Geckos

Just come in and try anything and hang w Nick the front of the house everything. Gecko is leaving us. Enjoy it while you still can! Such a special place.

First off, let me point out, YOU ARE IN BALTIMORE. you are not in LA, you are not in New Mexico, you are in the Mid Atlantic/​East Coast blue collar city of Baltimore.
I’ve lived in multiple cities. I have family all over the United States (and out of the US). The thing that gets me is when people are like «I lived here… so I’m very particular with this type of food» I get it, I know it, LA mexican is amazing. Chinese in NY is fantastic. Texas is TEX MEX. This is the «east coast» version.
It’s like, when I lived in Philly, visting family in LA and people call cheesesteaks «phillies» and they are «nothing» like a standard cheesesteak.
Did I interrupt my families happiness to show me their «phillies»…NO!
I ate it. I enjoyed it for «what it was». AND I SAID TACOS TILL I GET BACK TO THE EAST.
With that being said, «for what gekos is» its good. It’s not AMAZING. It’s not the best I’ve ever had, but it’s good.
+ 15 dollars all you can eat and drink brunch. Weak mimosas but unlimited.
The brunch is mixed of lots of different things for every one.
It’s constantly being replenished.
+ They always have some sort of great special going on ANY DAY of the week.
+ fast, friendly service
+ easy parking/​close meet up for friends which is why we end up here.
+ chips and salsa

Had Sunday brunch here recently. If you have a reservation here, do confirm it the day before. Friends who live nearby say they aren’t so good about checking the book when setting up for the day.
Complementary mimosas were a nice touch (though they are weak). Interesting ambiance with the wood and brick and all the wall décor. Plus the T-​Rex skull. The place was crowded but we could still talk comfortably. The buffet had a nice variety of food. Do wish they’d kept the plates and trays filled more often, but they were busy.
The food was good, and a nice balance of lighter fare and more filling. Great turkey sausages, crepes, biscuits and gravy, stuffed french toast, salmon cakes. And some spicy options if you like that.

Definitely a hidden treasure! Tucked away in a mostly residential area on Fleet Street. You can’t tell how special it is from the outside!
Homemade chips and salsa are simply amazing. I would even have to argue the best in Baltimore! Chips are multi-​color, taste like baked/​friend pita? Salsa is chunky and flavorful!
Bar is a really cool area with very friendly bartenders. There are also pool tables downstairs.
In terms of food, I didn’t really order anything too special– just Cobb Salad and Fish Tacos. Solid choices (good, not amazing) but I think I definitely wanna try some of their other menu options!
Overall, awesome neighborhood joint! Would come back just to have beer + chips and salsa!

Geckos has a really fun atmosphere and some pretty great margaritas! It’s a really great neighborhood restaurant. The portions are large and the homemade salsa is really good.
It’s busy without being overly crowded and crazy. I always enjoy a trip to Geckos

If you have a hankering for Tex-​Mex or Mexican this is not your place. The menu is good, but full of misnomers. Most recently, I ordered an enchilada and it ended up being a wrap.
The drinks are good and the chips and salsa are great. I appreciate recipes taking liberties and like fusion, but Geckos never manages to hit the spot.

Went a while ago, but didn’t post a review. While the food was ok, it was nothing special. Went back a week ago, and had a much better experience. The chips and salsa are pretty good, more homemade than your typical tex-​mex restaurant. The entrée portions are quite large. I had the black bean tortas, which were really good.
The bar can be a bit noisy (seems to be a BSSC hangout), but the seating area in the back is reasonably quite. Overall a good neighborhood spot.

I’ve been here twice now for both drinks and food.
The first time was late at night and I had a ton of fun. The bartenders are amazing and they have a jukebox, pool and ping pong. What more could a tipsy girl ask for?
I went back here for their Sunday brunch which is only $ 14 and includes bottomless mimosas. The food was very good and the drinks were even better.
I’ll be back!

I love this place: great staff, delicious food, great weekly food specials, and the bottomless mimosas –buffet brunch is the bomb!
happy hour specials are definitely a pull.

The sun never seems to set while enjoying happy hour well on into the night with the regular laid back and relaxed crowd that knows how to keep the good times rolling. The sangria is wonderful and watch out for the margaritas they are mixed very well with a heavy pour. The homemade colorful chips with sprinkles of spices and chuncky salsa are spectacular to snack on. If you order the Chilaquiles be prepared to share with friends, if you come close to finishing this mountain of smothered goodness give yourself a pat on the the back because it’s like climbing Mt. Vesuvius.
My friend and I split some tapas and the Margarita Shrimp Salad which was amazing, a perfect portion for the two of us with the large shrimp swimming in a lime dressing through a field of greens.
I have no complaints and will be venturing back often.

After having visited Geckos 5 times over the last year I have to say that I believe our last visit was, umm, well, our last. Geckos is one of those places that I think most people visit for only a handful of reasons:
1. It’s right around the corner from your house
2. You’ve got a $ 25
coupon that you paid a dollar for
3. You’re friends with the owner
All of our visits fall under #1 and #2. We are literally steps away from this place so when we’re feeling exceptionally lazy we end up here. And we’ve purchased several
coupons that make dinner for two with drinks less than $ 25 with tip. How can that be bad?
Our last visit occurred on a Thursday about 6pm. The bar stools were all occupied and there was another couple eating in the main dining area. Sparse. Our server was friendly and prompt. Delivery of the food was not. It took about 35 minutes after we were brought our drinks for the food to arrive. The main dining area was freezing cold. We had to keep our coats on while we ate.
The food here is certainly not Mexican (Chipotle is more Mexican than Geckos) and I hesitate to even call it Tex-​Mex — I lived in Texas, I know Tex-​Mex. It’s more like American bar food that’s taken a trip down the ethnic food ingredients section of Safeway. Nothing’s ever really been bad, it’s just that nothing’s really ever been that good either. It reminds me of food I think I could make myself after spending too much time watching Bobby Flay on Food Network. Here’s what we had during our most recent visit:
Chips & Salsa — Probably one of the best things on the menu. Their house-​made chips (multi-​colored fried tortillas powdered with a spice blend that brings the heat) and fresh chunky salsa always go great with a cold beer
Crab, Corn, and Roasted Red Pepper Quesadilla — A pretty standard offering. The good — very large portion, plenty of crab and fresh corn sliced right off the cobb. The average — not terribly flavorful, lacked salt (not surprising-​see my first review) and the mango and black bean salsa, meh.
Tortilla Burger — This was a disappointment. Basically a burger topped in green chilis and melted jack cheese wrapped in a flour tortilla. I actually shouldn’t have been surprised. The menu description was spot on. The burger, ordered medium, was cooked well-​done and also lacked salt. The fries were pretty tasty, but just your typical Baltimore bar fries. I wonder if they all order them from the same place…
The highlight of the evening was when I was informed that they had Dogfish Head Pangaea on tap. An amazingly complex and rare beer (especially on tap) that our server, unfortunately, knew very little about. This ale is brewed with ingredients from every continent and at 7% ABV it’s no lightweight. Fruity, spicy, a bit sour and reminiscent of a Belgian strong ale. If you see it on tap you must try it.
Tips:
–The «Geckos Ale» is Heavy Seas Marzen and it’s good.
–Don’t ever expect to get a seat at the bar. No matter when we’ve been there all 8 seats are always occupied. See #3 above.
–Be prepared to use the salt shakers.
–Keep your expectations just this side of average and you won’t be disappointed.

Uhmmmm, am I allowed to only live on their chips & salsa for the rest of my days? Because if push came to shove, I’m pretty sure I could.
Cute place, friendly staff, good food and chips & salsa that will change your life forever. I wish I could say I was kidding.

I love food. I love Tex-​Mex. But this wasn’t that grand. Sure, my black bean and mushroom wrap was good, but it wasn’t mind blowing. My friend got the chicken sandwhich and said it was too chewy. My other friend got black bean soup and said it was too garlicy. We also got crab dip, and it was good. Service was pretty lack luster. Would I come back? Probably not.

You have to love the mom and pop places that try something different. First off, the food is reasonably priced. It’s not authentic, but it is creative. There are always neighborhood people inside and it has a laid back vibe. They really did something great with the décor. They cut up a row house and made something really unique. I like their sangria, but it is a little bit watered down. I like it a bit stronger. I really like the mango chipotle wings, they are sticky and delicious. They also have really great chips and salsa. This is something that you should just try for yourself. I’ve had a few different enchiladas and quesadillas. They were all good, comfort food. Geckos is a solid neigborhood place, but not a destination.

I enjoyed my night at Gecko’s. Nice and very friendly little bar with a jukebox, pool table and now featuring a ping pong table.
I honestly can’t remember what I ate the night I visited. But doesn’t that mean I had a great time?

This is my favorite Mexican place in Baltimore. I usually go with the mango chipotle chicken enchiladas, and this meal is big enough that I usually take half home with me.
Homemade chips and salsa come with your dinner. Every night they have some sort of drink or food special. Service is not overly enthusiastic, but just enough to get the job done. There are pool tables in the basement floor of the restaurant for your after-​dinner entertainment.

Overall: The food was good and fresh BUT do not go on a weekend night. The service was painfully poor.
We called ahead for 5 people and got there at 7:15pm on a Saturday night. The table was waiting for us, so we thought this might be a good experience. But here are all the things that will never bring us back to this restaurant again.
1) Our waiter came to us about 10 minutes after we had been seated.
2) We only had 3 water cups for 5 people and our water was only refilled once in the 2 hours that we were at the restaurant
3) Our food took 1.5 hours to come out of the kitchen. We were with a 7 year old who was starving and had this chicken-​cheese quesadilla take an hour and a half. Then they brought out 4 out of 5 dishes and the 5^th person’s food came when we were done eating ours.
4) After all of this, we were charged us for an extra serving of sour cream and salsa
We had been extremely patient all along but had to mention our concerns to our waiter, who said that the kitchen was too small. But no restaurant should have tables that they cannot handle. Also, it wasn’t just the kitchen, our waiter was literally waiting for the ENTIRE restaurant. So they need to hire more people especially for a weekend.

Let me start by saying, I lived in New Mexico for 8 years, so I am picky about the term «Southwestern». I had a hard time finding Southwestern food on the menu. I suppose, just like in the southwest, everything is offered with green chili, no matter the cuisine, here you have to have crab with everything. The problem was that there was no chili to be found. I don’t know what I was expecting. I knew we weren’t going to have New Mexican food, but what came was quite the shock. We both ordered enchiladas, but got burritos. Don’t let that red sauce smothering everything fool you, it was sweet, BBQ-​y type sauce. Good, but unexpected.
The «Enchiladas», required a lot of hot sauce. One came with a healthy dose of mangoes, which were killer. We also had calamari for an appetizer that came with what I would describe as sweet and sour sauce. I had a couple of margaritas that were decent. I would definitely go again, now that I am prepared for what I am getting.

Just wanted to say that I moved here a couple months ago. I was very LUCKY in that I moved a block away from this place.
Atmosphere: Is great. People are friendly, staff are quick and polite. They even let me watch my Patriots in there! (Well, maybe with a little harassment)
Food: Must have — Mango Chipotle Wings! Burgers are monstrous and good. Also had the beef chili which wasn’t that bad. I have not had a bad meal yet.
Drinks: They make very good mixed drinks and great happy hour prices. I believe domestics are a $ 1.50. Also have a wideeee selection of tequila’s and lots of custom margaritas.
Great place, check out their website for daily specials!

I end up here at least once almost every week. A true local favorite. Lively environment, cheerful staff, tasty drinks, and some dishes that’ll leave you pleasantly surprised. Go here for drinks anytime play a few games of pool and enjoy the playful décor, but come for food on Tuesday Tapas Nights or Thursdays for Tacos. This is far from your average bar food.
Tuesday Tapas: The chef at Gecko’s is a hidden treasure. The sensei of anything crab: soft-​shell crab sandwich, crab dip, crab sauteed with mushrooms and red peppers over toast, mushroom caps stuffed with lump crab meat. Need I go on? Delicious. The tapas range from approximately $ 5-​$ 10 each. And please allow me to clarify: although they’re referred to as small plates, the portions are far from European. Two tapas per person is typically more than enough.
Taco Thursdays: Tacos are seasoned in a savory blend of spices, and served on a massive platter of fixings. The corn shells are crispy and fragrant. The sauces and toppings are freshly prepared.
The quality of the food and the talent in the prep are surprising when compared with the great price, relaxed crowd, and quirky ambiance.
***Note: Do not order the Mexican Club Wrap or the Tortilla Burger; these are not their fortes (the former is dry and bland, the latter greasy and bland). These 2 dishes are the only poor performers on the menu.