Esmeralda Grill is a very authentic local Mexican spot that does a lot of things right, especially when it comes to classic comfort dishes. I usually rotate between the tacos, enchiladas, and molcajetes, and while the tacos themselves are just okay, the overall experience is solid. The fresh chips are easily some of the best I've had at a Mexican restaurant (warm and crisp). Add queso to those chips and it really seals the deal. They more than make up for the tacos being a bit underwhelming and are honestly reason enough to come back. This is a great neighborhood spot if you're looking for authentic flavors, generous portions, and excellent chips and dips (biggest downside is no liquor aka no margaritas). Not every dish is a knockout, but the highlights keep it comfortably in 4-star territory. read more

Esmeralda Grill - Taco plate - Mexican Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

Esmeralda Grill absolutely rocks, and it was almost a restaurant that I considered avoiding because I ordered the wrong thing. I was really one mayonnaise filled torta away from missing out on my favorite Mexican restaurant of Cary. The food is some of the freshest and most authentic in the area, and is consistently spot on. Forget heavy burritos or overly sauced enchiladas, this place is the real deal. When you come to Esmeralda Grill, you should really focus on the meat heavy dishes, whether it be via land or sea. There are so many different options to choose from, from both categories. When thinking seafood, expect the full fish. If you find yourself with the fresh grilled tilapia, you will receive a delicious whole fish that tastes as if it was caught that morning. It is such a fantastic option. I also appreciate the camarones a la diabla, or Diablo shrimp. The shrimp are plump and juicy, the spice of the dish is excites your taste buds and is a great dish. My favorite entrees are the land meat dishes though. El Trio Perfecto is my go-to order, it is grilled steak, chicken and pork all on one plate with rice, beans, salad, and tortillas. The Mexican spice rub on the meats is absolutely mouth watering, the flavors are so bold and tasty. The meats are all cooked to perfection and the portions are gigantic. You can make different tacos with the various meats, it is seriously one of my favorite Mexican dishes. I would highly recommend this! Additionally, Esmeralda Grill has so many other wonderful dishes for different flavor profiles. My grandparents are pretty particular about empanadas, but simply cannot get enough of Esmeralda's version. They also make some killer tacos, and some very affordable ones if you were to come on Tuesday! The moral of the story? Don't base your opinion of a restaurant after a single visit. You don't come across a fantastic hole in the wall every day, Esmeralda Grill is one that every Mexican food lover should know! read more

Esmeralda Grill - Pollo a la plancha - Mexican Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

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Great spot for some authentic Mexican food with variety! The corn tortillas are made well here and they also have pretty large portions. I'm a bit partial to their taco platter and recommend the Al Pastor as my favorite! The guacamole is also delish! Service is pretty standard and the atmosphere is casual. It's located in a plaza so good amount of parking and other shops to check out. read more

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This was a wonderful hole in the wall spot! I am so glad we tried it. This is a restaurant in downtown cary located in a busy shopping center with other Indian, asian, and hispanic markets. The restaurant itself was big inside and we were seated and served quickly. The prices of everything was great, with even better portions. We started with chips and queso. The chips were not regular tortilla chips out a bag, they were freshly fried and nice and puffy. They were so good with the queso. For entrees we got the carne asada with shrimp, fried tilapia, and a bunch of different tacos. I really wanted the char-broiled tilapia (the picture on the menu looked amazing), but it takes 45 minutes to prepare so please note that if you want it. We all loved our food and were stuffed and happy. Our total for queso and chips, fish, carne asada with shrimp, and 7 tacos came out to around $65 which is great for all that. I would definitely come back to eat here again. read more

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Stopped for a quick bite to eat. Was really wanting some soup. I was seated right away. Service was very friendly and fast. Lots of tvs on the walls with sports and news on. I ordered the Siete Mares. Seafood soup. Lots of fish, shellfish, in the stew. Very flavorful. It hit the spot. It came with fresh made corn tortillas and onions cilantro and jalapeños. Will be back to try the menudo next time! read more

Esmeralda Grill - Siete Mares - Mexican Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

Good food! Great service! Smaller dining room with tables close together gives a warm, inviting atmosphere. Not giving five stars because they did not have sweet tea and their Coke was flat. Would go back though! read more

Best Tacos - fresh tortillas, authentic fillings, and fresh toppings. Open every day 10-10 with authentic Mexican flavors. Located in a no frill shopping center, this is a hidden gem. I went with co-workers and we all very much enjoyed our meal. I would highly recommend checking out this restaurant. I loved the salsa and chips! My tortilla was the best I have tasted in a long time. So fresh and flavorful. Yes - 5 read more

Esmeralda Grill - Tacos Lunch Special - Mexican Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

We ordered molcajete, which was phenomenal! We got it because of the rave reviews, and let me tell you, the chicken and the shrimp are fantastic! Service was good. Food was authentic. Ambiance was great, kind of a family style restaurant. We definitely will be back to try other dishes off their menu! When we went back, we ordered the Pollo A La Plancha. It was so tasty! I also got the Camarones en Crema de Chipotle. Very creamy and tasty, tho I got sauce all over myself trying to separate the tails from the shrimp. read more

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Every time I come here I know I'm about to have the best tacos of my life. At most Mexican restaurants the rice and beans are a side dish and not that remarkable - I don't know what they do with their beans and rice here but they are the best. Their totopos and salsa? Also the best. The chips are thick and crunchy and the salsa is always delicious and tastes so fresh. I don't think I've ever ordered anything other than tacos, so I can't speak to that, but the taco platter always comes with grilled onion on the plate and it's so good read more

Molcajete comes with a side of rice and beans ( that actually taste really good and authentic) and toppings for the tacos you make (lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream) AND HOMEMADE corn tortillas that actually taste good !! I say this because I've tried "homemade" tasteless tortillas at some other restaurants and nasty beans and rice that set the mood at other places. All proteins were seasoned very well! ( The pork I didn't taste because I don't eat pork and it's included. Taking it home for someone else.). I'm Mexican and have struggled finding authentic or even well seasoned Mexican food in Raleigh/Durham. I've tried a couple Mexican restaurants and usually leave feeling disappointed or I like I didn't enjoy my cheat meal. Im a bodybuilder and treat myself to a cheat meal every Saturday. So I hate wasting my calories on mediocre food! I've actually tried all other types of food for my cheat meal and rarely do Mexican because I'm always dissatisfied. This is the one ( and the only) place I give an approval! I'm from Vegas and have amazing Mexican food at my disposal. Sadly I took this for granted and since I've moved to Raleigh I usually opt out to cooking my own Mexican food. This place, and this dish specifically, is the one I've come back for. read more

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Fire food crazy portions and quality Service was good Mexican beer was cheap I've been here 3 times and friends always love it read more

Esmeralda Grill - Torta - Mexican Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

Authentic, inexpensive, unpretentious, friendly.. love this restaurant. Local Latino's are there and it's bilingual for us gringo!

I've always wanted to stop at one of the restaurants in this strip that offers such a wide variety of ethnic foods. Esmeralda is bigger inside than you'd think and very busy at lunch! When going to a Mexican restaurant for the first time, if mole is on the menu it's my go to. I've always had a darker, almost black mole, which I love. At Esmeralda theirs is a reddish color, which I've not had before. Let's just say I prefer the other. Just a personal choice. What was also different for me is the refried beans here are made from black beans. I enjoyed them, but find the more typical tan/brown ones are more flavorful. The salsa was good, not too spicy, but the cord were thicket than I'm used to and not warm. The service was good, even as busy and hectic as it was. Overall my review would be 3.5 for the entire experience. For me, the flavor just wasn't what would draw me back. read more

Esmeralda Grill - Lunch portion of red mole enchiladas w/black refried beans & rice. - Mexican Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

Just was driving around and decided to come in with my wife. We ordered the queso and chips which was okay. Nothing special. Then the entrees came and they were stinky and smelly. They tasted really bad. The steak fajita tasted really off. The chicken tasted extremely unique in a bad way. The waitresses and waitor were pretty unsanitary and dumb. One of them was itching her rear and her foot. The waitor was cleaning out his airpods at the table before bringing out some food. Very rude and not polite. Did not feel welcomed as a caucasian. The restaurant seemed very dirty overall and god only knows what that kitchen looks like. Smelled very rancid as we walked in. read more

Stopped in for a bite to eat for lunch, and the service was very friendly and attentive. The food on the lunch menu was very reasonably priced and a good portion. I walked away with a belt notch on a little bigger notch than it usually is lol. read more

Esmeralda Grill - Mexican Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

I pass this places all the time, and had read some great recommendations on Yelp. I decided to satisfy my cravings and curiosity at the same time. This place is located in the Chatham Square strip center so looks like every other location is the strip center. Good size on the inside and all of the servers were wearing a mask. I decided on the Sopes, and was brought chips and salsa. If you like thick chips, this is the place. Salsa was a little bland, but I can add heat, not take away. Definitely fresh made as were the chips. Lunch came out and was fantastic! Homemade thick corn tortilla base with tender, moist chicken. A bit of black beans, lettuce, onions and tomato with crema and cheese topped with a slice of avocado! Delicious!!!! Three are three to the order, and I overstuffed myself eating two-scored a treat for later when I can breathe again. It was very impressed and will definitely be back!!! read more

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Hidden away the restaurant is very unassuming but is the food is quite spectacular with good balanced spice and flavor. We will return again

Nice restaurant, welcoming, cheerful environment, spacious, and the place was hopping on a weekend visit. I enjoyed my dinner; one enchilada and a tamale. Was tasty and served up freshly made. We will dine there again. read more

I continue to frequent this establishment. The Caldo de Pollo is delicious, but it does take 30 minutes to prepare so be willing to wait or call ahead!! I love the fajitas tejanas as well as the molcajete! You really cannot go wrong. The rotisserie chicken is also a great price point and balanced meal. My boyfriend got that last time and was very satisfied. All of the tacos are amazing and freshly prepared. The tortillas are homemade and make for some great, thick fried chips. Service is quick and friendly. Prices and value are outrageous. Their mole is delicious - I always ask for extra bc I want to drown my enchiladas in the mole. Pro tip: ask for the salsa verde as well as the rojo when you start your meal. read more

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This place is great. It is a hole in the wall kinda place. I believe we got the only English speaking waitress kinda place. Very comfortable and clearly the food is good as it was packed at 2 pm on a Saturday. Appears to be alittle bit of a hang out. They serve beer (I assume wine also). No liquor. We had chicken tacos and chicken chimichanga. The only complaint we had was the chinichanga was full of cheese. I mean FULL. Had to look for chicken kinda full. A different time in my life and I woulda thought it was perfect. Being we are cutting back on dairy - not so much now. I expected cheese - but this was full of cheese. Enough said on the cheese. This is the reason for 4 stars not five - five stars is a hard bar to reach in my reviews. Chicken tacos were very good. Service was very good. Prices are good. Atmosphere is friendly - like local joint kinda feel. I recommend - try this place when you are casual and looking for comfortable place with good food. Btw - they do not serve margaritas - we didn't go for any but they've got a big sign up front stating that so I feel like it's been a big deal for someone. read more

Authentic food with large portions. Serves cactus which is a delicacy. Would highly recommend if you want to feel like your money is well spent. We have been 3-4 times and it's great every time! Service is great! read more

Ooooo this place is a hidden GEM in Cary! Or maybe not hidden but it was hidden to me! These are some of the best tacos I've tried since moving to Cary and If you have not tried them please drop your phone and get in the car and GO! It's a very Hispanic restaurant, playing music like Romeo Santos which I loved because it made me feel like I was home with my family back in Miami. The service is good and quick and I have no complaints! They have a taco happy hour Mon-Fri from 3-6 so if you're skeptical I'd take that opportunity to try a few tacos! 10/10 love this place and so glad it's so close to me! read more

Esmeralda Grill - Taco Al Pastor and Taco Chorizo - Mexican Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

The food is authentic. The price is right and the service is amazing. I go at least two to three times a month.

Hands down best Mexican food I've ever had. I've had a lot of Mexican food up around VA/DC where I'm from while trying many different spots here in NC. Of the hundreds I've tried, Esmeralda is 10/10. It's authentic, flavors are incredible and their chips are very crunchy, not super thin and brittle like. Everyone that works there are so sweet and the service is quick. My bf and I legitimately come her 1-2x a week every week. We love the food that much haha read more

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This restaurant is not far from Drive Shack, so while waiting for a bay to open, we had a terrific lunch at Esmeralda Grill. We were greeted with a friendly hostess who escorted us to our table, and promptly welcomed by our waiter. He promptly brought us water, and took our order. We ordered the chicken fajitas and shrimp tacos which were perhaps the best we ever tasted. Additionally, we appreciated that Mexican music was playing while we dined adding to the authenticity of our experience. For a Saturday afternoon the dining room was full of patrons. We were so impressed we texted our friends in Long Island advising them to visit here when coming to the National Baseball Training Complex. read more

I will not be coming here again. I was super excited to try another Mexican hole-in-the wall type of place but this restaurant was extremely disappointing. In the begging, the salsa that comes with the chips taste like it comes out of a can. THE MOST DISAPPOINTING PART OF ALL, I ordered "Enchiladas de mole" and got enchiladas verdes . I told our waitress that these were not mole and she reaffirm me that they were as if I was crazy...I am Mexican and she spoke Spanish. She also still charged me for them. Is anyone going to tell me these are enchiladas de mole? I know there's green mole but this was not it. **AND IF ANYONE WANTS BETTER MEXICAN FOOD GO AROUND THE CORNER TO RANCHO GRANDE read more

Esmeralda Grill - Enchiladas de "mole" NOT - Mexican Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

Good portions. The food was okay, just your normal run of them mill Mexican food with a home cooked touch. Food came out hot and fresh, but will say it lacked flavor. Service was okay. I had the mole and it was a bit bland and I tasted more carrots mixed in with the chicken than the chicken itself. read more

Esmeralda Grill - Red Mole Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

How have I not known about this place before? Hello, the yum favor is thru the roof! The lunch plates were wider than my body! So much food and I couldn't finish it all, but I gave it my best effort! Enchiladas are fantastic, as well as the huevos chorizo. I will be making this a weekly stop! They have taco happy hour daily. I think the sign said 2-4, but I was so engrossed in my food to see for sure! read more

Food was good, portion size and price were incredible, but our waitress was pretty much non-existent the entire meal, so docking 1 star. I got the Taco Platter, which is 3 tacos with rice, beans, onion, and cilantro. I chose the Al Pastor (marinated pork with pineapple), Pollo (chicken), and Barbacoa (braised beef) for the tacos. They were all good but my favorites in order were: Pollo, Al Pastor, and Barbacoa, but my boyfriend's favorites were the exact opposite order, so I guess it depends on what you're craving. We also shared a dinner portion of the cheese quesadillas which I weirdly liked better when warmed up the next day. read more

Esmeralda Grill - Taco Platter and Cheese Quesadillas - Mexican Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

Loved the food, great portions, great taste and great service! Very authentic mexican food. 10/10 experience overall.

I ordered two tortas. One beef tongue and one Cuban. Both were made very sloppy. The Cuban was missing the sausage and the egg.. the customer service here is very rude. They kept saying they were made right. Offered no help and had me waiting over 20 minutes when they finally offered to remake them. They took my food to the back and said they would remake it and when I checked it, it was the same order. At this point I just wanted a refund and they refused. read more

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It was easy to place an online order but my mom didn't feel the safest when picking up our lunch during COVID-19. I ordered a two taco combo with rice and beans plus an additional taco, I chose a chorizo, chicken and al pastor. My mom ordered the camarones a la diablo and we split cheese dip. I thought that the prices were fair but I wasn't super impressed with the food. read more

Esmeralda Grill - Chips & Queso - Mexican Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

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Best Mexican food I've had outside of El Paso! Authentic flavor with lots of spice and the best homemade chips and homemade flour tortillas I've ever had. Ordered the molcojate, carna asada tacos and chicken quesadillas. Our dinners came with rice and puréed black beans, lettuce, sour cream and guacamole. This was true Mexican food, not even remotely Tex-mex. Had great service and the restaurant as a whole had very friendly staff. Can't wait to go back! read more

Esmeralda Grill - Molcajete - Mexican Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

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Great place for fresh, authentic Mexican food, especially the soft tacos. The tacos Al Pastor are especially good, with a delicious blend of spices on the pork and fresh toppings of chopped pineapple, cilantro and onion. They also serve a really tasty guacamole. The refried black beans left a little to be desited in the flavor department, but their fresh salsa is an easy remedy for that problem. Note of caution: While the young ladies staffing the floor are very nice, a couple of them are not following health guideline for using face masks in restaurants. A mask isn't going to protect anyone from COVID-19 if it's hanging below your chin. For this reason, I'll stick to take-out only for now. read more

Esmeralda Grill - Tortilla chips and small side order of guacamole, plus complimentary mild salsa and salsa verde caliente - Mexican Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

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Buche Tacos - braised esophagus and/or stomach. It's very tender, almost like eating sautéed shiitake mushrooms. It's a huge portion too, needs a little salt, lime and salsa and it's really good. Chorizo Tacos - pretty good overall, nice flavor but not quite the vinegary bite I'm accustomed too. Cachete Tacos - beef cheek meat is about as tender as it gets. It's like pot roast at its best. Again, a little salt was needed here along with the lime and salsa. This one was about half the amount of meat as the others, but had plenty of flavor to make up for it. $1 tacos Monday thru Friday from 3-6pm and all day on Tuesdays. read more

Esmeralda Grill - Complimentary chips and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

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The most authentic Mexican food in Cary! Amazing different plates to choose from but all worth the try!

We scooted across town to check this place out. The food was and service were good, no complaints. The black beans or refried beans were a little weird, nothing solid, more of a runny liquid bean soup or puree but they were good. I had barbacoa and lengua tacos and they were very good! The homemade soft taco shells were really nice! They don't serve margaritas :( . The ambiance leaves a bit to be desired, but but we'll go again. read more

My fiance and I stopped by here one night when we were in the area and the reviews were all on point. Very fast service and the food was delicious all for a very reasonable price! read more

Best Mexican food I've ever had. Like ever. I went with my boyfriend (who is Mexican) and he said it was one of the most authentic Mexican places he had seen in NC. I got the huaraches, which I've never seen on a restaurant menu before. I wish I took a pic but I was so hungry and it was too good to let sit for any amount of time. Absolutely incredible. I got shrimp and it was cooked to perfection. Amazing portions for a great price! My boyfriend also loved his food and said he would be going back too read more

Good, authentic Mexican food. They may have the more common "Tex-Mex" as well, but everything I've tried has been closer to what I've actually gotten in Mexico. read more