My server was extremely attentive great attitude amazing food she helped me pick the best plate they had on the menu. she was running around taking orders & still made sure my table was good & had what we needed read more

El Habanero - My server - Mexican Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

Karina was our server and she was so nice and had the best recommendations for us. The guac w/chicharones was 10/10. Drinks were strong & really good. Would definitely come back! read more

Solely rating this place for their cabeza tacos - but they're a 10/5. A MUST TRY.... we come here and order 3 each... only to order 3 more each and ruin dinner plans To those thinking 'head' tacos is brains you're sadly mistaken. It's the most delicate meat on the head (by cheek/neck) and you don't need teeth to chew. Love this place. read more

El Habanero - Cabeza Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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The burrito was good Nice atmosphere nice vibe The waiter was nice The music was really good read more

This is a gem in Annandale. Lovely Mexican restaurant with delicious food, we ordered the fajita for lunch. It was kid friendly as well, saw several tables with high chairs. They have a big menu, service was great, parking can be tight but we came late on a weekend afternoon so there were plenty of parking. Will recommend! read more

El Habanero - Steak fajita - Mexican Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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The food is ok, service is prompt and friendly. Seating arrangements were a little bit of a mess, a lot of moving around while people are dining. One family actually had a table moved around while they were eating, a little rude. Even if it was to accommodate other waiting guests. read more

Located in beautiful downtown Annandale, El Habanero offers some very good dishes. And it is authentic Mexican. This was our second visit to El Habanero, the first since the pandemic. We entered mid-afternoon on a weekend into a rather cavernous space being blasted by much too loud Musica Norteña. Only two or three other tables were occupied. We were seated immediately and given menus. The descriptions of dishes on the menu were over-Anglicized. I wasn't super hungry, so I just ordered the "melted cheese" dip with chorizo. The menu didn't say you had a choice, but with the dip, you can order either yellow (cheddar) or white cheese, I opted for white. I also requested chorizo in my dip. The dip was excellent. I recommend letting it cool for a while before digging in, so the dip can become thicker and more manageable; it's too stretchy when piping hot. I also ordered horchata. Habanero's horchata was excellent, with a great flavor and texture. It ranks right up there with Springfield El Paso's fantastic horchata. JP ordered the aguachiles, which were very good. The aguachiles are a bit similar to ceviche, but the seafood is cooked. There was some gaps in service and our server struggled with English. This would have been a 4 star review, but the loud music was really offputting. Still, we will be back. read more

El Habanero - Cheese dip with chorizo - Mexican Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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Ordené unos sopes para llevar, me los dieron así, sin pico de gallo y sin aguacate!! Para sumarle la carne está super grasosa read more

El Habanero - Mal hechos y sin gracia - Mexican Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

I was very surprised by this restaurant! I only chose it because it was close to a work site that I had to do an after-hours project at! The ambiance is beautiful! Warm and authentic! The menu is rich and full of options Service and staff are very friendly! The bar seating was nice so I sat there and had a wonderful meal! I love the Molcajete, and it's a specialty that I think of it as difficult and not any restaurant can do and do it right! It was really good! On their menu, it's the Molcajete Mixto I also enjoyed the chorizo queso! I'll definitely go there again! Try it, vote for the review , message me, or compliment me with any comment or question, and don't forget to ... Pray for me ;) read more

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Amazing amazing amazing! The food was delicious, reasonably priced, staff was so friendly, and such a chill vibe. Go eat here! read more

El Habanero - Carne asada - Mexican Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

Wow! My boyfriend and I always pass this restaurant on little river turnpike often, but have never gone in. We finally tried it, and were blown away! My boyfriend said it was the best burrito he ever had. I had the steak fajitas- the portions were very generous and I will have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow. Service was amazing- fast and friendly. Our waiter, Adrian, has been there for 9 months and was so friendly. We loved chatting with him, and his service makes this 5 stars! We went on a Friday and they had karaoke- it was super fun and the singers were very talented. read more

The food and drinks really hit the spot. Muy delicioso! There are many TV screens to watch sports. Very nice looking inside and has a full bar. I had a combination quesadilla and a mango mojito. Love that the drink was not overly sweet. Chips and salsa are complimentary. Family friendly. Karaoke is every Friday from 6pm until closing. Nancy is an excellent karaoke host and singer! I'm so glad they have karaoke now. The place is fun and full of energy and positivity. Karaoke is in Spanish, English and most languages. There's a huge enclosed outdoor patio, and it's great for private events. Definitely on the more upscale side but casual environment. I'm definitely coming back! read more

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We're Mexican locals from the Falls Church area who decided to check out this spot in Old Town Annandale. At first glance, it looked like an authentic Mexican restaurant but unfortunately, that impression didn't hold up once the food came out. While the aesthetics were on point, the flavors and preparation just didn't match true Mexican cuisine. We later found out the restaurant is run by Latinos from other countries, so the food isn't quite traditional Mexican. If you're looking for authenticity, go with caution. We visited during Mother's Day weekend, hoping for a good experience. Our first visit was on May 10th, and it didn't meet our expectations, but we decided to give it another chance and returned on May 11th (mothers day), to only be let down even more. On May 10th, we were served by a very young waitress who didn't seem to have much experience. She couldn't answer basic questions about the menu. We ordered two micheladas and one fresh guava juice. The guava juice was actually amazing, fresh and flavorful, but the micheladas were disappointing. One glass was only about two-thirds full, and the preparation was off. It seemed like it was just beer, lime, and salt with no Clamato or proper mix, which left us confused. Still, we drank them without complaining. For food, we ordered one huarache de cabeza, one huarache de lengua, and two molcajetes. Our drinks came out quickly along with complimentary chips and a very watery salsa. The food arrived shortly after, and I'll give them credit, the presentation was great and the molcajetes didn't take long to prepare, which is rare. Hoping to improve our experience, we ordered two more micheladas from a different server. These came out much better than the first ones. The food was honestly really good. The huaraches were delicious--the meat was tender, and you could tell the tortillas and breading were homemade. The molcajetes were flavorful and came with a generous portion of meat, rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo. No complaints about the food at all. However, our server never checked in on us, so we had to flag down others for anything we needed. On the bright side, the owner was walking around the restaurant checking on tables, which was nice to see. Overall, we were satisfied with the food, but the drink quality and awkward service left us unsure. We gave it one more try on Mother's Day. This time we had a different server and ordered soft drinks, along with the same chips and watery salsa. Wanting to try something different, we went with two pozoles de cerdo and one pozole de pollo. Unfortunately, this is where things really went downhill. The pozole came out in a reasonable amount of time, but the presentation and preparation were off. The portion of toppings--lettuce, onion, radish, and cilantro were small compared to the size of the bowl, and we had to ask for more. The broth tasted more like tomato soup, almost like a shrimp cocktail base, with very little flavor. We had to add a ton of salt and oregano just to make it halfway decent. It was a really poor attempt at what should be a comforting and flavorful traditional soup. We ate quickly and asked for the bill--we just wanted to leave. We were really disappointed by our experience. The first impression was misleading, and while some items were great, others really missed the mark. Pros: Handmade tortillas and breading Lots of seating indoors and outdoors A small bar area Some dishes (like the huaraches and molcajetes) were excellent Good entertainment with TVs and music Cons: Inconsistent service; some servers seemed untrained Some dishes (like the pozole) were very poorly prepared Micheladas were hit or miss, mostly miss Marketed as authentic Mexican, but lacks traditional preparation due to non-Mexican kitchen staff Be cautious with what you order--some items shine, others fall completely flat read more

I've always drove past this place but never went in. Finally had the chance when a friend invited me. This place is located in a major street so I would advise driving so the restaurant is on your right side or else you will have to make a left and cross two busy lanes. Once inside the place was pretty clean and the atmosphere wasn't bad at all. I read the previous reviews but didn't have any complaints myself. I ordered two vodka sodas and a steak fajita. The food and service was good for a small shop like this, and I had a great time. read more

El Habanero - Steak - Mexican Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

Randomly went into this super authentic place while we were waiting for our Valentine's Day dinner reservation. Was only gonna have a drink and leave, but got so intrigued by the offering we canceled the other one and stayed! Vibe was good, all around amazing! Will be back with family and friends!! read more

El Habanero - So good!! - Mexican Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

My husband and I have visited many times before since finding this spot earlier this year. We LOVE it! Good is delicious and authentic. The service is always great. They are always responsive and very kind. Not sure why it has a low rating. I'm from Texas and have been looking for a half decent spot to get my Mexican food kick. This is the spot for me! read more

El Habanero - Had the menudo here and it was delicious! The broth was exceptionally seasoned and had a heathy serving of pig feet, which I love. - Mexican Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

I had the fajitas nopaleras (cactus) and a few micheladas (spicy beer drinks) and it was all GOOD. The rice was good, the beans were GOOD, the only improvements I would ask for is that they offer a few more varieties of salsa and that they make the tortillas a bit thinner so I don't get full on tortillas. :) ALSO, it's great that you can be seated out doors as well as in doors. :) read more

Tips up front: maybe do take out, they have great tasting food but terrible service. I mean some of the worst I've ever had. But it's completely offset by the amazing tasting food. So, how do you decide what to do? Sit there and roll with it or get takeout? Ok, so, the good, first thing, salsa is amazing. I'm not a chef or anything but I believe they do a blend of their ingredients so you get that watery salsa but they top each cup with freshly chopped cilantros and onions. How could you not like that? What they just did was take your regularly tasting salsa, add some spice, because the restaurants name is 'Habanero' and add a bunch of fresh flavor. And what you get is some amazing tasting salsa. Next, steak fajitas, they had some of the thickest, fattest slices of great tasting steak. Topped with the peppers and onions. I asked for jalapeños to be added and got a dish full of flavor and spice. Tasted amazing. Rice and bean plate is consistent with the restaurant standards. Nothing to write home about there. Now on to the bad, the service, I was hesitant to come here due to the reviews. But it was a beautiful day, and the patio was very inviting with little to no crowd so I went with it. I took a chance. Some reviews seem to complain about loud music and if that's an issue, I suggest to go mid week. There wasn't loud music, there was no crowd, but the service was slow. I ordered a drink from the bar and it was served after my meal. But I ordered this when I sat down I thought? Now I have shotgun this thing... Food took a while, again it makes me think why when they're wasn't many customers. But maybe they're short staffed, who knows. Waitress didn't refill drinks, well, tbh she never even served drinks. It was the bartender that brought my beer. But also never did get that aqua I ordered to go with it. Annnnnnddd she waited for my stomach to finish digesting the meal before the check came. So all in all, IMO, the quality and taste of the food heavily outweighed the service. However that might not be the case for you and you may want that five star service then I'd suggest grabbing takeout. But for me, mid week, if I have no where I need to be, there's a cool breeze blowing through my lovely locks then I'm fine chilling for a minute. But, maybe I'll bring my own water next time. read more

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My first visit to El Habanero in Annandale VA. Nice authentic Mexican decor with live entertainment. Nice outdoor patio seating. Customer service outstanding. Staff very attentive. Prices were reasonable. Food was just okay. I had the Steak, Chicken, Shrimp Quesadilla. A little Dissapointed with the Salsa, very thin and no favor. I had to mix their Regular with 3 other flavors that were more spicer. My Margarita was tasty, but weak with the Alcohol. A pleasant time was had, but one visit is enough for me. However,go experience for yourself.... read more

It was cinco de mayo and of course my mouth (and stomach) were craving tacos and horchata. I placed an order through their website and opted to pay with cash at pickup. The restaurant was fairly busy and it was difficult to find parking. After parking we headed towards the front door and then heard extra loud karaoke. I'd say this is 'normal' because I've seen this done at various other restaurants but it definitely makes me feel uncomfortable. I'm fine with karaoke but blasting the volume to the point where people can't hear one another is a little crazy. After screaming out that I was there for pickup the waitress went to get my receipt. Once I was handed my receipt, I noticed there were various discrepancies with the order total ($) on the receipt she handed me and the online order total in my email. The waitress had no explanation.....Although the totals were off by less than $10, I wished they provided me a notice that prices differed when ordering in person vs online. When I got home, I realized they had given me enchiladas when I had ordered flautas (bummer!). The horchata was OK, I've honestly had better. The best part was their tacos, yes some of them lacked flavor but they were good. read more

El Habanero - Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

Food is amazing love it I miss coming here and I miss working at this location. The service 10/10 food 10/10 the managers are nice respectful and very professional with full respect. read more

Great for tequila and beer. However, the food leaves something to be desired. Indeed it is taco bell quality.

I am going with three stars mostly holding on to hope. I really wanted this place to better than it was but as I say, I'm holding on to hope. First, when you walk in there is a fast casual pick-up area, I initially thought / hoped it was a bar but there does not seem to be such an area meaning no bar tender and limited drink options. Second, the salsa is pretty good but despite the long wait for orders to be taken and items to arrive there was never a refill. The chips obviously come in a large order and while I am always skeptical of bright green and red chips all things considered they are not bad. Third, soda comes by the can and price charged was $3. Pretty sure we will stay away from that option as $3 for a can of spirit is a little over the top from my perspective. Fourth, the margarita wasn't bad. Comes in a large glass for about $11. There did not seem to be any happy hour happening, at least not at 6PM on a Friday nor were there flavor options, just on ice and frozen. We ordered three items including a shrimp disk, a cheese stuffed pablano, and sopes. The shrimp dish was the best and the most expense. I agree with the assessments about both the rice and beans (i.e. instant and from a can) which is truly a disappointment, we will be sticking with Chipotle for that fix. Given the location we will likely be back at some point but it will be a while. Still missing Chevy's and still looking for a replacement. read more

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First time here: it's two thumbs up from all of my family. We got: tacos, nachos and gorditas, filled/topped with cabeza, tripa, pollo, and chorizo. Everything good. Great service. I'm happy there's another good Latin place added to the Annandale scene! *just checked receipt - Lily was our server. She's amazing. read more

I come often to this restaurant for lunch and sometimes for dinner. I stick to the guacamole, tacos, and sope. They are delicious and never disappoint. The drinks are really good. Next time try the rumchata, michelada, or coronarita. For fresh drinks, try the Jamaica or marañon, it never disappoints. Servers can be inconsistent sometimes, but they are a few who are sweethearts and do a great job. read more

So I've come here twice before bowling at Bowlero and I've gotta say - their traditional mojitos are THE BEST in the area. Ratio of ingredients is spot on. Drinks prices are on the expensive side, but for the quality it's worth it. And the chicken and steak tacos are fantastic! About $3 each and so flavorful! Highly recommend. read more

We had take out from this restaurant. It was just ok. To be very honest, I've had better Mexican food.

Was very excited to go here after the great reviews. Once I went, I was past disappointed to the point of not wanting to come back ever. The staff sat me then ignored me for 22 minutes as they served 5 tables that came in after me! Never again will I set foot on such a horrible establishment. read more

I ordered the cheese enchiladas today. There was so much cheese I couldn't even chew and swallow. It was very mushy. It was so a bummer because going inside the place smelled delicious. read more

El Habanero - Cheese enchiladas with rice - Mexican Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

Best authentic Mexican food in the area! My wife and I have come here several time and I have tried a different dish which have all been great. We moved here from Texas five years ago and have been looking for an authentic Mexican restaurant in Northern Virginia until we discovered this place a few months ago. It has great food, good service, and authentic feel. I can't believe this place only has 3 stars, I guess Virginians don't know Mexican food or are afraid of Spanish speaking staff! read more

The bloom has come off the rose here. $55 for four burritos, two tiny salsas to share. plus a $10 tip. Who doesn't give each diner their own sauce? Common sense. Do I want to share a tablespoon of salsa? No! If you are going to charge that much, get the food right, get the details right, get the service right. And thanks for no chips too. What did that save you, $0.15? The add an egg charge is obscene. Now the burritos were absolutely soaked in chorizo grease. Let me be clear: this ain't my first run-in with chorizo. I get it. These burritos were SWIMMING in grease. SWIMMING. My box had 1/4 cup of grease in it. I am over accepting this level of quality and will not go back to this business even after Covid. read more

WOW! This place is easy to miss on Little River Turnpike but it is a culinary giant. The Mexican food was authentic, fresh, and perfectly spiced. So many restaurants insult their patrons with high prices and chain restaurant tastelessness. Here you get the feeling that they really care about the food and how it tastes. The Habanero Platter, Nachos, tacos, and refríe beans were met with audible sounds of taste pleasure. The staff is nice and caring. It is our new favorite place. read more

This place is legit!!! Probably one of the best Mexican spots in the Annandale area. This place is always packed despite's location and limited parking. However once you get seated, you will immediately be impressed with the menu offering. They have everything from tacos, fajitas, and burritos. The best thing and absolute must try is the queso! It is very tasty, can be made spicy, and comes with unlimited chips. We also went with the steak fajitas which comes out sizzling and paired with a whole side of rice, beans, cheese and tortilla. This entree is definitely meant for 2 people. I also had to try the tacos which were absolutely mouth watering. The lengua is very tender and the al pastor is packed with flavor. Only reason I did not go with 5 stars is the service could have been a little better. Be prepared to wait an extra 15-20 mins for everything because this place has been so busy but it's worth it. read more

El Habanero - Lengua and Al Pastor Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

no puedo creer que un restaurante tan bueno ... con la remodelaxion que hicierom ,tengan a gente explotando cuando tu mesero es el mismo busser,runner y host , no existe un manager al que puedas reclamar.Soy alguien que trabaja en restaurante y lo que hacen en este lugar por no pagar unos pesos mas es ABUSO Y SE PUEDE DENUNCIAR!!! este lugar tendria mucho mas exito si tuvieran organizacion y mas higiene. Tienen tan rica comida y bebidas pero si no ponen a alguien como cabeza .. pobre gente la que trabaja y hace de todo lamentablemente read more

Yummy! I was hesitant to try this place based on the yelp reviews. The majority seemed to be negative about the customer service and very few about the actual food. I'm glad I gave it a shot! We've been in VA for just under a year and the Mexican food is overwhelmingly disappointing. Not here. I've been craving machaca and eggs and I was not disappointed. The shredded beef was perfect, flavorful and tender. My husband had the huevos a la mexicana. I couldn't tell you how his tasted because he ate it all before I could steal a bite. His complaint was that the refried beans were too smooth, which I personally enjoy so that comes down to personal preference. I'm not sure if they make their tortillas, but the ones that came with the breakfast meals were thick, fluffy, and still hot when we got home. The guacamole was bright and fresh, definitely one of the best we've had. Finally, I ordered an asada and pastor tacos just to see how their tacos are. They're so good. Double shells and small, just like the street tacos I'm used to. The green salsa that came on the side was spicy and acidic, very good. Overall, everything was fresh and tasty and we'll definitely be back. I know they have nopal fajitas and I'm excited to try them in the future. read more

Only reason I'm giving this place 2 stars is because the food was good. I ordered from this place by phone and the lady told me it would take about an hour, (which I understood because it was cinco de mayo), so after about an hour I show up and they tell me they never even took my order. So I had to wait almost an hour again standing waiting for my food to come. They barely came to communicate about my order and once the lady handed me the food she gave me attitude. If you're looking for a Mexican restaurant try going somewhere else. You'll probably find the same quality food for cheaper prices! read more

I give 2 stars for the free salsa. The chorizo con queso dip was not bad. Mariachi dish that cost $35 was not worth it all. The only thing edible on that plate was the guacamole. The pork was all fat and the beef tasted metallic. The queso was watered down processed cheese which was completely different from the queso dip. The chicken fajitas were not terrible but tasted like precooked chicken. They need to step up the game with Silverados not even 2 minutes away. The beef empanadas was shredded beef inside undercooked dough. I was really hoping for a decent restaurant. read more

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So we thought we'd celebrate Cinco de Mayo and order some food from a local restaurant. Our "go to" Mexican favs were mysteriously closed on all the food apps, but we found El Habanero was open for business. It was relatively close to the house and their menu looked pretty good. I won't get into the delivery issues and lack of a functioning telephone number at the restaurant, cause who knows what factors could have slowed down and/or caused these delays and communication issues. I will strictly rate this place based on the food. So the food was cold when it arrived. Once again, who knows what was going on, but oh well... with the whole COVID situation etc., you know, let's be more lenient. We have a toaster oven so we can reheat it, right? No biggie. First thing we wanted was our queso and chips, as we were starving. There were two orders of queso, one of which was orange ("melted cheese") and one was white ("creamy cheese"). We reheated the cheese and went to dive in......except....where are the chips?!? We found a small brown paper bag tucked away that was no more than 1/4 full of chips. The equivalent of two handfuls, at most. For two orders of queso. See pic. Also noticed there was no salsa, which I guess wasn't listed as being provided, so we'll let that slide even though every single other restaurant in this area provides salsa. The queso........it was awful. 100% artificial chalky taste and texture. It had to have been directly from a big #10 can. You guys couldn't even take the time to doctor up the cheap canned queso.....just a little bit? On to the burrito. Once again, a bit of a warmth issue, but we'll move on. The burrito itself was not that bad. I blame the transportation to the house as taking away a little bit from the quality, and I do not blame the restaurant for this; burritos have a half life of about 7 minutes. My burrito had the marinated pork "Al Pastor", and it was delicious. Highly recommend ordering anything that includes Al Pastor...totally worth it. Highlight of the entire meal. As for the rest of the meal, the others seemed to deem their nachos and quesadillas as being average/good, so nothing wrong to report with those items. Overall, given the amount of competition in this area for Mexican cuisine, you have got to step up your game and at least be on par with Chipotle/Taco Bell. I do my best to support local restaurants during this tough time, and will certainly be more lenient with variables that are out of the restaurants control (i.e. delivery times, etc.), but I will continue to have a certain expectation of receiving good food. The Al Pastor pork saved this review from being two stars. read more

El Habanero - All the chips we got for two orders of Queso. For reference, it's a small lunch sized brown paper bag. - Mexican Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

Food is pretty good, however be weary bringing kids after six unless you bring hearing protection. Can't have a conversation due to the level of the music, which is at the level of a club rather than a restaurant. Server was great, but the atmosphere was completely ruined. read more

To start, the food is very very expensive for a Mexican casual restaurant. In this area prices are much lower for Hispanic cuisine. I may not be back just cuz of the prices, which is most of why I gave them a 3 star review. They served chips (too thick and greasy for my liking), the salsa was fresh and yummy. We ordered queso - delicious melted cheese. I got a whole fried fish - delicious and fresh as well, and ordered a side of rice that was fluffy and tasty. Service was slow and the waitress was really kind, but didn't know much about the menu. She laughed and got us the answers so she made up for it. Still obviously new and needs some TLC read more