The Mex

Terrible! The worst Mexican food I’ve ever eaten. Place should be shut down.
Taco salad — two Ortega «taco boats» microwaved with a head of dirty, unwashed lettuce on top of it.
Sysco salsa was frozen.
Waited 15 minutes for water and menus
Stale chips and frozen salsa cost $ 10!!!
This place is a disgrace!

It took 10 minutes to get waters. Another 10 to order our food. Then another 20 to get the cold, disgusting mess. The salsa is clearly canned diced tomatoes topped with cilantro and onions. The basket of chips and salsa were $ 10.50. Yes, ten dollars. Felt like robbery. The taco salad my partner ordered was basic and flavorless, while my vegetarian nachos were cold and stale. If that wasn’t bad enough, the side order of beans were burnt and crunchy. The staff seemed lazy and joked about how busy they were yet did nothing to solve the problems. We weren’t the only table to leave dissatisfied. Never going back. So surprised that they are even open. What a kitchen nightmare.

Not terrible Mexican for ME, but not great. Kids quesadilla came out fried and my kid and I were both grossed out. To her credit, manager/​owner (not sure who) took it away — asked is how we wanted it and it came back good enough that my picky kid had a second one. I had the red, white and green burrito which was pretty tasty and had good greens. Beans were on the cold side. Overall three stars.

Made me feel like I was in Mexico. Brings me back to a time when I had been jailed in a prison camp in Juarez. It was nice to be able to order food off a menu though. The seafood was very good for over-​cooked frozen pre-​battered «haddock». The chili was something like they used to serve on the frontier back in the early 18^th century. I think mine survived all this time, unfound, in the same bowl. All they had to do was pop it in the microcooker and heat it up for 12 minutes on nuke setting.
Surprisingly, the cheese atop the chili didn’t melt, but the «meat» was molten hot. Kind of like a hot pocket chili bowl.
I wouldn’t return here, unless I had to warn others.
Tip: keep driving to the next town (Or directly into the ocean) for a better experience.

Our party of four was quite pleased with our meal. I had the Acapulco Empanadas with a habanero infused margarita. They were delicious. Service was perfect. Fresh salsa was nice. This is a great stop for folks tired of the mono-​cuisine of Mt Desert Island. Recommended.

Please do not waste your time or money going to this very bad restaurant. There were four in our party with not one edible dinner. The service was painfully slow even thought it was after the dinner rush. The (2) chicken fajita dinners were probably left to long under the heating lamp. The plate was not sizzling when brought to the table and was rather over-​cooked, the rice was tasteless as were the «crunchy» refried beans. The green peppers and onions were burnt. I mistakenly thought the salsa was chopped tomatoes. I asked the server for salsa to help fix the tasteless dinner and was given more chopped tomatoes so I then realize this was the salsa. I won’t bother going into the lack of taste with the other dinners although one in my party asked for red sauce on his burrito and was given a dish of tomato sauce.
Other customers were I suppose smarter and walked out because one server cannot serve an entire restaurant.
Tomorrow we are going to Lobsterfest. Moral of the review is stay with seafood when in Maine!

Good burrito– multiple vegetarian options, and the black bean sauce was nice. Fish tacos– okay, but nothing special. Food is fresh, and service is good. However, lackluster flavor for Mexican food. Might go back, but not to satisfy spicy Mexican craving.

Very disappointed ordered a chimichanga and got an enchilada they insisted it was chimichanga but Definitely wasn’t. Don’t understand how a Mexican restaurant doesn’t know the difference between chimichangas in enchiladas. The ground beef had no flavor along with the sides it came with. 86 down road is much better then here.

My favorite type of food is Mexican. I was on vacation visiting friends who live here in Maine and we decided to try this place out. I’m giving this restaurant 3 stars because I enjoyed what ordered (which I shared because of the size & price). Unfortunately I was unsatisfied with the overall experience because everything on the menu was insanely over priced for less than tex-​mex quality food. I could have made the same dish just as good, if not better, at home. Another thing I was unimpressed with was that there wasn’t a complimentary chips & salsa. I guess you have to understand that the northeast cost is seafood preferred. With that being said you never know what to expect from a restaurant selling a cuisine that is not popular in the area you’re visiting or live in. I don’t live in Maine so I’m not sure if there are other Mexican restaurants in this area, but I definitely wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend this place to anyone.

The motto «authentically different» hits the nail on the head! I had never thought of seafood dishes as being traditionally Mexican, but what’s being done here is delicious! My last two meals were the seafood empanadas and the Vera Cruz burrito. Both were filled with fresh and flavorful shrimp and scallops and the empanadas also have crabmeat. I would highly recommend!

I’d like to review the food, but we never got served. Our party of four seated ourselves as the sign indicated we should, and then we just sat — at a table in the middle of the dining room in full sight of the waitress and busboy — for at least 20 minutes. Despite our best efforts to get someone’s — anyone’s — attention, the waitress and busboy both averted their gaze and didn’t so much as bring us a glass of water, or even stop by simply to say they would be with us as soon as they could. The menu seemed adequate if slightly overpriced, and from what I could tell from plates at neighboring tables it looked about as you would expect from a middle-​of-​the-​road Mexican place. However, we didn’t get the chance to even try it. We finally got up and left, as unnoticed as we had been for the past 20+ minutes.

Worst Mexican place I’ve ever been to! Actually — the Worst restaurant I’ve ever been to. I feel bad for anyone who like us — walked in to eat before Unilocaling this place. It was horrible! Mainly just because the food was GROSS! The service wasn’t great either. And chips & salsa were $ 6.25 for a Small basket!

Disappointing at best. My wife and I left craving Taco Bell. The only reason we stopped is because my wife was pregnant. The food was bland and Americanized. The service was great and almost felt guilty having such a bad experience.

By the way the one star is for having actual Mexican music, That’s all. This was the most uninspired and disrespectful Mexican food ever. Upon walking in to the place I felt premonitions of disappointment. If only Gordon Ramsay were there that day doing an episode of kitchen nightmares. The muppet in the kitchen would have been booted into a Taco Bell surely. I can’t even bring myself to describe the food other than to say it was supremely confused, unpalatable, and just plain angering. I wish to only finish up this tirade by informing the burned out hippies that opened this place a few decades ago to get their heads out of their asses and reassess the reason for offering such rubbish to the poor folks of Ellsworth. Surely they deserve better. Ok, I’ll talk about the food, screw it. 3 entrees were ordered one was sent back. That would be the spicy sausage burrito with molè sauce, and inexplicably some sesame seeds thrown on top. Wat! I took a bite the sausage was not spicy, it tasted like BO. Yes funky armpit. Hideous. $ 12 no rice and beans, but 3 store bought tortilla chips on the plate. Nice presentation there chef boy but you can put that in the bin! I was pumped for my award winning crab enchiladas, that’s why I dragged my other victims there BTW. I got the old 2 for $ 20 deal cuz I was ready to throw down on my Crab stuffed badboys. Well, I looked at the bright red tomato sauce covered shit and knew I was in for it. The sauce was indeed pizza sauce minus salt garlic oregano or any other ingredient you would hope constitutes pizza sauce. Upon dissection I discovered my crab stuffed badboys had maybe a tablespoon total of tinned crab atop some partially melted mozzarella. Que pasa amigo? The cheese quesadilla that came with was indeed deep fried into a greasy gordita type thing with a huge blob of mozzarella underneath it. Que puta! The last item ordered was fish tacos. Ortega shells, bland fish and gazpacho which was really just salsa with loads of raw onion. Hijo de Puta!

We only stopped in for drinks and to watch the World Cup, but we absolutely loved it. Only place we could watch the World Cup in all of Ellsworth and Otis on 4^th of July. Out waitress could not have been friendlier and the prices for drinks are SO reasonable. Really kid friendly too.

Several years ago my wife and I were strolling the streets in an Scottish town when we were chased into a pub by the rain. Of all things the menu included «American nachos.» Not expecting much we were not surprised at how bad they were and up until then they were the worst rendition of «Mexican» food I had ever eaten. Several years later I moved to Ellsworth and walked into the Mex. That day a new reigning champ for worst Mexican food on the planet was crowned.
I lived in Texas for many years (my family is from there) and if anything could draw me back into that oven it would be the Mexican food and barbecue. I can say without hesitation I have eaten at well over a hundred Mexican restaurants and not one has sunk to the depths of The Mex!
To begin with the food is bland and uninspiring. My wife and I have tried the place four times, each time praying the previous tries were flukes. Each time may have been worse than the last. I have no idea what it is they try to pass for Salsa. Some sort of strange mix of salsa and pico de gallo that was probably spiced by one of my Scandinavian ancestors. The menu suggests the food should be varied and inspired, but the lack of effective seasoning is beyond imagination. Finally, the cost for this slop is outrageous. When I was handed the bill I thought I had been slapped in the face. The service is slow, the furniture uncomfortable, and the drunken happy hour revelry annoying.
Believe me, if this place opened up in Texas, there would be a lynching in a week and no judge would find the perpetrator guilty.

We have been to Bar Harbor, Maine 5 times in the last 3 years. We passed this place in Ellsworth 50 or more times! We were dying to try this place, so we did. What a Huge disappointment If I could rate this place a 0 I would. My husband has been pushing me to do this review since the minute we walked out of the place it was so bad. I am not sure where I should even start to be honest.
I believe my first mistake was eating Mexican in Maine. Coming from NJ tri-​state area, we can get some excellent Authentic Mexican which «The MEX» is not.
First of all, nothing had flavor! Let me get that right out of the way.
Salsa– looked like chopped up tomatoes. hardly any flavor. didn’t see the onions, or jalapenos to give it flavor.
Guacamole is processed, it was horrible. Most definitely not fresh at all.
We ordered drinks, my husband ordered a top shelf margarita, and I ordered a tequila on the rocks with salt. No PATRON! Okay, so a Mexican place with no Patron. So I ordered their version or «top Shelf» Well I got a margarita instead, like my husband. I figured I would just drink it instead
Out came my Jalapenos– RAW! with melted cheese on them. Did I say RAW??? Stuffed jalapenos are supposed to be cooked. Well they might have been cooked but only to melt the cheese. My husband ordered the stuffed Zucchini sampler which was nothing but grease! Very greasy.
His chicken fajitas and my Acapulco empanadas (scallop and Shrimp) came out at the same time. We both took a bite and looked at each other. absolutely no flavor Whatsoever! How is that EVEN POSSIBLE in a MEXICAN PLACE???
We also ordered the Sangria– Don’t do it! It was red wine on ice with lemon and lime and no other fruit. (this is Sangria people!), again no flavor.
We complained to the waitress and she said while grabbing the hot sauce on the table, «well did you put this hot sauce on it?»
I shouldn’t have to put a hot sauce on food to make it taste good. Horrible!!! Horrible Horrible!!!
Don’t try it!

That was gross. Maybe it is a rookie move to eat Mexican in the NE.
Guacamole tasted like it was processed.
We started with some nachos. It was similar to what my kid makes after school for a snack. My kid is 2.
Frozen margarita had a fake lime flavor. Kinda like an Icee. Ice was too course.
My enchiladas were tasteless. The same refried beans were in them as my side. Looked like they were a week old. No taste.
We are lobstered out and wanted something different. So bummed.
My beer was cold though.
Good luck.

Healthy, fresh and one of favorites places to eat. Enchilada Salad-​with verde dressing, filled with chicken, cheese and raisin… I love this place ;)
PS– this is fusion style Mexican… not tex mex… Sooo much better ;)

Chip & salsa not free… Salsa is good chips were over cooked and not fresh. Not worth paying for. Ordered mex onion soup, sent it back as it was overwhelmingly seasoned with sage or oregano. Tried black bean soup, absolutely tasteless, sent that back as well. Shared the crab enchiladas… Very tasty and fresh. Refried beans; not so good. Guacomole was discolored (not fresh) and served with the dis coloring scooped the the bottom of the bowl — so we don’t notice? Salt and peppered Everything more than once. House
Margarita was very good.
Server/​bartender in flipflops … Not so good, kind of like a server with their hair down.
Overall very disappointed as the previous positive and current reviews were what brought us in.