Garcia's Mexican Restaurant Bar — Restaurant in Amherst

I ordered dinner for pick up. The online menu is pretty clear. There is a nice sized parking lot which is helpful and not too common in the Town. When I went to pick up my food at the suggested time for it to be ready, it wasn’t ready yet. No problem because this gave me some time to look around inside as I waited. It is very colorful and bright inside. On Mondays at the time of this review, a live Mariachi band plays. It was like a 5 piece Band! Woah! They are mobile so they make their way around the expansive dining room. It was Very lovely. It Might be a little too loud if I was seated. I don’t know though. Their lovely music put you in a fiesta mood though. The bar area can accommodate a good amount of people as well. The Hostesses were cleaning the used menus and were friendly. I thought the design of the place was also laid out well for example there were two different different areas to enter an exit in the front of the restaurant so there’s no buildup of traffic by using the same doors. Again, the restaurant had a lot of space to dine. The food was packed very nicely in strong aluminum foil containers. Each container had the components of your combination meal. To be honest, the beans were quite puréed as evidenced by no visible bean structure. But don’t let that fool you, they were absolutely delicious! The arroz amarillo was nicely seasoned and cooked perfectly. They had a small amount of vegetables in it. It was very surprising and delicious. I ordered the two taco meal with mango and my food was great! Nothing was over salted. A complimentary bag of their homemade chips and salsa are included. Chips were pretty of substantial in weight and fried to perfection. The salsa that came with it was not hot and very fresh tasting. I must dine in next time to experience Garcias completely. I look...

This place was interesting. It was super dead when we went on a rainy Sunday. All of the workers were quick, friendly, and helpful. I think my biggest complaint was the food though and the price points they have them at. First I’ll mention the food. It was like a Caucasian American’s distant imagination of what Mexican food is. It’s like Americanized Mexican food was made by the people that make Lacroix seltzers. I don’t know why but the Spanish rice that came with the dishes clearly had the classic frozen veggie pack of corn, carrots, peas, and green beans thrown in there. It was like a lazy attempt at Mexican friend rice?? Also the arroz con pollo was fine but it wasn’t arroz con pollo. It didn’t really have as many mushrooms are really any cheese and no tortillas to go with it. Plus the tomatoes that were on the side were weird. They were incredibly thick, like a third of the tomato, and I know this sound petty but it was like someone cut them with a butter knife. Like they were uneven due to either the fact that the prep cook has dull knives or it was their first time cutting a tomato. This isn’t a quality I’m usually looking for when going out to eat, but it stood out and became very indicative of how food here was treated. But I’ll move onto mentioning the price. This place isn’t overly expensive but they are charging more than what the food is worth. I know it’s a college town and most people are probably coming in just for the drinks. But like if they also think that about themselves then they shouldn’t try charging average Mexican food prices for lower-than-average Mexican food. Idk I just don’t recommend coming here. I didn’t get any food poisoning or anything which was nice, but when that’s the standard, then we are...

Friday evening dinner - seated immediately and enjoyed very attentive service during our entire dinner. Tortilla chips and salsa arrived shortly - nice chips. Salsa was bland and a bit watery. Guacamole ordered arrived soon thereafter. House made upon order. Fresh avocado and cilantro, tomato too -- Nice (my dining companion and I ate it all) but a bit underspiced. Mains: Fish tacos - quite good. Chilli rellenos from the back of the menu "build your own" were delightful and actually among the best I've had - excellent crispy fry on outside and the peppers were not overcooked. Sauce not tomato based was quite nice, albeit not spicy. Trio fajitas (steak, chicken, shrimp) a bit bland in terms of spice but overall good. Tasty marinade left protein tender, moist and not dried out in the cooking, but not wet. Folks in the kitchen know what they are doing! Accompanying all entrees were rice and refried beans. The flavor of the refried beans was excellent - a nice accompaniment. Drinks: lots of mixed drink choices in the Latin American vein, good Mexican beer selection, too. Mixed drinks may be a strong pour so be aware. Atmosphere: booths sufficiently private so there was never a feeling that someone might be hearing your business during a private conversation. Colorful decor kind of kitchy. Summary: Meals arrive quickly to the table and are fairly priced in our view. Generally a bit underspiced, which is reflected in some other reviews; I believe Garcia's is toning the cuisine down a bit in terms of spice to ensure their market. We will be back and next time I will try their mole to check...