Abuelo’s

After seeing the gorgeous exterior of Abuelo’s in Dayton, my expectations soared up pretty high. Coming from a small town in Ohio I’m used to the stereotypical small Mexican restaurants you can find in any town around the country, but my husband and I were looking for something more authentic with a touch of class. Well, the building is beautiful on the outside AND the inside. Gorgeous high ceilings and columns that make you feel like you’re about to dine at a fancy restaurant. The food, however, was a different story. I would compare it to a mega-​chain Mexican restaurant, like Chi-Chi’s from back in the day. Food that tasted frozen, salsas that tasted jarred, tortilla chips that seemed like they just came out of a bag. Not what I was expecting at all. My beef chimichanga tasted like an envelope of Old El Paso taco seasoning, and the fried tortilla tasted like old grease. In fact, I think I liked Chi-Chi’s better than Abuelo’s, and that’s not a good thing. It’s a shame that such a beautiful restaurant serves such mediocre food.

Ate at Abuelos a week ago. The restaurant was beautiful, the service was great, but the food was sub-​par. Under cooked rice, extremely tough steak in fajitas and some questionable salsa. Not sure if the kitchen had an off night or it was indicative of the restaurant, but not in a hurry to go back.

The Olive Garden of bad Mexican. We walked in to a near empty restaurant at 6pm on a Tuesday. Our waiter was pleasant but not very good at his job. The menu consisted of very americanized Mexican food. I ordered the street tacos and my wife got a burrito. Her order came out wrong and mine lacked any flavor. Overall, I couldn’t find a redeeming quality to the place. We will not be returning.

I have been to abuelos many times and never have food I love. The salsa is bland and tastes bottled. The fajitas come out with the meat sliced and placed on top of vegetables that aren’t simmering like most places. I haven’t had anything terrible and the service is usually good. I feel like it is overpriced. El toro is definitely better!

This place isn’t too bad based on what I had, but I wouldn’t really call what I had Mexican food.
When we got to Abuelo’s, we were seated right away on a Sunday. This place is pretty big and is good for big groups. Upon being seated, our server came over with a bowl of chips and salsa for each of us. But we easily could have shared one bowl.
There were three salsas that you get, one is their normal mild salsa, there’s a sweet green one that I didn’t like too much, and a spicy salsa. The chips that Abuelo’s serve are super thin. to the point of it being unsatisfying if you eat just one. You just keep going back for more and more chips. It’s addicting.
We ordered the spinach stuffed mushrooms as our appetizer. It was pretty good. I liked that the mushrooms were big and they came out firm so you knew they weren’t old mushrooms. The mushrooms were swimming in cheesy sauce when it came out so it was pretty good.
For our entrees we both ordered seafood dishes. I got the Salmon Santa Cruz which came with grilled vegetables and cilantro lime rice. The salmon was pretty good. It’s the best salmon I’ve had in Dayton so far but I haven’t been here long. I wasn’t too fond of their cilantro lime rice so if I go next time I’ll probably ask if I can substitute it for something else. And, if I get the Salmon Santa Cruz, I’ll omit the lemon wine sauce. The salmon was good on it’s own.
I tried several bites of the Tilapia Veracruz which also came with grilled vegetable and cilantro lime rice. However the tilapia was topped with shrimp and scallops. Between the two dishes I liked the tilapia more, maybe because it was buttery.
Both dishes were great. It was so much better than our meal at McCormick & Schmick’s the other day. What an embarrassment for McCormick’s.
Quick Tip: Sign up for their Mi Abuelo’s rewards and you get a free entrée on your birthday with the purchase of an entrée and two drinks.

This place is not bad, it has a modern feel to it. The décor isnt traditional mexican, its more trendy and current compared to going to an old school mexican restaurant.
Our party walked in and was seated right away. Our waiter tended to our party and kept our glasses full.
I had 2 enchiladas, refried beans and potatoes. I had a glass of sweet tea also. My meal was pretty good. I was going to get dessert, I didnt want to overdo it.
I will definitely eat here again. Great restaurant, nice staff and good food!

The first time I ate here I would have given this place at least three stars, and maybe even four stars. I remember my hubby and I going there for dinner the first night we were in Dayton house hunting. We had the fajitas which were pretty good; the margarita my husband had left a little to be desired, but over all the food hit the spot. On our second visit I believe I got enchiladas (its my go to to really judge a restaurant’s quality). They were just okay, the sauce was not all that spicy or flavorful, but add a little of their red hot sauce and it helps. The third time we went I got a combo plate — it had one of my favorite foods on it — the tamale. A great tamale has just the right amount of masa in it that it encases the meat (usually pork). The pork itself is juicy and flavorful all on its own. This tamale was like a stick. Very dry, with an inordinate amount of masa outside and very little meat. The enchilada and taco on my late — just eh, so nothing special. After that trip I never thought I would be back. Come fourth trip since colleagues wanted to go there for dinner. I got the steak quesadilla with rice. Its really hard to mess of a quesadilla. Somehow they did manage to mess up the order. Instead of steak, I got chicken; since I actually liked the flavor of the chicken, I figured what the heck, I’ll keep of all the dinners I’ve had there — it was second best (behind the fajitas). The other thing they left off — the rice; instead they gave me mashed potatoes. I’ve never been to a Tex-​Mex place and gotten mashed potatoes.
Service wise, its not bad, the wait staff are friendly, and did a pretty good job of keeping water glasses filled.
Drink wise, I won’t belabor the drinks, since my husband has adequately described them — I will say that on my last trip I tried the sangria. If I ever have to go back (because of colleagues), I’m pretty sure I will stick to just water.

The worst Mexican food I’ve ever eaten! I wouldn’t call it Mexican, that’s giving it too much credit. Not only was the food bad, but the staff wasn’t that great either. When we came in, a group with a handicap person in a wheelchair was leaving and one of staff joked «I hope you set them at a high top». The hostess was on her phone the entire time. People had to wait for her to get off it. The food was gross, the beans and rice you could tell had been sitting out. The Seafood Enchiladas didn’t have seafood in them, two shrimp and two scallops on top and that was it. You can tell a lot of the food is microwaved. The only bright spot was our waitress, Katy.

Let me start off by saying that this is my favorite Mexican restaurant in the area. The portions are huge and reasonably priced. Friendly service. Unfortunately our favorite server Anthony has moved away. He was the epitome of customer service.

Definitely not the best Mexican food I’ve had in Dayton. Their chips are so thin that they are almost translucent and they are bland and I don’t think their salsas are very good either. Their other food is just average too.

Food is great, if not a little pricey, but not your run of the mill Mexican. They will try to charge you $ 2 for the little game thing that they put on your table whether you ask for it or not, so watch out for that. Good service too. Been there a dozen times and always nice.

Food was okay. Service was horrible seems like all new staff totally untrained. We ordered appetizer and main course, and they brought both at same time!!! We are still having our lunch and the restaurant is pretty empty still they keep asking can I take this and that? So rude.

Great atmosphere and love the food. Fancier than most Mexican restaurants in the area and good location!

Good service. Tea is sweet and it’s a good thing since we the sauce for the pork is Spicer than the Thai food I had for lunch. It’s ok just not amazing.

The wife and I first stumbled on Abuelo’s back in April on our house-​hunting trip in the area. Since that time, we’ve eaten dinner there on one other occasion. On our first trip, we had never heard of Abuelo’s nor did we know that it was part of a national chain of Tex-​Mex restaurants. So, we had no preconceived notions, just reasonable hopes and expectations. On both occasions, we were warmly greeted by the hostesses and seated immediately on our first visit and after a brief wait for a table to open up on our second visit. Upon stepping foot in the restaurant, I was impressed by its size, design, and colorful art and décor. While, it certainly was a bit of Mexico by way of Disney World, it still was tasteful. More interesting and, perhaps somewhat disheartening, was the entertainment/​POS system on every table. Hey! Lets put technology on the table in the hope of improving efficiency but at the risk of family interaction at the dinner table as well as interaction between wait staff and the customer. Maybe I’d feel differently if I had a family and lots of children.
On both occasions, the food was generally better than average. We received the obligatory chips and salsa. In Abuelo’s case, it came with a salsa verde, which was mild, a salsa rojo, which was (supposed to be) hot, and a third sauce, a mango habanero (?), which was much more sweet than spicy. Our food came out piping hot, especially the fajitas, which were sizzling. Portion sizes were generous and, on both visits, we pushed back from the table full. I enjoyed the fajitas I had on my first visit much more than I enjoyed the beef stuffed chile relleno I had on my second. Service was friendly, but nothing special. Personal opinion, I think the tabletop system has made service from both the server and customer perspective, more impersonal.
The true disappointments from our visits were the drinks, specifically Abuelo’s margaritas. On our first visit, I had the La Grandeza Margarita, Abuelo’s supposedly award-​winning mix of Gold Tequila, Gran Gala Triple Orange liqueur and their signature margarita mix, served on the rocks. It possessed an unnatural lime green hue with a heavy, lime Jolly Rancher flavor profile that overwhelmed everything else. On our second visit, I had the 1800 Hand Shaken Margarita made with 1800 Reposado, Agavero Orange liqueur, and «naturally-​sweetened» (something I missed because I didn’t read the menu close enough before ordering) lime juice served up in a personal shaker. Why not just fresh squeeze your limes and use that juice without adding anything? While it was better in appearance and balance, it was still way too sweet for my tastes. Finally, I had the Agave Margarita, their so-​called «purist’s margarita», made with 1800 Silver, agave nectar, and hand-​squeezed lime juice. This one was the closest to decent of the bunch, but it lacked the notes from an orange liqueur and was still too sweet by half as the agave nectar provided way too much sweetness. Maybe the proportions in Abuelo’s drink recipes are out of whack. Still, they would’ve been better served to substitute the orange liqueur for the agave nectar or add the orange liqueur and cut the agave nectar’s sweetness by diluting it with water to make agave syrup. Either way, I found that if I’m going to have a drink at Abuelo’s, next time I’ll skip the sugary sweet margaritas and stick to beer.
Drinks aside, Abuelo’s was a better than average Tex-​Mex chain restaurant. However, no one should confuse it with truly authentic Mexican food. It’s convenient for me. More importantly, the prices are reasonable enough, and they are military friendly with military discounts on Mondays. Abuelo’s did enough right to earn my repeat business.

Went tonight Saturday June 27^th at 4pm, told the blonde hostess that we had 8 people with one high chair. She asked did you call ahead? I said no, she sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. There were maybe 20 cars in the lot and again it was 4pm. She stated they had several large parties later and she wasn’t sure if she could seat us. I was ready to leave, but my family wanted to stay. The manager setup a table but was very arrogant like we were putting him out.
Other than those two people, the service was great from our waitress and the food was awesome. Get rid of the blonde hostess and you will have a fine establishment.

This is my favorite Mexican restaurant in Dayton. The food always taste fresh and more authentic than most places.
Their draft beer is always very cold and they have a good selection of tequila. My husband and I always sit at the bar and we receive great service.
They have an awesome happy hour menu.
The dip sampler is so good. They have great crisp tortillas and their salsa is my favorite. The salsa is very fresh tasting and you get three types with your chips.
My favorite menu item is the shredded beef chimichanga. The spinach espinaca is a delicious side item.

I went to lunch here and was very surprised at the quality of the food, low cost and speed of the service. I ordered the lunch version of a taco and burrito and it was really quite good. The crunchy taco shell was just that, crunchy. It was delivered in a timely manner, was soggy and added a nice balance to the ingredients in the middle.
The service was very friendly and responsive. The only issue was the «pay at your table» device that didn’t work for two of the diners I was with, although it worked for me.
Overall, really great for lunch and the cost was about $ 10.

I must say this is my favorite Mexican restaurant in the Dayton area. To start with, you get perfectly crispy tortillas chips with a trio of salsas (the verde is very yummy!). I’ve never had a bad meal here. My go to menu item is the Mexican Stack. Restaurant is clean and staff is friendly.
They had some good food deals as well as drink specials on their happy hour menu, and until most places, happy hour is also available on the weekends. As an added bonus, Military personnel receive a discount in Mondays. Class act, Abuelos!

This is a great place. Great bar service. Friendly wait staff. Interesting Mexican food. Good place for group functions.
Today, I had the cheeseburger torts plate. Ample portions. Served on a hot plate. Chili salsa served on the side, so you can adjust the spice.
I have been here a dozen times before and it has been very consistent in high quality in food prep and wait staff.
I will be return here again.