This location is very convenient on the corner of 249 and Bammel. The shopping center makes it…read moreaccessible from several entrances, and that was a factor in choosing to dine here.
This is one of those locations where the overall rating is pretty accurate. There were definite highlights of the experience, but the largest part of my rating will always focus on my entrees, and those were kind of terrible.
Service was okay. The staff wasn't really engaged, but they did accomplish their tasks. I wouldn't describe anyone who was working Sunday evening as friendly, but they did their jobs.
We started out with a Tamarindo Agua Fresca and a Dr. Pepper. Judging from the large size of the cups, I am guessing they don't do refills, but I did not ask. The agua fresca was strong, but very good. We were served with chips and salsa and then we added on an order of chile con queso for $4.50.
The chips were quite good, definitely the best thing we had during our visit. They tasted homemade and I love a thick, crispy tortilla chip. Our server saw we ran out of chips before our food came and did not offer or ask if we wanted more. This leads me to believe they don't refill these either, without a charge, but it's just an impression I was given and I could be mistaken.
The salsa was warm, slightly spicy and heavy on the tomato flavor. The queso was shockingly small for the price and had a very thick texture. I was disappointed because it tasted okay, but not good enough to justify the price we paid.
We placed our orders and waited a reasonable amount of time. My husband got the carne asada quesadilla plate for $8.99 and the portion was a decent size for the price. I ordered 4 tacos and a small side of rice, all of which were $1.50 each.
My rice was okay, but my tacos were not. The tortillas are clearly not made in house, but I won't knock you for having cold, store bought tortillas if you fill them with something tasty. Someone was really heavy handed with the salt that day, and that was the final factor that helped us decide we would not be returning.
I actually *like* salt, but I could feel my blood pressure rising just from a few bites, it felt that unhealthy. The only thing that wasn't salty was the pastor, it was actually bland and cold. The barbacoa, nopalitos and carnitas were all salty though. In addition, the barbacoa was too greasy and the nopalitos tasted weirdly sour and bitter (instead of tart). The carnitas had the best texture of all the tacos, but they were the saltiest thing on my plate, making it difficult to eat.
My husband let me sample a bit of his carne asada and I was shocked that it was greasier and saltier than anything on my plate. It was so greasy that a few minutes into our meal, the plate was covered in orange grease and it had soaked through the quesadilla. It was mostly inedible and frankly, hard to look at.
As we were wrapping things up, my husband used their restroom and immediately warned me to wait until we returned home... ewww.
I hope that this was a one off situation. Since we were only visiting the area, I have no way of knowing if this is normal for them. However, most of the food felt like a waste of money and the only items I actually enjoyed were my agua fresca and the chips.
Though I would like to give them the benefit of the doubt, I feel our experience had too many issues to gloss over and I'm obligated to give an honest rating. I generally tend to round up my ratings on a first visit since I know things happen, but I cannot justify a higher rating at this time.