Pedro's Tacos & Tequila Bar (Tallahassee) — Restaurant in Tallahassee

Have been waiting for the grand opening after what seemed like ages. Well the wait was finally over.

We have a surplus of Mexican restaurants in town and with the marketing hype, I was expecting to be let down, surprisingly, I was not.

The amount of food was unexpected. I got the Pedro's Plate (Plato Pedro's) and it came out on two full plates, three items on each, needless to say, I have two items for lunch tomorrow.

The beef taco was ok, but I don't recommend beef in a soft taco, it was extremely packed and with the amount of meat, it was hard to keep it together.

The beef tostada was overflowing so much, it became a taco salad. Kudos for not skimping on the meat however, it's hard to eat a tostada when it's falling apart. Not entirely bad, but it was loaded beyond its weight limit.

The chile relleno was spot on, good size and ratio of cheese. I'm glad I ate that second as I wouldn't have had room for it. The red sauce was a bit heavy on the tomatoes, but still tasty.

The beef flauta was enjoyable, as with the other items, it was packed, fried well (not over or under) and not greasy.

I did not get to the beef enchilada nor burrito, that's for lunch tomorrow however, they continue with the general theme of lots of ingredients.

I can say that none of the food was what I would consider spicy or pungent, but it wasn't bland. I'm sure I could have asked for it "not Americanized" though I wanted it as they serve.

The staff is wonderful, though this is their opening week and was starting to get busy, it did take a bit to not only get our food, but the check as well. We did have a party of five, so I would say it's still a bit faster than you'd see at most places considering the circumstances.

The managers are highly approachable, very professional and yet down to earth. Our waitress did seem a bit concerned when we asked if we could speak to the manager, had to reassure her it was only good (again opening week) as we just wanted to give our compliments.

The atmosphere had a good upbeat vibe to it, the decor is swanky without being too posh, definitely has that new restaurant feel to it. The seating arrangement didn't seem too cramped nor too spaced out, didn't have to worry about bumping chairs with the tables near us.

The highlight of the dining experience was the live Mariachi band, composed of local college students if I'm not mistaken. While it does seem rather cliche to have a Mariachi band, they were pretty legitimate, they played some of the must play songs by the iconic Vicente Fernandez.

While this may not be an every night out restaurant for us, I can surely see us being...

Good Food & a Great Atmosphere

Food:

Appetizer: We got the beef empanadas with the queso cheese dip & papillon sauce. Every liked the empanadas. It was good but not great.

Main Plates: The food my family ate was really good food. We pretty much liked everything we got. I had the seafood enchiladas which came with a side of red beans & yellow rice. It was a nice sized plate of food. I wasn't blown away by the flavors but it was a good plate of food that satisfied me. My daughters had the chicken & pork enchiladas and they both looked liked they had to eat.

The one food item we all found lack luster were the tortilla chips & dip they bring to your table for free when you sit down, which is great. The tortilla chips were warm, which we liked, but they had a bland taste. They definitely need to add some original Mexican spice seasoning to the chips that would set this restaurant apart. The salsa dip was okay, nothing special.

Drinks: I was the only one drinking alcohol and so I got a medium size margarita that was massive. I didn't know it was going to be that huge. I couldn't even finish my drink it was so large. My margherita tasted good & I could taste the liquor so no complaints there either.

Service: the wait staff was fine. We didn't have to wait on anything & they checked on the table at good intervals. This was Holloween weekend so the staff wore costumes which made for a fun atmosphere. No issues here.

Price: I loved the prices of food at this restaurant. Everything was reasonably priced and four people ate with an appetizer. Good spot to take a family out to eat that's better than fast food but not that costly.

Ambiance: the restaurant is beautiful inside. It looks brand new so I think it's recently opened. The design & decor is definitely a lil upscale & modern with a Mexican theme. We all liked what we saw inside.

All things considered, I'd definitely go back to this spot again for a meal. It also looks like a great place to meet for drinks during happy hour or go grab a good lunch. Definitely go try...

All in all not a bad experience, but I had hoped for so much more. We have another latin food chain here with half a dozen or more locations... and I just wanted an improved enlightened experience.

I've dined here twice now, and had similar experiences. The service was acceptable but not perfect, especially today when I waited for a group of about six, gathered around the host station, to finish chatting to take my order.

I had the chimichanga and chile con carne the first time. Good flavor, but not unlike other chains. Today, I had fish tacos (pictured). I prefer a bigger tortilla, and it was impossible to eat these without a third of the filling on the plate (or your shirt if not careful). Flavor was good though, just moderate execution. The soup was supposedly chicken tortilla but it was super bland and flavorless. Not a single piece of chichen in it, so I think it should be called chicken broth soup.

The salsa that comes with chips, soon after you are seated was the highlight. The little carafe of salsa was enough to fill my bowl three times, without asking for more. Best of all it was thick, rich, flavorful and way better than the watery stuff you get elsewhere. Kudos!

For a new place it could be cleaner. The floors were crazy dirty, both times. Clumps of dirty boot prints, all over. Maybe they get a lot of labor workers at lunch, who don't knock the dirty off their boots. Literal trails of muddy prints, everywhere. The men's bathroom was filthy the first time and stunk of sewer. Today it was cleaner, but the grout person and painter must have been drunk. The plaster and paint in there look horrid.

Summary: acceptable but...