This establishment is exactly what you want, and a 5 for what it is: a humble Mexican spot serving far above average food. The chips & salsa is top class. The beer selection was even a touch unique. I wasn't going to order food even, but by that time I had to try it. Definitely satisfied with the taste and there's quite an array of tasty taco options, so I ordered 3 different tacos. All far exceeded my expectations. Try this place out! Looks on the outside can be deceiving.
(5)
Amanda Z.
I love a random location. This place is in some random strip mall in Elkridge next to a nail salon. Inside its nothing special to look at. Wooden booths and basic chairs. Standard Sombrero on the wall because, well i don't know its just what mexican restaurants have. The lack of 4th star has everything to do with the service and surroundings and nothing to do with the food. There was no one in the restaurant when we got there so seating wasnt an issue but our waiter was slow to come and get our drink orders. And when i went to the bathroom the hall to the bathrooms was dark and there was a group of about 5 flies hovering which was a turnoff. We ordered a pitcher of sangria and i need to say that was some.of the best sangria i have had in a long time there was a cinnamon taste that was really nice after note. The food was good too. I had the burrito preñada wjich came out looking like a swaddled baby it was so big. I got trought about a third of it and gave up. The chicken was seasoned well the chorizo wasnt soggy from being rolled up with the beans and all that sauce its safe to say ill be eating that for dinner tonight and mayne breakfast tomorrow. Our waiter while very sweet was very clueless about actually waiting. It took too long to be greeted. Too long to get our drinks..and no refill on the sangria btw even though we all wanted another pitcher he didnt come back to the table until we were finished our food. Then he brought to go boxes and disappeared for another 10 minutes, well not disappear because we could see him chatting with the bartender. When he finally came back with the check he went to finish his convo for another 10 minutes before coming back to pick up our cards *sigh* Food good service not so good
(3)
MICHAEL U.
Back again after a long time away, still not dissatisfied. The owners and staff make this place not just the food. Sad to see them not busy, you're missing out if you haven't been!!!
(5)
Cindi M.
This is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in the area! They make everything fresh to order. The chips and salsa are the best. They have a good selection on their menu. The service is good and you always feel welcome when you enter whether for take out or sit-down.
(5)
C W.
I've had remembered seeing this place when driving by, so when I saw that Yelp had a deal, my friend and I decided to go check it out The staff here was very friendly. We ordered margaritas, chicken tamales, yuca, chicken soft tacos, and guacamole. The food was pretty good and the drinks were strong. Will have to comeback sometime for HH.
(3)
Carl T.
Couldn't cook a steak :( I ordered the Churrasco Argentino, "Charbroiled Strip Steak, served with chimichurri sauce." It sounded great. I ordered it medium rare. The first steak I got was overcooked and dry as a bone. The french fries were pale white. They looked like they should be served in a New England Denny's, not an acclaimed tex-mex restaurant. The waiter took it back with no questions and promised me a new one. The second one looked medium rare. The center was nice and pink. But the steak was cold! I'm not a chef, but I think the steak must have been frozen when they started cooking it. Even worse was the second order of fries. They were slimy and coated with oil. I know fries are cooked in oil, but never have I seen an order of fries that made this so obvious. At this point I felt self conscious about sending a second steak back, but the prospect of eating the food in front of me removed any hesitation. This time I had to endure a lecture by the waiter about "Well done steaks are cooked for a long time, and medium rare steaks are not cooked very long." He didn't even bother to feel the cold steak I was sending back before assuming I was the one ignorant about what a medium rare steak is. Actually, the steak was not the first thing I ordered. At first I ordered a special tamale platter that sounded delicious. The waiter told me that it was too late to order this dish because it took too long to make. It was about 7:00 PM. I asked how early I had to get there to order it and he said, "Actually it's been taken off the menu because it takes too much work to make." I asked for a suggestion, hoping he would point me to something equally unique and authentic, but what I got was a suggestion to order some ridiculous "Pinata Burrito." It was 4 pounds of meat and cheese of which if I finished it I'd get my picture taken and hung in the restaurant. I'm really confused. I thought this place was going to blow me away. The menu reads like that of an authentic, high quality place, and the reviews on Yelp are mostly very good. I think this place must have changed management recently. They new people have gutted the menu, removed all the time intensive items (without removing them from the menu), found a cheaper, lower quality supplier, replaced the staff with cheaper people who don't know what they're doing, and is winging it every night. They will probably be able to coast by for a while on the stuff that is covered in cheese and sauce (probably store bought). I can't comment on those items because I didn't try any. The website of this place says it has "The Best Mexican and Latin American Cuisine in Howard County." I think this is an insult to Mexican food. If you want to have the good stuff, go to Azul 17.
(1)
Sandy S.
This is our new favorite Mexican place. I love that they have S. American specialties too. I've been here a couple of times and my husband has been here more.....we've never had a bad experience. The homemade chicharrones are AWESOME!!!
(5)
Charlotte B.
Food was good--fried yuca came with a special, vegetable-rich dipping sauce that I haven't had before. however, I do agree with the previous reviewer who wrote that the service is wildly disorganized (it is their first week or so, though, so they may work it out) and the AC just couldn't keep up with this heat wave. In the future I'll be getting take-out,because the food was reasonably good and the tacos were very inexpensive, even if the dining experience wasn't exactly relaxing. (Watching the various family members trying to keep the restaurant going was a little bit like watching Fawlty Towers!)
(3)
Solari B.
This is my favorite Mexican restaurant in the Baltimore area. I've been to many others, and none of them have anything on El Hidalgo. I would recommend any of their burritos, tacos, enchiladas, or anything authentic Mexcan/South American. Their grilled chicken burritos are so good I have a hard time ordering anything else even though I like trying new menu items whenever I go to a restaurant. I've always disliked refried beans, but theirs are amazing. I'm in love with their verde poblano rice as well! I wouldn't recommend this place to picky eaters who prefer bland, boring food due to the amount of bold, amazing, wonderful flavors they incorporate into every dish. I'm not sure why people in other reviews are complaining about ribs, french fries, and the like. This is a Mexican restaurant, people. If you want some ribs and fries done to perfection, go to a rib joint. I seriously love this place so much. I live in Owings Mills, so it's a little bit of a hike to get there, but it's so worth it. I think I'd cry if it shut down. edit: Last time I went there the food was a little different tasting than all the times before. Didn't seem to have the same bold flavors. I'm assuming it's an anomaly, because I don't know of many other great Mexican restaurants outside of the city.
(5)
Luke L.
We stumbled across this place in our neighborhood in Elkridge. We just moved from Arizona and we've been finding the lack of good southwestern restaurants to be an adjustment. But we're happy to have found El Hidalgo and I'm sure it will be a regular stop for us when we eat out. We stopped by on a Sunday night. The place was not busy, so we were seated and served right away. My wife and I shared the El Hidalgo Special, which was about 5 different items, plus rice and beans. Tacos, buros, enchiladas ... it was all very good. We appreciated that the sauce on most things was a green sauce, which was a nice change from slathering everything in rather generic red enchilada sauce. We were excited that they had a rice that was a little different -- they call it Poblano rice and they told us it was spicy. I wouldn't call it spicy but it does have a good flavor. Unfortunately, it was definitely overcooked, so it was kind of dry and crunchy -- I hope that is not always the case. Tacos are $3 a-la-carte on Sunday nights, and I intend to go back and try out their various selections. They seem to have nice specials each day, such as $10 fajitas on Mondays. And happy hour 3-7pm, where you can get a Negra Modelo 16oz draft for $3. They share a shopping strip with a sushi restaurant and an Italian restaurant, both of which we're also curious to try. We'll be back.
(4)
Karen F.
Good food, reasonable prices and friendly service make this our go to Mexican restaurant. You can get traditional fare like tacos, burritos etc or try some of their specialty dinners. For dessert go for the tres leches cake. But skip the sopapias. We always ask for a table as the booths can be somewhat uncomfortable. They have music on Fridays.
(4)
L R.
Absolutely amazing and the house margarita rocks!!!!!
(5)
Drew S.
Great food! Pretty small inside, and the bar is on the low end, but my God that burrito! It may have been the best I've ever had, and I've had chipotle. If you live in Elkridge, check this place out!
(5)
Catherine P.
After reading the reviews on Yelp, we were excited to try this place. I'm not sure what happened between those reviews and last night, but we were not impressed at all. We went with two friends for dinner yesterday. The server brought us chips and salsa and we ordered margaritas and a sangria, which were all very good. For dinner, we ordered the usual mix of tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and one friend got the baby back ribs. The tacos, burritos, and quesadillas were all okay. The Al Pastor tacos were very good. When the ribs came out they looked DISGUSTING! The meat looked like it had been boiled and the sauce looked like ... well, I'll just stop there. When my friend tried it, he said it tasted as good as it looked. So we brought this to the waiter's attention in the nicest way we knew how and told him we didn't want to try again with that same dish. Our friend decided to just share his wife's tacos. The waiter came back a little later and said that his manager told him he could not take it off the bill, so we would have to pay for it. He was very nice and apologized about the situation. At that point, we asked to speak to the manager. She came over and said that it was supposed to be that way and since my friend had ordered it for the first time, he just didn't realize that. She claimed they had sent the same dish to another table and they had like it fine. In the end, they did take it off the bill, but we will not be returning here any time soon. There are too many other good Tex Mex restaurants in the area with better food and better customer service.
(2)
Colby S.
Some of the best authentic mexican food I have ever had. The lengua dish was out of this world and the bar was fully stocked with well over 20 tequilas and Negro modelo on draft. I will be back here tomorrow for sure. I hope they keep this service up.
(5)
Ian C.
Their tres leches is absolutely delicious and I highly recommend it or you are missing out a cake that is probably one of the better tres leches in MD.
(4)
Ellen G.
Yum... Authentic Latino food. The fish tacos were sooooo fresh and delicious and it is absolutely priced right!
(5)
Jamie H.
Recently had a dinner at El Hidalgo w/ my husband. I wasn't a huge fan until we ordered sopapillas! Wow are they terrific!
(4)
Eddie W.
Delicious authentic food. After reading a few other positive reviews, I decided to try it for myself. I was very happy with the food. As many others mention, the service is slightly questionable, though we had no problems whatsoever. The place has a small bar/handful of booths & tables setup, meaning there's always a lot going on. The food, however, was amazing. Best of it's type that I have ever had. I'm always on the lookout for places that aren't just your typical chain, and this place is a hidden gem. For the same prices as a chain, you get real food, prepared in what I have to believe is an authentic manner. I will be going back, and I advise you to skip the chains, and join me.
(5)
Mike R.
The food is on point. I got a burrito (Not the 10lb'r) and it was awesome. The shredded chicken is way good. Guac was awesome, everything is good, as well as the service. I have an idea on how to complete the 10lb challenge. I will be back.
(4)
Jonathan B.
Maybe I caught this place on an off day. I was looking for a new lunch spot, so when I read the reviews of El Hidalgo I figured I'd give it a try. I was the only person there, so service was not an issue at all. I ordered the pollo asado burrito and avocado salad to go. There's not much good to say about the food. The burrito had good flavor, but the chicken was quite dry. The salad was a very basic salad with iceberg lettuce and 5 decent-sized slices of avocado along with slices of carrots, cucumber, and tomatoes. It wasn't terrible, but certainly not what I expected for the price. I definitely want to give this spot another try, but I will not order those dishes again.
(2)
Erin O.
I actually thought the service was great. There have big nice booths. We had what I believe was the owner's son as our waiter. He was attentive and fast. The salsa is fresh and delicious. I am gluten free and my fiance is vegan and we had tons of options. Get a golden maragarita, you won't be disappointed!
(4)
Quinn W.
I have been a couple of times to this restaurant in Elkridge. It is one of the better Mexican restaurants in the area. The chips and salsa are fresh and tasty, and the staff makes you feel welcome. The food is pretty good too. I get the impression that it is a small family business, but I didn't really investigate that, it definitely has that vibe. They have a nice setup with a small bar area, and the rest of the place is dedicated to the restaurant area. The food was plentiful, and the had a nice flavor. It seems Mexican food is hard to perfect in the Maryland area, but this is still a good restaurant, and I would recommend stopping by and trying it out. I will send an update the next time I stop by...which might be soon!
The food was great, and we went when there wasn't a lot of people so service wasn't bad either. It seems to be a family owned business so they are a bit rough around the edges, but overall it was a good experience.
(4)
Jeffrey D.
My favorite place in Ellicott City. This is authentic Mexican food. The Tamales, my favorite, are fantastic.
(4)
Sean L.
Service was great and friendly. Food was good but not great.
(3)
Dan B.
Food was average and pretty expensive for an in town strip mall location. There's better Tex Mex around.
(3)
Jim S.
Oh, what a disappointment -- after reading reviews here we were ever so hopeful. Maybe lunch or brunch is better but dinner was uninspiring. We came for dinner. The chips and salsa were good, the waiter knowledgeable. The food was just so-so. With other really good Mexican restaurants within a 15 minute drive, we found El Hidalgo to be overpriced for run-of-the-mill Tex-Mex.
(2)
Jessica E.
Not the best I've ever had, but very good. Great selection of vegetarian items and skinny margaritas. Service was excellent. Would definitely return.
(4)
Chris S.
Best Mexican in this area. The fish tacos are wonderful, the shrimp tacos are really good, just everything we've had here has been excellent.
(5)
Surya V.
The food is amazingly delicious and they have great options. From the fajitas to the very different types of burritos (even a 3 ft one). They have a fantastic selection of tequila's and make some of the best margaritas. My favorite was the habanero margaritas where they infuse habanero peppers into the tequila. It creates a nice spicy kick at the end of the drink. The service is also amazing and if you go there more than once, good chance they will know who you are and make you feel at home. I thoroughly enjoyed the food and staff there!
(5)
H L.
Coming from the West Coast, I've had my share of awesome Mexican food. Being that good Mexican food is harder to come by in MD, my friends and I decided to try this place based on the Yelp reviews. However, we were sorely disappointed. Maybe it was due to my bias from living in the West, so I am unfamiliar of the way Mexican restaurants are on the East coast. I've come to think that chips & salsa are usually a free staple at Mexican restaurants. Here they charge you $2 for refills. We also had to wait over an hour for our food, due to the kitchen being 'busy' except we weren't warned of that until after we had ordered and were waiting for our food. In addition, everything is way overpriced compared to the price you can get it for on the West coast. Carne Asada Fries for $17?! Don't even bother ordering these because you will be disappointed. The beef comes as a thin steak (instead of the regular cubes) with a small plate of fries, definitely was not worth the price or the wait!
(1)
Drew W.
Wow. My girlfriend and I went in the place for dinner last night. When we walked in we immediately noticed the dozen or so stressed-out employees running around the place. The bartender (literally) yelled at one of these people to greet us. After being ignored, she came around the front of the bar and sat us herself. Once seated, the following exchange occured: Me: "Do you have Sol?" Bartender: "Sol?" Me: "What Mexican beers do you have?" Bartender: "I'm not Mexican, so I don't know". SERIOUSLY?!? The rest of our visit was about as good as this. The margarita was terrible - green water with tequila in it. The dining room temperature was uncomfortably warm (the thermostat said it was 83). The food was good - when it FINALLY got to us after 30 minutes or so. It appeared that a family made up most of the staff (except for the bartender!) and they seemed to be trying their best but simply overwhelmed with trying to run a restaurant. If they hire someone to run this place, it might be worth going back for the food. If they don't, it won't last long.
(1)
Ned F.
the $18 burrito is seriously like 3-4 burritos. So for the folks complaining about how expensive it is... It's twice the width of a normal burrito and twice as long. The regular burrito clearly exceeded a chiptole or qdoba's chain burrito. It's a really good spot, we'll be back for more.
(4)
Todd K.
Excellent food and service! We've been back a half dozen times and our experience has been the same each time. Also, We love the negra modelo on draft...and yes, its better than the bottled version!
Stopped in for a beer, chips, salsa, pork tamales, and a cup of soup. Service was poor, barkeep spent more time on her phone than with customers. Salsa was not good, had a strange taste. No pork for tamales. Don't plan to go back. I used to like this place, but not any more.
(1)
Lorilynn R.
I have not said "ewww" on any other post. Want strong margaritas? This is your place!! Food?? Not a good choice!! Burnt meat and just overall not good! I guess if you're wanting to get drunk then eat this may be your place!!?? Not even a full star is my choice!
Great hidden gem! A small but delicious restaurant tucked into a strip mall in Elkridge. This was our first visit and it was packed! We had a reservation and were seated immediately. The jalapeño poppers were great as were our meals. The one complaint I would have is that the restaurant was very warm. It was cooler outside than in the restaurant. Deserts were delicious too. The tres leches cake and churros were great!
(4)
Jason F.
Came here for lunch and ordered the al pastor taqueria. The pork was eh quality and the salsa that it comes with was bland. I actually enjoyed the rice and refried beans better than the main part of the meal. The complimentary chips and salsa were average. The main positives were that the bartender was nice, the music was pleasant, and they have an extensive bar so I was able to try Don Q for the first time since I was in Puerto Rico. Since I live close by, I'll give the food another chance and come back for dinner and try something a little more adventurous.
(3)
Victor A.
Wife was craving Empanadas so we thought to try a new restaurant and decided on El Hidalgo due to the decent Yelp ratings. Had the following Beef Empanadas- They were disgustingly Salty and after 2 bites we thew them away. Chicken and chicken chimichangas. The shredded beef in the Chimichanga was actually good and not salty at all like the Beef Empanadas. The outsides of the Chimichangas were very soggy from the pico de gallo topping negating what would have been a very nice crunch outside. Sides form the Chimichanga entries- Refried beans, Also extremely salty so we did not finish those. Rice... It was cold, clumped up and found a white curly hair in it so that was also tossed. lastly Yuca Frita This was by far the best thing we orders, For the price though it was a small portion of casava. 3 pieces. at 3.99 it would be a fair price. Also the menu prices on the website are out of date and are slightly cheaper than the actual prices currently at the restaurant. The atmosphere is more of a Bar that serves some food rather than a Restaurant that has a bar in it. Had high hopes for this place but was sadly let down and with all the other competitive dining options in the area with better food and better prices, I do not see us ever coming back.
(2)
Emilie W.
Food was decent but way overpriced. I got 3 tacos at $3 each and there was hardly any protein in them. The place was virtually empty when we stopped in, but the service was not quick. They also brought out the wrong appetizer. Seemed like a good find at first but we won't be returning here.
(2)
Paul S.
Quickly becoming my go-to Mexican spot! I usually get one of the burritos which are excellent and stuffed with lots of meat. their Lomo Saltado was also quite good. Chips and salsa were fresh tasting, but you have to pay extra for another basket.Overall, a very good meal and one of these days, I'm gonna do the Burrito Challenge!
(4)
Sabina B.
I went again on a saturday. It wasn't open around 11:30am although the sign says they open at 11am.
(1)
Shawn M.
I really wanted to like this place when we drove up, but it is just too small for what they actually need. When we arrived we were hustled over to a three point table booth that supposedly could hold six people. Unfortunately, when two of those people are overweight, that really isn't the case. The waitress really should have sat us somewhere else, possibly putting together one or more tables together to accommodate the party of six better. The space issue was so bad it was most likely responsible for my father-in-law spilling a 12 oz. beer all over the table and most of us as well because there really isn't much room to move around. Add that the table we were at was also extremely wobbly and off balanced and you had a real issue with stability. Now the food itself wasn't bad. I had the Burrito Prenada, and if you've never been, you wouldn't know that it is large enough for 2 people to eat. They also have the 'Ultimate Burrito Prenada' which cost $39, but is large enough for 4 people. If you decide to take the 'ULTIMATE BURRITO CHALLENGE' and can consume the entire ultimate version of the Burrito Prenada by yourself, it is free. Pretty sure the ambulance ride as the result of having your stomach burst would be quite costly, though. Eating it by yourself is unrealistic, even for someone as large as I am, so that is why they feel confident that no one can actually do it. I also had the House Margarita, which really wasn't all that much to 'write home about' as my mother-in-law would say. Too much cheap tequila, not enough actual flavor to really say they have the best, especially when El Patio in Rockville had much better 'adult beverages'. The place also seems to attract douche bags that like to loiter just inside the door with their 'brewskis'. We actually had to wait to be sat down because the drunk idiots wouldn't get out of the waitress's way. Quick and Dirty: Good enough food, mediocre margaritas, attracts douche college drunks, and not enough space for even medium sized parties.
(2)
Latise B.
We've gone back to El Hidalgo many times since our first trip. We love the proximity to our house and the friendly nature of the staff. It's very neighborly. My husband loves their Cadilac Margarita. I've yet to try it (pregnancy) but believe me once I can, I will! It's a bit pricey, but if hubby likes it then it is probably pretty good. The burritos are huge and flavorful. Try the roadkill burrito if queso is your thing. That grilled chicken...yum!
(3)
Kristi D.
This was truly a great fine. If you are from the west coast this will be more like what you're use to eating when it comes to Mexican food than the typical Maryland version. Although the sherreded beef had a slightly tex-mex flavor it was still good. The tacos aren't quite Tijuana style, but fairly close. The guacamole is similar to how I make my own and yes it was very delicious. salsa was great I would recommend you try this place if you want some good food.
(4)
Carolyn C.
Do not come here! You will get food poisoning! The food is horrible. Within moments after eating a few bites my boyfriend got super sick. He had to run to the gas station next door to get medicine. I even told the waiter (who was awful) that the chicken and steak was all gristle and fat pieces and he said "oh sorry." Wtf.. Take it off the bill? I didn't want to argue with anyone so I clearly stated in front of the people at the bar ordering that the food was horrible and that my boyfriend was getting sick outside. Never again. Their happy hour isn't special and I wouldn't pay a cent to eat their food again.
(1)
Larissa J.
Oh good grief - this place seemed like it had great deals and I even bought the $10 for $20 worth of food deal just to try to food and because it was close to where I was and this may be one of the few Mexican restaurants in the world that charges you $2 for extra chips and salsa - $2!!! Can you believe that? I mean I have eaten at a lot of places and that seems like a lot and the amount of chips they give you for starters is ridiculously small and the print to find out that you get charged extra is super small and on the last page of their ridiculously long menu. I was not amused when I found that out. Not only that but when you check in they give you a free House margarita - but don't redeem this if you are using any other deals - because they will not give you both at one sitting but the truth is I would never go back their again. We visited on a Saturday night and they have signs everywhere that there is Karaoke from 8pm - close on Saturdays but there was no Karaoke and there were so few patrons it was sad. Not only that but the booths are oddly shaped and difficult to get into. The service was meh at best, we didn't have silverware on our table when we arrived nor did we get silverware when our appetizers came out and when I asked for extra napkins, I was given beverage napkins. The entire experience was seriously one star worthy and that is only because the nachos come out loaded (but need more chips - which cost $2 a basket!!!) Needless to say that is the only time I will be visiting this restaurant.
(1)
Ed S.
It was OK Decent food Decent prices Friendly staff Decent atmosphere SO SO
(2)
Steven B.
So I had eaten somewhere else and was returning to my hotel. I just wasn't ready yet to face an empty hotel room and these folks were just steps from my hotel. The rumor was that the margaritas here were killer good so I thought I'd stop in for an adult libation or two. Everyone knows that a margarita with a lime = 1 serving of fruit so at least I would be doing something healthy. I sat at the small bar and was warmly welcomed by the pleasant bartender. The owner also stopped by to say hi. As I suspected, like most Mexican joints they have a Margarita Menu with several varieties. Yup, I was right. The bartender confirmed that each type = 1 serving of fruit. It's no wonder margaritas are so popular! I tried two different varieties and they were everything margaritas should be: delicious, potent, competitively priced and of course healthy. While I was sipping, lots of great looking food passed by me on its way to other customers. Although I didn't eat myself there were clearly several happy customers munching away. My experience at the bar was four stars. I plan to return to try the food and more healthy margaritas! :-)
(4)
Neil G.
Found this place next to our hotel. The hotel staff highly recommended it and they were right! Great drinks. Good basic Mexican food fairly priced. Maybe avoid the Habanero margarita... A bit too hot, but otherwise a great time for the six of us.
(4)
Mountain M.
Our waitress was ok, the food was TERRIBLE!!!! Chewy steak fajita and dried cheese enchilada :(
(1)
Raymond L.
Had the hidalgo burrito and holy crap, this was the most flavorful Mexican food I can remember. The queso with fresh tortilla chips, amazing as well.
(5)
Tony P.
A very good Tex-Mex style establishment offering an eclectic mix of latin flavors. The decor is thematic and quaint. The service is expedient if not always attentive. The Yucatan shrimp are tasty with a really nice spicy in-house made dipping sauce. The pork tamales are also a good option. They are a nice doughy corn meal stuffed with tasty pork. I especially like the picada with grilled pork, chicken, beef, pork crackling, plantain, fried yucca, chorizo, arepa, and fried potatoes. Though it can be hit or miss. The flat iron steak used in the fajitas are ok. A bit over cooked and they need to cross cut it better. They also offer a la carte taco's with a good assortment of ingredients. The lengua and fish are good options. Overall a very good option for the local Columbia area with authentic latin fares.
(4)
Sem F.
Not too bad, average Mexican food. The shredded beef and carnitas were really good. Other meats were dry and not very tender. Service was friendly and fast. Deserves a second trip.
(3)
Julia F.
It's hard to give more than a one star review when repeatedly I go there during their posted open hours and they are not open. it also does not look very sanitary from the outside.
(1)
Larry H.
If you blink you'll miss it... El Hildago is at the very end of a little strip of restaurants behind a Giant and beside a gas station. But it's well worth taking the time to find. Authentic Mexican/South American food with a little Tex-Mex thrown in and a full bar to top it all off. The owner who routinely waits tables himself is very friendly and so are the rest of his wait and bar staff. The food is well prepared with ample portions to send you home stuffed. They have separate tables and a long wooden bar area, along with outdoor dining during the warmer months of the year. El Hildago even has their own Food Challenge... Their Ultimate Prenada Burrito weighing in at 8 lbs! is made to serve 4 normal people. But if you dare to try, you can get it for free if you can manage to eat one all by yourself ! Good Luck !
(4)
Jason J.
I think I have 2 reviews total logged onto Yelp. The main reason being is because I dont find much extraordinary with as often as im traveling. Allow me to introduce el hidalgo mexican restaurant. I get the same thing every time cause honestly I personally feel its that good. Chile rellanos del mar. Its a stuffed pablano chile with seafood. Super great. Their salsa taste fresh made every time im here. Theyre chips are warm like they were baked not too long ago. The folks here are usually very nice. The girl behind the bar on my third trip here seemed new and uncomfortable. Nice but uncomfy. If you find.yourself nearby stop and check it out. J
(4)
David T.
I would not recommend this place. They charge you for every little thing. The place was empty on a Saturday night. They charge extra for chips but you get all the salsa you want. The place was empty when we got there but we get stuck in a corner both that was difficult to get in n out of. We got a complementary margarita with checking in on yelp. I saw there was a voucher for $20 for $10 voucher on yelp. We purchased it , then told we couldn't use it because we got the free margarita. It was not worth the money that we spent in there.
(1)
k c.
We have been to this restaurant before and really enjoyed it. They have good drinks and some nice items on the menu. Their beef taquitos a are really delicious. We would give them a four rating if it weren't for two things that occurred on our visit last week. First, our appetizers took a really long time to come - like more than fifteen minutes. Then mine came and we waited a couple of minutes for the other. About one minute later the waitress returned with our entrees! We have had this happen at another Mexican restaurant we like and not put up a fuss. But this time we were outraged by such bad service. As if that weren't enough, when I began eating my appetizer I found she had gotten my order wrong. I ordered beef taquitos and mine were chicken. We didn't bother saying anything because the last thing we wanted was to wait again for anything else. I think the most frustrating part of these types of experiences is that no one ever seems to understand what he or she did wrong. So you feel like it's not even worthwhile mentioning. So you think I'll express my dissatisfaction with a low tip. Then you think about all the cheap, lousy tippers out there and you feel bad, even though you are a really great tipper. So I come to Yelp and give them a three for an experience that was a one or two.
(3)
Rachel W.
The food was very good. And our server was so cool. Got to use the yelp $20 deal which was great. We sat out on the patio which was a really cute area, the only complaint is the faint smell of trash from the nearby dumpsters. :0 Other than that, it was really enjoyable. Will return.
(4)
Edward L.
Thanks to fellow Yelpers, my wife and I finally tried this place out for dinner one night. We've seen this place quite a few times since it's a few doors down from Katana Sushi. I'm surprised it's taken us this long to try a place so close to us. The employees are all really friendly and seem to have a genuine interest in making sure you are satisfied and happy with the food and service. They start you off with a free bowl of chips and salsa that were okay, nothing great or terrible. I did notice there were writings in the menu saying first bowl of chips/salsa free and $2 for each additional one. I guess that keeps people from just ordering drinks and eating free chips? The salsa could have been spicier but I didn't feel like asking. Based on another review, we ordered the El Hidalgo Special. The reviewer split this with his wife so I did the same. Not a bad dish for $15. We also ordered the (forgot the name of it...Cinco de Mayo?) five taco platter, also $15. They were in either a corn shell or a soft shell similar to the ones from R&R Deli (another great place). Both came with rice and beans and were delicious. There was just enough leftovers for my lunch the next day. For dessert, my wife ordered something with strawberries and heavy cream...tres leches I think it was called. It was delicious for the most part but I think the cream/frosting was spoiled. I nearly threw up on my first bite. Once we scraped off the frosting, it was fine and we ate it all. They have a full bar, too, with bartender so it might be a decent spot to grab a drink if you're looking for a non-busy bar. There were quite a few televisions around the place, too. Our server was super attentive and very nice but this may have been because there were only 2 or 3 other tables of customers present. I feel 3 stars isn't enough but not impressed enough to give them 4 yet. I will definitely come back though. (I feel like I owe our server since I mistakenly shorted her on the tip. Didn't realize until after we left that I did the math wrong and left her less than 15% tip. She definitely deserved much more).
(3)
Ryan C.
Man I miss this place! We used to frequent El Hildago, probably more often than we should have, when we lived back east. It is located in a strip center with our favorite local Italian place too. EH for short is a no frills, solid Mexican restaurant. They have great service and fantastic margaritas. My wife and her friend have been known to polish a few of these off in their day!
(4)
Courtney C.
I had a craving for a skinny margarita. El Hidalgo popped up on my radar and away we went. I wish we hadn't. The server who sat us was extremely friendly and helpful. We decided on a table outside and he helped us put a few tables together and grabbed us a highchair. The menu is extensive, which makes me wonder right away how much is actually made in house. Here's the breakdown: The very good: I started with a house skinny margarita. It was delicious! The chipotle salsa is in fact smokey and spicy. Very spicy. The okay: My side salad was good and the vegetable side was also good. Hard to mess those up. My two taco's al pastor were greasy and had a lot of fat, but the flavors were there. It just needed some cilantro or something. They came double wrapped in soft corn tortillas, which had good texture. My baby's mashed sweet potato's were simple and he seemed to enjoy them. Tres leche cake was not worth the calories. The bad: My baby's chicken enchilada and anything with that nasty green sauce on it. It tasted like dog food. $80 for dinner in a strip mall in the burbs with less than good food. Over priced! It took us 15min to get our check, had to ask for water refills after looking for our waitress for 10min, and she barely checked on us. They were not that busy. My son was fussy and starting to disrupt the other diners and we just wanted to leave before he got overly disruptive. No waitress to be found. I won't be back.
(2)
Jon A.
Average Tex/Mex food by NY standards at best; but what can you expect this is Maryland... The beer selection and prices were great the best part of eating here!!!. Ate here twice Wednesday was certainly better then Monday. The chips were good both nights but the salsa was bland on Monday but nice and spicy on Wednesday. Overall food selection was limited and while the tacos were nicely loaded the tortillas were too thin and soggy making the whole thing fall apart. The Fajitas on Monday were nothing special. Service was good on Wednesday but not as good Monday. Overall for the price it was an ok meal.
(3)
S D.
We used to go to El Hidalgo all the time and enjoyed the restaurant. However, the last few times, the service and food has not been up to par. Today's experience was one of the worst experiences we've ever had at El Hidalgo or any restaurant. First, the waitress got our drink order wrong. Rather than acknowledging her mistake, she became defensive. She finally fixed the drink order after 15 minutes. Then we waited over 45 minutes for our food, even though the restaurant was practically empty. When it finally arrived, the items were over cooked and not made to our specification. The shrimp fajita smelled burned and the shrimp was shriveled up from being over cooked. We specifically asked three times if a specific burrito could be made with shrimp only, no beef, as we don't eat beef. They assured us yes. When it finally arrived after so long, it had beef in it. Again, the waitress was extremely defensive and tried arguing it wasn't her fault, as she wrote it down as we requested. She then started getting into it with another waitress at our table. The other waitress offered to have it remade, but given how late it was and how long it took the first time, we said no thank you. We asked for extra tortilla so that our son could share the fajitas with us, as he no longer had dinner to eat and they charged us for the extra tortillas!! The meal was so terrible and frustrating that it ruined what was supposed to be a fun celebratory dinner by putting everyone in a bad mood.
(1)
Yaka H.
We came back and started off with the tclacoyos appetizer. We had ours stuffed with pork. It was surprisingly quite delightful to eat. It's a flat corn flour griddle cake, stuffed with your choice of meat or beans, topped off with queso fresco, lettuce, tomatoes, and tomatillo salsa. In a way it's similar to a pupusa, if you're trying to imagine it. SX was pretty hungry or something and ordered the Burrito Prenada. It's essentially two burritos which fused ends and became one giant burrito. He got it with verde poblano rice, refried beans, chorizo and carnitas. The burrito came with 1 half with salsa verde on it and the other side with red salsa. It was huge and should really be eaten by at least 2 people. I ordered the Burrito valenciana, which was essentially paella wrapped in a tortilla, topped off with a rich and creamy sauce. It was pretty good and was chock full of seafood, chicken and pork. It comes with a side of beans. We ended our meal with a lovely slab of tres leches. Yummy! The service was okay, still not entirely smooth, but it still was okay.
(4)
Chandra O.
I decided to check this place out after sering a daily deal offer in my email. I checked Yelp and saw good reviews so...ok I was curious. It's in a shopping center at end of Montgomery Rd., facing the gas station and hotel. The place is small (10 tables and 3 booths inside). They've a few tables on patio as well. After being seated we were quickly offered chips and salsa. My son is very picky but actually enjoyed the salsa. I tried the mango margarita and noticed they've a build your own margarita option as well...NICE. Now the food...I had to try the steak fajitas and so glad I did! Steak was tender and full of flavor. It came with rice, beans, etc. I was stuffed! Son had the cinqo de mayo and could barely eat it all. Although he didn't care for the pork burrito he really liked the tacos! I'll def come back again. Oh and place got pretty busy and with small seating area it's best to come at a good time (early evening) to get seated quickly.
(4)
Danny C.
I understand people write reviews to express their experiences, but sometimes they make no sense..... What did you think ribs would look like? The ribs you see at Famous Daves or other chain restaurants are extremely processed and with added food coloring. They dont know how to cook a steak? Its a tex mex restaurant not a steak house! And damn right I have my biased opinions about this place. =) No disrespect intended. This place has always fed me and many buddies fantastic food. I would get ribs sometimes and they were ALWAYS better than any other restaurant in Howard County at least! Yeah, some parts would be a bit tough but thats to be expected from most places. But it has a good amount of fat on it which provides flavor and added texture. The flavor? You can taste the hint of liquor marinaded in the ribs. Great BBQ. I have been here plenty of times and my favorite dish would be either the bandeja paisa or the burrito valenciano. Bandeja Paisa is a huge meat lovers dish while the Valenciano is a big seafood lovers burrito. Every dish I had here has their differences, all positive. The service is great as well. The owner of the restaurant is very outgoing, nice, and always has time to talk to his customers. This place has a huge menu and almost every dish was fantastic. The cons? The booth seats are wooden with no cushions. We stayed there for almost 3 hours and my behind was hurting! Service isnt the best when it gets real busy, but thats understandable. Need more parking... I still believe this is the best tex mex restaurant I have been to so far.
(5)
Gemma M.
I went for takeout. It was alright. I've had better. I probably won't go back.
(3)
Puneet M.
Nice little mom and pop Mexican restaurant... El Hidalgo is located in a newer shopping center and when you first enter you immediately know that its a locally owned place (which is great to support). I have been here a couple times now and the service food have been on the positive side. Never had any issues with food, drinks, service, etc... so all in all solid place. The only app. I have tried is the Guadeloupe egg rolls, veggie egg roles with avocado and spinach. These are pretty darn good and they come with a nice remould sauce. As far as a main course, I have had their Chimi's (large size and stuffed well) and chicken tacos (good, not great, and the shell is basically a old espaso shell) Both were good, I prefer the chimis over the tacos plus you get like double the food! lol Haven't had to desert here, but one thing I would recommend for all Heat Heads (people who like hot sauces) ask for there habernao sauce. Its 75 cents but it is awesome!! basically straight up habernao's Overall, I would go back, heck already have haha. You get a solid food and you get to support a mom and pop shop! Margaritas on me! See you at the fiesta!!
(3)
J. Rene L.
Only 2 stars for this reason. My food was brought to me very lukewarm. Huge upset since we were the only ones in the place! The tortilla soup was very hot and I loved the taste! I will return to try the margaritas and to give the food another chance. I ordered the enchilada, tamale and taco combo. I'm from California and still haven't found an authentic Mexican meal. The customer service was great, place was clean and we enjoyed the authentic atmosphere.
(2)
Andrew M.
After watching one too many episodes of Bizarre Foods America (damn you Andrew Zimmern, I want your life) I had a fierce hankering for some chicharrones. After doing a quick Yelp search and assessing my options, I decided on El Hidalgo. In addition to the chicharrones, I got the bourbon bbq ribs, cause why not go all out puerco. While awaiting my takeout order, I had a chance to interact with the lady on staff. Very nice and courteous, all smiles. The ribs came out piping hot along with some baked beans and yuca fries on the side. After getting my pork bounty safely home, I dove right in. Pretty good chicharrones (meat/fat/skin ratio is very important) with textbook texture - good crisp from the skin, melt from the fat, meatiness from the meat, but taste left a little to be desired. Unfortunately the peanut oil they were fried in dominated the palette and overrode any porky flavor I was hoping to get. The ribs (which I'm terribly picky about) were OK, but with some glaring rib no-nos. I get that it's hard to have perfect ribs made to order unless you have them going on and rolling off the smoker all day, but from the perspective and experience of an outside-the-industry civilian, if you're going to bake and/or boil them, there are certainly ways to make them better without too much more time and effort. That being said, these ribs weren't dry, but they also were far from fall-off-the-bone. The bourbon bbq sauce was excellent! But there wasn't enough of it. They would've been best served SLATHERED in that sweet bourbony goodness to compensate for its other deficiencies. Yuca fries were fairly standard and the baked beans tasted more like Bush's from the can than anything authentic and Mexican. Despite the noted shortcomings of the things I ordered, I still think El Hidalgo has a lot of promise, and they have a huge menu with a lot of intriguing foodie items. I'd give them another chance and try again.
(3)
Becca R.
When we moved to the area we were having a hard time finding a good local tex mex restaurant, aside from the big chains. We tried a couple that were just so-so until we found El Hidalgo. I like that it's small and family owned. The staff are all very polite and the restaurant is clean. There are a lot of vegetarian options aside from just ordering tortillas stuffed with cheese and beans (they have that too, though, if that's your thing). Seems like the other reviews are critiquing the meat, so I cannot attest to that. I've never had bad food or service there. If you've gone and didn't like it, give it another try and order something different before passing a final judgement.
(5)
Ariana K.
This place has GREAT burritos. The portions were huge. Everything was very fresh. The chicken jalapeno poppers were hot and spicy. Yes it was hidden behind a gas station, but use the Yelp deal and it will be worth it!
(4)
Marsha J.
I really wanted to like this restaurant but neither my husband nor I thought the food was very good. The people were nice but we wouldn't go back; there are two many better Mexican restaurants in the area. We went a couple of months ago; I can't remember what we ordered.
(2)
Jen W.
Thanks to the great reviews on Yelp. We found that El Hidalgo lived up to the reviews. We were looking for a place to meet friends between Baltimore and Silver Spring. It was the perfect find. It is tucked at the end of a strip mall in Howard County. You might miss it since the entrance to the strip mall is a little askew. I wouldn't let that deter you. The restaurant was clean and fresh. They have indoor booths and tables or you can venture outside on their deck. The service was efficient and friendly which is always a plus. Makes you want to come back if the food is good. Yes, the food was great! The four of us shared tacos, enchiladas, carne asada and shrimp. The beans and rice were cooked perfectly, as well as the meat. The flavors were fresh and not too heavy. Just writing this review is making my mouth water. Oh don't forget! Get dessert! The tres leches cake was the best I have ever tasted. It was light and moist. The cake was perfectly sweet and a nice way to end a Mexican meal. I will definitely come back. They even have a bar with flat screen TVs so you can watch a soccer match or other team sports.
(4)
Kerrie B.
Close to home and great food. Margaritas are pretty good too. Salsa, chips and guacamole good. Family friendly, outside seating a plus! Fajitas are my fav, tried one of the house specials but went back to my fav. I'm not a fan of sauces and cheese but it was still tasty. Definitely recommend
(4)
Tracy S.
In my mind, there is no such thing as bad mexican food. El Hidalgo is pretty tasty and the staff is super nice. Definitely returning!
(4)
Rudy C.
OK what can I say about this place. Im looking for good mexican food around my area and, well it is lacking around here. Anyway, I found this place on Yelp and decided to try it out. First off it is a bit out of the way, tucked in a corner strip mall, limited access to it by major roads. So you have to drive a bit, but that is not that big of a deal. I got my order to go (carne asada burrito). The burritto itself was good, but lacked a lot of meat, mainly rice inside. The burrito was big as well, but for the price I was a little taken back. It was about 15 bucks just for a burrito. I was like damn! I could have went to Chipotle and got the same thing for less money, but I digress. The place itself is small, but has a bar. If you eat there you get one basket of chipsm and salsa. The people that run the place seem nice enough. I went there and it was not busy at all. So I tried it, and I probably wont be going back for many reasons. If the prices were lower and maybe a little more easily accessible, then I probably would go back, but not now.
(2)
Codi Alyssa B.
This was great! We went to celebrate my aunt's birthday and cousin's engagement - service was amazing and the music was wonderful! :)
(5)
Bonnie H.
Service was solid, but it might have been because we came when it wasn't busy. Either way, it was nice. I thought the prices were decent, but the food was lacking. Eh nothing to write home about.... guess I'll keep searching for my go to mexican spot.
(2)
Hannah K.
This is one of the best Mexican/Latino restaurant in Howard County!! Drinks- I absolutely LOVE their margaritas and sangrias! I honestly can say I can't drink any other margarita and sangria anywhere else. El Hildalgo doesn't use triple sec, but rather agave. PLUS their margarita is SKINNY!! It can't get better than that! :) Please if you go and visit here, try their margarita and sangrias! So delicious. Food- This place has the most fresh and authentic ingredients. I've had the burrito, taco salad, and the chicken fajita. Yes, some people said that the menu may be pricey, but you get what you pay for. You can tell the ingredients are fresh and tasty. As for service, yes for any restaurant during peak dinner times, it can get busy. But that's the same for any restaurant. The servers try their best to accommodate every customer. If you want to eat at a small nice authentic Mexican/Latin restaurant with great bar and drink selection come to El Hildalgo :)
(5)
Hung T.
I stopped by this place for lunch during work. It was pretty empty at noon on a wenesday. I sat at the bar and looked at the menu. Did my eyes deceive me when i saw they had a California Burrito?! What? In Elkridge, Maryland? Having been to many tacquerias in Cali, I know what a good california burrito tastes like. So you know I had to try this one. Pros: - The place gives you free chips and salsa. I like. The chips were very crisp and warm and delicious. - The service is fast and I only had to wait about 10 minutes for the food to come out. - Nice casual atmosphere with a homey feel to it. - The california burrito was huge (could only finish half due to time constraint) and came with pico de gallo, guac, sour cream, and smothered in this cheese sauce. Cons: - The freakin ridiculous price! $17 for a burrito! This aint not lobster and caviar burrito, man! Given, it had steak and shrimp, but it wasn't even that much meat and no way is the price justified. I think $10 is as high as it should go. - The steak was a bit burnt and i could taste it. It was also a little hard to chew. - The shrimp was cut into small chunks and wasn't a big part of the dish. - For such a big burrito, I expected more guacamole and pico de gallo. All i got was like a medium size dollop of both. Overall, the place has potential to be better and if they lowered their prices to something more reasonable, then i'd probably go back. I feel bad giving it only 3 stars because the service and ambience is nice, but, I'm not made of money (yet)...
(3)
Rob N.
Service: 2 stars Food: 4 stars I bookmarked El Hidalgo because Sandy S. mentioned chicharrones. I love chicharrones. I wanted chicharrones. I asked for chicharrones. I got no chicharonnes. The food is pretty darned good - I got the burrito Valenciana with rice, peas, red pepper, squid, shrimp, crab, chicken, and pork. Chips were fresh and warm, even if the salsa was thinner and saltier than I normally prefer. However, the service was... not really good. There were three servers, one of which actually seemed to be doing his job. The other guys just seemed to be wandering aimlessly. Thus my missing chicharrones, and a couple awkward moments of our server looming over the table. Please do something about your front-of-house, guys. The kitchen will appreciate you not screwing it up for everybody.
(3)
Elizabeth B.
Just wanted to give a recent update of this place given some of the recent reviews. We go there at least once a week and have been going ever since they opened, so am very familiar with the food and drinks there. I did try the ribs and they were melt in your mouth, a little too fatty for my taste, but the flavor was smokey and great the the bbq sauce on top was delicious. Ribs are supposed to be fall-off-the-bone tender, and these are. I thought they were decadent but awesome. The green sauce is one of my favorite sauces there. I usually get it with the chicken enchiladas, and sometimes get the mole sauce which is also excellent. A new thing we tried was the chili quesadillas, cheese quesadillas with their homemade chili inside, just really really good. They use agave syrup and real fruit juices to sweeten their margaritas. Love them and have at least one every week, perfect for a Friday night winding down. Also their mojitos are fresh and the best I've had! The food is not chain food, and the flavors might throw some people off. The food is authentic and fresh. Some of it is very spicy. The snakebite appetizer is shrimp in habenaro pepper fried, and boy is that hot (but good), only for those that can tolerate extreme heat. They got new seating with cushions and it is much more comfy now. The people that work there are so friendly, it's a fun place to go to wind down on a Friday night.
(5)
Alli P.
Ate here for the first time today. Can see myself coming back even being a half an hour away. Margaritas were on point-best I've had in the area in a long time. Food was really good too. Friendly service. I would definitely recommend it!
(4)
Jeff W.
Well we had a lot of hope for this place, based upon other reviews, and were sorely disappointed. My wife and I are from Arizona and have been looking for a good Mexican food restaurant for the entire time we have loved here (10 years). No place so far has been as good as AZ, but this was the worst. The staff was great and the restaurant looked nice. The beans were almost inedible, because for some reason they taste strongly of smoke. The red sauce was basically just salsa. The food was not hot when it came out. Finally, the worst part was the cost. Way too expensive. The bill came to $44 for two adults and two small children, without any alcohol. There are much better Mexican food restaurants in the area that are much cheaper.
(1)
debi k.
The owner of the restaurant very quickly responded to my initial post. The owner was apologetic and generously offered a gift certificate. I am impressed by the owner's professionalism and accountability for the day's errors. I look forward to eating at the restaurant with my husband, stand by for a review on the food!
(5)
Cristina H.
Came with my fiance for late lunch/early dinner -i call it lunner. I mainly wanted chichrrones, which I think is hard to come across in MD, compared to NYC. Anyway, the place was empty and service was great! We especially liked their fresh guacamole. I also purchased the Yelp deal while waiting for our food ($10 for $20 restaurant voucher). we ordered two appetizers, not including the guac and an entree with a beer and the total was $10 and change with the voucher. Great price for the amount if food we ordered -which we shared. Next time, I'm getting appetizers and leaving room for dessert.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
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.
Sarcofago N.
This establishment is exactly what you want, and a 5 for what it is: a humble Mexican spot serving far above average food. The chips & salsa is top class. The beer selection was even a touch unique. I wasn't going to order food even, but by that time I had to try it. Definitely satisfied with the taste and there's quite an array of tasty taco options, so I ordered 3 different tacos. All far exceeded my expectations. Try this place out! Looks on the outside can be deceiving.
(5)Amanda Z.
I love a random location. This place is in some random strip mall in Elkridge next to a nail salon. Inside its nothing special to look at. Wooden booths and basic chairs. Standard Sombrero on the wall because, well i don't know its just what mexican restaurants have. The lack of 4th star has everything to do with the service and surroundings and nothing to do with the food. There was no one in the restaurant when we got there so seating wasnt an issue but our waiter was slow to come and get our drink orders. And when i went to the bathroom the hall to the bathrooms was dark and there was a group of about 5 flies hovering which was a turnoff. We ordered a pitcher of sangria and i need to say that was some.of the best sangria i have had in a long time there was a cinnamon taste that was really nice after note. The food was good too. I had the burrito preñada wjich came out looking like a swaddled baby it was so big. I got trought about a third of it and gave up. The chicken was seasoned well the chorizo wasnt soggy from being rolled up with the beans and all that sauce its safe to say ill be eating that for dinner tonight and mayne breakfast tomorrow. Our waiter while very sweet was very clueless about actually waiting. It took too long to be greeted. Too long to get our drinks..and no refill on the sangria btw even though we all wanted another pitcher he didnt come back to the table until we were finished our food. Then he brought to go boxes and disappeared for another 10 minutes, well not disappear because we could see him chatting with the bartender. When he finally came back with the check he went to finish his convo for another 10 minutes before coming back to pick up our cards *sigh* Food good service not so good
(3)MICHAEL U.
Back again after a long time away, still not dissatisfied. The owners and staff make this place not just the food. Sad to see them not busy, you're missing out if you haven't been!!!
(5)Cindi M.
This is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in the area! They make everything fresh to order. The chips and salsa are the best. They have a good selection on their menu. The service is good and you always feel welcome when you enter whether for take out or sit-down.
(5)C W.
I've had remembered seeing this place when driving by, so when I saw that Yelp had a deal, my friend and I decided to go check it out The staff here was very friendly. We ordered margaritas, chicken tamales, yuca, chicken soft tacos, and guacamole. The food was pretty good and the drinks were strong. Will have to comeback sometime for HH.
(3)Carl T.
Couldn't cook a steak :( I ordered the Churrasco Argentino, "Charbroiled Strip Steak, served with chimichurri sauce." It sounded great. I ordered it medium rare. The first steak I got was overcooked and dry as a bone. The french fries were pale white. They looked like they should be served in a New England Denny's, not an acclaimed tex-mex restaurant. The waiter took it back with no questions and promised me a new one. The second one looked medium rare. The center was nice and pink. But the steak was cold! I'm not a chef, but I think the steak must have been frozen when they started cooking it. Even worse was the second order of fries. They were slimy and coated with oil. I know fries are cooked in oil, but never have I seen an order of fries that made this so obvious. At this point I felt self conscious about sending a second steak back, but the prospect of eating the food in front of me removed any hesitation. This time I had to endure a lecture by the waiter about "Well done steaks are cooked for a long time, and medium rare steaks are not cooked very long." He didn't even bother to feel the cold steak I was sending back before assuming I was the one ignorant about what a medium rare steak is. Actually, the steak was not the first thing I ordered. At first I ordered a special tamale platter that sounded delicious. The waiter told me that it was too late to order this dish because it took too long to make. It was about 7:00 PM. I asked how early I had to get there to order it and he said, "Actually it's been taken off the menu because it takes too much work to make." I asked for a suggestion, hoping he would point me to something equally unique and authentic, but what I got was a suggestion to order some ridiculous "Pinata Burrito." It was 4 pounds of meat and cheese of which if I finished it I'd get my picture taken and hung in the restaurant. I'm really confused. I thought this place was going to blow me away. The menu reads like that of an authentic, high quality place, and the reviews on Yelp are mostly very good. I think this place must have changed management recently. They new people have gutted the menu, removed all the time intensive items (without removing them from the menu), found a cheaper, lower quality supplier, replaced the staff with cheaper people who don't know what they're doing, and is winging it every night. They will probably be able to coast by for a while on the stuff that is covered in cheese and sauce (probably store bought). I can't comment on those items because I didn't try any. The website of this place says it has "The Best Mexican and Latin American Cuisine in Howard County." I think this is an insult to Mexican food. If you want to have the good stuff, go to Azul 17.
(1)Sandy S.
This is our new favorite Mexican place. I love that they have S. American specialties too. I've been here a couple of times and my husband has been here more.....we've never had a bad experience. The homemade chicharrones are AWESOME!!!
(5)Charlotte B.
Food was good--fried yuca came with a special, vegetable-rich dipping sauce that I haven't had before. however, I do agree with the previous reviewer who wrote that the service is wildly disorganized (it is their first week or so, though, so they may work it out) and the AC just couldn't keep up with this heat wave. In the future I'll be getting take-out,because the food was reasonably good and the tacos were very inexpensive, even if the dining experience wasn't exactly relaxing. (Watching the various family members trying to keep the restaurant going was a little bit like watching Fawlty Towers!)
(3)Solari B.
This is my favorite Mexican restaurant in the Baltimore area. I've been to many others, and none of them have anything on El Hidalgo. I would recommend any of their burritos, tacos, enchiladas, or anything authentic Mexcan/South American. Their grilled chicken burritos are so good I have a hard time ordering anything else even though I like trying new menu items whenever I go to a restaurant. I've always disliked refried beans, but theirs are amazing. I'm in love with their verde poblano rice as well! I wouldn't recommend this place to picky eaters who prefer bland, boring food due to the amount of bold, amazing, wonderful flavors they incorporate into every dish. I'm not sure why people in other reviews are complaining about ribs, french fries, and the like. This is a Mexican restaurant, people. If you want some ribs and fries done to perfection, go to a rib joint. I seriously love this place so much. I live in Owings Mills, so it's a little bit of a hike to get there, but it's so worth it. I think I'd cry if it shut down. edit: Last time I went there the food was a little different tasting than all the times before. Didn't seem to have the same bold flavors. I'm assuming it's an anomaly, because I don't know of many other great Mexican restaurants outside of the city.
(5)Luke L.
We stumbled across this place in our neighborhood in Elkridge. We just moved from Arizona and we've been finding the lack of good southwestern restaurants to be an adjustment. But we're happy to have found El Hidalgo and I'm sure it will be a regular stop for us when we eat out. We stopped by on a Sunday night. The place was not busy, so we were seated and served right away. My wife and I shared the El Hidalgo Special, which was about 5 different items, plus rice and beans. Tacos, buros, enchiladas ... it was all very good. We appreciated that the sauce on most things was a green sauce, which was a nice change from slathering everything in rather generic red enchilada sauce. We were excited that they had a rice that was a little different -- they call it Poblano rice and they told us it was spicy. I wouldn't call it spicy but it does have a good flavor. Unfortunately, it was definitely overcooked, so it was kind of dry and crunchy -- I hope that is not always the case. Tacos are $3 a-la-carte on Sunday nights, and I intend to go back and try out their various selections. They seem to have nice specials each day, such as $10 fajitas on Mondays. And happy hour 3-7pm, where you can get a Negra Modelo 16oz draft for $3. They share a shopping strip with a sushi restaurant and an Italian restaurant, both of which we're also curious to try. We'll be back.
(4)Karen F.
Good food, reasonable prices and friendly service make this our go to Mexican restaurant. You can get traditional fare like tacos, burritos etc or try some of their specialty dinners. For dessert go for the tres leches cake. But skip the sopapias. We always ask for a table as the booths can be somewhat uncomfortable. They have music on Fridays.
(4)L R.
Absolutely amazing and the house margarita rocks!!!!!
(5)Drew S.
Great food! Pretty small inside, and the bar is on the low end, but my God that burrito! It may have been the best I've ever had, and I've had chipotle. If you live in Elkridge, check this place out!
(5)Catherine P.
After reading the reviews on Yelp, we were excited to try this place. I'm not sure what happened between those reviews and last night, but we were not impressed at all. We went with two friends for dinner yesterday. The server brought us chips and salsa and we ordered margaritas and a sangria, which were all very good. For dinner, we ordered the usual mix of tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and one friend got the baby back ribs. The tacos, burritos, and quesadillas were all okay. The Al Pastor tacos were very good. When the ribs came out they looked DISGUSTING! The meat looked like it had been boiled and the sauce looked like ... well, I'll just stop there. When my friend tried it, he said it tasted as good as it looked. So we brought this to the waiter's attention in the nicest way we knew how and told him we didn't want to try again with that same dish. Our friend decided to just share his wife's tacos. The waiter came back a little later and said that his manager told him he could not take it off the bill, so we would have to pay for it. He was very nice and apologized about the situation. At that point, we asked to speak to the manager. She came over and said that it was supposed to be that way and since my friend had ordered it for the first time, he just didn't realize that. She claimed they had sent the same dish to another table and they had like it fine. In the end, they did take it off the bill, but we will not be returning here any time soon. There are too many other good Tex Mex restaurants in the area with better food and better customer service.
(2)Colby S.
Some of the best authentic mexican food I have ever had. The lengua dish was out of this world and the bar was fully stocked with well over 20 tequilas and Negro modelo on draft. I will be back here tomorrow for sure. I hope they keep this service up.
(5)Ian C.
Their tres leches is absolutely delicious and I highly recommend it or you are missing out a cake that is probably one of the better tres leches in MD.
(4)Ellen G.
Yum... Authentic Latino food. The fish tacos were sooooo fresh and delicious and it is absolutely priced right!
(5)Jamie H.
Recently had a dinner at El Hidalgo w/ my husband. I wasn't a huge fan until we ordered sopapillas! Wow are they terrific!
(4)Eddie W.
Delicious authentic food. After reading a few other positive reviews, I decided to try it for myself. I was very happy with the food. As many others mention, the service is slightly questionable, though we had no problems whatsoever. The place has a small bar/handful of booths & tables setup, meaning there's always a lot going on. The food, however, was amazing. Best of it's type that I have ever had. I'm always on the lookout for places that aren't just your typical chain, and this place is a hidden gem. For the same prices as a chain, you get real food, prepared in what I have to believe is an authentic manner. I will be going back, and I advise you to skip the chains, and join me.
(5)Mike R.
The food is on point. I got a burrito (Not the 10lb'r) and it was awesome. The shredded chicken is way good. Guac was awesome, everything is good, as well as the service. I have an idea on how to complete the 10lb challenge. I will be back.
(4)Jonathan B.
Maybe I caught this place on an off day. I was looking for a new lunch spot, so when I read the reviews of El Hidalgo I figured I'd give it a try. I was the only person there, so service was not an issue at all. I ordered the pollo asado burrito and avocado salad to go. There's not much good to say about the food. The burrito had good flavor, but the chicken was quite dry. The salad was a very basic salad with iceberg lettuce and 5 decent-sized slices of avocado along with slices of carrots, cucumber, and tomatoes. It wasn't terrible, but certainly not what I expected for the price. I definitely want to give this spot another try, but I will not order those dishes again.
(2)Erin O.
I actually thought the service was great. There have big nice booths. We had what I believe was the owner's son as our waiter. He was attentive and fast. The salsa is fresh and delicious. I am gluten free and my fiance is vegan and we had tons of options. Get a golden maragarita, you won't be disappointed!
(4)Quinn W.
I have been a couple of times to this restaurant in Elkridge. It is one of the better Mexican restaurants in the area. The chips and salsa are fresh and tasty, and the staff makes you feel welcome. The food is pretty good too. I get the impression that it is a small family business, but I didn't really investigate that, it definitely has that vibe. They have a nice setup with a small bar area, and the rest of the place is dedicated to the restaurant area. The food was plentiful, and the had a nice flavor. It seems Mexican food is hard to perfect in the Maryland area, but this is still a good restaurant, and I would recommend stopping by and trying it out. I will send an update the next time I stop by...which might be soon!
(4)Ruth T.
Delicious food in HoCo. Let me say I like Tex-Mex food but I usually find it quite lacking here MD. Mostly it tastes all the same and/ or bland. If it is good then it is way overpriced for beans rice and a little protein. I am happy to report that I found Hidalgo to be the exception. The food was uniformly tasty. I had the Chile Rellenos de Mar and it was fantastic. You could taste all the flavors of the seafood as well as the spices. It was very, very nicely spiced (I like spicy food) without burning your mouth. I tasted my family's entrees and they were all very good too. The place is kind of hidden on the back end of a strip mall and the décor was nothing special, but I'd rather have excellent food and skimp on the décor. The service was friendly and the mojito was freshly made. All in all I found this to be an excellent place for good Tex-Mex food.
(4)Megan L.
The food was great, and we went when there wasn't a lot of people so service wasn't bad either. It seems to be a family owned business so they are a bit rough around the edges, but overall it was a good experience.
(4)Jeffrey D.
My favorite place in Ellicott City. This is authentic Mexican food. The Tamales, my favorite, are fantastic.
(4)Sean L.
Service was great and friendly. Food was good but not great.
(3)Dan B.
Food was average and pretty expensive for an in town strip mall location. There's better Tex Mex around.
(3)Jim S.
Oh, what a disappointment -- after reading reviews here we were ever so hopeful. Maybe lunch or brunch is better but dinner was uninspiring. We came for dinner. The chips and salsa were good, the waiter knowledgeable. The food was just so-so. With other really good Mexican restaurants within a 15 minute drive, we found El Hidalgo to be overpriced for run-of-the-mill Tex-Mex.
(2)Jessica E.
Not the best I've ever had, but very good. Great selection of vegetarian items and skinny margaritas. Service was excellent. Would definitely return.
(4)Chris S.
Best Mexican in this area. The fish tacos are wonderful, the shrimp tacos are really good, just everything we've had here has been excellent.
(5)Surya V.
The food is amazingly delicious and they have great options. From the fajitas to the very different types of burritos (even a 3 ft one). They have a fantastic selection of tequila's and make some of the best margaritas. My favorite was the habanero margaritas where they infuse habanero peppers into the tequila. It creates a nice spicy kick at the end of the drink. The service is also amazing and if you go there more than once, good chance they will know who you are and make you feel at home. I thoroughly enjoyed the food and staff there!
(5)H L.
Coming from the West Coast, I've had my share of awesome Mexican food. Being that good Mexican food is harder to come by in MD, my friends and I decided to try this place based on the Yelp reviews. However, we were sorely disappointed. Maybe it was due to my bias from living in the West, so I am unfamiliar of the way Mexican restaurants are on the East coast. I've come to think that chips & salsa are usually a free staple at Mexican restaurants. Here they charge you $2 for refills. We also had to wait over an hour for our food, due to the kitchen being 'busy' except we weren't warned of that until after we had ordered and were waiting for our food. In addition, everything is way overpriced compared to the price you can get it for on the West coast. Carne Asada Fries for $17?! Don't even bother ordering these because you will be disappointed. The beef comes as a thin steak (instead of the regular cubes) with a small plate of fries, definitely was not worth the price or the wait!
(1)Drew W.
Wow. My girlfriend and I went in the place for dinner last night. When we walked in we immediately noticed the dozen or so stressed-out employees running around the place. The bartender (literally) yelled at one of these people to greet us. After being ignored, she came around the front of the bar and sat us herself. Once seated, the following exchange occured: Me: "Do you have Sol?" Bartender: "Sol?" Me: "What Mexican beers do you have?" Bartender: "I'm not Mexican, so I don't know". SERIOUSLY?!? The rest of our visit was about as good as this. The margarita was terrible - green water with tequila in it. The dining room temperature was uncomfortably warm (the thermostat said it was 83). The food was good - when it FINALLY got to us after 30 minutes or so. It appeared that a family made up most of the staff (except for the bartender!) and they seemed to be trying their best but simply overwhelmed with trying to run a restaurant. If they hire someone to run this place, it might be worth going back for the food. If they don't, it won't last long.
(1)Ned F.
the $18 burrito is seriously like 3-4 burritos. So for the folks complaining about how expensive it is... It's twice the width of a normal burrito and twice as long. The regular burrito clearly exceeded a chiptole or qdoba's chain burrito. It's a really good spot, we'll be back for more.
(4)Todd K.
Excellent food and service! We've been back a half dozen times and our experience has been the same each time. Also, We love the negra modelo on draft...and yes, its better than the bottled version!
(4)Ann K.
I am a happy camper tonight, thanks to the to go foods from Hidalgo. The aroma in the dining hall makes me want to order everything. The portion is good size and not obese size. Lengua en salsa crotilla is melt in your mouth and not too tomatoey. Aka Beef tongue. Comparing to xitomate, the decor here is more basic but homey. There is an outdoor patio for sun lovers. Not me. The Mexican music is blaring in the background. They should have had salsa dance night. I didn't try the magarita or any other drinks. I will be back next week. Finally I came back to El Hidalgo again. This time I tried the margarita on the rock. It is pretty strong. My alcoholic tolerance level is around four glasses of red wine and two shots. By the time we finished our dinner and got up to leave the restaurant, I needed my husband's arm to hold on. Best margarita! I also got bitten by Snake Bites. It should be served with water. We were in excruciating and burning pain. I could only take half of the habernaros chile. The Argentinian steak is ok but the chimchurri sauce is different than what I used to, with olive oil, vinegar and herbs. It is more like salsa verde here. I finished my dinner with Tres leche cake is delicious. I am not sure if it was supposed to have sweetened evaporated milk pouring in top or not. The icing on the cake is almost like less dense creme brûlée. The waitress is very nice. Bravo!
(4)Franklyn S.
Stopped in for a beer, chips, salsa, pork tamales, and a cup of soup. Service was poor, barkeep spent more time on her phone than with customers. Salsa was not good, had a strange taste. No pork for tamales. Don't plan to go back. I used to like this place, but not any more.
(1)Lorilynn R.
I have not said "ewww" on any other post. Want strong margaritas? This is your place!! Food?? Not a good choice!! Burnt meat and just overall not good! I guess if you're wanting to get drunk then eat this may be your place!!?? Not even a full star is my choice!
(1)Jae C.
Good service Decent experience
(3)Walker W.
Veggie Quesadilla ... really??? YES! Their house margarita is very good, and $1 off for Happy Hour. Bartender recommended changing quesadilla from cheese to veggie - excellent choice. Best quesadilla I've ever had. Glad she reccommended them. Nice balance or red bell peppers, jalapeños, and believe it or not ... broccoli and carrots sliced in small portions. Perhaps not the healthiest - perhaps sautéed in butter, but very tasty. Complimentary chips amd crazy fresh salsa were also spot on. Highly recommend.
(5)Jody M.
Great hidden gem! A small but delicious restaurant tucked into a strip mall in Elkridge. This was our first visit and it was packed! We had a reservation and were seated immediately. The jalapeño poppers were great as were our meals. The one complaint I would have is that the restaurant was very warm. It was cooler outside than in the restaurant. Deserts were delicious too. The tres leches cake and churros were great!
(4)Jason F.
Came here for lunch and ordered the al pastor taqueria. The pork was eh quality and the salsa that it comes with was bland. I actually enjoyed the rice and refried beans better than the main part of the meal. The complimentary chips and salsa were average. The main positives were that the bartender was nice, the music was pleasant, and they have an extensive bar so I was able to try Don Q for the first time since I was in Puerto Rico. Since I live close by, I'll give the food another chance and come back for dinner and try something a little more adventurous.
(3)Victor A.
Wife was craving Empanadas so we thought to try a new restaurant and decided on El Hidalgo due to the decent Yelp ratings. Had the following Beef Empanadas- They were disgustingly Salty and after 2 bites we thew them away. Chicken and chicken chimichangas. The shredded beef in the Chimichanga was actually good and not salty at all like the Beef Empanadas. The outsides of the Chimichangas were very soggy from the pico de gallo topping negating what would have been a very nice crunch outside. Sides form the Chimichanga entries- Refried beans, Also extremely salty so we did not finish those. Rice... It was cold, clumped up and found a white curly hair in it so that was also tossed. lastly Yuca Frita This was by far the best thing we orders, For the price though it was a small portion of casava. 3 pieces. at 3.99 it would be a fair price. Also the menu prices on the website are out of date and are slightly cheaper than the actual prices currently at the restaurant. The atmosphere is more of a Bar that serves some food rather than a Restaurant that has a bar in it. Had high hopes for this place but was sadly let down and with all the other competitive dining options in the area with better food and better prices, I do not see us ever coming back.
(2)Emilie W.
Food was decent but way overpriced. I got 3 tacos at $3 each and there was hardly any protein in them. The place was virtually empty when we stopped in, but the service was not quick. They also brought out the wrong appetizer. Seemed like a good find at first but we won't be returning here.
(2)Paul S.
Quickly becoming my go-to Mexican spot! I usually get one of the burritos which are excellent and stuffed with lots of meat. their Lomo Saltado was also quite good. Chips and salsa were fresh tasting, but you have to pay extra for another basket.Overall, a very good meal and one of these days, I'm gonna do the Burrito Challenge!
(4)Sabina B.
I went again on a saturday. It wasn't open around 11:30am although the sign says they open at 11am.
(1)Shawn M.
I really wanted to like this place when we drove up, but it is just too small for what they actually need. When we arrived we were hustled over to a three point table booth that supposedly could hold six people. Unfortunately, when two of those people are overweight, that really isn't the case. The waitress really should have sat us somewhere else, possibly putting together one or more tables together to accommodate the party of six better. The space issue was so bad it was most likely responsible for my father-in-law spilling a 12 oz. beer all over the table and most of us as well because there really isn't much room to move around. Add that the table we were at was also extremely wobbly and off balanced and you had a real issue with stability. Now the food itself wasn't bad. I had the Burrito Prenada, and if you've never been, you wouldn't know that it is large enough for 2 people to eat. They also have the 'Ultimate Burrito Prenada' which cost $39, but is large enough for 4 people. If you decide to take the 'ULTIMATE BURRITO CHALLENGE' and can consume the entire ultimate version of the Burrito Prenada by yourself, it is free. Pretty sure the ambulance ride as the result of having your stomach burst would be quite costly, though. Eating it by yourself is unrealistic, even for someone as large as I am, so that is why they feel confident that no one can actually do it. I also had the House Margarita, which really wasn't all that much to 'write home about' as my mother-in-law would say. Too much cheap tequila, not enough actual flavor to really say they have the best, especially when El Patio in Rockville had much better 'adult beverages'. The place also seems to attract douche bags that like to loiter just inside the door with their 'brewskis'. We actually had to wait to be sat down because the drunk idiots wouldn't get out of the waitress's way. Quick and Dirty: Good enough food, mediocre margaritas, attracts douche college drunks, and not enough space for even medium sized parties.
(2)Latise B.
We've gone back to El Hidalgo many times since our first trip. We love the proximity to our house and the friendly nature of the staff. It's very neighborly. My husband loves their Cadilac Margarita. I've yet to try it (pregnancy) but believe me once I can, I will! It's a bit pricey, but if hubby likes it then it is probably pretty good. The burritos are huge and flavorful. Try the roadkill burrito if queso is your thing. That grilled chicken...yum!
(3)Kristi D.
This was truly a great fine. If you are from the west coast this will be more like what you're use to eating when it comes to Mexican food than the typical Maryland version. Although the sherreded beef had a slightly tex-mex flavor it was still good. The tacos aren't quite Tijuana style, but fairly close. The guacamole is similar to how I make my own and yes it was very delicious. salsa was great I would recommend you try this place if you want some good food.
(4)Carolyn C.
Do not come here! You will get food poisoning! The food is horrible. Within moments after eating a few bites my boyfriend got super sick. He had to run to the gas station next door to get medicine. I even told the waiter (who was awful) that the chicken and steak was all gristle and fat pieces and he said "oh sorry." Wtf.. Take it off the bill? I didn't want to argue with anyone so I clearly stated in front of the people at the bar ordering that the food was horrible and that my boyfriend was getting sick outside. Never again. Their happy hour isn't special and I wouldn't pay a cent to eat their food again.
(1)Larissa J.
Oh good grief - this place seemed like it had great deals and I even bought the $10 for $20 worth of food deal just to try to food and because it was close to where I was and this may be one of the few Mexican restaurants in the world that charges you $2 for extra chips and salsa - $2!!! Can you believe that? I mean I have eaten at a lot of places and that seems like a lot and the amount of chips they give you for starters is ridiculously small and the print to find out that you get charged extra is super small and on the last page of their ridiculously long menu. I was not amused when I found that out. Not only that but when you check in they give you a free House margarita - but don't redeem this if you are using any other deals - because they will not give you both at one sitting but the truth is I would never go back their again. We visited on a Saturday night and they have signs everywhere that there is Karaoke from 8pm - close on Saturdays but there was no Karaoke and there were so few patrons it was sad. Not only that but the booths are oddly shaped and difficult to get into. The service was meh at best, we didn't have silverware on our table when we arrived nor did we get silverware when our appetizers came out and when I asked for extra napkins, I was given beverage napkins. The entire experience was seriously one star worthy and that is only because the nachos come out loaded (but need more chips - which cost $2 a basket!!!) Needless to say that is the only time I will be visiting this restaurant.
(1)Ed S.
It was OK Decent food Decent prices Friendly staff Decent atmosphere SO SO
(2)Steven B.
So I had eaten somewhere else and was returning to my hotel. I just wasn't ready yet to face an empty hotel room and these folks were just steps from my hotel. The rumor was that the margaritas here were killer good so I thought I'd stop in for an adult libation or two. Everyone knows that a margarita with a lime = 1 serving of fruit so at least I would be doing something healthy. I sat at the small bar and was warmly welcomed by the pleasant bartender. The owner also stopped by to say hi. As I suspected, like most Mexican joints they have a Margarita Menu with several varieties. Yup, I was right. The bartender confirmed that each type = 1 serving of fruit. It's no wonder margaritas are so popular! I tried two different varieties and they were everything margaritas should be: delicious, potent, competitively priced and of course healthy. While I was sipping, lots of great looking food passed by me on its way to other customers. Although I didn't eat myself there were clearly several happy customers munching away. My experience at the bar was four stars. I plan to return to try the food and more healthy margaritas! :-)
(4)Neil G.
Found this place next to our hotel. The hotel staff highly recommended it and they were right! Great drinks. Good basic Mexican food fairly priced. Maybe avoid the Habanero margarita... A bit too hot, but otherwise a great time for the six of us.
(4)Mountain M.
Our waitress was ok, the food was TERRIBLE!!!! Chewy steak fajita and dried cheese enchilada :(
(1)Raymond L.
Had the hidalgo burrito and holy crap, this was the most flavorful Mexican food I can remember. The queso with fresh tortilla chips, amazing as well.
(5)Tony P.
A very good Tex-Mex style establishment offering an eclectic mix of latin flavors. The decor is thematic and quaint. The service is expedient if not always attentive. The Yucatan shrimp are tasty with a really nice spicy in-house made dipping sauce. The pork tamales are also a good option. They are a nice doughy corn meal stuffed with tasty pork. I especially like the picada with grilled pork, chicken, beef, pork crackling, plantain, fried yucca, chorizo, arepa, and fried potatoes. Though it can be hit or miss. The flat iron steak used in the fajitas are ok. A bit over cooked and they need to cross cut it better. They also offer a la carte taco's with a good assortment of ingredients. The lengua and fish are good options. Overall a very good option for the local Columbia area with authentic latin fares.
(4)Sem F.
Not too bad, average Mexican food. The shredded beef and carnitas were really good. Other meats were dry and not very tender. Service was friendly and fast. Deserves a second trip.
(3)Julia F.
It's hard to give more than a one star review when repeatedly I go there during their posted open hours and they are not open. it also does not look very sanitary from the outside.
(1)Larry H.
If you blink you'll miss it... El Hildago is at the very end of a little strip of restaurants behind a Giant and beside a gas station. But it's well worth taking the time to find. Authentic Mexican/South American food with a little Tex-Mex thrown in and a full bar to top it all off. The owner who routinely waits tables himself is very friendly and so are the rest of his wait and bar staff. The food is well prepared with ample portions to send you home stuffed. They have separate tables and a long wooden bar area, along with outdoor dining during the warmer months of the year. El Hildago even has their own Food Challenge... Their Ultimate Prenada Burrito weighing in at 8 lbs! is made to serve 4 normal people. But if you dare to try, you can get it for free if you can manage to eat one all by yourself ! Good Luck !
(4)Jason J.
I think I have 2 reviews total logged onto Yelp. The main reason being is because I dont find much extraordinary with as often as im traveling. Allow me to introduce el hidalgo mexican restaurant. I get the same thing every time cause honestly I personally feel its that good. Chile rellanos del mar. Its a stuffed pablano chile with seafood. Super great. Their salsa taste fresh made every time im here. Theyre chips are warm like they were baked not too long ago. The folks here are usually very nice. The girl behind the bar on my third trip here seemed new and uncomfortable. Nice but uncomfy. If you find.yourself nearby stop and check it out. J
(4)David T.
I would not recommend this place. They charge you for every little thing. The place was empty on a Saturday night. They charge extra for chips but you get all the salsa you want. The place was empty when we got there but we get stuck in a corner both that was difficult to get in n out of. We got a complementary margarita with checking in on yelp. I saw there was a voucher for $20 for $10 voucher on yelp. We purchased it , then told we couldn't use it because we got the free margarita. It was not worth the money that we spent in there.
(1)k c.
We have been to this restaurant before and really enjoyed it. They have good drinks and some nice items on the menu. Their beef taquitos a are really delicious. We would give them a four rating if it weren't for two things that occurred on our visit last week. First, our appetizers took a really long time to come - like more than fifteen minutes. Then mine came and we waited a couple of minutes for the other. About one minute later the waitress returned with our entrees! We have had this happen at another Mexican restaurant we like and not put up a fuss. But this time we were outraged by such bad service. As if that weren't enough, when I began eating my appetizer I found she had gotten my order wrong. I ordered beef taquitos and mine were chicken. We didn't bother saying anything because the last thing we wanted was to wait again for anything else. I think the most frustrating part of these types of experiences is that no one ever seems to understand what he or she did wrong. So you feel like it's not even worthwhile mentioning. So you think I'll express my dissatisfaction with a low tip. Then you think about all the cheap, lousy tippers out there and you feel bad, even though you are a really great tipper. So I come to Yelp and give them a three for an experience that was a one or two.
(3)Rachel W.
The food was very good. And our server was so cool. Got to use the yelp $20 deal which was great. We sat out on the patio which was a really cute area, the only complaint is the faint smell of trash from the nearby dumpsters. :0 Other than that, it was really enjoyable. Will return.
(4)Edward L.
Thanks to fellow Yelpers, my wife and I finally tried this place out for dinner one night. We've seen this place quite a few times since it's a few doors down from Katana Sushi. I'm surprised it's taken us this long to try a place so close to us. The employees are all really friendly and seem to have a genuine interest in making sure you are satisfied and happy with the food and service. They start you off with a free bowl of chips and salsa that were okay, nothing great or terrible. I did notice there were writings in the menu saying first bowl of chips/salsa free and $2 for each additional one. I guess that keeps people from just ordering drinks and eating free chips? The salsa could have been spicier but I didn't feel like asking. Based on another review, we ordered the El Hidalgo Special. The reviewer split this with his wife so I did the same. Not a bad dish for $15. We also ordered the (forgot the name of it...Cinco de Mayo?) five taco platter, also $15. They were in either a corn shell or a soft shell similar to the ones from R&R Deli (another great place). Both came with rice and beans and were delicious. There was just enough leftovers for my lunch the next day. For dessert, my wife ordered something with strawberries and heavy cream...tres leches I think it was called. It was delicious for the most part but I think the cream/frosting was spoiled. I nearly threw up on my first bite. Once we scraped off the frosting, it was fine and we ate it all. They have a full bar, too, with bartender so it might be a decent spot to grab a drink if you're looking for a non-busy bar. There were quite a few televisions around the place, too. Our server was super attentive and very nice but this may have been because there were only 2 or 3 other tables of customers present. I feel 3 stars isn't enough but not impressed enough to give them 4 yet. I will definitely come back though. (I feel like I owe our server since I mistakenly shorted her on the tip. Didn't realize until after we left that I did the math wrong and left her less than 15% tip. She definitely deserved much more).
(3)Ryan C.
Man I miss this place! We used to frequent El Hildago, probably more often than we should have, when we lived back east. It is located in a strip center with our favorite local Italian place too. EH for short is a no frills, solid Mexican restaurant. They have great service and fantastic margaritas. My wife and her friend have been known to polish a few of these off in their day!
(4)Courtney C.
I had a craving for a skinny margarita. El Hidalgo popped up on my radar and away we went. I wish we hadn't. The server who sat us was extremely friendly and helpful. We decided on a table outside and he helped us put a few tables together and grabbed us a highchair. The menu is extensive, which makes me wonder right away how much is actually made in house. Here's the breakdown: The very good: I started with a house skinny margarita. It was delicious! The chipotle salsa is in fact smokey and spicy. Very spicy. The okay: My side salad was good and the vegetable side was also good. Hard to mess those up. My two taco's al pastor were greasy and had a lot of fat, but the flavors were there. It just needed some cilantro or something. They came double wrapped in soft corn tortillas, which had good texture. My baby's mashed sweet potato's were simple and he seemed to enjoy them. Tres leche cake was not worth the calories. The bad: My baby's chicken enchilada and anything with that nasty green sauce on it. It tasted like dog food. $80 for dinner in a strip mall in the burbs with less than good food. Over priced! It took us 15min to get our check, had to ask for water refills after looking for our waitress for 10min, and she barely checked on us. They were not that busy. My son was fussy and starting to disrupt the other diners and we just wanted to leave before he got overly disruptive. No waitress to be found. I won't be back.
(2)Jon A.
Average Tex/Mex food by NY standards at best; but what can you expect this is Maryland... The beer selection and prices were great the best part of eating here!!!. Ate here twice Wednesday was certainly better then Monday. The chips were good both nights but the salsa was bland on Monday but nice and spicy on Wednesday. Overall food selection was limited and while the tacos were nicely loaded the tortillas were too thin and soggy making the whole thing fall apart. The Fajitas on Monday were nothing special. Service was good on Wednesday but not as good Monday. Overall for the price it was an ok meal.
(3)S D.
We used to go to El Hidalgo all the time and enjoyed the restaurant. However, the last few times, the service and food has not been up to par. Today's experience was one of the worst experiences we've ever had at El Hidalgo or any restaurant. First, the waitress got our drink order wrong. Rather than acknowledging her mistake, she became defensive. She finally fixed the drink order after 15 minutes. Then we waited over 45 minutes for our food, even though the restaurant was practically empty. When it finally arrived, the items were over cooked and not made to our specification. The shrimp fajita smelled burned and the shrimp was shriveled up from being over cooked. We specifically asked three times if a specific burrito could be made with shrimp only, no beef, as we don't eat beef. They assured us yes. When it finally arrived after so long, it had beef in it. Again, the waitress was extremely defensive and tried arguing it wasn't her fault, as she wrote it down as we requested. She then started getting into it with another waitress at our table. The other waitress offered to have it remade, but given how late it was and how long it took the first time, we said no thank you. We asked for extra tortilla so that our son could share the fajitas with us, as he no longer had dinner to eat and they charged us for the extra tortillas!! The meal was so terrible and frustrating that it ruined what was supposed to be a fun celebratory dinner by putting everyone in a bad mood.
(1)Yaka H.
We came back and started off with the tclacoyos appetizer. We had ours stuffed with pork. It was surprisingly quite delightful to eat. It's a flat corn flour griddle cake, stuffed with your choice of meat or beans, topped off with queso fresco, lettuce, tomatoes, and tomatillo salsa. In a way it's similar to a pupusa, if you're trying to imagine it. SX was pretty hungry or something and ordered the Burrito Prenada. It's essentially two burritos which fused ends and became one giant burrito. He got it with verde poblano rice, refried beans, chorizo and carnitas. The burrito came with 1 half with salsa verde on it and the other side with red salsa. It was huge and should really be eaten by at least 2 people. I ordered the Burrito valenciana, which was essentially paella wrapped in a tortilla, topped off with a rich and creamy sauce. It was pretty good and was chock full of seafood, chicken and pork. It comes with a side of beans. We ended our meal with a lovely slab of tres leches. Yummy! The service was okay, still not entirely smooth, but it still was okay.
(4)Chandra O.
I decided to check this place out after sering a daily deal offer in my email. I checked Yelp and saw good reviews so...ok I was curious. It's in a shopping center at end of Montgomery Rd., facing the gas station and hotel. The place is small (10 tables and 3 booths inside). They've a few tables on patio as well. After being seated we were quickly offered chips and salsa. My son is very picky but actually enjoyed the salsa. I tried the mango margarita and noticed they've a build your own margarita option as well...NICE. Now the food...I had to try the steak fajitas and so glad I did! Steak was tender and full of flavor. It came with rice, beans, etc. I was stuffed! Son had the cinqo de mayo and could barely eat it all. Although he didn't care for the pork burrito he really liked the tacos! I'll def come back again. Oh and place got pretty busy and with small seating area it's best to come at a good time (early evening) to get seated quickly.
(4)Danny C.
I understand people write reviews to express their experiences, but sometimes they make no sense..... What did you think ribs would look like? The ribs you see at Famous Daves or other chain restaurants are extremely processed and with added food coloring. They dont know how to cook a steak? Its a tex mex restaurant not a steak house! And damn right I have my biased opinions about this place. =) No disrespect intended. This place has always fed me and many buddies fantastic food. I would get ribs sometimes and they were ALWAYS better than any other restaurant in Howard County at least! Yeah, some parts would be a bit tough but thats to be expected from most places. But it has a good amount of fat on it which provides flavor and added texture. The flavor? You can taste the hint of liquor marinaded in the ribs. Great BBQ. I have been here plenty of times and my favorite dish would be either the bandeja paisa or the burrito valenciano. Bandeja Paisa is a huge meat lovers dish while the Valenciano is a big seafood lovers burrito. Every dish I had here has their differences, all positive. The service is great as well. The owner of the restaurant is very outgoing, nice, and always has time to talk to his customers. This place has a huge menu and almost every dish was fantastic. The cons? The booth seats are wooden with no cushions. We stayed there for almost 3 hours and my behind was hurting! Service isnt the best when it gets real busy, but thats understandable. Need more parking... I still believe this is the best tex mex restaurant I have been to so far.
(5)Gemma M.
I went for takeout. It was alright. I've had better. I probably won't go back.
(3)Puneet M.
Nice little mom and pop Mexican restaurant... El Hidalgo is located in a newer shopping center and when you first enter you immediately know that its a locally owned place (which is great to support). I have been here a couple times now and the service food have been on the positive side. Never had any issues with food, drinks, service, etc... so all in all solid place. The only app. I have tried is the Guadeloupe egg rolls, veggie egg roles with avocado and spinach. These are pretty darn good and they come with a nice remould sauce. As far as a main course, I have had their Chimi's (large size and stuffed well) and chicken tacos (good, not great, and the shell is basically a old espaso shell) Both were good, I prefer the chimis over the tacos plus you get like double the food! lol Haven't had to desert here, but one thing I would recommend for all Heat Heads (people who like hot sauces) ask for there habernao sauce. Its 75 cents but it is awesome!! basically straight up habernao's Overall, I would go back, heck already have haha. You get a solid food and you get to support a mom and pop shop! Margaritas on me! See you at the fiesta!!
(3)J. Rene L.
Only 2 stars for this reason. My food was brought to me very lukewarm. Huge upset since we were the only ones in the place! The tortilla soup was very hot and I loved the taste! I will return to try the margaritas and to give the food another chance. I ordered the enchilada, tamale and taco combo. I'm from California and still haven't found an authentic Mexican meal. The customer service was great, place was clean and we enjoyed the authentic atmosphere.
(2)Andrew M.
After watching one too many episodes of Bizarre Foods America (damn you Andrew Zimmern, I want your life) I had a fierce hankering for some chicharrones. After doing a quick Yelp search and assessing my options, I decided on El Hidalgo. In addition to the chicharrones, I got the bourbon bbq ribs, cause why not go all out puerco. While awaiting my takeout order, I had a chance to interact with the lady on staff. Very nice and courteous, all smiles. The ribs came out piping hot along with some baked beans and yuca fries on the side. After getting my pork bounty safely home, I dove right in. Pretty good chicharrones (meat/fat/skin ratio is very important) with textbook texture - good crisp from the skin, melt from the fat, meatiness from the meat, but taste left a little to be desired. Unfortunately the peanut oil they were fried in dominated the palette and overrode any porky flavor I was hoping to get. The ribs (which I'm terribly picky about) were OK, but with some glaring rib no-nos. I get that it's hard to have perfect ribs made to order unless you have them going on and rolling off the smoker all day, but from the perspective and experience of an outside-the-industry civilian, if you're going to bake and/or boil them, there are certainly ways to make them better without too much more time and effort. That being said, these ribs weren't dry, but they also were far from fall-off-the-bone. The bourbon bbq sauce was excellent! But there wasn't enough of it. They would've been best served SLATHERED in that sweet bourbony goodness to compensate for its other deficiencies. Yuca fries were fairly standard and the baked beans tasted more like Bush's from the can than anything authentic and Mexican. Despite the noted shortcomings of the things I ordered, I still think El Hidalgo has a lot of promise, and they have a huge menu with a lot of intriguing foodie items. I'd give them another chance and try again.
(3)Becca R.
When we moved to the area we were having a hard time finding a good local tex mex restaurant, aside from the big chains. We tried a couple that were just so-so until we found El Hidalgo. I like that it's small and family owned. The staff are all very polite and the restaurant is clean. There are a lot of vegetarian options aside from just ordering tortillas stuffed with cheese and beans (they have that too, though, if that's your thing). Seems like the other reviews are critiquing the meat, so I cannot attest to that. I've never had bad food or service there. If you've gone and didn't like it, give it another try and order something different before passing a final judgement.
(5)Ariana K.
This place has GREAT burritos. The portions were huge. Everything was very fresh. The chicken jalapeno poppers were hot and spicy. Yes it was hidden behind a gas station, but use the Yelp deal and it will be worth it!
(4)Marsha J.
I really wanted to like this restaurant but neither my husband nor I thought the food was very good. The people were nice but we wouldn't go back; there are two many better Mexican restaurants in the area. We went a couple of months ago; I can't remember what we ordered.
(2)Jen W.
Thanks to the great reviews on Yelp. We found that El Hidalgo lived up to the reviews. We were looking for a place to meet friends between Baltimore and Silver Spring. It was the perfect find. It is tucked at the end of a strip mall in Howard County. You might miss it since the entrance to the strip mall is a little askew. I wouldn't let that deter you. The restaurant was clean and fresh. They have indoor booths and tables or you can venture outside on their deck. The service was efficient and friendly which is always a plus. Makes you want to come back if the food is good. Yes, the food was great! The four of us shared tacos, enchiladas, carne asada and shrimp. The beans and rice were cooked perfectly, as well as the meat. The flavors were fresh and not too heavy. Just writing this review is making my mouth water. Oh don't forget! Get dessert! The tres leches cake was the best I have ever tasted. It was light and moist. The cake was perfectly sweet and a nice way to end a Mexican meal. I will definitely come back. They even have a bar with flat screen TVs so you can watch a soccer match or other team sports.
(4)Kerrie B.
Close to home and great food. Margaritas are pretty good too. Salsa, chips and guacamole good. Family friendly, outside seating a plus! Fajitas are my fav, tried one of the house specials but went back to my fav. I'm not a fan of sauces and cheese but it was still tasty. Definitely recommend
(4)Tracy S.
In my mind, there is no such thing as bad mexican food. El Hidalgo is pretty tasty and the staff is super nice. Definitely returning!
(4)Rudy C.
OK what can I say about this place. Im looking for good mexican food around my area and, well it is lacking around here. Anyway, I found this place on Yelp and decided to try it out. First off it is a bit out of the way, tucked in a corner strip mall, limited access to it by major roads. So you have to drive a bit, but that is not that big of a deal. I got my order to go (carne asada burrito). The burritto itself was good, but lacked a lot of meat, mainly rice inside. The burrito was big as well, but for the price I was a little taken back. It was about 15 bucks just for a burrito. I was like damn! I could have went to Chipotle and got the same thing for less money, but I digress. The place itself is small, but has a bar. If you eat there you get one basket of chipsm and salsa. The people that run the place seem nice enough. I went there and it was not busy at all. So I tried it, and I probably wont be going back for many reasons. If the prices were lower and maybe a little more easily accessible, then I probably would go back, but not now.
(2)Codi Alyssa B.
This was great! We went to celebrate my aunt's birthday and cousin's engagement - service was amazing and the music was wonderful! :)
(5)Bonnie H.
Service was solid, but it might have been because we came when it wasn't busy. Either way, it was nice. I thought the prices were decent, but the food was lacking. Eh nothing to write home about.... guess I'll keep searching for my go to mexican spot.
(2)Hannah K.
This is one of the best Mexican/Latino restaurant in Howard County!! Drinks- I absolutely LOVE their margaritas and sangrias! I honestly can say I can't drink any other margarita and sangria anywhere else. El Hildalgo doesn't use triple sec, but rather agave. PLUS their margarita is SKINNY!! It can't get better than that! :) Please if you go and visit here, try their margarita and sangrias! So delicious. Food- This place has the most fresh and authentic ingredients. I've had the burrito, taco salad, and the chicken fajita. Yes, some people said that the menu may be pricey, but you get what you pay for. You can tell the ingredients are fresh and tasty. As for service, yes for any restaurant during peak dinner times, it can get busy. But that's the same for any restaurant. The servers try their best to accommodate every customer. If you want to eat at a small nice authentic Mexican/Latin restaurant with great bar and drink selection come to El Hildalgo :)
(5)Hung T.
I stopped by this place for lunch during work. It was pretty empty at noon on a wenesday. I sat at the bar and looked at the menu. Did my eyes deceive me when i saw they had a California Burrito?! What? In Elkridge, Maryland? Having been to many tacquerias in Cali, I know what a good california burrito tastes like. So you know I had to try this one. Pros: - The place gives you free chips and salsa. I like. The chips were very crisp and warm and delicious. - The service is fast and I only had to wait about 10 minutes for the food to come out. - Nice casual atmosphere with a homey feel to it. - The california burrito was huge (could only finish half due to time constraint) and came with pico de gallo, guac, sour cream, and smothered in this cheese sauce. Cons: - The freakin ridiculous price! $17 for a burrito! This aint not lobster and caviar burrito, man! Given, it had steak and shrimp, but it wasn't even that much meat and no way is the price justified. I think $10 is as high as it should go. - The steak was a bit burnt and i could taste it. It was also a little hard to chew. - The shrimp was cut into small chunks and wasn't a big part of the dish. - For such a big burrito, I expected more guacamole and pico de gallo. All i got was like a medium size dollop of both. Overall, the place has potential to be better and if they lowered their prices to something more reasonable, then i'd probably go back. I feel bad giving it only 3 stars because the service and ambience is nice, but, I'm not made of money (yet)...
(3)Rob N.
Service: 2 stars Food: 4 stars I bookmarked El Hidalgo because Sandy S. mentioned chicharrones. I love chicharrones. I wanted chicharrones. I asked for chicharrones. I got no chicharonnes. The food is pretty darned good - I got the burrito Valenciana with rice, peas, red pepper, squid, shrimp, crab, chicken, and pork. Chips were fresh and warm, even if the salsa was thinner and saltier than I normally prefer. However, the service was... not really good. There were three servers, one of which actually seemed to be doing his job. The other guys just seemed to be wandering aimlessly. Thus my missing chicharrones, and a couple awkward moments of our server looming over the table. Please do something about your front-of-house, guys. The kitchen will appreciate you not screwing it up for everybody.
(3)Elizabeth B.
Just wanted to give a recent update of this place given some of the recent reviews. We go there at least once a week and have been going ever since they opened, so am very familiar with the food and drinks there. I did try the ribs and they were melt in your mouth, a little too fatty for my taste, but the flavor was smokey and great the the bbq sauce on top was delicious. Ribs are supposed to be fall-off-the-bone tender, and these are. I thought they were decadent but awesome. The green sauce is one of my favorite sauces there. I usually get it with the chicken enchiladas, and sometimes get the mole sauce which is also excellent. A new thing we tried was the chili quesadillas, cheese quesadillas with their homemade chili inside, just really really good. They use agave syrup and real fruit juices to sweeten their margaritas. Love them and have at least one every week, perfect for a Friday night winding down. Also their mojitos are fresh and the best I've had! The food is not chain food, and the flavors might throw some people off. The food is authentic and fresh. Some of it is very spicy. The snakebite appetizer is shrimp in habenaro pepper fried, and boy is that hot (but good), only for those that can tolerate extreme heat. They got new seating with cushions and it is much more comfy now. The people that work there are so friendly, it's a fun place to go to wind down on a Friday night.
(5)Alli P.
Ate here for the first time today. Can see myself coming back even being a half an hour away. Margaritas were on point-best I've had in the area in a long time. Food was really good too. Friendly service. I would definitely recommend it!
(4)Jeff W.
Well we had a lot of hope for this place, based upon other reviews, and were sorely disappointed. My wife and I are from Arizona and have been looking for a good Mexican food restaurant for the entire time we have loved here (10 years). No place so far has been as good as AZ, but this was the worst. The staff was great and the restaurant looked nice. The beans were almost inedible, because for some reason they taste strongly of smoke. The red sauce was basically just salsa. The food was not hot when it came out. Finally, the worst part was the cost. Way too expensive. The bill came to $44 for two adults and two small children, without any alcohol. There are much better Mexican food restaurants in the area that are much cheaper.
(1)debi k.
The owner of the restaurant very quickly responded to my initial post. The owner was apologetic and generously offered a gift certificate. I am impressed by the owner's professionalism and accountability for the day's errors. I look forward to eating at the restaurant with my husband, stand by for a review on the food!
(5)Cristina H.
Came with my fiance for late lunch/early dinner -i call it lunner. I mainly wanted chichrrones, which I think is hard to come across in MD, compared to NYC. Anyway, the place was empty and service was great! We especially liked their fresh guacamole. I also purchased the Yelp deal while waiting for our food ($10 for $20 restaurant voucher). we ordered two appetizers, not including the guac and an entree with a beer and the total was $10 and change with the voucher. Great price for the amount if food we ordered -which we shared. Next time, I'm getting appetizers and leaving room for dessert.
(4)