Fuego Cantina
1101 20th St S, Birmingham, AL, 35205
Fuego Cantina Menu
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Address :
1101 20th St S
Birmingham, AL, 35205 - Phone (205) 933-1544
- Website https://www.fuegobirmingham.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :4:00 pm - 2:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Good For Dancing : No
Alcohol : Full Bar
Happy Hour : Yes
Best Nights : Thu, Fri, Sat
Coat Check : No
Smoking : Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
Categories
Mexican Cuisine
If you enjoy Taco Tuesday, then you have officially fallen in love with the Mexican Food. The main grain of Mexican cuisine is maize. Also known as corn, maize is grown for the past 9000 years after the crop was discovered by the people in Mayan civilization. Mexican empire flourished when they started growing beans, tomatoes, chili pepper, sweet potato and cactus. Till this date these ingredients are used in cooking authentic Mexican dishes and drinks.
Great use of spices, fresh chili pepper dishes like fajitas, tortilla chips, corn chips, salsa, chimichangas, burritos, nachos and quesadillas are invented in America. But when you are looking for authentic Mexican food then you must find a restaurant in the city that serves Rajas con Queso, Garbanzo in a Guajillo Chile Sauce, Pork Filled Chiles Rellenos, Chiles en Nogada, Molcajete Salsa, Pico de Gallo and Frijoles de la Olla. An eye-opening fact – Mexican don't like their food hot. They use fresh chili and other spices to create a flavor that lingers in your mouth.
Mexican food is great for those who are Gluten Intolerant as they use Corn instead of wheat in most of their dishes. Also, you can easily find many beans based Mexican dishes. Another dish which didn't get similar glory as tacos or nachos is the Mexican hot chocolate. If you love something hot on a chilly day, then go for Mexican Hot Chocolate. On merry days, you can enjoy the authentic Mexican Drinks like Tequila, Mezcal, Tecuí, Sotol, Bacanora, Charanda, Posh O Pox, Puebla and Pulque. Mexican Cuisine is for people who enjoy strong drinks and hearty meals.
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Marshall N.
The food is just not that good, and their prices are too high. No free chips and salsa at a mexican place? CHEAP! Their happy hour is a scam. Half priced tacos, but the tacos are 1/3 the size! No thanks! The only reason they got 2 stars over 1: The service was good. That's not enough to get me to come back. Never again, Fuego
(2)Clint S.
Like others have stated, the food is subpar at best. I've been to several other Mexican food restaurants that has managed to easily surpass the quality of food that Fuego offers. Very overpriced for basic food. Additionally, the staff are an absolute atrocity. A female friend and myself dared to eat dinner here after attending a local function and was insulted and harassed by a waitress named Melanie. Not only did she insult us for being together (due to our ethnicities), but she was also condescending about us being a male and female who are not in a relationship simply eating dinner. I would rather eat dirt amongst street rats than sit at this pathetic excuse of a restaurant.
(1)Brad S.
Five Points is a bastion of fine dining and quality nightlife, though some do it better than others, and in the case of Fuego, they're much better at the latter than the former. In the restaurant's defense, a cantina is more about the drink than the food, and it seems like Fuego does moderately well in this case, providing an inviting atmosphere both inside an out that encourages its patrons to sit and enjoy a drink or three on the patio. But it turns out they have a food menu, too, and it's this food menu from which we ate. There's a fair amount of options, including a variety of regional burritos - things like California burritos with fries, and a Caribbean jerk chicken burrito, and it's the second of these choices I ate for my meal. But first, an appetizer. The fried pickled jalapeno slices looked good on paper, and were fried well, but there was a bitterness in the jalapenos that was downright displeasing. They weren't finished. While blackened jerk chicken may sound appetizing on the menu, the resulting product was standard food service fare, and it was accompanied by some rice and guacamole that tasted like it had been sitting around for a while. I think the idea for the food menu is to offer something to munch on once you've had a few too many margaritas (and while they're made with a good tequila, it will take quite a few to start feeling it). Fuego's food was lazy, and devoid of conviction. There are plenty of other good dining choices in the area, and there are other good drinking areas, too, leaving Fuego with not much to offer.
(2)Meggen D.
I should've paid attention to the Yelp rating this place already had. I was in need of a quick bite to eat before heading to the airport, so I looked past the rating and headed to Fuego. First of all, I'm from Texas. So..."Tex-Mex" actually means something to me. Fuego advertised "Tex-Mex" and I got...uh...not. I cringed when I first looked at the menu: nachos, burritos, cheesesteaks?! Not your normal Tex-Mex progression. I got the nachos. It's hard to eff up nachos. Somehow they managed. It wasn't terrible, but it just wasn't good. I prefer Taco Bell nachos, honestly. The chips were big and soggy. They tried to do the "fancy" individual-chip nachos, and I wasn't really looking for that. The waitress was totally unattentive, too. She was sitting at a table near us wrapping silverware and would ask us across the bar area if we needed anything rather than walking to our table and asking us. Kind of a let-down. The bright spot in the whole thing was the beer. I tried a Good People Brewing Co. beer that was very tasty. I'll definitely have that beer again. However, Fuego will not be so lucky!
(2)Gigi D.
On a nice day, the patio is a great place to sit. Decent mojitos. Brisket taco was good. Chicken taco wasn't all that.
(2)Mike L.
Baja fish tacos were the best lettuce tacos I have ever tasted... no fish. Chicken fajitas were burnt black. Wait staff appeared to not want to be there, mostly sitting around talking with each other when not outside smoking (Frank Stint would have a come apart if he knew where they smoked on Sunday evenings). Margaritas were way overpriced. $13 for chips and a sample of three dips?
(1)Tim D.
Well, the food was decent, but the spectacle of the staff trying to hook up with each other was far more entertaining. The bartender dude was obviously involved with the green haired girl, yet, still getting some loving contact from the brunette with the large chest. Another server dude was trying to flirt with the blond waitress, but didn't seem to be getting anywhere. It was like watching a cheap episode of Twilight, without the talent or abs. With all of the huggy/kissy/touchy activities going on, it was a bit difficult to get any sort of service. The food did come out warm, with decent flavor (at least the cook is on task), but the up-front staff was absolutely embarrassing to watch. Wouldn't recommend this place, given the inattentive staff, but the food has potential. The owner/manager needs to either be on site, or hire someone who can keep the staff on task.
(1)Kristina V.
The location is amazing. The decor is cute and fun. The food is dismal. It can't be that hard to make tasty americanized mexican food. Tons of places do! Please, for the love of 5 points, hire a chef. Maybe hire the Camp Taco people.
(2)Eric M.
I don't know why I get happy hour margaritas. I always think, maybe this place will make good ones! And I'm always wrong. The margaritas were 95% ice and crappy margarita mix. That would be excusable if the food was any good. We had the Dip Trio for an appetizer (no free chips and salsa should be the first warning sign at a Mexican restaurant). The guac - bland, the queso - bland, the salsa - bland. They didn't offer any salsa with real spice. We should have tried the app before ordering entrees, but we didn't. So we went with fajitas (steak for me, mushroom for my wife). These fajitas put the B in bland. So devoid of taste! I felt bad for the cow who donated the meat for the fajitas, because their use of it was reprehensible. It should be a crime to cook a steak with so little taste. If they need some tips on cooking steak they can feel free to contact me! Oh, and their service was pretty bad too.
(1)Brian M.
Eh, it's okay. But, don't set your expectations too high. I've been to Fuego several times and it's always been okay. Inside it looks like the lovechild of a Latin tapas bar and a small tequila bar in San Diego. Outside there is a phenomenal patio with a nice fire pit for the cool nights and live acoustic music on the warm ones. I will give credit where its due, this an above average option for sitting outside on a warm evening to have a drink and hors d'oeuvres with friends while enjoying some people watching in the heart of 5 Points. But, if you are thinking about going for dinner or you are in a hurry...I'd say don't do it. The food is okay. I do not think there is any other way to describe it. It is not bad, but I think they are trying to be too cute and creative with the menu. So, I've never had anything really good there and definitely not great. If you are there for drinks and get hungry, it's good enough. But, this really is not a destination spot for dinner. And, if you are going with a medium to large sized group, as I was recently, then you better block out several hours of your night because the service is below average at best. I even had to go get some needed items myself like silverware, water refills, extra chips for the queso/salsa, etc. So, go for the location and the atmosphere, and enjoy a mildly overpriced libation of your choosing. But, choose any one of the couple hundred Latin, Mexican and TexMex spots around B'ham if you are going primarily for dinner.
(2)Jeffrey L.
This was my first time to Fuego Cantina and it will be my last. This place looks great and fun from the outside, but the inside needs repairs and needs a new wait staff. The wait staff is just sitting around doing nothing when they should at least look busy. The margarita's were terrible and our waitress tried to charge us for the one we returned. Most of the chairs and bar stools are falling apart and the men's restroom sink did not even have a handle to turn on the water. Where is the management for this place?? What Mexican restaurant charges for chips and salsa, this one does. That's the first clue this place is going out of business.
(1)Lisa R.
The food is pretty good. We came in with a large group and had several different appetizers, all of which were very delish. I wasn't really feeling the mexican that night so had a burger which was actually really really good. Now the service, good golly was it ever terrible!! We only had 8 people and she couldn't remember the food or drink orders. It took about three trips to get all of the food out which included the question "Ok, so what food did I forget?"
(2)David B.
Fuego cantina looks nice from the outside but like your 6th grade teacher told the fat girl "it's what's on the inside that counts." The food here is nothing special and isn't even that cheap. I would go back here to drink a beer and watch a game but not for the food. On a related note...that fat girl is hot now and wants nothing to do with you because you were a prick to her in middle school.
(2)Jacob M.
I knew what to expect when I went to a Mexican food restaurant in AL. However, I also expect prompt service and courtesy. WHY I NEED TO VISIT YELP BEFORE I DINE! I was dragged here by coworkers looking to unwind. My party arrived around 5:30 and were the only the second table on the patio. No tables were seated indoors and just a few folks around the bar. We ordered a round of watered down Mojitos and Margaritas. Trust me, nothing special here. About an hour later, the waitress came by to take our food order. Approximately 6 tables were now seated at the patio all having drinks with no food. This should have been my sign to eat chips for dinner...We ordered our food from what seemed like a mismatch of bar food. 45 five minutes later, the first 3 of 7 plates arrived, then 2 more about 5 minutes later, then 2 more about 8 minutes and finally the last plate after everyone in our party was finished. Hey, were talking nachos and tacos, not anything special. 1 hour to get 2 pork tacos? Enchiladas? Nasty. Nachos? Tasted like licking a a salt lick. During this time, I saw two couples walk their table due to frustration, I saw 3 tables pay for their bill before we finished eating. Also, a waiter actually made a couple get up from their table since he stated they were seated out of sequence and the table belonged to someone else. Needless to say, they headed for the door. If you want a cheap watered down drink, go and sit on the patio. Just don't expect much. If you must, eat the chips and queso. It was okay. When you're done with drinks, take a nice walk across the street to JNN or Surin to eat. Hopefully, this place will close soon and something decent will show up.
(1)Jose R.
Food was just ok. Place was stingy. No free chips and salsa? No sides with the tacos? Not coming back.
(2)Von S.
Not a authentic Mexican restaurant. The service was horrible. The waitress couldn't get the orders correct. It took a longtime to get drinks. One hour to get a bottle beer, cmon. Smh, couldn't handle a party of five.
(1)Emily C.
I went here on a Friday night for Happy Hour and dinner with a group before going out in Five Points while I was in town for a wedding. This is not the type of place to go if you like Mexican food a lot, because it's not high quality (as is reflected in its prices). That being said, I'm only reviewing the service. Upon arriving at the restaurant and not knowing anything about it previously, I was pleasantly surprised with the unique and decorative outdoor seating area. However, since rain was in the forecast, my party and I opted for eating indoors. We got to Fuego at 6:15, which only gave us 45 short minutes of happy hour, but our waitress told us she would come back in time for each of us to order an additional drink at happy hour prices (and she did!)...a huge plus for Fuego. Then everything started heading downhill. It took our server about 25 minutes to bring us our first drink, even though we were the ONLY people in the restaurant. Then it took her an additional 30 minutes to bring us the chips, salsa, and queso. Then another 20 minutes to bring us our tacos. I've never had Mexican food that has taken this long - there is no reason for Mexican food to take this long, especially since NO ONE was in the restaurant. When we got our checks, mine was incorrect. They charged me for two drinks at regular price instead of just charging me for one drink at happy hour price. I alerted our waitress, and she, very kindly, told me that she would fix it. She brought it back, and it was still incorrect. So, I went and told her, and she said she would have to talk to the manager because he had changed it (in an attempt to fix it). The manager came up to me and tried to explain what he did and how he had attempted to fix the check. However, it was still off by $2. I explained to him how it was still off. He then told me, in a very condescending way, that he could just give me $2 if I really wanted it. I declined and went back to the table. This is unacceptable. He is the manager. He should know better than to do that. In his defense, he did come up to me after our conversation and apologized for being a "smart-ass" and offered me the $2 cash once again. Once again, a manager should know a more proper way of handling this type of situation. Maybe I'm being naive, but a manager should not say any curse words in front of a client, in any circumstance. It is completely inappropriate. I really hope that Fuego addresses this issue as it would've been an overall pleasant experience had this not happened.
(1)Luke M.
We came at lunch time and the place was fairly empty. Service was slow and we couldn't believe how long it took to get our food. Food was decent, not great, and overpriced. To make matters worse, three flies started buzzing our table as soon as food was delivered. I do not recommend.
(2)Margo H.
This is a fun place to go with a group of friends. drinks and dinner was great. not fine dining, but great hangout.
(4)Staci C.
Taco Tuesdays. $2 tacos and their good!!! Great outdoor seating, tvs outside on the patio. Good place!
(4)Jason L.
Absolutely horrendous service. The salsa was ok, but after we waited for 45 minutes on our simple order of enchiladas and burritos on a Saturday afternoon for a lunch, we, and several other hungry and frustrated patrons, walked out and were never given an explanation or an apology. Cannot say anything about the food, but we will never go back. There are too many better options in the area. Skip this one.
(1)TJ J.
$2 Taco Tuesdays! Very busy when we arrived but got a chance to sit at the bar where we were served pretty quickly. Food was good and it was very affordable.
(4)Dom B.
Who would award any stars to Fuego, just an awful dinning experiance. Had the California burrito, it needs renamed the Idaho, only becuse it's all potato. The server was the highlight, prompt and friendly, sorry she works in such a poor resturaunt. I guess I have to award one star for the review to post, who knew.
(1)Lucy T.
Cheese quesadilla was great. The service was slow.
(3)Karl L.
Well. Where to start. We were drawn in by the menu posted out front promising $4 mojitos and half price wine until 7. It was 6. Bingo! The little lady had two mojitos that were good, she reports. I had two glasses of a low-class jug pinot Grigio and a best-of-class $12 margarita that wasn't. No Grand Marnier to be found and what I got rated a six at best. The sour mix was straight out of a packet, nothing fresh about it, portion size was small and nary a smack 'o alcohol was tasted. Guacamole for a snack was also definitely prepack and had too much like as they attempted to keep the avocados from browning. Now it's bill time. I was charged $16 for that crappy wine I wouldn't have had if it weren't half price, so I "discussed" with the otherwise very friendly waitress the problem. I pulled a menu and, nope, it wasn't there, so we walked up to the menu at front where I pointed to the half price wine. I win, right? No, that's only at the attached bar which can't even be seen from the location of the menu and requires walking around the fenced in patio. The manager wouldn't come out to discuss but comped one glass, which is pretty lazy and really reeks on the customer service front. tldr: mediocre food, failed drinks on average, and a misleading menu. Never again.
(1)Jimmy H.
In town and stopped in for lunch. Had the steak tacos with a side of beans and rice. Tacos had little beef and the a bit too many fried jalapeños, not that I don't love heat, but it became the primary flavor. Sides were horrible...rice was not fresh and lacked salt, obviously leftover from the day before. The beans tasted ok, but not worth the price. If you pay an extra couple bucks for a side of beans and rice, it should be more than a couple tablespoons worth, but then again, I didn't even finish what they gave due to the taste.
(1)Hannah D.
One of my faves in downtown B'ham. I am a vegetarian and the server was very helpful the first time I went! The nachos and taco salad are my choice! And, they are dog friendly as long as your pup is on a leash and you sit outside! :)
(5)Meredith C.
Fuego cantina had amazing queso dip. I love this place because it's in a prime location with lots of people watching! The food is great and the service is friendly and fast.
(4)Brian H.
I was surprised to see that this place had such low ratings. My experience was pretty good. We ordered an app of Nachos, Queso, and Salsa, which was a bit pricier than I was hoping for, but was still good. We had a lot of broken chips, but our server took note and she brought a new basket full of whole chips without us needing to ask. Our primary goal was tacos though. $2 tacos means a meal for $6, leaving plenty of room for a few $3 "Fuego-ritas" while still making it a cheap dinner. The tacos were great, I thought. Especially for $2 tacos. The "Fuego-ritas"... well, they tasted like they cost $3. Not sure there's really room to complain there. I don't expect it to be an 1800 when it costs that much. You get what you pay for. Overall, it's a super cheap dinner and drinks. If you're picky about quality things, I'm not sure why you'd be trying a place that you can get a taco and a margarita for $5.
(4)Ken A.
Service was terrible! Food was pretty good but the waitress was not friendly and this has happened on our last two visits. I will not be returning to this establishment.
(2)Dustin G.
Food was disgusting. We got a chicken chimichanga, and Chicken enchiladas. They used canned chicken and melted American cheese. Service was fine, but the food was pretty repulsive. What kind of restaurant uses canned chicken?
(1)Maz E.
Let's start with the Pros: - Beautiful location - The service was good and friendly One star can be given for the above. Cons: - The food was awful. I don't mean "meh" or not bad- it was terrible. I took two bites out of my taco and was done- My tastebuds could no longer endure the horror that was unleashed upon them by that terrible combination of flavors put in their taco. Some kind of tangy ranch type sauce that you would think would make things better by masking some of the horrid taste of the grease-doused fried pepper but no- no it does not. The sauce was so overwhelmingly tangy that it felt like I was having a sour patch taco- no thanks you. So, if you're ever having a night out in Birmingham and just want a nice patio to sit out on and have a couple of drinks- go for it, but steer clear of the menu lest you swear off of Mexican food completely after you try their abomination of an attempt.
(1)Allison M.
We found ourselves in the 5 Points Area of Birmingham, late morning on Easter Sunday. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, so sitting outside on a patio or deck was priority. We thought the patio at Fuego looked like the place. We were seated quickly and our drink order taken right away. I ordered the Mulligan and was surprised at how great it tasted. Especially, after reading other Yelp reviews about watered down drinks. Not the case for my Mulligan! My friend and both ordered the Taco Salads, hers with chicken, mine without. While there was nothing special about the salads (typical taco salad), it did hit the spot. I don't know if Fuego was just having a good day or what, but our service was excellent. The restaurant wasn't very crowded so the servers weren't busy or rushed, and they were very quick with our food and drinks. We had a great experience dining on the patio on a gorgeous Sunday in April!
(3)Laura G.
Came here for dinner on a Saturday night and had the guacamole, Baja fish tacos and classic chicken tacos. The good: Alishondra. Our service was absolutely fantastic. She was friendly, extremely attentive and made our experience significantly better than how the food made us feel. She deserves a huge thank you from management. The bad: Food. The chips were great, the guacamole was--I'm almost positive store bought. The tacos came out almost too fast, seemed like it had likely been sitting out ready to be microwaved. Both tacos had an absurd amount of lettuce used as filler, which looked like it came from a bag meant for Subway. The fish was quite salty, but decent and the chicken was pretty bland though the crema was alright. The average: The drinks were alright. The Texas margarita was okay, quite strong and just tasted like a normal margarita. The mango Margarita tasted pretty good but was quite small for $10. Overall a subpar restaurant with a shining light of a waitress who elevated our experience significantly. Thank you, Alishondra!
(2)Maggie S.
We went to eat here at 8:15 on a Saturday to find it not that crowded. We were seated and had our drink order taken right away, but from then on it felt like we were constantly waiting. We ordered the stuffed japalenos app and after 10 or so minutes of waiting, our server informed us that the kitchen was a bit behind and it would take about 10 more minutes for the appetizer. We said that was fine and put in our dinner order. Eventually the appetizer came out. It was okay, nothing special. It took probably another 30 minutes for us to get our meals. I ordered the buffalo chicken tacos and they were (again) only okay. The buffalo sauce was bland and it had zero spice. The girl brought my fiance's chicken fajitas but not the "setup plate" with tortillas, etc. She realized her mistake but the skillet had actually stopped sizzling by the time she brought it which was pretty disappointing. Overall our waitress was very friendly but the service was still poor. With food that is mediocre at best, plus poor service, we won't be back.
(2)Lesley S.
The best patio in town, and what a shame. This is one of the most disgusting restaurant I've ever experienced. I hate to say it, but everything about it has been disappointing, and the only reason that you should go is to get a drink while you're waiting to get into Chez Fonfon. The cheese dip is as awful as the service. I ordered a burrito and it had green beans and water chestnuts in it... I don't really know what that's about, but it doesn't sound like a burrito to me. Maybe you'll have a better experience, but I would not recommend ever going.
(1)Diane M.
We stopped in for a late Sunday afternoon lunch. I think this is a place best visited under the cover of darkness. The cloth seats were stained and dirty. There were broken chips on the already dirty floor. The handles on the bathroom sink were broken., Overall my party felt like we needed to soak in hand sanitizer after leaving. The food was fine, nothing special. Guacamole and salsa were grocery store quality.
(2)Kevin H.
It was a beautiful evening in Birmingham w/ unseasonably cooler weather in July. Saw this place w/ outside seating & said why not. $2 tacos on Tuesdays. Buffalo Chicken was good & Cajun Shrimp. Brisket was very tough & chewy. Sat for quite awhile w/ no waitress. Jade passed by & asked where our server was. She jumped right in & took care of us.
(2)Jacob W.
I've been here twice, and both times had the same experience--ehh, really? As far as service, food quality, and price goes, there's much left to be desired. I want to go here, I want to like it, but I just can't. The location and setup are great, and if you're in 5 Points, you're drawn to Fuego because of its appearance. I ordered a quesadilla for about $10 and that's exactly what I got. A mediocre tasting quesadilla. And nothing else. Chips or fries? Oh that's extra. I can't speak for the drinks, but if you're looking for a great meal in 5 Points that you won't regret paying for, walk a little further to Chez Fon Fon or 26.
(2)Kelly P.
The location and the interior are great, but the food is just mediocre. Very disappointing.
(2)Will L.
Ruh roh, Fuego. We went here at 4pm on a Saturday and as expected, it wasn't busy. There looked to be only two other tables seated. The young lady, who was very nice, came to our table within a few minutes to grab our drink order. Here is where it went down hill... It was 25 minutes before she came back to take our food order. I only know this because we had one hour to dine, so I was keeping up with the time. Blerg. Since things ran late, one of the members of our party had to leave without his food. No biggie. We just got it To-Go. Sadly, we found out they got the order wrong when we finally delivered it to him. Blerg. If you're going to get more than one margarita, I suggest getting the pitcher. The $7 house margarita comes in a very shallow, authentic looking glass. I could seriously have taken the whole thing down in little more than one gulp. Blerg. Finally, they charge for salsa. Whatever, that's not the end of the world. It just seems that if you're paying $4 for a small thing of salsa, refills would be included. They weren't. Blerg.
(2)Matt S.
Saw had a 2 Star. Took a chance on a Thursday night, great experience. Has a great area outside with a fire pit. We sat inside, only about 5 people sitting around. Waitress was very attentive on taking care of us, refilling drinks. Sweat tea was excellent. My fiancé enjoyed the 1$ margaritas. I got a Chicken Chimichanga. Was a little more expensive than your typical hole in wall Mexican Joint but it was also twice the size with twice the caso cheese. Chips and salsa are not complementary which is my only gripe. We bought chips and salsa, they were salty, fresh, and hot...salsa was great. I read all the bad reviews on slow service so I timed it. Food was out well within 8 minutes. I think the bad reviews may stem from this places location and that they probably have large "walk in off street" crowds on Weekends since they are one of the few restaurants open very late with a bar on the main 5 Points drag. I would highly recommend.
(5)Matt B.
Don't waste your time here. Management is extremely unprofessional and uninviting. Today was my last time there, despite spending many of my early 20's at this place. The break down: I take a seat at the bar, enjoy some pleasant conversation with the bartender. My food and beer arrives shortly there after..... I then have to uncomfortably suffer through a loud and angry conversation as the GM proceeds to drop the F Bomb +20 in a expletive rant that lasts right around 5 minutes . (Not an exaggeration) Everybody has their days, but the fact that upper management is so unfriendly, uninviting, and unprofessional leads me to strongly suggest spending you hard earned cash somewhere else. Cheers
(1)Kitty K.
Im at Fuegos now and I can't believe they don't have five stars?! I'm shocked! I had the Korean Soft Tacos and they are so freakin good!!! Gotta try it!
(5)Caroline C.
I come here often but this time was different. We got seated and waited...and waited..and waited. We also watched a waitress serve the only other person out on the patio. Not only his meal, but followed by a beer, then a coke. All the while we still haven't been acknowledged. We go in to the bar to order, then the waitress comes to "find us". It isn't busy enough to avoid any business that may come thru on this slow night. There were only 3 tables in the whole place. The food was great once it finally arrived. This specific group of servers/bartenders were not some of my favorite.
(3)David M.
I've been here a few times and I always think it will be better than it is. The food is not bad, in fact the hotdog was pretty decent (though it was about the size of my arm). I just never enjoy it the way I think I am going to. They do have good happy hour prices though, and the patio seating is really nice in the evening.
(3)Emily C.
Why would I pay inflated prices for food I can make drunk in my kitchen?
(1)Megan C.
The food was not very good. The quesadillas we got were not warm enough a the salad I got was not chilled like a normal salad. The service was nothing special either but not terrible.
(2)Kelly S.
I've eaten here before several times, always on taco Tuesday (their tacos are phenomenal), but today I tried something different. After having a few drinks at the bar, we shared an order of Cowboy Nachos, and we're fairly disappointed. The beef brisket on the tacos was amazing, but other than that, it was simple tex- mex fare. Brisket, cheese, jalapenos, all atop individual yellow corn chips surrounding a bed of shredded iceberg with sour cream and pico de gallo. The guacamole crema listed in the menu description was missing. I mean, it was okay... but not great. I feel the negative reviews from other diners are due to ordering the "wrong" items (if you order a cheese quesadilla or plain beef tacos, don't expect to be impressed here or anywhere else), but the Cowboy Nachos did not live up to their potential. With that said, the service was excellent. We sat at the bar during happy hour, and the bartender, Alex, was conversational but not intrusive, and seemed to really know his game. I'll be back... for the tacos.
(3)Ryan S.
This restaurant is beautiful. Their outdoor seating is set around a cobble stone accented fire pit with spicy-yellow umbrellas to shade modernistic tables and chairs. The inside is dark, lush, and exotic without cramping or over-stuffing the atmosphere with tacky and assertive decor. If only things had stopped right there. My co-worker and I went for lunch. As this was our first time here we needed a minute to review the menu. So we ordered chips and salsa to satiate ourselves during the confusing attempt to understand what style of cuisine this place was. Corn and crab nachos? Nathan's Hot Dog's? Philly Cheese Steak? A Cuban sandwich? Fish and Chips? Or classic fajitas? Is that "fusion" or something? Anyway, we winded up just eating the wonderfully salted chips since we could not figure out how to get the red, chunky water to stay on the crispy chip. We looked past this as most hopeless lunch rushers do when we see red flags. Our server was super-duper nice and enthusiastically suggested the seasoned beef burrito. "They are super-huge and really good." Although her passionate description of her favorite menu item fluttered from her heart to our ears, we passed and opted instead for the foot long Cuban sandwich and the Santa Fe Wrap. I would tell you how it tasted but you see I gave the place one star. I wouldn't go back unless someone was buying me drinks or I would get a turn swinging the the wrecking ball into their condemned kitchen. Nine dollar hot dogs must be joke? Right? Last thought: Had I just been going to get a drink here with no expectation to order and eat Mexican food then this place's atmosphere and setting would easily generate three stars. They need to wake up the menu and the service.
(1)Meredith D.
Average, run-of-the-mill Mexican. Nothing special. I stopped here for a quick drink/bite on a Thursday night and it was moderately busy. In terms of food, nothing memorable. I hate to complain about the waitress because the service she provided was great. But she was incredibly strange and hung around our table to listen to our conversations. So all in all, no reason to go back. I'll pass.
(2)Eddie S.
Came here for lunch today and left thinking I should have listened to the yelp reviews telling me to go elsewhere. Guacamole was flavorless, jalapeño Mac and cheese left much to be desired for, steak tacos were bland, and the BBQ bacon burger was terrible. The margaritas were sweet, weak, and leave you feeling bloated. Possibly the worst meal I have ever had. Service was average and the bathroom was filthy. However, sitting on the patio and watching the traffic go by was nice. My suggestion - dine anywhere but here.
(1)Angel T.
Walked by this place on my way to Chez Fon Fon and decided to visit the next night. Service was not great (got my meal 15 minutes prior to my table) and margaritas were watered down. Would skip it if you can.
(2)Mr B.
Definitely one of the worst restaurants in Southside. Location and patio are the only redeeming qualities. Food is meh, service is pathetic. This place constantly runs Groupons likely because they can't get regular business otherwise. Without the patio this place would have closed long ago.
(2)Herschel G.
I thought the Mojitos were great, and the fact that they were half price during happy hour certainly helped. Not completely understanding the poor reviews I've read. I'm guessing the prices are a little higher than diners would want and that throws them off because--psychologically speaking--Mexican food should be cheap a la Taco Bell. I could be wrong... Considering where it is and the types of restaurants around it, I felt like the prices were expected. We decided to step outside the box of traditional Mexican choices and get sandwiches. I had the Cuban sandwich. It was huge, stuffed with quality meat and cheese and the Spanish mustard gave it an awesome kick. Best Cuban sandwich I've ever had. My wife had the Philly cheese steak. She is originally from Philly and is notorious for her criticism of all of the impostor sandwiches out there. In this case, she was rendered speechless, mustering a very euphoric thumbs up after a couple of bites. The one nibble she allowed me to have literally melted in my mouth. The Fuego fries with that interesting spicy orange sauce were a great addition, but the sandwich made me so full I couldn't get through half of them. Great first visit to the Five Points section of Birmingham. Next time, we'll go a little later and stay for the night life.
(4)Brad H.
Not sure why there are so many low ratings after my lunch here went so well. Used a Groupon and tried a couple items--crab and corn nachos were really good, surprisingly good. My wife would not stop raving about the salsa--yes, chips and salsa are not free, but only a few bucks and our server kept refilling us on both. The wife can't wait to go back for more salsa (seriously, I'm gonna have to take her just to get her to shut up about it!) and I want to go on a Tuesday for "Taco Tuesday" $2 tacos.
(4)Brian B.
Not really Mexican , not really good. Waitress was friendly so additional star for that
(2)Rachael D.
I had a good time at Fuegos. I went for Superbowl Sunday and it was busy. I had not problem with waitstaff. Actually everyone was very friendly and prompt. Their saving grace is their cocktails. The margaritas were good but the best thing was the pina colada mojito. Usually I am the person who argues for the authenticity of a cocktail but not in this case. Thy infuse their own rums here (pineapple, orange, lemon, raspberry, watermelon). They used pineapple to make the 'pina colada mojito' and it was fabulous. Nothing like the over-sweetened creamy thing you get at a tropical resort. If you go, go for the drinks! Now the food on the other hand was gross. I am from Texas and was craving a bit of home. This is not it!! I started with the white queso and tortilla chips. It was bland and the chips tasted like store bought. I was able to fix it with liberal additions of hot sauce and some of their tomatillo salsa (which I believe was an extra charge).
(3)Haley R.
I gave fuego 3 stars because I've had both good and bad experiences here. Don't expect to like it if you walk in on a Thursday night starving and pressed for time. You've gotta learn how to work the system. My advice: Go on a Tuesday. They have $2 gourmet tacos (my personal faves are the crab mango and Baja fish). It WILL be packed so get there early. I'd say 5:30 or 6pm. This is perfect because they're $3 margarita happy hour is still going strong and you can relax a bit before ordering. Service is slow. If you expect this and plan to make a night of it, you'll be fine.
(3)Janece M.
If I could give a no star rating I would. I had dinner on my birthday a few weeks back and had a horrible dining experience at this restaurant. The waitress seated us and did not return to our table until thirty minutes later to take our drink order only. We actually told her that we were ready to order but she left anyways. The bizarre part is that it was a slow evening and she passed by our table about six times but refused to stop after we attempted to wave her over after the fourth time. I almost decided to leave after the initial lack of service but my boyfriend convinced me to stay. However, by the end of the two and a half hour period of delayed service, mediocre food (I ordered the mushroom quesadilla and he ordered the wings with fuego fries - neither were anything special), and attitude from the waitress my boyfriend regretted convincing me to stay. I reported the young lady's lack of professionalism and poor service to the manager via phone the next day. Overall, I will never return to eat or drink at Fuego Cantina because of their horrible quality of customer service and courtesy.
(1)Clint S.
Like others have stated, the food is subpar at best. I've been to several other Mexican food restaurants that has managed to easily surpass the quality of food that Fuego offers. Very overpriced for basic food. Additionally, the staff are an absolute atrocity. A female friend and myself dared to eat dinner here after attending a local function and was insulted and harassed by a waitress named Melanie. Not only did she insult us for being together (due to our ethnicities), but she was also condescending about us being a male and female who are not in a relationship simply eating dinner. I would rather eat dirt amongst street rats than sit at this pathetic excuse of a restaurant.
(1)Marshall N.
The food is just not that good, and their prices are too high. No free chips and salsa at a mexican place? CHEAP! Their happy hour is a scam. Half priced tacos, but the tacos are 1/3 the size! No thanks! The only reason they got 2 stars over 1: The service was good. That's not enough to get me to come back. Never again, Fuego
(2)Lisa R.
The food is pretty good. We came in with a large group and had several different appetizers, all of which were very delish. I wasn't really feeling the mexican that night so had a burger which was actually really really good. Now the service, good golly was it ever terrible!! We only had 8 people and she couldn't remember the food or drink orders. It took about three trips to get all of the food out which included the question "Ok, so what food did I forget?"
(2)Tim D.
Well, the food was decent, but the spectacle of the staff trying to hook up with each other was far more entertaining. The bartender dude was obviously involved with the green haired girl, yet, still getting some loving contact from the brunette with the large chest. Another server dude was trying to flirt with the blond waitress, but didn't seem to be getting anywhere. It was like watching a cheap episode of Twilight, without the talent or abs. With all of the huggy/kissy/touchy activities going on, it was a bit difficult to get any sort of service. The food did come out warm, with decent flavor (at least the cook is on task), but the up-front staff was absolutely embarrassing to watch. Wouldn't recommend this place, given the inattentive staff, but the food has potential. The owner/manager needs to either be on site, or hire someone who can keep the staff on task.
(1)Mike L.
Baja fish tacos were the best lettuce tacos I have ever tasted... no fish. Chicken fajitas were burnt black. Wait staff appeared to not want to be there, mostly sitting around talking with each other when not outside smoking (Frank Stint would have a come apart if he knew where they smoked on Sunday evenings). Margaritas were way overpriced. $13 for chips and a sample of three dips?
(1)David B.
Fuego cantina looks nice from the outside but like your 6th grade teacher told the fat girl "it's what's on the inside that counts." The food here is nothing special and isn't even that cheap. I would go back here to drink a beer and watch a game but not for the food. On a related note...that fat girl is hot now and wants nothing to do with you because you were a prick to her in middle school.
(2)Brad S.
Five Points is a bastion of fine dining and quality nightlife, though some do it better than others, and in the case of Fuego, they're much better at the latter than the former. In the restaurant's defense, a cantina is more about the drink than the food, and it seems like Fuego does moderately well in this case, providing an inviting atmosphere both inside an out that encourages its patrons to sit and enjoy a drink or three on the patio. But it turns out they have a food menu, too, and it's this food menu from which we ate. There's a fair amount of options, including a variety of regional burritos - things like California burritos with fries, and a Caribbean jerk chicken burrito, and it's the second of these choices I ate for my meal. But first, an appetizer. The fried pickled jalapeno slices looked good on paper, and were fried well, but there was a bitterness in the jalapenos that was downright displeasing. They weren't finished. While blackened jerk chicken may sound appetizing on the menu, the resulting product was standard food service fare, and it was accompanied by some rice and guacamole that tasted like it had been sitting around for a while. I think the idea for the food menu is to offer something to munch on once you've had a few too many margaritas (and while they're made with a good tequila, it will take quite a few to start feeling it). Fuego's food was lazy, and devoid of conviction. There are plenty of other good dining choices in the area, and there are other good drinking areas, too, leaving Fuego with not much to offer.
(2)Meggen D.
I should've paid attention to the Yelp rating this place already had. I was in need of a quick bite to eat before heading to the airport, so I looked past the rating and headed to Fuego. First of all, I'm from Texas. So..."Tex-Mex" actually means something to me. Fuego advertised "Tex-Mex" and I got...uh...not. I cringed when I first looked at the menu: nachos, burritos, cheesesteaks?! Not your normal Tex-Mex progression. I got the nachos. It's hard to eff up nachos. Somehow they managed. It wasn't terrible, but it just wasn't good. I prefer Taco Bell nachos, honestly. The chips were big and soggy. They tried to do the "fancy" individual-chip nachos, and I wasn't really looking for that. The waitress was totally unattentive, too. She was sitting at a table near us wrapping silverware and would ask us across the bar area if we needed anything rather than walking to our table and asking us. Kind of a let-down. The bright spot in the whole thing was the beer. I tried a Good People Brewing Co. beer that was very tasty. I'll definitely have that beer again. However, Fuego will not be so lucky!
(2)Brian M.
Eh, it's okay. But, don't set your expectations too high. I've been to Fuego several times and it's always been okay. Inside it looks like the lovechild of a Latin tapas bar and a small tequila bar in San Diego. Outside there is a phenomenal patio with a nice fire pit for the cool nights and live acoustic music on the warm ones. I will give credit where its due, this an above average option for sitting outside on a warm evening to have a drink and hors d'oeuvres with friends while enjoying some people watching in the heart of 5 Points. But, if you are thinking about going for dinner or you are in a hurry...I'd say don't do it. The food is okay. I do not think there is any other way to describe it. It is not bad, but I think they are trying to be too cute and creative with the menu. So, I've never had anything really good there and definitely not great. If you are there for drinks and get hungry, it's good enough. But, this really is not a destination spot for dinner. And, if you are going with a medium to large sized group, as I was recently, then you better block out several hours of your night because the service is below average at best. I even had to go get some needed items myself like silverware, water refills, extra chips for the queso/salsa, etc. So, go for the location and the atmosphere, and enjoy a mildly overpriced libation of your choosing. But, choose any one of the couple hundred Latin, Mexican and TexMex spots around B'ham if you are going primarily for dinner.
(2)Jeffrey L.
This was my first time to Fuego Cantina and it will be my last. This place looks great and fun from the outside, but the inside needs repairs and needs a new wait staff. The wait staff is just sitting around doing nothing when they should at least look busy. The margarita's were terrible and our waitress tried to charge us for the one we returned. Most of the chairs and bar stools are falling apart and the men's restroom sink did not even have a handle to turn on the water. Where is the management for this place?? What Mexican restaurant charges for chips and salsa, this one does. That's the first clue this place is going out of business.
(1)Kristina V.
The location is amazing. The decor is cute and fun. The food is dismal. It can't be that hard to make tasty americanized mexican food. Tons of places do! Please, for the love of 5 points, hire a chef. Maybe hire the Camp Taco people.
(2)Eric M.
I don't know why I get happy hour margaritas. I always think, maybe this place will make good ones! And I'm always wrong. The margaritas were 95% ice and crappy margarita mix. That would be excusable if the food was any good. We had the Dip Trio for an appetizer (no free chips and salsa should be the first warning sign at a Mexican restaurant). The guac - bland, the queso - bland, the salsa - bland. They didn't offer any salsa with real spice. We should have tried the app before ordering entrees, but we didn't. So we went with fajitas (steak for me, mushroom for my wife). These fajitas put the B in bland. So devoid of taste! I felt bad for the cow who donated the meat for the fajitas, because their use of it was reprehensible. It should be a crime to cook a steak with so little taste. If they need some tips on cooking steak they can feel free to contact me! Oh, and their service was pretty bad too.
(1)Gigi D.
On a nice day, the patio is a great place to sit. Decent mojitos. Brisket taco was good. Chicken taco wasn't all that.
(2)Jacob M.
I knew what to expect when I went to a Mexican food restaurant in AL. However, I also expect prompt service and courtesy. WHY I NEED TO VISIT YELP BEFORE I DINE! I was dragged here by coworkers looking to unwind. My party arrived around 5:30 and were the only the second table on the patio. No tables were seated indoors and just a few folks around the bar. We ordered a round of watered down Mojitos and Margaritas. Trust me, nothing special here. About an hour later, the waitress came by to take our food order. Approximately 6 tables were now seated at the patio all having drinks with no food. This should have been my sign to eat chips for dinner...We ordered our food from what seemed like a mismatch of bar food. 45 five minutes later, the first 3 of 7 plates arrived, then 2 more about 5 minutes later, then 2 more about 8 minutes and finally the last plate after everyone in our party was finished. Hey, were talking nachos and tacos, not anything special. 1 hour to get 2 pork tacos? Enchiladas? Nasty. Nachos? Tasted like licking a a salt lick. During this time, I saw two couples walk their table due to frustration, I saw 3 tables pay for their bill before we finished eating. Also, a waiter actually made a couple get up from their table since he stated they were seated out of sequence and the table belonged to someone else. Needless to say, they headed for the door. If you want a cheap watered down drink, go and sit on the patio. Just don't expect much. If you must, eat the chips and queso. It was okay. When you're done with drinks, take a nice walk across the street to JNN or Surin to eat. Hopefully, this place will close soon and something decent will show up.
(1)Jose R.
Food was just ok. Place was stingy. No free chips and salsa? No sides with the tacos? Not coming back.
(2)Von S.
Not a authentic Mexican restaurant. The service was horrible. The waitress couldn't get the orders correct. It took a longtime to get drinks. One hour to get a bottle beer, cmon. Smh, couldn't handle a party of five.
(1)Emily C.
I went here on a Friday night for Happy Hour and dinner with a group before going out in Five Points while I was in town for a wedding. This is not the type of place to go if you like Mexican food a lot, because it's not high quality (as is reflected in its prices). That being said, I'm only reviewing the service. Upon arriving at the restaurant and not knowing anything about it previously, I was pleasantly surprised with the unique and decorative outdoor seating area. However, since rain was in the forecast, my party and I opted for eating indoors. We got to Fuego at 6:15, which only gave us 45 short minutes of happy hour, but our waitress told us she would come back in time for each of us to order an additional drink at happy hour prices (and she did!)...a huge plus for Fuego. Then everything started heading downhill. It took our server about 25 minutes to bring us our first drink, even though we were the ONLY people in the restaurant. Then it took her an additional 30 minutes to bring us the chips, salsa, and queso. Then another 20 minutes to bring us our tacos. I've never had Mexican food that has taken this long - there is no reason for Mexican food to take this long, especially since NO ONE was in the restaurant. When we got our checks, mine was incorrect. They charged me for two drinks at regular price instead of just charging me for one drink at happy hour price. I alerted our waitress, and she, very kindly, told me that she would fix it. She brought it back, and it was still incorrect. So, I went and told her, and she said she would have to talk to the manager because he had changed it (in an attempt to fix it). The manager came up to me and tried to explain what he did and how he had attempted to fix the check. However, it was still off by $2. I explained to him how it was still off. He then told me, in a very condescending way, that he could just give me $2 if I really wanted it. I declined and went back to the table. This is unacceptable. He is the manager. He should know better than to do that. In his defense, he did come up to me after our conversation and apologized for being a "smart-ass" and offered me the $2 cash once again. Once again, a manager should know a more proper way of handling this type of situation. Maybe I'm being naive, but a manager should not say any curse words in front of a client, in any circumstance. It is completely inappropriate. I really hope that Fuego addresses this issue as it would've been an overall pleasant experience had this not happened.
(1)Luke M.
We came at lunch time and the place was fairly empty. Service was slow and we couldn't believe how long it took to get our food. Food was decent, not great, and overpriced. To make matters worse, three flies started buzzing our table as soon as food was delivered. I do not recommend.
(2)Margo H.
This is a fun place to go with a group of friends. drinks and dinner was great. not fine dining, but great hangout.
(4)Staci C.
Taco Tuesdays. $2 tacos and their good!!! Great outdoor seating, tvs outside on the patio. Good place!
(4)Sheri P.
I loved the location. The food was terrible the service was even worse. I do not recommend this place EVER. I also found out the owners of Fuego also owned The Grape and La Mesa, both places were unsuccessful. I think this family needs to think of a different business, or hire better managers and not allow their son to work there unless he is going to be responsible.Lame. It is our fault we did plan ahead for New Years Eve. Looking at Birmingham Menu's we called every restaurant downtown for reservations. The only place available for 14ppl at 7pm was Fuego. This was the first sign. Upon arriving we were all told to wait at the front while they put our tables together. This irked me because the reason we called two days before to make a reservation was so this would have been done. Also to add to the matter, I called the day of to change our reservation to add two more people and they did not even have it down! I know this because the person on the phone asked for all my information again. So then, they put tables together in the bar area. Not exactly what I had envisioned but I was willing to go with it. In this small bar area were the bartender who later I found out was also the son of the owner, Our server (Daniel) who was the bar manager, Another female server and the front of house manager. The only people to greet us was our server and they were clearly going out of their way to avoid helping us. These people literally looked at us and turned away, not offering any help. Our server did a very good job but it was painful to watch him take 14 drink orders, serve them and then ask for our entree order. We still did not have the chips and salsa we asked for upon sitting down AND we asked the owner and manager. When we finally got our chips they were cold and greasy and the cheese was disgusting. Half our table needed another drink and not the owner, not the manager offered to help while our server was busy helping the KITCHEN get our entree together. This is the job of the OWNER and the MANAGER's job is to help the server! Or vice versa! Anyway, I ordered a Corona light and asked for a lime. No lime was delivered, and when I stood at the bar, not the bartender, manager or the other server asked me if they could help and they ALL made eye contact with me and acted as if it weren't there job. When our poor little server walked by I signaled for him and asked for a lime. He brought it with his fingers and stuck it in my beer. Maybe I am being a little too picky at this point but it should have been brought on a napkin at least! Kelli, my friend at the other end of the table, asked the manager if he could help our server bring out drinks because some of us were still waiting and it was clear our server was working very hard but did not have enough hands. They manager said yes, but then walked away to talk to his friends that had just walked in! I will not go back because of lack of customer service. Even if the food was terrible, if the service was good I would have maybe thought of returning. But NO WAY will I ever go there.
(1)Mars M.
I was sitting at starbucks doing my work on laptop, i felt really hungry and saw this place accross the street. I found a quiet corner, ordered buffalo wings and water. For the first 20 minutes they asked if I need anything for maybe 10 times that I even couldn't eat my lunch. After that the real torture started. I ordered a tortilla chips and ice tea. It took 20 minutes for tortilla but they forgot ice tea , it took another 20 minutes for the ice tea. Then the waitress apologized if they seemed ignorant but they didn't mean to be. weird. Self-awareness is something.
(1)Jessica k.
Yikes, should have looked at the other yelp reviews before going! The food was OK...no complaints but definitely not great by any means. Buffalo chicken tacos were so-so. It was literally buffalo chicen on a tortilla. And very very underwhelmed by the queso and chips. Probably some of the most bland I've ever had. I like salsa with my queso, which I guess you have to order in addition. The service was good, the food came out fast (we were one of 3 tables on saturday afternoon). So overall an OK experience but probably won't go back unless I'm in the area and it's my only choice.
(3)Todd H.
Stopped here for nachos and beer after a long day. The nachos were great and the beer was cold. The service was 3 out of 5. Overall not bad, but could have been much better.
(3)Gregory H.
Service was improved. Go for happy hour with the best patio downtown. Mojitos were just OK. Good nachos. Not a place for anything special but good for drinks and appetizers.
(3)Chris M.
Great food and live band. However, the service could not keep up with our orders, checks, money, or what time/days they have happy hour. They accused one of my friends of not giving them a $100 bill with his check. They eventually found it in the trash (they had accidentally thrown it away!!??) Everyone's checks were messed up by the end of the meal. Our first waitress said it was happy hour but the second waitress and manager said it wasn't and charged us all full price. They are a new place and hopefully they will work out their issues soon.
(2)Lauren B.
the mojito is great, but overpriced. the food is ehh...i don't understand how a place could eff up nachos, but fuego does. they are basically 8 or so chips with toppings on top. the ONLY redeeming thing about this place is the outdoor seating and mojito.
(2)Sheri C.
We dined here for lunch on Mothers Day. Our first experience. It was not crowded and the food was really good. We will come again. Nice patio area and good margaritas. Our neighbors own this restaurant and I am glad we finally experienced it!
(3)Jeremy E.
This place has such great potential, with the cool decor inside and the awesome patio (one of the best in Birmingham.) While it has gotten better recently, the service can be pretty awful. I never sit inside here, because it tend to be crowded and rather loud. The food is good, and $2 taco night is a really good deal. I don't like that they charge for chips and salsa, given that the food is already fairly overpriced for what you get. The adjoining Saloon also offers the full menu and specials...and has awesome service!! I would recommend stepping over to that side if you want to be promptly served. Both sides are open really late, so that is a plus.
(2)Jessica k.
Yikes, should have looked at the other yelp reviews before going! The food was OK...no complaints but definitely not great by any means. Buffalo chicken tacos were so-so. It was literally buffalo chicen on a tortilla. And very very underwhelmed by the queso and chips. Probably some of the most bland I've ever had. I like salsa with my queso, which I guess you have to order in addition. The service was good, the food came out fast (we were one of 3 tables on saturday afternoon). So overall an OK experience but probably won't go back unless I'm in the area and it's my only choice.
(3)Todd H.
Stopped here for nachos and beer after a long day. The nachos were great and the beer was cold. The service was 3 out of 5. Overall not bad, but could have been much better.
(3)Jeremy E.
This place has such great potential, with the cool decor inside and the awesome patio (one of the best in Birmingham.) While it has gotten better recently, the service can be pretty awful. I never sit inside here, because it tend to be crowded and rather loud. The food is good, and $2 taco night is a really good deal. I don't like that they charge for chips and salsa, given that the food is already fairly overpriced for what you get. The adjoining Saloon also offers the full menu and specials...and has awesome service!! I would recommend stepping over to that side if you want to be promptly served. Both sides are open really late, so that is a plus.
(2)Brian H.
I was surprised to see that this place had such low ratings. My experience was pretty good. We ordered an app of Nachos, Queso, and Salsa, which was a bit pricier than I was hoping for, but was still good. We had a lot of broken chips, but our server took note and she brought a new basket full of whole chips without us needing to ask. Our primary goal was tacos though. $2 tacos means a meal for $6, leaving plenty of room for a few $3 "Fuego-ritas" while still making it a cheap dinner. The tacos were great, I thought. Especially for $2 tacos. The "Fuego-ritas"... well, they tasted like they cost $3. Not sure there's really room to complain there. I don't expect it to be an 1800 when it costs that much. You get what you pay for. Overall, it's a super cheap dinner and drinks. If you're picky about quality things, I'm not sure why you'd be trying a place that you can get a taco and a margarita for $5.
(4)Ken A.
Service was terrible! Food was pretty good but the waitress was not friendly and this has happened on our last two visits. I will not be returning to this establishment.
(2)Dustin G.
Food was disgusting. We got a chicken chimichanga, and Chicken enchiladas. They used canned chicken and melted American cheese. Service was fine, but the food was pretty repulsive. What kind of restaurant uses canned chicken?
(1)Maz E.
Let's start with the Pros: - Beautiful location - The service was good and friendly One star can be given for the above. Cons: - The food was awful. I don't mean "meh" or not bad- it was terrible. I took two bites out of my taco and was done- My tastebuds could no longer endure the horror that was unleashed upon them by that terrible combination of flavors put in their taco. Some kind of tangy ranch type sauce that you would think would make things better by masking some of the horrid taste of the grease-doused fried pepper but no- no it does not. The sauce was so overwhelmingly tangy that it felt like I was having a sour patch taco- no thanks you. So, if you're ever having a night out in Birmingham and just want a nice patio to sit out on and have a couple of drinks- go for it, but steer clear of the menu lest you swear off of Mexican food completely after you try their abomination of an attempt.
(1)Meggen D.
I should've paid attention to the Yelp rating this place already had. I was in need of a quick bite to eat before heading to the airport, so I looked past the rating and headed to Fuego. First of all, I'm from Texas. So..."Tex-Mex" actually means something to me. Fuego advertised "Tex-Mex" and I got...uh...not. I cringed when I first looked at the menu: nachos, burritos, cheesesteaks?! Not your normal Tex-Mex progression. I got the nachos. It's hard to eff up nachos. Somehow they managed. It wasn't terrible, but it just wasn't good. I prefer Taco Bell nachos, honestly. The chips were big and soggy. They tried to do the "fancy" individual-chip nachos, and I wasn't really looking for that. The waitress was totally unattentive, too. She was sitting at a table near us wrapping silverware and would ask us across the bar area if we needed anything rather than walking to our table and asking us. Kind of a let-down. The bright spot in the whole thing was the beer. I tried a Good People Brewing Co. beer that was very tasty. I'll definitely have that beer again. However, Fuego will not be so lucky!
(2)Brian M.
Eh, it's okay. But, don't set your expectations too high. I've been to Fuego several times and it's always been okay. Inside it looks like the lovechild of a Latin tapas bar and a small tequila bar in San Diego. Outside there is a phenomenal patio with a nice fire pit for the cool nights and live acoustic music on the warm ones. I will give credit where its due, this an above average option for sitting outside on a warm evening to have a drink and hors d'oeuvres with friends while enjoying some people watching in the heart of 5 Points. But, if you are thinking about going for dinner or you are in a hurry...I'd say don't do it. The food is okay. I do not think there is any other way to describe it. It is not bad, but I think they are trying to be too cute and creative with the menu. So, I've never had anything really good there and definitely not great. If you are there for drinks and get hungry, it's good enough. But, this really is not a destination spot for dinner. And, if you are going with a medium to large sized group, as I was recently, then you better block out several hours of your night because the service is below average at best. I even had to go get some needed items myself like silverware, water refills, extra chips for the queso/salsa, etc. So, go for the location and the atmosphere, and enjoy a mildly overpriced libation of your choosing. But, choose any one of the couple hundred Latin, Mexican and TexMex spots around B'ham if you are going primarily for dinner.
(2)Jeffrey L.
This was my first time to Fuego Cantina and it will be my last. This place looks great and fun from the outside, but the inside needs repairs and needs a new wait staff. The wait staff is just sitting around doing nothing when they should at least look busy. The margarita's were terrible and our waitress tried to charge us for the one we returned. Most of the chairs and bar stools are falling apart and the men's restroom sink did not even have a handle to turn on the water. Where is the management for this place?? What Mexican restaurant charges for chips and salsa, this one does. That's the first clue this place is going out of business.
(1)Kristina V.
The location is amazing. The decor is cute and fun. The food is dismal. It can't be that hard to make tasty americanized mexican food. Tons of places do! Please, for the love of 5 points, hire a chef. Maybe hire the Camp Taco people.
(2)Hannah D.
One of my faves in downtown B'ham. I am a vegetarian and the server was very helpful the first time I went! The nachos and taco salad are my choice! And, they are dog friendly as long as your pup is on a leash and you sit outside! :)
(5)Meredith C.
Fuego cantina had amazing queso dip. I love this place because it's in a prime location with lots of people watching! The food is great and the service is friendly and fast.
(4)Laura G.
Came here for dinner on a Saturday night and had the guacamole, Baja fish tacos and classic chicken tacos. The good: Alishondra. Our service was absolutely fantastic. She was friendly, extremely attentive and made our experience significantly better than how the food made us feel. She deserves a huge thank you from management. The bad: Food. The chips were great, the guacamole was--I'm almost positive store bought. The tacos came out almost too fast, seemed like it had likely been sitting out ready to be microwaved. Both tacos had an absurd amount of lettuce used as filler, which looked like it came from a bag meant for Subway. The fish was quite salty, but decent and the chicken was pretty bland though the crema was alright. The average: The drinks were alright. The Texas margarita was okay, quite strong and just tasted like a normal margarita. The mango Margarita tasted pretty good but was quite small for $10. Overall a subpar restaurant with a shining light of a waitress who elevated our experience significantly. Thank you, Alishondra!
(2)Sheri C.
We dined here for lunch on Mothers Day. Our first experience. It was not crowded and the food was really good. We will come again. Nice patio area and good margaritas. Our neighbors own this restaurant and I am glad we finally experienced it!
(3)Sheri P.
I loved the location. The food was terrible the service was even worse. I do not recommend this place EVER. I also found out the owners of Fuego also owned The Grape and La Mesa, both places were unsuccessful. I think this family needs to think of a different business, or hire better managers and not allow their son to work there unless he is going to be responsible.Lame. It is our fault we did plan ahead for New Years Eve. Looking at Birmingham Menu's we called every restaurant downtown for reservations. The only place available for 14ppl at 7pm was Fuego. This was the first sign. Upon arriving we were all told to wait at the front while they put our tables together. This irked me because the reason we called two days before to make a reservation was so this would have been done. Also to add to the matter, I called the day of to change our reservation to add two more people and they did not even have it down! I know this because the person on the phone asked for all my information again. So then, they put tables together in the bar area. Not exactly what I had envisioned but I was willing to go with it. In this small bar area were the bartender who later I found out was also the son of the owner, Our server (Daniel) who was the bar manager, Another female server and the front of house manager. The only people to greet us was our server and they were clearly going out of their way to avoid helping us. These people literally looked at us and turned away, not offering any help. Our server did a very good job but it was painful to watch him take 14 drink orders, serve them and then ask for our entree order. We still did not have the chips and salsa we asked for upon sitting down AND we asked the owner and manager. When we finally got our chips they were cold and greasy and the cheese was disgusting. Half our table needed another drink and not the owner, not the manager offered to help while our server was busy helping the KITCHEN get our entree together. This is the job of the OWNER and the MANAGER's job is to help the server! Or vice versa! Anyway, I ordered a Corona light and asked for a lime. No lime was delivered, and when I stood at the bar, not the bartender, manager or the other server asked me if they could help and they ALL made eye contact with me and acted as if it weren't there job. When our poor little server walked by I signaled for him and asked for a lime. He brought it with his fingers and stuck it in my beer. Maybe I am being a little too picky at this point but it should have been brought on a napkin at least! Kelli, my friend at the other end of the table, asked the manager if he could help our server bring out drinks because some of us were still waiting and it was clear our server was working very hard but did not have enough hands. They manager said yes, but then walked away to talk to his friends that had just walked in! I will not go back because of lack of customer service. Even if the food was terrible, if the service was good I would have maybe thought of returning. But NO WAY will I ever go there.
(1)Mars M.
I was sitting at starbucks doing my work on laptop, i felt really hungry and saw this place accross the street. I found a quiet corner, ordered buffalo wings and water. For the first 20 minutes they asked if I need anything for maybe 10 times that I even couldn't eat my lunch. After that the real torture started. I ordered a tortilla chips and ice tea. It took 20 minutes for tortilla but they forgot ice tea , it took another 20 minutes for the ice tea. Then the waitress apologized if they seemed ignorant but they didn't mean to be. weird. Self-awareness is something.
(1)Caroline C.
I come here often but this time was different. We got seated and waited...and waited..and waited. We also watched a waitress serve the only other person out on the patio. Not only his meal, but followed by a beer, then a coke. All the while we still haven't been acknowledged. We go in to the bar to order, then the waitress comes to "find us". It isn't busy enough to avoid any business that may come thru on this slow night. There were only 3 tables in the whole place. The food was great once it finally arrived. This specific group of servers/bartenders were not some of my favorite.
(3)Allison M.
We found ourselves in the 5 Points Area of Birmingham, late morning on Easter Sunday. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, so sitting outside on a patio or deck was priority. We thought the patio at Fuego looked like the place. We were seated quickly and our drink order taken right away. I ordered the Mulligan and was surprised at how great it tasted. Especially, after reading other Yelp reviews about watered down drinks. Not the case for my Mulligan! My friend and both ordered the Taco Salads, hers with chicken, mine without. While there was nothing special about the salads (typical taco salad), it did hit the spot. I don't know if Fuego was just having a good day or what, but our service was excellent. The restaurant wasn't very crowded so the servers weren't busy or rushed, and they were very quick with our food and drinks. We had a great experience dining on the patio on a gorgeous Sunday in April!
(3)Jason L.
Absolutely horrendous service. The salsa was ok, but after we waited for 45 minutes on our simple order of enchiladas and burritos on a Saturday afternoon for a lunch, we, and several other hungry and frustrated patrons, walked out and were never given an explanation or an apology. Cannot say anything about the food, but we will never go back. There are too many better options in the area. Skip this one.
(1)TJ J.
$2 Taco Tuesdays! Very busy when we arrived but got a chance to sit at the bar where we were served pretty quickly. Food was good and it was very affordable.
(4)Dom B.
Who would award any stars to Fuego, just an awful dinning experiance. Had the California burrito, it needs renamed the Idaho, only becuse it's all potato. The server was the highlight, prompt and friendly, sorry she works in such a poor resturaunt. I guess I have to award one star for the review to post, who knew.
(1)Lucy T.
Cheese quesadilla was great. The service was slow.
(3)Karl L.
Well. Where to start. We were drawn in by the menu posted out front promising $4 mojitos and half price wine until 7. It was 6. Bingo! The little lady had two mojitos that were good, she reports. I had two glasses of a low-class jug pinot Grigio and a best-of-class $12 margarita that wasn't. No Grand Marnier to be found and what I got rated a six at best. The sour mix was straight out of a packet, nothing fresh about it, portion size was small and nary a smack 'o alcohol was tasted. Guacamole for a snack was also definitely prepack and had too much like as they attempted to keep the avocados from browning. Now it's bill time. I was charged $16 for that crappy wine I wouldn't have had if it weren't half price, so I "discussed" with the otherwise very friendly waitress the problem. I pulled a menu and, nope, it wasn't there, so we walked up to the menu at front where I pointed to the half price wine. I win, right? No, that's only at the attached bar which can't even be seen from the location of the menu and requires walking around the fenced in patio. The manager wouldn't come out to discuss but comped one glass, which is pretty lazy and really reeks on the customer service front. tldr: mediocre food, failed drinks on average, and a misleading menu. Never again.
(1)Maggie S.
We went to eat here at 8:15 on a Saturday to find it not that crowded. We were seated and had our drink order taken right away, but from then on it felt like we were constantly waiting. We ordered the stuffed japalenos app and after 10 or so minutes of waiting, our server informed us that the kitchen was a bit behind and it would take about 10 more minutes for the appetizer. We said that was fine and put in our dinner order. Eventually the appetizer came out. It was okay, nothing special. It took probably another 30 minutes for us to get our meals. I ordered the buffalo chicken tacos and they were (again) only okay. The buffalo sauce was bland and it had zero spice. The girl brought my fiance's chicken fajitas but not the "setup plate" with tortillas, etc. She realized her mistake but the skillet had actually stopped sizzling by the time she brought it which was pretty disappointing. Overall our waitress was very friendly but the service was still poor. With food that is mediocre at best, plus poor service, we won't be back.
(2)Lesley S.
The best patio in town, and what a shame. This is one of the most disgusting restaurant I've ever experienced. I hate to say it, but everything about it has been disappointing, and the only reason that you should go is to get a drink while you're waiting to get into Chez Fonfon. The cheese dip is as awful as the service. I ordered a burrito and it had green beans and water chestnuts in it... I don't really know what that's about, but it doesn't sound like a burrito to me. Maybe you'll have a better experience, but I would not recommend ever going.
(1)Diane M.
We stopped in for a late Sunday afternoon lunch. I think this is a place best visited under the cover of darkness. The cloth seats were stained and dirty. There were broken chips on the already dirty floor. The handles on the bathroom sink were broken., Overall my party felt like we needed to soak in hand sanitizer after leaving. The food was fine, nothing special. Guacamole and salsa were grocery store quality.
(2)Kevin H.
It was a beautiful evening in Birmingham w/ unseasonably cooler weather in July. Saw this place w/ outside seating & said why not. $2 tacos on Tuesdays. Buffalo Chicken was good & Cajun Shrimp. Brisket was very tough & chewy. Sat for quite awhile w/ no waitress. Jade passed by & asked where our server was. She jumped right in & took care of us.
(2)Jacob W.
I've been here twice, and both times had the same experience--ehh, really? As far as service, food quality, and price goes, there's much left to be desired. I want to go here, I want to like it, but I just can't. The location and setup are great, and if you're in 5 Points, you're drawn to Fuego because of its appearance. I ordered a quesadilla for about $10 and that's exactly what I got. A mediocre tasting quesadilla. And nothing else. Chips or fries? Oh that's extra. I can't speak for the drinks, but if you're looking for a great meal in 5 Points that you won't regret paying for, walk a little further to Chez Fon Fon or 26.
(2)Kelly P.
The location and the interior are great, but the food is just mediocre. Very disappointing.
(2)Will L.
Ruh roh, Fuego. We went here at 4pm on a Saturday and as expected, it wasn't busy. There looked to be only two other tables seated. The young lady, who was very nice, came to our table within a few minutes to grab our drink order. Here is where it went down hill... It was 25 minutes before she came back to take our food order. I only know this because we had one hour to dine, so I was keeping up with the time. Blerg. Since things ran late, one of the members of our party had to leave without his food. No biggie. We just got it To-Go. Sadly, we found out they got the order wrong when we finally delivered it to him. Blerg. If you're going to get more than one margarita, I suggest getting the pitcher. The $7 house margarita comes in a very shallow, authentic looking glass. I could seriously have taken the whole thing down in little more than one gulp. Blerg. Finally, they charge for salsa. Whatever, that's not the end of the world. It just seems that if you're paying $4 for a small thing of salsa, refills would be included. They weren't. Blerg.
(2)Eddie S.
Came here for lunch today and left thinking I should have listened to the yelp reviews telling me to go elsewhere. Guacamole was flavorless, jalapeño Mac and cheese left much to be desired for, steak tacos were bland, and the BBQ bacon burger was terrible. The margaritas were sweet, weak, and leave you feeling bloated. Possibly the worst meal I have ever had. Service was average and the bathroom was filthy. However, sitting on the patio and watching the traffic go by was nice. My suggestion - dine anywhere but here.
(1)Matt S.
Saw had a 2 Star. Took a chance on a Thursday night, great experience. Has a great area outside with a fire pit. We sat inside, only about 5 people sitting around. Waitress was very attentive on taking care of us, refilling drinks. Sweat tea was excellent. My fiancé enjoyed the 1$ margaritas. I got a Chicken Chimichanga. Was a little more expensive than your typical hole in wall Mexican Joint but it was also twice the size with twice the caso cheese. Chips and salsa are not complementary which is my only gripe. We bought chips and salsa, they were salty, fresh, and hot...salsa was great. I read all the bad reviews on slow service so I timed it. Food was out well within 8 minutes. I think the bad reviews may stem from this places location and that they probably have large "walk in off street" crowds on Weekends since they are one of the few restaurants open very late with a bar on the main 5 Points drag. I would highly recommend.
(5)Matt B.
Don't waste your time here. Management is extremely unprofessional and uninviting. Today was my last time there, despite spending many of my early 20's at this place. The break down: I take a seat at the bar, enjoy some pleasant conversation with the bartender. My food and beer arrives shortly there after..... I then have to uncomfortably suffer through a loud and angry conversation as the GM proceeds to drop the F Bomb +20 in a expletive rant that lasts right around 5 minutes . (Not an exaggeration) Everybody has their days, but the fact that upper management is so unfriendly, uninviting, and unprofessional leads me to strongly suggest spending you hard earned cash somewhere else. Cheers
(1)Kitty K.
Im at Fuegos now and I can't believe they don't have five stars?! I'm shocked! I had the Korean Soft Tacos and they are so freakin good!!! Gotta try it!
(5)David M.
I've been here a few times and I always think it will be better than it is. The food is not bad, in fact the hotdog was pretty decent (though it was about the size of my arm). I just never enjoy it the way I think I am going to. They do have good happy hour prices though, and the patio seating is really nice in the evening.
(3)Emily C.
Why would I pay inflated prices for food I can make drunk in my kitchen?
(1)Megan C.
The food was not very good. The quesadillas we got were not warm enough a the salad I got was not chilled like a normal salad. The service was nothing special either but not terrible.
(2)Kelly S.
I've eaten here before several times, always on taco Tuesday (their tacos are phenomenal), but today I tried something different. After having a few drinks at the bar, we shared an order of Cowboy Nachos, and we're fairly disappointed. The beef brisket on the tacos was amazing, but other than that, it was simple tex- mex fare. Brisket, cheese, jalapenos, all atop individual yellow corn chips surrounding a bed of shredded iceberg with sour cream and pico de gallo. The guacamole crema listed in the menu description was missing. I mean, it was okay... but not great. I feel the negative reviews from other diners are due to ordering the "wrong" items (if you order a cheese quesadilla or plain beef tacos, don't expect to be impressed here or anywhere else), but the Cowboy Nachos did not live up to their potential. With that said, the service was excellent. We sat at the bar during happy hour, and the bartender, Alex, was conversational but not intrusive, and seemed to really know his game. I'll be back... for the tacos.
(3)Mr B.
Definitely one of the worst restaurants in Southside. Location and patio are the only redeeming qualities. Food is meh, service is pathetic. This place constantly runs Groupons likely because they can't get regular business otherwise. Without the patio this place would have closed long ago.
(2)Ryan S.
This restaurant is beautiful. Their outdoor seating is set around a cobble stone accented fire pit with spicy-yellow umbrellas to shade modernistic tables and chairs. The inside is dark, lush, and exotic without cramping or over-stuffing the atmosphere with tacky and assertive decor. If only things had stopped right there. My co-worker and I went for lunch. As this was our first time here we needed a minute to review the menu. So we ordered chips and salsa to satiate ourselves during the confusing attempt to understand what style of cuisine this place was. Corn and crab nachos? Nathan's Hot Dog's? Philly Cheese Steak? A Cuban sandwich? Fish and Chips? Or classic fajitas? Is that "fusion" or something? Anyway, we winded up just eating the wonderfully salted chips since we could not figure out how to get the red, chunky water to stay on the crispy chip. We looked past this as most hopeless lunch rushers do when we see red flags. Our server was super-duper nice and enthusiastically suggested the seasoned beef burrito. "They are super-huge and really good." Although her passionate description of her favorite menu item fluttered from her heart to our ears, we passed and opted instead for the foot long Cuban sandwich and the Santa Fe Wrap. I would tell you how it tasted but you see I gave the place one star. I wouldn't go back unless someone was buying me drinks or I would get a turn swinging the the wrecking ball into their condemned kitchen. Nine dollar hot dogs must be joke? Right? Last thought: Had I just been going to get a drink here with no expectation to order and eat Mexican food then this place's atmosphere and setting would easily generate three stars. They need to wake up the menu and the service.
(1)Meredith D.
Average, run-of-the-mill Mexican. Nothing special. I stopped here for a quick drink/bite on a Thursday night and it was moderately busy. In terms of food, nothing memorable. I hate to complain about the waitress because the service she provided was great. But she was incredibly strange and hung around our table to listen to our conversations. So all in all, no reason to go back. I'll pass.
(2)Angel T.
Walked by this place on my way to Chez Fon Fon and decided to visit the next night. Service was not great (got my meal 15 minutes prior to my table) and margaritas were watered down. Would skip it if you can.
(2)Herschel G.
I thought the Mojitos were great, and the fact that they were half price during happy hour certainly helped. Not completely understanding the poor reviews I've read. I'm guessing the prices are a little higher than diners would want and that throws them off because--psychologically speaking--Mexican food should be cheap a la Taco Bell. I could be wrong... Considering where it is and the types of restaurants around it, I felt like the prices were expected. We decided to step outside the box of traditional Mexican choices and get sandwiches. I had the Cuban sandwich. It was huge, stuffed with quality meat and cheese and the Spanish mustard gave it an awesome kick. Best Cuban sandwich I've ever had. My wife had the Philly cheese steak. She is originally from Philly and is notorious for her criticism of all of the impostor sandwiches out there. In this case, she was rendered speechless, mustering a very euphoric thumbs up after a couple of bites. The one nibble she allowed me to have literally melted in my mouth. The Fuego fries with that interesting spicy orange sauce were a great addition, but the sandwich made me so full I couldn't get through half of them. Great first visit to the Five Points section of Birmingham. Next time, we'll go a little later and stay for the night life.
(4)Brad H.
Not sure why there are so many low ratings after my lunch here went so well. Used a Groupon and tried a couple items--crab and corn nachos were really good, surprisingly good. My wife would not stop raving about the salsa--yes, chips and salsa are not free, but only a few bucks and our server kept refilling us on both. The wife can't wait to go back for more salsa (seriously, I'm gonna have to take her just to get her to shut up about it!) and I want to go on a Tuesday for "Taco Tuesday" $2 tacos.
(4)Brian B.
Not really Mexican , not really good. Waitress was friendly so additional star for that
(2)Rachael D.
I had a good time at Fuegos. I went for Superbowl Sunday and it was busy. I had not problem with waitstaff. Actually everyone was very friendly and prompt. Their saving grace is their cocktails. The margaritas were good but the best thing was the pina colada mojito. Usually I am the person who argues for the authenticity of a cocktail but not in this case. Thy infuse their own rums here (pineapple, orange, lemon, raspberry, watermelon). They used pineapple to make the 'pina colada mojito' and it was fabulous. Nothing like the over-sweetened creamy thing you get at a tropical resort. If you go, go for the drinks! Now the food on the other hand was gross. I am from Texas and was craving a bit of home. This is not it!! I started with the white queso and tortilla chips. It was bland and the chips tasted like store bought. I was able to fix it with liberal additions of hot sauce and some of their tomatillo salsa (which I believe was an extra charge).
(3)Haley R.
I gave fuego 3 stars because I've had both good and bad experiences here. Don't expect to like it if you walk in on a Thursday night starving and pressed for time. You've gotta learn how to work the system. My advice: Go on a Tuesday. They have $2 gourmet tacos (my personal faves are the crab mango and Baja fish). It WILL be packed so get there early. I'd say 5:30 or 6pm. This is perfect because they're $3 margarita happy hour is still going strong and you can relax a bit before ordering. Service is slow. If you expect this and plan to make a night of it, you'll be fine.
(3)Janece M.
If I could give a no star rating I would. I had dinner on my birthday a few weeks back and had a horrible dining experience at this restaurant. The waitress seated us and did not return to our table until thirty minutes later to take our drink order only. We actually told her that we were ready to order but she left anyways. The bizarre part is that it was a slow evening and she passed by our table about six times but refused to stop after we attempted to wave her over after the fourth time. I almost decided to leave after the initial lack of service but my boyfriend convinced me to stay. However, by the end of the two and a half hour period of delayed service, mediocre food (I ordered the mushroom quesadilla and he ordered the wings with fuego fries - neither were anything special), and attitude from the waitress my boyfriend regretted convincing me to stay. I reported the young lady's lack of professionalism and poor service to the manager via phone the next day. Overall, I will never return to eat or drink at Fuego Cantina because of their horrible quality of customer service and courtesy.
(1)Clint S.
Like others have stated, the food is subpar at best. I've been to several other Mexican food restaurants that has managed to easily surpass the quality of food that Fuego offers. Very overpriced for basic food. Additionally, the staff are an absolute atrocity. A female friend and myself dared to eat dinner here after attending a local function and was insulted and harassed by a waitress named Melanie. Not only did she insult us for being together (due to our ethnicities), but she was also condescending about us being a male and female who are not in a relationship simply eating dinner. I would rather eat dirt amongst street rats than sit at this pathetic excuse of a restaurant.
(1)Marshall N.
The food is just not that good, and their prices are too high. No free chips and salsa at a mexican place? CHEAP! Their happy hour is a scam. Half priced tacos, but the tacos are 1/3 the size! No thanks! The only reason they got 2 stars over 1: The service was good. That's not enough to get me to come back. Never again, Fuego
(2)Lisa R.
The food is pretty good. We came in with a large group and had several different appetizers, all of which were very delish. I wasn't really feeling the mexican that night so had a burger which was actually really really good. Now the service, good golly was it ever terrible!! We only had 8 people and she couldn't remember the food or drink orders. It took about three trips to get all of the food out which included the question "Ok, so what food did I forget?"
(2)Tim D.
Well, the food was decent, but the spectacle of the staff trying to hook up with each other was far more entertaining. The bartender dude was obviously involved with the green haired girl, yet, still getting some loving contact from the brunette with the large chest. Another server dude was trying to flirt with the blond waitress, but didn't seem to be getting anywhere. It was like watching a cheap episode of Twilight, without the talent or abs. With all of the huggy/kissy/touchy activities going on, it was a bit difficult to get any sort of service. The food did come out warm, with decent flavor (at least the cook is on task), but the up-front staff was absolutely embarrassing to watch. Wouldn't recommend this place, given the inattentive staff, but the food has potential. The owner/manager needs to either be on site, or hire someone who can keep the staff on task.
(1)Mike L.
Baja fish tacos were the best lettuce tacos I have ever tasted... no fish. Chicken fajitas were burnt black. Wait staff appeared to not want to be there, mostly sitting around talking with each other when not outside smoking (Frank Stint would have a come apart if he knew where they smoked on Sunday evenings). Margaritas were way overpriced. $13 for chips and a sample of three dips?
(1)David B.
Fuego cantina looks nice from the outside but like your 6th grade teacher told the fat girl "it's what's on the inside that counts." The food here is nothing special and isn't even that cheap. I would go back here to drink a beer and watch a game but not for the food. On a related note...that fat girl is hot now and wants nothing to do with you because you were a prick to her in middle school.
(2)Brad S.
Five Points is a bastion of fine dining and quality nightlife, though some do it better than others, and in the case of Fuego, they're much better at the latter than the former. In the restaurant's defense, a cantina is more about the drink than the food, and it seems like Fuego does moderately well in this case, providing an inviting atmosphere both inside an out that encourages its patrons to sit and enjoy a drink or three on the patio. But it turns out they have a food menu, too, and it's this food menu from which we ate. There's a fair amount of options, including a variety of regional burritos - things like California burritos with fries, and a Caribbean jerk chicken burrito, and it's the second of these choices I ate for my meal. But first, an appetizer. The fried pickled jalapeno slices looked good on paper, and were fried well, but there was a bitterness in the jalapenos that was downright displeasing. They weren't finished. While blackened jerk chicken may sound appetizing on the menu, the resulting product was standard food service fare, and it was accompanied by some rice and guacamole that tasted like it had been sitting around for a while. I think the idea for the food menu is to offer something to munch on once you've had a few too many margaritas (and while they're made with a good tequila, it will take quite a few to start feeling it). Fuego's food was lazy, and devoid of conviction. There are plenty of other good dining choices in the area, and there are other good drinking areas, too, leaving Fuego with not much to offer.
(2)Eric M.
I don't know why I get happy hour margaritas. I always think, maybe this place will make good ones! And I'm always wrong. The margaritas were 95% ice and crappy margarita mix. That would be excusable if the food was any good. We had the Dip Trio for an appetizer (no free chips and salsa should be the first warning sign at a Mexican restaurant). The guac - bland, the queso - bland, the salsa - bland. They didn't offer any salsa with real spice. We should have tried the app before ordering entrees, but we didn't. So we went with fajitas (steak for me, mushroom for my wife). These fajitas put the B in bland. So devoid of taste! I felt bad for the cow who donated the meat for the fajitas, because their use of it was reprehensible. It should be a crime to cook a steak with so little taste. If they need some tips on cooking steak they can feel free to contact me! Oh, and their service was pretty bad too.
(1)Gigi D.
On a nice day, the patio is a great place to sit. Decent mojitos. Brisket taco was good. Chicken taco wasn't all that.
(2)Jacob M.
I knew what to expect when I went to a Mexican food restaurant in AL. However, I also expect prompt service and courtesy. WHY I NEED TO VISIT YELP BEFORE I DINE! I was dragged here by coworkers looking to unwind. My party arrived around 5:30 and were the only the second table on the patio. No tables were seated indoors and just a few folks around the bar. We ordered a round of watered down Mojitos and Margaritas. Trust me, nothing special here. About an hour later, the waitress came by to take our food order. Approximately 6 tables were now seated at the patio all having drinks with no food. This should have been my sign to eat chips for dinner...We ordered our food from what seemed like a mismatch of bar food. 45 five minutes later, the first 3 of 7 plates arrived, then 2 more about 5 minutes later, then 2 more about 8 minutes and finally the last plate after everyone in our party was finished. Hey, were talking nachos and tacos, not anything special. 1 hour to get 2 pork tacos? Enchiladas? Nasty. Nachos? Tasted like licking a a salt lick. During this time, I saw two couples walk their table due to frustration, I saw 3 tables pay for their bill before we finished eating. Also, a waiter actually made a couple get up from their table since he stated they were seated out of sequence and the table belonged to someone else. Needless to say, they headed for the door. If you want a cheap watered down drink, go and sit on the patio. Just don't expect much. If you must, eat the chips and queso. It was okay. When you're done with drinks, take a nice walk across the street to JNN or Surin to eat. Hopefully, this place will close soon and something decent will show up.
(1)Jose R.
Food was just ok. Place was stingy. No free chips and salsa? No sides with the tacos? Not coming back.
(2)Von S.
Not a authentic Mexican restaurant. The service was horrible. The waitress couldn't get the orders correct. It took a longtime to get drinks. One hour to get a bottle beer, cmon. Smh, couldn't handle a party of five.
(1)Emily C.
I went here on a Friday night for Happy Hour and dinner with a group before going out in Five Points while I was in town for a wedding. This is not the type of place to go if you like Mexican food a lot, because it's not high quality (as is reflected in its prices). That being said, I'm only reviewing the service. Upon arriving at the restaurant and not knowing anything about it previously, I was pleasantly surprised with the unique and decorative outdoor seating area. However, since rain was in the forecast, my party and I opted for eating indoors. We got to Fuego at 6:15, which only gave us 45 short minutes of happy hour, but our waitress told us she would come back in time for each of us to order an additional drink at happy hour prices (and she did!)...a huge plus for Fuego. Then everything started heading downhill. It took our server about 25 minutes to bring us our first drink, even though we were the ONLY people in the restaurant. Then it took her an additional 30 minutes to bring us the chips, salsa, and queso. Then another 20 minutes to bring us our tacos. I've never had Mexican food that has taken this long - there is no reason for Mexican food to take this long, especially since NO ONE was in the restaurant. When we got our checks, mine was incorrect. They charged me for two drinks at regular price instead of just charging me for one drink at happy hour price. I alerted our waitress, and she, very kindly, told me that she would fix it. She brought it back, and it was still incorrect. So, I went and told her, and she said she would have to talk to the manager because he had changed it (in an attempt to fix it). The manager came up to me and tried to explain what he did and how he had attempted to fix the check. However, it was still off by $2. I explained to him how it was still off. He then told me, in a very condescending way, that he could just give me $2 if I really wanted it. I declined and went back to the table. This is unacceptable. He is the manager. He should know better than to do that. In his defense, he did come up to me after our conversation and apologized for being a "smart-ass" and offered me the $2 cash once again. Once again, a manager should know a more proper way of handling this type of situation. Maybe I'm being naive, but a manager should not say any curse words in front of a client, in any circumstance. It is completely inappropriate. I really hope that Fuego addresses this issue as it would've been an overall pleasant experience had this not happened.
(1)Luke M.
We came at lunch time and the place was fairly empty. Service was slow and we couldn't believe how long it took to get our food. Food was decent, not great, and overpriced. To make matters worse, three flies started buzzing our table as soon as food was delivered. I do not recommend.
(2)Margo H.
This is a fun place to go with a group of friends. drinks and dinner was great. not fine dining, but great hangout.
(4)Staci C.
Taco Tuesdays. $2 tacos and their good!!! Great outdoor seating, tvs outside on the patio. Good place!
(4)Chris M.
Great food and live band. However, the service could not keep up with our orders, checks, money, or what time/days they have happy hour. They accused one of my friends of not giving them a $100 bill with his check. They eventually found it in the trash (they had accidentally thrown it away!!??) Everyone's checks were messed up by the end of the meal. Our first waitress said it was happy hour but the second waitress and manager said it wasn't and charged us all full price. They are a new place and hopefully they will work out their issues soon.
(2)Lauren B.
the mojito is great, but overpriced. the food is ehh...i don't understand how a place could eff up nachos, but fuego does. they are basically 8 or so chips with toppings on top. the ONLY redeeming thing about this place is the outdoor seating and mojito.
(2)Lucy T.
Cheese quesadilla was great. The service was slow.
(3)Maggie S.
We went to eat here at 8:15 on a Saturday to find it not that crowded. We were seated and had our drink order taken right away, but from then on it felt like we were constantly waiting. We ordered the stuffed japalenos app and after 10 or so minutes of waiting, our server informed us that the kitchen was a bit behind and it would take about 10 more minutes for the appetizer. We said that was fine and put in our dinner order. Eventually the appetizer came out. It was okay, nothing special. It took probably another 30 minutes for us to get our meals. I ordered the buffalo chicken tacos and they were (again) only okay. The buffalo sauce was bland and it had zero spice. The girl brought my fiance's chicken fajitas but not the "setup plate" with tortillas, etc. She realized her mistake but the skillet had actually stopped sizzling by the time she brought it which was pretty disappointing. Overall our waitress was very friendly but the service was still poor. With food that is mediocre at best, plus poor service, we won't be back.
(2)Lesley S.
The best patio in town, and what a shame. This is one of the most disgusting restaurant I've ever experienced. I hate to say it, but everything about it has been disappointing, and the only reason that you should go is to get a drink while you're waiting to get into Chez Fonfon. The cheese dip is as awful as the service. I ordered a burrito and it had green beans and water chestnuts in it... I don't really know what that's about, but it doesn't sound like a burrito to me. Maybe you'll have a better experience, but I would not recommend ever going.
(1)Jacob W.
I've been here twice, and both times had the same experience--ehh, really? As far as service, food quality, and price goes, there's much left to be desired. I want to go here, I want to like it, but I just can't. The location and setup are great, and if you're in 5 Points, you're drawn to Fuego because of its appearance. I ordered a quesadilla for about $10 and that's exactly what I got. A mediocre tasting quesadilla. And nothing else. Chips or fries? Oh that's extra. I can't speak for the drinks, but if you're looking for a great meal in 5 Points that you won't regret paying for, walk a little further to Chez Fon Fon or 26.
(2)Kelly P.
The location and the interior are great, but the food is just mediocre. Very disappointing.
(2)Will L.
Ruh roh, Fuego. We went here at 4pm on a Saturday and as expected, it wasn't busy. There looked to be only two other tables seated. The young lady, who was very nice, came to our table within a few minutes to grab our drink order. Here is where it went down hill... It was 25 minutes before she came back to take our food order. I only know this because we had one hour to dine, so I was keeping up with the time. Blerg. Since things ran late, one of the members of our party had to leave without his food. No biggie. We just got it To-Go. Sadly, we found out they got the order wrong when we finally delivered it to him. Blerg. If you're going to get more than one margarita, I suggest getting the pitcher. The $7 house margarita comes in a very shallow, authentic looking glass. I could seriously have taken the whole thing down in little more than one gulp. Blerg. Finally, they charge for salsa. Whatever, that's not the end of the world. It just seems that if you're paying $4 for a small thing of salsa, refills would be included. They weren't. Blerg.
(2)Matt S.
Saw had a 2 Star. Took a chance on a Thursday night, great experience. Has a great area outside with a fire pit. We sat inside, only about 5 people sitting around. Waitress was very attentive on taking care of us, refilling drinks. Sweat tea was excellent. My fiancé enjoyed the 1$ margaritas. I got a Chicken Chimichanga. Was a little more expensive than your typical hole in wall Mexican Joint but it was also twice the size with twice the caso cheese. Chips and salsa are not complementary which is my only gripe. We bought chips and salsa, they were salty, fresh, and hot...salsa was great. I read all the bad reviews on slow service so I timed it. Food was out well within 8 minutes. I think the bad reviews may stem from this places location and that they probably have large "walk in off street" crowds on Weekends since they are one of the few restaurants open very late with a bar on the main 5 Points drag. I would highly recommend.
(5)Matt B.
Don't waste your time here. Management is extremely unprofessional and uninviting. Today was my last time there, despite spending many of my early 20's at this place. The break down: I take a seat at the bar, enjoy some pleasant conversation with the bartender. My food and beer arrives shortly there after..... I then have to uncomfortably suffer through a loud and angry conversation as the GM proceeds to drop the F Bomb +20 in a expletive rant that lasts right around 5 minutes . (Not an exaggeration) Everybody has their days, but the fact that upper management is so unfriendly, uninviting, and unprofessional leads me to strongly suggest spending you hard earned cash somewhere else. Cheers
(1)Kitty K.
Im at Fuegos now and I can't believe they don't have five stars?! I'm shocked! I had the Korean Soft Tacos and they are so freakin good!!! Gotta try it!
(5)Caroline C.
I come here often but this time was different. We got seated and waited...and waited..and waited. We also watched a waitress serve the only other person out on the patio. Not only his meal, but followed by a beer, then a coke. All the while we still haven't been acknowledged. We go in to the bar to order, then the waitress comes to "find us". It isn't busy enough to avoid any business that may come thru on this slow night. There were only 3 tables in the whole place. The food was great once it finally arrived. This specific group of servers/bartenders were not some of my favorite.
(3)David M.
I've been here a few times and I always think it will be better than it is. The food is not bad, in fact the hotdog was pretty decent (though it was about the size of my arm). I just never enjoy it the way I think I am going to. They do have good happy hour prices though, and the patio seating is really nice in the evening.
(3)Emily C.
Why would I pay inflated prices for food I can make drunk in my kitchen?
(1)Megan C.
The food was not very good. The quesadillas we got were not warm enough a the salad I got was not chilled like a normal salad. The service was nothing special either but not terrible.
(2)Kelly S.
I've eaten here before several times, always on taco Tuesday (their tacos are phenomenal), but today I tried something different. After having a few drinks at the bar, we shared an order of Cowboy Nachos, and we're fairly disappointed. The beef brisket on the tacos was amazing, but other than that, it was simple tex- mex fare. Brisket, cheese, jalapenos, all atop individual yellow corn chips surrounding a bed of shredded iceberg with sour cream and pico de gallo. The guacamole crema listed in the menu description was missing. I mean, it was okay... but not great. I feel the negative reviews from other diners are due to ordering the "wrong" items (if you order a cheese quesadilla or plain beef tacos, don't expect to be impressed here or anywhere else), but the Cowboy Nachos did not live up to their potential. With that said, the service was excellent. We sat at the bar during happy hour, and the bartender, Alex, was conversational but not intrusive, and seemed to really know his game. I'll be back... for the tacos.
(3)Mr B.
Definitely one of the worst restaurants in Southside. Location and patio are the only redeeming qualities. Food is meh, service is pathetic. This place constantly runs Groupons likely because they can't get regular business otherwise. Without the patio this place would have closed long ago.
(2)Jessica k.
Yikes, should have looked at the other yelp reviews before going! The food was OK...no complaints but definitely not great by any means. Buffalo chicken tacos were so-so. It was literally buffalo chicen on a tortilla. And very very underwhelmed by the queso and chips. Probably some of the most bland I've ever had. I like salsa with my queso, which I guess you have to order in addition. The service was good, the food came out fast (we were one of 3 tables on saturday afternoon). So overall an OK experience but probably won't go back unless I'm in the area and it's my only choice.
(3)Todd H.
Stopped here for nachos and beer after a long day. The nachos were great and the beer was cold. The service was 3 out of 5. Overall not bad, but could have been much better.
(3)Gregory H.
Service was improved. Go for happy hour with the best patio downtown. Mojitos were just OK. Good nachos. Not a place for anything special but good for drinks and appetizers.
(3)Chris M.
Great food and live band. However, the service could not keep up with our orders, checks, money, or what time/days they have happy hour. They accused one of my friends of not giving them a $100 bill with his check. They eventually found it in the trash (they had accidentally thrown it away!!??) Everyone's checks were messed up by the end of the meal. Our first waitress said it was happy hour but the second waitress and manager said it wasn't and charged us all full price. They are a new place and hopefully they will work out their issues soon.
(2)Lauren B.
the mojito is great, but overpriced. the food is ehh...i don't understand how a place could eff up nachos, but fuego does. they are basically 8 or so chips with toppings on top. the ONLY redeeming thing about this place is the outdoor seating and mojito.
(2)Hannah D.
One of my faves in downtown B'ham. I am a vegetarian and the server was very helpful the first time I went! The nachos and taco salad are my choice! And, they are dog friendly as long as your pup is on a leash and you sit outside! :)
(5)Sheri P.
I loved the location. The food was terrible the service was even worse. I do not recommend this place EVER. I also found out the owners of Fuego also owned The Grape and La Mesa, both places were unsuccessful. I think this family needs to think of a different business, or hire better managers and not allow their son to work there unless he is going to be responsible.Lame. It is our fault we did plan ahead for New Years Eve. Looking at Birmingham Menu's we called every restaurant downtown for reservations. The only place available for 14ppl at 7pm was Fuego. This was the first sign. Upon arriving we were all told to wait at the front while they put our tables together. This irked me because the reason we called two days before to make a reservation was so this would have been done. Also to add to the matter, I called the day of to change our reservation to add two more people and they did not even have it down! I know this because the person on the phone asked for all my information again. So then, they put tables together in the bar area. Not exactly what I had envisioned but I was willing to go with it. In this small bar area were the bartender who later I found out was also the son of the owner, Our server (Daniel) who was the bar manager, Another female server and the front of house manager. The only people to greet us was our server and they were clearly going out of their way to avoid helping us. These people literally looked at us and turned away, not offering any help. Our server did a very good job but it was painful to watch him take 14 drink orders, serve them and then ask for our entree order. We still did not have the chips and salsa we asked for upon sitting down AND we asked the owner and manager. When we finally got our chips they were cold and greasy and the cheese was disgusting. Half our table needed another drink and not the owner, not the manager offered to help while our server was busy helping the KITCHEN get our entree together. This is the job of the OWNER and the MANAGER's job is to help the server! Or vice versa! Anyway, I ordered a Corona light and asked for a lime. No lime was delivered, and when I stood at the bar, not the bartender, manager or the other server asked me if they could help and they ALL made eye contact with me and acted as if it weren't there job. When our poor little server walked by I signaled for him and asked for a lime. He brought it with his fingers and stuck it in my beer. Maybe I am being a little too picky at this point but it should have been brought on a napkin at least! Kelli, my friend at the other end of the table, asked the manager if he could help our server bring out drinks because some of us were still waiting and it was clear our server was working very hard but did not have enough hands. They manager said yes, but then walked away to talk to his friends that had just walked in! I will not go back because of lack of customer service. Even if the food was terrible, if the service was good I would have maybe thought of returning. But NO WAY will I ever go there.
(1)Mars M.
I was sitting at starbucks doing my work on laptop, i felt really hungry and saw this place accross the street. I found a quiet corner, ordered buffalo wings and water. For the first 20 minutes they asked if I need anything for maybe 10 times that I even couldn't eat my lunch. After that the real torture started. I ordered a tortilla chips and ice tea. It took 20 minutes for tortilla but they forgot ice tea , it took another 20 minutes for the ice tea. Then the waitress apologized if they seemed ignorant but they didn't mean to be. weird. Self-awareness is something.
(1)Meredith C.
Fuego cantina had amazing queso dip. I love this place because it's in a prime location with lots of people watching! The food is great and the service is friendly and fast.
(4)Diane M.
We stopped in for a late Sunday afternoon lunch. I think this is a place best visited under the cover of darkness. The cloth seats were stained and dirty. There were broken chips on the already dirty floor. The handles on the bathroom sink were broken., Overall my party felt like we needed to soak in hand sanitizer after leaving. The food was fine, nothing special. Guacamole and salsa were grocery store quality.
(2)Kevin H.
It was a beautiful evening in Birmingham w/ unseasonably cooler weather in July. Saw this place w/ outside seating & said why not. $2 tacos on Tuesdays. Buffalo Chicken was good & Cajun Shrimp. Brisket was very tough & chewy. Sat for quite awhile w/ no waitress. Jade passed by & asked where our server was. She jumped right in & took care of us.
(2)Laura G.
Came here for dinner on a Saturday night and had the guacamole, Baja fish tacos and classic chicken tacos. The good: Alishondra. Our service was absolutely fantastic. She was friendly, extremely attentive and made our experience significantly better than how the food made us feel. She deserves a huge thank you from management. The bad: Food. The chips were great, the guacamole was--I'm almost positive store bought. The tacos came out almost too fast, seemed like it had likely been sitting out ready to be microwaved. Both tacos had an absurd amount of lettuce used as filler, which looked like it came from a bag meant for Subway. The fish was quite salty, but decent and the chicken was pretty bland though the crema was alright. The average: The drinks were alright. The Texas margarita was okay, quite strong and just tasted like a normal margarita. The mango Margarita tasted pretty good but was quite small for $10. Overall a subpar restaurant with a shining light of a waitress who elevated our experience significantly. Thank you, Alishondra!
(2)Sheri C.
We dined here for lunch on Mothers Day. Our first experience. It was not crowded and the food was really good. We will come again. Nice patio area and good margaritas. Our neighbors own this restaurant and I am glad we finally experienced it!
(3)Jeremy E.
This place has such great potential, with the cool decor inside and the awesome patio (one of the best in Birmingham.) While it has gotten better recently, the service can be pretty awful. I never sit inside here, because it tend to be crowded and rather loud. The food is good, and $2 taco night is a really good deal. I don't like that they charge for chips and salsa, given that the food is already fairly overpriced for what you get. The adjoining Saloon also offers the full menu and specials...and has awesome service!! I would recommend stepping over to that side if you want to be promptly served. Both sides are open really late, so that is a plus.
(2)Brian H.
I was surprised to see that this place had such low ratings. My experience was pretty good. We ordered an app of Nachos, Queso, and Salsa, which was a bit pricier than I was hoping for, but was still good. We had a lot of broken chips, but our server took note and she brought a new basket full of whole chips without us needing to ask. Our primary goal was tacos though. $2 tacos means a meal for $6, leaving plenty of room for a few $3 "Fuego-ritas" while still making it a cheap dinner. The tacos were great, I thought. Especially for $2 tacos. The "Fuego-ritas"... well, they tasted like they cost $3. Not sure there's really room to complain there. I don't expect it to be an 1800 when it costs that much. You get what you pay for. Overall, it's a super cheap dinner and drinks. If you're picky about quality things, I'm not sure why you'd be trying a place that you can get a taco and a margarita for $5.
(4)Ken A.
Service was terrible! Food was pretty good but the waitress was not friendly and this has happened on our last two visits. I will not be returning to this establishment.
(2)Dustin G.
Food was disgusting. We got a chicken chimichanga, and Chicken enchiladas. They used canned chicken and melted American cheese. Service was fine, but the food was pretty repulsive. What kind of restaurant uses canned chicken?
(1)Maz E.
Let's start with the Pros: - Beautiful location - The service was good and friendly One star can be given for the above. Cons: - The food was awful. I don't mean "meh" or not bad- it was terrible. I took two bites out of my taco and was done- My tastebuds could no longer endure the horror that was unleashed upon them by that terrible combination of flavors put in their taco. Some kind of tangy ranch type sauce that you would think would make things better by masking some of the horrid taste of the grease-doused fried pepper but no- no it does not. The sauce was so overwhelmingly tangy that it felt like I was having a sour patch taco- no thanks you. So, if you're ever having a night out in Birmingham and just want a nice patio to sit out on and have a couple of drinks- go for it, but steer clear of the menu lest you swear off of Mexican food completely after you try their abomination of an attempt.
(1)Allison M.
We found ourselves in the 5 Points Area of Birmingham, late morning on Easter Sunday. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, so sitting outside on a patio or deck was priority. We thought the patio at Fuego looked like the place. We were seated quickly and our drink order taken right away. I ordered the Mulligan and was surprised at how great it tasted. Especially, after reading other Yelp reviews about watered down drinks. Not the case for my Mulligan! My friend and both ordered the Taco Salads, hers with chicken, mine without. While there was nothing special about the salads (typical taco salad), it did hit the spot. I don't know if Fuego was just having a good day or what, but our service was excellent. The restaurant wasn't very crowded so the servers weren't busy or rushed, and they were very quick with our food and drinks. We had a great experience dining on the patio on a gorgeous Sunday in April!
(3)Jason L.
Absolutely horrendous service. The salsa was ok, but after we waited for 45 minutes on our simple order of enchiladas and burritos on a Saturday afternoon for a lunch, we, and several other hungry and frustrated patrons, walked out and were never given an explanation or an apology. Cannot say anything about the food, but we will never go back. There are too many better options in the area. Skip this one.
(1)TJ J.
$2 Taco Tuesdays! Very busy when we arrived but got a chance to sit at the bar where we were served pretty quickly. Food was good and it was very affordable.
(4)Dom B.
Who would award any stars to Fuego, just an awful dinning experiance. Had the California burrito, it needs renamed the Idaho, only becuse it's all potato. The server was the highlight, prompt and friendly, sorry she works in such a poor resturaunt. I guess I have to award one star for the review to post, who knew.
(1)Karl L.
Well. Where to start. We were drawn in by the menu posted out front promising $4 mojitos and half price wine until 7. It was 6. Bingo! The little lady had two mojitos that were good, she reports. I had two glasses of a low-class jug pinot Grigio and a best-of-class $12 margarita that wasn't. No Grand Marnier to be found and what I got rated a six at best. The sour mix was straight out of a packet, nothing fresh about it, portion size was small and nary a smack 'o alcohol was tasted. Guacamole for a snack was also definitely prepack and had too much like as they attempted to keep the avocados from browning. Now it's bill time. I was charged $16 for that crappy wine I wouldn't have had if it weren't half price, so I "discussed" with the otherwise very friendly waitress the problem. I pulled a menu and, nope, it wasn't there, so we walked up to the menu at front where I pointed to the half price wine. I win, right? No, that's only at the attached bar which can't even be seen from the location of the menu and requires walking around the fenced in patio. The manager wouldn't come out to discuss but comped one glass, which is pretty lazy and really reeks on the customer service front. tldr: mediocre food, failed drinks on average, and a misleading menu. Never again.
(1)Jimmy H.
In town and stopped in for lunch. Had the steak tacos with a side of beans and rice. Tacos had little beef and the a bit too many fried jalapeños, not that I don't love heat, but it became the primary flavor. Sides were horrible...rice was not fresh and lacked salt, obviously leftover from the day before. The beans tasted ok, but not worth the price. If you pay an extra couple bucks for a side of beans and rice, it should be more than a couple tablespoons worth, but then again, I didn't even finish what they gave due to the taste.
(1)Ryan S.
This restaurant is beautiful. Their outdoor seating is set around a cobble stone accented fire pit with spicy-yellow umbrellas to shade modernistic tables and chairs. The inside is dark, lush, and exotic without cramping or over-stuffing the atmosphere with tacky and assertive decor. If only things had stopped right there. My co-worker and I went for lunch. As this was our first time here we needed a minute to review the menu. So we ordered chips and salsa to satiate ourselves during the confusing attempt to understand what style of cuisine this place was. Corn and crab nachos? Nathan's Hot Dog's? Philly Cheese Steak? A Cuban sandwich? Fish and Chips? Or classic fajitas? Is that "fusion" or something? Anyway, we winded up just eating the wonderfully salted chips since we could not figure out how to get the red, chunky water to stay on the crispy chip. We looked past this as most hopeless lunch rushers do when we see red flags. Our server was super-duper nice and enthusiastically suggested the seasoned beef burrito. "They are super-huge and really good." Although her passionate description of her favorite menu item fluttered from her heart to our ears, we passed and opted instead for the foot long Cuban sandwich and the Santa Fe Wrap. I would tell you how it tasted but you see I gave the place one star. I wouldn't go back unless someone was buying me drinks or I would get a turn swinging the the wrecking ball into their condemned kitchen. Nine dollar hot dogs must be joke? Right? Last thought: Had I just been going to get a drink here with no expectation to order and eat Mexican food then this place's atmosphere and setting would easily generate three stars. They need to wake up the menu and the service.
(1)Meredith D.
Average, run-of-the-mill Mexican. Nothing special. I stopped here for a quick drink/bite on a Thursday night and it was moderately busy. In terms of food, nothing memorable. I hate to complain about the waitress because the service she provided was great. But she was incredibly strange and hung around our table to listen to our conversations. So all in all, no reason to go back. I'll pass.
(2)Eddie S.
Came here for lunch today and left thinking I should have listened to the yelp reviews telling me to go elsewhere. Guacamole was flavorless, jalapeño Mac and cheese left much to be desired for, steak tacos were bland, and the BBQ bacon burger was terrible. The margaritas were sweet, weak, and leave you feeling bloated. Possibly the worst meal I have ever had. Service was average and the bathroom was filthy. However, sitting on the patio and watching the traffic go by was nice. My suggestion - dine anywhere but here.
(1)Angel T.
Walked by this place on my way to Chez Fon Fon and decided to visit the next night. Service was not great (got my meal 15 minutes prior to my table) and margaritas were watered down. Would skip it if you can.
(2)Herschel G.
I thought the Mojitos were great, and the fact that they were half price during happy hour certainly helped. Not completely understanding the poor reviews I've read. I'm guessing the prices are a little higher than diners would want and that throws them off because--psychologically speaking--Mexican food should be cheap a la Taco Bell. I could be wrong... Considering where it is and the types of restaurants around it, I felt like the prices were expected. We decided to step outside the box of traditional Mexican choices and get sandwiches. I had the Cuban sandwich. It was huge, stuffed with quality meat and cheese and the Spanish mustard gave it an awesome kick. Best Cuban sandwich I've ever had. My wife had the Philly cheese steak. She is originally from Philly and is notorious for her criticism of all of the impostor sandwiches out there. In this case, she was rendered speechless, mustering a very euphoric thumbs up after a couple of bites. The one nibble she allowed me to have literally melted in my mouth. The Fuego fries with that interesting spicy orange sauce were a great addition, but the sandwich made me so full I couldn't get through half of them. Great first visit to the Five Points section of Birmingham. Next time, we'll go a little later and stay for the night life.
(4)Brad H.
Not sure why there are so many low ratings after my lunch here went so well. Used a Groupon and tried a couple items--crab and corn nachos were really good, surprisingly good. My wife would not stop raving about the salsa--yes, chips and salsa are not free, but only a few bucks and our server kept refilling us on both. The wife can't wait to go back for more salsa (seriously, I'm gonna have to take her just to get her to shut up about it!) and I want to go on a Tuesday for "Taco Tuesday" $2 tacos.
(4)Brian B.
Not really Mexican , not really good. Waitress was friendly so additional star for that
(2)Rachael D.
I had a good time at Fuegos. I went for Superbowl Sunday and it was busy. I had not problem with waitstaff. Actually everyone was very friendly and prompt. Their saving grace is their cocktails. The margaritas were good but the best thing was the pina colada mojito. Usually I am the person who argues for the authenticity of a cocktail but not in this case. Thy infuse their own rums here (pineapple, orange, lemon, raspberry, watermelon). They used pineapple to make the 'pina colada mojito' and it was fabulous. Nothing like the over-sweetened creamy thing you get at a tropical resort. If you go, go for the drinks! Now the food on the other hand was gross. I am from Texas and was craving a bit of home. This is not it!! I started with the white queso and tortilla chips. It was bland and the chips tasted like store bought. I was able to fix it with liberal additions of hot sauce and some of their tomatillo salsa (which I believe was an extra charge).
(3)Haley R.
I gave fuego 3 stars because I've had both good and bad experiences here. Don't expect to like it if you walk in on a Thursday night starving and pressed for time. You've gotta learn how to work the system. My advice: Go on a Tuesday. They have $2 gourmet tacos (my personal faves are the crab mango and Baja fish). It WILL be packed so get there early. I'd say 5:30 or 6pm. This is perfect because they're $3 margarita happy hour is still going strong and you can relax a bit before ordering. Service is slow. If you expect this and plan to make a night of it, you'll be fine.
(3)Janece M.
If I could give a no star rating I would. I had dinner on my birthday a few weeks back and had a horrible dining experience at this restaurant. The waitress seated us and did not return to our table until thirty minutes later to take our drink order only. We actually told her that we were ready to order but she left anyways. The bizarre part is that it was a slow evening and she passed by our table about six times but refused to stop after we attempted to wave her over after the fourth time. I almost decided to leave after the initial lack of service but my boyfriend convinced me to stay. However, by the end of the two and a half hour period of delayed service, mediocre food (I ordered the mushroom quesadilla and he ordered the wings with fuego fries - neither were anything special), and attitude from the waitress my boyfriend regretted convincing me to stay. I reported the young lady's lack of professionalism and poor service to the manager via phone the next day. Overall, I will never return to eat or drink at Fuego Cantina because of their horrible quality of customer service and courtesy.
(1)Gregory H.
Service was improved. Go for happy hour with the best patio downtown. Mojitos were just OK. Good nachos. Not a place for anything special but good for drinks and appetizers.
(3)Jimmy H.
In town and stopped in for lunch. Had the steak tacos with a side of beans and rice. Tacos had little beef and the a bit too many fried jalapeños, not that I don't love heat, but it became the primary flavor. Sides were horrible...rice was not fresh and lacked salt, obviously leftover from the day before. The beans tasted ok, but not worth the price. If you pay an extra couple bucks for a side of beans and rice, it should be more than a couple tablespoons worth, but then again, I didn't even finish what they gave due to the taste.
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