The best Mexican restaurant in Durham! I always get great service and food. The environment is also awesome

We arrived for a group event on a Tuesday evening. They have a great large room (that can be closed off) in the back. Chips and salsa were on point. The salsa was spicy and I love that. My main course was steak and shrimp tacos with avocado. They were delicious. I could have used a bit of hot sauce. The accompanying beans and rice were too basic. They needed some spice for sure. We will come back. They have some great outdoor seating. read more

Monterrey Mexican Restaurant - Steak, shrimp and avocado tacos - Mexican Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Had a pick up order today. The food was pretty bland. I had a combo of a quesadilla, tostado, and enchilada. It was all pretty dry. The quesadilla was definitely the best of the bunch and I would give that a 6/10. Street corn was so overpriced. We had a double order which ended up being three ears of corn for $11. I'm sorry, but almost $4 for a single ear of corn on the cob, regardless of the spices added, is a lot. The website ordering was easy enough, and it was ready at the designated pick up time, which was great. I don't plan on eating there again, though. Sorry. read more

I came here recently with some friends and it was honestly a mediocre experience. First, a couple of positives! Parking was pretty easy since there's a huge parking lot outside (although I was shocked at how busy it was!), and we were seated immediately once we walked in. The complimentary chips and salsa weren't bad but I've definitely had better elsewhere. I ended up ordering one of the lunch specials (beef burrito, beef taco, and rice), and everything was just bland. The rice was also pretty overcooked. They had a decent number of options on draft for beer, but after I ordered one, the server came back and told me that they only had the Mexican options available. This excluded like 50% of the draft menu and was just kind of weird to me - like, why? Obviously it makes sense to only serve Mexican beers since it's a Mexican place, but to offer other beers on the menu and then not have any of them available was just strange. Anyway, whatever - overall, I'm sure I can find better Mexican food elsewhere, so I don't think I'll be back here. read more

This Mexican restaurant is an easy-going spot with plenty of menu options. There were several large groups dining when we visited. There are also plenty of TVs around the restaurant playing local sports. My group of 3 was seated upon entry and greeted with chips and salsa. The chips tasted fresh and crispy! I enjoyed the salsa (not very chunky). I ordered the combination platter with two chicken enchiladas. It was exactly what I expected to receive. I recommend stopping by if you're in the mood for classic Mexican food. read more

Monterrey is a local Tex-Mex chain. The restaurant itself has big booths (with comfy seats) and a bar area - it gives similar vibes to a casual dining restaurant. The music is quiet in the background and it's definitely family-friendly. The menu is also very extensive: you get a lot of options so everyone you come with should find an option that they're happy with. With this in mind, the food is decent for what you're getting: a casual dining (local) chain that has a wide variety of options. The portions are generous so it is worth the price and there's always parking available. The food won't blow you away, but I also didn't have any complaints about it. The guac and salsa are solid - and the servers are very good about refilling your chips. I came here because I was really craving a Michelada - and it definitely satisfied my craving. If I'm in a large group with picky eaters, I would have no problem returning here. read more

Monterrey Mexican Restaurant - Michelada - Mexican Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Great tex mex food! Well-made cocktails, I enjoyed my mojito. Other Mexican restaurants I've been to had messed up this cocktail for me. And if you're planning a birthday dinner this is the place for it. The staff makes it so fun! They are also attentive and our server took great care of us. Good guac, queso, and salsa. The queso can be thinner since you have to eat it fast before it thickens. I love my enchiladas sampler. The portion was perfect. I couldn't choose which I liked more, they were equally delicious. I enjoyed their mole sauce since its mild and not overwhelming with spices. The rice was good, could've used a bit more seasoning. read more

A nice dark South of the Border atmosphere. Very friendly and fast service for lunch as always. They have a new lunch menu out and of course the prices have gone up. But that is not the main disappointment. They no longer have ACP with vegetables on the lunch menu. Bummer! It was probably their healthiest menu item. The dish of Huevos con Chorizo I had instead was filling and tasty, but I'll probably be coming here less often for lunch. read more

This place is serving garbage food. Ordered the shrimp fajitas. Zero taste! Unbelievably bland, and very minimal peppers. Shameful that this place is serving Mexican food that tastes worse than taco bell. read more

Came here at the recommendation of a friend and did not disappoint. The restaurant is big with indoor, outdoor and bar seating areas. It even has an additional room for seating in the back which is were we were seated. The place has televisions and music so you could watch your favorite sports games. We were watching the GA vs FL football game, and listen to a variety of music at the same time. Antonio was our waiter and he was excellent! Courteous, funny, and very helpful. He recommended some great selections of food, beer and drinks, and even brought us different spicy sauces to sample. Immediately when you are seated they bring you chips and salsa. These are hot and crunchy, just as they should be in every Mexican restaurant. We ordered a side of guacamole to try it. It was real avocados mashed, not the fake stuff. Also ordered two margaritas. One regular and one frozen. Great way to start the evening. Throughout the night, they continued to refill the chips. We ordered the chicken wings as an appetizer. For our main meal, we had the whole fried fish which came with rice, french fries, salad, and a piece of garlic bread. Also ordered the Monterrey burrito. There are pics to see on this review. The food was delicious! Very authentic Mexican flavors and the price was great!! Definitely will be coming back. Kudos to Antonio for making our experience fabulous. read more

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First time here, my daughter and husband took me to dinner. They love this place and have for a very long time. When I walked in I thought maybe this place was new or a year old. Everything was open and seemed large, plenty of tables and bar area. Very clean and well maintained. Had music playing but low and not too loud. Greeted and seated right away and my daughter told me just wait and see how fast our food comes to the table. I was thinking that isn't always a good thing. But we ordered the Arroz Tejano (shrimp, chicken and steak with fajita veggies and rice $16) they could easily charge 21.99 as they gave me 7 good size shrimp and plenty of chicken and steak. We ordered and within 5 mins food was at table. Total time from being seated to getting the check was 23 mins.. Food tasted great, looked fresh will return for sure next time I visit my daughter. read more

Monterrey Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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After many other restaurants were fully booked on a Friday evening, we settled for Monterrey. The restaurant was impressively large, so there were plenty of open tables. The drink menu was extensive and there were plenty of food options as well. My friend wasn't hungry, so she ordered the cappuccino and tres leches cake and my brother ordered a chicken and rice dish. I opted for a quesadilla. The cake was impressively presented with some spoon powdered sugar art and the cappuccino was served in an interesting cup. The food wasn't bad at all and it was a solid meal. read more

Monterrey Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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i love this place. queso is bomb . guac is amazing. SALSA so good. got chicken fajitas and it was delicious. will totally be back. great depression place read more

Monterrey Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Gosh I want to like Monterrey, but every time I go, it's just a mediocre experience. The menu, while expansive, doesn't really have any shining stars. There are a ton of drink options, but they are all pretty weak and sugary. The best part of this restaurant is the service--everyone was friendly and service was fast! This location on Friday/Saturday nights tends to be filled with college students who are all having their first margaritas, but they seem happy. read more

I'm a fan of this chain. They do the Mexican American genre proud. 4 levels of nachos, who doesn't love that? Service is always on turbo. Bring all your family and friends because they've got the room. There's plenty of parking too but you may have to hoof it depending on the time of day. I'm quite certain that everything on the menu is delicious. I've never had a bad meal. I can't comment on their cocktails, I just stick to the cervezas. I'm a simple guy... read more

We came here since we were running errands in the area and wanted to grab food to make the trip worth it. The service was speedy and the food was good. I got the Birria tacos which came with a dipping broth (which could've used more flavor). I ordered a house margarita which was incredibly underwhelming. A bigger drink isn't always better since it was mostly sour mix. I sent my friend a picture and she asked if it was a pineapple margarita because it was SO yellow. I'd rather have a normal sized drink that's actually well made. I would go back but would probably get a different drink. You can't have Mexican without a perfect margarita read more

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This place used to have great customer service and food for the price but really disappointed with my latest visit. When I asked if I could replace the tortilla for more peppers and onions instead, both the waiter and manager refused, leaving me paying the same price for less amount of food. Restaurants should consider health needs of customers and could have accommodated this minor request but sadly, Monterrey failed to provide customer service and the manager instead offered more chips and salsa. My food cost $20 but I get more value from a Chipotle nearby for about $4 less. On top of that, when I asked the waiter for more salsa, he forgot to do so and had to wait too long for the bill. The waiter gave the other customer beside us salsa instead. read more

Monterrey Mexican Restaurant - Finished plate of rib eye steak with beans, red and green peppers - Mexican Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

This place was absolutely amazing!!! So many options to choose from! I had the birria ramen and flautas and it was so good! I also had the margarita flight and all of them were great!! This is a must try! read more

Monterrey Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Came here for a fun Cinco de Mayo night at around 6pm with a table of 11, and we surprisingly did not have any wait time! The restaurant was packed though, but the staff was nice even though they were running around everywhere busy with orders. The menu is extensive and offers food like burritos, tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, and combos. They start by giving the table chips and salsa which are always a treat. I opted for the Texas fajitas which came with steak, chicken, shrimp, and peppers with a side of rice, refried beans, and a side salad. The food took quite long to prepare (but there were a lot of people that night so I understand). The fajitas were so good and flavorful!! I got flour tortillas with it too, and it was all so tasty. Definitely would come back here to try the fajitas again because they have so many options. read more

Monterrey Mexican Restaurant - Texas Fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

A good spot for a quick lunch. Typical Mexican American fare with great prices. Nothing over the top, but it does the job and was very good. The lunch menu is thorough and service was very fast. The food was also good quality. Definitely a place I will frequent. read more

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Went 2 years and wasn't impressed - gave it another try last night definitely will not be going back . Server was very inattentive ( no refills on drinks or chips) and almost annoyed we asked for silverware . Food was average at best . read more

Classic Margarita and Mexican food night - doesn't let you down! Monterey is a classic Mexican food spot with a fun atmosphere. Chips and fresh salsa comes out immediately. The margaritas are very tasty and strong - Tajin rim was AWESOME. Shrimp in the fajitas was very tasty and not too well done. The sopa de pollo lacked chicken and wasn't the best I've ever had but it was still decent. Would go again with a group for a fun evening! read more

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The service is the best part of the chain. Everyone is friendly and food is prepared quickly and accurately. Food is solid but not amazing. The Chapel Hill prices are more expensive than Durham and it's only a mile away (rofl). Plenty of seating read more

We came here on a weekday evening to celebrate my sister's 21st birthday. Staff was all unsmiling and not welcoming to begin with and didn't acknowledge the special occasion. My sister wanted to come here because of the free and fun birthday shot they're known to give out. Food was okay, we were already down by the lack of service so we didn't get to enjoy our meal. When they did finally come out with her surprise it was at the same time that she went to the bathroom. The waiter came and said "really??" And acted like she was annoyed. I wouldn't come here again, especially not to celebrate any special occasion. read more

This is a good restaurant! First, the service was soooo quick. We got seated so quickly someone took our order very quickly. And we got our food super quickly. The food was also pretty good. I liked the flavor. I particularly liked the tortillas. The portion was great for the meat, but I wish I got more refried beans!!! The ambiance was my least favorite thing. It was just fine. I would love if there were more booths. read more

Monterrey Mexican Restaurant - Carnitas en Salsa Verde Special - Mexican Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

My crew of girlfriends have been frequenting this establishment for many years! We never fail to return because of the awesome hospitality of the hostess Irma & great wait & bar staff!! It's our go to place every month & always to celebrate birthdays ! They give a generous shot but I love the fireworks which bring me glee!!! We always have the frozen margaritas (extra salty)!! Very generous drink ratio BTW. The wait staff is prompt & very efficient. One of our wild women crew had shrimp salad & it was very good. I often get a burrito or carna asada. I only wish I thought as highly of the food, hence not 5 stars but the staff brings us back regardless & what did Meatloaf say?! "Sometimes 2 out of 3 ain't bad!" Check it for yourself & say hi to Irma!! read more

Monterrey Mexican Restaurant - Margaritas - Mexican Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

While I have been here twice and have had no issues with the food, they are expensive. The prices they charge are higher than the menu which is odd, seems they add a surcharge to each item when you pay by credit card. Margaritas are great and menu is extensive. Service is lacking, never very friendly and no one seems to speak good english. Overall nice place and lots of seating, gets very hot on the side not on the bar side!! read more

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A group of coworkers and I recently got together for a team lunch at Monterey. Although I'd visited the shopping center where it's located on many occasions, I'd never actually been inside the restaurant itself. The first thing that struck me was how nice the ambiance was -- clean and classy, with soft music playing. Service was also excellent and attentive. Tortilla chips and queso/salsa dips were provided to our table and refreshed on a regular basis. For lunch, I had the Burrito Bowl with chicken, which came with a side of queso. It made for a tasty and satisfying meal. I only wish that I had asked for hot salsa or picante sauce, instead of queso, but I will have to keep that in mind for next time. Very good Mexican restaurant -- highly recommended. read more

This place, is nothing like Mexican food! I try the tacos and ceviche ! Very awful place, would not recommend

It feels like almost every time I come to Chapel Hill to visit my best friend, we go to Monterrey. They have a huge menu with all types of Mexican options. Absolutely something for every taste and potential dietary restriction. The food is generally solid, prices reasonable, and normally not a huge wait, even on a weekend. I have been to this newer location a couple times and it is a huge improvement. So much more space to accommodate guests, it was a nice day, so we decided to take advantage of their expanded outside tables. Our waitress was new, but very nice and attentive. Right away we were given chips and salsa. Chips were fresh and salsa pretty good. We went through a couple baskets pretty fast. I appreciate that Mexican restaurants are now giving people individual salsa containers to reduce sharing/germ spreading. We did order some fresh guacamole to share though (and agreed to no double dipping lol). Overall, I found it underwhelming. I prefer the chunkier avocado variety and it wasn't anything special as far as its flavor. I ordered the Arroz Pollo Y Vegetables (chicken strips grilled with green and red bell peppers, broccoli, onion, zucchini, squash, and mushrooms served over a bed of rice drizzled with melted cheese). I appreciated this "healthier" ACP option. It was a very colorful plate with all the vegetables, which were cooked well and the dish had a good amount of cheese sauce. My husband got the Enchilada Sampler (three enchiladas- one filled with shredded beef and topped with ranchera sauce, one filled with chicken and topped with mole sauce, and one filled with spinach and topped with salsa verde. All topped with sour cream and serviced with rice and pico de gallo) I always enjoy a variety pack, especially one of yummy enchiladas! I took a bite of all three, but I actually think the spinach with the salsa verde was my favorite. My husband loves mole so that was his favorite. Other orders from the table were the Burrito Relleno (A flour tortilla filled with chili poblano with potatoes, red pepper and onion Topped with queso and sour cream and served with pico de gallo and sliced avocado). This vegetarian option looked really tasty, may need to try it in the future. Others were the tried and true classics of Chicken Fajitas (served with bell peppers, onions and tomatoes. Served with rice, beans, and salad that includes fresh lettuce, sour cream, tomato, and flour tortillas) and a traditional ACP ( grilled chicken on a bed of rice with melted cheese). read more

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Mr ravioli was a delight and was so kind to us, the food was amazing as always and I will be coming back...

I believe this is the first time I've visited this location. There weren't many people there so I was quickly seated and brought a menu. The prices seemed higher than what I expected so I asked if they had a lunch menu and was promptly brought one. I was in the mood to try some mole and quickly found what I was looking for on the menu. I ordered the 1/2 Burro Roqueta, which is a flour tortilla filled with chicken or pork and topped with mole and cheese sauce. It also comes with a choice of rice or beans and pico de gallo. I choose chicken for the filled for the tortilla and rice for the side. The chicken was good and I thought having cheese sauce on the mole would be good, but it really took away from the flavor of the mole. Overall it was an ok experience. I think next time I'd probably get something with just the mole on top or try something completely different on the menu. read more

Monterrey Mexican Restaurant - Chicken Mole & rice. - Mexican Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Can't say enough about the service, the perfectly-mixed margaritas complete with Tajin rim, and the food itself, especially the chicken chimichangas. Yum! Restaurant has a nice, friendly vibe. Bustling. Lots of people enjoying their dining experiences as well. Will definitely be returning! read more

We always get the carne asada fries with extra ranch, they are not to be missed! Service is always kind, attentive, and extremely fast. We like to make a trip to Monterrey's part of our weekly routine, the food is always on point every time. read more

Monterrey Mexican Restaurant - Carne Asada Fries - Mexican Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

roses are red violets are blue Antonio has cheeeeeeeese and now so can you #stantonio read more

This was my first time coming here with my family we were seated immediately with the best service I have ever received at any restaurant! Our food came out blazing hot and fresh, not to mention to food was so good it left us all craving more! The building was so clean!! I even went to the bathroom and when I walked in it smelled good and it was spotless just like the rest of the building. I live an hour and a half away but this place is worth the drive!!! So good I called the manager over and praised them all! I believe in complimenting where it's due read more

We've picked up dinner here several times and it's pretty good. My favorite is the chicken, steak and shrimp fajitas (I can't remember what they call them, Texas something?). It's a lot of food and has a good flavor. I usually ask for extra veggies, so I feel like I'm being healthy. Prices are pretty reasonable, by no means overpriced and the portions are generous. Almost every time I pick up food the tops to several containers are smashed in with food on the top, which is annoying and they've forgotten side items like salads and salsa that we paid for, which is also annoying. Since we usually pick up, we have very little interaction with the staff, but they seemed nice. Since it's during COVID, seating is limited inside and everyone is spaced out. They also provide hand sanitizer in the front when you enter. If you're craving Mexican food, this place is a good option. It's not super authentic, but it's tasty and affordable. Pick up orders are ready on time and they have a big menu if you have any picky eaters in the group. read more

First time dining out in many months - though to be accurate we still sat outside. Monterrey goes to a great deal of effort to make sure all staff are masked and to keep things clean (I know, this should be true of every restaurant all the time). Still, it was kind of weird to venture out. Our one door dash experience with Monterrey was not good, but it is hard to figure out where to put the blame for that. The food was consistently good, and the take out business was brisk. Will have to start working Monterrey back in to our rotation. read more

We celebrated my mother's birthday last night. We had 17 people in our party. The warm ambiance, delicious food, on point service was all excellent! In the past we went to more expensive restaurants, but this time we had kids in our group so we looked for a family friendly place. They sang happy birthday and presented a spectacular looking dessert that the kids devoured. This restaurant really wowed all of us. Thank you for making a beautiful memory for our family! read more

These people giving these one star reviews just want a reason to complain, and get meal comps. This establishment is fantastic, along with all of the wait staff. Not to include the hot meal, delicious seasonings, fantastic sides, and amazing drinks. Monterrey is a staple Mexican restaurant for me and my family, it always will be. Thank you for doing what you do Monterrey, this restaurant will always be in our hearts. read more