Beautiful Restaurant, but the Food and Service Were a Major Disappointment…read more
We recently tried Anejo in downtown Lawrenceville, and unfortunately, we left very disappointed. I really wanted to like this restaurant because the inside is absolutely beautiful--stylish, upscale, and definitely has that "bougie" atmosphere. Unfortunately, the food and service did not match the beautiful surroundings.
When we arrived, they turned on the music, but not a single television was on. The restaurant almost felt like it was still getting ready for customers.
First, the menu is confusing. Lunch, brunch, and dinner items seem to be mixed together, and it took some effort just to figure out what was available. There are plenty of creative, upscale tacos, but something as basic as a traditional ground beef taco isn't offered. We asked our server, Abigail, and she told us they simply don't do ground beef.
We started with drinks--a Verano Sandía and Skinny Margarita--and unfortunately, both were tasteless. At $12-$13 each, we expected much better. We were also never offered another round of drinks during the meal.
We ordered the queso dip with chips, but the queso needed to be much warmer. Ironically, one of the best things we had was simply the flour tortillas dipped in the queso. And I will give credit where it is due--the water was nice and cold!
For my meal, I ordered the Taco Clásico Trio with chicken on flour tortillas. It took a long, long time for the chicken tacos to arrive. Meanwhile, our server was tending to other tables and seemed to pass us several times without stopping to give us an update.
When the tacos finally arrived, the chicken was super, super dry. I ate only about one and a half tacos and couldn't finish the rest.
The accompanying white rice and black beans were also disappointing. They reminded me somewhat of Cuban-style rice and beans, which I normally love, but these had virtually no flavor. The black beans tasted mashed and completely underseasoned.
The sour cream was room temperature and runny, which was not appetizing.
We also ordered the Sopa de Tortilla, but it tasted more like a tomato bisque with chicken than the flavorful tortilla soup we were expecting. Again, there was almost no seasoning or flavor.
The best way I can describe the meal is that it felt like eating Mexican food in an old folks' home--everything seemed stripped of seasoning and flavor. Mexican cuisine is known for bold, vibrant flavors, and that was simply missing from our meal.
At the end, I politely told Abigail that the chicken in my tacos was extremely dry. She said she would alert the kitchen. However, after I mentioned the problem, I felt like she didn't want to have much more to do with our table. There was no real follow-up and no attempt to see if something could be done to improve the experience.
We weren't even asked if we wanted another drink or dessert. At that point, it felt like we were simply being finished up and sent on our way.
One thing really says it all: we didn't box up any of the food. We almost always take leftovers home, but we left the remaining tacos, rice, and beans sitting there. When we don't take food home, that's a pretty good indication that we didn't enjoy it.
Our total was $62.76 before gratuity, and for the quality of the food and the level of service we received, it simply wasn't worth it.
Another thing diners should know: according to the receipt, parties of five or more are automatically charged a 20% gratuity. If you're considering bringing a larger group here, I would recommend trying the restaurant yourself first.
There appears to be a combination of American and Mexican-inspired dishes on the menu, but the Mexican side of the menu needs work. If you're presenting an upscale Mexican dining experience, the Mexican food needs to have the flavor, seasoning, freshness, and attention to detail to back it up.
For comparison, we love Tequila in Lawrenceville. It may not have the same fancy interior, but we've experienced far better food and service there. At the end of the day, I'd rather have great food and attentive service than beautiful décor.
Anejo certainly has potential because the restaurant itself is gorgeous. But the kitchen needs to work on seasoning, food temperature, preparation, and consistency, and the service needs to be more attentive--especially when a customer tells you there is a problem with their meal.
Beautiful restaurant, but unfortunately, the food and service were not on point. We won't be back. There are too many other Mexican restaurants in the Lawrenceville area offering better food, better service, and better value.
