Mezcalero Restaurant — Restaurant in Greenfield

I was spending the afternoon searching for a good Mexican restaurant in my area. Before Mezcalero, I only saw “holes in the wall”. But this is a nice place, a decent restaurant with different seating areas and bar. Starting with the chips and salsa, they did a great job. I ordered enchiladas and then waited…and waited..and waited..and waited. Parties were going on with loud, booming music by a DJ with big T.V. HD Videos. Parties were gathered all over the place. I ended up on the side with a private event so they had their own buffet. Soon the long wait and the noisy music got to me. I asked my waitress to have my order “to go”. 15 minutes later, the cook comes out of the kitchen. So this is almost an hour and a half. He was very polite but wanted to make sure I wanted the “order to go” for take out. I lost patience and threw a $10 bill on the table for the waitress for the Diet Coke (and chips). I apologize because I completely lost control. I hadn’t eaten all day and this was around 5 pm. So, let me summarize. I believe this restaurant has really good food (because the nachos and salsa were out of this world!). However, it’s not a casual dining situation in which you can go with a friend, family or a date to simply enjoy Mexican food. It’s a party place. They host tons of big party celebrations and gatherings. The wait is long because they are always accommodating large tables of people. So with that in mind, be forewarned. This is what they do. They offer tons of drinks and people don’t mind waiting while socializing, drinking and enjoying appetizers. But go there and plan on At LEAST two hours minimum. Possibly three. That’s what this place...

The good news - our waitress was very nice, and the beer was cold. And I didn’t get sick.

The bad news was just about everything else.

It started with huge chips and thin, watery and flavorless salsa. The guacamole was also flavorless. Basically just mashed avocados with tomato cubes. I had the CARNE A LA TAMPIQUEÑA- ribeye steak with tortillas. I asked for the meat medium, but it came out so well-done it was like eating a cowboy boot. I could barely cut into it, even though it was very thin. Flavor would have been ok if it hadn’t been cooked to death, possibly. They gave us white rice with the tacos, which was unusual, but the French bistro style paintings on the wall and the various non-Mexican entrees in the menu might have topped us off. They’re definitely not committed to doing Mexican food right. My wife had ordered the salmon tacos, but instead they gave her shrimp tacos. She was going to eat them anyway, but they were not good. The waitress said the cook said he read the order wrong, and her order came out 10 minutes later. No apology really, just blaming the cook, and a lot of eye rolling, and also they did not take the salmon off the bill. The salmon was ok but wet for some reason. I wish I had better news about this place. If they had removed the salmon from the bill, I might not have written this review. But they just didn’t make it right- nor was there any real attempt.

Consider...

It was a cold and rainy night so we pretty much had the dining room to ourselves. There were some folks eating at the bar, but with 7 of us, we needed a table. The dining area is large, yet the low ceilings made it feel more cozy.

The service was excellent. The young man who was our server had a LITTLE trouble with some of the English, but he got assistance when he needed it. He was VERY attentive, warm, friendly, and very sweet. He worked hard and made sure we were all happy.

The food is delicious. There were a few varieties of tacos ordered, a chimichanga, a couple burritos, guacamole, and the one spouse who doesn't like Mexican Food (😮 I know, right?) had a burger and fries. Their guacamole is so creamy and felt light. It wasn't a heavy dip, almost like a whipped dip - that was how light it felt. Oh and it was so fresh and pure we all just loved it. I had the Burrito Macho with ground beef as my protein. Very large and PACKED with meat with just the right amount of cheese and sauce. I MIGHT have been able to finish the whole thing had I not mindlessly munched on chips and salsa while waiting for people to arrive. But hey, then I wouldn't have had lunch for today. So win/win. Their chips are very tasty on their own as they are seasoned in addition to being served with salsa.

We will well taken care of and had a truly...