Las Estrellas

Las Estrellas was my favorite Mexican restaurant in town, so I’m sad to report that it has closed as of February 15, 2015. I’ll sure miss this place! ¡Adiós Amigos!

Maybe my favorite Mexican restaurant in town. The food tastes fresh and has good flavor. The food is not dry and is not served immediately as if coming off a warmer.

This place wasn’t bad! The salsa was delicious, but the waiter only gave us one bowl for 3 people the entire time we were there… maybe they were running low on salsa, but I’m a salsa lover and can knock out a whole bowl on my own.
This place is a step up from La Carreta, but not at the level of Mi Pueblo. My food came out quick. I got two cheese enchiladas, one taco, and a side of beans. The cheese in the enchiladas was liquid-​y, not the melted shredded kind, but everything else was fairly fresh.
If I’m ever in the area, I will come back, but it’s not my first choice for mexican food in the area.

Ok, well umm… I love me a good fish taco. Frankly, I don’t recall a restaurant in W/​S that has them as a regular menu item. I decided to give this place a try and besides, I needed a really quick lunch.
Now, as the other reviews have alluded to, this AIN’T the place you come for ambiance, you’re not gonna gain any «brownie pts» by bringing a hot date here, nada. Heck, even gaining access to the building had me a little puzzled (guest entry door is on the side. But, if that’s where the fish tacos were, I figured it out).
Ok, I’m in… ordered 1 grilled and 1 fried fish taco. Honestly, they weren’t bad, but nothing to write home about either. I must say the cook was a little stingy on the main component. The fish wasn’t nearly as amble as seen on my fellow Unilocaler’s pics. I literally had to open up the taco to see it.
Feeling a little lite, I ordered the Chile Colorado; although, I seldom eat pork (Ok, ok, I confess. I ordered it prior to reading the actual description, but the reviews spoke highly of them. Cut to chase — upon first bite, I knew this couldn’t of been how the meat should taste. It was very odd. It didn’t smell spoiled. I really tried to discern the taste by taking a few more bites, no luck. Imagine, me batting the meat around the plate as if I was a cat playing w/​a ball. I gave up!
In the end, my plate was barely touched (as the photo reveals). I really should’ve requested that the waitress bring a sample out from the kitchen for the both of us. But I was perplexed & a strong desire to leave took over — away I went. I did take note that many reviews were months to a year ago (and we know how things can change).
Will I ever go back? Probably not. In all fairness, the hot bar looked pretty good & there were quite a few patrons praising the food (none seem to of ordered what I had, but that’s neither here nor there ;) As for my love for fish tacos, turns out that The Porch periodically serves them on the weekend menu. I’ll make it my mission to try.

This place has great chips and salsa and really good fish tacos… I would give them a better score but their space is so tacky. They have random stuff all over their walls and the place looks dirty and don’t get me started on their bathrooms. If you don’t mind the tacky décor, poor lighting, and awful bathroom than I would recommend this place… if you want good chips and fish tacos… nothing else.

Cozy, low key atmosphere, great salsa and my absolute favorite is the vegetarian no.2 meal. Quite generous portion sizes, and there’s always something affordable and satisfying on their menu. Carry out is generally fast as lightning. I’ve been going to Las Estrellas for 8+ years. My one critique is that the margaritas here need some help. I stick to their food.

This USED to be the best Mexican restaurant but over the years it has gone down the toilet. NASTY & watch out because MAMASITA (older large short woman) will STEAL your MONEY… she INTENTIONALLY miscalculates your check. Has done it to me 3 times and to everyone I know that USED to go here. DON’T EAT HERE or GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY!

Bummer! I became violently ill from eating a beef taco salad from here. 24 solid hours of food poisoning.

I chose this restaraunt because of the four star rating, however I was a little disappointed. The chips were obviously homemade but they charged you 50 cents per extra basket, even if you order cheese dip. The cheese dip left much to be desired. It was clumpy and not hot enough. Not terrible, but not wonderful either. I ordered the chicken chimichanga which had NO flavor. The rice was sub par at best, but the beans were awesome. My husband ordered an enchilada, which was much better than mine. All in all the food was ok but nothing to write home about.

We came here because of the 4 star rating on Unilocal and we would rate it the same. I had fish tacos and my husband the carnitas. The food was tasty and I liked the fun, Mexican décor of the restaurant. The food came out really fast and as far as Mexican restaurants in the south go, this one did not disappoint.
As a side note: The one really odd thing about this restaurant is the entrance/​exit is not clearly marked (at least not at night). There is a door on either side of the building and we couldn’t really tell which one we should use. We came in through the door on the left, which may have been more of an employee entrance, but they didn’t seem to care one way or the other. The door near the cashier was on the right side of the building.

I really enjoyed this place! Terrific choice, if you’re looking for a good Mexican place in the area. A friend and I went here after being very disappointed with the looks of a nearby place claiming to have Dominican food.
I always forget the actual name, but we ordered the palono peppers that come with the beans and rice. We apparently eat very light relative to their normal customer because we shared one order and were both stuffed. As others have mentioned, the chips are amazing. I’ve never had chips quite like theirs.
The décor is very festive and beautiful. Hanging string lights and bright colors all around! Check it out for yourself!

It may not look like much more than an old Pizza Hut from the outside, but if that has been holding you back just close your eyes and walk on in. Inside is a cozy Mexican cantina with excellent food and prompt service. I hear that everything on the menu is good, but I am stuck on the fish tacos ajillo.

My friends and I used to eat here a lot. Then we learned about their failure to keep food separate. The inspector SAW the cook handle raw meat and then vegetables without taking safety measures. They get a C for a rating.

I really enjoyed the food here! The service left a little to be desired but it wasn’t awful. As others have mentioned the chips are thick and the salsa is plentiful. The Chile Colorado did not disappoint! I had never tried it before but after reading some of the reviews about it I decided to give it a try. The carnitas in the sauce were so delicious and literally melted in your mouth. My boyfriend went with the fajitas that had chicken, pork, and chorizo. I also really enjoyed the beans they had more flavor than what you would find at other Mexican restaurants.
We will be back!

Excellent Mexican food, and great décor, and flat screens to watch the soccer games. what more could you want in a Mexican restaurant?

By far the best Mexican resturant I have been in Winston Salem. it is not the fanciest place but the food never has let me down. What would you rather have, a perfect table cloth or a perfect meal? The wait staff are always friendly, the food is always fresh and the Pollo Chipotle is fantastic if you like spice. They are heavy into soccer… or perhaps I should say football. There are dozens of jerseys hanging from the walls. They support local youth teams as well. I always like to see a resturant support the community. Give this place a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Stopped into Las Estrellas yesterday for lunch. It had been awhile since my last visit and they’ve actually «cleaned» up the décor some.
For 1 o’clock on a Saturday afternoon the place was dead quiet.
I had read good reviews on here about the Chile Colorado and the fish tacos so I ordered the lunch portion of the Chile Colorado (mild) and one fish taco (grilled) on the side.
As others have acknowledged, the chips here are thick and crispy and delicious. The salsa that accompanies them has nice flavor and a good kick of spice.
The food did take a bit longer than your typical Mexican restaurant but I was ok with that.
The carnitas in the Chile Colorado were perfectly tender and covered with a red sauce with plenty of punch and flavor. Even the beans that came with the dish had some extra flavor. The rice on the other hand was blandish but there was extra red sauce on the carnitas that I could stir into the rice. Really good dish. I can’t imagine how hot the «hot» is but it would have been too spicy for me to enjoy.
The fish taco was really good too. Well-​seasoned without the extra cream sauce but the cream sauce is delightful and was a nice topping.
The only negatives would be the «nickel-and-dime“ing on the menu. Pay extra for a third refill of drink. Pay extra for more chips. I get it but still.…
The Stars has always been my favorite in Winston and it will remain that way.

The food was great but the service was painfully slow. I had to request my drink three times before I got it. Not everyone got menus for a while.
I went back about a month ago with some friends– again, good food, but we waited forever for service.

Oh no! What happened to Las Estrellas?
My earlier review had it at 3 stars — «about as good as you can get Mexican in Winston-​Salem…»
How things have changed.
The staff, normally a fun bunch — happy to serve a pitcher of Dos Equis with a smile — was downright surly and non-​attentive.
We ordered some shrimp tacos. Ugh. They arrived on cold tortillas, 3 bland, medium sized shrimp per taco, with «salad sized chunks of lettuce» and diced tomato, and some grated white cheese. No onions. No cilantro. No flavor. Blech.
Dish number two was the Camarones de Crema, aka Shrimp in Cream Sauce. It was flat out disgusting. Those same shrimp we saw in the tacos, except swimming in cheesy cream sauce with more of that lettuce on the side, bone-​dry rice (had to be day old), and some cut red and yellow bell peppers. No kidding — that was it. They didn’t serve any tortillas. I had to ask for them, and then was charged extra for the two they gave me.
The only part of the meal that was tolerable was the basket of chips and the ice cold Pacifico.
I’m sorry, it was «as bad as I’ve had in Winston». Estrellas drops a star down to two. :-(
***Edited 5÷8÷11: the following morning after my visit to Estrellas, I woke up with a gruesome stomach ache, which kept me at home for 36 hours. I will never accuse a restaurant of food poisoning without scientific proof, but everything about my meal at L.E. points the finger at those gnarly shrimp. While it’s not your problem, but mine, I WON’T EAT HERE AGAIN.

I was in LOVE– now its NOT fancy, mind you– in fact far from it. however some of the most delicious Mexican I had– very authentic… they even had REAL Mexican Chelada– not that crap Bud sells in a can! Thick delicious chips similar to Señor Bravors. MUY BUENO-​OLE! :)