El Mariachi Loco Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Mansfield Township

I found this restaurant while looking for something my toddler would like. Driving up to the location it is tucked away in the back section of the main shopping complex. Even from the outside, you can see the care and detail from the windows and on the door.

We were greeted quickly and seated at the same time. They provided a high chair for my toddler. While we were seated my son loved looking at all the colorful imagery painted on the walls and even on the chairs. Everything from the music to the art of the location shows the love of the owners.

The waitress provided the table with chips and salsa while we looked at the menu. The salsa was not chunky and quite the kick. I am white so take that with a grain of salt haha.

For my son, I ordered the kid's cheese quesadilla adding chicken to it. This came with a side of fries or rice. I chose the rice as he loves Spanish rice. This kid's meal was massive! The rice covered the entirety of the plate and the quesadilla was thick. They did not skimp on it. I did try it and it tasted well seasoned.

For myself, I ordered the birria taco combo. This came with 3 tacos, rice, beans, lettuce, and sour cream. The rice was consistent across both plates. Very flavorful not dry while being sticky enough to group and it had bits of corn inside. The tacos themselves were fantastic bursting with flavor. The birria meat was falling apart in the taco. The birria sauce was also much better than most places I've gone to. It was flavorful without being overwhelming coming in its small cup.

The check can be paid with cash, card, or using their QR code as well. Be aware while I was there despite my phone saying I had service I could not connect to the internet at all. Our waitress was fantastic helping me get situated with my son while she handled several other tables.

I think my only gripe was at some point the hostess by the door must have left but they never replaced her. This meant as a large group and more customers arrived my waitress ended up having to stop to greet them. At one point she cleaned and busted a table in less than 2 minutes to sit a new family. I do not remember her name but she deserves a raise. All this to say due to the other employee leaving it took some time for me to get the check and pay due to no internet. More of an observation than anything else. The prices were pretty solid especially for the amount of food you received.

Overall highly recommend...

We had a party of 9 for a birthday dinner. Our waitress was very sweet but she was clearly new and English was not her primary language (which is totally fine!). I only mention this because a table of 9 on a Friday is already tough so to this brought additional challenges during the evening. First, she did not give us plates for our appetizers. We asked several times and still nothing….We ended up eating our tortilla chips and soft tacos on napkins. We ordered the queso which was a block of melted cheese. It was impossible to eat. They don’t offer you water. If you ask, you get a Deer Park bottled water which they charge you for. Since it is BYOB we brought wine and asked for glasses more than 3x. It took about 20 mins before we got any. When we finally got some, they were dirty…like you could feel and see dirt on the stem of the glass. I ended up wiping them down with my napkin and some of the Deer Park water hoping for the best. I knew if we asked for new glasses they wouldn’t come. After 30 minutes we got small plates for our apps (which we already tried to eat but couldn’t). Unfortunately, they seemed to have brought the dirty ones rather than clean ones to our table. Food was still on several of the plates (pico, salad and beans). We showed them to her and she went back and got clean ones. When we ordered dinner, our waitress got several of our orders wrong despite us pointing them out on the menu and repeating understanding she was new. By the time our food came out we were pretty turned off by the whole experience. Veg quesadilla had raw carrots and snow peas which seemed random. It was like they threw in whatever veggies they had leftover in the back. I got the chicken quesadilla which lacked flavor. Asked for some salsa to help with that but they informed us there was none left and provided us this other item which looked like watery, red, soup. There didn’t seem to be a manager on site to speak to so we paid our bill and left. I am giving them a two because the decor is cute and I feel bad giving them a one. Our group respects the restaurant industry tremendously but I am positive others would have not been as understanding as us. My hope is they really look at their overall customer service and restaurant cleanliness. It was concerning and unacceptable. We will not...

I recently visited a Mexican restaurant hoping to enjoy an authentic culinary experience. However, my dining experience turned out to be quite disappointing. The restaurant, known for its vibrant atmosphere, invested all its effort into the ambiance, leaving the food quality far behind. The complimentary chips served were stale and lacked the crispy freshness one would expect. The accompanying salsa could have been more varied, lacking the vibrant flavors characteristic of Mexican cuisine. It was a lackluster beginning to the meal. Moving on to the appetizer, I ordered a greasy dish that left much to be desired. The excessive oiliness detracted from enjoyment, making it an unappetizing start to the main course. Unfortunately, things did not improve with the arrival of the main dishes. The chicken tacos I ordered were served cold and dry, leaving me longing for a flavorful and moist filling. The lack of tenderness and taste in the chicken further accentuated my disappointment. Additionally, the promised fried Chimichanga was a letdown as it arrived uncooked. The absence of the crispy exterior that characterizes a well-prepared Chimichanga was genuinely disheartening. Despite the disappointing food, it is worth mentioning that the restaurant excelled in creating a visually appealing atmosphere. The décor and ambiance were lively and inviting, creating a pleasant dining environment. However, it is essential to note that a captivating atmosphere alone cannot compensate for the food's lack of flavor and quality. In conclusion, my experience at this Mexican restaurant was marred by stale chips, bland salsa, a greasy appetizer, cold and dry chicken tacos, and an uncooked Chimichanga. While the atmosphere was visually appealing, the lack of attention to the food could have been better. I hope the restaurant takes these criticisms constructively to improve the quality of their dishes and provide a more satisfying dining experience for...