Grab N Go Tacos - Woodforest — Restaurant in Texas

It hurts me greatly to rate a Tex-Mex establishment lowly, so I will explain my rating in depth. The short version of it though is that the food taste is 2 stars, but the presentation of it along with the service quality / quickness adds a star for sure.

I’ve heard nothing but “it’s overpriced, don’t go there” from everyone I know who’s tried Grab N Go so I’ve stayed away from it for a long time but I finally decided to not heed the warnings and try it myself twice in a row in order to form my own opinion on it.

We’ll start with the tortillas.. oh the poor, little flour tortillas. We got a stack of breakfast tacos and the tortillas were so sticky and dough-y that some of the tacos tore apart when just pulling them away from each other (they were bean & cheeses so it wasn’t grease from beef causing this or anything).. and the taste is just not there. I feel like Mission or other grocery store brands somehow have more taste to them.

Moving onto the other ingredients. The chicken and shrimp are great! The marinade they use for the fajita meat is actually wonderful and the dense, savory taste that should be there is absolutely present with a hint of citrus to round it out to a fully achieved, good quality fajita style. The steak was un-cuttable though, and was one of the worst cases of stringy, non-chewable beef I’ve ever encountered. I understand some people love the steak cuts that are almost nothing but stringy & tough with fat so I guess that’s just how it goes at this specific establishment. It’s worth saying that the best taco I had was the “taco al adobo” with fried avocado.

As for the refried beans… how did you guys achieve getting refried pinto beans to taste like water? I don’t get it, there HAS to be some level of lard and salt used to achieve the viscosity required to create refries, but it tastes like this is a powdered mix that was rehydrated or something. The texture doesn’t insinuate that it was rehydrated powder, but the taste is almost straight out of an MRE it’s so bland.

The sauces are similarly bland. There’s literally no spice, hot or otherwise in the roja and both that and the verde sauce were pretty watered down. They may as well be like pouring tasteless tomato or avocado mixed with water onto your taco.

Nothing to say about the other ingredients other than the guacamole being completely bland and forgettable. Definitely don’t pay extra to get it added or anything, it’s one of those guacamoles that you’ll try, then frown and think “was this canned or something?”.

Onto the presentation, which is what bumps the rating of this place up! Regardless of all the ingredients (aside from the fajita meats) tasting like they’ve been flown in from New York City, the workers here know how to make them LOOK amazing! When you get a tray of their tacos from the main lineup, they give Torchy’s a run for their money with making them look phenomenally prepared- it’s just SUCH a shame that 80% of the ingredients taste like water.

The taste is probably juuuuuuuuuust enough to make someone from the midwest or other regions of the world who have only ever had their local renditions of Tex-Mex before go “hmm, this is kinda good!”. But for anyone whose an in-state Tex-Mex connoisseur (or for anyone who’s even been to the city of San Antonio before), you’re going to cry tears of disappointment after taking your first bite of these tacos and none of their sauces will help the situation.

I didn’t even touch on price because for under $4, the main taco sizes really aren’t that big of a problem compared to most other places anymore. But, the breakfast tacos like bean & cheeses being over $2 is an absolute crime for the size offered and the taste present.

I don’t know what’s going on with this place being able to stay open. There must be juuust enough rich out-of-staters moving into the area mixed with others who absolutely despise any spice in their food around to...

Update to my original review:

I received a reply by "the owner," to whom I direct my reply.

You are quoted as saying "To be clear, you were kept waiting only because your order was still being prepared in the kitchen." You were not present to have made this assertions. Several staff members collaborated to concoct this version as it benefits them.

These are the facts: I observed the final dish to my order, waiting on the counter. The distance from the cashier to the ready counter is within 6 feet. I could have walked there and taken my order. I did not do so, as it would have been trespassing. I know my order was ready. Yet had to wait while the cashier took two other orders.

I complained because my order was ready. It was waiting. Secondly, let me pose this question to you: Why did the cashier become so angry, so belligerent, and so emotional, while demanding that I never return to the restaurant? After-all, my complaint was a justified one: first come, first served. I standby that forever, as the American way to do business.

But as she emphatically and unequivocally expressed, after I spent $80 in orders, "Do not come back!" I only wanted my order, which I could have walked back and collected. It would have taken her but a moment. All of my orders were 100% ready.

Before you believe your staff's fabricated stories, and conclude that the customer is a liar, check the facts.

Original Review

So the reason for my negative review is because I was kept waiting. I purchased $80 in food for construction workers. As I waited and was in a hurry to pick up the last part of the order, the cashier served other people and ignored my order.

NOTE: My main complain is: My order was 100% ready and was on the counter between the cashier and kitchen, two steps away. Others were served while I waited. Then, I complained.

I told her that first come first served. I was there first before the other people placing orders, and my food was READY (100% of all my orders). She became completely belligerent.

She spat words at me. She would not acknowledge that I spent a lot of money and expected the service, because my order was ready and was waiting on the counter. I was their first. My orders were READY, but she ignored the food. She took two new orders while I waited, until I complained.

She had her back to my orders, just a turn of her head would have shown her that my orders were sitting there.

Principles of business are principles. Customer service is one of the most important principles. Unfortunately the whole experience was terrible because of her response to my comment.

I was there first, and my order was ready. She ignored me while she served others. When I complained, she told me that she had other things to do and other people were more important.

When I told her I would never go there again, she replied , "Do not ever come back." A dreadful experience to be treated in such a dreadful manner from someone who just doesn't acknowledge that the person who's there first should have been served when the...

We ate here 2 weeks ago. After getting our food in a basket placed on our table and asking for salsa and a plate, we didn't get either and I went to the front and asked for both. The plate I was handed at the serving counter was dirty so I asked for another, the gentlemen reached for another and scrapped dry food off the plate with his thumbnail as he handed to me. He quipped at me "well are you expecting me to go through this whole stack to find a clean one". I was speechless to say the least.

I came home and dropped a review of what happened on the Grab and Go franchise/Woodforest location website and provided both my email address and phone number giving them the opportunity reach out to me, nothing to date.

It's so good to see new restaurants open here in Woodforest and we are happy to patronize them, we are beyond disappointed with this one, I have never had anything like this...