Elsa's Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Centerville

When you go to Elsa's on Far Hills you see this giant ornate building and it really pulls you in. I've driven by several times and thought it looks like "the" place to get authentic Mexican cuisine. Unfortunately, my experience was nowhere near amazing. My family and I entered through the west side of the building which apparently is the bar. To the left was some girl in an Elsas shirt that blankly stared at us. In front of us was a bartender serving about 15 people and to the right were booths and tables. We just grabbed a booth because no one even acknowledged us. There were maybe 4 other booths or tables occupied. It took the waitress awhile to acknowledge us. Honestly, it seemed like everyone working there could care less that we were there. I got a really weird vibe from most of the people there.

As for the food, the chips and salsa are self serve. Basically, you scoop your own chips from a community warmer. When you put up barriers for COVID but then you encourage everyone to serve themselves their own chips and salsa and/or popcorn; it really doesn't make much sense at all. We got the question Loco (pictured) for our chips. The cheese was runny and honestly lacked flavor. The loco part was that they added chorizo but it was barely noticeable. My wife got the fajita bowl. It was a pretty large portion and she stated she did like it. My daughter got chicken chunks and fries. They were basic and nothing to write about. I got the Chicken Chimichanga dinner. I get the chimichanga dinner at every Mexican restaurant that I visit so that I can compare them. Elsa's chimichanga dinner is by far the worst I've ever had. The refried beans had no flavor. It was a bean paste. The Mexican rice was white rice with crushed tomatoes and seasonings. The chimichanga was doughy. By doughy, I mean it was absolutely undercooked. As for the chicken, have you ever tried canned chicken? Canned chicken has a certain flavor and texture. The chicken in this chimichanga reminded me exactly of canned chicken. With 20% tip we spent a little north of $50 for 2 adults and a kid. In the car, my Daughter asked to never go back.

Honestly, I think this place is really just a bar serving food to people who are too drunk to really care. They do say they are known for their margaritas. So, if you want a decent margarita and all you can eat tortilla chips then this...

If I could 0 stars to this restaurant, I would. I've given Elsa's a fair shot several times in the past and my experience has always been a disappointment. I tried it again today, and sadly, my experience was the most terrible to date.

My wife and I went here for lunch, so we were limited on time. I ordered a sausage and cheese pizza, which took 25 minutes to come out, and was very, very burnt. The server brought it to our table along with my wife's food and said, "I know it's burnt. I thought you might like it. I have them making you another one."

I took it in stride and said thank you. I tried one piece and couldn't get past the very burnt taste. I insisted my wife eat so that her food didn't get cold, so I sat there and watched my wife eat her lunch while I nibbled on chips. The server did not return to offer refills, or update me on the progress of my lunch. Another 25 minutes pass, and the server finally returns with my replacement pizza...which was still cooked more than I would have expected or liked. My wife had finished her lunch 5 minutes before, and we had to get back to work, so I asked the server just to put it in a box.

When the server didn't offer anything by way of an apology or refund, my wife asked. The server left to talk to her manager and returned saying, "We can take 10% off the pizza". This amounted to approximately $1.10 off of a $30 bill. So, I didn't get to enjoy lunch with my wife, I was late back to work, I have an empty stomach, and I still paid roughly $10 for a pizza that I probably won't eat at this point.

Needless to say, I don't recommend...

If I could give a zero rating I would. I have been to this Elsa’s hundreds of times and have NEVER had an issue. For some reason I finally did. We walked in with 15 people, found a couple tables open to merge together IN THE BAR AREA, and ordered 24 beers along with multiple other drinks. Mind you, it was the final week of college football meaning there is multiple quality and meaningful games going on. Our group drank, minded our own business, and watched college football respectfully. About 20-30 minutes later we were approached by staff asking us to leave because we were “being too loud” while rooting for a team to win on a Saturday evening at 7:00 PM. Mind you, the bar area and dining area are completely separated from each other, and not to mention we were prepared to spend a hefty amount as a group. They very much discriminated against us, they disrespected us, and they did NOT accept our group. The WORST part about it, after they kicked us out they called the next bar we talked about going to, to tell them we were going there and to slander our names with bogus claims. This Elsa’s USE to be the best Elsa’s in the Miami Valley, without a doubt. But following what happened tonight, they are the WORST Elsa’s by far. I never thought they would treat a customer, at the magnitude of ours, the way they did. I’m not only disappointed, but I’m also saddened to see an establishment such as this treat their customers the way they treated us tonight. This is not acceptable and they should deeply take a look into their staff with how they treat people. Truly...