El Salto — Restaurant in Maryland

Locals have been telling me to go since I've moved here. I'll be honest, it was pretty good. Full disclosure: I used to live in Oklahoma and was spoiled with authentic and amazing Mexican and TexMex, so my bar is somewhat high.

I went during off peak hours, around 3pm. As a result, I was literally the only table there until I was about to leave. The service was great, and the building was clean. As for what you're really interested in, the food, it was good.. but I guess the things people had told me set my expectations much too high. I got the "stuffed jalapenos" which I was expecting would be like fresh stuffed jalapenos but were actually just frozen and fried jalapeno poppers. The complimentary chips and salsa was good - chips were fresh and crunchy and the salsa tasted very fresh. I also got the combination fajitas - chicken and steak. It came out on a sizzling platter and the presentation was good. It came with three tortillas, and a side of guac, sour cream, lettuce, and refried beans. No pico, which was unexpected. The sides were fresh and tasty. The meat and veggies were good as well, though a little overcooked.

And finally, I got a jalapeno margarita. I'm not going to lie.. it was the star of the show and couldn't have really been any better. It was amazing and included fresh sliced jalapenos.

I don't mean for this all to sound so negative, it was really good all around. As I mentioned before, I came in with the wrong expectations. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone if you're looking for fresh, delicious, tex mex that hits the spot. Just keep in mind this is more chain type food rather...

I come from the South (not SW) and the Mexican is pretty consistent from joint to joint with only minor differences. For instance in my small hometown there were at least 4 Mexican places (not counting TacoHell) that I was pretty confident with every visit I would get a meal I enjoyed. Coming up to DC/Balt metro area I could not find a place, though advertised themselves as Mexican, that served up the meal as I expected. And this area has a real problem with saying they have queso, when what they serve is nacho cheese. Enter my first time at El Salto, and it was like coming home. Queso Blanco the way I love it. And everything I've had of the menu has been good. I lean towards chicken/pollo as my go-to meat. So I get the Special La Casa w chicken (and sometimes sautéed spinach) and it is the Bomb! Everyone I've brought there has enjoyed their meal. Highly recommend it. If I had to list a 'con', the salsa is a bit mild. But when everything else is delicious, who really cares if salsa is mild? Besides if I had asked for something spicier, I am positive they would have brought me some. Give...

9/1/23 Today's visit to our favorite Mexican restaurant didn't live up to our usual expectations.

After knocking out a few last minute errands, my wife and I went out of our way to visit El Salto. It was too late for lunch and too early for dinner, so we ordered a few light items. No entrees.

After telling the waitress we wouldn't order entrees, she disappeared. We ran out of tortilla chips. I ran out of tea. She refilled the chips and tea only after I flagged her down. At that point, she delivered the receipt.

I get it. Our ticket was less than $20, she can reasonably expect to be tipped less than a family of 4. But at 2:00 PM, the restaurant was basically empty.

I was pretty disappointed, but I tipped her $3.00 -- far more than I feel she earned.

5/31/23 Our family's favorite Mexican restaurant!

Undergoing major renovations! New paint (interior). New (first-ever) outdoor seating! Updated exterior landscaping (hope they keep it up).

Grateful the restaurant and its employees made it through the initial...