Sin Fronteras Cafe — Restaurant in Annapolis

This place is mostly empty being in the middle of two other popular restaurants (Mission BBQ and Outbacks). We decided to go in instead of Outback as we originally planned which we ended up regretting. Service was friendly, but the food was terrible. I really don't understand why there are 3 - 4 other previous great reviews on this place. Did they get a new chef since then? Anyways, we got the nachos sin fronteras and the burrito with carnitas. Our order came with complementary nachos and salsa. Nachos were good, salsa tasted like it was canned. We really like Mexican restaurants and been to a few. The salsa has so far always been obviously fresh, made in-house, but this was definitely not. Our Nachos Sin Fronteras appetizer came in a warm plate, but the food was not. Chicken was room-temp to cold-ish, what little cheese there was wasn't even melted. Worse part was how something tasted off, past its expiration date. We weren't sure what, until our burrito came out and it also tasted somewhat rotten. We were able to trace the taste to the sour cream. Sure, it's sour cream and should be sour, but it tasted like putrid dairy and it was squirted all over the burrito and nachos. Burrito itself was also bad. The carnitas it had was okay, but unfortunately the burrito was 90% stuffed with the rice (no exaggeration). What??? The rice wasn't even good. It was mushy like super gloppy rice pudding and had random bits of beans (not refried beans as one would expect).

I informed our server about the sour cream at the end of our meal (Maybe he was also the owner or manager. There was only him and the guy making the food.) He went to the back with the cook who didn't return back with him when we finished paying our check.

Get a new chef, please. Service was friendly, food was terrible. When I say terrible I mean it. This was been to this day the worst food we have had and won't...

I’ve been to Sin Fronteras twice, and it has been a very pleasant experience both times. It is unassuming from the outside, but inside it is always clean and someone is generally there to seat and serve you quickly.

The first time I went I ordered the ropa vieja and enjoyed it. I recently went for my birthday and ordered the chile en nogada, and it was delicious. The portion was not huge, and someone with a bigger appetite may want more, but it was a great amount for me and I left very satisfied. For an appetizer we also ordered the nachos with chorizo, which were delicious. I remember the guac being good as well. The chips were salty and crunchy and tasted fresh, but the salsa served when we sat tasted a bit old to me, but it was good if you like a mild cantina style salsa.

Our table shared both the flan and bread pudding for dessert. Maybe I am not used to what flan should taste like, but the caramel sauce was a bit overpowering and had a strong flavor I didn’t recognize. The Latin bread pudding, however, was outstanding. It was served warm with ice cream. It was soft but not mushy, had great cinnamon flavor and moisture from the raisins.

To drink, two of us ordered margaritas, which are large (!!) and well balanced, not overly sweet or like an artificial mixer. One of us ordered a rum/coconut drink off the cocktail menu, which was also delicious.

The service was great, and we always had what we needed and got everything we ordered quickly. If you are looking for a local and non-chain Mexican food establishment, check out...

A friend and I wanted to catch up and met at Sin Fronteras. Neither of us had been before. The food was fantastic. I ordered the Margarita Salmon and my friend ordered the Cuban. Ordering salmon is always risky because it's often not prepared or cooked well. These guys did a fantastic job! It was cooked to perfection, neither dry nor under-cooked. My friend absolutely loved her Cuban. We did order the ceviche as a starter--I wouldn't recommend it. It was watery and the shrimp were rubbery.

Now the reason for my two-star review: Service was a bit slow, but nothing really too bad. Our server was very nice, but didn't clear our dishes as one simply expects when dining out. We moved all of our dishes off to the side and out of our way. I don't leave a 10% tip often, but when I do, it's because the service just didn't meet general expectations. I left a 10% tip this time. When the charge finally cleared on my card, it was for a 20% tip. This is fraud and theft. Obviously aggravated, I called the restaurant to try and clear things up, but was hung up on. I've since disputed the charge with my bank. Whatever comes of it, I don't really care. It's the principle of the thing.

In sum, the food is good. I don't recommend the ceviche. Check the final charge on your card after...