Don Marcelino Restaurant — Restaurant in Del Rio

Let me break it down for you, since I was confused when I walked in. At first glance, it seems like it is sit down and be served style, but it’s actually a walk-up order counter – which I am ok with. It just took a minute to realize that and I had to ask the cashier (but then again, this is coming from the same guy who walked out of a restaurant today and only realized he forgot to pay because someone called me before I drove off LOL!). I’m not the most observant sometimes!

So, step on in, head left to the counter, choose your bottled beer or other bottled drinks out of the cooler, step up to the register, place your order, pay, and take the number placard and then go find a table. They give you a cup for fountain drinks, and you take that and fill it yourself at the soda fountain.

I had the chicken enchilada suizas for $8.99. The plate includes (FOUR enchiladas – count ‘em folks!) rice, refried beans, and a small salad on the same plate as most places do. If I am trying a new place, I usually taste the rice and the beans separately, to judge their flavor, and then mix them both together with the salad and then scoop it all into a flour tortilla and get a “bonus” taco out of my meal.

The enchiladas were ok, but not a whole lot of flavor to them. Tried to spice it up with the salsa verde (since that is usually spicier) but it turns out the salsa rojo was MUCH better. The rice, the beans, and even the flour tortillas had a “burnt” taste to them even though they didn’t appear to be burned. Not sure what that was about but I ended up mixing them all up with the salad into a flour tortilla and it wasn’t too bad.

No chips and salsa were delivered with this meal and although they were free, I had to get up and ask someone for my flour tortillas – yeah, first world problems, I know.

It’s a very spacious sized interior with several long tables and tables that can be pushed together if you have a large group.

Don’t expect anyone to wait on you for refills, drinks, etc. – all they do is drop your food off. You are on your own for everything else – which I am ok with as long as I am aware of it...

The restaurant smelled overwhelmingly like mothballs the minute you walked in. Staff was extremely friendly and helpful, however, the enchiladas I had tasted like they came straight out of a can. No flavor, no spices. The refried beans and rice were 100 times better than the enchiladas. I mistakenly thought that since I was closer to Mexico, the food would be authentic and packed with flavor. I was wrong. My meal was also served on a hot plate, which the person who ran the food warned me about. However, the food on the plate was lukewarm. Apparently the microwave, in which the food was warmed up in, is good at warming up plates and not food.

Their iced tea was delicious.

I left feeling hungry because I couldn't finish the enchiladas due to the lack of flavor and heat (the shredded cheese inside was not even melted in some areas) and also due to that overwhelming smell of mothballs.

This was the worst meal that I have ever had in any type...

There are no words... I found some though! My girlfriend and I came into town to visit family and sought out to find some great eats. Tacos tapatios, I was told! The atmosphere is great and for a city boy, the presentation felt like I was about to step into a place with authentic, bold flavored Mexican food. I was wrong... The beans looked and tasted like a 50/50 mix of lard and refried beans. I doubled up on them as I am not a fan of rice, so I cannot speak to those. The enchiladas were warm, at best, and that alone is the single highlight I found from my plate. The shredded cheese was dry and hard, as if it was left out all day to wick out all the moisture. The sauce had zero flavor and the meat was bland. I tried a taquito from my girlfriend's plate and was disappointed. Drenched in sour cream and the cabbage was chunky. If you're lookin for good food. Search...