Gorditas Al pastor and steak Mulitas were both very good. I really enjoyed the corn flavor of the…read moreMulitas. The green sauce was also tasty and the hot sauce was very hot. Rice and beans were fine but nothing special. Service was very friendly. I enjoyed the small seating area and simple design.

In a little house on a short street in Salem, Virginia, one that if it were not painted a bright…read moreorange color, would simply go unnoticed, is housed one of the smallest restaurants that I have ever seen. Yet we must not let its size deceive us, just as we should not judge a gift by its size nor a book by its cover. After being awarded the Triad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last year, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And Tacos Coronados in Salem, Virginia, is the perfect example. After driving by this Mexican little restaurant the other day on my way to Gusto Pizza for dinner, I thought to myself, "It is in small hole in the wall places like this one that one finds amazing food. I definitely need to return soon to try it out." And today is that day. I set my Lexus GPS to their address and started driving their way, encountering a torrential rain along the way, only being able to see a bright orange spot when I arrived. I decided to wait in my car for a while listening to music. As the rain resided and I was able too see the Mexican restaurant, the first thing I did was take a photograph of it from inside my car, since small drops of rain were still falling from the sky. Once inside, I noticed the place was also painted the same bright orange color, had a counter were To Go orders were taken and picked up, and a modern computer cashier where orders were paid. But what impressed me the most was the cleanliness of the place, and how very organized it was, with well use of space for five booths that each could seat four persons comfortably. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and its food. A friendly gentleman came out from the back to greet me and gave me a warm welcome. He appreciated very much that I spoke Spanish and talked to me about the restaurant and its menu. Most of their business is for Take Out orders, but on some days and times it can get full with dine-in customers. One thing that caught my attention was that Chips and Salsa were listed in the menu under Appetizers for $4.50. Afterwards I did my research and found out that Chips and Salsa is not a traditional complimentary offering in Mexico. It is considered an American Tradition. And that some restaurants make it a point to serve high-quality chips and salsa, justifying a charge for them. I ordered a bottle of Orange Fanta to drink and a Gorditas al Pastor (with Pork) Special to eat. Their appetizers in the menu were limited to Chips and Salsa, and Chips and Guacamole. And they had no dessert items. However, they did have Taco Tuesdays, when Pork or Chicken Tacos are $2 each. This was the first time ever that I have had gorditas but my server explained that they were a traditional Mexican street food consisting of a thick masa (corn dough) cake that is fried, then slit open to create a pocket and stuffed with various fillings like cheese, shredded meats like carnitas (pork), beans, and vegetables. Their picture sure looked good on the menu. The name "gordita" means "little fat one" in Spanish, referring to its plump, thick shape. They were crunchy and tasty, full of flavor. I definitely enjoyed my meal of genuine Mexican street food, highly recommend the restaurant for a very unique dining experience with genuine Mexican cuisine and an extraordinary customer service.

For a moment there, Garcia's Bistro had its regular customers heartbroken at the news that it had…read more"closed down permanently," but fortunately, not long after, the beloved spot pulled off a miraculous comeback, returning to the neighborhood better than ever before. This popular family-owned restaurant is well known for its blend of Mexican and American cuisine, welcoming atmosphere and excellent service. It's amazingly designed menu has a very creative selection of entrées, like none that I've ever seen before in any restaurant. Its flavorful food is served in generous portions, by cooks dressed in black professional attire, that together wirh its elegant presentation, help create that unique "bistro" experience in a warm and friendly atmosphere with a diner-like feel. As soon as I found out the good news that the place had opened once again, I had to be one of the first ones to go visit and dine there. It seems that the two partners had split up. One stayed running this restaurant and the other chose to remain with their food truck. The only changes that I noticed were that some of the signs in front of the building were torn down and temporary homemade ones were put up. They had changed their business logo although their name remained the same, with the addition of the numbers 581. They already had menus with the new logo printed out, and their cooks remained the same, maintaining their elegant black professional attire. I was warmly greeted by a friendly lady employee as soon as I walked in. She remembered me from the last time I had dined there, and immediately detected my happy feelings of seeing the restaurant opened again. After being seated at one of the booths, she took my order. I had a Coke to drink, the Cancun Shrimp Chorizo Dip with Tortilla Chips as appetizer, and the California Burrito with added Chorizo as my main entrée. It was all very well presented and amazingly delicious, as always. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the high-quality of their food. The server did an excellent job checking on me to see if everything was of my liking and to see if I needed anything, including a softdrink refill. All the customers that came in expressed great joy at the re-opening of this well-liked restaurants. For dessert I had a slice of their Coconut Cake. It was amazing. At the end the owner who had stayed with the restaurant arrived and I expressed my gratitude and well wishes for the restaurant's future success. I highly recommend this Bistro to all. If I lived closer, I would be here dining more than once a week. It's that good!

Amazing again! Just happened to stop for gas and saw one of our favs! Had to stop! Ordered Buffalo…read moreChicken salad this time! Sourdough burger ordered by Eddie!

We enjoyed a fabulous meal in June 2026 at Alejandro's restaurant in Salem, VA. The prices were a…read moregreat value with large portions of terrific tasting food! Our order was not quite right (they brought 3 floats instead of 4), although eating just two of them with beans and rice was more than enough after snacking on delicious chips and the MANY choices of salsa. They then over compensated by giving us even more floats that we had to take home afterwards. The server was very competent, attentive, professional, courteous, and quite helpful. We are eagerly planning our next visit to this restaurant we very highly recommend you enjoy!!

Out of all family-owned Mexican restaurants mini-local-chains with more than two restaurants in the…read morearea, Alejandro's Mexican Grill is one of them. The others being El Rodeo, Tacos Rojas, and Pancho Mexican Restaurant. Besides this Alejandro's Mexican Grill in Salem, Virginia, there are two more locations in Roanoke, Virginia. One is on Campbell Ave in the Historic Roanoke City Market area, and the other is in the Hollins area at the corner of Peters Creek and Williamson Rd. Established in Downtown Roanoke, in November of 2007, by co-owners Moises and Lisa Nucamendi. Their second location in the Hollins area was then opened in December of 2008. And finally this, their third location, located in the Mill Lane Commons Shopping Center, in Salem, Virginia, was opened in June of 2019. I have already dined and reviewed the other two restaurants and invite you to read those reviews and view my photographs accompanying them. The restaurants are known for their authentic California-style Mexican Food, their popular salsa bar, and award-winning margaritas. Their menu includes traditional and authentic Mexican items such as Mexican Sopes, Tacos, Enchiladas, Tortas, Chiles Rellenos, and Flautas, among others. Their dessert Flan is made in-house by their head cook, and have the reputation of being delicious. When I arrived, their restaurant's front did not look at all very fancy. And from what my server told me, the restaurant used to be twice the size, but they gave up the extra space due to the poor economy caused in part by the Covid years. Their interior decor and furniture is outdated yet in good condition, clean and very comfortable. Mexican artworks decorate the walls of the place and is what gives it an air of distinction. The ceiling lamps and lighting treatment also help give the restaurant some class. As soon as I entered the restaurant, a gentleman Host greeted me and took me to one of the booths of the restaurant. It was early for dinner but since I hadn't had lunch so I didn't seen to mind, and there was a large party dining there at the moment as well. My server, a friendly young gentleman from Honduras, gave me a warm greeting and took my order. To drink I had a Virgen Mango Margarita and a glass of iced water. For appetizer I just enjoyed their wonderful chips and the salsa from the Salsa Bar. As my main entrée I had 4 Flautas (2 pork carnitas and 2 shredded beef). They came accompanied with Mexican rice and refried beans. And topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and shredded cheese. The salsa bar was very clean and the salsa looked very fresh. The tortilla chips were also freshly made and one of the best tortilla chips I've ever had. However the flautas had much to be desired. The tortillas that they were wrapped in were not fried crunchy as they should have been, and the shredded beef was overly seasoned and too spicy. Yet the pork from the carnitas was seasoned and cook to perfection, and the rice and refried beans were good as well. My servered came to check on me at the appropriate times and in time for me to order dessert for the Grand Finale of my dining experience. Of course I ordered their in-house made Flan dessert. And I can assure you it was delicious and wonderfully presented. In conclusion I found the ambiance of the place to be pleasant and friendly, even though the decor was not too modern. Most of the food was good, and the customer service was excellent, so I wouldn't hesitate to return next time I'm around the area. I particularly enjoyed the Virgen Mango Margarita, their Chips and Salsa, and their in-house made Flan.

We came in on a very busy Sunday night for dinner and got the last table available. I'm not sure if…read morethey take reservations, but you might want to check before heading there as they're very popular. Service was decent. Menu is nice. The back page of the menu has the "street style" food. I got a few tacos; a carnitas, a chorizo, and a pollo. The tacos come with corn tortillas and those tortillas were very fresh and tasty, though they ripped easily. The meats inside were pretty flavorful, with the chorizo being my favorite. They also make a house jalapeno cream sauce, which was really good and they make a habanero sauce, which was very spicy, but not too flavorful. Overall... Dinner was really good. I can see why this place is so popular and why the reviews are so good. Definitely worth stopping in!

I'm disgusted I thought this was a great place until I found a big of hair in my this is sad it…read morewas so big it looks like someone just cut or pulled their hair out and dropped it in the food I will not go back here clearly they don't take pride in cleanliness

We went to Salem for a graduation and ate there 2 times in 4days. My wife and I split chicken…read morenachos both times and they were loaded with meat. Service was excellent both times from start to finish.

The loud Mexican music was annoying, the waiter (who refused to speak up over the loud kitchen…read morenoise and music) was really hard to understand, the food was some of the worst Mexican food we have had in a long time, the overcooked chips came with a skimpy amount of salsa, no condiments on the table, and the prices were the same as much better restaurants. Other plus side, the place was clean and had clean rest rooms.

This little restaurant is soooo delicious! A true hidden gem. We just had an excellent experience…read moreinvolving carnitas, a super burrito (it is super yummy!) and a truly excellent strawberry margarita! We will be back.

This Mexican spot is really good and authentic! Don't let the hole-in-the-wall location next to a…read moregas station fool you--the food is seriously on par with some of the best Mexican food around. Definitely worth stopping in, and I'll be back!

Los Arcos Mexican Restaurant is located in a nicely designed but older restaurant building with…read morecolorful furniture off Peters Creek Road in Roanoke, Virginia. Many times my friend and I had driven by this restaurant wondering how it would look inside and how the food would be. From past experience Mexican restaurants were either amazingly good or unfortunately poor. So today we decided to go and try it out. No longer would it be a mystery to us. We had no idea of how the ambiance would be inside, nor the customer service, nor the quality of the food. We arrived around 4:45pm for an early dinner on a Tuesday late afternoon. The outside architectural design of the building was full of arches, hence the restaurant's name of "Los Arcos." It had a nice outdoor patio dining area surrounded by a low wall full of upside-down arches. Since it was a record high temperature day, there was no one dining outside, but the area looked nice with each round iron table having a large red umbrella to protect customers from the sun. When we entered the restaurant, we were greeted and immediately taken to our table and given copies of the menu. The menu was very well organized with subject tabs and color photographs of their most popular items. When our server came by to take our order, we both ordered iced water to drink and as our main meal my friend ordered the Enchiladas Mixtas and I ordered the Burrito Jalisco with grilled steak rirfrom the Specialties of the House page of the menu. As we waited for our server to arrive with our meals, we munched on the complimentary Chips and Salsa. The chips tasted good although they didn't look that fresh and the salsa looked nice but tended to be on the hot side, with no mild available. When our food arrived, my friend enjoyed his. Mine had missing the pico de gallo side. The chorizo was very tasty as it should be, but I question the steak quality. Not that it was hard or brittle, on the contrary, I felt that it was too soft and spongy. It was seasoned right with lots of lemon juice, but it's texture left a lot to be desired, especially to me who am a steak connoisseur and afictionado. The side of rice was a bit dry and lacked freshness. The dessert menu selection was a very good one, and their photographs made them look so good, yet they were the greatest disappointment of our meal and dining experience. We both ordered Churro Cups. By now the restaurant was almost half full, but this was no reason for the time to prepare and serve our dessert to have taken longer than to serve our food. Then the crust of the Churro Cup was overcooked and hard. By hard I mean I was not able to cut it nor eat it. Yet it looked so good that you would have never imagined that it was inedible. I even asked for a knife to cut it and was unsuccessful. I asked one of the servers for the manager and he told me there was no manager, that he was out until 6:00pm. So I was not able to complain about the dessert or have it comped. The menu of this Mexican restaurant is amazing but I find that the quality of the food and execution of cooking them is lacking from the part of the cooks there. And the absence of a manager on the premises is questionable. For this reason and for the problems I encountered with my meal there, I don't think I will return, especially with so many good Mexican restaurants around. It's a pity because otherwise this restaurant has the potential of being a great one.

Food: The best Tex-Mex in the Valley with great margaritas…read more Service: Good Ambiance: crowded, but worth the hassle Parking: Its bad. Small parking lot which fills up quickly.

Tacos Rojas started 14 years ago when Octavio Rojas moved to the United States from Pueblo, Mexico,…read moreand opened the first Tacos Rojas location on 13th Street SW in Roanoke's Mountain View neighborhood. That first location opened around 2012 inside a small, unasuming space that was formally a convenience store. Octavio runs the business with close family members, including his wife, daughters, brother, nephews, and nieces. The business has grown from that single neighborhood spot into a regional favorite with multiple locations across the Roanoke Valley, including restaurants in Salem, Vinton, Keagy Village in Cave Spring Roanoke, Hollins in North Roanoke, and the Roanoke City Market Building. The restaurants are known for homemade, traditional Mexican dishes like street tacos, birria, large burritos, and fresh salsas. And have gain great popularity for combining a casual, welcoming atmosphere with scratch-made food. Today I happened to be in Salem to do some errands and try out the Tropical Sno Hawaiian Shaved Ice, which happened to be located in this restaurant's parking lot. Since it was around lunchtime and the Shaved ice place didn't open until 12 noon, I decided to visit Tacos Rojas and have lunch there. The restaurant was very clean inside and decorated with paintings that I later found out were of family members. It had a nice size main dining room and another spacious one that could be set-up to accommodate larger groups. A young lady greeted and welcomed me at the Host's station and took me to one of the booths. I ordered a Virgin Mango Margarita to drink, and by the time she came back with some freshly made chips and salsa, I was ready to order. I ordered the Lunch Special of the Day which was a California Burrito with Beef. While I waited I enjoyed their amazing salsa with the chips. The Mango Margarita was also delicious with the prefect flavor and consistency to comfortably flow up the straw. The California Burrito was gigantic in size and very good. It filled me up but I still had space for a flan for dessert. Made in-house the Flan tasted amazingly delicious. I invite you to view my photographs and videos accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the high-quality of their food and drinks. The restaurant also had a stage setup and I was told it was mainly used for group parties and special occasions. In conclusion, I enjoyed my lunch dining experience there and look forward to returning another day for dinner to try out one of their other larger dinner items on their menu.

Excellent food in a great atmosphere. Service was wonderful and our needs were attended to with…read morecareful attention to detail. Highly recommended!

I ordered online. For some reason, the order for my beverage didn't convey to them, but I showed…read morethem the email receipt and they got it for me quickly. I came seeking pupusas, and theirs were deliciously grilled and delivered satisfaction. The price was a bit high for lunch, but I could not accuse them of shorting me, either with respect to the abundant flower buds embedded inside the pupusa, or the pleasantly pickled sides. I took a chance on a tropical fruit I'd never heard of, and I got a ton of it that took me two days to drink, with a fascinating flavor and enough pulp to make it clear this was real fruit (although I'm guessing they add sugar to these things). I wish their menu made it clear whether the beans were vegetarian and I could have done with the ability to mix and match pupusa flavors rather than getting three of the same one, but my basic craving was fulfilled.

One of my wife and my favorite places. Friendly, inviting staff. Locally owned. Clean, well…read moremaintained dinning room. Great flavors! Honduran and other Latin dishes

Food is delicious. Ambiance is nice as you can sit inside or out. Weather was great so we choose…read moreoutside. Service was great and food came out quick and hot.

Tacos Rojas is one of the major family-owned chain Mexican Restaurants here in Roanoke, Virginia. I…read morehave visited several of them, and they have gotten mixed reviews. Today while I was driving down 13th Street looking for a place to have lunch, I drove by this tiny Mexican restaurant that at first seemed like a run down shack, or a hole in the wall eatery, with only two cars parked in its small parking lot. I missed seeing the restaurant's sign with its name. But for one reason or another, I decided I had to turn back to try it out. After being awarded the NC Triad Yelp Squad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last year, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, celebrating their contributions and accomplishments throughout the year, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and businesses, and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And this what I first thought was a no name Mexican Restaurant in Roanoke, Virginia, is a perfect example. When I turned around and drove back, as I got closer and closer to the restaurant's sign, I saw it was pretty new, and had a Mexican Hat, a Guitar, and some maracas, and read: "Tacos Rojas Mexican Grill Authentic Mexican Cuisine." Little did I imagine that this place was where it all started. Afterwards, after doing my research I found out the whole story about this place. Primary, that it was that it was the first Taco Rojas Restaurant, and where it all started. How appropriate that to conclude Hispanic Heritage Month, I ended up eating and reviewing this Hispanic Historic Restaurant in the history of Taco Rojas. Tacos Rojas was founded by Octavio Rojas, who moved to America from Pueblo, Mexico, 20 years ago. He opened this first restaurant on 13th Street, 12 years ago which had been a convenience store, and has since then expanded to six locations in the Roanoke Valley, including a location in Salem, which features a party room.The family-run business serves authentic Mexican food and has seen growth, including during the pandemic, partly due to its popularity for takeout. The business is family operated, with Octavio's wife, daughter, brother, and other relatives all involved in the restaurants. As I went inside, even though you can tell the place was once a convenience store because it still contained a wide display refrigerator with bottles of bottled drinks, it was clean and well-maintained, painted with lively colors, and different posters on the wall.The small dining area contained a combination of tables and chairs and some booths.The ambiance was warm and relaxed. One that made you feel at home. A young lady came out to greet me and gave me a warm welcome. I took a seat in the first booth and she handed me the menu and took my drink order. I ordered an Horchata. Afterwards I ordered a Carnitas Burrito as my main entrée. While I waited my server brought a basket of Chips and Salsa. Even though in the menu it was listed as an appetizer, it seemed like the first one was complementary. When the food arrived it was amazingly delicious. The shredded pork inside the burrito was seasoned and cooked to perfection, it was nice and hot, and the sauces on top were very tasty without being too spicy. Now I better understood how the humble beginning of Taco Rojas in this place had taken off and grown so quickly. Octavio's mother's recipes for the food were not only authentic Mexican food but delicious. They gave the cuisine here that special magical touch of satisfaction the first time you came, that made you want to come back and tell your family and friends about it. Sometimes it is in places like these that one can have the most extraordinary dining experiences.