Emilio's Contemporary Mexican Kitchen — Restaurant in Spring Valley

This restaurant used to be one of our favorite spots for everything from casual dinners to special celebrations. Since they opened Emilio’s, we’ve supported it wholeheartedly, recommending it to friends, family, and even out of town clients. My husband and I both work in hospitality, so when we find a place we genuinely love, we go out of our way to promote it.

Unfortunately, I’m rewriting my previous positive review due to a disappointing experience involving one of the co owners, Michael Santos.

As we arrived and parked in a designated handicapped space (with our valid placard), Mr. Santos pulled up behind us and asked if we could leave the spot for him, explaining that he needed to unload a wheelchair. As I turned to communicate his request to my husband, Mr. Santos drove off abruptly before we could respond. He parked farther away, despite another open handicapped space being directly next to ours, and got out of his car visibly frustrated, looking straight to where we were as if trying to make a point.

The interaction felt unsettling and left us wondering why he assumed he was more entitled to that particular spot than we were. What made the situation more disheartening was the fact that this behavior came from someone whose businesses (Saint Honore and Three Little Chicks) we have supported for years. Not only have we been loyal customers, but we’ve also referred many others, both personally and professionally.

This incident was especially unfortunate given Mr. Santos’s background in Human Resources Management, a field that emphasizes empathy, professionalism, and respectful interpersonal communication.

Sadly, we no longer feel comfortable returning or recommending these restaurants. Loyalty and respect go hand in hand, and this experience made it clear that those values may not be consistently upheld by the people behind the business.

It’s also clear that social media can be deceiving, showing an image that doesn’t reflect how customers are actually treated. While our server during this last visit was fantastic, we still waited over an hour for our food. Finally, I’ll let the photo I’m attaching...

Don’t let the price range turn you away!! Although there were a few items in the $30-$50 range, there are lots of other dishes to choose from. Everything we got was a-la-carté, so keep that in mind.

Emilio’s is a small restaurant and shares ownership and a kitchen with Sorelina, next door. The music was a bit more classic as Stevie Wonder was playing as we entered.

The specialty drinks were great! Not too sweet or strong, but still refreshing. I recommend the El Chulito. Tropical, but not too sweet.

Chips and salsa were brought to our table for something to snack on while you wait for your order. Salsa wasn’t too spicy, a little bit on the thinner side, but delicious. The chips were nice and fresh, too!

We ordered the Carnitas tacos as they were a favorite on the menu. The mango salsa was fantastic. Wish it came with more than two.

Unfortunately they didn’t have the Luca’s quesadilla, but we got the traditional quesadilla and added carne asada. It was nice and fluffy. Not quite the cheese pull that you would expect, but still tasty.

The clinantro lime rice felt a bit lacking, but was a nice touch to the a-la-carté tacos and quesadilla.

The Horchata Tres Leches was the show-stealer! It was absolutely fantastic. Nice and moist and the horchata made it all the more better.

Dennio was an amazing server. Just the right amount of follow up, knowledge, and customer service we were hoping for.

We’ll...

I visited Emilio’s for the first (and likely last) time yesterday, and unfortunately, it didn’t live up to the excitement I had built up. I drove in from Phoenix and made this one of my first stops, but I left feeling disappointed.

Although the restaurant was nearly empty, seating my party of five felt a bit disorganized. They eventually pushed tables together, only for us to notice the floor was noticeably dirty — not a great first impression.

We had two kids with us and asked twice for kids’ menus, only to find out the printer wasn’t working. Thankfully, one of the waiters kindly offered to walk us through the options, that gesture was appreciated and honestly one of the few highlights.

The food took a surprisingly long time to arrive despite the restaurant not being busy. The staff seemed inexperienced and unsure of how to handle basic questions or situations.

We requested a michelada and were told it didn’t align with the restaurant’s “contemporary” theme which felt odd considering they serve pan dulce and churros, which aren't exactly contemporary either. The food was overpriced for the portion sizes, and overall, the flavors didn’t reflect the authenticity or uniqueness of CDMX/México cuisine.

In the end, Emilio’s felt more like a generic upscale Mexican spot trying too hard, without delivering the essence or quality that makes places like this worth the splurge. Sadly, I wouldn’t...