Vel's Amigos Continued — Restaurant in Fort Madison

Ok, fairly confusing visit. Have been going there for over a decade. We sat down, ordered drinks and some flour chips and cheese. Flour chips were undercooked and room temp, cheese was not much better. But things happen..right? So, my date orders chicken fajitas, and asks for the beans to be put on a separate plate (she did not want them, and I was going to have them with my fajitas I planned to order). Got told immediately that "substitutions are not allowed". I said nobody was asking for a sub, we just want the beans it came with served on a side plate. Server argued the point a couple more times, then finally agreed to "go check".

She comes back and says they will not do it. About this time the bartender (manager?) chimes in to tell us that "substitutions are not allowed" because the cooks are very busy and don't have time to put the beans on a separate plate?. Now, I am getting pissed. then he tells us if we want to delete them and then order a side of beans it will come on a side plate, naturally being charged for. So basically, if we pay you, you will serve them on a side plate? By this time the server had just walked away so we waited for her to return.

While we waited for her, the bartender decided it was all very funny and started gossiping about us to another server (while pointing toward our table). My companion then ordered a cheese enchilada, and I declined to order anything else. So this single enchilada then takes about 20 minutes to show up, and it is obvious it was sitting under a heat lamp or just out in the open as the cheese on top had hardened again. She finished her food and we paid and left.

I worked in restaurant management for many years, and simply cannot fathom a service environment where using a side plate was such a monumental task that we would rather piss off a customer then use one. I realize the new owners are probably still getting acclimated, but this was the ... well,...

We've been going here since it began. Although, we haven't been here since it changed ownership. While they have updated the building and interior. The food: The menu is still the same. That said, they now charge for chips (your choice of flour or corn). The salsa isn't really salsa. It's some crushed tomatoes with little to no flavor. If you don't eat anywhere else you won't be that disappointed. Since I am a pescatarian, they have only a few items on the menu that you can get. While as a party of three, we didn't take long to order. The refried beans were basic. They tasted like they're from a can. The rice was passable, as long as you don't go anywhere else. The sour cream comes in a packet. The condiments (pico de gio and guacamole) are in disposable cups. Great if you're ordering to go, not so much if you're doing a dine-in. The service: This is one of the few things they did above average. Our drink order was filled very quickly. It would be the same throughout the meal. Not the most friendliest, but she checked the boxes. The atmosphere: So, they did some major upgrades. Freshening the look (yes, it's been years, but it is new to us). The decor fits well. What pulls it down is that they have booths that are for two people. If they're busy, you may find yourself in a small booth. Add in our 2 year old grandson, and limited space means you have to watch your elbows while eating. Overall, they have some areas of opportunity. They would do well to go see what their competition are doing. The Mexican cuisine scene in our area is very high. Having a large Latino presence means average doesn't...

I usually don’t like to write bad reviews but this one tops the cake for me. Our waitress was nice and tried the best of her ability which is the only reason I am giving this place a 2 star. At first walking in we weren’t even seated by the hostess we had to choose our spot. We then sat down and ordered some chips and queso. The chips were stale and the queso wasn’t even fresh they microwaved it. They charged $2 for the chips and almost $5 for microwaved queso. I then proceeded to order chicken fajitas and my brothers ordered enchiladas. Their enchiladas did not come with sauce and honestly tasted like enchiladas that you would buy store bought frozen to put in the oven. When my fajitas came out the first bite of the chicken it was a rubbery texture. And honestly the chicken fajitas at the prison tasted better than this. I asked the waitress if she could just substitute it for steak because I don’t want salmonella poisening. She did and then my steak fajitas came out and the steak was ALSO rubbery. I’m not sure how one manages to make both rubbery steak and chicken but this place did both. Honestly, the food that I was taught to make in my home ec class in high school tasted 5 times better than this. They charged me $40 for two entrees, chips, queso and drinks for sub par service and bad food. I could go to turn water right now and get three tacos for the price of $13 with exceptional service and be satisfied with what i paid. They are way to overpriced for the food they present to their customers. I will never be coming back here and will never recommend this restaurant to anybody else...