Dos Amigos

Great little Mexican Food. Good prices, but lose out a little on the location and decore. This same chain has a bigger, newer better decorated location over on 70 near newton.

«This place is a chain,» were the negative words going through my head as I walked in the restaurant with my boss. I passed this place so many times on the way to work and never had any desire to try it. I made a terrible mistake… I hate to put Chipotle in the category of Mexican food, but I thought I was getting a good deal for a burrito there. Chico, I was wrong. These fat five dollar burritos were bloody great! Not the best burrito I have ever had but probably the best 5 dollar burrito. Before ordering my burrito I got a horchata. That stupid horchata song by Vampire Weekend developed a compulsive disorder, because whenever I walk into a Mexican restaurant I just have to order one. Their horchata was pretty good so I finished it before my food came out. Without a word, my server refilled my cup. In my head, I was thinking «wdf is she doing?!» I have never been to a Mexican restaurant with free refills of horchata before. I was probably pissing pure horchata after getting back to the office.
You know, this place reminds me of los pollos from breaking bad… lol.
Concluding Haiku:
No es Taco Bell
Quiero Dos Amigos
Feliz Navidad

I ordered under the Margarita’s the Pina Coloda however, this is actually just a Pina Colada, not a Margarita Pina Colada just to clarify the drink that I received. Also, it wasn’t the best Pina Colada I’ve ever had (but drinkable) and it had a ton of whip cream (which was a bit yuck toward the end of the drink), drink cost $ 5.25. I wish they’d bring a glass of water out when you order alcohol because it’s not costing anything extra ya know.
I ordered the shrimp fajita’s which don’t come with rice and it didn’t come out super steamy like fajitas usually do. The shrimp were big but due to their size they were a bit tough which tends to happen, I wouldn’t go so far as to say they were overcooked or anything. The grilled bell peppers could’ve used another minute or so cooking in my opinion, I felt the dish was lacking in flavor and personality, wayyy too Americanized or something. Also they should’ve given me silverware when they brought out my food or prior so had to wait a minute for that. You also get a ton of tortillas chips while you wait for your food to arrive, and some lack-​luster salsa.
The hispanic staff was ok. but it felt a bit off during seating, then one guy (maybe he was the manager) didn’t seem that upbeat, then I had the cook who brought my food with no silverware, and another guy who was very easy on the eyes and a slight tease who brought me some silverware after asking if I needed anything. The 3 hostess standing up front didn’t tell me «thanks for coming» or anything… which has become a pet-​peeve of mine over the years. Needless to say, I don’t think I’ll be coming back here anytime soon and I think I would’ve been just as content if not more-​so eating at Taco Bell instead.

This place is AWESOMEEEEEE :) I grew up eating here, and I go back every time I go to Hickory. The service is as good as it gets, and the mexican food is the best around. Honestly, this is my fave mexican place that I’ve been to EVER, and I try a lot of mexican places in Dallas.
Try the rice with queso and the pico de gallo with avacado on top!
Yummmyyyyy… I’m hungry now.

Unfortunately, my tale of getting to this particular restaurant (when I only visit Hickory once a year nowadays and have no idea how to get to 70 from the back roads without help) is more interesting than my visit was. Doesn’t make for good storytelling.
I’m caught somewhere between 2.5 and 3.5 stars on rating it, because it goes something like this:
We show up later than the rest of our party, we get our food, there is Spanish karaōke going on up front, and it’s not terribly crowded, because of the hour. The food is okay. Aside from what I ate that belonged to other people, I ended up with a quesadilla, because I have this ongoing obsession with smothering my Mexican fare in queso, and it always costs extra to get a bowl of cheese so I can do that. The piña colada that was brought to our table was in something akin to a fishbowl on a stem, but for somewhere between $ 8-​$ 10, I expected it to be large. My family members tell the staff about my fiancé’s birthday, and flan is brought out, covered in whipped cream, and planted in his face. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t let us keep the massive, bespangled sombrero they dumped on his head, since it apparently costs several hundred dollars.
So, the part that leans more toward a 2 is that the food wasn’t the most amazing thing ever. It wasn’t bad, but even the other foods I sampled weren’t what I would call «above and beyond.» I would have been more impressed by the karaōke, but it was Spanish-​only, and if I hadn’t stopped speaking it after my junior year of high school, I would have jumped right in. (Mind you, I wouldn’t actually downgrade because of the language barrier — I would just upgrade if it had been a highlight.)
But here’s the part that leans more toward a 3/3.5. The staff was really nice. They were kind enough to do something for birthdays and give us some free flan for it. They brought my cousin some milk to give to her year-​old son in his bottle. And because we arrived late (before closing, but still late), they didn’t run us out of the restaurant until we were finished, despite the fact that we weren’t finished until 10 or 15 minutes after closing time.
Is this a Unilocal-er’s equivalent to an existential qualm? Do I grade on food quality, or service quality? Why can’t I actually have a 2.5 that stands for, «No complaints, but somewhat meh»? Can we have a service vs. food rating system?