Ernesto’s Fine Mexican Food — Restaurant in Ellicott City

Walking in the door was a little disappointing. It seemed that the hostess was stretched a little thin for her time. I'm thankful to say, that the food and service otherwise made up for a rough introduction. The restaurant itself is comfortable. There is a really nice patio outside if you find yourself there in good weather. The food was better than average. I offer no professional opinion on authenticity but flavor, spicy, seasoning was all great. My boyfriend and I both ordered tacos of different varieties and everything from the rice that came with them, to the corn tortillas they were on, to the toppings were just great. I was particularly fond of the carnitas tacos I had. We got a small order of queso to go with our chips and it was warm, flavorful and just hit the spot. I feel like the prices are a few bucks more then surrounding sit down Mexican restaurants but from the looks of the food coming to tables near us and the quality of what we ordered ourselves, I would be willing to pay a few dollars more here at Ernesto's versus saving a few bucks at places nearby like Pachanga or Mi Casa. I can definitely see us coming back without much hesitation if we are in the area and craving Mexican food. One thing that caught our eye was the specials menu for each day of the week. I wish our server had mentioned it because I would have ordered the combination...

We went in pretty optimistic but were unfortunately disappointed. First thing that disappointed us was the lack of service.

Being understaffed is understandable, especially at a time like this but the service itself was unwelcoming and seemed almost annoyed by the fact they had to serve us.

We ordered the queso fundido which was just semi-warm shredded cheese that was microwaved and topped with salsa but was listed on the menu as skillet warmed jack cheese which was supposed to be served table side (it was not). It was replaced with queso blanco which we definitely appreciated.

We then asked for refills on drinks but were only given 2/3 drinks that we had asked for. The 3d drink was never refilled after asking numerous times and being told it would be. The waiter also never took our empty cups off of the table.

After getting our food, it was also semi-warm, even the fajitas, and they were missing many ingredients listed on the menu. When we asked if we could please have those ingredients, the waiter rolled his eyes and we had to ask again if that was ok with him which he then sighed and reluctantly answered yes.

All in all, the food was not bad, I’d say a 4-5/10 but the service was unfortunately a 2/10.

Pictured left to right: Queso Blanco, Queso fundido, fajitas, and Tacos Locos missing ingredients...

In my opinion, Ernesto's serves the best Mexican food in Howard County. The fajitas are our usual choice at the restaurant. We've tried them all -- steak, chicken, shrimp, veggie and a combo. Everything is grilled beautifully. The food comes out to your table wonderfully fresh and with a great aroma. The vegetables are cooked just right; not over cooked or under cooked.

There is one special dish that we have ordered many times - Brochetta Ahumada. It is flamed at table side and is a tower of shrimp, chicken and beef. I recommend sharing it with a friend or plan on bringing leftovers home.

Even the chips and salsa served when you are first seated are better than those at other Mexican restaurants. The prices are very reasonable especially given the quality and quantity of the food. Our usual choice, the combo fajitas (shrimp/chicken), are $16.99. You can also get them for two for about $28.00. We've tried other dishes and were always happy with our choices, but the fajitas are the best selection in my opinion.

Oh, did I forget to mention the margaritas. They are huge and very, very good. We brought a number of friends to the restaurant and everyone...