Willy’s Mexicana Grill

Let me first say that Willy’s is my favorite Cali-​Mex joint. It’s my go to guilty pleasure for my wife and I when I don’t feel like cooking.
I have eaten at all the Willy’s in the metro Atlanta area and I have to say, this location is the worst. That statement might warrant just 3 stars, because Willy’s is usually pretty tasty. But despite its chic, renovated look, this Willy’s is just garbage.
On my most recent visit, I wanted a Grande Adobe Chicken Quesadilla. Seems simple enough since its a menu staple. When I ordered, the man behind the counter leveled off a small scoop of REGULAR chicken before dumping it on the quesadilla.
«I ordered a grande adobe chicken quesadilla,» I said.
«Yes, sir,» he said adding a small scoop of adobe chicken.
By the time I got my quesadilla, I was very fed up with the whole experience. There were so many Lovett and Westminster (NOT WILLY’S FAULT) twerps in line as well as a great deal of post church fuddy duddies. Topping it off, the line crew was enormously slow. In any other Willy’s, the line would have moved like butter compared to this location. Considering it’s location, I’m surprised corporate allows such shoddy staff here.
So go at your own risk. It’s in a great location off 75, but you’ll not find a good atmosphere, good service, or a good experience.

I’ve been to several locations and never had bad service or a bad meal. I’ve noticed at the Paces Ferry location, the staff interacts really well with their customers. They have a large high school crowd from nearby high schools and many of the kids know the servers by name.
The food is very similar to Moe’s, but for what I order Willy’s is a much better value and creates a better dish. I generally order the meat and extra’s served over salad. I get more food at about the same price as Moe’s.
The biggest negative is the long lines around dinner and lunch. You pretty much have to go at non-​peak hours or spend 30+ minutes in line.

Much improved since the last time I was here. First off, they made some renovations which definitely opens up the space much more. Before, it just felt really tight and congested. Now it feels much more spacious. The service is also improved. You can get more toppings now than you could before. The portion of chips is greater. The salsa bar is well stocked and the place feels cleaner in general. The burrito itself tasted good and the portions are sizable, so it’s a better bang for your buck. Overall, I just had a much better impression this time around. Very happy with the improvements.

Still consistently excellent food and service! I have been coming to this Willy’s location for over five years because of its proximity to my office. I will even drive out of my way to eat at this Willy’s. The food is always so fresh and the employees are seriously the nicest people ever! Even with the longest, craziest lines, they are smiling and making sure they take care of everyone with efficiency. Willy’s blows Moe’s and Chipotle out of the water!

I grew up eating at this Willy’s — absolutely love it. I do slightly prefer Chipotle burritos, but Willy’s salads are clear winners. Plus Willy’s has more of the standard tex Mex things like free chips, classic salsas, and queso dip.

Very disappointed in this restaurant. Only gave it a one star for the fresh jalapeño and cilantro and other taco condiments but there was NO flavor in the meat and all of the salsas were bland. Guacamole was pretty good.

Absolutely awesome! The burrito in a bowl is great! Tons of toppings and it’s super affordable. The staff was friendly and seemed to be much less concerned with portion control than some other similar establishments. I thourghly enjoyed my meal and look forward to returning.

The staff is fun and food is excellent. Very long lines though during meal times. More than enough seating though.

Willy’s is a sleeper. It isn’t 100% fresh but if you starving and need a Chipolte replacement, come through to Willy’s. Service is quick! Nothing special, bland mexican food. Burritos are pretty good. chips and salsa is below average. tacos are good. Edible. It works! Now the ranking… I know there are some Chipolte cult fans out there. So lets say we put Chipolte on top. What comes next? I think Willy’s is better than Moe’s. I think both are bland. I mean you can flip a coin, I don’t give a eff. Almost comparing fast food restaurants. I never had a long wait for the food, its filling, does the trick and the price is whatever with me on that.
Grade: C

I’ve visited the Willy’s in Midtown before and thought it was pretty good so I of course suggested this Willy’s to my husband one night since we were close-​by. What a mistake! This place is dim light, crowded, and filled with a bunch of high school students. The people who work here are pretty unfriendly and you can only choose corn or sour cream or green peppers, not all of the above. What kind of place treats sour cream as a luxury ingredient? c’mon!
While the chips were free, they were limited and the salsa bar was disappointing. Also, their meats are not hormone/​antibiotic-​free like it is at Chipotle and Moe’s. We got chicken and it did not taste like chicken.
Will not be coming back here, there are better options out there!

My Mother is a regular at this location as she works near-​by and the Kennesaw spot as it’s close to home. Watch out for the long line at this one! Took us a good 20 minutes the other night which is pretty odd for this type of place.
Need to keep the different kinds of beer in stock in the fridge. Only had 1 Bud Light and I definitely would have grabbed a few more if they had them chilling.
Expect to eat with all of the local yuppy school kids.
Needs a little improvement but nothing major experienced to keep me from being a return customer.

Eh. I’m a Willy’s fan, and have gotten the pulled pork burrito at several locations. When I visited the W. Paces Ferry location last week, it was dry and disappointing. In general, though, when I get the pulled pork burrito at the Kennesaw or Perimeter Mall location, it’s great. I’ll keep going to Willy’s, but will probably avoid this location.

This place kicks any other burrito place to the curb. I always get the soft veggie tacos and load them up with as many veggies as I can. They are always perfect no matter which Willy’s I visit. Today I am at West Paces Ferry. They are quick, the restaurant is clean and there is a ton of seating. I was there at about 12:30 on a Thursday afternoon.
If you have not had Willy’s anything then you are truly missing out. It is affordable, convenient and fun! For an added bonus try the white macadamia cut cookie.
Willy’s please expand to other states. Moe’s is not half as good as you are!!!

FOOOOOD FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT.
This particular Willy’s location is insane, among other bits of profanity I rather not publish.
Because of the small size, it sometimes takes around 20ish minutes to begin placing your order. Then, obviously, it goes by pretty fast UNLESS there are 20+ high-​school students screaming bloody murder and chest bump-​groping one another.
You can’t escape these situations when they hit you like a speed train. Sometimes I feel like I need a helmet to walk in the door. These kids want their Willy’s with the quickness, and I don’t blame ‘em.
Now you may think, «If the kids have gone wild, how is the service?» Well I’ll tell you. It’s GREAT. The folks making your mexi-​flare are very friendly, and honestly it must be a pretty fun place to work… part-​time.
I’ll always go back to this Willy’s. It is so close to me that I would eat there all the time if I weren’t watching my girlish figure.

I actually ventured to this area to go to Goldberg’s but it was so crowded there was no way I would get back to work in time. What’s that I see? Willy’s? Score! The line was pretty long but the staff is very efficient (and friendly) and quick so that wasn’t a problem at all. I waited in line maybe 5 – 7 minutes, ordered my food and was on my way to a table in a very short period of time. I often order the nachos supreme with queso instead of shredded cheese and that’s what I chose to have today. It was yummy fatness.
Willy’s isn’t Mexican food by any stretch of the imagination but it’s decent Tex-​Mex that is always consistant. That’s what I consider winning!

Best Tex-​Mex style burritos IN THE WORLD. This is not an exaggeration– Moe’s and Chipotle quiver when they see Willy’s coming. The ingredients are fresh, the chips come for free, and everything is absolutely delicious. AND it’s not owned by McDonald’s.
They have awesome Tofu if that’s your thing and their queso is amazing. Their chocolate chip cookies are also off the chain. If you want to have the sweetest retirement/​graduation/​Bar Mitzvah party in town have them cater.
In my years of coming here I’ve never met a rude worker here. I dream about Willy’s burritos when I’m out of Atlanta.
*Note– this location is filled with high school kids on the weekends.

Rained out football game = no debut as the Coach’s girlfriend.
Said Coach/​boyfriend gets stuck on the phone with AT&T for an hour and we’re both dying for dinner.
Hand signals + a brief moment when he’s put on hold that lets him say, «what do you want for dinner?» + me saying «the rain is pouring in my car window, you pick, I will just follow you» = Willy’s at W. Paces.
When the AT&T debacle continued on a good 15 minutes after we got from Riverwood to Willy’s, which was the general direction of our neighborhoods hence a good choice, this girl was starting to get annoyed.
Fortunately, the warm and spacious décor (note: teenagers galore and gazelle-​like-​tweens abound in this Willy’s so sit on the opposite side of the cashier if you aren’t amused by such) + one Negro Medelo to take the *edge* off while The Boy finished his phone ordeal smoothed things over.
Chicken nachos + seats at a pleasant patio table, listening to the by-​then just pitter-​patter rather than torrential rain = mood and evening saved!
Willy’s, good as always. This one is definitely more family-​and-​teen oriented (in other words — go to Piedmont for outdoor bliss, or Peachtree Battle for more «couple”-type or singles patrons, etc), and the parking lot is a bit like an all-​terrain practice race track, if the drivers were 17 with really expensive Lexus SUVs and BMW coupes (er, or their parents), but when it’s been a long day or unexpectedly rough evening and you need an easy and good dinner, Willy’s totally works.

Willy’s is greater than Moe’s is greater than Chipolte in my opinion. Better burritos, quesadillas, salads, heck even the chips & salsa is better there. Love the adobe chicken burrito or quesadilla but the pork is very tasty.
Consistently good quality, fast service — only knock on this location is the smaller size — it really should be twice as big to handle the lunch crowds.

I love the fact that this Mexican restaurant doesn’t have the stereotypical Mexican name like Padro’s or José’s. Willy’s has great food that tastes fresh and smells great. When I want to be healthy I come here for a salad which is basically like a burrito in a bowl. I get lettuce, chicken, beans, salsa, corn, cilantro, cheese, etc… everything. Actually, not sure that’s all that healthy, but it tastes good. When I want to be an all out bad girl, I order steak tacos and maybe a chicken burrito or nachos. I have had their chicken tortilla soup catered and everyone loved it. They have southwestern vinaigrette which is also unique.
Parking is a hassle during lunch time and seating is limited. I always order to go and forgive me all you handicaps because since I know I’ll be in and out sometimes I steel those spots. The line may be long inside but they get you in and out. For that and the quality of food, I love Willy’s!

I love Willy’s. Quick, tasty Mexican-​ish eats with friendly service. I usually opt for the chicken quesadilla but everything I’ve had is good.
I’m just docking them a star because I’m still a wee bit bitter that they didn’t come in until after I graduated high school AND they took over the space of my beloved Gorin’s.