El Alebrije NC Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Greensboro

TLDR: If you end up dining here and you're a taco lover like me, kindly ask if they're serving pastor on that day. It isn't listed on their menu, but when I asked, the bartender checked in the kitchen, and they DID have it, which made my day! Theirs came with pineapple (not all do), and it was DELICIOUS!

Every time I try a new Mexican place, I make it a point to try at least one of their street tacos (or sopes, if they make one). I prefer to try an Al Pastor taco, but not all places serve pastor.

This place gets a 10 of 10 from me. The staff is great, the taco was delicious and their Fresca Margarita was light, crisp and a perfect compliment to my taco. 🔥

I'm always weary of Mexican places with cutesy or trendy names, bc historically, I don't find them overly authentic....but this place checked all the boxes for me!

The staff was more than friendly - all very kind and welcoming and they latbeitnly answered all my questions and even made small talk with me as I dined alone at the bar. I'm a Southern California girl, so I can be EXTREMELY picky with my Mexican food and I've found a lot of places on the Carolinas do not hit the spot for me.

I expected a vibrant and energetic environment from this place, given the name, and it did NOT disappoint. The decorations / paintings here immediately took me back to Oaxaca, Mexico and of course, the music they were playing helped complete the ambiance.

If I'm ever passing through this area again, I will make it a...

My family went to this building many times when it was Rearn Thai, and we figured we should honor the spirit of the place by trying the new Mexican restaurant that has opened there.

El Alibrije has some great design choices, with the seating area furnished in dark leather chairs and lighter tables. But the upper part of the room is decorated in large, brightly colored paintings of creatures from Mexican folklore--the Alebrije of the restaurant's name. It's a beautiful contrast with the dark furniture.

We came for lunch, and the food was quite good. They were able to accommodate my wife's needs, as she has been dealing with parosmia since COVID, and she was really happy with her breakfast burrito. I tried the Quesadilla al Pastor, and I was likewise delighted with it. The pastor sauce was robust and thick. It's probably the best pastor pork I've had. The rice and salad were fresh and tasty as well. If I had a complaint, it's that the pastor quesadilla could have used a couple more pineapple chunks. (The contrast of rich pastor sauce and the acidity of the pineapple was very satisfying, and I would have liked to have experienced it a couple more times.)

The prices are very reasonable for lunch--about $20 for the two of us. And the portion sizes were substantial for what the menu lists as 1/2 lunch plates.

We...

Came here for a friends party. The placep wasn't very busy around 7pm we all sat at our reservation table and ordered drinks. We waited about 15-20 minutes before the waitress came back for food orders. I ordered a house margarita, which cost a staggering 18.99 for a 22oz (11.99 base and a 7$ upcharge for a "large")! It wasn't even good, couldn't taste alcohol. Ordered a steak fajita for my food. I was presented with some chewy salty strips of beef with maybe a quarter of an onion and a quarter of a green pepper. To top it off I got three small tortillas with it.

The food was terrible and I didn't finish it. So after sitting though low quality, overpriced food and drink the bill finally comes. 39$, for one margarita, a fajita and water. Worst part is they add gratuity, for what? I made sure nobody at our table tipped. If you run a real restaurant with proper service and good food, you get to add gratuity, But when you're some shack pretending to be a restaurant you don't get that option. This place has zero charm, zero quality and overpriced as can be. Mexican restaurants are a dime a dozen in Greensboro, so stay far away from this place. My local Mexican restaurant has 5.95 22oz margaritas and fajitas are 10$. I paid over twice what I should have at this...