El Adobe Cafe

Our favorite Mex. restaurant is closed on Sunday, so we thought we’d try El Aldobe. Ordered 2 Margaritas and water, yet server never realized we had no napkins, or drink coasters, so I went into the bathroom and got some towels. Waiter came back and didnt comment on the towels, so I got up and got some silverware and napkins from another table, because when he brought the food, he didnot bring any with. Not very observant. Chips and salsa are different. Some people might like bland, but we don’t. Tacos were good, but beans and rice were dry and bland. There prices are anywhere from $ 2 to $ 4 per item more than our favorite place. Never again.

I am wavering between three and four stars here, but because this is one of my go-​to mexican spots, I’ll go with 4. You see, I have a love/​hate relationship with El Adobe, meaning that some of the dishes I love and some are just meh. So when ordering, keep in mind that the chicken mole plate is AMAZING as are the carnitas and some of the other specialty dishes including the birria. However, in my opinion, the «typical» mexican food here — tacos, enchiladas, etc are just average, if not below average for the area. The chips, guac, salsa –also just average. What I do really appreciate about El Adobe is that the midtown location has plenty of parking and the restaurant is always just crowded enough — never that awkward «why are we the only one’s here?» but also never had to wait more than a few minutes to be seated. The large tequila selection is also a plus and the big bar area is a fun place to gather with friends.

Wonderful food. More expensive than Miguel’s, but still very good. Very fast service.

It had been a while since I’ve visited El Adobe, but a group of us decided to have dinner here after happy hour one night since it was so close. We were lucky to get a table for the 8 of us right away. We were seated in the back area with another large group. The room got pretty loud as both groups were trying to talk over each other, so I kind of feel bad for our servers, but they handled all of us without a problem.
We ordered a couple of pitchers of margaritas for the table and it was plenty for all of us to have a couple each (or at least for those that were drinking them). Chips and salsa are always addicting and even though I couldn’t stop eating them (I must have been hungry), I actually wasn’t a huge fan of either the chips or the salsa.
I decided on the shrimp enchiladas for my entrée. Not bad, but not fantastic either. It was a nice change from the typical chicken or beef enchiladas though. This comes with your basic refried beans and rice. I’ve had other dishes here (the barria comes to mind) that had much better and more interesting flavors. If I had to recommend something, it would be to steer away from the Americanized dishes and they are just «ok».
The prices are good though; once we split the check up the damage was only $ 25 each. Service was great. It was mostly one waitress handling our table and the other group’s table. She was able to handle all of our requests and nothing was forgotten.

This isn’t one of my go to Mexican restaurants in town.
My hubby and I have been a few times, and the other night a group of Unilocal girls headed here after drinks nearby. It always seems convenient when I end up here.
The service has always been wonderful. The food is ok. They have all the usual dishes you would expect. For me there is no big wow dish, nor is there anything poorly executed. The portion sizes are big, if you go away hungry that would be your own fault. The prices seem average with other places in town.
They have a great outdoor dining area in the front of the restaurant. And plenty of easy parking.

NOTE: they will not accept the 5% check in offer. Our server said it is fake– they don’t have a Unilocal account. He said you can go online to their website and get a 20% off coupon– it must be printed.

Just moved to town recently and after eating at around 10 local Mexican restaurants looking for the best Mexican food this is definitely my favorite! The shredded beef tacos are delicious!

this place doesn’t honor the 5%check in offer if you «check in with Unilocal!Just saying, someone should «check «on this. Showed the offer to the waiter and he just shook his head and said «Oh no we don’t do that here»

Chips and salsa are good and fresh. The salsa is homemade and has nice flavor and just the right amount of heat.
Ordered the ceviche appetizer and it didn’t come until after our entrees came out because they make it fresh. Took it one and so glad we did. It’s well worth the wait.
The carnitas was sliced which is different but had wonderful flavor.
My husband loved his taquitos and margarita. They aren’t stingy with the tequila.
Can’t wait to go back

Not authentic enough for me.
Ordered the Adobe Birria and Mole a la Puebla, expecting some grand plate (that would match the price tag) — but they both tasted like they were phoned in.
The sauce for the mole tastes just like the canned one I buy. Bleh! I was expecting some authentic home made flavor.
Birria was too sweet, with a thick paste, instead of more juicy and more spices.
Rice had a slight crust, so u know its not fresh. Crust, develops overnight in the fridge or when u leave it long enough under a heat lamp.
Waitress was quick to seat us, bring our drinks and beer. No complaints on that end.

First off, Thank you to our Community Manager, Michael T. for writing an amazing review on this place because I ended up ordering the Birria Beef at this place for the first time last night and OH MY it was amazing. I don’t even know how to put into words the flavor packed in this meat but it is to die for and if you ever go to El Adobe (which you should try if you haven’t) and you have to try this plate at least once. It comes with rice and beans and the meat practically melts in your mouth. They also serve it with corn or flour tortillas so you can make tacos.
I loved the atmosphere and the service was great. I had never been here before and I have no idea why! My friend suggested we go to Mexican and said if I have not tried, I am missing out! Now, I am taking a friend here for lunch!
Another thing I love about this place is that they give you red AND green salsa. The green salsa has a little more kick to it but it is amazing and goes well with your actual meal! I also had a margarita that did not disappoint. I am not a major tequila drinker but the flavor was not overpowering and just right for me. We were seated quickly and our food came super fast which was good because I was starving! I will definitely be going back here many times to order everything on the menu! Next up are the Tacos for sure…

Another spot that I’ve been to way too many times and not reviewed before. That being said they are consistently good across the board.
Even though they make it from beef versus the traditional goat the Birria is probably their best dish.
The bar in the back is also a cool funky spot. One of the top sit down Mexican restaurants in Reno.

The posole is so fantastic! To the point that I crave it during the summer. It’s got a great atmosphere with bright colors everywhere and really friendly staff. And don’t forget the margaritas that are 2 and you’re done.
I’ve been coming here for 10 years and will continue to do so!

I’ve had a few friends tell me how good this place is. Well I was not impressed. The chips were stale and the «salsa» tasted bland with a nasty aftertaste.
I ordered a beef enchilada and taco combo. The taco was thrown into the enchilada sauce and was so soggy I had to use a fork for it. The enchilada was decent but not close to the best I’ve had in the area. I thought that the price was way too much for the quality of food. Won’t be returning.

It makes me sad what is happening with the food here. It used to be so great! Recently we took my sister here because she was visiting from Phoenix and it was her birthday. What a mistake!
The good: the chips were tasty, the atmosphere was good and they had a good selection of beers on tap. We enjoyed a little serenade from a guy with a nice voice and a guitar.
The bad: The margaritas were so syrupy sweet that they were un-​drinkable! Their response was that they had changed the mix! A nice Mexican restaurant should make margaritas from scratch, not use mix. We ordered guacamole and it was obviously a packaged product like from Costco. Their only response was that the avocados were not fresh. When our food came, the beans were so salty that they could not be eaten either. The chili rellenos were not traditionally made, and very doughy. The tamale was not any better. We left behind most of the food on the plates and didn’t drink our margaritas, yet they made no concession on the bill at all. Unfortunately, we will not be returning.

Average food but I did have a mango margarita and that was pretty good. Service pretty good and parking was good as well. Everything was average. Might come back again. Décor could be updated and a bit on the pricey size for the food. But the food wasn’t anything special. All in all my experience was good. I hope this helps you and thanks for reading my review.

I’d heard amazing things about El Adobe, and it is certainly a local favorite, but after my first visit I was left wanting something more. But after this last visit, I can see my issue was simply ordering wrong, and this place deserves all the praise it receives.
Birria, the braised beef version in Chilis, cinnamon and other warm spices, is a dish I discovered here and has become my measure of quality in Mexican restaurants. It’s not a common dish, so if it’s on the menu, it better be good. The first time at El Adobe I went for it and after one bite, knew it was far too salty. Prior to ordering I had seen some incredible looking tacos and combo plates pass by, and as I watched dishes arrive to the others in our party and saw the happy smiles on their faces, I knew what had to happen on my next visit.
So after a celebratory cocktail or two at Chapel with friends, we made our way to El Adobe again. I looked over the menu and landed on the carnitas ala Diabla and the chicken mole, and my wife and I decided that would be dinner and lunch the next day. The carnitas were sliced, which is something I’m not used to, but they were tender on the inside with a crispy exterior that soaked up the rich and spicy sauce. The sautéed onions made for a great addition to this dish, and putting it all in a warm corn tortilla made the perfect taco! The mole was deep in flavor with dark chocolate, cinnamon, a little hit of heat from Chilis, and an incredibly silky texture. They used chicken thighs I think, which just insured that the meat would be very moist, and again, wrapping it all in a corn tortilla made it one helluva taco.
Friends at the table ordered the combo plates Id seen before, and those damn tacos caught my eye but escaped my brain when I ordered this time. No big deal because the two dishes I had on this visit could bring me back again and again, and next time I won’t forget to try the tacos!
P. S. The perfect compliment to all Mexican food is an Ice Cold Draft Negra Modelo, and El Adobe might have the coldest in town!

Last time the service rocked. This time not so much. So my neighbor had a 20% off coupon and I wanted to give this place another chance so we decided to stop in and get some take-​out. The hostess explained the coupon was only for dine in so we decided to order, I woud stay and MJ would run home and pick up her house guest. We ordered 2 steak burritos, chili verde, guacamole, and my iced tea and MJ left. She was back in 10 minutes and the food came out soon after that. They forgot one of the steak burritos and tried to blame us for not ordering two. Three people, three dishes. So the waitress left and 15 minutes later she brought a chili verde burrito. Again she insisted that we ordered it. Not cool. We accepted the incorrect order. Like last time I was not impressed by the food. The rice and beans– shouldn’t every Mexican place get these two things right– were bland. The guacamole was okay. The chips (sorry for such a rant) were stale. Definitely not house made. This was MJ’s second chili verde (see privious review) and she said there was less this time and not as good as the previous time. G really liked his chili verde burrito and I liked my steak burrito. One beer and a soda completed our order and the total (with 20% off coupon) was $ 44.

Yum. We got to the restaurant around 6:45/7, had about a ten minute wait. The restaurant is pretty loud but the smells in the air drown out the noise.
My friend and I split a pitcher of margaritas. $ 18 bucks of deliciousness. Mango on the rocks, it had a little more of a tequila taste than most places. One of the better margaritas I’ve had. I got two fish tacos on the side $ 3.95 each, tasty. We got guacamole and Pico on the side too. Beware the guacamole has shredded cheese on top.
Good place to eat for sure. We hung out for about 3 hours total! It wasn’t as loud during the last hour. We think there was a party in the back. This was my second time in and I definitely recommend it.

Strange to me to find out that I’ve never reviewed this place before.
It’s one of my favorite Mexican food places in the area, despite the somewhat sketchy appearance from the outside. The food is always fresh and hot, the service is always friendly, and the prices are pretty reasonable.
This weekend, I went for breakfast for the first time, due to the Hubs craving machaca. He’d had it in a small little diner in San Diego for the first time and couldn’t stop talking about it – no really, he COULDN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT IT.
So, we headed over to El Adobe after seeing they had the revered dish available daily. It didn’t disappoint. Shredded beef, eggs, peppers, served with rice and beans and corn/​flour tortillas. Definitely a must-​try if you haven’t had it before.
Not having the same allegiance to machaca as my forever-​man-​friend, I opted instead for chilaquiles. If you haven’t had them before, basically they are Mexico’s response to breakfast nachos. Cheese, chips, green sauce, eggs, all put under a broiler until everything is nice and crispy. Because I believe that no meal is complete without meat, I chose to add some chorizo to mine.
From previous experiences, their guacamole is good, the chips are fresh, and their margaritas are delicious. Though, I did avoid the margaritas for breakfast.