Okay so first thing is first, this location is notorious for being a "flavor of the year" location, that is, stuff doesn't last long here. That said, Papi Grande appears to market themselves as a "Mexican themed restaurant" when really they should focus more on being a bar. The "Mexican" decorations are just tacky party fare purchased from the dollar store, little paper spinners with the word "Fiesta" on them, and streamers and paper balls. The outdoor decorum and furniture was clearly purchased at a local megastore. The tacky decorations should have set the bar for my expectations. My party sat down on their patio for food, however we stood around for about 5 minutes before anyone acknowledged us. Someone (not sure his role, he came out from the kitchen, confirmed there were 3 of us, and asked if we preferred inside or the patio, then he just disappeared, we watched him walk out to the patio (our preference) and then walk back into the kitchen, then come back out, walk behind the bar, then over to the restrooms and then never to be seen again. We theorized he was looking for a busboy (more on that later)). Finally we were sat, and the person who finally did was one of the two bartenders. I should also note, the bar was full. Once seated, the bartender continued to be our waiter, also not a good sign. While sitting in the patio, we noticed that there were about 6 empty tables with dirty dishes on them. Some of them had stacks of plates. My party ordered a few things, first, our drinks, A Cucumber margarita, A house sangria, and a beer. We waited 15 minutes for our drinks, but once they arrived, the mix drinks were great. No complains other than time taken. After receiving our drinks and placing an order we sat around for a long time waiting. We ordered Chips and Queso, Chips and Guac, Southwest Egg rolls, Chorizo, and Fried Ice cream. First off, the "Queso" tasted like Velveeta with a few drops of Tabasco added. No chunky tomatoes or onions or anything, it was completely smooth. They should make a house queso, especially considering we paid $5 for a bowl of Velveeta. The guacamole tasted like it came from a bag, there were a few small pieces of onion but mainly was just plain avocado, again, we paid $5 for this. The two "chips" came out in about 10 minutes, and then we waited nearly 35 minutes for the rest of our food to come out. Once it finally did.... The Chorizo I did not try, but I was told it just tasted like fried dough and powdered sugar, which I think is what its supposed to taste like? I'm unsure as I usually avoid it. I believe this item was $5. The southwest egg rolls we're not bad, but the ground beef they stuffed them with tasted off, like a low grade of meat or too high of a fat concentration (they were quite greasy) but the sauce and overall taste was OK. So far the only item that seemed to be worth the $10 it cost. The fried icecream was also decent, however I think it may have been over-fried, the shell on the scoop had a sort-of burnt marshmallow taste, and what I think was supposed to be chocolate? Was burnt to the metal plate. It came out steaming/smoking, which I think might be part of the display of the item, but it was like pouring steam/smoke (It was hard to tell if the sugar was smoking or the ice cream was steaming, likely both) The shell and icecream were good, but everything else on the plate was unpalatable. $5. Through the whole experience we saw our waiter / bartender 5 times, when he sat us and took our drink order, when he returned with our drinks and took our food order, he came by once, with part 1 of our food, and later with part 2, then the check. Overall my party spent about 90 minutes in the restaurant for 1 round of drinks and 3 appetizers and 2 desserts. In summary, there seems to be a serious staffing issue at this establishment. Bartenders need to stay in the bar. Waiters / waitresses should tend to the customers, even if they aren't in their section (and especially if a section is understaffed). They are in DIRE need of a busboy, or the Waitresses should step up and clean some tables, it looks filthy and sets a bad mood for future customers, seeing dirty tables. The chef, if there is one, shouldn't cut corners on ANYTHING, even if they're just appetizers, and should be ashamed for calling a few of these items homemade. The tacky decorations need to come down, it feels like a sad frat party when you walk through the inside. They can still keep the Mexican theme without the terrible "Oriental Trading" style decorations. They can fix everything by doing one thing, reducing the "food" side of their business. The food isn't great, they don't have the staff to keep going, and have had enough time to find them. Considering their location, being a full time bar makes way more sense for them. Their mix drinks are great, and being right next to a theater, people are more likely to stop in for drinks vs food. Focus on what you're good at! read more

My Family stopped for dinner today. We were exited that a new Mexican restaurant was to be open. Although the servers were pleasant and friendly the food arrived about 30 minutes later kind of luck warm. Plenty of chips but salsa no so good. If you are lucking for authentic Mexican fare, this is not the place. Is kind of Americanized, side portions were small(scoop of rice, scoop of re fried beans). Couple the things we ordered were not available, french fries for the kids and the Fried Ice Cream(a must). They play music other than Mexican or Latino. It just opened a few days ago, hope it gets better, as for us we wont return again. read more

Love, love, loved this place! Excellent service, the ambiance was wonderful. Clean, quiet and very nicely decorated. The drinks were delicious and the entrees as well. Will definitely come back again soon! read more

great staff & great food highly recommend! kate was our bartender & took great care of us! looking forward to all of the events this summer!

Gave them 1 star only because I had to. My husband and I were next door at AMC and decided to try this place because we wanted Mexican food anyway. When we walked in we were seated right away. While my husband looked at the menu I jumped on Yelp to read some reviews before making my decision on what meal I wanted to eat. While we waited we noticed another couple come in right after us. The waiter took their drink order; minutes later he returned with their drink and complementary chips and salsa. At that point my countdown begin, we gave them an additional 10 minutes to come and take our drink order and they never did so we left. I can't review their food but the service sucks. It wasn't busy at all so I'm not sure why it took so long. I can't say that I'm upset; we dodged a bullet based on the 2 star review they received on Yelp. read more

Papi Grande's - Never!!!! - Mexican Near Me - Amherst, New York

Disappointing !!! sat at the less than half full bar for 10 minutes watching sour faced bartender walk around, and other guy obviously new to bartending trying to make simple drinks, finally sour face asked us if we wanted anything, I had a "raspberry" marg,(only similairity to a raspberry marg was its color!) little to no flavor, wife had wine, waited 15 minutes of a 10 minute wait watching empty dirty tables not being seated at. finally got a table, chips were good, soupy concoction resembling salsa, was completely tasteless. Chicken Quesadilla- ok- nothing special, side dishes, horrible- beans were runny and tasteless, rice one shade away from white, also NO flavor, really, you can buy seasoning packets!!! Corn fritters were good, but my suggestion, use creamed corn for better flavor All and All, see NO reason to ever try there again! to bad has so much potential in that spot :( and P.S. FIX your CO2 problem, none of the draft beer had any kind of head on them. read more

Before yesterday, I would have given them 5 stars. We've been going here once a week or so for months and loved it! The food was better than the drinks, but the food was great! Went in yesterday and took note of the sign that advertised the new menu/chef. Everything except for the queso (which seemed to be the same) was soooo bland. Not sure what led to the change, but please bring back the seasoning!! Lesson learned, always Yelp when you like things because if you don't, people will change them. read more

Had an amazing experience here with our server Amanda. Came here to watch the Bills vs Vikings game and they ended up winning 27-6. Never had this experience anywhere else and I will definitely come back! read more

Stopped in after a movie because we were starving, had never been here before & wanted to try. That will be the first & last time we go. Margaritas & server were great, but the food was AWFUL. Salsa is thick like sauce & not very good. I got the Tres Tacos... chicken is literally just shredded chicken, no flavor. Beef is over flavored & spicy. My fiance ordered the Enchilada Verde... they grill their enchiladas which makes them impossible to cut thru with a fork and again meat not flavored. Just not good at all read more

Great place!! Fun vibes. Great queso! Pina colada are fire and Nate is the best waiter!!!

We order through GrubHub+ from Papi Grande's pretty frequently and their food has been absolutely fantastic! This most recent time, today, we ordered the enchilada pack (6 chicken, six beef enchiladas with rice, beans, chips, and queso) to be delivered while my Mother was in town. My Mother said, "these enchiladas are way better than we have in Tennessee." Which, their food has always been great when we've ordered from them. Today was a bit of a disaster with the GrubHub driver being told she forgot part of our order by Papi Grande's and myself and she refused to go back and get the missing part of the order both times. I spoke with Papi Grande's and they were not told if she was coming back or not, neither was I at the time, and they called me back after 15 minutes and asked for my address so they could personally deliver the missing part of my order. I am beyond satisfied with Papi Grande's customer service and the way their food comes out great each time. If you want customer service that goes above and beyond what's required of them and fantastic food, you need to come here! I wish I could give them more than five stars because they have earned it several times over! Thank you all! read more

This restaurant is a joke. The food was absolutely horrible. The ground meat did not look like ground meat at all. The booths are garbage and thrown together. If someone was you bring you here take it as a put down. Food was expensive and terrible. $45 at other Mexican restaurants will get the more than $75 at Papi Grandes. Go somewhere else. read more

Went here last night. Pretty good food, and a dope patio.Highly recommend the margarita with the beer in it

Best Mexican restaurant we have been at yet! Not only was the food the best we've ever had our waitress Sarah was amazing! Five stars all across-the-board! We had to try all the appetizers and they were so good! Best queso sauce ever! Can't wait to come back with friends and try some of those delicious drinks we saw being served... those girls were working hard and Angela the other server was having a great time with all the customers. Being in the restaurant business myself that is one thing I look for great food ,great servers and Jimmy is a great owner he came over and stopped at our table very friendly atmosphere!!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to return with friends! read more

Pro: nice attentive waitress Con: free chips were stale, salsa was watery with no taste; chicken quesadilla was bland (I ordered no peppers/onions), the pico di galo was missing. There was a puddle of "water" on the plate under the quesadilla that made it to soggy & gross. My margarita on the rocks had no lime flavor, no tequila flavor - tasted like just triple sec I heard the waitress say they had no normal take home boxes, just the small versions and no bags to carry the multiple take home boxes Will not go back there again read more

Very disappointing experience. I had ignored the mixed reviews and went for dinner with a group of friends. The service was very slow despite it being relatively slow that night. The food was average at best and two of six orders were delivered incorrectly. Will definitely not be back. read more

Great place but $$$$$drinks and didnt even get the last shot free who does that???? Charge alot for a drink and not even offer last shot free.. But queso is great read more

The food here was delicious but I think the waitress was going to over serve my boyfriend alcohol. He had 6 big glasses that almost if not did add up to 1 gallon of beer within 4 hours. She went to offer him a 7th and I said "He's fine" and she still asked him if he wanted a beer. We left after that. read more

Located between 2 fast food style 'Mexican' restaurants on Sweet Home Road in Amherst we weren't sure what to expect, but we felt like something a little different tonight so we stopped in. Good food and reasonable prices. Our waiter, Debray did an awesome job and we will definitely be back! read more

Save yourself the trip and just goto La Tolteca on Transit. Went in for some Mex food and margaritas... we were sat by Matt, (turned out to be the manager). After 15 mins, a server saw us, and finally came over. She explained she was never alerted by Matt that we were sat. Not surprising, as he seemed preoccupied behind the bar with some guys hanging out at the bar. They all had the same soccer shirt on, so I presume they were all friends. The restaurant was very slow, so there is no excuse. read more

The food here was excellent. The staff was very good and attentive. We definitely will come back. Their salsa was very good. The only thing I didn't care for was the refried beans, they had a funny taste. They have great specials each day of the week as well. Definitely check this place out. read more

I love this place. Great food, drinks and a very friendly staff. They definitely make the best Frozen Margaritas in town. I always have a good time here. read more

Wished we hadn't. Wasn't that good. Bland tasting. Like eating in a cold empty warehouse.

Came here tonight with my husband because we were in the mood for Mexican and wanted to try somewhere new. The restaurant is still pretty no it wasn't too crowded, despite being Friday night. The restaurant has a nice outdoor patio area. The advertise drink specials and specials for Taco Tuesday. We started out with dip sampler, which comes with queso blaco, bean dip, queso verde, and guacamole. All the dips were very good, as was the house salsa which comes complimentary for all tables. I ordered the chimichangas, a personal favorite, while my husband ordered the enchiladas. Both were very good and the portions were quite large. I don't think it will replace my favorite Mexican restaurant in Buffalo, but I would return again. read more

Great food, great service! Highly recommended! Prices are fair, food came out really fast! Everyone was warm and friendly! The atmosphere was great. The margaritas were outstanding, some of the best margaritas I've ever had. I will definitely be back in sooner rather than later. read more

Drinks were super weak. Chips were very very very salty. Tacos were just ok. Restaurant was clean. Waitress was nice. Good atmosphere. read more

This is a great and much welcome addition to the restaurant scene in Amherst. I am thrilled to have a restaurant that is serving delicious food with excellent service and a clean facility. I have had the chicken quesadilla and the burrito grande which were both delicious and served with sides of beans and rice. As with most Mexican restaurants, you are greeted with fresh tortilla chips and salsa (I do think that the salsa could have a bit more flavor/seasoning, but it was still very yummy- that is just my personal preference). Currently, if you provide them with your AMC movie ticket, you can enjoy a $5 traditional margarita which is equally delicious (served with a salt or sugar rim)! I hope they continue to get good business are they are an excellent choice for a tasty Mexican food option in the Amherst area. read more

Excellent improvements to the restaurant and the menu. The food was great! Also great vegan/vegetarian accommodations. read more

Papi Grande's - Vegan rice bowl! - Mexican Near Me - Amherst, New York

I attended papi Grande's and there food was burnt the waitress didn't refill drink she kept walking by keep giving us made up Mexican queso sauce just bad food all in one read more

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Waited over hour and 15 minutes for food not crowded. We Had to leave before food arrived to catch movie right beside the theater. Really piss poor. No reason for this to happen. This has never happened to me before or to my wife. Hostess/waitress could not be found was going to have food boxed. We were so frustrated we just left read more

I've been hanging out quite often at Papi Grande's in the past couple months, my friends and I visit almost weekly to sip a brimming $5 sangria during Happy Hour, or to chow on flavorful, unique tacos. Most often I end up sitting at the bar, where you can still order anything off the food menu, and crunch on a basket of complimentary chips and salsa while the friendly, attentive bartender pours a full, refreshing house margarita. Recently the restaurant refurnished much of the dining area, and added gorgeous wooden tables and accents, making the place feel homey and comfortable, despite the fact that it sits in a busy Amherst plaza! The staff I've been fortunate to interact with are genuine and quick to remember frequent faces. Do yourself a favor and check out Happy Hour at this place- you and your budget won't regret the experience. read more

Great food, great service, great location. We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food when we stopped last night before a movie at the AMC. The waitress was super accommodating, offering us plenty of options and substitutes. We ordered the Quesadillas with chicken and the wedge taco salad and a couple of beers. Decent beer selection on tap and in the bottle. We also wanted to try the Guac and the Queso which we got sides of and both were homemade and tasted great. I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking for a quick and quality meal before a move. 5 stars from us. read more

Despite the bad reviews, I liked the food here with the previous owners. Excellent guacamole and queso. Just went here under the new ownership and the food was terrible. Guacamole looked like a halfhearted attempt to mash avocados. Tasted so bland, I'm not sure they mixed anything in with the avocados. Maybe some salt? Good guacamole is so easy to make. I hope the chef finds a good recipe or just buys the yummy guacamole that Wegmans makes. Salsa bland as well. Fajitas were completely overcooked to the point the peppers were mushy and chicken completely dried out. The tablespoon size portions of the sides were laughable. What's the point of even providing such miserly portions - though as part of the sides was more bad guacamole, it really didn't matter. Enchiladas were almost inedible. My husband ate a few bites then had plain chips for his dinner. The only good things were the bartender's service and his margaritas. That location has so much potential with the theater right next door. I hope someone is able to make improvements fast or these new owners will be going under soon. read more

The margaritas were 'eh', but the food was sublime! We had a zucchini taco, a mushroom/ guacamole taco, and the paella. All were delicious!!!! The chicken and shrimp were cooked to perfection in the paella and the veggie tacos were AMAZING. read more

Papi Grande's - margaritas were 'eh', but the food was delicious!zucchini and mushroom tacos were sublime. The paella was delicious! - Mexican Near Me - Amherst, New York

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I went to this place twice the first time was okay not great but okay then I ordered the second time and it was disgusting my enchiladas were cold had a drop of sauce got no chips and salsa I was very disappointed never will receive food from this place again read more

I have been here for just drinks before but tonight was the first night I was here for dinner. It was throughly disappointing on about every aspect. First was the time. We had toddlers with us and we were here for 2 hours. For Mexican food that is just a disaster. The waitress kept telling us that it was because it was busy but the place was about half full. The waitress was working awfully hard, was out of breath when talking to us from running, and was working double time apologizing for the delays. Sounds like a case of not enough staff. It took about 45 minutes just to get to the appetizers. We got southwestern egg rolls that tasted overdone and disappointing for the 10 dollars they cost. We also got queso and chips and the queso was served at room temperature and served in a styrofoam container like it was a to-go order. The taste was also cheap, which if you're serving it cold it better be amazing. We had 4 adults at our table and the time between the first person being served and the last was about 15 minutes. Also a disaster. Everyone was almost finished before the last person got their food. I also got carnitas fajitas that were disappointing. Their refried beans were the worst I've had in a restaurant, and tasted like they were seasoned with dirty feet. The fajitas also weren't sizzling. When you consider they are competing with restaurants who always serve them piping hot... this just doesn't add up. Make the drive to one of the other fabulous Mexican spots within driving distance of this place.. and don't waste your time here. read more

Reasonable prices, chips are homemade. Service was great manager stop by several times. Beans were a little salty for my taste. Order the steak burrito and steak fajitas. Meat was very tender and tasteful will head back read more

Was expecting it to be fairly authentic Mexican and it was sub par at best. The salsa is 100% store bought jar salsa, guac was decent, queso was runny, chips were decent. Main course Red Enchiladas way too salty and over spiced, barely enjoyable. My sons tacos were over spiced, wife's meal was okay and my other son he enjoyed. Chips & salsa not complimentary and for the price it should be. $95.00 with tip for four people and that was a basic dinner, everyone did not have an appetizer. Will not be going back. If you want amazing authentic Mexican check out El Cubilette in Wheatfield.. read more

Been here a couple times now. Happy hours specials are awesome. The margaritas are by far the best in WNY. I love their new selection of tacos! The hermano and Felipe are my two new favorites. And the service is always fast and super nice! read more

Absolutely horrible food and service, margaritas were watered down. Waitress was not well versed in the menu and was extremely flustered. She failed to write down the correct order and had to get the meal taken off our bill. The manager never came over to address the issue. The food was not very authentic, chicken was dried out. The salsa was an absolute disgrace. I would not recommend. read more