El Arriero Downtown — Restaurant in Anderson

We have come here a few times and each time we had issues. The first time, our server came out and got our order and we never saw her again. Someone else brought the food and we kept having to flag someone down for drink refills. Never got a refill on chips and salsa either. We waited for our bill and finally just went up front to pay. So ridiculous. We gave them another shot however, thinking maybe they were just short-handed and/or our server was just bad. Nope. The next time we came we had to flag our server down for a refill on drinks, napkins, and chips and salsa. We did not receive a bill again and paid up front like the first time. We waited another 6 months or so and went AGAIN. Same thing. Yesterday, after two years and noticing it had been repainted and appeared to be under new management, we thought we would give it one more shot just for variety and a different place to go. The guy came to take our order and two of us told him we wanted the lunch fajitas, which were $8.25. We got them and they were good. My son got chicken tacos and said they were bland and my daughter was fine with her food. One of the guys continually mopped nearby with Fabuloso and that is an extremely potent and unappetizing smell, not to mention the two guys kept looking at everyone at the three different tables in there talking smack in Spanish, obviously not realizing my daughter is Cuban. They were making fun of an older gentleman who was sitting alone across from us. He kept having to flag his server down for everything. They gave him chips and salsa without a drink, etc...We never got our bill so we went up front and asked and one of the guys rang us up. We told them we got lunch fajitas and he said they rang up the $13.25 ones instead. We literally pointed to the ones we wanted and said, "lunch chicken fajitas," to which he replied, "okay." My daughter had gone outside while we were trying to pay and they started speaking in Spanish again and were being sketchy. He finally says for the guy to give us $6 with attitude, when he actually owed us $10. He wouldn't even give us a copy of the receipt. They have never given us a bill, we noticed they didn't give any of the other tables around us a bill either. This proves that they are scamming people and upcharging, hoping noone will notice, which we probably didn't each time before. There are way too many good, reputable Mexican restaurants around to waste your time with an unprofessional place that makes fun of their patrons, has mid tasting food, and who steal your money. I advise everyone to...

A surprise find in Anderson. The food was delicious and as authentic as I've found in South Carolina. Reasonably priced, delicious margaritas with an orange lime base. Get the house margarita with a side of premium tequila for an extra special treat. Great Mexican beer ON TAP. Huge mugs (32 oz) available so designate a driver! I took a chance on the tuna ceviche special. The freshness and superior quality was over the top. Tuna was excellent sushi quality. Avocado was fresh and abundant with no dark or bad splotches anywhere, definitely more than a garnish (I did ask for extra at an upcharge). My husband had the chicken & chorizo that was on the menu. He loved it. We were a large party of 9. All our food was great and delivered at the same time. Hot (or cold as necessary) and fresh. Special requests accepted cheerfully, complimentary or upcharged as necessary. If there was an upcharge or they were out of something or had to substitute something, our waiter was quick to let us know. We were having fun, moved around a lot, changed our mind, tried to not be too loud and our waiter and other staff kept up with us without missing a beat. I highly recommend this place. Will be eating here again next time I'm in Anderson. I look forward to trying their next special...whatever it may be! The only suggestion I have would be to have a spicier or smokier flavor complimentary salsa. The salsa was fresh and flavorful but mild. I realize this is a personal preference and a restaurant must tailor the complimentary items to the majority tastes. Do yourself a favor and...

The food was OK. Chicken and steak dishes were a little dry, but we didn't get there until after 10 p.m., so that could have a lot to do with it. I'm not sure, but the other times we have been there, it was a lot better. The wings coming out looked really good. I think we'll try those next time. The margherita was good, but when we got the bill, they charged an extra dollar for flavor, and lime isn't an extra flavor. It's specifically says $6.95 for Lime Margherita. So watch out for that unless you get strawberry, mango, peach, etc, then it should be a dollar extra according to the menu. The waitress did take it off. I know a dollar isn't that big of a deal, but I do expect to pay the price that I see on the menu. That would be a lot of extra dollars from all of the margheritas ordered. Especially on the weekends. Seems everywhere has some type of extra fees nowadays, so I do check out all of my receipts everywhere. Hopefully, they will fix the upcharge on the computer for the lime margherita. We'll see. All in all we enjoy going to this restaurant when we go...