El Tequila Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Waterboro

I was very disappointed my first time visiting this restaurant. As nice as they are to serve you chips and salsa the salsa is literally canned tomatoes blended up. There’s no spice no cilantro nothing just bland, canned tomatoes! I get my meal. The refried beans aren’t refried beans at all. They’re basically canned pinto beans blended up once again with no spice or flavor and then slapped on your plate! I have never ever been to a Mexican restaurant where all the food is bland no flavor, especially Mexican flavor! The Cocktails were good Expensive but good, so perhaps I would go back and just have a cocktail But the food is by far from mediocre. I was honestly disappointed with the lack of creativity in their so-called Mexican food. Reading some of the reviews I see five star obviously people have never had real Mexican food lol! The ambience and the decor is absolutely beautiful, but they really need to step up to the plate with some real food and not just open a can and slap it on your plate. I was really having high hopes for this place when I walked in because it’s so pretty but the food not so much perhaps a good place to meet your friends for a cocktail and a Mexican beer. If you like bland Mexican food then it’s perfect...

It’s mind boggling this place has any 5 star reviews. The service was awful. The chips were stale. When I asked for water with lemon and no ice the server literally rolled his eyes and tried pushing margaritas. My friend got a margayand asked for water. He didn’t ever get his water. A different server brought the drinks and my water didn’t have lemon and had ice. I had to ask for water with no ice again. You can’t order tacos Al a cart, you have to get three that comes with rice and beans. My friend ordered three birria tacos which are priced higher than the other tacos and they didn’t come with rice and beans. That part of the menu was a little misleading. I got the steak and shrimp. It was decent. The taco shell the pico and Guac came in was also stale. The food took a long time to get to us. Nobody ever checked on us to see how our food was. We paid, didn’t tip and came to Sanford to get birria tacos at another restaurant which were less cost and can be ordered Al a cart. I don’t see myself coming back...

This place... I want to love it so bad. Especially, since it's the only Mexican restaurant in Waterboro. And I LOVE Mexican food. But check out my pics... 1 is what the menu shows for their Birria tacos, the other is what I got. Let just put it this way, there is a much better Mexican place a couple towns over where the Birria tacos look like the pic their menu portrays. The tacos as I got them were fine, the sauce tasted good and the meat was well cooked. But I just always come here hoping because they're so close.. but then I leave underwhelmed. Maybe some day. One last note is that for 18.50 my 3 "Birria" tacos had 0 sides. I assumed they would be served with rice and refried beans like most Mexican places do. But nope. Just 3 tacos with meat, cheese, the sauce and onions and cilantro. Poor plate it...