This was the first Moe's I tried in the Triangle and it let me down. When you hover over the star…read moreratings on Yelp, two stars says, "Could've been better." That's exactly how I feel about my experience here. It could've been better.
There are three Moe's Southwest Grill locations in Durham. This is the one at Renaissance Center at Southpoint, near I-40 exit 276.
I ordered using the Moe's app. I didn't realize it until I got home, but the staff forgot the red salsa I ordered. "Red salsa" was even printed on the ticket inside my bag. The staff did include the green salsa I ordered, but it was just a tiny size for a large bag of chips. What the heck? Now, we did get a cup of queso too, but this order was seriously lacking in salsa. Disappointing. This wouldn't have been a big deal if we had dined in because we could've just gone to the counter and asked for more salsa. However, for pickup orders, the staff here needs to do better job of checking to see that every item on each ticket is fulfilled.
One of the items we got was a Homewrecker Bowl with white meat chicken ($9.59). The amount of food in this Homewrecker Bowl was significantly less than the last Homewrecker Bowl I got at a different Moe's location. Also, there was barely any chicken in the bowl. You really had to dig around to find a small piece here and there. They really skimped on the portions, especially the meat. It was sad.
Aside from the above issues, we did enjoy the food that was there. I got the cup of queso for free because I was using the Moe's app for the first time. If you've never used the Moe's app before, it's worth trying and getting the free cup of queso. You have to remember to add the cup of queso to your cart. It was regularly $3.99 when I got it. I uninstalled the app afterwards since I don't buy from Moe's often. The chips and queso were good. My wife liked it.
If you're a regular at Moe's, then for every $1 you spend through the app or website (with a Moe's account), you earn 1 point. When you collect 100 points, you get a $10 reward. In other words, spend $100 to get a $10 reward to use on a future visit.
By default, "Homewrecker" burritos and burrito bowls come with a choice of protein, rice, beans, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream, and guac. For the Homewrecker Bowl with white meat chicken, we got cilantro lime rice and black beans plus grilled onions, grilled peppers, pickled jalapenos, cilantro, and Southwest vinaigrette dressing. I thought this bowl was OK. I think a typical Chipotle bowl tastes better, is more filling, and a better value. My wife liked the Homewrecker Bowl more than me.
Another item we got was the Homewrecker Burrito with ground beef ($8.89). I decided to get ground beef because I don't remember having Moe's ground beef before. It was alright. It's hard to mess up ground beef, I think. Along with the default Homewrecker ingredients, I got this burrito with seasoned rice, black beans, grilled onions, grilled peppers, fresh jalapenos, cilantro, and Chipotle ranch dressing. I liked this burrito way more than the bowl. Together with the chips and queso, the burrito was filling and satisfying. They weren't as stingy with the ground beef as they were with the white meat chicken, but I do think the burrito could've had a little more beef.
Ordering with the app was easy. I liked the interface. The staff was polite, friendly, and did the company signature "Welcome to Moe's!" when I entered. There was an estimated 15-minute turnaround time from the time I placed my order. My order was ready and waiting at the pickup station inside, across from the register, in less than 15 minutes. Nice and fast, which wasn't surprising considering the restaurant was mostly empty and there was no one in line when I visited around 7:41pm on a Wednesday night.
I was charged a $0.35 "service fee" before tax and tip. Maybe they should just build (hide) that into the price of the food.
This Moe's has a relatively spacious dining room along with several tables outside on an uncovered patio.
I probably won't return to this Moe's location, mainly because I don't eat at Moe's much.
In general, I like Moe's OK. The first year they opened, my friends and I used to go to the original location in Buckhead Atlanta when we were college students at Georgia Tech. The brand is headquartered in Atlanta. Nearly 20 years later, I attended a Yelp event at a Moe's in Sandy Springs, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta) to see the company's new concept: https://www.yelp.com/biz/elites-get-the-first-taste-part-1-sandy-springs-sandy-springs.