Gringos & Mariachis

Bethesda bars and restaurants can get very crowded and congested. This place is no exception… if you go during happy hour on a Friday, you’ll have to waot a long time for either a table or spot at the bar. With that being said, the drinks are excellent and the food is very good.
Abother great thing about this is the ambiance: the art and décor are amazing. This is really an amazong place to go for some drinks and a couple tacos.
Warning, at night it can get very loud, especially with the music (I personally don’t mind that).
As a side note, I’ve always had great service.
Enjoy and cheers.

We have been here many times for happy hour and dinner. It tends to get pretty crowded and loud– so get there early and sit close if you want to have a conversation! The food is good and usually the service is pretty quick. Try the queso fundido– you won’t regret it– you can also get it on top of French fries– um, yes please. All of the tacos I’ve had have been great but none stand out as the best of anything I’ve had. Skip the bacon wrapped jalapeño– cheese was not melty and they have been room temp on multiple occasions.

Gringos & Mariachis is a super cute spot in downtown Bethesda. It was completely crowded on a Friday evening with a really fun atmosphere. They don’t take reservations but we were able to find a table.
They have a drink happy hour special so I got the sangria for $ 5 a glass. It was great!
We started off with the ceviche. It was good and had a bit of a kick to it with some jalapeño pepper in it. Then we tried 4 of the tacos, which come with two tacos per plate so it’s good for sharing with someone. You have the option of corn or flour tortillas.
Al Pastor tacos: pork & pineapple — yum!
Pescado a la parrilla tacos: fish tacos — good but I’ve had better ones.
Duck tacos: delicious and our favorite! Highly recommended!
Carne asada tacos: the steak was very good but got a bit masked by all the other flavors going on in these tacos.
While this isn’t super authentic Mexican food, the tacos seem to be carefully crafted with bringing flavors together, and we had fun trying some of them. I definitely hope to be back for more duck tacos and to try others!

Finally a place that does carne asada tacos right. It’s been a longtime but these remind me of the kind I was having in backyard barbecues with home made everything. Bouncing around from place to place it’s very hard to find a delicious carne asada taco outside of SoCal g&m nailed it and the jalapeño margarita was such a weird combo of spicy tequila and kind of a fresh after tone of cucumber if that makes any sense… Seriously though I’m craving these tacos right now.

Sometimes too loud is exactly what the doctor ordered!
G&M is one of those restaurants, that once you’re inside, you forget you’re in the MD suburbs! (something I like to forget:))
The Mexican food is full flavored and done well… The prices are right and the atmosphere is electric to say the least… dark, killer artwork, music, and loud buzz of the crowd! Truthfully, this place can border on too loud at times.
…but I’ll still go back

A lively yet intimate Mexican restaurant/​bar a few blocks away from the Bethesda Metro? Sounds good!
I came here on a random weeknight to meet some friends for dinner, and was pleasantly surprised to find it busy, but not packed. The noise level was a little high, but the place is small and that is understandable during the ‘happier’ hours.
I loved that the menu featured both entrees, and a plethora of smaller dishes so we could customize our experience. Because I want to taste as many things as possible, we ordered mostly the small plates and various types of tacos. Everything was delicious! The food was clearly fresh, and there were some creative spins as options available (such as grilled pineapple in guacamole. fun to try, but maybe not every time!) A standout was the beef tongue taco… my first time trying tongue (lengua in Spanish).
The service was friendly and attentive, and we will certainly go back!

Good tacos and cool atmosphere. Portions are a little small, you will set need 2 orders to feel full but there are so many to choose from. Guac with pineapple is an amazing idea!
Sangria and margaritas are above average. Service is good, nice crowd, lots of different ppl.
Have heard late night is a different scene than late lunch/​dinner. Plan to check it out soon.

I started at the bar waiting for the Aunt and Uncle. All those who have commented on the décor are right — the art on the walls is spectacular. The bar is in a nice spot with a huge window where you can people-​watch the streets of Bethesda. The lighting is dim and the music is played at just the right volume — I really enjoyed the space.
I gotta tell ya, my initial experience with the bartenders wasn’t great. They weren’t very friendly and seemed more focused on their personal conversations than with the folks at the bar (there weren’t many of us but there were two bartenders). They also didn’t offer me complimentary chips and salsa until they were prompted by one of the runners right before I was about to cash out :(They weren’t terrible but they weren’t as professional as I’d expect in such a nice place. Regardless of their attitudes, the jalapeño cucumber margarita was off the hook. Spicy but cool, just really very balanced and SO yummy. Be forewarned, it does punch you in the throat, so if you aren’t a fan of that spicy kick, I’d pass on this one. I, however, would drink it again and again. Regular margarita was good too and they had Old Chub on draught which I appreciated.
Our server (Edward) was AMAZING! Very patient as we occupied his table drinking and eating free chips/​salsa only — he didn’t pester us once about being ready to order, just read the vibe. He was very useful in helping me decide what to order and very, very sweet — always smiling. Awesome job, Edward!
The food. YUM! We had two servings of the complimentary chips and salsa which was hands-​down the best free chips and salsa (maybe the best chips and salsa period?) I’ve ever had. The salsa is just the right level of spicy, fire roasted, and the perfect consistency between chunky and smooth. The chips were handmade and thicker (like pita chips) but had the same easy crunch of a traditional tortilla chip. All three of us ordered tacos only: Shrimp (A); Grilled fish (Recommended by Edward, A++, one of the tastiest tacos I’ve ever had); Roasted veggie (B+ (slightly dry but awesome flavor)); Duck (A+ according to my uncle). People complain about the tacos being small, but they’re way overstuffed (e.g., 2 large shrimp each). Mexican street food does not include overly huge American tortillas — this is the real deal! I don’t usually like corn tortillas but they’re the authentic choice so Edward sagely recommended I do half and half on each of my orders and, surprisingly, I really preferred the corn! It wasn’t overly… corny as others I’ve had?
I can’t wait to come back and try some of their other offerings (queso fundido, nachos, stuffed jalapenos, more TACOS!!!) and order another one of those delicious spicy margaritas.

Duck tacos, great drinks, duck nachos, salsa, duck duck duck.
Great spot for drinks. Great ambiance, great food, great music, great vibe, so glad this place is just a couple blocks from where I live. Love it.

I’m a mixed bag of feelings on this one, but I’ll put them on the higher end of the spectrum because I find myself continuously returning for more. It’s a dark and moody atmosphere, with some badass wall art scattered throughout the restaurant. I recommend coming in a party no larger than 4; otherwise, you’ll end up waiting hours. They’ve got a cool waitlist system that will not only text you when your table is ready, but you can also check your position in line and how many tables are ahead of you.
Their salsa tasting is fun stuff! By the time I was done trying out all the salsas and going in for second rounds of the ones I liked, I was full. You can request endless chips with the salsa, which is very, very dangerous.
I’ll give a nod to their duck and roasted vegetable nachos as well. The presentation of their nachos is clean and organized. Definitely not a pile of messy chaos you want to barbarically dive into. It’s more of a… ~try to balance it with your fork and knife deal, but give up because that’s just working too hard for your food and put it back down and cut it into smaller pieces…~ kind of nacho. You’re not getting quantity here, but they are still satisfying. It’s really hard to miss when it comes to anything that is topped with cheese and sauce.
Their Carnitas, Barbacoa, Shrimp, Birria, Carne Asada, and Roasted Vegetable tacos all hit the spot for me. No, I did not demolish all of those tacos in one sitting; I’m not that savage yet! I haven’t ventured into the chicken territory because chicken tends to be dry for me, but if you’re looking for something lighter, the Roasted Vegetable tacos are legit. And if all else fails, drown it in your preferred salsa and you’ll be good to go.
It’s loud in here, thanks to the proximity of the bar to the dining area, so don’t come if you’re looking for intimate conversation. Or ACTUALLY, come if you’re looking for ;)intimateconversation;) because you’ll want to be like 3 inches from each other in order to actually hear one another. Also, if you find yourself waiting for more than 15 minutes for your tacos, your ticket is lost. Alert the authorities.

I guess I’m just not seeing the hype
The space itself is great. I love the décor, wall art and ambiance. The service was prompt, good and friendly. Although it seems to get pretty busy at night, you’re looking at roughly 20 minutes for a wait on Saturday (for 3 people in our case).
The food was unfortunately pretty disappointing. I ordered the $ 7 chicken tacos (two per order) and $ 7 vegetable quesadilla (4 per order). The chicken was a bit dry, and lacked flavor. Although it looked seasoned and blackened on the outside, it really didn’t taste like much of anything. The vegetable quesadilla also had the same issue, both were just pretty bland and didn’t taste like. anything. Not sure if I’m spoiled with good Mexican food in Philly or they had an off night or what. but they definitely did not deliver.

I loved this place! Found it randomly on Unilocal,and knew I had to try it. I grew up in MD but no longer live there, so finding a place to meet up is always fun. I knew that coming to a Mexican restaurant/​bar meant margaritas and good food. The salsa and chips were addicting!
What’s even better was playing EDM at the bar. I had a great time catching up with a friend! I’ll be back!

I was in town on business and spent a lot of time Unilocaling cool restaurants to try. I saw the great Unilocal reviews and the atmosphere seemed fun so I decided to give it a try.
The space is super cool. The wall art is amazing, the music is good and the vibe is cool
Now the important stuff — the food. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. I ordered 2 pastor tacos with a side of mexican rice and refried blacks beans. The tacos were pretty mediocre… the rice tasted like sticky rice with tomato sauce and the beans were lacking flavor.
I do have to add a disclaimer that I am Mexican and from San Diego so I do have high standards when it comes to mexican food.

This place is a small but fun Mexican restaurant
Great murals on the walls, lots of shaking of drinks going on ! Margaritas are great !
Chips are crisp and thicker (almost like a pita chip) than most places with different salsa’s available .
Tacos shrimp and fish were ordered. They were very tasty and fresh corn soft tortillas. I normally DON’T like corn tortillas but these were delicious .
It’s yummy and appears as a fun place for adults and would love To go for happy hour sometime!

This place was very good! I love the décor, it’s cozy lol idkk if that’s the word for it but knowing me probably not haha. Anyhow came here for my a girls night out /​birthday dinner. Saw the reviews and decided to give this place a try. I wanted to try the cucumber jalapeño drink but decided against it and went with the watermelon margarita lol stick to what I know right? Lol Anyways on to what you really want to know lol the food. And how was it. Loll opinion on the dishes we ordered are below. Enjoy!
Chips and Salsa — good chips. Comes with chips and the first preselected salsa (jitomato mild) for free then every additional salsa is $ 1.50 (not bad). I ordered the avocado salsa which was aightttttt but not better than the jitomato for sure. Tasted and looked like over blended avocado than salsa and no flavor. Lol
Ceviche — pretty good. Better than some places I’ve tried. I don’t like the fish to taste too fishy and raw and this place did a good job. Flavorful too!
Mexican Meatballs — yummy!!! Wish I had ordered two. The green sauce is bangin!
Tamal — yummy yummy!!! Flavorful too! Oh my advice, take some of that sauce from the meatballs and smother it on the tamale. So good!
Watermelon Margarita — The only thing about this drink that resembled a watermelon margarita was the color. no watermelon taste at all. Very strong. Didn’t finish it. Only thing I wish I didn’t order lol
TACOS *** WARNING tacos are quite small… I would recommend you order more than usual lol
Al Pastor — best one of the three we got. Delicious and so flavorful
Duck — who would have thought duck on soft tacos would be this good. This was the first one I tried and at first I thought this was my favorite until ^^ read above haha
Carne Asasa — good but nothing special lol
PS. staff was attentive and nice. Also place only opens from 4:30−11PM…I know. I was thrown off too! Lol what if I wanted tacos for lunch?! Haha

This is a really cool place to hang out and get some inexpensive Mexican.
The art is really nice here and the vibe is 20’s 30’s, upscale casual dining. Jalapeño cucumber margarita was my favorite. The smoky margarita is the strongest. Ginger Hibiscus Margarita was my least favorite, looked better than it tasted, mine was a little sour.
Guac was fresh and tasty, if its more than 2 people you may have to place another order, because they don’t give you a lot. Tacos, all of em good. Except the shrimp were not that memorable. The duck tacos are a MUST. We had such a good time here. The tacos are super small so don’t feel greedy if you have 4! Amazed at how low our bill was, it’s because the tacos are only $ 8. Another reason to show up :0)

If you only read one thing:
Jalepeno-​Cucumber Margarita. Sounds crazy, but insanely good.
Stop what you’re doing and grab a margarita at this gem of a restaurant. Well, maybe during happy hour — Not just because the specials are insanely well-​priced, but also because if you’re reading this at 2:00 on a Monday, you should probably hold off on a drink for now. (Then again, who am I to judge? The margaritas are that good.)
You get chips and salsa while you wait for your meal (fresh and tasty, and not just because they’re free), and everything I’ve tried, from tacos, salads, lamb and avocado plates have been extremely flavorful and fresh.
Atmosphere-​wise, it’s NOT an intimate bar/​restaurant. While the wall décor is artsy and small tables are candlelit, the noise is LOUD. On the plus side, even when it’s super busy, there’s always space in the bar section to wait while for your table (and grab a drink). Or if you’re more keen to walk around, they have an online table tracking site where you can view your position in line, and estimated time countdown.

Came here with my friends and first thing I noticed was how loud it was. We basically had to shout at each other.
Food-​wise, I decided to try their birria burrito. Tacos always seem kind of small, and at $ 7/​$ 8 per order of 2, and $ 3 for a third, I wasn’t sure I wanted to order it just because I didn’t want to leave still hungry. Most people on Unilocal commend their tacos though, so they must be decent? They do have a wide selection of meat which sound really good.
So, I also felt a little weird ordering a burrito at a sit-​down restaurant, but let me just say that it was a pretty decent burrito. I like that they cut it in half for you — makes it much easier to eat. It also wasn’t drenched in sour cream. It is definitely different than a chipotle burrito, but in a good way — prob more authentic mexican food. I liked the flavor of the beans/​rice/​meat. It also came with a small side of corn with cheese on top.
Service was pretty good. Our waters were constantly refilled, plates were cleared pretty efficiently. Checks were separated easily for 8 people.
Oh and I just have to give special recognition to their free CHIPS AND SALSA. The chips def felt home-​made, and it was thick yet crunchy and not oily at all, nor salty. And then, the SALSA, I just could not stop eating it! I loved it! I think I finally figured otu that there was a nice garlicy taste to the salsa!
Overall, I just think the place was way too loud, and food was alright. I’m not sure if I would really come back here/​crave the food at this place (but then again, I only had their burrito).BUT, I might want to try some of the meats for their tacos and some appetizers, because I think the appetizers were more enticing to me than their entrees?

A hip spot for Mexican food in Bethesda? Say what? Yup for reals! This place is it! It’s not your hole in the wall authentic Mexican food joint with miss matched tables and chairs, wont find that here however those are ALWAYS a good to have in life thing, don’t get me wrong but this is just not the place!
Walk on in and you will be pleasantly surprised! There menu consist of a large selection of appetizers and tacos. There are a couple larger meal entrees but most of the food is made to get 2 –3 items to share.
For starters I tried both the white and red Sangria. Couldn’t decide which to get so ordered both and what I discovered was the white was sweeter then the red and the apples soak up a lot of the alcohol :).
The chips are amazing and I ended up eating a very large portion of those. I think this would be a great spot after work for an appetizer and beverage to unwind! Here is to unwinding!!!

This restaurant definitely has a wonderful vibe! Plays great music in the background (not loud). It has a small store front no canopy, so you might pass it. So walk past Caddies and its on the left before the garage.
Atmosphere and Décor: Soft lighting in this place, the wall art is actually hand painted. Very unique and fun quotes.
O.k. lets get to the good stuff…
Food: Good, has creative dishes (appetizer, haven’t tried an entrée yet).
Service: Friendly
Drinks: Huge selection and fusion drinks (Cucumber Jalapeño Margarita mi favorito! Has some heat)
Bartendars: Highly engaging, attentive and prompt even on a busy night!
Price: Reasonable and Happy Hour
See Johnny!
Happy eats!