El Valle — Restaurant in Atlanta

Let me say this is the first negative review I’ve left any establishment I was just that offended.

Came here for Valentine’s Day; the service was ok and food was great. Very overpriced for Mexican food being that 5 tacos, a bowl of guacamole and 4 drinks came up to $175 (just so you know what you’re getting into). I gladly paid it because the night was about celebrating my husband being that we were 3 weeks postpartum at the time and he deserved what I thought was something dynamic.

What brought this experience down for me was the manager who approached me as though he genuinely wanted to know if my experience was good only to use that as an opportunity to insult the tip that I left my server on behalf of the server. I get it because I was in the service industry living off of tips once upon a time however even if I felt I deserved more of a tip you NEVER spit in the face of the customer who left you one simply because you “felt” like you were entitled to more. It’s tacky and tasteless no matter the establishment.

Under normal circumstances I would have left a higher tip (just out of class not because the service was worth that much) but I was more passionate about my husband feeling special and appreciated than paying a strangers rent and the bill and tip reflected that. Full disclosure after paying the nearly $200 bill for tacos she received a $10 tip and the manager (after asking a series of questions about the service and receiving very positive and happy compliments about her service and the food from me) told me that “he assumed the service must have been bad since the tip was so low.”

Again I’m on maternity leave and this was my treat to my husband but explanation aside, the audacity of ANYONE to approach me $185 later and and be bold enough to be confrontational with me using such sarcasm, disgust and arrogance over $7 is gross. Whoever is in charge here needs to make sure he NEVER does that again. Losing $200 over $7 is bad...

This restaurant has a great vision and I love the idea of a Central American restaurant, however the food was very bland. First, let me list what I like about this restaurant; The waiter was quick, easy to talk to, understanding, and helped us the entire time. I really appreciate and am happy about the idea of a Central American themed restaurant, not just one country/culture. The menu was really nice and understanding, each page had different foods with a flag that goes with where the food was from, which I thought was really smart and cool. The restaurant felt clean, and not run down at all. The other customers there also seemed to enjoy the food/their time there, which is always good.

All of this to say that the food brings all of those positives down. A lot. I order a steak quesadilla which comes with rice and beans, but I didn’t want the beans so I got double rice. The food looked good, but the meat tasted like the taco meat from a taco kit seasoning packet, and it was pretty greasy. As well, the quesadilla was like 80-90% cheese. The rice had absolutely no flavor at all, it tasted like the white rice you get at Asian restaurants. My mom got Al Pastor (marinated pork) tacos which were better, but my mom too thought the food was bland. When the waiter came by, we asked for some sauces that might add more flavor to the food. They had great service, the man came back very quickly with 3 sauces and gave a description of all of them.

All in all: I recommend introducing more flavor, whether that’s spices, vegetables, sauces, or just simple salt and pepper. There were no spicy options, which disappointed me because I like spicy food, and it made the food in general feel extremely bland. The menu was mostly Honduran food, which kind of made the ‘Central American’ restaurant feel more based/centered on...

Stylish Mexican with a fun bar and patio.

I've been here several times with friends. It's always tasty with good service. The menu is filled with creative dishes and cocktails.

Inside, there's a dining area that is separated from the bar. It's the kind of space that makes you want to dress up but works in casual attire also. There's a sidewalk patio. We sat on the patio this evening, which was nice, except for loud cars. I've had brunch inside but it can get loud in the evening.

The service is dressy and mostly good. I am often surprised at how quickly the food comes out. The presentation of food is well-plated.

The dishes are refined and mostly great. The chips are thicker with a good corn flavor. The guacamole is pretty average. Our guest loved her fish tacos. The Sopes were chewy and lacked veggies but the carnitas were very tender. I had the signature dish of short ribs in mole sauce. The mole was spicy and chocolatey but the portion was pretty small. It's a very tender chunk of meat like you'd find in an American restaurant and not the chewier cross sections you often find in Latino restaurants.

This is a good date spot. It feels like a treat without being over the top. It's loud and feels fun around the bar. The dining floor has cozy low lighting. The row along the sidewalk can be pleasantly quieter.

Everything is likable and some things were really tasty. We'll do it again...