El Vaquero Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Albany

My experience this evening at El Vaquero was disappointing to say the least. I travel a great deal for work and almost always alone. Much of my ratings for an establishment are based on how they treat the lone diner. Often, in my opinion, servers deal with me as someone to tolerate and get out the door as soon as possible since I'll only buy one entree and tip accordingly. Sad for them, as I often tip extensively for service that makes me feel welcome and appreciated. The service at El Vaquero was far from that. I hate sitting at the bar, so I asked if a table is available. When I was seated, a gentleman literally dropped a basket of chips with an empty dish on them and a small jar of salsa on the table. He didn't even break stride as he literally dropped them and kept walking. A few minutes later, a Hispanic young man appeared and we were able to communicate well enough for him to understand what I wanted to drink and an appetizer. After that order was delivered, that was it! I looked for him and I tried to flag down another server, but to no avail. So, after a half hour with chips, salsa, guacamole, and a beer, I decided to leave. No water, no offer to order an entree, no offer for another beer... nothing. Funny enough when I stood up, I was immediately beset upon by a different gentleman who was happy to bring me a check... no query as to whether I enjoyed my "meal" or whether I needed anything further. The tables closest to me seemed to be having a good time and enjoying their meal. Buyer beware if you're...

My husband, myself and his family visited this restaurant today. When the food arrived the server gave out the plates and they were so hot that none of us could touch our plates without using a napkin to move it. This includes my 3 year old daughter’s plate. My one year old son that was sitting in a high chair at the end of the table reached out just like any child would do for the food and burnt his hand on the plate. The burn was severe enough to cause blistering on my child’s hand. I’m not sure why they would serve food on a plate hot enough that it could burn you that badly but they need to train their servers that you NEVER put a scalding hot plate in front of anyone ESPECIALLY a baby! The server saw this happen and checked on us and asked about the baby but didn’t once apologize. I tried reaching out to a manager about the situation but they said there was no manager on duty. The food was subpar at best and not at all hot enough for the plate to be as hot as it was. The chicken in the quesadillas was very dry and the rice was undercooked. Chili relleno was very dry and the pepper was undercook as well and crunchy. I didint complain while I was there because it was a family outing and I did not want to embarrass the rest of my family but I would very much like to speak with a manager about this experience! I paid in cash and did not receive a receipt but I am sure that they can check their cameras around the time...

I do not know how this place got good reviews. Maybe because I'm from Washington DC, near Virginia, and Maryland, where we can easily find delicious, quality Mexican, Salvadoran, and Bolivian food...etc., I know El Vaquero is not good!

I ordered a burrito that had nothing inside but salty ground beef, and it was covered with watery tomato sauce that made the uncooked tortilla soggy. I also ordered a chili relleno, that I couldn't even recognize. It looked pre-digested; and, again, it was more of that salty ground beef mixed with a little cheese. I ordered a hotdog for my child, and the hot dog was OK, but the bread was all twisted and hard on the edges. Plus the "to go" guy seemed miserable. I forgot the salsa and chips. The chips were so so, but the salsa was watery tomato sauce with very few crushed tomatoes...That’s it. No chopped onions, jalapeños— nothing. The only spicy they used was salt.

I wasted time and money. If you know good Latin food, you will recognize that this food is not good – – at least not...