Elsa’s On The Border

Two words… wet burrito. These are so damn addicting I suspect they have crack in them. My son didn’t believe me, so I showed him today. I get the shredded beef with a side of sour cream. Next time I need to remember to ask for extra sour cream… this little paper cup does not quite cut it. Don’t worry if you don’t want shredded beef… they have chicken, pork and ground beef as well.
I get the Mini Wet Burrito cause I can’t eat the regular portion it’s so big. I doubt anyone could. Staff is always helpful… they even made a virgin margarita for the little one. Even had whipped cream and a cherry.
Of course there’s a bar, and they’re famous for their Bad Juans. It’s very strong. You can even get a shirt that say’s «I got a BJ at Elsa’s.» I didn’t buy one, but I could have.
So if you’re craving good Mexican you want to come here. It’s so worth it. If you’re into mediocre Mexican, drive thru the Border. But no Bad Juans for you. Just sayin.

Possibly the worst experience my wife and I have had at any restaurant. We ordered a second round of drinks, which never showed up. I ordered a Tostada, they served me a taco salad which was bland, appeared to be made with pre-​made ingredients, and had no taste in my opinion. I took one bite, told the waitress I thought I was getting something else and asked for a menu. While I was considering ordering something else she came over and told me she was still charging me for the salad I didn’t want and didn’t touch. We asked to speak with the manager and the person (who may or may not have been the manager, we think he may have been the bartender), couldn’t have been more rude. He was argumentative, didn’t care when we told him were unlikely to come back, and said he didn’t care if we left a bad review.

The menu had an extensive amount of food options and even more drink options! The restaurant/​bar had a very fun atmosphere with great service!
Only complaint was the little to no parking options around the building.

Bad Juans got their name for a reason. Try a monster mimosa if you are with a date and yall like to drink. Good tex-​mex. great drinks. Have an exit strategy cuz you may need a driver.

get the original bad juan (a very high proof margarita) and the huge burrito to knock this place into the fantastic category. everything else including the chips are pretty sub-​par. but hey, after a bad juan or two you probably won’t notice. Stick around for a while, eat a lot, maybe try a cab? Don’t drive home!

While the menu was certainly fun to peruse, as the descriptions had some wit to them, the offerings were pretty standard for a Mexican Bar meets American Bar.
I shared a Three-​Way (and considering the pieces of my youth in Cincinnati, I’ve had better experiences with this name) with my dinner partner… the chicken was a bit overdone, the steak was good, and he devoured the shrimp, so I took that as a good sign for how they were prepared.
We each had a Bad Juan, and while it wasn’t the worst margarita on the rocks I’ve ever had, it certainly was not the best, either.
A fun atmosphere, good service, and a new experience chalk it up to three stars.

I like this place a lot. They have a nice selection of Mexican favorites that are all tasty, and their signature margarita is definitely worth the trip. Not stellar food, but a nice atmosphere (some sports-​geared TVs, lots of tables, bar) and definitely hits the spot when you want a burrito.

Take Elsa’s for what it is — a crazy mix of food (there are margaritas and mexican, wings, pizza, sandwiches, burgers), a sports bar environment (good, low-​key place to catch some sports), and mostly above par service, and you won’t be disappointed.
We are generally at the bar, and most of the bartenders are outstanding — attentive, friendly and quick.
The food is consistently pretty solid– of the 2 dozen times I’ve been, I’ve been satisfied every time but one — and I blame that on the fact that I ordered right as the kitchen was closing (I should know better).
There’s always trivia on a TV or two, so if your company begins to bore you, at least you can learn something.
If you have a bad day, go get a bad Juan — it tastes like an overly poured glass of tequila with too much sour mix, which is exactly what it is — and a couple will certainly take the edge of your problems.
The smokers do stand right outside the front door, which is gross when you enter and exit, but if you hold your breath and dash, you’ll get minimal residual smell on your clothes. At least they’re outside now.

We stopped in here for dinner the other night after noticing that it is consistently one of the top ranked bars nationally in Buzztime Trivia. The trivia was great – they have a good setup with the tvs, and the other trivia-​players are friendly and share answers to up the group score. The bar has a few incentives for you to get a high score, as well.
The food was where we were most disappointed. It was subpar tex-​mex that just didn’t really do it for us, especially not for the price. The chips and salsa tasted like they came from the grocery store. My husband’s margarita (the Bad Juan) was disgusting; it seriously tasted like there was mountain dew in it. I was less than impressed with the draft beer selection. Service was also on the slow side; we waited long enough for our check after we finished eating that we were able to play two more rounds of trivia.
We might be back for trivia, but next time we are sticking to drinks at the bar.

A good place to get some food and watch a game. Food is on par with Carmel’s… Maybe a little less mexicantastic than the original elsas.
I’ve had great broasted wings, and I’ve had really fatty greasy broasted wings. They’re good enough that I keep ordering them after the fatty incident, however.
Service at the bar is fantastic. The service at the tables is hit or miss. I’ve bussed my own table more than once.
And lastly, Elsa’s is non-​smoking… I’ve gone 15 times since last summer and never seen anyone smoke in there.

«Bad Juan”= extreeeemly alcoholic margarita (though not very tasty)
I began my Elsa’s experience with one of these, which ultimately I can’t decide if that was a good or bad.
I ordered a veggie quesadilla, and it was ok. Nothing special, but ok. Everyone I ate with seemed to be pretty equally indifferent about their food. Portion sizes were huge, though, so that was a positive. Service was adequate. If you’re looking for a place to watch a sporting event, Elsa’s is covered in big TVs to watch games at. Also, just a warning that Elsa’s isn’t smoke free.
Basically, if you’re in the area and looking for some grub to eat during the big game, Elsa’s does the trick. I’ll be at the Tim Horton’s across the street eating a donut.

Over all I prefer the Linden Ave location. The food was good but the atmosphere was not to my liking, a bit too loud plus I had to make my way though the smokers who were standing at the front door.