Alebrijes Mexican Bistro

This only gets one star because I really wanted to try out the food here, since it would have been my first time. However, after making the trek from Stockton to Lodi (along with anticipation and excitement) to get to this place, I was only met with closed doors and a sign that read, «Will be closed until February 28^th.» Noooooooo!!! …so disappointing. Make sure you update the hours on Unilocal,guys! I shall return, though. I read that the vegetarian burrito is delicious!

I’ve been enjoying Alebrijes since they were at their old location over by Foster’s Freeze. They have a great menu that is much different than any other Mexican restaurant in town and typically they do not disappoint. Our last few visits to the restaurant have not been what we were looking for. The service is super super slow. Most of the time it seems they have one person working and maintaining the entire restaurant and they just simply can’t handle it. Our latest visit, there were 4 tables filled in the place and it took us 10 minutes to have our order taken. I think that only happened because they noticed us packing up. From start to finish, it took us 50 minutes to complete our lunch — a bean & cheese burrito, tortilla soup, and a kid’s cheese quesadilla. Not exactly the hardest to make items on the menu.
On top of that, my last two trips in, my order was completely messed up.
This is really too bad as this place was easily a 4-​star restaurant in Lodi. I have heard that they have now cut their days back to only 4 days per week. This is never a good sign for a restaurant. As I said before, it really is too bad. Hope they can right the ship and return to glory.

I loved all the unique flavors! Definitely not your typical Mexican restaurant, it’s better! Service was great, will be back soon!

Food was ok. Salsa was really salty and upon leaving the bathroom there was 1 dead cockroach and 1 running. Gross. So I sat down to finish my tour but just couldn’t stomach it. Service was good.

I must say, I feel this place has gone downhill lately. I’ve always enjoyed their chips & great salsa, along with their «table –side» guacamole. I usually order the same thing when I come here, so I have a good frame of reference as to any changes, good or bad, in my meal. My most current disappointment here, was the exclusion of items posted on the menu and omitted in my entrée. Certain items that really make this particular entrée tasty and memorable. The food here really does lack consistency. I should have known the experience was going to be lackluster, when the person who brought us our chips and salsa, shortly after sitting down, spilled a significant amount of salsa on our table, and also on a cellphone that was just placed on the table! When he left, we thought he would quickly return to help clean up and replace the table cloth that was a total mess, but no, he left, never to return to our table or even apologize for his clumsiness.
The only bright spot of this restaurant, is the bartender/​server, he seems to be the one doing most of the work, and is always friendly and efficient.

2 stars only because the first time I went it was good. Second time I went, terrible. Cold food, no salt, slow service. I felt bad for the one waitress. I’m pretty sure she was bartending, cooking, being the hostess and the server.

Very very disappointing!!! The only saving grace is their guacamole and their rice is delish. Ordered the shrimp fajitas. First aren’t fajitas supposed to sizzle when brought to you? This was semi warm food served on a fajita plate that never saw a grill. Second the shrimp was so bad it wasn’t even seasoned with salt or pepper. Jair to make sure I wasn’t being picky I made three people try the shrimp, two of which spit it out! The third person was too polite to do so. Same with black beans. They had zero flavor! Terrible terrible terrible. The menu looks so promising too. On a previous trip I had the shrimp tacos and same thing super bland and Ingredients like ginger was a complete disconnect! Will not be back.

Amazing foot tonight. We had the bacon wrapped prawns and the enchiladas. The details in the flavor of this fusion food make it so tasty! Service was great and prices were fair. We had forgotten how good this little restaurant was. Will definitely be returning soon!

The fish tacos were really good! I would
Order those again. these are actually good fish tacos not like the so called famous fish tacos in Pb San Diego lol.

I only came back here because my date picked it. The service at the bar is awful. Only way to get a drink is to be friends with the bartender. He’s not behind the bar that much. He is busy talking to his friends in the booths. Food is average. Warning don’t go there thirsty or expect a second drink while you are there.

Had not been there in a while. Went in today and the place was slow; as was the service.
The salsa was so SALTY I couldn’t eat it.

Dinner last night was pretty good. Service was good. Shrimp fajitas and pork chimichanga were good. The caramelized veggies on the fajitas were the best. Was a little disappointed in the table side guacamole. The avocado was not ripe so it made it a little tough to watch being made. And the seasonings they put is similar to that you would find on beans– a strange flavoring for guacamole. They have some interesting options for non-​alcoholic drinks (hibiscus mango drink). The host was great, waitress was very nice and accommodating.

The food is excellent here. I had to Carnitas fajitas and my wife had Carnitas enchiladas. The freshly made guacamole is worth it but a bit pricey. The price makes this overall a good value. The only reason this place does not get five stars is they hire young unexperienced waitstaff. I would definitely come back here and eat again. The art on the wall is a little cheesy and crooked (my wife added)

Great place. I always order the guac, it’s definitely worth it. Also I’ve never had a bad dish here, The chef really knows what he’s doing.
I’ve been going there since they were at their old location on ham and Lockeford. It’s great to see that this place has grown and is serving great food.
The last time I went they took orders on phones or tablets. It threw me off at first — I almost got offended that the waitress was texting while I was talking to her lol

I had to come in again to have their Canitas Estilo Michoacan plate since it’s so delicious! The best carnita meat I’ve ever had in this town (and I’ve tried many). Cooked with herbs and OJ. Not greasy, great taste and not dry. Rice, beans (whole, refried or black), onions and tortillas come with it. Watch out for the salsa on the plate. It’s muy caliente (hot)! I ordered the corn tortillas (also included) and so glad I did! They were like homemade! I like the Latin music they play in the background. It would be great to come here with a small group of friends and order a pitcher of margaritas while dining and listening to that. Our waitress, Addie, was great too! I’ll keep coming back for the carnitas since it’s not much more ($ 13) than a whole burrito elsewhere and you get ambience here! There’s a check-​in offer right now too! Hasta luego Alebrijes!

Great little Mexican restaurant featuring regional cuisine including Oaxacan mole, tomatillo salsa, guacamole made right at the table. I had the flat seafood enchiladas and they were very tasty with the aioli, tomatillo salsa and black beans. Will try the mole next time

Came here on a Saturday night (Valentine’s Day, actually)… We didn’t have any reservations and didn’t really know where we wanted to eat until about 3:30pm. So I was able to make a reservation on OpenTable (though when we arrived to the restaurant at 5:20pm, our reservation wasn’t on their list… And they claimed to not have OpenTable… So that was odd. Maybe just call to make a reservation. Regardless, we were seated as soon as we got there without any problems).
There are a few tables outside on their small patio and it has a clear plastic barrier to keep wind out but light of the sky and downtown in. It’s a smaller area, not a large open patio area like Lodi Brew or Crush so keep that in mind if outdoor seating is important to you.
*** FOOD WAS GREAT. We ordered the guac (which was completely gone by the end of our meal), carne asada enchilada, and carne asada tacos. Both meals came with rice and black beans. The meat was so flavorful and fresh. We will for sure be back here as we are mexican food feens!!! I feel as though I’ve cheated on my #1 choice, La Palma, in Stockton, but this was an absolutely great dining experience.
The bartender took care of us and he was so friendly and polite. I now have a Mexican spot in Lodi! You won’t regret it your time here.

This place has high marks on Unilocal for being vegan. Indeed, the menu looks good, great service, nice décor.
Just don’t go on Sundays.
The much more limited menu I don’t think had any vegan options, so had to leave. Not sure about the beer — Corona was advertised outside.

I’m at a loss for words with my last experience at this establishment. Well, I guess not at a loss for words since I’m writing this review.
The service was terrible. Which seems to be the trend with this place from the reviews I have read. I’m a strong supporter of the chef of this restaurant because he has done so many private events with amazing food. However, the restaurant is in desperate need of customer service.
My friend and I sat for a very long time in the bar area. The restaurant was not crowded at all because we got there around 4pm on a Sunday. We were given menus upon arrival, but then ignored by the staff for a very long amount of time. The bartender was busy talking to his one patron at the bar. The two girls working were busy talking to each other and texting right by the kitchen/​bar area. The funny part about that is, they kept looking up and smiling towards us, but never came over when we tried to get their attention. It was so aggravating. We finally, after about 20 minutes plus, had to ask to place our order. Then the bartender finally came over. So, I’m not sure who to be annoyed with… the bartender or the two girls doing nothing? Regardless, the customer service was terrible.
I ordered the vegetarian burrito. Super bland. Not impressed. Three stars because I do think the chef here is very talented and makes great food for private events.

We were in Lodi on Sunday 8÷18÷13 and getting rather hungry so I turned to Unilocal for surrounding areas w/​Mexican food. Up popped Alebrijes and the reviews that showed on my phone were favorable so away we went. I later reread the reviews, while on my laptop and able to organize so only the recent ones popped up, and the reviews are nada good.
I loved the funky/​colorful décor, the booths are comfy and clean. We were greeted by a nice girl who was also our server. She was quick to bring water, chips and salsa. I liked the initial salsa. My boyfriend requested a spicy/​hot salsa that wasn’t good– it wasn’t hot/​spicy at all and it had a weird chewy consistency– lots of seeds… weird!
We started w/​the guacamole which is made table side– we went w/​the radishes which added a nice crunch. It had a great flavor but the cost of $ 10 is way too high for the portion size– docked one star
The food seemed to take forever and there were only 2 other tables so I’m not sure why that was the case– docked another star
I ordered from their ‘healthy choice selection’ and went w/​the portobello fajitas w/​corn tortillas $ 10.00. The food came out hot and although they forgot to bring the tortillas initially, our server was quick to go grab them when I mentioned it.
Other reviewers have mentioned that the food is bland, I did have to spruce mine up w/​salt to brighten the flavor and lots of fresh lime juice but the dish itself was good portion wise and it filled me up. Overall, I enjoyed it.
My boyfriend ordered the chivichangas w/​carnitas $ 13.00 which was huge. He said it was okay– he said it had a good portion of meat which he liked but that it was lacking in flavor.
Our server was very friendly and conversational.
We are undecided if we would return– still on the hunt for our favorite Mexican restaurant in Northern CA.