We finally made our way to Monterey Restaurant after multiple "you HAVE to go" recommendations... and I'm here to report: our friends did not lie. Walking in on a Sunday afternoon, I expected a sleepy, post-brunch wind-down. Instead? The bar side felt like someone accidentally hit "Saturday night" on the playlist. Music, people dancing, great energy--like a low-key fiesta you didn't know you were invited to but are immediately glad you showed up for. Not overwhelming, just the right amount of "should we stay longer than planned?" (we did). Let's talk food--because this is where things get interesting. They start you off with chips and salsa, and let me say: this is NOT your standard "here's some chips while you wait" situation. These were dangerously good. The kind where you keep saying "one more" until you realize you've eaten your body weight before appetizers even arrive. Speaking of appetizers--we went full commitment mode: - Chips & queso: excellent, no notes. Creamy, flavorful, gone in seconds. - Mexican street corn: above average and honestly appreciated--why don't more places put this on the menu?? - Nachos: THE HEADLINER. The Beyoncé of the table. The reason we will absolutely return. Perfectly built, generously topped, and somehow every chip got invited to the party. These alone are worth the trip. Then came the entrées... and here's where things leveled out a bit. They were good. Solid. Enjoyable. But after that appetizer performance, expectations were sky high and they just didn't quite hit that same level: - Shrimp enchiladas: shrimp played it a little too safe--kind of like they didn't want to offend anyone. - Burrito Loco (with queso on the side): crowd-pleaser, no complaints. - Beef birria burrito (mine): tasty, but leaned a little heavy on the rice--like it was trying to bulk up for winter. Still good, just not the star of the show. Important note: none of this was bad. Not even close. Just overshadowed by how strong the opening act was. Now, the service? Outstanding. Attentive, friendly, and genuinely fun--like they actually enjoy working there, which makes a huge difference. The kind of service that keeps your drinks full and your mood even better. My one critique--and it's coming from a place of love: The menu is... ambitious. Like "we can do EVERYTHING" ambitious. It feels about 50% too big. At some point you start wondering, "what's the signature here?" Trim it down, focus on the hits, and this place could go from great to elite. Final verdict: Will we be back? 100%. Am I already thinking about those nachos? Also 100%. Would I sit on that bar side again and pretend it's Saturday even if it's Sunday? Without hesitation. Monterey delivers great vibes, killer apps, and a fun experience overall. Next time, I'm coming hungry... and maybe just ordering three rounds of nachos and calling it a day. read more

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Came with a party of 6, the waitress brought over chips and salsa with guacamole crema to start We shared a pitcher of the house Margarita. They were very good and caught up quick. We ordered Tacos de birria and Quesa-Birria both came with consome bone broth. Both were very good, but the meat was just a bit fatty The establishment was clean and our server, Karla, was friendly and made sure we got all we asked for. Had to opt into the bathroom selfie lol. And the mural is stunning read more

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Came here with a party of 6 for a late lunch. Service was fast and friendly. I enjoyed chips and salsa to start . Salsa tasted so fresh. We ordered a pitcher of their house margarita. We poured about 5 glasses out of it. It didn't taste strong but it was! For my main course I ordered the BIRRIA quesadilla. It was good. My sister order the fajitas and they looked amazing! They Came out sizzling. For the rest of the family they enjoyed a cheese quesadilla, nachos with melted cheese on top, ground beef tacos and BIRRIA tacos. read more

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Went there today, first time at the new location, used to frequent the old location all the time! Delicious food, wonderful staff, great atmosphere & environment. 12/10. Today was taco Tuesday where you can get 2 tacos for $8, and they had plenty of kinds to pick from, ranging from fish tacos, beef, chicken, pork, all the way to birria tacos. Will definitely be back soon!!! read more

Monterrey - Chicken and beef empanadas, chicken flautas, and Americano tacos! - Mexican Near Me - Bristol, Connecticut

This was our first time at the new location. What an incredible improvement! Great Ambiance in the restaurant and the bar area. Very Lively and busy. Reservations are recommended but not needed. We were able to find two seats at the bar on a busy night. The menu is still as great as before. Highly recommend. read more

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Went to Monterrey the new location for happy hour. I ordered a margarita it was very good as always the price was great for happy hour. I ordered the fish tacos (2) the fish was very moist and fresh. It also had a great coleslaw dressing on top. The refried beans and rice were very tasty just wish it came with sour cream . We also had chip & salsa as soon as we sat down . The new atmosphere is bright and cheerful. The staff all had smiles on their face very friendly. It's a little jam in Bristol with great Mexican food. read more

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This restaurant has moved to a new location and WOW, what a glow up. I've always loved their food and service and I never cared for the look of the place. All I cared was about the food but their new location is absolutely beautiful. It's right in downtown Bristol, the building is brand new and the space is huge. The decor is a 10/10. Food and service still great as always!! read more

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First time here. Service was stellar, wasn't rushed on a Friday night. Food was very good and the drinks were top notch. Will be headed back very soon. read more

New location has the slowest service I've ever had at a Mexican restaurant. I know it's the busiest night but 45 minutes from placing an order to deliver for 2 people is not great. Food was still good but nothing special. But then I want to pay and leave they clear the plates and never return with the bill. It's a mobile pay system so its even pay at the table. They drop off the receipt 15 minutes later and walk away. Any other place would bring the bill and the pay device. So now I'm not sure if the kitchen is slow or it's the wait staff but they have 5 servers so I'm honestly shocked. Where is the captain of this ship? Place needs a manager. Bring in Jon Taffer. read more

Went there for the forst time this week. The customer service was excellent, the foof was good and great value. Tried to order online for deliverey and that is where everything fell apart. FIRST. The prices in the delivery app were 15% higher than thier menu and website. SECOND: when trying to eliminate something from the order due to allergey concerns "client does not allow changes" THIRD: needed to request a small change to an order "client does not allow changes". FOURTH: Tried to call for explanation of the price difference and ask about allergy concerns...phone busy for 20 minutes. FIFTH: Looking at other review, actually delivery times are about 90 minutes on average. Cancelled the order. If you cannot adequetly provide a service, don't offer it. May consider going and dining in again, but probably not. read more

I'm given them a four stars based on their food and service. The outside of this place is a dump. The neighborhood is a dump, but they are moving soon so hopefully it looks much better. Like I said the service is great. Food was good. I wouldn't necessarily drive more than 20 minutes to come here, but if you're local, it's a great place to get a drink and some food. Definitely give the chaufa rice dish, a try it is excellent With more of I would say a Peruvian twist than Mexican. read more

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Phenomenal service, excellent wait staff and wonderful food! We were in and out within 40 minutes on a Saturday night.

Fresh Mexican! I enjoyed a taste of the tamales, stuffed poblano was loaded with well seasoned grilled chicken breast. The rice was very well seasoned. I absolutely loved the guacamole! Chunky and loaded with cilantro, tomato, onion. Chips are really crisp and I liked that they weren't salty. I also tried a sausage taco. I noticed on the menu it didn't say chorizo so I wasn't sure what to expect. It was very tasty, unique flavored chopped up sausage link. The spices were different than chorizo, I think I tasted ancho chili. It was good for something different. It did have cheese on it which I wasn't expecting, Oaxaca I believe. I didn't get a chance to take pictures, we were too busy stuffing our faces! Definitely would recommend read more

Monterrey - Guacamole - Mexican Near Me - Bristol, Connecticut

We have been to Monterrey when it was on Riverside Ave and were always pleased. Went Wednesday to the new location with two friends. Service was atrocious. We were basically ignored most of the time we were there. Took forever to place our order. When we did get our food, it was pretty good. But one of our party asked if the queso dip was spicy. She was told it wasn't. When she got it, she couldn't even eat it because it was so spicy. Thankfully it was taken off the bill. We were never checked on to see if everything was satisfactory. We waited forever to get the bill, which we actually had to flag someone down to ask for it. I very, very rarely leave bad reviews but it was warranted in this occasion. read more

The food is excellent, and they have an extensive assortment of margaritas. Their new location is modern looking with a large bar area on one side and a dining room on the other. Service was prompt and friendly (we were there for lunch). On-street parking is free. read more

I ordered the dos tacos. I fully enjoyed my lunch. I ate all of it. The waitress was very friendly. The decor is very cool. The bar seats alot and is nice. I will definitely go back. Good job Monterrey. read more

This was the best taco salad probably ever. The shell was perfection, savory chicken, loads of lettuce and tomatoes too. They also serve complimentary chips and salsa. Perfection! read more

Monterrey - Chicken Taco Salad - Mexican Near Me - Bristol, Connecticut

Good food nice people. We go anytime we can. Really good margaritas as well. Definitely the best Mexican restaurant in town

I tried this place recently. Got some basic tacos with rice and beans. They are very friendly and nice there. I didn't dine in so can't give details on service but the take out was very friendly and got exactly what I ordered and how I wanted it. The beef/chicken tacos are good. Not best I ever had, but would probably get them again. They felt a little bland. The salsa also is very bland. Not much kick or spice to it. Price is very fair and you do get a lot of food. It looks much cleaner inside than from outside plaza/building. So I give them 3 stars. Decent Mexican food and prob one of the better in area including the spots in neighborhood town of Plainville. read more

My family and I visited this place after an exciting day at Lake Compounce. I'm giving it five stars for the food because it was incredibly well seasoned and delicious! The guacamole was fantastic, and the portions were very generous. The service was excellent, and they were very accommodating to our party of eight. I highly recommend this place for a meal. read more

Monterrey - Monterrey Churrasco - Mexican Near Me - Bristol, Connecticut

One of the best spots in town. The food and drinks are amazing and the service is even better. Cant wait for the new location.

Don't use the app on their website to book a reservation. They don't take reservations. So when we showed up for our 7 pm reservation (made on THEIR site) we never got to eat here, since there was a hours long wait. read more

Seriously TERRIBLE. Second time we have ordered takeout from them and my husband was so pissed with the poor quality of it he TORE UP the takeout menu. First of all, if you order takeout the charge you full price but give you literally a third of the food- it's like a lunch portion for real. I assume they forgot the tortillas because they weren't in the bag. Toppings were in TINY containers. The tiny portion of rice was undercooked. The chicken in my husband's enchiladas was RUBBER and he actually pulled it out. *SIgh* the best thing we ordered was French fries for our son. Do yourself a favor and avoid this terrible excuse of a restaurant. El Paso in Plainville and Salsa's in Southington have both been consistently great for us and we'll be sticking to them in the future. read more

Monterrey - This is an $18 dinner portion?? More like lunch portion, and they forgot my tortillas - Mexican Near Me - Bristol, Connecticut

Okay so first off, the waitress we had was so kind. From what we saw, she was handling the entire dining room herself from hostess table to bussing. Everything. We started off strong with the empanadas. They were delicious. My partner got a chimichanga (not pictured). We were a bit disappointed with this. The size alone was not worth the price. Taste was pretty good but not great. I had the burrito pictured. My steak literally had pieces that were still raw. The guacamole was fantastic and when the steak was cooked the burrito was pretty good. I didn't finish it though because I couldn't stomach the raw part. Overall, I would try again. Sometimes it is just an off night. So don't let my one experience stop you from trying because I've been before and it was great. Gave four stars because the app was great and the waitress was superwoman. read more

Monterrey - Ground Beef Empanada - Mexican Near Me - Bristol, Connecticut

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Authentic. Recommend. Parking lot convenience. Family business possibly. I've been looking for a good Mexican restaurant. Nice time.

I've been here a few times. Good food. Really good drinks. The service is great. Parking is a bit of an issue but this place is worth it.

I've gone to Monterrey numerous times throughout the past years and I think it's such a hidden gem... Most recently I went on a Tuesday for dinner and it was (of course) Taco Tuesday! There is a special menu for those-- each order comes with 2 tacos which is great to share as a little appetizer/side. I also got a taco salad with chicken it was fantastic! I really liked the chicken-- seasoned well. The complementary chips come with a salsa and another sauce (I'm not actually sure what exactly it is--sorry--it could be a salsa verde, but a creamy smooth one?), but it has a nice little kick to it! It's so good! Margarita on this past trip was alright-- it was a specialty one-- so I would go with a traditional margarita next time for myself. The prices have gone up in the past years, but I think that's pretty standard for most places. I've never had a problem with service or anything like that. On previous trips, I've had enchiladas and burritos, and again I can't remember having any complaints... I would definitely give this place a try! read more

Best Mexican spot in Bristol for years now. Authentic, fresh, and fairly consistent. The only things holding them from a 5 star is updating their interior/exterior seating areas. read more

So nearly 6 years later and decided to give this place another go. So so disappointing! There was no communication and everyone working there seemed to be lost. It went from 30 mins to an hour in a half wait. I understand during this time and day things happen that we can't control but there is no excuse for a lack of hospitality in the restaurant business. The food was a huge huge disappointment with everything I tried tasted of old grease. My chicken chimichanga was prob the biggest disappointment because I love them so much. Normally a chimichanga are filled with shredded chicken, the one I had was filled with chicken strips (5 to be exact) prob the saddest I've ever had! Tried to do a good deed and help out a local business during tough time but this was a HUGE miss yet again. read more

Monterrey - Mexican Near Me - Bristol, Connecticut

The place has been updated. Very nice. I really love the Carne Asada and Colombian empanadas so I decided to come back . The customer service is really good. They are very accommodating. I go here at least twice a month. I go with the Hubby for dinner and drinks and for lunch with co-workers. read more

Best Mexican food in CT. Don't judge the book by the cover - does jot look that great on the outside but the food is delicious. The service is adequately - not very personable but they get the job done. Definitely recommend Monterrey if you are looking for good Mexican food. read more

English: TONIGHT we walked in, got seated right away; Served chips and salsa (no water) and then ignored for 23 minutes until we finally got up and left. Within 23 minutes: 1. We stopped a busser and said we haven't seen a server yet. Seemingly shocked she turned to the nearest waitress and explained, the waitress looked our way and said she couldn't, ask her, (pointing to someone else in the next dining room over) 2. We had the opportunity to notice cobwebs in the decor, which only made us wonder what the kitchen looks like.. 3. Other patrons were complaining about long wait times also, one lady waiting for a to-go order and another table upset that they haven't gotten their check for 30 minutes.. Spanish: Entramos, -Estamos sentados de inmediato esta noche. Se sirvieron papas fritas y salsa (sin agua) y luego se ignoraron por 23 minutos hasta que finalmente nos levantamos y nos fuimos. Dentro de los 23 minutos: 1. Detuvimos un busser y dijimos que aún no hemos visto un servidor. Al parecer sorprendida, se dirigió a la camarera más cercana y explicó, la camarera miró hacia nosotros y dijo que no podía, pregúntele (señalando a otra persona en el próximo comedor) 2. Tuvimos la oportunidad de notar telarañas en la decoración, lo que solo nos hizo preguntarnos cómo es la cocina... 3. Otros clientes también se quejaban de los largos tiempos de espera, una señora que esperaba una orden de comida para llevar y otra mesa molesta porque no habían recibido su cheque en 30 minutos.. read more

Monterrey - Mexican Near Me - Bristol, Connecticut

Amazing good fast and friendly service!!! We will definitely be back and I recommend the empanadas and steak quesadilla!!! read more

Monterrey - a plate of food with a piece of bread on it - Mexican Near Me - Bristol, Connecticut

It's been a while since we've had food from Monterrey and I honestly can say I doubt we'll do it again. Since my last review from years ago we've had the food twice. Both times disappointed. Tonight being the worst. Ordered through Doordash and we're only about 10 mins away from the restaurant so the food showed up hot and fresh. That's where all the good stopped and the bad began. The food. We ordered a couple types of burritos. Some steak empanadas. Chips and guac. A piece of tiramisu and a piece of Tres Leches. Prices were pretty pricey considering the quality of food received. $19 for a burrito. $13 for two small burritos. There was nothing inside them either. Only rice and meat. The rice was undercooked. I'd say about half cooked. Every bite had hard bits in it. The chicken in the one burrito was void of all moisture and flavorless. My steak pieces tasted good but one piece was barely cooked. Slightly seared on the outside but purple everywhere else. This is called a raw piece of meat. Unacceptable rice and meat. Both burritos were very disappointing. Steak Empanadas were OK. Good size and priced right for the quality. Crunchy outside and plenty of filling. Pretty dry though. After a while it was like eating mushy wood. The steak pieces might as well have been hamburger. That's the consistency. They forgot the Tres Leches which is one of the reasons why we ordered from there to begin with and the tiramisu was thrown out after one bite. It was stale and dry. It also had an "off" flavor to it. Very disappointing. To order delivery from Monterrey you have to pay doordash prices which in this case was a $2 delivery fee. A $15 service fee and a $10 tip. Entire bill came to nearly $90 which was a complete waste. I don't mind too much about paying for all the fees if I'm too lazy to leave the house but for real, come on. Cook the food well, review and fill the order correctly. I'm not asking too much here. Will skip this one next time and order from a far better restaurant. read more

Another exceptional meal at Monterrey in Bristol tonight. I ordered the pollo veracruz, my wife went with the fish tacos. Thought my meal was decent, very slight amount of spice, so at least they were not heavy handed when they cooked it . But I'm not sure if I would order the pollo veracruz there again, since my wife's fish tacos were so delicious. They were super-tasty, she loved them, best fish tacos we've had anywhere. She also enjoyed a pair of strawberry margaritas. Since I was driving, I didn't drink, but we did have dessert -- churros with ice cream & caramel sauce. Outstanding, an awesome way to finish off an excellent meal. Service was stellar, as always. Monterrey is consistent 5 Star quality, a true gem in Bristol. read more

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We ordered take out from here one night. I really wanted to try it because everyone I know raves about it. I've lived in bristol for years and never ate here. I'm not sure if the food loses it's quality that much with take out, but our order was not great. We had a burrito meal and the a combo with soft taco, enchilada and chimichanga. The food was pretty bland. The beef burrito was not spiced. The chicken chimichanga was very, very dry. Same with the chicken soft taco. I had to follow each bite with a dip of water. I did like the cheese enchilada. I would probably try this place one more time, but as a dine-in order. Perhaps that might change the quality. read more

Monterrey - Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Bristol, Connecticut

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This place has the best food Margaritas and friendly Customer Service all the time!!! Please come check them out!!!

Ordered the steak Combo Monterrey (a chimichanga and enchilada suiza served with rice, beans, and sour cream) plus chips and salsa for lunch, because friends had recommended Monterrey and I saw that it was available via DoorDash. The chips and salsa were OK but the entree was deeply disappointing. What little steak was in the chimichanga and enchilada was full of gristle, the portion of beans was very small, and the rice was so hard and crunchy as to be inedible. To add insult to injury, by evening I was suffering from a horrific case of food poisoning that was so severe I nearly had to go to the emergency room. I will never again eat food from Monterrey. read more

Ordered this evening during these challenging times. Typically I am very hesitant to order take out Mexican for fear of what it might taste like by the time you get home. However, I must say I was very impressed. Everything we ordered via this app was done correctly, even our special requests. The quality was fantastic and taste as if we were sitting in the restaurant itself. They even threw in their chips and salsa like you would get at the table. Overall, very happy with the quickness, accuracy and quality of our meal. read more

I ordered what I thought was a gluten free entree. The waitress quickly repeated my order, which I though might be incorrect, though it was a chicken dish. So, I said I'm gluten and soy free, there's no gluten or soy in that, right? She confirmed there wasn't. I get the dish and it is egg battered with a thick sauce. I knew it had gluten in it. I didn't eat it and I ask her when she stops by mid meal if this is gluten free. She looks confused and asks "what's gluten", " " I don"t know what that is". I said it has flour in it. she says "yes", is that gluten? Really?! read more