Mojave

What a sorry excuse for a restaurant & bar. Came in for happy hour drinks and a shareable app and everything was below average. Horrible watered down sangria and store bought guac & chips. There’s nothing authentic about this establishment and I hope people read this review and don’t waste their time nor money here. The other reviews seem to be misleading so I hope this can help you if you’re on the fence of going to Mojave.

Ah this the perfect place to go for brunch! The drinks are delicious. The frozen margarita/​sangria is a must. The service is also good. I am giving it four stars because the food is good but not great.

Food was good! And I enjoyed the outside area in the back. Overall, I had a delightful experience. Margaritas were tasty! I just didn’t love the tight hallway to get to the back outside area-​not ideal for strollers.

I have been coming here for years now and have nothing but good things to say BUT last Thursday is a different story. I usually get the frozen margaritas and chicken fajita, stuffed chicken, tuna app, and the salads — the fajitas and margaritas are my fav. This time I was very DISAPPOINTED. The server barely came to our high top and I left, for the first time ever, hungry! The fajita size has decreased by half — WTH?! They gave me like 4 – 5 small strips of chicken and 4 tortillas, which I could only fill two up and that’s it :(I hope someone in charge of the place reads this cause it’s the first of over 30 visits I left unsatisfied. Bummed.

My friend and I went for late lunch, and wanted to have a couple cocktails. The bartenders were either hungover or unimpressed to be there. But they had no interest in wanting to serve us. Every time my friend and I asked for something, they walked away before we were done asking for a drink/​food. I also ordered a margarita and it was overloaded with triple sec and I couldn’t finish it. It was disappointing bc the food was great, but we didn’t want to stay because of the bartenders.

Place is nice and casual. I came here on a Wednesday night with my family. Our plates ranged from Mojave CFS, Shrimp Tacos, Skirt Steak, and Short Rib Quesadillas. Everyone loved there dish, I was not a fan of my Short Rib Quesadilla. Overall it was a great place I probably just picked the wrong dish.

Haven’t been here in a while and I was very disappointed. Decided to make a reservation for brunch. Waited 5 minutes at the hostess booth to be seated dispite staff all around. The food is not the same at all. I ordered the bbq pulled pork which was tasty, but my potatoes were so bland. My friend ordered the steak and eggs and she was served two small pieces of steak which were hidded under her bland potatoes. The only up side is the sangritas are still delicious.
This will definitely not be my new brunch spot. Very unfortunate.

We had an amazing time at Mojave for Cinco De Mayo!
We arrived for our 5:30pm reservation and were seated promptly. The hostess hooked us up with complimentary maracas and Sombreros, which was fun.
We were there during the Lunazul Tequila Promotion and received complimentary tequila shots.
The food was amazing. My company and I ordered Elote and Mole Negro. We substituted the Duck for the Tequila Braised Beef and I was quite happy about it not being a problem. The drinks were out of this world. Never had a Margarita as great as the ones served at Mojave. To be fair, I do think the bartender held back a bit on the tequila because I was still standing after 7. SEVEN! Still very much delicious.
The Mariachi band was a nice touch and a joy to hear.
Our server, Adriana, was very attentive. I had a very specific request of the kitchen and Adriana executed it perfectly.
Everything was just so great that we decided to make Mojave for Cinco De Mayo an annual event!

Satisfied with it all! Service was fast & consistent! I sat in the back a bit skeptical because that’s where places forget about you but THEY DIDN’T! Even a waitress that wasn’t my waitress checked on my table 2x. The food was very good! Steak made how I asked… I had the juevo rancheros and my partner had the hash brown quesadilla! Portion was hearty and ambiance was relaxing… They could use some music in the back but I appreciated the waterfall sound! Will definitely come back again! A lot of Mexican spots disappoint me a bit but not this one!

I am sold on the generous portion of food and drinks… let along Mojave is my favorite place to be — unfortunately they had a slow start — was ignored for a while upon opening it compounds when I was hungry — in my opinion the staff should be fully ready when the restaurant is open,

I’m so sad to even have to write this review, but my stomach is even sadder.
My friends and I used to LOVE mojave, but after last night I’ve got to call it quits. The past few times I have been there, I was hesitant to write a poor review because I played off the poor service and even worse food as something that must have been a rarity. I was wrong.
Last night my two girlfriends and I met there for drinks and some dinner. The menu is just. blah. Nothing to wow, and honestly this place has been open long enough in a busy area to know better than to keep a boring, basic menu.
After waiting 10 minutes just for a drink order, we added our meals; an order of guac to start, followed by empanadas (nothing looked appealing or worth it to one friend, so yes, she ate 4 empanadas for dinner), chicken quesadilla, and I ordered the fish taco.
BEWARE.
The guacamole was so bland, drinking water could have been more flavorful. The drinks were majority ice, barely any liquor, and a lot of sour (all three of us ordered margaritas).
Empanadas– «not bad». I’ll leave it at that.
Chicken Quesadilla– applebee’s makes better. no bueno.
Fish tacos– I am still feeling sick. They barely put any salsa or coleslaw on top, and just threw a chunk of fish on a corn tortilla.
Both myself and my girlfriend who ordered the quesadilla’s still feel sick from last night.
Also, I wanted to beg the gentleman near our table to send back the calamari. It should NOT smell that foul. Good luck buddy.
The service was okay; there were only two wait staff, and although our server was nice, the other lady avoided eye contact with us like we had the plague, and I had to get out of my seat to ask for her help since she kept avoiding our signals for help.
Overall, terrible. Terrible. Terrible. So disappointed. WHAT HAPPENED?

This place has a decent happy hour which is super convenient to a commuter departing the train since they are right there. Also a very beautiful back garden area that is super quiet. However, after spending several brunches, dinners and happy hours here, I can plainly see the overrated nature of this imitation Mexican restaurant.
First of all, the bartenders are among the least friendly, least happy that I’ve ever seen. When you come in they wait on you with reluctance — clearly they have better things to do.
The food is… ok. The bar food is a sickening blend of meat upon meat and more reminiscent of a greasy mess than any kind of real Mexican food. The guacamole is bland (really, how can you be a Mexican restaurant and not have good guacamole?!?)
Above all… overpriced. And with Two Lizards newly competing in the area, I suspect this place won’t fare too well.

Happy hour only. We came here for dinner. Didn’t have cocktails this time. The servers were really great but the food was horrible. Descriptions of the entrees were incorrect and the quality was not worth the money at all. We both left with upset stomachs that night.
We won’t be back. Not when there are a ton of amazing other restaurants in the neighborhood. The restaurant only had four tables max when we were in there for dinner and they still brought our food out to the wrong table.
Just sad.

Looking for a bottomless brunch? This is a decent go-​to spot!
I celebrated my birthday here with a group of friends and we all took part in the bottomless brunch menu– $ 32.95 for an entrée and select unlimited drinks for 1.5 hours. But honestly the only drink you need is the Sangrita… nothing is better than a frozen margarita mixed with Sangria!
In terms of service, the staff did not frequently stop by the table or very often ask if we wanted refills. This was a little disappointing especially since the unlimited drinks were only for 1.5 hours. However, once we flagged down the waiter, we were promptly brought more drinks. For food, I ordered the Huevos Rancheros, which were delicious.
It was an overcast day when I went, but we sat in the backyard garden, which I loved. It was so nice to be outside while enjoying brunch. It wasn’t too loud and the enclosed outside area felt private from any surrounding establishments. I quickly walked through the restaurant while heading into the outside dining area, but it looked like a chic design inside as well.

Yummy spot! Have been here for brunch and dinner — both great times :)
The backyard patio is very nice as well for the summer time! Prices are great and the food is very delicious. Drinks are awesome too :)
Friendly staff and quick service.

I want to start of by saying that the thing I value most in restaurant, which is service, is on point over here. The waiter took our Bloody Marys before we were completely done with them. When we noticed before mentioning it to him he said that he’s getting us brand new ones at no extra charge. A small gesture that goes a long way
As for the food, the large guacamole was delicious and fresh. The chips didn’t feel overly oily like they can at other places. Everyone also order the prix fixe brunch that came with a coffee and Bloody Mary or another typical brunch drink that I can’t remember. The chorizo omelette and potatoes tasted great and was very well balanced in terms of flavor and portion size.
Would definitely come here again especially for their bottomless brunch that’s around $ 31. Definitely worth it.

We came here on Saturday to celebrate my sister’s 25^th birthday. We had reservations for 1 pm but unfortunately most of us were running a bit late. When we finally do arrive, I was very pleased to have found parking right in front of the restaurant. That was a plus in my book. (+) We get inside and immediately they sit our party of 8. The atmosphere is very nice and calm. They had a cabinet full of all kinds of tequilas above the table where we were seated. As we settle into our seats, our water glasses are filled and 2 complimentary plates of tortilla chips and dip were placed on the table. (+)
The waiter comes and begins taking our orders. I ordered the Chorizo Omelette and Margarita, my best friend orders the Smoked Salmon and Frozen Margarita, 5 people ordered the Steak & Egg plate and on person ordered the Hash Brown Quesdilla. My fiancé asked to have his eggs scrambled with cheese, but somehow that got lost in translation. The cheese was placed over the steak. There were also 2 orders of bacon and a small side of guacamole. The bacon was fresh and crisp. Made to order. The guacamole was fresh and the taste of lime really shined through. My food was decent but needed a bit more spice, so he brought over some cholula hot sauce. The Steak & Egg plates left little to be desired as everyone needed a bit of salt and pepper.
Everything was going well until all of our glasses were empty and were trying to flag down anyone to replenish our drink orders. After what felt like an eternity (45 mins) our server finally came with drinks. His explanation was the frozen Margarita machine was down. My complaint here is we would have appreciated being told this in advance being no one wanted a frozen drink. To make up for the delay in service we were granted additional time.
Now almost 2 hrs into our «Bottomless Brunch», our server brings a pitcher a Margarita. See normally this would be a joyous time but it wasnt. Earlier when he was taking our drink orders we had asked for carafes of the drinks to prevent the incident we ran into.
I informed the waiter that we were celebrating a birthday. The chocolate cake and coffee ice cream honestly was the best part of the entire dining experience.
I’m willing to give a second chance but probably with a much smaller party.

First and foremost– the food was bountiful, filling, and also delicious! My cochinita eggs benedict was the BOMB. Love the pulled pork and it was liberally heaped on. The hash brown quesadilla was a crowd pleaser and so was the skirt steak and eggs.
If you opt for the $ 16.95 prix fixe brunch with 1 drink included, the «sangrita» is a must! Note: drinks are decent strength. I am glad I didn’t go with the bottomless brunch, I already felt *good* with one drink.
This is a very friendly brunch spot for large groups :) We had a table reserved for 12 for a birthday party. And 2 more showed up (much) later and were squeezed in. The waitstaff was accommodating, our orders came out correctly, food was fresh, drinks flowed for the bottomless brunch option, and separate bills were created for those who left early. Plus the final bill came out –pregnant pause– correctly.
The staff also handled one of our mishaps with grace and kindness. You don’t get this kind of service at this value elsewhere. The mandatory gratuity was well deserved. Respect!

Came here for happy hour, it was a nice atmosphere. The sangrita was satisfying and strong and the sliders were okay. Probably would be returning for the drinks but not for the food.

Fun and lively spot, had brunch with the girls here. This place is great for groups. The eggs Benedict with BBQ pulled pork was a little too sweet but delicious. The sangrita was good; strong and not overly sweet. Service was good. If I remember correctly, entrees were $ 17 and came with one drink; bottomless option was $ 33…not a bad deal.

I live close to this place always passed by from the outside it didn’t look like much was going on so I went for the first time for brunch and was really impressed!!! The hash brown quesadilla was amazing the flavors were just perfect and it was delicious. l had a mimosa wasn’t really that good but the sangrita was good :-) ! I am very picky when it comes to food but their food was really good and staff was attentive though it was very loud because of so many people it surely is a good spot for brunch. well done mojave !!!

I like thier margarita, it is sweet…
I went there for brunch and it was good. I went back again for watch football and drink.
I ordered chicken wings and sweet potato. They should be much better, i will not order again.
I will go there for drink and try another food

Elizabeth was great! Came for the bottomless mimosas and Sangrita. The eggs were perfect. The salmon was cold though. Did not like that. Overall very good!

I had the hashbrown quesadilla and a sangrita. It tasted delicious! I’ve never had a sangrita that tasted this good. The dish also came with a small coffee which tasted great. The coffee was a nice final touch to my first Mojave experience. The atmosphere was cozy. The lights were dim and there was sufficient space to be able to put on our winter coats. The waiters and waitresses were attentive and friendly. I will definitely go back and would highly recommend to others.

I love this place so much, I can’t believe I haven’t reviewd it yet! Mojave has such a cozy environment, great sangria and I love their food!

I have been to mojave a trillion times and I will be coming back another trillion times. the drinks are phenomal as usual, especially the sangrita. it comes in both white and red wine, I’ve tried both and the white is easier to drink quicker if that matters to any of you! lol!
The quesadillas here are addicting, becareful. The nachos and Guac are a great appetizer. If you’re in Astoria, this is where to go !
Calm environment, sometimes they have a band but the artists are funny to mess with.

Really really bad.
Definitely not coming back.
I don’t know what happened to this place.
We used to come here all the time, and then they changed the chef and our favorite things on the menu changed as well. And then it was still decent, they added some nice stuff that we actually enjoyed.
And then after over half a year we decided to revisit it, and were completely disheartened by the look and the taste of it.
We first entered and looked to sit somewhere, because it was empty, rightfully so, all of the seats were broken and the fabric was torn, and they added this huge sports bar that doesn’t even fit in in the restaurant. Very bad idea. Anyway, when we finally sat down, and ordered, we ordered eggs benedict and crab cakes with empanadas. Eggs benedict with salmon were not done correctly, the egg white was running all over the plate, and the salmon was really old and smelling funky, the crab cakes were just frozen crab cakes that were not even done all the way so the middle was still cold and frozen, so we didn’t really end up eating. The empanadas were dry and old as well, on top of all of this this meal cost us almost 70 $. So that was an absolute waste of money and time, definitely not recommending this.

This is our 2^nd year hosting our Friendsgiving at Mojave and each time the staff are friendly and attentive. We set up the event for about 20 of us and they places us in an intimate and beautiful section of the restaurant. From the moment we sat down the and had their delicious guac and nachos. It was a decent amount of guac since we asked for more chips. For drinks we had the sangarita, (or sangrita) which was delicious as well. I had the Crab Eggs Benny, which I think was the most delicious one in the menu. My boyfriend had the burrito, which he really enjoyed as well. The waiter was super attentive and friendly. He made the experience more enjoyable. Thank you Frans for the great time, and for following up. We shall see you soon.

1 star for the décor! Cozy faux fireplace and fresh flowers, warm lighting and spacious dining room.
2^nd star for the food selection and the food itself.
3^rd star for the delicious drinks! Best margaritas in Astoria!
4^th star for the owner reaching out to us.
We’ve been here a few times and always order the Guac which is pretty saltless, but the tortillas balance it out and it is very good. The chicken appetizers are spicy & tasty. We always get them.
For entrees, burgers are good but again no salt on fries. The tacos are a big hit for me! I usually eat just one or two (of the 3) and take leftovers home. The taco dish comes with a side of white rice and I order a side of black beans to with it.
A major highlight for me is dessert. We get the cheescake puff with bananas wrapped in a pastry with ice cream! This is a unique and delicious treat! It’s called The xango! Delish, delish!
My suggestions for improvement would be to have the salt& pepper shakers on each table so customers need not ask.
And to add beans to the taco entrée, just rice with the tacos is incomplete. The rice with the beans are perfect!
We will surely continue to enjoy meals here in the future.

Let me preface by saying I never give 1-​star reviews.
I came back here for the first time in a while, and saying it was a huge disappointment might be an understatement. The brunch I had at Mojave was one of the worst brunch experiences I’ve ever had. With so many good options for brunch in Astoria, I cannot envision ever returning.
The service was dreadful. The food was bland. The silverware was dirty. Their version of «iced coffee» (which they said they serve after we asked) is a beer glass filled with lukewarm, watered-​down coffee that tasted like dirty water. It was undrinkable. Their hot coffee, which we finally got as a substitute about 15 minutes after we asked for it (after our meal), was flavorless as well.
This place used to be pretty decent. Not sure what happened to it but I will not return until I hear about any improvements. There are so many better options in the area.

«B» rating — service was very slow and scattered /​disorganized. The music was pumping SO LOUD you could not hear the person next to you at the table. Guac mild was too spicy had to return. Veggie tacos too spicy — everything was so spicy
!
Waiter would come and run away were not able to put in a full order. Got our check we were barely done. Asked to wrap up the leftovers they grew them out. Never again

I recently heard about this place from my nephew regarding the brunch but my family and I opted for dinner this past Saturday.
From reading the reviews earlier in the day I was pretty skeptical because they weren’t so great. When I read mixed reviews on a place I go there with a open mind and decide for myself.
I made reservations thru OpenTable for 6pm. I was pretty surprised it was empty at that time for a Saturday. One of the hostess tended to us as soon as we walked in and offered us outside seating. It was sooooooo beautiful. Loved the outdoor seating area.
We ordered Calamari for an appetizer (Delish) and we ordered the 2 specials that the waiter offered us.
All in all everything was great. Will definitely come here again and try the brunch.

I’ve had dinner and drinks here on separate occasions. The guacamole is fresh and tasty. The sangria beckons you for more. The steak was moist and juicy, well prepared. The broth that the mussels were cooked in was flavorful with a spicy kick which I always appreciate.
Service was attentive. Restaurant is kind of off the beaten path under the subway tracks which around that area has become an eye soar. It’s warm modern décor is inviting especially the bar area as soon as you enter. Place is sizable with a railroad style layout and a nice patio area in the back.

My friends and I had dinner here on Saturday night after leaving Bohemian beer garden down the street. The restaurant wasn’t very packed, at least the indoor portion, though I heard the backyard was full. Regardless, the service was very slow. We sat for 15 minutes before a server came by to get our drink order. Then another 15 minutes before someone came by to see if we wanted food (mind you the drinks also took 15 minutes to come out).
The food and drinks were nothing special. I tried the Sangarita, their signature Sangria and margarita, which was tasty and I think reasonably priced. I had the fish tacos. If you’re craving fresh fish tacos that aren’t fried in beer batter you can have those here. Though I wouldn’t rave about the taste. I had the blackened mahi tacos, which had tasty pineapple salsa and shared a friends shrimp tacos. Overall, the shrimp tacos tasted better. I would come back to try their outdoor space, which I heard is a nice spot in the summer. Appearently it was full so I recommend making recommendations if you’re trying to have a certain date ambiance. Also my friends tell me their happy hour special is more worth it (prices of items other than tacos seemed pretty steep).

Mojave– a cute restaurant in Astoria. I’ve been here a few times but forgot to review. Brought my gf here for brunch. A cloudy day quickly becoming warm we chose to sit outside in the back patio. Our server was Andrea who was fast, attentive and rarely left out glasses empty. I had the steak and eggs (scrambled and steak Med) nice presentation but the steak was too rough/​chewy. (poor cut) my brunch date had the protein omelette, which she liked. Tried the red sangria and like someone described, it has a heavy wine taste, not sweet. The mimosa was yummy and my gf liked her Bloody Mary after adding more kick to it.
Great atmosphere– outside was nice and refreshing. Will come back just won’t be having any steak.

I’ve been to Mojave a number of times over the years.
The décor is nice, and it is a great place to get together with friends, either for drinks at the bar or for a dinner. I’ve never been to the bottomless brunches, but I’ve noticed that the five star reviews are mentioning them. I have to try that out one weekend.
The restaurant vibe is active, but not overly noisy. You can talk with your friends without having to shout above the din.
The food is very good. I don’t know if I can call it authentic southwestern/​Mexican cuisine, but the chefs are creative and the flavors are great. My personal favorite is the duck enchiladas. I also like their tacos de pescado and chicken fajitas. Their empanadas have also been wonderful.
The only thing that I can’t recommend is their Santa Fe Shepherd’s Pie. It’s not bad, but it just didn’t wow me.
The drinks are good, and they make a decent mojito. There is usually a very good selection of beers.
Just a warning, it can get pricey here, but all-​in-​all the prices aren’t that bad. I have seen worse in Astoria.
If you are looking for a great place to get together with friends for the evening, I’d definitely recommend Mojave!