El Molcajete Mexican Restaurant
2590 Hamilton Mill Rd, Buford, GA, 30519
El Molcajete Mexican Restaurant Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Buford for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Buford for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Buford for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
2590 Hamilton Mill Rd
Buford, GA, 30519 - Phone (678) 394-5200
- Website https://www.elmolcajeterestaurants.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 10
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dessert
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
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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Steve P.
Took a little longer to get the food than what we are used to in Virginia. But it was worth the wait. On a scale from 1 to 10 my family rates the food 8.3. Definitely worth the stop if you are in the area and love Mexican food. My wife pointed out that the sauces tend to have a chili powder base to them that she really loved. We will be back on our way back from Destin. Also, place was super clean, including the restrooms.
(5)kristina S.
Had a quick stop lunch and it was delicious. Great pricing, good service, and tasty food. I had a chimichanga with chicken, the sauce was delish! Great spot!
(5)Corinne L.
Just moved back in town and was searching for some mexican that won't make me miss NY so much. This place comes pretty close. Great atmosphere, would be a great place for a group of friends at the bar down to a small family dinner in one of the wooden booths. Started with chips and salsa with some kind of mole-ish sauce too. Requested guacamole on the side based on Julie J.'s review. =) Good guac, fresh and good consistency. Chips are just generic corn chips - standard appetizer variety. Had the pollo sabroso recommended by the server lady: chicken breast with melted cheese and sauteed mushrooms, with rice and beans. Chicken was juicy and hot, beans were regular refried and rice was pretty good too. You do need to request tortillas on the side, but I really wasn't expecting as much food as came out. Was like omg so much food, my eyes were bigger than my stomach I suppose. The Horchata (solomon's tears and cinnamon drink) was oversweet and gritty, pass. The tres leches was ok. Overall this place was fairly good, I'll probably be searching Buford Highway for a more "authentic" hole-in-the-wall place to get my fix.
(4)Kent U.
Best Mexican in Braselton/Hamilton Mills area. My wife and I have tried them all since moving to the area 2 months ago. Flaunt as were crisp an full of meat. Not greasy like some I've had here. The lunch fajitas had tons of food and great flavor. Only sad thing was they came out on a plate and not a sizzling pan like some places. Overall, this place is great from the food to the service. We will be back on a regular basis.
(5)1985dtp ..
Good, clean, fast mexican restaurant with good prices. This place serves the typical tex-mex style cuisine that you'll find at any other place. They provide chips with two different salsa selections while you wait. The reasons I rate this higher than other local mexican restaurants us their pricing. I haven't drank there yet so can't speak for alcohol prices, but their food prices are extremely reasonable and their super affordable lunch specials are offered SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. Other bonuses include the cleanliness of the restaurant, friendliness of staff, and service. The owners also seem to have rented ample space that there is plenty of seating and the wait is never long. Drawbacks I see include- - No enchiladas Verdes! I'll live though. - The parking lot is very poorly designed ands kind of small so parking is typically a hassle every single b time we go. - It can get a little loud at times, but is fine as long as you aren't out selling a quiet dinner. I usually go once or twice a month with the family and highly recommend this restaurant for a quick, affordable family dinner.
(4)Scott P.
I'm guessing there must be a shortage of Mexican places in the Hamilton Mill area based on what I see of the actual restaurant, and the current Yelp 4 star rating.. First off, the servers and greeters are friendly here, no problems with the service (except he forgot to bring me the refill of salsa he offered me, no biggie) - so my first impression was good, right up till when he sat me at a booth that had a giant tear hole in the seat. I sat on that side only a minute before I had to move to the other. My menu was not clean. My water was off in taste, a second glass of water was about the same. The sprite tasted fine! :) The food was plenty, I liked the dual salsas (one smoked salsa, one normal) and the fajitas I ordered were plenty but the chicken was dry, and while there was a lot of beans, rice, and toppings - it was a little short on chicken. The interior is kind of cute, it's huge! huge bar area, and plenty of diningroom for families and the like. I imagine maybe the locals come here for good margaritas or something? But based on my experience, I'd skip the food, or skip here entirely.
(2)David G.
Me and my family ate here tonight and will never go back again. Our order was wrong. The waitress had a attitude and couldn't bring us refills or napkins. My daughter didn't have chesse on her order and it came with it. I had to cancel my order. Then while waiting on our ticket for 15 minutes we had to go ask for it. Hostess was laughing about it to our faces and got an attitude and rolling her eyes. Then management was around the girls laughing to. This was the worst experience ever and we will not be back again.
(1)Amanda A.
Love....love ...love this place! My family eats here all the time...excellent food and friendly service. We've been here many many times and never had bad food. The food is AlWaYs exceptional!!!
(5)Nichole N.
Watch out. My husband felt sick after eating here. I also heard they were shut down a few years ago due to a poor health score. Yikes! Won't be back.
(2)Andrea M.
This is a pretty cozy place. This place kinds of reminds me of the El Maguey chains. Service is very charming when the date took me here this past Tuesday for dinner. Our total bill was about $15 between the two of us. Not bad at all. I got the quesadilla Mexicana and the date got the enchiladas. My chicken quesadilla was delish. The shredded chicken was scrumptious and fully marinated to death. :) This comes with a guacamole salad with a dash of sour cream on top. The date's beef enchiladas was good and tasteful. Oh. I believe he subbed another meat for beef, which the server kindly said that was not an issue. There were chips and salsa as well to hold you over so there's that free appetizer. Lol. Service here was good. The restaurant was clean. And the food was good. I'd say this place is worth more future visits.
(4)X Y.
We had dinner yesterday at El Molcajete Mexican Restaurant and had a great experience. My husband and I love spicy food and asked the server for some hot sauce. Usually in other restaurants, we get answers like 'we have the bottled tabasco sauce', 'it will be extra 2 dollars' and event pain 'no'.. At El Molcajete, we were offered decent quantities of fresh hot salsa. Also, we got chips-salsa refills without reminding. Food was tasty and service was AWESOME! Love this place and will definitely go back.
(5)Dj C.
This is my favorite restaurant!! The people are always extremely friendly and quick with their service. The food is always great!! I would recommend trying their Chicken Quesadillas or their Shrimp & Chicken Fajitas, they taste great :) Our favorite thing to eat there is the Cheese Dip, everyone in my family LOVES it!! If you are looking for a great place to eat in this area, then El Molcajete is the place to go!! Also ask for Daniel or Rose as your server they are wonderful :)
(5)Chuck B.
We had the Chicken Soup and it was the best I've had in a long time. They shred the majority of the chicken, with some chunks still, and good sized chunks of avocado, for good measure. The seasoning was acceptable but, would have like to see it a little more spicy, just my preference. The tortilla chips are freshly made and are the right texture and thickness, nicely done. Same goes for the salsa, regular and spicy. I will report back as I try ,more of their dishes. If you decide to come for a visit then I highly recommend their Chicken Soup- very tasty indeed!!
(4)Candace M.
Food was ok. We both ordered the California Burrito which I thought was a little dry. My husband complained about the lack of shrimp in his but I thought it was fine. We ordered a cheeseburger kids meal for our daughter and it came with fries (no drink) and was huge. The service was really good. We went on a Saturday night and were seated right away. Brenda, our server, was amazing! Extremely friendly and helpful. All in all, I'll give it another shot, try something else on the menu, and get a Margarita next time before I completely write this place off.
(3)Heather P.
This place was mediocre. It serves your standard American-style Mexican food and does it about as well as one might expect. However, the margaritas were not good. To be clear, I love margaritas. Despite this, I couldn't finish the one I ordered here because of all of the artificial flavoring. It was gross. I also asked for salt the rim and the waitress brought it without salt on the rim. This brings me to my next complaint: service. The waitress was pleasant enough, but she took such a long time to do anything (ex: bring water, chips, the check, etc.) and got several things about our order wrong. It wasn't crowded, so I didn't really understand the problem. If you live really close (I don't) and don't care to drink (I do), then I suppose you wouldn't mind coming here.
(3)Tripp C.
Some of the beat Mexican food in the area. They have two salsas. A brown which is my favorite and a traditional red. The staff is very friendly and fast. I really like the Pollo sambroso.
(4)Andrea Jane L.
We were headed to Italy's Pizza and Pasta to have dinner before the movies. That was our one and only mistake. First of all, the lights were so bright and there were kids and teenagers running all over. I felt more like I was in a school cafeteria than an Italian restaurant. Second of all, they don't even have wine! How can you call yourself an Italian restaurant and not even have Chianti? We all looked at each other and decided to go next door to El Molcajete. We walked in and were quickly and politely seated. Our server, Jemily, was genuinely nice. We had quite a few questions and she answered them all with a smile. We ordered a variety of dishes. All were tasty. Being a Cali girl from the Bay, I know authentic when I taste it and this little gem could stand up to any place in Salinas, Monterey or San Jose! This place is definitely going to be a favorite of ours.
(5)Dan C.
Great place to dine and have a couple of drinks. Margaritas are awesome! Got the combo special, very good. Servers are very warm and quick. The place is cool. Been coming back for a couple of times already. Becoming a favorite
(4)Lilian H.
Great food! Clean and cozy atmosphere. Service was great! The waiter refilled our complimentary free appetizer before we even had to ask. However, waiter could be a bit more attentive when we were ready for the check, but overall great place to eat.
(5)Todd A.
Not sure why this place is so popular. I've never had a good meal there and the margaritas are weak.
(2)Kristen M.
Food was okay but not great. The menus were sticky and the service was slow. I didn't care for the margaritas. They put salt on my glass after I asked for no salt. I prefer the El Molcajete location in Lawrenceville. Will probably not be back to this one with so many other options in the area for Mexican food.
(3)Theo S.
Good food, good service and good prices.... We have been coming here for years and have always had a nice time. Everything is really fresh.
(5)Jeffrey F.
We used to live this place. Now the last 3 times we've been, we've had horrible service. I'm done. Three strikes, you're out! Wrong orders, no drink refills, and tonight, if you complained about the wait you got moved to the top of the list. After 50 minutes we left and will never be back.
(1)laura S.
Great food and great service! They put out coupons often in the local mailers so I decided to give it a try. So the prices were great too. I ate with my two children and used a coupon. Despite the fact the server knew my check total wouldn't be particularly high, he was still very friendly and helpful and made us feel welcomed. Our food was yummy and arrived hot. The ambiance of the restaurant is very nice as well. Highly recommend.
(5)Dj Meatball A.
went here for dinner with my wife and kids, service was great, and the food was really good. i had the chicken with piña and my wife had the fajitas mixtas, Definitely coming back!
(5)Jessica V.
Ate here today with my husband and father in law. Once again an amazing experience... I would definitely recommend the Mexican Fajitas for 2 with flour tortillas!! Worth the money!! Great service and great atmosphere. Only complaint is that this time in winter it's way too cold in there!! And the door lets a cold breeze in every time! Would definitely recommend a sweater!! I don't mind spending the extra few bucks when it's worth it.
(5)Tiana P.
I love this spot...nice and relaxing place..with the bomb cheese dip..the california burrito is a fav covered in queso filled with shrimp,steak,chicken...yumm!.(the groundbeef in the taco's yuck more like crumbled clay.) Ijs also love the chicken soup...
(4)Rand F.
While there are a lot of Mexican restaurants to choose from in the area, this is the only one I will go to. The service is terrific and the food is outstanding. You won't find a better place around.
(5)Zach F.
Very good restaurant. Food was authentic, prepared well, and flavorful. The staff were all prompt and courteous. We will definitely be back again. I would recommend trying this establishment.
(4)Kathy H.
So, not entirely sure why this place is getting 4 and 5 stars (Theo, Lou - any thoughts on that??) it's good enough but a 2 star at best based on tonight's meal. We got the super molcajete, which comes in, you guessed it, a molcajete! It includes an array of grilled items: a split sausage reminiscent of Hillsboro farms, 2 grilled strips of chicken and beef, both taste as though they were parboiled before they hit the grill, cactus, pepper, & whole green onions. This sampler of sorts comes with rice, beans, and a salad, but that didn't make it any more exciting. I did like that the chips come with both a pico salsa and a roasted salsa, and in their defense other dishes might be home runs, but this signature item was 2nd base at best. Maybe next time, el molcajete, if I am so kind as to give you a second chance, that is...
(2)Bill Z.
This is the first time we have visited this place with plenty of comparable retail Mexican places around here to choose from. We came in for a late lunch so it wasn't busy, but the service was still good for 3:00 and we didn't have to wait for anything. You certainly get your money's worth. The Queso Fundido was something new to try with baked cheese and chorizo on flour tortillas. It was decent with a slightly different flavor than used to. And you can get 32 oz. drafts so we were full by the end.
(4)Joyce F.
oh so good. tried the queso dip and it was yum! ordered the shrimp cocktail with avocado and it was enough to share. loved the fluffy rice. will go back.
(5)Michael E.
Probably some of the best Mexican food I have had outside of Texas. Fresh ingredients, great service, and the place is squeaky clean. I highly recommend this place.
(5)D C.
Went there last night after reading some reviews. I had the burritos supreme. 1 chicken with beans and the other beef and beans. Both burritos were very bland. The beef was ground beef that was ground up to an extremely fine texture and was hidden in very plain bland refried beans. I couldn't taste the chicken in my other burrito. I was very disappointed with the very bland taste. I am not a person that craves food to be super spicy, I just would like it to have some spice and taste. I prefer a burrito supreme from Taco Bell over these, by far (sad but true). These could have been the worst burritos that I have ever eaten and I have had burritos all over the southern states. Maybe they have other great testing meals, I can't say. I can only review the burritos. I didn't have a margarita either so I can't speak to that. If you want Mexican food, I would recommend Chuy's. Look that place up because it serves Mexican food with taste. Also, if you want to spend your time yelling across the table to talk, this is the place to be on Friday and Saturday nights. The live music was so loud....I used to say there is no such thing as music too loud. Until last night. I will drive right by this restaurant in search of good food and a good atmosphere. Don't make the same mistake that I made last night in trying this restaurant.
(1)Hiroki K.
Last night, my wife and I ventured out to El Molcajete since we had a coupon and wanted to explore the local eateries since we're new to the area. On the positives, I will say that the service and interior at this place is pretty good. Also, the chips were fresh and the cheese dip was tasty. However, the most important part, the food, was not very good. To start off, you get two salsas on the table, the standard one was very uninspired. It tasted like tomato sauce with a bit of spice and without cilantro, very meh. It's always a bad sign for me when a Tex/Mex place has bad salsa. However, the 2nd chipotle salsa which was a bit better but still not great. I had number 12 combo which was the ground beef enchilada, burrito, and a tamale. Again, this was also very meh, it looked and tasted much like cafeteria grade tex/mex. Essentially it was beef, sauce, and some form of tortilla/corn flour. Sauce was extremely salty and tasted like it came from a can. My wife had the number 9 with chicken. It was a bit better than mine but still nothing I'd write home about. To be honest, I'm a fan of more authentic eateries, like the ones found on Buford Highway. However, I have eaten at my share of the standard Tex/Mex places and have to say that I did not like the food at El Molcajete at all. Overall rating, the food was definately a 2, and the service was probably a 3, so an average of 2.5...but I'm rounding down since the food rating is the more important factor. Cheers!
(2)Emily T.
Hmm, I think the chef took the night off. First, the kitchen ran out of pork tamales, so my dining companion had to choose a taco instead (who runs out of tamales at 6:30pm?). Second, when my green chile chicken tamales arrived, they were hard and room temperature (AKA, cold). It seemed like perhaps the tamales had been in the fridge or the freezer, they tossed some shredded cheese on the top, melted the cheese, but did not manage to actually heat the tamales underneath. Next, the ground beef in the tacos tasted "off," perhaps peppery or spiced, unlike any other ground beef I've tasted in the many, many Mexican restaurants I've eaten in AZ, NM, TX, and, yes, even GA. To top it off, the tortilla chips were underdone and greasy (see bit.ly/TmWmuC for scientific info on how to fry a proper chip), and the hard taco shells also suffered the same undercooked fate. So sad... We will not be back.
(2)John S.
What a great place. It is my go-to Mexican restaurant now! Every time I go I tell myself I am going to try something new, but I always end up getting the #20 combination. Stuffed poblano, enchilada, beans and rice. The prices are great, especially the lunch specials and the food is excellent!
(5)Rob F.
One of the better Tex/Mex restaurants in the area. We've had very good service during our visits. I recommend the chicken soup!
(4)Priscilla B.
Wow, how delicious! My boyfriend and I went on a Friday night around 7:30. We were greeted instantly and we requested to sit by the TV to watch the Braves game. There are TV's all over the restaurant so they let us pretty much pick where we wanted to sit. Our server was so nice and quick! He gave my boyfriend a great recommendation of the California Burrito. They offer 2 salsa's with your chips, both which were delicious. The beer was nice and cold and at a good price. We'll definitely be going back!
(4)Kevin W.
Food is slightly above average-meaning better than most Mexican Restaurants. Service is good, Margaritas are not bad either. In an area where Mexican Resties are a dime a dozen, it is better than most. The con is that Friday nights are awful. LOUD with bad music. Been there about a dozen times on a Friday and will not go back. There always seems to be a table of about 10 regulars with kids. Bored kids and drinking parents don't mix in my book. I'll go any day but Friday or Saturday..
(2)Julie J.
I love this place! Food is really great here, with generous portions and really well prepared. For one, the chile relleno is a whole poblano pepper stuffed with your choice of meat. Many places skimp and give you a meager fraction of a pepper. Everything else was tasty, right down to the guacamole, which was simple, fresh, and perfectly seasoned. Definitely plan to come back! This will be our local Mex spot. Yay!
(4)David B.
One of our favorite Mexican restaurants. Easily our favorite 'local' Mexican Restaurant. Very reasonably priced. I love the seasoning on the chicken. I have ordered mostly chicken varieties of the dishes. Very friendly staff and great food. Couldn't ask for more.
(5)Chris A.
My wife and I split the Molcajete. It was very good but had one hug disappointment that caused me to give 3 stars instead of 4. Instead of chorizo sausage, the cook put smoked polish sausage in the mix. It seemed very odd at a Mexican place. We ate at the bar and the service was excellent. We will give it another try later.
(3)David G.
Me and my family ate here tonight and will never go back again. Our order was wrong. The waitress had a attitude and couldn't bring us refills or napkins. My daughter didn't have chesse on her order and it came with it. I had to cancel my order. Then while waiting on our ticket for 15 minutes we had to go ask for it. Hostess was laughing about it to our faces and got an attitude and rolling her eyes. Then management was around the girls laughing to. This was the worst experience ever and we will not be back again.
(1)1985dtp ..
Good, clean, fast mexican restaurant with good prices. This place serves the typical tex-mex style cuisine that you'll find at any other place. They provide chips with two different salsa selections while you wait. The reasons I rate this higher than other local mexican restaurants us their pricing. I haven't drank there yet so can't speak for alcohol prices, but their food prices are extremely reasonable and their super affordable lunch specials are offered SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. Other bonuses include the cleanliness of the restaurant, friendliness of staff, and service. The owners also seem to have rented ample space that there is plenty of seating and the wait is never long. Drawbacks I see include- - No enchiladas Verdes! I'll live though. - The parking lot is very poorly designed ands kind of small so parking is typically a hassle every single b time we go. - It can get a little loud at times, but is fine as long as you aren't out selling a quiet dinner. I usually go once or twice a month with the family and highly recommend this restaurant for a quick, affordable family dinner.
(4)Scott P.
I'm guessing there must be a shortage of Mexican places in the Hamilton Mill area based on what I see of the actual restaurant, and the current Yelp 4 star rating.. First off, the servers and greeters are friendly here, no problems with the service (except he forgot to bring me the refill of salsa he offered me, no biggie) - so my first impression was good, right up till when he sat me at a booth that had a giant tear hole in the seat. I sat on that side only a minute before I had to move to the other. My menu was not clean. My water was off in taste, a second glass of water was about the same. The sprite tasted fine! :) The food was plenty, I liked the dual salsas (one smoked salsa, one normal) and the fajitas I ordered were plenty but the chicken was dry, and while there was a lot of beans, rice, and toppings - it was a little short on chicken. The interior is kind of cute, it's huge! huge bar area, and plenty of diningroom for families and the like. I imagine maybe the locals come here for good margaritas or something? But based on my experience, I'd skip the food, or skip here entirely.
(2)Kent U.
Best Mexican in Braselton/Hamilton Mills area. My wife and I have tried them all since moving to the area 2 months ago. Flaunt as were crisp an full of meat. Not greasy like some I've had here. The lunch fajitas had tons of food and great flavor. Only sad thing was they came out on a plate and not a sizzling pan like some places. Overall, this place is great from the food to the service. We will be back on a regular basis.
(5)Andrea M.
This is a pretty cozy place. This place kinds of reminds me of the El Maguey chains. Service is very charming when the date took me here this past Tuesday for dinner. Our total bill was about $15 between the two of us. Not bad at all. I got the quesadilla Mexicana and the date got the enchiladas. My chicken quesadilla was delish. The shredded chicken was scrumptious and fully marinated to death. :) This comes with a guacamole salad with a dash of sour cream on top. The date's beef enchiladas was good and tasteful. Oh. I believe he subbed another meat for beef, which the server kindly said that was not an issue. There were chips and salsa as well to hold you over so there's that free appetizer. Lol. Service here was good. The restaurant was clean. And the food was good. I'd say this place is worth more future visits.
(4)X Y.
We had dinner yesterday at El Molcajete Mexican Restaurant and had a great experience. My husband and I love spicy food and asked the server for some hot sauce. Usually in other restaurants, we get answers like 'we have the bottled tabasco sauce', 'it will be extra 2 dollars' and event pain 'no'.. At El Molcajete, we were offered decent quantities of fresh hot salsa. Also, we got chips-salsa refills without reminding. Food was tasty and service was AWESOME! Love this place and will definitely go back.
(5)Dj C.
This is my favorite restaurant!! The people are always extremely friendly and quick with their service. The food is always great!! I would recommend trying their Chicken Quesadillas or their Shrimp & Chicken Fajitas, they taste great :) Our favorite thing to eat there is the Cheese Dip, everyone in my family LOVES it!! If you are looking for a great place to eat in this area, then El Molcajete is the place to go!! Also ask for Daniel or Rose as your server they are wonderful :)
(5)Candace M.
Food was ok. We both ordered the California Burrito which I thought was a little dry. My husband complained about the lack of shrimp in his but I thought it was fine. We ordered a cheeseburger kids meal for our daughter and it came with fries (no drink) and was huge. The service was really good. We went on a Saturday night and were seated right away. Brenda, our server, was amazing! Extremely friendly and helpful. All in all, I'll give it another shot, try something else on the menu, and get a Margarita next time before I completely write this place off.
(3)Heather P.
This place was mediocre. It serves your standard American-style Mexican food and does it about as well as one might expect. However, the margaritas were not good. To be clear, I love margaritas. Despite this, I couldn't finish the one I ordered here because of all of the artificial flavoring. It was gross. I also asked for salt the rim and the waitress brought it without salt on the rim. This brings me to my next complaint: service. The waitress was pleasant enough, but she took such a long time to do anything (ex: bring water, chips, the check, etc.) and got several things about our order wrong. It wasn't crowded, so I didn't really understand the problem. If you live really close (I don't) and don't care to drink (I do), then I suppose you wouldn't mind coming here.
(3)Tripp C.
Some of the beat Mexican food in the area. They have two salsas. A brown which is my favorite and a traditional red. The staff is very friendly and fast. I really like the Pollo sambroso.
(4)Andrea Jane L.
We were headed to Italy's Pizza and Pasta to have dinner before the movies. That was our one and only mistake. First of all, the lights were so bright and there were kids and teenagers running all over. I felt more like I was in a school cafeteria than an Italian restaurant. Second of all, they don't even have wine! How can you call yourself an Italian restaurant and not even have Chianti? We all looked at each other and decided to go next door to El Molcajete. We walked in and were quickly and politely seated. Our server, Jemily, was genuinely nice. We had quite a few questions and she answered them all with a smile. We ordered a variety of dishes. All were tasty. Being a Cali girl from the Bay, I know authentic when I taste it and this little gem could stand up to any place in Salinas, Monterey or San Jose! This place is definitely going to be a favorite of ours.
(5)Dan C.
Great place to dine and have a couple of drinks. Margaritas are awesome! Got the combo special, very good. Servers are very warm and quick. The place is cool. Been coming back for a couple of times already. Becoming a favorite
(4)Lilian H.
Great food! Clean and cozy atmosphere. Service was great! The waiter refilled our complimentary free appetizer before we even had to ask. However, waiter could be a bit more attentive when we were ready for the check, but overall great place to eat.
(5)Todd A.
Not sure why this place is so popular. I've never had a good meal there and the margaritas are weak.
(2)Steve P.
Took a little longer to get the food than what we are used to in Virginia. But it was worth the wait. On a scale from 1 to 10 my family rates the food 8.3. Definitely worth the stop if you are in the area and love Mexican food. My wife pointed out that the sauces tend to have a chili powder base to them that she really loved. We will be back on our way back from Destin. Also, place was super clean, including the restrooms.
(5)Chuck B.
We had the Chicken Soup and it was the best I've had in a long time. They shred the majority of the chicken, with some chunks still, and good sized chunks of avocado, for good measure. The seasoning was acceptable but, would have like to see it a little more spicy, just my preference. The tortilla chips are freshly made and are the right texture and thickness, nicely done. Same goes for the salsa, regular and spicy. I will report back as I try ,more of their dishes. If you decide to come for a visit then I highly recommend their Chicken Soup- very tasty indeed!!
(4)Amanda A.
Love....love ...love this place! My family eats here all the time...excellent food and friendly service. We've been here many many times and never had bad food. The food is AlWaYs exceptional!!!
(5)Nichole N.
Watch out. My husband felt sick after eating here. I also heard they were shut down a few years ago due to a poor health score. Yikes! Won't be back.
(2)Kristen M.
Food was okay but not great. The menus were sticky and the service was slow. I didn't care for the margaritas. They put salt on my glass after I asked for no salt. I prefer the El Molcajete location in Lawrenceville. Will probably not be back to this one with so many other options in the area for Mexican food.
(3)David B.
One of our favorite Mexican restaurants. Easily our favorite 'local' Mexican Restaurant. Very reasonably priced. I love the seasoning on the chicken. I have ordered mostly chicken varieties of the dishes. Very friendly staff and great food. Couldn't ask for more.
(5)Chris A.
My wife and I split the Molcajete. It was very good but had one hug disappointment that caused me to give 3 stars instead of 4. Instead of chorizo sausage, the cook put smoked polish sausage in the mix. It seemed very odd at a Mexican place. We ate at the bar and the service was excellent. We will give it another try later.
(3)kristina S.
Had a quick stop lunch and it was delicious. Great pricing, good service, and tasty food. I had a chimichanga with chicken, the sauce was delish! Great spot!
(5)Jeffrey F.
We used to live this place. Now the last 3 times we've been, we've had horrible service. I'm done. Three strikes, you're out! Wrong orders, no drink refills, and tonight, if you complained about the wait you got moved to the top of the list. After 50 minutes we left and will never be back.
(1)Theo S.
Good food, good service and good prices.... We have been coming here for years and have always had a nice time. Everything is really fresh.
(5)Priscilla B.
Wow, how delicious! My boyfriend and I went on a Friday night around 7:30. We were greeted instantly and we requested to sit by the TV to watch the Braves game. There are TV's all over the restaurant so they let us pretty much pick where we wanted to sit. Our server was so nice and quick! He gave my boyfriend a great recommendation of the California Burrito. They offer 2 salsa's with your chips, both which were delicious. The beer was nice and cold and at a good price. We'll definitely be going back!
(4)Corinne L.
Just moved back in town and was searching for some mexican that won't make me miss NY so much. This place comes pretty close. Great atmosphere, would be a great place for a group of friends at the bar down to a small family dinner in one of the wooden booths. Started with chips and salsa with some kind of mole-ish sauce too. Requested guacamole on the side based on Julie J.'s review. =) Good guac, fresh and good consistency. Chips are just generic corn chips - standard appetizer variety. Had the pollo sabroso recommended by the server lady: chicken breast with melted cheese and sauteed mushrooms, with rice and beans. Chicken was juicy and hot, beans were regular refried and rice was pretty good too. You do need to request tortillas on the side, but I really wasn't expecting as much food as came out. Was like omg so much food, my eyes were bigger than my stomach I suppose. The Horchata (solomon's tears and cinnamon drink) was oversweet and gritty, pass. The tres leches was ok. Overall this place was fairly good, I'll probably be searching Buford Highway for a more "authentic" hole-in-the-wall place to get my fix.
(4)laura S.
Great food and great service! They put out coupons often in the local mailers so I decided to give it a try. So the prices were great too. I ate with my two children and used a coupon. Despite the fact the server knew my check total wouldn't be particularly high, he was still very friendly and helpful and made us feel welcomed. Our food was yummy and arrived hot. The ambiance of the restaurant is very nice as well. Highly recommend.
(5)Zach F.
Very good restaurant. Food was authentic, prepared well, and flavorful. The staff were all prompt and courteous. We will definitely be back again. I would recommend trying this establishment.
(4)Dj Meatball A.
went here for dinner with my wife and kids, service was great, and the food was really good. i had the chicken with piña and my wife had the fajitas mixtas, Definitely coming back!
(5)Jessica V.
Ate here today with my husband and father in law. Once again an amazing experience... I would definitely recommend the Mexican Fajitas for 2 with flour tortillas!! Worth the money!! Great service and great atmosphere. Only complaint is that this time in winter it's way too cold in there!! And the door lets a cold breeze in every time! Would definitely recommend a sweater!! I don't mind spending the extra few bucks when it's worth it.
(5)Kathy H.
So, not entirely sure why this place is getting 4 and 5 stars (Theo, Lou - any thoughts on that??) it's good enough but a 2 star at best based on tonight's meal. We got the super molcajete, which comes in, you guessed it, a molcajete! It includes an array of grilled items: a split sausage reminiscent of Hillsboro farms, 2 grilled strips of chicken and beef, both taste as though they were parboiled before they hit the grill, cactus, pepper, & whole green onions. This sampler of sorts comes with rice, beans, and a salad, but that didn't make it any more exciting. I did like that the chips come with both a pico salsa and a roasted salsa, and in their defense other dishes might be home runs, but this signature item was 2nd base at best. Maybe next time, el molcajete, if I am so kind as to give you a second chance, that is...
(2)Bill Z.
This is the first time we have visited this place with plenty of comparable retail Mexican places around here to choose from. We came in for a late lunch so it wasn't busy, but the service was still good for 3:00 and we didn't have to wait for anything. You certainly get your money's worth. The Queso Fundido was something new to try with baked cheese and chorizo on flour tortillas. It was decent with a slightly different flavor than used to. And you can get 32 oz. drafts so we were full by the end.
(4)D C.
Went there last night after reading some reviews. I had the burritos supreme. 1 chicken with beans and the other beef and beans. Both burritos were very bland. The beef was ground beef that was ground up to an extremely fine texture and was hidden in very plain bland refried beans. I couldn't taste the chicken in my other burrito. I was very disappointed with the very bland taste. I am not a person that craves food to be super spicy, I just would like it to have some spice and taste. I prefer a burrito supreme from Taco Bell over these, by far (sad but true). These could have been the worst burritos that I have ever eaten and I have had burritos all over the southern states. Maybe they have other great testing meals, I can't say. I can only review the burritos. I didn't have a margarita either so I can't speak to that. If you want Mexican food, I would recommend Chuy's. Look that place up because it serves Mexican food with taste. Also, if you want to spend your time yelling across the table to talk, this is the place to be on Friday and Saturday nights. The live music was so loud....I used to say there is no such thing as music too loud. Until last night. I will drive right by this restaurant in search of good food and a good atmosphere. Don't make the same mistake that I made last night in trying this restaurant.
(1)Tiana P.
I love this spot...nice and relaxing place..with the bomb cheese dip..the california burrito is a fav covered in queso filled with shrimp,steak,chicken...yumm!.(the groundbeef in the taco's yuck more like crumbled clay.) Ijs also love the chicken soup...
(4)Rand F.
While there are a lot of Mexican restaurants to choose from in the area, this is the only one I will go to. The service is terrific and the food is outstanding. You won't find a better place around.
(5)Kevin W.
Food is slightly above average-meaning better than most Mexican Restaurants. Service is good, Margaritas are not bad either. In an area where Mexican Resties are a dime a dozen, it is better than most. The con is that Friday nights are awful. LOUD with bad music. Been there about a dozen times on a Friday and will not go back. There always seems to be a table of about 10 regulars with kids. Bored kids and drinking parents don't mix in my book. I'll go any day but Friday or Saturday..
(2)Julie J.
I love this place! Food is really great here, with generous portions and really well prepared. For one, the chile relleno is a whole poblano pepper stuffed with your choice of meat. Many places skimp and give you a meager fraction of a pepper. Everything else was tasty, right down to the guacamole, which was simple, fresh, and perfectly seasoned. Definitely plan to come back! This will be our local Mex spot. Yay!
(4)Hiroki K.
Last night, my wife and I ventured out to El Molcajete since we had a coupon and wanted to explore the local eateries since we're new to the area. On the positives, I will say that the service and interior at this place is pretty good. Also, the chips were fresh and the cheese dip was tasty. However, the most important part, the food, was not very good. To start off, you get two salsas on the table, the standard one was very uninspired. It tasted like tomato sauce with a bit of spice and without cilantro, very meh. It's always a bad sign for me when a Tex/Mex place has bad salsa. However, the 2nd chipotle salsa which was a bit better but still not great. I had number 12 combo which was the ground beef enchilada, burrito, and a tamale. Again, this was also very meh, it looked and tasted much like cafeteria grade tex/mex. Essentially it was beef, sauce, and some form of tortilla/corn flour. Sauce was extremely salty and tasted like it came from a can. My wife had the number 9 with chicken. It was a bit better than mine but still nothing I'd write home about. To be honest, I'm a fan of more authentic eateries, like the ones found on Buford Highway. However, I have eaten at my share of the standard Tex/Mex places and have to say that I did not like the food at El Molcajete at all. Overall rating, the food was definately a 2, and the service was probably a 3, so an average of 2.5...but I'm rounding down since the food rating is the more important factor. Cheers!
(2)Joyce F.
oh so good. tried the queso dip and it was yum! ordered the shrimp cocktail with avocado and it was enough to share. loved the fluffy rice. will go back.
(5)Michael E.
Probably some of the best Mexican food I have had outside of Texas. Fresh ingredients, great service, and the place is squeaky clean. I highly recommend this place.
(5)Emily T.
Hmm, I think the chef took the night off. First, the kitchen ran out of pork tamales, so my dining companion had to choose a taco instead (who runs out of tamales at 6:30pm?). Second, when my green chile chicken tamales arrived, they were hard and room temperature (AKA, cold). It seemed like perhaps the tamales had been in the fridge or the freezer, they tossed some shredded cheese on the top, melted the cheese, but did not manage to actually heat the tamales underneath. Next, the ground beef in the tacos tasted "off," perhaps peppery or spiced, unlike any other ground beef I've tasted in the many, many Mexican restaurants I've eaten in AZ, NM, TX, and, yes, even GA. To top it off, the tortilla chips were underdone and greasy (see bit.ly/TmWmuC for scientific info on how to fry a proper chip), and the hard taco shells also suffered the same undercooked fate. So sad... We will not be back.
(2)John S.
What a great place. It is my go-to Mexican restaurant now! Every time I go I tell myself I am going to try something new, but I always end up getting the #20 combination. Stuffed poblano, enchilada, beans and rice. The prices are great, especially the lunch specials and the food is excellent!
(5)Rob F.
One of the better Tex/Mex restaurants in the area. We've had very good service during our visits. I recommend the chicken soup!
(4)