Ay Caramba Mexican Grill & Bar — Restaurant in Asheville

Pretty sad experience tonight, and not our first time having a bad experience here, either. There's not many options in Leicester so we gave them another shot. We actually tried going to El Que Pasa first, but it was cold and raining with a line. We wish we had stood in line in the rain now, as we likely would have had a better experience. Live and learn.

We were told a 20 min wait for a table. Over an hour passed before we were seated. Once we were seated, we saw a group that went on the list 30 minutes AFTER us get seated. They had their drinks before we were even visited. They had their entrees by the time our drinks came. Pitiful. When our food finally came, the hard taco was now a soft taco after sitting in its own grease for who knows how long in the window. The Chile rellano was cold on the inside (like freezer cold). We were starved and chose to eat. We seriously debated just walking out but we had a little one who needed food.

The last time we came the order was messed up in multiple ways (meat on a vegetarian plate, etc), another wrong plate served, etc. We told them and just got a sheepish "sorry," the second plate came 25 minutes later, and no effort to make it right in any way.

Sometimes they have a mariachi, which would be cool except its an echo chamber and you can't even talk at your table when they play.

Been coming to this location since it was Stone Road. Then it was Twisted Laurel. Now, we won't come back while it's Aye Carumba. Too bad, because their food was better at the old location... But something really isn't working at the new location.

We'll drive a little further for a better experience...

Leicester location: GOOD words first. Javier, my server, was FABULOUS! He was friendly, sweet, helpful with my menu questions, attentive, but not hovering. I give him 5 stars! The menu has a great variety, and the food was presented beautifully! I liked the bean dip. My faves on the salsa bar were the Chunky red salsa and Poblano green salsa. The restaurant is modern, roomy, well lit, and clean. NOT SO GOOD: The host gave no greeting, asked, "How many?", and did not smile or speak another word. I saw him several times, seating other patrons, but never a smile. FOOD: I love chorizo, and wanted to try something different than my go-to, Choripollo. I chose two sopes: Chorizo and Adobada. The sope (corn cake) was good, the toppings fresh and pretty. The meat was barely warm, rubbery and flavorless. I don't like super hot spicy food, but expected lots of flavor and a little kick from both the Chorizo and Adobada. There was literally nothing! Seriously, the bean dip had more seasoning that the meat! I'll be traveling through that area every few weeks for a while, and hope to find a favorite among the Leicester restaurants. Unfortunately, it's not...

Location: 5 Customer Service: 5 Affordability: 5 Quality of food: 4 Quantity of food: 4 Parking: 4

We decided to grab dinner last night at this local Mexican restaurant in Asheville, NC. It was conveniently near a small shopping plaza, so there was nearby parking available.

Upon entering we were quickly seated and we noticed that it had a sports bar vibe. There was plenty of TVs so that guests could enjoy multiple college football games that were on. Our waitress was very attentive and friendly.

The menu offers a lot of options, and we found it very overwhelming with selections. The prices were very affordable and seemed comparable to most Mexican restaurants we've been to. Our food and drinks came out very quick. Our dishes were very plentiful and we could have easily shared a meal.

Overall experience was probably about a 4.5 rating, but Google won't allow. 5 scores. So we leaned to the 4 rather than the 5 rating, because we felt like their food was just average...