El Paso Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Dumfries

My girlfriend passes by here every day since we moved here in December. It's always packed, so we decided to try it finally.

First impressions: Chips and salsa. The chips were thick, overcooked, unsalted. The salsa was bland, like tomatoes and onions mixed with some tomato flavored water, and sweet in a strange way. These will get the job done for your snacking, but I didn't feel good about it. Which sets the stage for pretty much the rest of the meal.

Beverages: So, being the southerners that we are, we ordered the sweet tea. It's hard to impress a southerner with your tea, so I'll just say the tea here is okay. Besides, we're here for the food not the tea right?

Entrees: Personally I like a couple of tacos, a couple of enchiladas, rice or beans maybe. The menu here doesn't have that staple "combinations" section, so I went with the enchiladas rancheras since it seemed to be the only one to give me a beef option. The cheese enchilada was alright, the beef on top was like everything else. No seasoning in sight, a little dry somehow despite being wet, like something left in the crock pot too long. The rice was typical yellow rice, the beans gave me the impression of having been thrown in a pot 4 hours before and left there.

My girlfriend got the arroz con pollo. Which claims to be "grilled chicken." Somehow it lacks not only, (you guessed it) seasoning, but grill marks. I'm guessing it's precooked bits of chicken heated up on a flat grill or in the oven. The teaspoon-sized dollop of sour cream was cute, but terribly inadequate. The queso portioning makes you wonder if there is a queso shortage in Dumfries. All in all, fairly disappointing.

Service: Our server was attentive, if forgetful. It's a busy Friday, so we won't worry about that too much.

Price: At $31 it's not bad, but I probably won't be back.

Verdict: There's a Taco Bell...

We live extremely close (Less than 5 minutes). I desperately WANT this to be our go-to restaurant. I LOVE “Southwest” food (the US SW, Mexico, El Salvadorian, and combos). I Would be in here AT LEAST once a week with a group of 4-6, if not daily. Unfortunately:

HISTORY: Over the past 3 years, we have ordered take out more than a handful of times. Including: enchiladas, chimichangas, burritos, entree salads, fajitas, rice and bean sides, kids chicken and fries, classic margaritas, and Jalapeño margaritas.

FOOD My husband hasn’t complained. The kids like the chicken and fries well enough. They often have fresh, tasty chips. Unfortunately, I am underwhelmed. It’s the only place that I kept trying, and was continually disappointed. I have tried the dishes listed above, and the flavors and textures are just not there for me. The molé sauce was regularly grainy. Flavors were bland. The food wasn’t cooked particularly well. Usually, if I don’t love the food somewhere, I try a different dish next time and enjoy it. That has not been the case.

ATMOSPHERE and CLEANLINESS My in laws visited from out of town. We took them, and my mother, to El Paso. It was one of the worst experiences we have had. All three women of the family agreed. The restroom was worse than the worst dirty outhouse. There was “stuff” smeared all over the stall walls and floor🤢.

To be fair- it was a school spirit night and extra packed! Perhaps they had not had an opportunity to clean it yet. However, it was so dirty, we could not finish our meals, and have not been back for well over a year!!

I am truly bummed to write this review. I want to be supportive of the local establishments. As it is, this is one place I just...

Full disclosure, this is not a review of the restaurant itself, the service, the drinks, or the overall experience. It is merely a review of one truly terrible, disgusting burrito.

Our story begins several hours ago, when some friends decided to go out for margaritas and some food. Alas, I was busy working. "Bring me back a burrito!" I said to my boyfriend. "A super burrito with no sour cream" I instructed. To my great delight, the burrito arrived some time later, just as I finished my late-night work assignment! I grabbed a fork, dug out the first bite, and was met with...a hot, hot mess (actually, sort of lukewarm, but I digress). The chicken was institutional Tyson chicken bits. The smattering of peas and corn throughout the rice were obviously from a freezer. There was nary a bean to be found. The sauce was overly sweet and flavorless. The ratios were all off. The SINGLE SPOONFUL of guacamole was hiding in one corner. THE SOUR CREAM IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAVE HOWEVER, WAS F-ING EVERYWHERE. I really love burritos. Its hard for me to talk s---t about a burrito. I can forgive a lot in a burrito, and have. But this was the worst burrito I have had in many, many years.

I recognize that several years of living in California and being within a stone's throw of excellent Mexican food 24/7 may have just ruined me for Mexican food here in Virginia. I get it. But if this is the best you can do El Paso Mexican Grill, PLEASE STOP MAKING BURRITOS.

Or at the very least, change the name to the more accurate 'Hot Garbage Wrap,' and stop giving...