Abuelo’s

I had some high hopes for this place.
We came in last night, my husband and I, and requested a table for 8. We were greeted by a not so happy hostess. She just kinda moped around like she hated her job. It wasn’t busy at all there were MAYBE 3 tables in the dinning room eating but for some reason it took almost 20 mins for them to figure out how to put 2 tables together for an 8 top. And then told us we couldn’t be seated until 2 more ppl showed up. Dumb.
Anyways.
So we get seated and our waitress is Nancy. She was super sweet & awesome!!! We asked about the happy hour special because it said $ 2.50 off all margaritas but she told us it was only on a select few margaritas. When we got our bill though all of our margaritas were $ 2.50 off though. Super awesome.
There cervesa Rita was delicious it had a little corona on top. All the margaritas were pretty good.
It took a while between drink orders because there was a new manager for this place.
Anyways. So we ordered the happy hour guacamole & the layered dip which was really good! Good choice!!!
My husband ordered the grande burrito & I ordered the beef & cheese chimichanga. For the price you would think it would be big portions like NORMAL Mexican joints.
Nope. And the food was kinda bland. It doesn’t taste like authentic Mexican food.
Happy hour is from 4−7pm. I think if I ever do come back it will be for that layered dip & margaritas.
Ask for Nancy. She’s awesome.

I’m sure the food would have been decent if I had stayed long enough to order. Wait staff was friendly and the décor was impressive for a Mexican restaurant. I left because the menu was very limited and had nothing I was accustomed to at a Mexican restaurant. The prices were also outrageous. It cost almost 7 dollars for 2 sodas.

Went here for the first time a few days ago. I wasn’t expecting much since I’ve been to a lot of Mexican restaurants in the area and I’m a big fan of another one down the street from my house.
Abuelo’s was sooooo good! They even had a Gluten Sensitive menu for me and I was able to pick from several signature dishes. Service was outstanding, and even though it’s a busy place, the way the restaurant is built, it feels cozy and it doesn’t feel crowded and cramped, even on a Saturday evening.
The stuffed shrimp with bacon are delicious, and they let you substitute things with ease. They are also known for their 3 salsas that they give you with your complimentary chips, instead of the salsa and white sauce. Maybe next time I go I will try some dessert.

Hey Matt, I can’t figure out how to reply so I hope this will work. Yes, this was my first time dining at your restaurant. I had stopped in a couple months ago and tried the layer dip to go. That was very good and came with lots of chips. It was a hit at a party I took it to. My biggest complaint about my visit this weekend was the refried beans. I understand you need to make a huge amount of these and sometimes they will sit for quite a while. That being said, these were not even warm and looked like it was just one big solid lump. Like I mentioned, the service was great and I did enjoy the atmosphere. I will give you guys another shot. Hopefully my feedback may help point out some areas that may require a bit more attention.

I have been going to this restaurant for two years. It used to be really good but has gone downhill steadily. Today was the last straw and I will not return. Everything went so wrong it was almost comical.
When the server first came to our table his arms were full of dirty dishes. Ugh, right in my face. He wanted to take our drink order. I told him that was unappetizing and he could go take care of that and come back. We ordered our drinks, appetizer and lunch. We had the jalapeño cheese fritters, they weren’t hot and tasted like they were sitting too long. We let that slide.
Next comes our lunches. Hubby had the fajitas and I had the Durango burrito. I took one bite and yuck! Salt, salt and more salt. The shredded beef was pulverized and was more like gravy. I was ready to send it back but our waiter never returned. Husband said the fajitas were not as good as usual. Finally, my husband was able to flag him down. Had to flag him down! I sent my food back. The manager was nice and took care of our check. She wanted me to order something else on the house but I declined. I told her that we won’t return.
Management is good at handling poor food and service after the fact. They should put more energy into training the kitchen and waitstaff.

The food was good, but it wasn’t any better than any of the other Mexican restaurants in a five mile radius except it’s overpriced. I’ve been here a few times and have no complaints about the service, but I’ll probably stick to a smaller restaurant with the same food for a lower price in the future.

I guess this is a chain restaurant, but it’s bomb. This place reminds me of border café in harvard square! I loved it. Had the nachos grande with shredded chicken and it was sooo worth the heart burn afterwards. Abuelos you get an A!

Went for lunch. This is a really nice TexMex chain and I have eaten there before. While I really dont normally like chains, this one is an exception.
I had the Renosa salad but customized. I asked for the Shell bowl and that the charro beans and chili con queso be brought on the side. It was perfect. Normally, Mexican salads are soupy and have minimal salad. Not this bad boy! 3 – 4 cups of romaine lettuce, cheese, chicken, tomato, guacamole, and I added the charro beans minus the liquid. It was huge, fresh, and tasted fantastic!
My co-​hort had the lunch beef burrito which was 12 full inches and loaded. He said it was really good! Our last companion had the combo of chili relleno, enchilada, and taco. He had high praise.
Service was prompt and attentive. I will be back!

This resturant is pretty good. I love that they greet you with not one or two, but three delicious salsas (my personal favorite is the green tomatillo salsa). I had there guacamole once and it was to creamy for me, but I suppose that’s a personal preference. I do have a sensitivity to monosodium glutamate,(MSG) which many Mexican resturants have no idea what it is. Abuelo’s has a neatly typed out list of the foods affected by MSG if you ask for it. It does limit my choice quite a bit, but I can find something that I will enjoy that doesn’t have MSG. Usually the service is great, but at times it can be quite slow. It’s also a bit pricey, but the food is great and I absolutely rec come getting the chili con queso and finishing off with a slice of decadent tres leches cake.

A friend and I were shopping at the Greenbrier mall this past Friday night, when we thought we would grab a bite to eat. We wanted something better than the food court junk, and when we saw Abuelo’s we decided on that! Walking into the restaurant, we were not even acknowledged by the staff that were at the front. After waiting for a few minutes, we were seated. The chips were so thin, and they had no taste to them. We got our dinner in record time… However, it was NOT tasty. In fact, it was taco bell quality… or worse. Not something I would expect from a Mexican restaurant. The whole time during dinner, it was hard to tell we were even at a Mexican place… the music was on the classical side, and we were even offered shrimp chowder (which was the soup of the day) …SOUP OF THE DAY??? …MEXICAN??? …NEVER HEARD OF THAT. I will not be back…

One of the best if not the best Mexican restaurant chain in the Hampton Roads area. Very good drinks and happy hour specials. In the summer they have live music on the patio. I will be back very soon.

I love this restaurant! First off the waiter, awesome guy. He was very helpful in menu selections. He made some awesome recommendations.
The waiter started us off with our drinks and brought them out with the complimentary chips and dip. My friend got the firecracker shrimp for an appatizer. The right amount of heat mixed with sweet. The corn salsa on top and it on a bed of shredded lettuce on the bottom, it’s so good.
All in all it was a good trip. I also love the atmosphere of the place.

This place EXCEEDED my expectations. The enchiladas were really really good. The service was great too! I walked in expecting an average Mexican dinner and was surprised at the quality.
PROS: Ground beef enchilada
Avocado enchilada
Bacon wrapped pork medallion
CONS: Far from home

I am not a fan of abuelos. I just feel the cooking is not like my grandparents cooking as the name suggest. Every time I come I am dissatisfied with the food. And this is not something they can change. I have had the 5 types of enchiladas. Each one more disappointing than the last. This is not my go to Mexican restaurant. It just does not seem authentic to me. But somebody likes it.

I wasn’t impressed with the food, I ordered the enchiladas (cheese and veggie). The waitress was nice and very attentive.
I ordered a strawberry margarita which was awesome ! I would’ve had two but it’s a weekday. I had the tres leche cake and I think it was the best I’ve ever had ! I gave this place 3 stars because the entrée I ordered wasn’t all that great. I’ll be back for the drinks and dessert.

I knew Abuelo’s was a chain, but I forgot. Fancy Mexican or Tex/​Mex with glossy menus and the electronic doo-​dad on your table. Oddly, no wifi.
I had the small version of their shrimp cocktail to start. A nice choice at a reasonable price point, it had a good few shrimp in there, pico, guacamole on top and an avocado cream inside. Very tasty and much easier to eat once you’ve poured it out onto the plate.
For main, I had the platter that they call «The Monterrey» and it looked way better in the menu picture than it did when it arrived on my table. A huge portion with four different enchiladas (sour cream chicken, avocado chicken, chicken ranchera and spinach), a chile relleno and a crispy chicken taco. It all sort of mushed together on a ginormous platter with «papas con chile» which is a bit mashed potato and a bit melted cheese. You’ll want to eat the potatoes portion before it cools down. While some of this platter was good, most of it was bland.
In conclusion, I found it to be extremely Americanized and not very ethic or authentic at all. Abuelo’s is the Applebee’s of Tex-​Mex.

Ok where do I start, my wife is Mexican and from California. Our waitress was Katrina who was very attentive, super nice and took care of all our needs.
I will state that we sat down in the very middle by the statutes and the waitress never saw us, she apologized and everything was all good from here :)
I had the steak & shrimp fajitas, guess what? Waaaaaay better than plaza Azteca! Super delicious. My wife had the enchiladas and then licked the plate haha :) Take note that we are used to Cali food and especially street tacos out there so we are spoiled from the west coast but we live here in va. For a chain we are both 110% satisfied with this restaurant.
The ONLY complaint I have is that I wish the chips were thicker as they are extremely thin… but if you grab 3 of them together your all good to go. Would we go again? Yup sure will, I wonder when their happy hour is or where to get some specials.
Oh also they do have an outside area which we’d like to check out soon, tonight was rainy tho. We are looking forward to bringing the rest of our family here next time, good bye plaza and hello Abuelos!!! Thx again for the great service!

So in finding my favorite local mexican restaurant I find abuelos. Their salsa is amazing, margaritas are on point, and i love the variety of food. It isnt your typical cut and dry chain, they do have a twist to it which i really enjoy! A lil pricey but delicious! And as odd as this sounds… their mashed potatoes are delicious! I normaly dont care for mexican rice in my food, so this alternative is much appreciated!

Always an excellent atmosphere at Abuelos and always a lot of people. The various of Tex-​Mex and Mexican dishes are always delicious and once your seated your food will not take long in arriving. As their knowledgable Bartenders will quench your thirst with so many choices and ideas of DRINKS !!! With daily specials or a Happy Hour from 3 – 7 you will enjoy !!!
From the greeters to your waiters, servers, and bartenders the customer service and the way everyone works like a team is amazing !!!

This is a great place with very good food. The menu is a little overwhelming because it has so many pages, but what I finally picked was delicious!
I love that their chips come with three different salsas. I liked having options for how spicy I wanted to have my salsa with each chip. And they were all very good!
My chicken fajita enchiladas were very good. The tortilla was very crispy, which I wasn’t expecting, but actually tasted very good. I opted to try their papas con chile because I’m a pretty big fan of potatoes. They were great – I liked the cheesiness of the topping on the potatoes.
The restaurant itself looks so nice. It’s very spacious. Everything looks clean and well-​maintained. The people were all very friendly to us. Overall, I had a good experience here and really enjoyed my meal!