Consuelo — Restaurant in Gainesville

The experience, particularly in this new place, I can describe as pleasant, but with the desire for it to go further. I'll start with the hits. Definitely, the place meets the decoration expectations for a Mexican place that wants to be classified as high-end, without being gourmet. I love the painting of the woman that is embodied on the wall of the waiting room, I can say that it is of exquisite taste, as is the furniture that accompanies the place of the hostesses, to later be very pleased with the place and the decoration of the waiting room, with its modern touch but without falling into the excess of a homely room, I could describe it as a very cozy place but with its chic touch. The tables and chairs throughout the place are very modern and stylish, it really enhances the place giving it that elegant and sophisticated atmosphere. The bar, I wish I could give it more credit, but apart from the beautiful frame that we use to delimit the place, I consider it very X, without a taste, I definitely owe a lot. I'll move on to the drinks, we ordered a Ginger Lemonade from the bar, it seems to me a great success, we were very gratified, with the flavor and touch, I must say, a 100 for this drink in particular. I will start by saying that the way they serve the H2O seemed very original and tasteful. We ordered the shrimp empanadas as a starter, the flavor was acceptable, although the presentation was very limited, I expected more effort, especially in the appetizers, because we ordered melted cheese, which was very disappointing, the way it was they present and the content of this, basically it is melted cheese on a griddle, with some tortillas, and what I notice is that you access the extras as long as you ask for them, I would not order it again. Then, what must have been a king of appetizers, especially in a Mexican restaurant, the Guacamole, TOTAL DISAPPOINTMENT. The avocado with water, the badly chopped tomato, flavorless, without salt, without lemon, and above all very, very beaten, it was not fresh, which is what is required of an authentic Guacamole, its freshness. And I did not want to mention this, but the tortilla chips, holy God of my life, a total failure, because these, according to the menu, are homemade, but it is far from being an authentic tortilla, these were cold, stuck together, and chewy. I would be afraid to order them again. We ordered a meat with potatoes, and I must say that the potatoes were delicious, as they came with a style of pesto sauce, a 10 for this dish, although the presentation was a must once again. The steak did not kill me because I would expect a better quality, for the price of this. And the other dish, was the meat in its juice, really, very good, I give it a 90 due to the presentation and the non-option of having the coriander and onion separated that accompanies this dish. Lastly, the service was simply incredible, attentive and very, very friendly. The only thing I noticed that makes the waiter's job detract a bit is his personal presentation. I would expect to see the waiters a little more dressed up and not think that he had come to Chipotle to...

I wanted to like this place more than I did.

The decor is lovely, the service was wonderful and the cocktails are great but the prices are too high and the food was just not impressive.

It’s obvious that a lot of thought was put into the interior decorating, but the narrow dining space and high tiled ceilings made every sound echo. On the busy night we were there, normal conversation was impossible. Hard to have a romantic date if you can’t actually hear your date.

The drinks we ordered were very good. I loved the Consuelo margarita with mezcal and passion fruit. The smoked salt on the rim was a delicious touch. There’s a large selection of great tequilas and mezcal, my favorite, that you can sample. However, the bar was exceptionally slow. We ordered cocktails first and an appetizer and had already eaten the appetizer and started on our entrees before we got our drinks.

Our appetizer was the queso fundido, served bubbling hot in a mini iron skillet. We choose the option of adding chorizo and the dish was $13. We also ordered extra chips for $3 more expecting a big bowl of cheese for that price.

When the dish arrived, the cheese came with two small tortillas. They were fresh and delicious but…two? The extra chips we ordered were, seriously, 12 chips on a plate. For $3. It didn’t really matter though because the small amount of cheese in the dish was barely enough for the two small tortillas, let alone the chips.

Our entrees were equally expensive, and we were pretty surprised to discover the prices didn’t include any kind of a side. My husband’s huarache was basically a small flatbread with some beef and crema on top. It wasn’t an entire meal by any means and while the beef was tender, we found it lacking zing. It cost $17.

My entree was the carne en su jugo, billed as “braised, sliced sirloin steak, tomatillos, beans, bacon and chorizo.” It wasn’t listed under sopas, so I was surprised to receive a big bowl of what looked like bean soup. It was flavorful, especially when I added the fresh cilantro and white onion that were on the side, but it was $22, y’all. $22 for a bowl of bean soup topped with a little meat. I thought I was getting a steak with the rest of those ingredients on the side, lol.

Perhaps the ingredients they are using are of the highest quality but we weren’t that impressed and I cannot balance the price of our meal with what we received.

Would definitely come back for more cocktails but I’d take my dinner...

Spontaneous dinner out to Consuelo's on the Gainesville Square. Second visit there. (I now regret not visiting more often....) Atmosphere is very chill and relaxing. Comments from my family: It feels like you're transported away, like a upscale restaurant in Manhattan with authentic food from Mexico. Nothing in Gainesville looks and feels like this.

Decor is well-thought out from the blue tile on the bar to the blue mural on the wall and the casual sitting area up front by the window. Seats are very comfortable. Straw light fixtures, modern wooden wall panels, real wood tables. Even the water glasses feel authentically curated. The front during the day is open and airy; the back is a little bit more subdued. My designer daughter would've liked a little more of the blue placed in the back as well for balance but she felt transported as well.

Service was spectacular--thank you very much Andres (our waiter)! The other staff members were full of welcoming smiles as well. Andres was very well-informed on the background of the restaurant and the menu choices. The shrimp empanadas were a definite treat as was the guacamole with homemade chips. You'll not get a tasteless mush here!

Cocktails were just as memorable the second time as they were on the first go around. My usual rule is that if I can't see the beach, I won't order a mojito. That rule no longer holds true. The cucumber mojito tastes fresh and delicious and almost healthy! The spicy paloma was my favorite; the in-house serrano infused tequila makes it extra special.

Can't go wrong with any of the entree choices (although the steak could've been thicker, just for presentation's sake). Tacos, huarache, enchiladas--all delicious! We even got our waiter's favorite--tacos with bacon and chorizo and cheese! He didn't steer us wrong there.

The cheesecake and charcoal ice cream with raspberry sauce were a perfect finish to a delightful dinner out.

We especially appreciate the menu with vegan and vegetarian designations and the drink menu with non-alcoholic options since eating out with friends who may not eat/drink as we do can be very challenging in Gainesville. We now have a place where everyone can find what they need in a warm and inviting way.

Thank you Consuelo... you are a wonderful and welcome addition to...