Mi Viejo Pueblito

Pretty sure it’s now CLOSED. The for sale signs are a solid clue. This is unfortunate as now I can no longer have Mexican food delivered. We can’t have it all, I guess.

Great service. Good food and moderate prices. Nothing really special though especially since you can’t order a margarita…

I picked up 4 items for takeout. Three items were great– 1) the fried plantain with real granular cream, 2) a chicken breast with mushrooms, refried beans, rice and 3) a side of guacamole. Strangely, the side of guacamole was two tiny plastic cup thingys the kind you get put hot sauce in when you do takeout… about 2 tbs of guacamole in each, almost negligible. The 4^th item was tacos that i did not like the filling of, but it may just be me. My take-​out package also did not have any of the salsa which I think was listed with the items I ordered.
the restaurant was clean and bright but had only tex-​mex food, not the salvadorean, honduran advertised on the door and was completely empty of customers (but it was only 6 pm) on a weekday.

I think that something very unfortunate has happened to this restaurant recently. After all of the reviews I read I was excited to try Mi Viejo Pueblito, unfortunately it had very average food. I suspected that something was off when I saw signs on the door saying they were no longer BYOB. We sat down and got a menu that had little resemblance to the menu that’s online. The signs in the windows said that they had Salvadorean and Honduran food but the only thing that was on the menu was pretty generic tex mex.
Of the food that I tried they had tasty shrimp quesadillas, decent but not great beef tacos and decent guacamole. They have good tortilla chips but the salsa that comes with them tastes like it came from a can, as did the beans that came with my tacos. In their defense they do have extremely low prices but I cannot recommend coming to Mi Viejo Pueblito. For more authentic Mexican or Latin American food there are plenty of other choices in Upper Fells Point and Highlandtown, and for americanized Mexican this place falls short of Holy Frijoles. I wish I’d been to this restaurant back in its glory days but it’s clear that those are over.
Quick edit: I checked out MVP’s new website that has their new 2012 menu and discovered that the menu they post online has several pages that are not in the menu that you get at the restaurant!

Incredible food, decent service, clean restaurant. I will definitely go back. The food is so good I really kind of wish I was eating it right this second.
My only complaint was a really messed up bathroom and slow service, but it was one waiteress for six tables so I can sympathize.
Worth checking out if you are looking for good food and don’t care about getting hammered.

Not a lot of ambiance, but good food.

This place has great authentic mexican food, but the service needs major improvement. We only saw our server when she took our order, brought us our food, and brought us our bill. We had to ask another server for chips that were supposed to come with our guacamole and for refills. It’s also been awhile since i’ve been to a place that actually charges for soda refills. I would definitely go back because the food is good, but probably just get take-​out instead. The service is extremely friendly, but needs work on the basics!

It’s a BYO, man!
We had high hopes when we first came to this place last night. It was Friday night and we didn’t want to cook. Opti was looking at the menu on the websight and was sold on this place. Bummer. When we got there we learned that the old websight had not been updated since the new owners took over and the menu online is nothing like what’s happening in the restaurant now. Update your websight! Minus 1 star. Fortunately Opti was able to navigate the menu and our server was all to happy to help and make us feel welcome. It’s a bonus that Opti is fluent in Spanish and native speakers usually light up when she talks to them and we get the inside scoop most of the time which means I don’t get the Gringo treatment. (How do you say «fist bumps» in Spanish?) A big bonus is that this place is a BYO and there’s a nice size liquor store right next door that even has Mi Viejo Pueblito menu’s at the register. Smooth.
The little things in this place were really nice. Salsa and guac were both really good. The flan, however, probably had an off night because it wasn’t holding up.
We were lucky enough though to have a decent meal and get out of there before the pale face with the too loud guitar started his live music pseudo jazz whatchamacallit. Eek. As soon as the band starts setting up I say «hurry up! We gotta get the hell outta here».
All in all this was a decent place. Staff was very friendly and I can’t ever be too upset when a place has a BYO. I’d come back again.

Expecting a decent snack, my wife and I were simply overwhelmed by the savory simplicity of this gem. First off, the guacamole was as fresh as fresh could be, creamy and smooth. So tasty it is practically entrapment for double-​dipping oppurtunities. The beauty of the beef tacos lies in the subtlety and the execution of fundamentals; fresh cilantro, expertly-​cooked beef and tortilla. The rice and beans perfectly complimented them. A staunch afficiando of salsa, I didn’t even need one drop of it. My wife had the chicken quesadillas, which were oozing with cheese. the service was excellent, prompt and attentive.
Overall, this place rocks so hard we couldn’t avoid comparing it to the best Mexican culinary experiences we’ve ever had in LA and San Antonio. Local Charm City denizens are beyond lucky to have this delicious and inexpensive gem all to themselves.

I was really disappointed with the new ownership. The old MVP had delicious mole and an extensive menu. The new owner has a much smaller menu and the food just isn’t as good.

I hate to give such a negative review to a small, local restaurant but the food was just so unpleasant. First of all, the place has changed management since so the actual menu in the restaurant is about ¹⁄₃ of what is on their website. Many of the items are gone or replaced by other dishes. The MVP enchiladas, which were quite good, are no longer served. I didn’t think much would change with the management but I’m sad to say the restaurant that I quite liked before is totally different. FYI, they won best of Baltimore in 2010, with the old owners.
So, I know that nachos are not the most authentic dish, but it’s so simple that no one could mess it up right? wrong! My friends and I ordered this which came w/​crumbly, wet, tasteless cheese on top of some cold beans with a little cilantro sprinkled over store bought chips. We were crazy hungry so we ate it anyway, scraping off as much of the goop as possible. A table adjacent to us actually sent them back to the kitchen.
I then got the Pambazo sandwich… which was ok. It was honestly just mostly giant pieces of bread with what was supposed to be chorizo and beans but ended up just being a thin layer of beans and maybe? some meat inside.
My friend got the mole enchiladas which he said were fine.
The meal was made additionally uncomfortable when they turned down our
coupon, which had been set up by the previous owner who refused to have anything to do with the new restaurant or take down the coupon. The current owner then came over to tell us the negative relationship that they had, complain about how poorly the restauarant had been run, and that he would comp us for the price of the coupon out of appreciation for us coming (he didnt.) and that anyone who tried his food would come back b/​c they liked it (false)
If you want good mexican food, there is plenty around Fells to choose from. Give this restaurant some time to work out its kinks… hopefully it will improve. For the price ($ 7 – 12 per entrée) its definitely not worth it in its current state.

Having lived in Baltimore just over a year now we had yet to venture out for some authentic Mexican cuisine. Sure, there is your share of chains and there’s nothing wrong with doing a little Don Pablo’s every now and then, but I’m talking about the real deal. Mexican food made in the tradition of the Mexican people and not dumbed down for our sensitive American palates. After checking out what other Unilocalers have said about the above subject matter we settled on Mi Viejo Pueblito.
Mi Viejo Pueblito is located in the Baltimore neighborhood of Highlandtown (just east of Canton). It’s housed in a pretty non-​descript storefront adjacent to a liquor store. The latter is pretty helpful given its BYO status. Our dining experience commenced around 6:30pm on a Saturday. The place was pretty empty but given our early arrival this was no surprise. We were seated at a two-​top by the window and our server took our drink order. Helpful Tip #1: their drink selection is a bit awkward. The menu states Coca-​Cola products but they carry Pepsi. They were out of diet and they have a pretty interesting selection of Mexican soft drinks. Next time we go we’ll definitely bring some beer.
The décor of the place is entertaining on to itself. The walls are sponge painted in bright yellow and blue and there are paper cut-​outs hanging from the ceiling. I even remember seeing some tribal masks on the wall across from the non-​working fountain in the center of the room. Somewhere else this would have been tacky and distracting but for some reason here it seems to work. Besides, it gives you something to look at while you wait for your food. Helpful Tip #2: Service here is slow. Very slow. Get an appetizer, you’ll need it.
Speaking of appetizers, we ordered queso fundido. It was basically a small bowl of melted cheese served with three flour tortillas and some green salsa. The cheese had to be some of the thickest, stringiest cheese I’ve ever eaten but I mean this in a good way. It was fun to scoop it out, smear it inside the tortilla, and top it with some salsa. I mean, c’mon, it’s cheese in a tortilla. Who wouldn’t like that?
For our dinner I ordered the Pambazo sandwich and my wife a trio of quesadillas. Helpful Hint #3: You only get what you ordered and nothing more. The dishes at Mi Viejo Pueblito are a «what you read is what you get» type thing. You won’t get extras like refried beans or rice or salsa on the side. If you want those things you need to specifically ask for them. The Pambazo (named after the traditional Mexican bread) was great. It came hot and stuffed with chicken and potatoes covered in lettuce, more cheese and some sour cream. The bread was really what made the sandwich. My wife’s quesadillas were crispy and filled with various combinations of chicken, mushrooms and cheese. They were also topped with shredded lettuce and sour cream.
For dessert you have to do the tres leches cake. It was the perfect ending to our meal. We weren’t really going to do it but one of the owners made it a point to come over and gently «convince» us that it was necessary. Not too sweet and not too big it was everything a tres leches should be.
Overall, the experience at Mi Viejo Pueblito was both tasty and entertaining. The atmosphere is colorful and clean and the service, while slow at times, is both friendly and accommodating. The food is well-​priced, portioned just right and definitely filed with mucho amore.

Stumbled upon this place while I was in downtown Baltimore – it is just AMAZING. The décor was very nice, and we happened to be there on a night with a live band.
The service was very good and attentive; we had a young girl who didn’t seem to have much experience, but made sure we had everything we needed in a timely manner.
The new chef came out to chat with us before we placed our order, and I am glad that he did! I had the sampler plate with chicken – 2 enchiladas covered in a homemade salsa verde, a taco, a sope (almost like a mexican mini-​pizza), 2 flautas, and a quesadilla. It was an absolutely ridiculous amount of food, and everything was delicious. The sope was absolute perfection. I am still munching on the leftovers today!
My only quibble was that the tortilla chips were store-​bought – maybe they ran out that night?

A hidden gem in Highlandtown! I’ve driven past this place for two years and always wondered «who would go there for Mexican» food. Then it was voted best Mexican restaurant by City Paper for 2010 so I had to check it out.
The dining room is small, but the servers are fast and the food is great and so are the prices. They don’t have a bar, but it is BYOB and there is a liquor store right next door. They even have live music on Friday nights.
Don’t judge a book by its cover, check this place out!

we sat down, found out it was BYOB, went literally next door, got a 6 pack, and before we knew it were served a delicious meal. party of four and everyone was happy. I had the fish tacos and they served them with small traditional taco corn tortillas and two home made sauces, i think green salsa and habanero salsa.
only complaint i have is the salsa that came with the chips wasn’t awesome. but the chips were! handmade, yum.

Walked over to Mi Viejo Pueblito and had a wonderful dinner with some friends. The atmosphere was laid back, clean, upbeat and inviting. The restaurant is BYOB and there is a liquor store one door down.
I ordered the mole, verde & picadilla «MVP» enchiladas. (This was totally delicious and I will definitely order it again. I think it may become one of those items that I can’t stray away from on the menu. It came with refried black beans and rice and the only thing left on my plate at the end of the night was a slice of a beef steak tomato).
The rest of the table ordered and spoke very highly of the following:
–Steak verde chilaquiles
–A stewed pork taco item that had tasty bits of pineapple inside
–Chicken tacos
Our only complaint was the service. It was friendly, but slow. (We didn’t mind because we were having a good time, but it’s something to imporove on.)

Yep, what they said! Clean, bright, and cheery; generous portions; wonderful mole; enchiladas and side dishes that are terrific! I recommend the Tacos Arabes, which are filled with tasty, marinated pork and large enough that I ate one and brought one home. Guacamole served in a good-​sized portion and was well made. The menu is extensive, but not overwhelming– lots of choices I can’t wait to explore.
They weren’t busy on a Friday night– but it’s 4^th of July weekend, so I hope, for their sake, it was not a representative night. Our server was very pleasant and happy to answer questions and make suggestions– which were right on! Prices are very reasonable, especially given the portion sizes. Other patrons had ordered tortas, which looked huge.
Minor complaints: the mostly wonderful salad– with avocado, good cheese, and grilled mushrooms– was served on iceberg lettuce. And, in what seems to be a pervasive Baltimore tradition, there were two big screen TVs turned on… but our server turned them off at our request (we were the only customers at the time). TVs always seem intrusive to me, and especially so in an otherwise authentic and comfortable setting.
But that won’t keep me from going back! It’s a new favorite!

Being from Texas and knowing that Baltimore is not known for it’s Mexican food I decided to try this place. I had read somewhere they had good «mole.» YUM.
My wife and I checked it out for lunch. Super cheap. Black bean soup was awesome. chips and salsa where fresh. The mole was also top notch. My wife had tacos that were good as well.
It’s BYOB with a liquor store adjacent. Check this place out.
They do breakfast but have not done that yet. Maybe this weekend.

Mmmm, delish. Heard this place had authentic mexican and I can definitely say I am a fan. Their tortilla chips are wonderful and home made. Had the tacos arabe and the flavor in the meat was incredible. My brother annihilated his enchiladas in about 5 minutes. Apparently they were fantastic. I’m heading here again soon.

As authentic as it gets! The little neighborhood gem is housed in a bright orange building just off of Eastern St. in the heart of Highlandtown. The inside is decorated just as brightly, with sunny yellow walls and colorful tablecloths.
The menu is in Spanish with English translations and the staff is bilingual. The portions are very generous, so come hungry! The food is good quality and tasty.