Gloria's Latin Cuisine — Restaurant in Arlington

During our recent visit to Gloria’s Restaurant, we had the pleasure of being attended to by Rachel, whose excellent service and positive attitude truly enhanced our dining experience. From the moment we arrived, Rachel greeted us with a warm smile and a friendly demeanor that set the tone for our evening.

Rachel's attention to detail was impressive. She offered us the menu while taking the time to explain the different dishes on the menu. Her knowledge of the menu was remarkable; she effortlessly described each dish, highlighting the ingredients and flavors with such enthusiasm that it made our choices all the more difficult—everything sounded delightful!

As we placed our orders, Rachel was incredibly accommodating, ensuring that any dietary preferences or restrictions were noted without hesitation. It was clear that she genuinely cared about providing a personalized experience for each guest. She made thoughtful suggestions based on our tastes, which we greatly appreciated.

Throughout our meal, Rachel continued to impress us with her attentiveness. She checked in on us at just the right moments, making sure our drinks were refilled and that we were satisfied with our food. Her timing was impeccable; she seemed to have a sixth sense about when we might need something without being intrusive. This balance of attention and space is a rare quality in a server, and Rachel executed it flawlessly.

Moreover, her positive attitude was infectious. Rachel engaged in light-hearted conversation, sharing stories about her favorite dishes and her experiences at the restaurant. This personal touch made us feel more like valued guests rather than just another table. It's evident that Rachel takes great pride in her work, and her passion for providing excellent service shines through in every interaction.

As we wrapped up our meal, Rachel kindly asked if we would like to see the dessert menu, and her genuine excitement for the restaurant's offerings made it hard to resist. We ended up ordering a dessert that she highly recommended, and it did not disappoint. The way she described it made us feel as though we were in for a treat, and she was right!

When it was time to settle the bill, Rachel handled everything smoothly and efficiently. She thanked us for our visit and expressed a sincere wish to see us again. It’s rare to encounter someone who combines professionalism with such a personal touch, but Rachel does just that.

Overall, our experience at Gloria’s Restaurant was elevated significantly thanks to Rachel’s outstanding service. Her excellent attitude, attention to detail, and genuine care for her guests created a welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere. We left feeling not only satisfied with our meal but also grateful for the memorable service we received. Rachel is undoubtedly an asset to the restaurant, and we are looking forward to our next visit, hoping to be served...

It was good as it always is so they didn't disappoint. The meltdowns were delicious and the breakfast tacos were even better.

*UPDATED REVIEW *

What used to be a favorite spot has gone down so fast... We decided to go hang out on the patio which pre-pandemic, was one of our favorite past times. We get there and are told the wait is 30 to 45 minutes. Ok, no problem. After giving the hostess my cell number, we decided to walk around since it was such a beautiful day. After 50 minutes went by without hearing back, we noticed a couple who had been waiting ahead of us getting in their car and driving off so we decided to check to see where we were on the list. After asking, I was told, "oh we called you about six minutes ago"... My phone never rang nor did I receive a text... No problem...

As we were seated our waiter (Antonio) comes to take our drink order. We both requested a large meltdown margarita. Antonio's response was "those only come 8n small". As you can see from pictures of my previous visit, we've ordered large meltdowns in the past so I asked him when did this change? Of course his answere was "I've been here a long time and it's always been that way"... So we ordered smalls. As he left, I stopped an older waiter who I noticed from the past about that and he said "it's not on the menu but can be done"... So instead of Antonio telling the customer "let me see what we can do or if we can do it to satisfy the customer, he rather tell the customer "no".

This new wait staff is new, young and immature. From what I observed, they all just stand around outside at the wait station and joke and laugh with eachother. At one point, one of the spilled someone's drink and they thought it was all a joke. Since we were sitting outside on the patio, I guess someone forgot to put the saucer over the water picture and an insect flew in the water. Well instead of Antonio calmly going inside to get new water, he decided to yell out while looking inside the picture "EWWW WHAT IS THAT" for all of the patrons to hear and witness. We all just got water from that picture... And of course the other waiters just laughed...

When we ordered our food, my wife was so fed up, she asked for her food to go, I DIDN'T. Welp... Antonio brought her food out bagged up nicely while he brought all of my items out in separate plastic containers. He said "the kitchen boxed your food up but here you go". Whatever happened to telling the kitchen "no this customer wanted there food for here"? So I guess Gloria's slogan is now "Take it as we give it to you"? I would have sent it back but at this point was so utterly disappointed I didn't even care anymore.

To finish it all off, once I paid the check, Antonio had the audacity to look to see what tip I gave him WHILE WE WERE STILL AT THE TABLE! So unprofessional. We won't be back at least...

I've heard good things about Gloria's but have never tried it myself. Today I decided to give it a go.

From the outside, Gloria's looks like a fancy restaurant. Once you get inside, it's not too fancy. It's a nice casual restaurant, similar to what you'd find at a pho restaurant like Pho 95. They have outdoor patio table seating, indoor table seating, and bar seating with multiple flat screen TVs mounted on the wall playing sports.

Our waitress was kind and courteous. The menus are nice. Prices are similar to what you'd find at a regular restaurant, it's not too pricy. The restaurant itself is clean and so is their bathroom.

We ordered a frozen house margarita with a salt rim, a frozen mango margarita, the A la Gloria chicken enchilada, and the Tacos al Carbon with corn tortilla.

We had complementary chips, salsa, and black beans. Let me tell you, for a free side, it's pretty good. The tortilla chips are good quality, not too thin, not too thick. They're crunchy. The salsa has just the right amount of kick to it, it's not too watery yet not too thick. The black beans surprised me. I'm not much of a black bean girl, I'll eat it but it's not my go to. The black bean dip tasted pretty good! It wasn't plain like your regular black bean.

The A la Gloria was delicious! The chicken was nice, moist, and flavorful. My personal favorite was the queso, the red one, and then the orange one but only because I love queso. The rice was pretty good although you couldn't really taste much of it. The refried pinto beans are whatever.

The Tacos al Carbon were amazing. The quality of the beef is superb. It was so flavorful, moist, just amazing. The additions to it with the guacamole and sauce added to it was just icing on the cake. The rice and beans that came with it were just like the ones on the A la Gloria enchiladas. They're nice sides but honestly not really needed. I wish they gave me more rice. The rice was barely anything.

Both of the margaritas were strong. The house margarita was good. The mango margarita was like drinking a mango frozen smoothie but spiked with hella alcohol.

My bill came out to be about $67 dollars for all four items. The waitress was nice enough to ask if I'd like to take home a side of salsa and black beans since she saw me take the chips to go.

Definitely delicious. I would recommend. Portion sizes are just right but the chips and sides during the beginning definitely fill you up before the...