Abuelo’s

Wife and I with our children had lunch on a sunday. Food was phenomenal, u asked them to make something spicy and the cooks prevailed. Lela, our waitress, is amazing and very accommodating. Overall; 6 stars…

It was raining this evening, and the floors are slick and I slid and fell when being led to our table… I really don’t blame anyone for this, but not one employee asked me if I was ok. Not one. The food was good though. Customer service is essential in business. I’ll probably hurt for a week, but I’m gonna remember nobody said a word instead of the dinner being good.

Most people really rave about this Mexican restaurant but it’s definitely not that good. My husband and I have gone here a few times and each time it was a bad experience. I honestly don’t even know why we returned. But let me tell you guys about it. One time we ordered beef enchiladas and ended up with food poisoning for 3 days straight! No joke. And everyone says their bartenders give horrible service which is also true. So I will not ever go back here again. Horrible service and food is not kept up with, obviously.

AMAZING!!! My husband and I went here for the first time tonight for Valentine’s Day and I must say it blew us away…
When you first walk in you notice how nice and open the restaurant is. We only had a 5 minute wait. Once we were seated our waiter Cruz brought us chips and salsa. We had three different types of salsa. One is a dark red and spicy, the middle is green and sweet, and the last one is just your everyday salsa. I loved them all! Their drink menu was amazing as well. My husband ordered a frozen margarita which he said was very strong and very good. I had a strawberry mojito. I’ve never had a mojito before and this was the perfect one to try it. It was very light and refreshing. Cruz was very friendly joking around with us. We both had enchiladas. (Sorry! Can’t remember the actual name of the dishes!) They were amazing! The beef was seasoned perfectly. It was served with Mexican rice and beans. Overall I’m in love with this place. I have never had better Mexican food than this. If you want great Mexican food with a great atmosphere this is your place! You won’t regret it!

Server was great, the salsa! The nachos were good, but preferred the thinner chips. The server was excellent! Tried the mango margarita, phenomenal! When I visit the area again, will definitely visit again!

Let me first say, that this is the ONLY Mexican restaurant that has green chili made with «green chilis». needless to say i was over joyed by the food at this place. Our food got to us while it was hot and not sitting under a heart lamp. The restaurant was clean and our server Kristen was excellent. She even got me a separate bowl of the green chili. I think i have found my place for Mexican food out here. Hate to say, but there are places out here that call themselves Mexican and are actually Guatemalan and not Mexican. This place is more Mexican then all of them. And to make things even better, the price for our dinner with drinks was around 31 dollars. We will be coming back, again and again

Love this place, especially the chips and salsa nom nom nom. Service is spotty though, very hit or miss.

Ate lunch here today, we had a group of six, and were seated immediately, it was a beautiful day so we dined outside. The music was unusually loud for a restaurant, we were very close to yelling at each other just to have a conversation! We started with a trio of dips to go with the chips and salsa, they were very good, the salsa trio was good too, the salsa Verde was a little sweet but paired well with the robust spiciness of the roasted red salsa. We ordered fairly standard fare like enchiladas and tacos, but thank god for the chips cos it took thirty min for our main courses! When they finally arrived they brought me the wrong dish! I ordered the lunch special chicken fajitas and they brought me a chicken chimichanga. It only took them five min to correct the mistake, so luckily the rest of my party didn’t have to wait for me to finish eating. Everyone liked there food so we will be back, hopefully next time they will be a tad bit faster, it shouldn’t take that long to throw together some tacos and enchiladas.

I love Mexican food! And this place is the best in the Peninsula. I usually go to places several times before I give it a 5-​star rating and Abuelo’s deserved it each time! Service has always been impeccable, food delicious, ambiance great (Not your standard, all yellow-​ish, Mexican décor — classier!).
My recommendation: The Firecracker Shrimp and chimichangas. Everything is beautifully arranged on the plate (see my photo). The complimentary nachos with three different dips are delicious, too.
I would like to give a shout-​out to our waiter, Ryan (Perez?). He did an awesome job, very attentive and super friendly, not a thing to complain, and I am easily irritated! :P I wish more restaurants had wait staff like him!

I just went for lunch, and it was forgettable.
It all LOOKS like Mexican food, but the freshness and flavor were lacking.
Just bland.

Visited for the first time last night and could not have been more pleased. Even during peak dinner time, we were seated quickly, were able to order, ask about some menu items and generally have a great experience before our food even came out.
Once the food came out, we were blown away. The firecracker shrimp tacos were perfectly cooked and delicious, the spinach side dish I had was absolutely incredible and the dishes my lady ordered were equally great. I was really impressed and will be going back a lot more often, highly recommended!

The meal was great! I’ve eaten here twice. This time or server, Essence, was so wonderful that the food became almost secondary. The meals are a little higher priced and even though it’s a bit more pricey it’s enough for a take home box to enjoy the next day. They have the option for most of their meals the single serving choice for less money. For me, adding a few dollars more it’s worth it! Our server was knowledgeable and on point! The ability to pay at the table with their computer screens is also something I love. If your server is in there weeds it doesn’t matter you can order refills, dessert and pay right there. It’s a southwestern Mexican restaurant so if you’re looking for true Mexican is not your place but if you like southwestern and you like very good food and great service, GO! And don’t forget to ask for Essence!

Walking around the Peninsula Town Center, we decided to check out Abuelo’s for dinner. We had no problem being seated by the window and had a great server, Mark, who quickly brought out a trio of fresh salsas and a basket of chips. As it was our first time, he explained all of them to us and gave us a few minutes to peruse the expansive menu. We both ordered house margaritas on the rocks, and I settled on the vegetarian fajitas with black beans and papas con chile while my guy chose three enchiladas (shredded beef, chicken, and avocado). He especially liked how he could choose which sauces he wanted to pair with his enchiladas.
The drinks were really good, although I do think the price for the house margarita is a little steep. I could taste the tequila and it wasn’t too «mix-​y,» so that was refreshing. The food was great! Huge portions. The fajitas were so delicious, and I loved the mix of vegetables (broccoli, squash, onions, carrots, etc.). Fresh, homemade flour tortillas plus all the «toppings» (pico de gallo, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole) are unlimited. Awesome! My guy thought the enchiladas were excellent, liking the chile con queso sauce on the chicken one the best.
We really enjoyed our first time here and had great service and really impressive food. Can’t wait to have my leftovers for lunch!

The food was absolutely AWESOME and the service was even AWESOME!

Tonight was my first night back at Abuelo’s in a couple years. For some reason, I remember it way differently than my visit tonight so I will focus on that.
I was able to snag a parking spot right in front of Cinebistro which is only a few steps away from Abuelo’s. Parking is free and donations for the meters are for charity. Town Center is under new management and no longer tickets for the meters. Bonus!
I am a victim to HRBT traffic, so to avoid a 1.5 hour drive home, I met my neighbor (who also works on the Peninsula) here for dinner. I arrived first and was seated promptly. The door is manned by a female who is there simply to greet. She doesn’t seat people. Went to hostess stand and she looked around for someone to be my server. One young lady behind the stand proclaimed she wasn’t on shift yet so Darius was tasked to be our server.
Sat in a cozy 2-​person seat by the window. I do wish you could see outside more while you’re there. Would be nice to people watch as you eat.
Darius was very attentive — brought me my drinks promptly and fresh chips and 3 different sauces to try (complimentary). He checked on me periodically and when my friend arrived, he was quick to take her order, make recommendations and our food was super quick.
I had time to really read over the menu and the back story on the restaurant. Everything is made to order. So the previous reviews puzzle me as patrons believe a lot of items are frozen. Need clarification there.
I had the firecracker shrimp tacos. Not too spicy — just spicy enough and very tasty. It came with a side of beans and rice — also very tasty.
Hope to be back more often depending on all the traffic impeding my way home this summer. :)

I always come up with the stupid idea of going out for dinner on the days when everyone else in the world seems to have the same idea (read Friday or Saturday evening). Of course there was a wait when we went because duh, it was the weekend. They do have a nice waiting area tho …
When we finally were seated I browsed the menu for something yummy, and they had a lot of yummy things. I couldn’t decide but ended up going for half a portion of nachos. Yes, you can do half portions. I was a little surprised when they came to the table because unlike other restaurants when the nachos are in a big pile, this place made each nachochip special. But it was delicious… husband had fajitas and they were a hit too.
The service was really good, although they didn’t know who was suppose to be our waiter but ended up getting a really nice girl.
Food was good, chips and salsa really good and the individual nachos really tasty. I’m sure we’ll go again because it is close to home. but next time I’ll try to stay away on a weekend and just go a weekday to skip the wait.

I was not impressed and I will tell you why.
We were promptly seated after walking in at 4pm on a Sunday for lunch/​dinner before our show. We were sat at a nice quiet corner booth — that had worn seats and cushions.
We were very promptly greeted and provided with chips and dip. So far so good.
We ordered the fajitas for two — it’s a ton of food and we’d ordered it once before. You select four «meats» (there is a veggie option) and four sides.
After the food arrived I remember that last time I ordered the fajitas for two I didn’t like them. The steak was chewy and fatty — my fiancée (who loves steak) was grossed out and wouldn’t even finish his first fajita. The chicken tasted like it was frozen — it had a really nasty texture and was gross as hell. The pork wasn’t much different. The saving grace for me was the veggie portion which had broccoli, onions, mushrooms and squash. Otherwise it would’ve been absolutely disgusting.
In the bathroom — there was no soap in the dispenser. Instead — it had been filled with some kind of water — it smelled like soap but was so watered down that I couldn’t get suds from it despite having about 25 pumps in my hands. I was disappointed by this because — since I’d eaten fajitas — they had dropped on my fingers.

This is a great restaurant! Our server was Mike & he was awesome. We both had the lunch chimichanga — I had chicken, my friend had beef. Both were delicious! The best refried beans I’ve ever had — the whole lunch was great. I also liked the chips & salsa that came out before the meal. Everything was wonderful & we would definitely come back! The margaritas looked delicious, but I’m on the clock so… maybe next time. :)

Texmex restaurant. They offer happy hour all days of the week and they give you complimentary chips and dips.
Food:
I wanted a regular steak burrito but unfortunately they don’t do steak burritos instead they offer shredded beef burritos that taste exactly like the junk that comes out of military ready to eat meals. I had two sides one was cilantro rice and the other was cheesy papas. Not enough cilantro for my taste, but the papas (mash potatoes) was good.
–I did ask the waitress for a good appetizer and she told me to get the stuffed mushrooms for $ 3.49 (only during happy hour) and that’s what made this review a 2 star.
–the dips for the complimentary chips were very bland and basic. No extraordinary flavor. Lucky it’s free.
Service:
The food came in a timely manner. But the waitress needed to be reminded twice to get the salad dressing. She wasn’t very proactive either because you would need to ask her for a refill. Props to her for recommending the mushrooms though.
Price:
It was cheap given the fact that it’s in a prime location.
Overall:
I was unimpressed for my first experience. I won’t be coming back.

We visited Abuelos on Sunday (⁹⁄₁₅). I wanted Mexican, but I also wanted to watch the Redskins game. Venues like Green Turtle & Bar Louie were filled to capacity so we landed at Abuelos and I was pleasantly surprised. It was clean, calm atmosphere, and good energy around the bar.
There were lots of appetizing menu items, but when I’m indecisive, I go for the fajita. We ordered Fajitas Fabulosas for 2 (chicken/​shrimp & steak/​shrimp). While we waited for our entrees, we were served fresh chips and 3 different dips (1 spicy, 1 mild tomato based, and a tomatillo salsa verde). The salsa verde was my favorite as it was light, tangy, with a touch of sweetness.
When the fajita «set» arrived, we found the chicken, steak, and shrimp marinated, moist, and grilled to perfection. We had the option of ordering the fajitas with flour or corn tortillas or romaine lettuce wraps. The fajitas were served with all the traditional items like rice (cilantro lime & Mexican), black beans, fresh pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, cheese.
Customer service was excellent thanks to servers Trevin and OJ!!!
Music was flowing which makes Trevin break out into salsa at times. :) I was tempted to get up to dance too. At the risk of embarrassing my family, I resisted the urge.
I hear they have a nice happy hour as well.