Mariachis Tequileria & Restaurant

I received a gift card for City Square Café for Christmas, but discovered it had closed when I called to make a reservation for a Valentine’s Day celebration with my family. Not to worry, said Antonio, owner of Mariachis. Mariachis would honor the gift card and make my family happy on Valentine’s Day. And very happy we were! Antonio greeted us at the door and presented me and my daughter with red roses. The food was delicious, the setting was cozy and the service (by Jose) was exceptional. I had the red snapper, my husband had the chicken enchiladas in mole sauce, and my daughter had bean sauce on her beef enchiladas. We split a tres leches cake for dessert. We recommend it all! We plan to try the brunch next time (served weekends until 2:30pm) and the live mariachi weekend evenings.

Food was good, but it was typical brunch fare for a Sunday. Will go back and try dinner menu

Charming Character
Precious likes margaritas so when I heard about this new place I wanted to take her there to check it out and see if they have good margaritas [Precious is so funny after she’s had only a little alcohol]. We went there Saturday at about 8 p.m.
First of all, it’s not totally authentic Mexican. If you want an authentic Mexican restaurant, then go to La Jarochita which is just a few blocks away, but if you’re reading this, then you probably don’t want authentic Mexican; you want Tex-​Mex. It’s not a big place. It’s a very cozy casual restaurant with about 20 (?) tables and a bar with about six seats. The place was full, and they had a live Mariachi band playing. The singer had an amazing voice. Because the place is so small, the band was loud. But people were really enjoying it.
It was someone’s birthday so they sang «Las Mananitas» which is a traditional Mexican happy birthday song. In December we celebrated my niece’s birthday in Honduras, and the neighborhood children came by and sang that song to her. Hearing in that restaurant brought back a good memory.
The bar was full so we got a table. Because the place is so small they really cram the tables in there. Most of the people were Americans. There was one family of Latinos waiting for a table. We were just there for a few drinks.
The food: When you go to a Tex-​Mex place, it’s automatic that they put some chips and salsa on the table. The chips tasted like they were out of a bag, not freshly made on sight. The salsa was tasteless, and it didn’t have any chunks in it like little pieces of tomatoes and onions. The menu has a lot of traditional Mexican dishes, but it also has the Tex-​Mex favorites. Fajitas aren’t Mexican. That dish was invented by a restauranteur in Houston Texas. But it’s all good. The woman at the table next to us ordered fajitas, and she said they were very good. We got some taquitos appetizers, and they were very, very good. It had a crisp shell and a very tasty sauce.
The Drinks: According to Precious, the margarita was not good. She said it tasted like they put gasoline in there instead of tequila. The bar has a big display for Patron, but Precious thinks that they probably put Jose Cuervo in her margarita. Note: Precious is spoiled. And they charged $ 9.50. $ 9.50 for a margarita. We should have called 911. I noticed they had Negra Modelo on tap. Negra Modelo reminds me of a very pleasant trip to Mexico City so I got it. It was flat. It had no head. I mean it had absolutely no head. I also noticed that they had Jesse’s Girl from BadWolf Brewing Co which is a local craft brewery. I am very fond of Jesse’s girl and BadWolf so I got a glass of that. It was flat too. No head at all. And it didn’t have that awesome Jesse’s Girl smell that I know and love. I don’t know what they did, but somehow they screwed up the beers real bad.
All in all, it’s a good restaurant. For me I put two stars because the drinks were really really bad and we’re not crazy about Tex-​Mex. But the food is good. If you like that type of food, then you’ll love this place. Also I recommend going when the Mariachi band is playing. That was a great band.

Menu is very limited, but the lively crowd might distract you. It is a great addition to old town Manassas and will be draw it’s own particular crowd looking to have fun, drink and have a quick, simple plate.
The mariachi band is fun but they quickly remind you how small the dining area is after a few minutes. When the weather cooperates and the patio opens up it will be a nice escape for people with kids or who don’t appreciate the noise.
Enchilada’s and torta’s your thing? Plenty to choose from here.
Looking for taco’s? Wrong place.
Drinks looked decent, prices were acceptable.
Eh. I also got thick cut potato with my authentic meal.
Tortilla soup was pretty good.
Chips/​salsa were ok.
I’m from SoCal and grew up eating baja style Mexican. Considering there are different regions and therefore different types of Mexican foods (to include texmex) Mariachi’s gets 3 stars for their unproven claim to be authentic.

I am not sure what constitutes an authentic Mexican restaurant anymore. I went to Mariachis with an open mind and very hopeful that it would be a pleasant dining experience. I came away feeling like I had just eaten at any strip mall Mexican place that you can find anywhere in our area.
Our party started with the complimentary chips and salsa of course. Salsa was very tasty but could have used a bit more heat for my taste but it is probably perfect to suit the masses. Then the fresh made guacamole came.
This was the weirdest guac I have ever seen. It was mostly red from the tomatoes and red onion with a few veins of green from the sparse avocado. There was no hint of lime and no salt to speak of. Now, I have never been to Mexico so I can’t speak to this guacamole’s authenticity, but I have never seen one like this. This was overly acidic from the abundance of tomato with none of the refreshing qualities of avocado.
For my entrée I ordered the mole poblano chicken enchiladas. I love mole, I have had it numerous times. Mole has chocolate in it. But it shouldn’t taste like it has Hershey’s chocolate in it. It was just too sweet. Otherwise the flavor of the mole was good. The chicken in the enchilada, however, is another story.
The chicken filling was a crumbly, dry, flavorless mess. It honestly tasted like leftovers. Strip mall enchilada.
My dining companion ordered the shrimp fajitas. Presentation was as you would think, shrimp and vegetables on a sizzling plate. Smelled delicious. Shrimp were large and lovely. They were also not deveined. I will just leave it at that.
I know it may sound as if I am unfairly bashing a new place. I really don’t mean to. I hope they have all the success in the world and hopefully work out some of the kinks as I saw them. I plan to try them again at a point in the future.
They have a decent selection of draft beers and a great location in Old Town Manassas.

What a great authentic Mexican restaurant. We just took our office to celebrate a birthday and it was fantastic. We each had a different entrée and each one was a beautiful presentation. The quality and flavors of each dish were exceptional. They sang and gave the birthday girl a complimentary desert with a candle of course. We will all now be regulars.

Fantastic! We have been anticipating this opening in the old City Square location. We went tonight and we weren’t disappointed. As old timers in Old Town we were happy to see old friends Justin and Antonio tending bar and managing the floor, and the FOOD was fantastic. Very authentic. Handmade chips with salsa to start, and my wife and I both ordered enchiladas — Mole for her and Verdes (spicy!) for me. I also had a «Perfect Margareta». Everything was fantastic — not exotic, just great textures, heat, and sauces.
The energy was probably the best part. Every table was filled and the staff was enthusiastic and energized. Overall, a great experience. I can’t wait for the weather to warm up so we can enjoy the patio!

The house Margarita was authentic! The beef fajitas were excellent with well seasoned beef. I will be going back.

This place used to be city square café, but has now transformed into a Mexican restaurant. There are a couple solid beer choices on tap including lagunitas, Devil’s Backbone, and Badwolf. For food, we had the taquitos, enchiladas, and Red Snapper veracruz. All the food was exceptional. The salsa verde on the taquitos and enchiladas was excellent, as was the chicken meat. The fish tasted reasonably fresh, the rice was good, and the tomatos and capers went well with the fish. Value was great for the quality of food. The service was probably the best we have ever had at an Old Town Manassas restaurant.
I’m very excited about this addition to the Old Town Manassas restaurant scene. We will definitely be back.