Nando's Mexican Cafe — Restaurant in Mesa

They had a little 20 min wait with a line coming out the door. No big deal. They seated us in a booth in the bar. It was super loud. There is a very narrow walking path between the front desk and the bar and outside. We waited for a long line of people exiting. Not a huge deal, but I'd hate it if I worked there. I ordered the huckleberry margarita and It would have been good but tasted oddly of black pepper. I squeezed more lime in it to mellow it out. Odd combo. The food was ok. Not the best and far from the worst. Nobody asked how my drink was or offered us a second round. The tap water and ice was disgusting. They need a filter, bad. It literally smelled. I'm from out of town and It was offensive. Lol. The portions were medium sized. We didn't get the sour cream and guacamole that was supposed to be with our meals. They only gave each of us 2 tortillas and never offered more. The chips were old, stale and unsalted. Bland. The salsa tastes of straight up tomato and vinegar. Needs heat and more chunky vegetables, lime and cilantro. No beans or any other dips. They never refilled anything or asked. The meat was cooked well and seasoned just right. Not enough peppers to advertise it as a highlighted ingredient. (maybe 1 tbl) a lady in line said they were the best Mexican restaurant around. Yikes AZ. Call your boys and get some authentic Mexican food up in here. I'd gladly take a little smaller portion or pay a little more for quality and good...

I came here to attend a “goodbye” party for a fellow worker and ended up very early. I was immediately served a huge bowl of warm chips and cold salsa. The chips were mostly good, but a few had an “off” taste. Not enough to complain about, but noticeable. I ordered the drink special I saw that written on the billboard at the front door. It was yummy! Fruity and refreshing with the alcohol flavor buried deep, I didn’t take long to down it... The waitress came right away when she saw my glass empty... I had a refill in less that 3 minutes... A+ for customer service! Whoo... the second one was stronger, but still delicious... kudos to the bartender! I got the 3 street tacos lunch special... a full plate of delicious for only 9$. It came with guacamole and extra cheese, plus a good portion of rice and beans. I got full and didn’t have room for desert...

Other than a few bad chips, I have to say everything else was above average. One member of my party got a Mexican pizza with chicken that was at least 2 inches thick, another got the sampler platter, and another got the chili rellenos. None complained and none could finish (clamshells all around except me). Good food and great drinks makes for a wonderful...

I chose the restaurant for my boyfriend and his kids and was sure it would be a great new experience as I have always had fantastic Mexican food experiences across the world, all over Canada and Europe in particular, especially when the reviews are great. This was one of the worst restaurant experiences I have EVER had. The food got to us fast but all the meat was horribly overcooked. There appeared to be no manager around. The waitress was avoiding us as she was sensing that we weren't happy. We got up to leave and were almost at the door when I saw her coming to make sure the money was on the table so I went back. She tried to blow past me but I stopped her to tell her how bad this really was and why the plates went back to the kitchen almost full. She said she "would have got her manager" but didn't actually go get the manager.

I don't leave bad reviews online except as a last resort. This was THAT bad. Maybe they were off their game? Maybe this location is badly managed? Idk but I won't try another location based on the multitude of opportunities that were available to fix the issues. A total write off. I'm baffled that there are such good...