UYE Alebrijes Mexican Bistro

The service was okay and the food was mediocre. We (me, my hubby and 2 kids) went there on a satuday at 3 and there was only us and one other table. It took over 45 minutes to get 2 kids quesadilla meals, bacon (burned) wrapped shrimp and fish tacos. I am a big fan of fish tacos but not these. I took one bite of my hubbys and I didn’t want any more. The salsa was bland as was the «special» guacamole that was made table side. It definitely was not worth $ 10, that’s for sure. The menu was different from most typical mexican restaurants so that was refreshing however like I said the food (or chef) did not deliver. You do not want to brings kids here either, they won’t have the patience to wait forever for thier food (in which they shouldn’t have to wait that long anyways, nobody should).All in all it is safe to say that we will not be going back there… ever.

Before I begin, I’d like to thank Maureen G. for putting this event together. This was the first valley event scheduled whereas I didn’t have to work and with any luck, it won’t be my last. As for the drive from Tracy to Lodi, it wasn’t an issue but Dale, I do appreciate the mention.
It was great walking in, seeing our group and finally being able to put a real face to friends I’ve had on Unilocal in a few cases, for years.
After some great conversation and appetizers, dinner was ordered and we settled in to enjoy our meals.
Post dinner brought out our Chef and Owner Ruben who forced us all to down shots of Tequila. Of course I protested the drinking and put up a great deal of resistance but, you know how peer pressure works. I soon gave in to the arm wrenching and torture (which didn’t take much) and downed some of Ruben’s home potion. After the shot, the group retired outdoors where the chit chatting continued until the cold weather numbed our souls.
The night was filled with laughter, fun and interesting conversations and the venue Maureen chose was dynamite.

We have a number of avid Unilocalers in the area to the south of us. Unilocal does not give them anywhere near the respect they deserve. It is hard for them to get an elite badge, they do not have an area manager to put on great parties for them, and they do not have an events option on their Unilocal tool bar.
To make things worse, for some dumb ass reason Unilocal will not let them list their events on the Sacramento events calendar. They have to list them on their talk threads instead. I think you can begin to see why they may feel under appreciated by the « Unilocal gods». I am not sure why Unilocal insists on continually kicking the very same people in the teeth that go out of their way to write lots of great reviews for them. You would think a very simple token of appreciation like letting them use the Sacramento events board would not seem like that much of a favor to ask.
Every few months we have a joint UYE with them and we are not allowed to post that on our events calendar so most of you have probably not even noticed them. Maureen G. of Stockton always shows why she is a Unilocal legend in her own rite by working extremely hard to organize these events. The results are always completely successful and always completely fun and the latest event was no exception.
It took place in a little Mexican Bistro in Lodi. We sat in the bar at a long table alongside large windows that looked out on a quaint Lodi street drinking beer and wine and margaritas and shots of fruit infused tequila while eating chips and salsa and guacamole and perusing their rather unique menu choices.
What a great group of people. Everyone was even on time. Can you imagine that? We slowly ordered and worked our way through dinner while enjoying casual conversation and magnificent toasts so it is no surprise that a rather fabulous time was had by all.
P. S. I am not sure why Maureen gave this event only four stars. Thanks for another outstanding job Maureen.

Ruben, Ramon, and staff went above and beyond to make this a wonderful UYE!
It had been far too long since the last UYE in the area, so a big thank you for Maureen G. for making it happen! It was a fun evening spent sipping margaritas, munching on Alebrijes famous guacamole (a MUST try), and catching up with my fellow Unilocalers.
Ramon was our waiter and he was great. He was very attentive, kind, and helpful when it came to menu selections. Our drinks were never empty and our chip baskets and salsa were always kept full. The owner and Chef, Ruben, came out to check on our group and to educate us on the menu and on his delicious house-​infused tequilas. What a nice gesture. To our pleasant surprise, Ruben treated our entire table to a shot of house infused pineapple-​guava tequila! What a treat!
There were lots of delicious entrees ordered that night. I went the traditional route and had a carnitas soft corn taco and enchilada. My dish was served with a pyramid of rice and refried beans. I love the carnitas at Alebrijes. It is marinated in orange juice and spices, always tender and delicious! My husband had a pork dish that was slow roasted pork with a spicy kick. The pork was served atop banana leaves and accompanied by rice and beans. Delicious!
We left the event with full bellies and smiles on our faces. A successful UYE!
Can’t wait to get together again soon!
‘

There’s nothing better than «Being Stuck in Lodi Again» for another enjoyable «breaking of bread» (or in this case tortillas), with fellow Unilocalers from the Lodi, Stockton and Tracy areas. Our unofficial UYE arranger Maureen G. did another great job at bringing us together for an evening of eating, drinking, gossiping and reviewing!
Ruben, the owner and chef of Alebrijes Bistro welcomed us with lots of attention and hospitality. We were given our own table in the bar area, where our server Raymon took great care of us. The food and drinks did not disappoint! The atmosphere of this restaurant made conversing and catching up with everyone a great back drop for a pleasant evening.
Then to top off our great dinner, Ruben gave us a round of pineapple & guava infused Tequila shots on the house! And boy was it good! What a strategic way of bringing patrons back to your bar! Now I’m hooked!
A big thank you to the staff at Alebrijes Bistro who worked hard at making our UYE successful and to Maureen G. who got the ball rolling!

Central Valley Unilocal,It’s been far too long…
It was awesome going to my first UYE since moving back to Stockton, and it was also amazing to have it in Lodi! Maureen did a great job putting the whole thing together, and the location was perfect for just this type of event.
We met at Alebrijes Mexican Bistro…
It was the perfect setting for a mid-​sized group. We had maybe 12 or so people… some I have known for years, some I just met that night. Even some people I had just friended on Unilocal that very day!
From the freshly made guacamole to the citrus-​infused tequila at the end of the event it was a completely fun event… I look forward to more of them in the near future.
:0)

I decided to have our UYE at Alegrijes based on David O’s review. Ruben and crew really went out of their way to make us at home. Comp shots of tequilla infused with pineapple and mango was just one of the things that made me love Alebrijes’ Bistro. They had the tables all set up and ready to go thanks to Dana C of Lodi Unilocal fame. This was a real nice venue to just hang out with some Unilocal buddies and get caught up on their lives.
On the restaurant itself, the chips and salsa were not to my liking. I prefer fresh rather than stewed or cooked salsa with fresh tomatoes, jalepenos and onions… this was more of a cooked, dark red salsa that wasn’t very spicy. The chips weren’t hot and were just okay. The entrees were pretty remarkable. Lamb, Tillappia, pork, shrimp, there were many to choose from. I picked the cod fish tacos since that was what my server recommended. I have a bad habit of NOT reading the specifics on the menu but thank goodness, Bob was happy to scarf up the pickeled purple cabbage that filled my corn tortillas. Yay! The black beans were a welcome change up from the traditional «refried» variety. The rice was presented in a pyramid shaped tower, nice touch.
All in all the service was spectacular, the venue was fun and the owner was happy to hang out with us to make sure we got exactly what we wanted… all in all a very Unilocaly night!

Five stars for an outstanding UYE!
Much thanks to Maureen for organizing another successful UYE!
It was great seeing familiar Unilocal faces all the way from Tracy
to Elk Grove! Thanks to Tony A for driving all the way from Tracy
to attend. It was great finally meeting you in person.
I enjoyed visiting with friends, old and new. We were missing a
few old regulars and a couple of ‘first-​timers’ that were trying
to make it but for one reason or another, couldn’t make it this
time. Maybe next time…
Alebrijes Mexican Bistro was a great choice for this event. It
provided a classy, colorful setting. Great ambiance… we had
our own long table in the bar side of the restaurant, that way
we would not disturb the regular patrons.
Thanks again, Maureen. Looking forward to our next event…