I am going to start this review with one word, "DISAPPOINTMENT". Now that's out of the way, let's…read moretalk about what they did well and how they can improve.
The reviews truly praise this place, everyone talks about large portions, exceptional flavor and low prices. That was not our experience. The plate was large, but a very thin layer of food was spread around it. The flavor was also bland. Everything needed salt. The salsas, the rice, the beans and the meat. I think the guacamole was the only item that tasted as expected. Mexico is known for some very rich flavors, so don't remove that from your recipes.
Service was friendly, they scored points out of the gate for service and for putting two salsas on the table. I can't take you seriously as a Mexican restaurant if you don't offer multiple salsas. I love a good green salsa, but this one was a bit tangy; I like it when it's infused with heat. The red was near flawless, except it needed a heavy dose of salt as so did the green. Since neither were hot, I asked if they had something hot and the smile on the woman's face let me know, that she knew, that I knew something spicy was on the way. It was thick, it was spicy, and it was exactly what I wanted, except, it needed salt. Unfortunately, since it came in a squeeze bottle, I couldn't add salt, but I put a couple tablespoons in the red salsa and it spiced it up.
I had the Carne Asada. At $22, it wasn't cheap and the portion was more in line with what I have seen on lunch plates, The meat was so thin it was more like jerky than steak, and before you ask, it needed salt. Rice and bean were ok, but needed salt and honestly, what I was served could have easily fit on a plate half its size.
A couple recent reviews, long time customers commented that this place is not living up to the standards that made them famous, and we drove to this location, because the reviews were more popular than the location further north, which would have been much closer for us. If you are familiar with my reviews, you know I would normally cut into a business for not meeting what I consider to be the minimum bar, but considering the place was near empty, I think they are just trying to hang on.
We also had an issue with a couple at the adjacent table. From the minute they entered, they were disruptive. They were grandparents with a 5-year-old. This kid would not stop screaming. Not screaming like a crying baby, but anytime you excite him, he would yell. They gave him a cell phone with Monster Truck videos and the audio was all the way up, so between the obnoxious audio and the yelling it was way too much noise. They didn't appear that bright, so we chose not to engage them, but the server should have said something, they could barely take the order, because it was so loud. Took us a good 45 minutes to get here, it was not worth the drive. It was also not worth the money because portions were not generous or flavorful.
The service short of the noise was flawless, but the rest was disappointing.
