Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Why Do I Continue To Patronize Crap 'Mexican' Restaurants Around The World?
I love Mexican food. In fact, I love it so much that I keep getting suckered into eating at "Mexican" restaurants with about as many Mexicans as there are Peugeot dealerships in Alabama. I've patronized "Mexican" restaurants in places like Newfoundland, Big Fork, Montana, Budapest and Macedonia in order to have a break from the monotony of the local cuisine and because I love Mexican food. But my experiences have ranged from appalling to mediocre.Yet somehow I never learn my lesson and yesterday I found myself having lunch at Picasso, a Mexican restaurant on the Greek island of Naxos that claims to cook "extraordinary Mexican food." After nearly a month in Greece, eating out at Greek places almost every day, I practically have skewers of souvlaki growing out of my ears, so when I read in the Lonely Planet Guide to the Greek Islands that this place had "world class" Mexican food, I wanted very much to believe it.
The place also has rave reviews on Trip Advisor, though in fairness, most of those folks are European and, let's face it, most Europeans wouldn't know a good burrito if it smacked them in the face. Folks, we're talking about a "Mexican" restaurant that plays flamenco music, is named after a Spanish painter and is owned by a Greek guy. I should have known better.
We started out with a plate of chips and salsa, which cost the equivalent of $5.35, or about what I'm used to paying for a burrito at home in a hole-in-the-wall type place. Chips and salsa should be free, but if you're going to charge for it, it had better be damn good and this wasn't – it was just a big blob of massive chunks of tomato with some other stuff thrown in.
My wife and I both ordered enchiladas and the first thing I noticed when it arrived was that there were no enchiladas; there was just an enchilada, as in one, which looked suspiciously like a burrito. It had no sauce on top, but rather just some hunks of tomato inside the thing. It was completely dry and flavorless, and cost the equivalent of $15. It came with a tiny side of rice and beans that was actually a pile of rice with about six or seven lonely little black beans sprinkled inside.
But as aggressively mediocre as that experience was, it wasn't my worst Mexican meal ever – not by a long shot. In fact, I've been to at least three other "Mexican" restaurants around the world that were significantly worse. Once, my wife and I convinced ourselves that we should try a "Mexican" restaurant in St. John's, Newfoundland, one of the whitest, least Mexican places on earth, based on the strength of a magazine article posted outside the place.
The place had been named the best Mexican restaurant in Newfoundland by a local magazine, but we later found out that it was also the only Mexican restaurant in Newfoundland, which, at least in my eyes, diminished the stature of the award just a touch. We had to explain to the waitress, who, in fairness to her, said it was her first day on the job, what the difference between nachos and chips and salsa was.
After about an hour wait, she brought us a couple of burritos that looked like someone had vomited on them, and for all we know, perhaps someone had (likely another diner).
We lived in Macedonia for two years, about a decade ago, and there was a sad little "Mexican" restaurant in a strip mall in the Kapistec neighborhood that served Doritos and had no real tortillas or anything else resembling "Mexican" food. I'm quite certain we were the only patrons they ever had and we only went there occasionally just to have a laugh.
But if I had to give an award for worst Mexican restaurant it would go to a place I was almost thrown out of a couple years ago – an all-gringo "Mexican" place in Big Fork, Montana, near Glacier National Park. I ordered an enchilada-style burrito with red sauce on it for takeaway and it was easily the most revolting dish I've ever seen in my life.
It was absolutely swimming in a nasty ketchup-like red sauce, and even after I drained the Styrofoam container into the toilet, the tortilla itself was disgustingly wet and soggy. The chicken was grisly, dark meat and after two bites, I just couldn't do it. I brought it back, more just to let them know how bad it was than to secure a refund, but when the young lady gently insisted I try something else, I acquiesced.
I sat and waited a half hour for them to make me some fajitas and then when they were ready, the young lady wanted to charge me for both the burrito and the fajitas, albeit with a 50 percent discount on the burrito. I took one look at the dodgy looking fajitas and told her no thanks, and then the owner came out and berated me.
"We've been in business for seven years and you're only the third person that's sent a dish back," he yelled. "Now if you don't like our food you can just get the hell out of here!"
And he was serious too! I left a negative review for the restaurant on Trip Advisor, and the owner sent me a private message stating that he was "sorry, very sorry." It was an interesting approach to customer service, to say the least.
Now, at this point, you're probably thinking I'm a hardcore foodie snob, who only likes the very best, most authentic Mexican food. I'm actually not that picky; in fact, I love eating out in Mexico, but I also like the chain burrito joints like Baja Fresh, Chipotle and so on.
After this latest Mexican food debacle in Greece, I have a new rule of thumb: if you're looking for good Mexican food, take a look around. Are there any Mexican people within a 100-mile radius? No? Well then, why they hell are you eating in a "Mexican" restaurant? There are some non-Mexicans capable of making great Mexican food and there are some Mexicans who can't cook to save their lives, but from now on, I'll stick to the local cuisine wherever I am – no matter how tiresome it may be.
UPDATE 6/21: Today I passed a "Mexican" restaurant in Santorini called Senor Zorbas, which advertised All You Can Eat BBQ Ribs. And I didn't even stop, except to take this photo. Now that's progress.
We started out with a plate of chips and salsa, which cost the equivalent of $5.35, or about what I'm used to paying for a burrito at home in a hole-in-the-wall type place. Chips and salsa should be free, but if you're going to charge for it, it had better be damn good and this wasn't – it was just a big blob of massive chunks of tomato with some other stuff thrown in.
My wife and I both ordered enchiladas and the first thing I noticed when it arrived was that there were no enchiladas; there was just an enchilada, as in one, which looked suspiciously like a burrito. It had no sauce on top, but rather just some hunks of tomato inside the thing. It was completely dry and flavorless, and cost the equivalent of $15. It came with a tiny side of rice and beans that was actually a pile of rice with about six or seven lonely little black beans sprinkled inside.
But as aggressively mediocre as that experience was, it wasn't my worst Mexican meal ever – not by a long shot. In fact, I've been to at least three other "Mexican" restaurants around the world that were significantly worse. Once, my wife and I convinced ourselves that we should try a "Mexican" restaurant in St. John's, Newfoundland, one of the whitest, least Mexican places on earth, based on the strength of a magazine article posted outside the place.
The place had been named the best Mexican restaurant in Newfoundland by a local magazine, but we later found out that it was also the only Mexican restaurant in Newfoundland, which, at least in my eyes, diminished the stature of the award just a touch. We had to explain to the waitress, who, in fairness to her, said it was her first day on the job, what the difference between nachos and chips and salsa was.
After about an hour wait, she brought us a couple of burritos that looked like someone had vomited on them, and for all we know, perhaps someone had (likely another diner).
We lived in Macedonia for two years, about a decade ago, and there was a sad little "Mexican" restaurant in a strip mall in the Kapistec neighborhood that served Doritos and had no real tortillas or anything else resembling "Mexican" food. I'm quite certain we were the only patrons they ever had and we only went there occasionally just to have a laugh.
But if I had to give an award for worst Mexican restaurant it would go to a place I was almost thrown out of a couple years ago – an all-gringo "Mexican" place in Big Fork, Montana, near Glacier National Park. I ordered an enchilada-style burrito with red sauce on it for takeaway and it was easily the most revolting dish I've ever seen in my life.
It was absolutely swimming in a nasty ketchup-like red sauce, and even after I drained the Styrofoam container into the toilet, the tortilla itself was disgustingly wet and soggy. The chicken was grisly, dark meat and after two bites, I just couldn't do it. I brought it back, more just to let them know how bad it was than to secure a refund, but when the young lady gently insisted I try something else, I acquiesced.
I sat and waited a half hour for them to make me some fajitas and then when they were ready, the young lady wanted to charge me for both the burrito and the fajitas, albeit with a 50 percent discount on the burrito. I took one look at the dodgy looking fajitas and told her no thanks, and then the owner came out and berated me.
"We've been in business for seven years and you're only the third person that's sent a dish back," he yelled. "Now if you don't like our food you can just get the hell out of here!"
And he was serious too! I left a negative review for the restaurant on Trip Advisor, and the owner sent me a private message stating that he was "sorry, very sorry." It was an interesting approach to customer service, to say the least.
Now, at this point, you're probably thinking I'm a hardcore foodie snob, who only likes the very best, most authentic Mexican food. I'm actually not that picky; in fact, I love eating out in Mexico, but I also like the chain burrito joints like Baja Fresh, Chipotle and so on.
After this latest Mexican food debacle in Greece, I have a new rule of thumb: if you're looking for good Mexican food, take a look around. Are there any Mexican people within a 100-mile radius? No? Well then, why they hell are you eating in a "Mexican" restaurant? There are some non-Mexicans capable of making great Mexican food and there are some Mexicans who can't cook to save their lives, but from now on, I'll stick to the local cuisine wherever I am – no matter how tiresome it may be.
UPDATE 6/21: Today I passed a "Mexican" restaurant in Santorini called Senor Zorbas, which advertised All You Can Eat BBQ Ribs. And I didn't even stop, except to take this photo. Now that's progress. Filed under: Food and Drink, Europe, North America, United States
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
David Jun 19th 2012 12:14PM
Your experiences with regards to Mexican are no different than any other ethnic food being peddled outside where they normally would be found. I had the displeasure of trying Mexican while living in Japan. It was mediocre at best yet the locals wouldn't have known different. How could they! Likewise when it comes to decent Asian fare in the States. Scattered across the fruited plain I've had my fair share of so-called Japanese restaurants being helmed by people with as much Japanese cooking flair as yours truly knows how to pilot a 747. Which is to say "NONE". Which only serves to remind me of what I read a long time ago that when someone from overseas comes to a foreign land, even without the requisite skills or experience, they're assumed to know what they're dishing out. And usually they're given a pass by everyone else because the "receiving" public is ignorant of the difference. Rule of thumb... observe any restaurant, regardless if it's German, Basque, Indian, Chinese, etc., and if you see plenty of those nationalities eating at that place then it's a safe bet it's as close to authentic as it gets. Equally important is notice if they get any significant traffic. If it's usually quiet or nobody appears to be home then there is an unspoken reason there to avoid it.
Patrick Jun 21st 2012 9:00AM
I enjoyed yor article about "Mexican" food around the globe! I guess I am always an optimist and always hoping for a great find in an unlikely place! I grew up in South Texas, so I'm always looking for that elusive Mexican food when I travel. Despite my better judgement of eating the great local cuisine, I too will take a chance and face the disappointment! I was living in Tokyo 5 years ago on "Cinco de Mayo" I decided to give some "Mexican food" a go! They had a couple restaurants of the California-based chain, El Torito, in Tokyo and I gave it a try. As soon as the plate was delivered I wished I had just sought out some simple wonderful Ramen or Sushi, for less than half the price. Did the same thing while living in Shanghai! Tried a place called "California Kitchen" for a burrito. Just as mediocre as expected and only visited once. The cravings will always come, but I know it will always arrive with huge helpings of disappointment in my global travels when I try for some Mexican food, when I am so far away from Mexico! Looking forward to my next visit to Texas!
Jude Kinney Jun 20th 2012 2:21PM
I lived in southwestern France in 1988-89. Desperate for burritos, my husband and I occasionally ate at the only "Mexican" restaurant in town -- Le San Francisco Tex Mex. No need to describe the fare.
James Jun 19th 2012 4:48PM
I can sure relate to your experience, and have also learned to ignore my tendency to salivate at the mere sight of a "mexican food" sign. Usually I am hankering for Tex-Mex and will be cautious outside of south Texas where it originated. Even other parts of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona have different takes. What I have had in California approaches the worst I have had in Europe. That would have been in London, something containing the ubiquitous overcooked english peas. Of course, interior Mexico has all types of cuisines, and all are wonderful. Recently in Spain it occurred to me that their bland food could be improved by importing from their former colonies.
Anyway, salivating over my own visions of Mexican food in my head will remain there until I return home.
Holly Jun 19th 2012 10:47PM
So true about the variations in Mexican food. I've eaten all around the country and in the Mexican interior. Mexican interior food was so good--- Real beef burritos, not hamburger, just dripping with the tastiest au jus, the best tasting pollo asado I've ever had--- cooked and bought in the outside marketplace, and giant cast iron pots filled with oil that strips of meat were thrown into to make the best chicharonnes. Outside of the SW, Mexican food is mediocre at best and a version of Tex-Mex. California Mexican is pretty pathetic. Tex-Mex tends to be a heavier cusine and uses red chile sauce. Since I moved to New Mexico, I've been in heaven. Green chiles rule but we do have the red sauce too. A common question when you place your order is, Red or Green? Although, some people like Christmas which is both. New Mexican tends to be lighter than Tex-Mex. Another thing we have out here are Indian tacos, which are made of delicious Native American fry bread wrapped around traditional taco fillings. My son when stationed at the Navy Submarine base in Connecticut was having withdrawal symptoms. The only "Mexican" restaraunt within miles was a Taco Bell, where no lover of Mexican food would ever step foot. I helped him survive by sending lots of salsa from his favorite home eatery. When he came home on leave, he was like an addict who hadn't had a fix. He was insisted on going out to get New Mexican every night. You couldn't get him to go to any other kind of restaurant because it would be a long time before he got the good stuff again. lol
James Jun 19th 2012 10:50PM
I hear ya Holly. Many people aren't even aware of New Mexican red/green chile cuisine. It is pretty unique to the state, but the word is slowly getting out.
Cassie Jun 19th 2012 4:16PM
Oddly enough, one of the best Mexican restaurants I have ever been to, and I have been to a few, was a little hole-in-the-wall establishment I stumbled upon quite by accident in, of all places, Des Moines, Iowa. We were the only gringos there, the waitress barely spoke English, and the food was delicious.
James Jun 19th 2012 4:50PM
I can sure relate to your experience, and have also learned to ignore my tendency to salivate at the mere sight of a "mexican food" sign. Usually I am hankering for Tex-Mex and will be cautious outside of south Texas where it originated. Even other parts of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona have different takes. What I have had in California approaches the worst I have had in Europe. That would have been in London, something containing the ubiquitous overcooked english peas. Of course, interior Mexico has all types of cuisines, and all are wonderful. Recently in Spain it occurred to me that their bland food could be improved by importing from their former colonies.
Anyway, salivating over my own visions of Mexican food, especially Tex Mex, in my head will remain there until I return home.
rusthound Jun 19th 2012 4:20PM
Oddly enough, one of the best Mexican restaurants I have ever been to,
and I have been to a few, was a little hole-in-the-wall establishment
I stumbled upon quite by accident in, of all places, Des Moines, Iowa.
We were the only gringos there, the waitress barely spoke English,
and the food was delicious.
DORFMONT Jun 19th 2012 5:26PM
The worst Mexican food I ever had now that I think about and have recovered from the illness, was at El Torito Grill. That's El Torito Grill, not El Torito. I ordered my usual cheese enchilada, taco and rice and beans. The beans looked like they should have been flushed down the toilet and tasted as bad too. The rice tasted moldy. The enchilada was dry and the taco had something in it that felt rubbery and turned out to be the cheese I told them to leave out. Fortunately I got home before I lost it. Their receipt gave me a website to evaluate my experience. I did. I have never heard from them about it. My first experience at El Torito Grill wasn't good either. I should have realized there was a reason that I hadn't been back in almost 20 years.
I thought for a while that the Mexican food I had in Atlanta would be the worst only El Torito Grill topped it. You can't fault a hard prefab taco shell filled with sloppy Joe mix, red beans and rice, and a hush puppy. it was good for what it was - southern food.
Kim Jul 2nd 2012 12:16PM
Where in Atlanta was it? I live right outside Atlanta. That sounds horrid! Sorry you got served a hush puppy--I've never gotten a hush puppy with anything but fish! Actually the best Mexican I've had in the States (validated by my daughter's boyfriend, who is from Texas and IS Mexican) is right around the corner from me. Owned by the nicest Hispanic family and always has Telemundo or Univision on the TVs in the corner. :o) He says it's the best he's had besides his Grandma's.
Gus Jun 19th 2012 8:10PM
Peppers; Centre Street, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
Jim Jun 19th 2012 10:48PM
I can identify with this, although I must say to my surprise there is an excellent Mexican restaurant in Berlin. We almost didn't bother, but a sign outside was explicit that it was not Tex-Mex. Now, I love Tex-Mex, but I assume if they are going to go to the trouble to be that specific, it was probably legit. I was not disappointed. Had an excellent meal and enjoyed talking to the owner about how she managed to make tomatillo salsa, as we hadn't managed to find them in Germany.
So yeah, don't give up, just maybe be very skeptical. :)
Megan Jun 19th 2012 10:50PM
My husband's Mexican, and we live in the Midwest. Lots if mexican joints here, but he doesn't care for any of them. Best Mexican food he's had in the States: Merry Piglets in Jackson Hole and La Cucaracha in Honolulu. Maybe he just has bad taste in food.
Charles Jun 20th 2012 1:41AM
I have had bad Mexican Food in the Southwest, in Texas, in London, and even in Mexico.
However, I have found a little preparation can make dull Mexican taste better.
Even though purists may condemn it, Pace Picante Sauce will help with all Mexican Food, particularly if in a place that does not seem to understand what "fire" is. And Cheese will help a lot of times. Even Feta will work on a Burrito or Enchilada that is subpar.
Remember the Sauce that usually covers Mexican Food was invented by the Campesinos and Charros that only had Dried Beef and Flour Tortillas, to mask the taste of "old food" they would use the spicy Salsa.
Brent Jun 20th 2012 1:43AM
I've been in Korea for the past 9 months and haven't found a single Mexican joint anywhere (outside of Taco Bell on post... but that obviously doesn't count).
Dave seminara Jun 20th 2012 1:47AM
You've got taco bell? Can you send some to Greece? My brother asked me if I'd go out for Greek in Mexico. Good point!
luis Jun 23rd 2012 8:35AM
The next time try Subway
Gourmand Jun 24th 2012 2:05AM
Mexican food? OMG... And there are people who actually like it--who actually pay for it and eat it?!? Must be white folks from America.
To me there's no such thing as Mexican "cuisine," right next to British "cuisine," or rather, its non-existence. I would never--NEVER--subject my mouth, my tastebud, or my stomach and my digestive system, nor those of my loved ones, if I can help it, to this ... this ... yuck! Sorry. But at least I can eat the food, or some of it, regardless of my dislike and displeasure. And our larger-than-G20 group just came back from Cabos (didn't bump into anybody from the G20 crowd, who must've been busy working on the world's econ); we took turn being chefs and cooks in our beach-front villa, using our own herbs/condiments we brought along...
Indian food--OMG--is another thing altogether.
viclas696 Jun 24th 2012 1:21PM
I was sympathizing with this guy right up to this thoroughly butcherd paragraph:
"
But as aggressively mediocre as that experience was, it wasn't my worst Mexican meal ever – not by a long shot. In fact, I've been to at least three other "Mexican" restaurants around the world that were significantly worse. Once, my wife and I convinced ourselves that we should try a "Mexican" restaurant in St. John's, Newfoundland, one of the whitest, least Mexican places on earth, based on the strength of a magazine article posted outside the place.
How about this Mr. Seminara,
But as aggressively mediocre as that experience was, it wasn't my worst Mexican meal ever – not by a long shot. In fact, I've been to at least three other "Mexican" restaurants around the world that were significantly worse. Once, my wife and I convinced ourselves, based on the strength of a magazine article posted outside the place, that we should try a "Mexican" restaurant in St. John's, Newfoundland, one of the whitest, least Mexican places on earth.