Mazatlan Grill

Cute little restaurant set back a hands throw from hwy. 50. Kinda looks like you are walking into a red chalet. No one to greet us, so we walk into the main back area where everyone was and was warmly greeted by the waitress. It is dark in there, somewhat gloomy but clean and quite (some music would have been nice) tables for various size groups with an inviting but unlit fireplace. Chairs were on wheels, which was a big hit with the boys.
Our waitress arrived with chips, salsa and a pitcher of water with cups. The chips were fantastic, the type with seeds in them and the salsa was superb! I just love chunky salsa and ours had cilantro mixed in as well — delicious!
Menu was extensive with dishes that included chicken, pork, beef, seafood, combination plates, house specials and a selection of appetizers.
First we ordered our drinks. Bottle beers were $ 2.00 each! I ordered a Bohemia is and a Tecate, the boys opted for lemon aid which, of course cost more than the beers.
Order time! My choice was the house special of Mazatlan Tacos, three tacos deep fried with either shredded beef or chicken, rice and beans, guacamole and sour cream, all for $ 10.99. Everyone else ordered enchiladas … So typical. I was torn between the Chile Verde and the Tacos but the tacos won out.
Our dinner was delivered promptly by our waitress, hot and steamy from the kitchen, which appeared to be run by on lady — she is an excellent cook! Plate looked inviting and delicious.
My first surprise was the retried beans, they were puréed, smooth and silky. I am used to having some whole beans in mine but these tasted delicious! Rice was flavorful and the guacamole was to die for! I just loved it! Chunky with bits of tomato, jalapeño and cilantro mixed in.
Mazatlan tacos hit the spot with the beef being superb! Just a tender, spicy and juicy as I hoped they would be. The chicken tacos could have been spiced up just a bit more but the we devoured promptly none the less.
So were there some negatives? Yes but small ones: ATM/​credit card machine was done (for how long I don’t know) so bring cash, ambiance was lacking (I expected a more exciting environment), and I was confused on how to pay my tab (guess I was supposed to bring it up front to the unattended cash register). Having said that — none of these negatives changes my overall opinion about going back here again — I will!
Check out my whole weekend adventure on

I am a Tahoe local. But have never tried this Place. The prices were higher than I am used to paying. All 3 of us ordered the special which was tostadas. Our tostadas were floating in watered down beans, limp lettuce and a few tomato chunks. I couldn’t bring myself to eat it. It looked like yesterday’s leftovers. Gross.

I’m a local here in South Lake Tahoe, gone to every single Mexican restaurant, & this is by far the most expensive & worst customer service restaurant I’ve ever been to!
First off, just as other have said, they charge for EVERYTHING! Been here about 3 times & always hoping for a better time than the precious time… I think it gets worse! Took about 10 minutes to get seated because no one was at the front counter & about another 10 for drinks & almost an hour for food! Their food is NOT from scratch! & I always here the microwave ding! Not a good sign…
The last time I went I asked for a carne asada taco for my son & got a ground beef taco for 2.99 I asked the waitress if they can change the meat to carne asada as I had requested. Sure for a $ 1.50 up charge! You want me to pay almost $ 5 for a taco that only had meat?! Ridiculous!!!
wet burrito, yeah decent, don’t like the tomato sauce they put on it though… about $ 13 bucks if I’m not mistaken… too much for a wet burrito
& our waitress has always been a young lady, turns out it’s the owners daughter! With her attitude & unprofessionalism this restaurant is not going to make it much longer.

Our waiter was nice. Food was boring. The rice and beans were just a thin layer on the plate, like frosting. I left my wallet there and when I looked in the front window the next morning hoping to maybe see it on the floor, instead I looked into the eyes of a little dead mouse in a mousetrap. They did return my wallet though but it took all day because no one answered the phone until right before they start serving dinner. (maybe their home cooked stuff is precooked and frozen?) The worst part was the décor, the place was just plain nasty ugly. My Margarita was very tasty but not a drop of tequila so it was a very expensive frosty. We were the only one’s in there besides another family that was leaving. This was a Tuesday evening at 9pm. Oh yea, they charge for extra Salsa and Chips though they did give us more Salsa but then we ran out of chips…

Not very good. Dirty run down place that charges for everything, including salsa.
Try another spot. It would be better I am sure

Really not that good. Taco Bell might be better, and I’m giving a generous review. Nothing really else positive to write. Sorry.

After a horrible experience up the road at La Familia we decided to seek out another Mexican restaurant. I had driven by this place a million times but noticed it the other day so I figure let’s give it a shot. The kids were hungry and Quesadillas were needed fast. We were seated quickly and some may say it resembled a dive… My thoughts are they have never been to a truly authentic Mexican restaurant. It fit the bill and was quite enjoyable with the music and fireplace going. Service was great and food was quite good. Menu was large with combinations for days. My wife ordered the chicken mole’ and was satisfied. All in all a good experience and good service. If you are looking for a change of scenery up in SLT and a good inexpensive meal stop by the Mazatlan Grill.

Yikes.
Pros: the waitresses were kind enough. The food was decent. Everything is from scratch.
Cons: the atmosphere is about one step above a dive. Imagine an abandoned front entrance (we waited for a while, not knowing what to do with no hostess or even any patrons in sight– everything happens in the back room), no music, and cardboard cutouts from 6-​packs as a part of the décor (no joke). Service is slow. They charge for extra chips, extra salsa, extra anything. There were 4 of us, we ordered 4 plates… 3 of our plates came out at the same time, and the last one came out about 5 minutes later.
And what earns them a 1-​star in my book? Lack of consideration for food allergies. I told the waitress very clearly about my gluten allergy… And my salad came out in a flour tortilla bowl (which wasn’t even mentioned in the description). Instead of remaking it, she just took the salad out of the tortilla and put it on a plate. This is an unsafe way to handle food allergies — and for that, I recommend anyone with allergies stay away from this restaurant for safety reasons.

Prior to this visit, I would have recommended this place to anyone. Casual little place with a local feel. We (family of 5) walked in on a Tuesday recently and took a table. First problem is there was no one working the front counter. We walked into the back and had to find the one and only waitress as she waited on tables. After seating ourselves, we noticed two signs pasted on the table advising customers that you only get one free bowl of chips and one free salsa. After that, chips were a dollar and salsa was .50 cents. Are you kidding…? So we get one bowl of chips and one very small bowl of salsa to share with two adults and three teenagers. Needless to say that went fast. As we ordered the waitress told us they were short on refried beans and encourgaged us to have whole beans instead. No refried beans? So we ordered the following, nachos, avocado tostada, chicken tostada, chile verde and beef enchiladas. First, one slice of avocado on the tostada plate, one very small piece of chicken on the tosada, both were covered in shreded lettuce. Only a speck of refried beans on the nachos with no sour cream, or anything but melted cheese. (I should have got a bowl of chips for a buck and saved myself 8.99). The chile verde had only eight pieces of pork and was very dry, plus no refired beans as requested and replaced with whole beans with no, I’m sorry. The beef enchiladas were half way okay, but the rice was dry and hours old. Having been here many times before we asked the waitress if there were new owners. She told us the owners had left the area, but still owned the business. They had a hard time keeping good staff and were running short on things. That explained the down turn in food and service. Well, after a 70 dollar tab, we all agreed to never come back. I know reviews are subjective, but there seems to be a common theme running here with this place on Unilocal.I should have listen to the warnings of those before me.

Who charges for Limes?!
It’s a run down little joint. We sat down quickly in a back room with a few other patrons. The food was mediocre at best. As my husband says, «it will make a turd.» Things turned south as we got the bill and realized we had been charged .50 for a couple slices of lime AND had been over charged by 13 $. The server remedied the overcharge but not charging for the limes. Then there wasn’t anywhere to leave a tip. Needless to say, never going back. Worst dining in Tahoe yet.

They do a great job, they crush Chevys. I have been going here since they opened and my family friends and I all love it… Plus they help support there local community.

well, I am sad to say that I have stepped foot into this establishment for the last time… The amount of disrespect and rudeness I received here last week still has me fuming. I refuse to go somewhere and pay good money to be spoken to in the manner that i was… Not to mention it was by far the worst service I have ever experienced. Dahlia was my server and I had every intention on contacting management to let them know what happened but was quickly informed by a friend that this is the owner’s daughter… My complaint would go unnoticed! I use to go here at least once a week for dinner… I moved away and recently moved back only to be treated as if I were a second class citizen. I went with two other locals who agree with my new disdain! I manage a local restaurant and use to talk this place up but that will never again happen as all I can remember now is that I paid 25 dollars to be treated worse than scum! Shame on you

Very rude staff. Walked in and after standing around with no one paying attention I finally was noticed and asked if I could place an order to go. I was told they were not preparing to go meals because they had a party of 26 in the back room. When I said this was our second stop for the night because our first choice had closed half an hour earlier, I was told «good luck finding food, it’s a busy weekend». Won’t be back.

After reading reviews about local mexican food places in SLT I decided to ask a local police officer. He recommended Mazatlan Grill. I went early evening on a Sunday. I was famished after doing a triathlon earlier in the day. I always have Mexican food after a race.
The place is a little hole in the wall away from all of the tourist traps. Once you go back to the dining room it’s much bigger. It was quiet with the typical Mexican restaurant music. I wasn’t in the mood for alcohol so I ordered a soda and soooo happy it was Pepsi and not coke.
I started with the small tortilla soup. I would hate to see the large. It was delicious with chunks of chicken, fresh avocado tortilla chips and cheese. Hot and yummy.
I ordered the Taco, Enchilada, Tamale plate all ground beef, the tamale was shredded beef. Ample portion with beans and rice hot, saucy, cheesy, and melty: what I look for in Mexican food. I inhaled everything. My waitress was so nice. I highly recommend this place I’m finicky about Mexican food. This will be my restaurant of choice whenever I am in town.

Soo my friends wanted Mexican. I wasn’t feeling Mexican but I went anyway. So I had an 8oz New York steak and fries. I will give them some benefit that I was eating an American dish at a Mexican restaurant. The steak was more like 4oz and 2oz of it was fat. The fries they brought me was cold send the lettuce I could pass on. The ranch was basically water with ranch taste. So just stay away from the American portion if you go.
Everyone pretty much said they take to long in regard to service.

Having lived in many major U. S cities, I have had the divine experience of dining out at several mom and pop establishments, rest stops, as well as national chains.
So when I say that this is not the best Mexican food I have ever eaten, I don’t mean to imply that it is not worth eating. All things considered, there are several reasons why I love this place.
Let’s be honest… this is Tahoe. Things are a bit different here than in other places. It’s seasonal which means if you own a business, it’s hard to stay afloat in the off season if you are a Mom and Pop establishment. For this reason, I would imagine it’s difficult keeping up with modern décor when you’re just trying to keep your doors open. Which is dependant on if we have had a good winter for the skiers and a good summer for the outdoor enthusiasts.
Many Mom and Pop places here are poorly run and I shutter to think what’s really in my food.
After sifting through a pletheroa of bad places to eat… The Mazatlan ranks high on my list of great places to dine in.
Okay, so the décor is not so great. Hence the explanation of the economy here.
The food however is great in my opinion. I am a regular who calls in my order. I have never had cold food, dry food or bad tasting food. I don’t like very spicey foods so it’s perfect for me and my kids.
I have never had bad service. Whether I dine in or carry out, it’s always great.
The portions are huge and very reasonably priced. Steak and prawns for 15.00? not bad at all!
If I lived in the bay area or even Sacramento, well of course I would expect more. Given the limited options in meeger Tahoe, this is fine with me.

Mazatlan is better than Chevy’s, no where near as good as the food my partner in crime’s mom & grandma make.
I ordered the enchilada /​chimichanga combo plate, and P.I.C. ordered some sort of steak and shrimp combo (#42, maybe?). He wasn’t overly impressed — said the meat tasted like it was just grilled and put on the plate and could have used a lot more seasoning — but was content with his dinner.
I was disappointed by the enchilada. It had really delicious chicken inside, but the sauce was very thin and used very sparingly, and tasted exactly like the canned enchilada sauce you can get from Safeway. Even if you don’t want to make your own sauce, at least tart up the canned stuff a little! The chimichanga was okay; not disappointing, but not impressive either. I think a lot of that had to do with the delicious guacamole it was slathered in.
We brought our midget (daughter) with us, and they very kindly gave us a small plate of chicken and beans for her and charged us something ridiculous like $ 1 for it, which I really appreciate, since she’s at the age that most of her food ends up in her hair & on her face vs. in her tummy.
The staff is very friendly. Our waitress was prompt and our food came out hot without looking /​tasting like it had been sitting under a heat lamp (I.E. — fresh). Sadly, the freshness doesn’t change that this is what P.I.C. calls «White People Mexican Food» — decent, but not overly spicy or entirely authentic. I want to feel like my sinuses have been power washed after I eat Mexican food. It didn’t happen.
Overall, an okay experience. We’re locals so we will be back again — probably on a lazy, fatty food craving night on which neither of us feel like cooking.

I read some of the other reviews and their opinion not withstanding we had a fine time here. The food is very good IMHO, and we love the funky ambience. The owners are very friendly and truly appreciate teir customers. The service is not the fastest but if you want speed then go to Taco Bell. We found the service to be ‘relaxing’… never rushing us out the door. Heck we could have stayed there all night after dinner and I doubt they would have objected.
I had the Taco Salad, which was perfect for a cold stormy night. My wife had the beef enchilada from the ‘lighter fare’ selection and she didn’t finish al the food they brought. Two of our daughters had burgers (yeah… whatever) and they liked ‘em. Our other daughter had a steak burrito and it was so huge you would have thought it should come in a wheelbarrow.
All in all, we like this little hideaway and the location suits us perfectly. We avoided much of the LT Blvd traffic down towards the Y and up by the casinos. As long as are you aren’t the impatient type, I think you will enjoy your time here. It’s not the **best** in LT but it sure ranks in the top 10 for us.

Warning, warning, danger, danger, no tequila!
Mazatlan makes their margaritas with agave wine, which is no bueno when you are expecting the real deal. Aside from the shock of not having a proper margarita with dinner, the meal itself was fine.
This place was recommended by several locals as the best Mexican FOOD in town. Next time I’ll be more specific about the rest of my Mexican restaurant criteria.

It’s hard to find good Mexican food in northern California especially in Tahoe. Despite the food not being authentic, the décor and service was good for a group of 8. The price and portions are decent even though the meat can be a bit tough to chew. Everything seems to be made fresh including the chips and salsa. However, the flavors fall flat.
You can park in the lot easily because the area doesn’t seem to be generating enough business to require additional spaces or reason to fight over one.