Ay Caramba Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Virginia

I've eaten Mexican food all over the country. From Boston, Florida, Seattle, and SoCal, in addition to at my mother's and grandmother's table ( Nayarit, Mexico ). I know good/bad/mediocre Mexican-Mexican, Tex-Mex, and American-Mexican food when I have it. Unfortunately, I have nothing positive to say about the food here. Like many American-Mexican restaurants, the food is drenched with sauces which are meant to add flavor, but in the case of our last two meals ( 2019, and last night Sep 2021 ) - the food lacked any kind of appetizing flavor. My order of steak fajitas didn't taste much like steak and was generously over-compensated with peppers and sauce. My wife, who ordered a quesadilla was also equally disappointed. Unfortunately, this was our second bad experience at this restaurant. I know most people will say " It's good food ", but that only means they don't have a better place to compare it to. I am not comparing Ay Carramba to the foods I have eaten in Mexico, or in Texas, or California. I am only comparing it to foods I've eaten in Richmond and this place.. It is just awful.

In the Chesterfield area, if you want good American-Mexican food, order from El Caporal. The food is far more tasty and it's 2 minutes away from Ay Carramba. If you want really great Tex-Mex, go to Chuy's. If you want great Xicano food, go to La Milpa (Hull st. ) or Tienda El Tio (on Jeff Davis ). Much like it's Bart Simpon's catchphrase - if you want below mediocre, the Ay Carramba is the place to get less...

So I love this place. Started coming here in October last year and it has become my new favorite mexican food spot. I recommend many people/ family to it. Welp today was really disappointing. Caritas were hard like jerky, fish tacos had a foul smell to them. Nobody wanted to eat them because they were sure they were rotten. I bite it, but I surprised it tasted slight sour and like nothing at all. No seasoning, no flavor other than slightly sour fish. I closed it up and prayed for my bowels later. I was also missing 2 tacos from the order. I called told them everything, they offered credit but I want a refund for missing items and credit for the other two tacos orders that weren't edible. I asked to talk to manager however I don't think she understood what I said. She just said yes, yes but no refund yet. 😕 I have never had such a terrible experience with them and I even asked if they have a new cook? She said yes, but again I am not sure she understood. I write this in hopes it gets to the guy manager who is usually there and super nice. Quality fell down the drain today. I am having to throw away 80% of the order, which is crazy to not even get a refund for stuff I didn't even get.

Update- Spent 30mins in the bathroom. Probably spending the rest of the night there. Everyone told not to take that bite but nope, I had to try them. Yes, I lowered the stars and a little pissed at...

I went here with a group and we ate in the Party Room. Nice restaurant, fun atmosphere, server was great. The menu had the usual things you would expect at a Mexican restaurant, just the normal dishes, so I got the vegetarian fajitas. The kitchen messed up my order, did not follow the server's instructions to leave off the dairy products, but the server got me a fresh salad quickly, and did not grumble when I said whoops, I wanted the guacamole too, just made a quick trip back to the kitchen. The food was good, a little on the greasy side, but tasty. Big portions, except for the 2 small flour tortillas that came with my giant plate of beans/fried rice/guacamole salad and the big sizzler plate full of sauteed veggies. I was the only one who was able to finish all my food. I think most of the people I was with enjoyed their food, but I think maybe the person who got the enchilada supreme wasn't too impressed with it. Probably not the place to go if you are looking for any kind of special authentic Mexican cuisine, but when you just want regular Mexican restaurant food, this place has a fun ambience and...