Gringo's Mexican Kitchen {Spring} — Restaurant in Spring

We waited 45 minutes to be seated last night. When we were shown to our table, we thought it was strange that there were 4 open tables all around us while people were still waiting to be seated. We ordered a couple of drinks and an appetizer, all of which took a long time to come out. However, I was a Saltgrass server for 3 years, and I'm always extremely understanding when it comes to restaurants being busy. After we finished our appetizer, we waited about 25 additional minutes before asking our waitress where our food was. After another 10 minutes or so, the manager came to our table and apologized for the delay. He explained that the kitchen simply couldn't keep up with the food orders and said they even had to stop sitting additional tables, in an effort to allow the kitchen to catch up. Again, we were still understanding and waited another 15 minutes or so for our food. At that point, we kindly asked that our food be changed to a to go order. Once the food came out, we realized from the moment we sat down to the moment we actually got our food was almost 1 1/2 hours. When the bill came, I was certain we would not be paying full price for this meal since we didn't even get to eat it at the restaurant. However, the waitress gave us a full price bill, even charging for the sides of pablano sauce we asked for. I kindly handed it back to her and asked to speak to the manager again. After 10-15 minutes of more waiting, he came over and apologized for us having to wait so long for him to come over. He had been speaking to a couple of ladies across the restaurant who were upset as well. He took off the total cost of our bill, expect for our 2 bar drinks. Again, I completely understand having a bad busy night. I was aggravated that we had spent so much time there, & still hadn't eaten (even though it was after 9:00pm & we were super hungry). I still wasn't going to leave this review until what happened today (the next morning). We heated up the to go containers, sat down to eat, and my bf's burrito HAD ZERO MEAT IN IT, not one piece of meat. Anyone who has ever sat down to eat, stomach growling, and realized that your food is completely wrong, knows the feeling we just felt. We've been to this Gringos at least 15-20 times, and we've noticed it going downhill. Last night proved that corporate needs to take a serious look at how...

A couple of times a year I get to treat the family to this place where they eat enchiladas that are smothered in melted cheese. I do not like Gringo's at all as I think the food tastes very bad. I can tell that the line cooks back in that kitchen NEVER TASTE the product they are putting out, it's bad. This place is a fast food restaurant that pretends to be something else more upscale, but it's the worst Mexican food, or Tex-Mex, I have ever eaten anywhere. And I have had the pleasure of eating that awful food for about 15 years. I have never had a HOT meal or even a warm plate served to me at any of the Gringo's locations. While the service is good it takes forever for your order of batch prepped food to get ladled out on a plate and brought to your table semi warm. The last time I enjoyed a meal at Gringo's was 17 years ago, in Pearland. For the money you are going to waste here, take it somewhere else where the food is at least decent, like Pappasita's.

I had the Ribeye Street Tacos for $16. What I got were three double wrapped corn tortillas stuffed with raw, harsh, common onions that had a few crumbs of some kind of meat in them. I don't know what kind of meat it was as all I could taste was super strong onion flavor. I like onions, but I sure don't like raw onion tacos that cost $16.

Unfortunately, I will have to go back to Gringo's in the future unless I can talk everyone into going to Guadalajara, or Pappasito's or Romero's or the Blue Agave or Silvia's or anywhere else except Ninfa's.

After all, I'm the one...

So. Hubby got a coupon for buy one get one burgers in his email today. How about we go out? Well, it's a down day in my six month long cold/flu/allergy ick; sure, let's go out. Well. After I make him detour to drop off our taxes and then let him progress to Harbour Freight (store of many wonders), he realizes he doesn't want to fight rush hour traffic to get up to the burger joint in the Woodlands. He settles on Gringos, which is on the way back to our next errand. This was a win (if not five the cost of the previously offered BOGO). The entire staff met or exceeded standards. The big guy who welcomed us was warm and kind. Our server Monica was perfectly attentive. Two other servers were helpful, including Pilar. The random manager on duty also stopped by. All good. We ordered the shrimp empanadas for an appetizer, and since we made happy hour, also a margarita- the cadillac. Yum, I could smell the tequila the moment it came to the table. Since, Hubby likes sugar, and I like the salt, they even made the rim half and half. Nice. Then he ordered the fajita bowl, and I ordered the Monty Rey. My description said- heaped with sauted onions and cheeses- SOLD. Well, not so much. It wasn't heaping. It was topped. That was my only disappointmnet. I would have loved heaping. I asked for no sour cream and received double guac- awesome. Hubby scarfed his down with no comment, so must have been pretty good. Nice stop on an icky, rainy day. ...