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Senor Tequila's Grand Opening

Discussion in 'Area Restaurants, Dining and Food' started by peddler, Aug 9, 2018.

  1. peddler

    peddler Peddler

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    Being big fans of Mexican food, the wife and I went against our normal reluctance to go to a new restaurant on opening night, but went to try out Senor Tequila's, over behind Home Depot right next to the theaters there. Surprisingly we walked right in and sat right down!

    On opening night we were entertained by a very talented Mariachi band, and they not only were great instrumentalists, the tenors' voices' soared. Nice job. Worth the tip we gave them.

    Our experience was "OK" overall, accounting for opening night jitters any new restaurant will incur, and we'll go back again when they are more established. We purposely ordered a varied menu to try things out.

    I started with a Top Shelf margarita (which I try everywhere) and it was good, but couldn't taste the 1800 tequila and grand marnier liqueur additive which make it a "top shelf". But it was refreshing and I certainly didn't need too much alcohol.

    My favorite Mexican entree is tamales, and was quite pleased with that - it was bigger than most, the cornmeal shell was moist, served attractively in a corn husk wrap that the tamale had obviously been properly steamed in, and had a generous, tender chicken filling. The green sauce was good too. Given that most Mexican restaurants around here don't really have tamales, (you can't get one at Chuy's and its only an appetizer at Uncle Julio's), this was a pleasant menu variation.

    My wife thought her selection of a chicken chimichanga was pretty good (I had one too), liked the crunchy outside shell and sauce, but it was as small as an enchilada. This was not a bad thing; it was just different than the huge plate filling belly buster chimi's that most restaurants serve. We kind of admired the portion control.

    The beef enchilada I had with a mole sauce was pretty tasty too.

    But here's our major concerns: (1) Service was slow. Very slow. Our server was MIA for some time, so it wasn't just the kitchen which is often the reason for long waits. We had to ask for help, and my wife's soda glass really never got refilled properly, (2) Mild tasting entrees and sides. Having lived in San Diego for 5 years and with my business trips to Phoenix frequently, the two of us are very used to a much spicier menu than we were served last night, (3) The chips and salsa were really below average. We're fans of lighter, crunchy chips that you can get at Chuy's and Chevy's (which are much further away with better blended salsas), (4) The refried beans were pretty bland, but cleverly served in a crunchy tostada "cup", so that was fun. The rice was just OK.

    To the restaurant's credit, the manager was actively seeking input so we told them what I've written here, and because of our service issues, they gave us a good discount for our troubles. That was very nice. Customer Service 101...

    So if you're a fan of milder Mexican food and want to a place closer to Broadlands than Parando's, Senor Tequila's is a quick alternative. Like I said, we'll give them another try later on.
     
    Jeddie Busch and Mr. Linux like this.
  2. stoner

    stoner Active Member

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    Good review - thanks.
     
  3. woopity

    woopity cdubs ya know!

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    We went there this past Sunday, so still pretty close to opening day. It was around 7:00 PM, place was not busy by any stretch. We were seated in the back corner of the bar area, which was practically in the dark. The rest of the restaurant was very open--so maybe that's just where they had servers ready to go. Server was very nice---but extremely slow. The advertised "Best Margarita in town" was not. Our table ordered one ordered a frozen, one on the rocks. The frozen was apparently better--but the rocks margarita was likened to a sweet glass of water. The warm chips and salsa were tasty to start. The entrees were good--and good portion sizes. 3 of the 4 entrees came out....waited between 5-10 minutes for the 4th, which was a quesadilla, the easiest to make.

    Location is close, but Parrandos isn't that far and better IMO, and Plaza Azteca is my go-to. Until I hear changes in reviews, we won't be back.
     
  4. BigJackie

    BigJackie New Member

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    We've been twice. Once on Saturday evening and again this past Friday. It's hard to beat Uncle Julio's but for the price, this place is a close second. The portion sizes are huge. Even the kids' fajitas would have been enough for an adult. They have $5 margaritas on Fridays. Happy hour is 2-7 every day and they have 23 ounce drafts for $5. On Sundays $5 drafts all day. Not just at the bar either, it's happy hour prices for the entire restaurant. The service and the food were good. The manager came around and checked on us and made sure we had everything we needed. The decor is really cool. The manager said most of the paintings, pictures, etc were imported from Mexico. Two kids, two adults with four alcoholic drinks and tip was about $75. Good luck getting out of Uncle Julio's for under $125 (and no draft beers either). Cheers!
     
  5. stoner

    stoner Active Member

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    You had me at 23 oz. $5 drafts!
     
    woopity likes this.
  6. BigJackie

    BigJackie New Member

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    They have a respectful selection of those draft beers also. I counted at least 3 IPA's in addition to your usual Cervazos offerings. They must have had at least 15 on tap. Cheers!!
     

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