Al Fuego Grill & Bar — Restaurant in New Buffalo Township

I am fortunate enough to have decades of culinary experience and eat at some of the best Mexican restaurants in the southwest. While this restaurant doesn't claim to be authentic Mexican food, you certainly do expect it.

My husband and I decided to try this place on Friday night.

The restaurant didn't seem very inviting. The decor was rather dark and the furniture looked old and outdated. I thought it was very odd to have a cooler full of drinks on the dining room floor.

We were seated and given our menus. My mouth dropped seeing how massive the menu is. I felt like I was flipping through a phone book. The menu was confusing and hard to read.

When a restaurant hands me a menu that size, alarm bells go off. Because it's a clear sign that a lot of the food is frozen and from cans. Furthermore, it shows that they are more concerned with pleasing their customers with a wide selection of items and not the quality.

We were given chips and salsa, which is a common thing in Mexican restaurants. And I was shocked to see the chef cannot even make tortilla chips. The chips came from a bag and I'm pretty certain they're Tostitos. I don't even buy those chips for my home because they're so nasty.

The salsa was watery and all I could taste was the heat - no salt, no pepper. The amount of tomatoes, onions and cilantro was abysmal. It's as if they're skimping on putting ingredients in their product.

My husband and I both ordered chicken and shrimp fajitas. We are both aware that having two meat fajitas is going to be a little extra.

Our dinner came and while the fajitas look good, the plate with sides look awful. My lettuce was tossed on the plate with the beans and rice. Then on top of the lettuce was a dollop of sour cream and guacamole. It screamed two things, 1. No one cares and 2. ingredients are being held back.

The beans were clearly canned and the rice didn't taste fresh, almost like it was microwaved.

The guacamole didn't have much seasoning and just tasted bland.

When it comes to the fajitas, I am glad I ordered two meats otherwise I would have had nothing but veggies. The chicken and shrimp didn't have much seasoning. The chicken was dry. The shrimp was rubbery.

The tortillas came wrapped in aluminum foil, and they were so hot, we had to let them cool down. Those were not freshly made and came pre-made.

I asked for more guacamole and sour cream - just a small cup. I had no issues paying extra, the waitress informed me that they do not do small cups and I would have to purchase the small appetizer for $10.00 if I wanted more guacamole.

So, I am given a poor amount on my plate and when I ask for more you're going to try and get me to purchase the appetizer?!?

This restaurant is far too concerned with appealing to every type of customer instead of the food quality. Bigger menu, more ingredients, more money and less quality control. This restaurant increases the prices on the menu to make up the loss for all the food they are buying just to keep up with the menu. And skimps on what they give people. It's ridiculous.

We spent $60.00 and I can tell you it definitely was not worth it. I can go down the street to Rios and purchase fresh tacos, chips and salsa for under $25.00. I'm not saying Rios is the best Mexican food I've ever had, but it's certainly way better than this place.

This restaurant is taking advantage of people by serving poor quality food, little of it for high prices.

I understand we are in a small town and I am not expecting a five star restaurant. But when a Mexican restaurant cannot make its own chips or tortillas, that really rubs me the wrong way.

Once was enough.

(The only reason it's getting two stars instead of one is because our waitress was...

I decided to embark on a journey to the tip of Michigan to get some new, hopefully wonderful, flavors. Let’s just say I should have kept my expectations low from the start.

My girlfriend and I were seated at a casual booth. The views were authentic with a vibe of not only Mexican, but also Greek. I guess I was correct. The bad part was that they didn’t serve complimentarchips and salsa, so that was a bummer.

I ordered a diet soda and the Flaming Saganaki Cheese for a starter. I wanted a cocktail, but apparently they weren’t serving those. We ordered two dinners to nibble off of and experiment with. We got the Woodfire Burger and the Steak Woodfire Quesadilla. The burger was 1/2lb and I chose medium for the temperature. It was topped with Pork Belly and it was also supposed to be topped with Queso Fresco, but apparently they didn’t have that, either. Wow, this was beginning to be very unprofessional. They topped it with mozzarella cheese instead. It included Homemade Fries. The quesadilla had green and red peppers, onions, and cheese.

The soda was decent and came with free refills. The Saganaki was really good and had a nice crisp to it. They served crunchy bread with it. It didn’t seem to pair well with the cheese at all. I liked the cheese, but the bread was a waste. For $15, I should’ve stayed away from it. The burger was horrible. It tasted generic to say the least. The pork belly was hardly edible. It was infested with fat. The little bit of it I was able to eat, was gross. The fries were alright. They should have been crispier. The steak in the quesadilla was chewy. Once again, the meat was low quality. The rice was half correct and half crispy. I can’t believe they messed up rice.

The service was good at first and declined steadily. We were served our main meals about 45 seconds after we were served our starter. That was super sloppy. That defeated the whole purpose of it. A few minutes after we got our meals, she brought our bill. I get rushed and hovered upon. That made my meal even more unappetizing.

Overall, I shouldn’t have had to eat low quality meat, fat, or felt rushed. I spent about $60, but feel the quality of everything as a whole was about $20. They even gave my wallet a final blow with a Service Charge on the bill. That was petty and uncalled for. I don’t recommend this place at all. If you have anxiety, you definitely should steer far away. My girlfriend does and they could have gave her a panic attack with the rushing and staring when she was just trying to enjoy her dinner.

Date Of...

1st time at this place. And have to say what a disappointment. Mexican food is supposed to be a bit cheaper than any other cuisines out there. Simple to make, fast, and not many ingredients. $75 dollars with tip, for 2 simple entrees and 2 tiny glasses of margaritas. These are glasses are for well drinks or straight up liquor. In all my years of dining to Mexican places, one of My favorites by the way, never had small regular glasses and get charge $12.00 for them. That’s insane. The refried beans were watery, no bean just liquid, at all in them, the rice wasn’t too bad, the food was bland. Not much flavor. But what did it for me was the drink size and cost. Didn’t taste any tequila usually with a good margarita and tequila you would feel something, but not from this, and it was all ice in the cup and yes a cup. Not a real margarita glass that it should be in. Wow it’s shocking and won’t be back. Ethnic place and nothing but disappointment. Too many places out there for less Money, amazing taste, flavor, And way more drink ounces margaritas meaning for the price! Great example is salsa in granger and Mishawaka. Larger glass for 8.00. And you feel the liquor...