Los dorados — Restaurant in Abingdon

....strange experience overall. Long review to capture the nuance lol. When we were sat, we (and many others) had to adjust/re-arrange the tables/seats to comfortably sit on either side. Weird, but not a problem. We noticed immediately that all diners were stacked along the two main rows of booths, back-to-back. No space, low music, and no barriers of any sort made for little conversation between us but lots of accidental eavesdropping on others'. Not a huge deal right, you can make that work. We both ordered waters to start - the server brought us each a cup of ice and a bottle of water from the local grocery store to pour ourselves...hmm, okay not the usual practice but still absolutely manageable. We then tried to order house margaritas, as there was an entire section of the menu devoted to alcohol, but were advised that they did not actually have the abilities to serve alcohol. (Yet at least?) That was not mentioned anywhere on the menu or in-restaurant but again, not a huge thing. We moved on and ordered two entrees and some cheese dip. Cheese dip came first and OH BOY let me tell you.....as a self-proclaimed cheese dip connoisseur, this was the most depressing cheese I have ever had. Do you know when a cheap drink is watered down? Especially with tap water? It was exactly that flavor/consistency, but....cheese? 2/10, no good at all and really weird. The entrees were alright at best, but no real complaints. The managers were sorting out some sort of doordash issue on the phone and with individuals in the restaurant for about half an hour+, which was also interesting to get to hear the entirety of lol. If you're wanting good quality Mexican food in a nice environment, just make the tiny trip to Bristol and hit up El Patio, Taco Riendo, or Casa Mexicana. Los Dorados is overpriced and underperforming in every category...

I took my 1 year old in here this afternoon to have lunch. It was about 1pm and we appeared to be the only customers. We were seated promptly and given chips and salsa. I asked for a highchair, but the waitress did not understand me. She called over another woman (the manager?) to translate. Then they brought me a highchair. She came to take my drink order. When I noticed drinks were about $3 each, I opted for water. She brought a glass with ice and a bottle of water. I tried to explain that tap water would be fine. She brought over the other woman to translate again who told me they were only allowed to serve bottled water and that there would be a charge for it. I found this concerning, since Abingdon has some of the best quality tap water anywhere. I asked her if there was a problem with their tap water and she said yes, that they were only allowed to serve bottled water. I wanted to be sure we weren't just having a communication problem, so I asked again if something was wrong with their water and again she said yes, there was. I don't know how they can run a restaurant with a problem like that. Presumably, they are cooking with the tap water and washing their dishes with it, but if there's a problem, it's not with the city's water--it's got to be worse than that. Needless to say, I didn't stay to try the chips and salsa, and I will not be giving them a second chance. When I have time later, I'll probably be calling the health department to check in on them. I can't imagine people aren't getting sick if there's really a...

Loved the previous restaurant in this location and the owners. However, gave Los Dorados a try when they first opened, and they were really just trying to figure things out. So, recently I gave it another try, and I won't be back. I will say the food has improved but there are plenty of good Mexican restaurants in Abingdon that want your business. Why won't I be back? 1. There is a service fee for paying with debit or with credit card. I understand when a small mom and pop establishment passes this charge along but a restaurant, uh no. I've worked in the industry, and they have enough volume to incur this cost. As with most businesses, at some point you have to understand this is simply a cost of doing business. Most folks pay with cards, and you need to accommodate your customers without penalizing them. Secondly, it pushes customers to use cash in order to avoid the charge and anytime a business does this it creates suspicion as I immediately think they are trying to hide revenue. 2. Also, I will not be returning as the server appeared to be more interested in waiting on his Spanish speaking customers. While what came out of his mouth was professionally correct, he did so with an attitude of disdain and inconvenience. So, my suggestion is if you are in Abingdon there are other options that offer better food and actually want...