the waitress a good 20 mins just to come and take our drink order. We ordered 2 sodas, that's it nothing hard. A Mountain Dew and a Ginger Ale. The waitress had to come back to the table TWICE to ask what we ordered. Then brought the drinks and left. Another 15 or so minutes the waitress comes back and asked what we want to eat. She takes the order and then leaves. Probably 45 mins later we still haven't gotten our food and I had to wave down another waitress (who was not our waitress) to ask for refills. Our waitress eventually brings us our food and walks away. She never once asked if we needed anything or wanted drink refills or anything. She kept standing up at the bar. The restaurant was very dirty, the food was mediocre at best. I would not recommend this place to my worst enemy. Simply put it is AWFUL!!! read more