Arlington, VA 22209
(703) 807-0840
I think this place is all hype. It's just not what I expected. To be honest I've had better Mexican at Chi-Chi's when they were still in business.
I'm embarrassed to think that with the number of Latin American people that live in the Northern Virginia area, let alone Arlington county this is considered really good, or great Mexican Food!
As most yelpers have already stated the Chips and Salsa are only the redeeming value to this place, which is why it doesn't get 1 star. I didn't have any of their margaritas so i can't attest to their quality.
As an appetizer we ordered the tamales. For our entrees, my girlfriend ordered the Chicken Enchiladas which Guajillo proclaims to serve Washington's Best Enchilada, I ordered the Enchilada de Pato (duck). I had planned on ordering tacos but when I asked the server he didn't hesitate to tell me how great the Duck was, and that I would love it.
The tamales were good, and the pico de gallo sauce was equally as good so I was very optimistic. When our food came out, I was immediately disappointed, again as the more astute yelpers pointed out the rice that was served is clearly not Latin American Rice. It tastes just like rice pilaf, except using a shorter grain rice. I should have known to ask for my check here!
My girlfriends chicken enchilada was watery and had no flavor at all, it tasted like dry chicken pieces in a plain corn tortilla, with a nice runny bath watery moisture sliding down my throat.
She felt her dish was at least edible.
The Enchilada de Pato with mole sauce which the server told me was great, should be called Enchilada de Mierda con Salsa Vomito. I should have known better because duck is not easy to cook and probably shouldn't be served in Mexican Food, it's also something that is a good barometer to whether or not a restaurant can actually cook. What further piqued my interest was that it was listed as one of 7 specialty dishes on their menu.
It just outright sucked.
If anyone has met me I don't look like someone who's skipped a meal, but to say the least I took two bites of my Enchilada de Mierda con Salsa Vomito aka Enchilada de pato and I was done. It was dry, flavorless, and caused me to lose my appetite. Maybe I can visit this place three meals a day and I would lose the weight that I want to in a very short period of time.
I might be willing to give this place another shot because I hear it's family owned, and I know how tough it can be keeping standards high in a family business but, this was an awful experience.
It actually made me bitter that I spent $60.00 including tip for a meal I didn't eat, I think to some degree I was in shock because the place was so crowded and everyone else seemed to enjoy their food. Price is normally never a factor I've found unless the food sucks.
This experience is a further validation that:
#1 Washington, DC area has along way to go to even come close to NY, LA, Chicago, or Boston's Restaurant Scene.
#2 Washingtonian Magazine and Washington Post are pure hype machines, and have people without taste buds as their food critics.
The icing on the cake to this story was that on the way home I got a foot long sub from Subway and was much happier. I can't express enough how disappointed I was because I really wanted to find a go to Mexican place that wasn't Baja Fresh.
This place gets a Belly Fat 1 Star.
My new rating system:
BELLY FAT = 1 Star = It's only good to fill your stomach in the event of a nuclear fall out.
FAT ASS = 2 Stars = It's good enough that you can sit hear and add some junk to the trunk.
MAN BOOBS = 3 Stars = It's good, so be prepared to develop man boobs.
FAT
HEAD = 4 Stars = It's really good so after the fat is packed onto your
gut, rump, and boobs, it will have to find a release in your big fat
head.
SUMO = 5 Stars = It's
good enough that you should use this as a primary source of consumption
to become a professional sumo wrestler.
