El Mezcal

I am admittedly not an expert on Mexican food, as I grew up in Massachusetts and maybe visited a Chi Chi’s once. That being said, I love the friendly, fast service and fresh food at El Mezcal. The menu offers significant choices for all palates, mine being on the more bland side and my husband’s preference for «flavor!!!». This is our regular «go-​to» place when we can’t decide what’s for dinner. I generally get a beef tips taco salad; my husband is making it his goal to try everything on the menu. My daughter prefers the carne asada. And the Xango (fried cheesecake) is absolutely the BEST reason to go — my favorite dessert ever!!!

I was surprised to realize this place had been right down the street from me for almost a year and I had no idea… that being said, I decided to stop in and grab dinner to go, and ordered a burrito. Growing up in Texas, I like to think I have an idea of what to expect when ordering any kind of Mexican food, so I was a bit perplexed to get home and see that my dinner consisted of a foil wrapped burrito and a tossed salad. The burrito was actually ok, but the salad left me really bummed about the fact that I didn’t think this would be my go-​to place now, and it was so close to my house! The fact that I paid over $ 9 for that didn’t help either. Still haven’t decided whether or not to give it another try yet!

Usually when I try a new dish with ethnic food I’m disappointed, but was pleasantly surprised. Service was good and the ticket was brought quickly, almost too quickly because I was considering dessert.

I visited here with a taste for my favorite Mexican restaurant, El Charro in Harrisonburg, VA. I wanted Arroz Con Pollo! I found Pollo Colina and it was awesome.
Fresh vegetable and nicely done chicken with two tortillas. I love the salsa and it’s prevalent cilantro taste. Great tasting refried beans and rice as well.
Irving was so very happy to see his name mentioned by reviewer Katherine I. It made his day!
A great choice for Statesville Mexican.

Friendly, attentive waitstaff, super clean albeit dated interior, fresh vegetables, fresh peeled and deveined shrimp, well seasoned and delicious rice and beans (not too salty) and reasonably priced. The one duo that could improve are the chips and salsa. The oil the tortillas were fried in smelled slightly burned or slightly old and the salsa was similar in taste to V8 with onions and spices added. That said, the chips were thin, just how I prefer, and crisped perfectly. Oh yes, one more thing: I would have liked a little more rice and beans to accompany my fajitas, as I prefer them to tortillas. Honestly, I just don’t like «wraps». But the amount of rice and beans plated may reflect the dish I ordered. Overall, I welcome El Mezcal to the Statesvegas Mexican scene and not only recommend it, but prefer it to the several popular Mexican restaurants in town.

The food here is a little different take on Mexican food than you will find at another Mexican restaurant. Nothing radical, but it offers some variety. Food is great! Service was fast and friendly. Nice family atmosphere in the dining room. There’s a separate room for the bar which has a variety of draft and bottled beers.

Since I love to support local businesses, I stopped in for a late lunch. I walked in one of the two entrances, which happened to be the bar area. There wasn’t anyone in sight, so I sat down in a booth close the the TV so I could watch the pregame Army vs Navy.
After about 10 minutes someone finally noticed me. The server was nice, but shouldn’t quit her night job.
I do have to say that the salsa was extremely fresh and homemade. Not as spicy as I like, but fresh garlic and cilantro. The chips were homemade too. Hot and crispy.
I asked my server what was the difference between the regular margarita and the Texas margarita, which were on the same line on the menu with no differentiation. She said, one has more alcohol than the other. Really? That’s it? No statement of what tequila?
I ordered the Texas!
My food arrived very quickly. Too quick. Chicken burrito, cheese enchilada, rice and beans.
The food had good flavor, but was obviously microwave material. If not, the chicken was poached, then slapped around a bit. Chewy.
When the server took my empty plate, she tried to take my margarita that was almost empty! Of course I protected it but didn’t realize she took my water and salsa. The check arrived before she took my plate too!
I will go back as I never give up after one visit to see if they can work out the kinks of being a new restaurant. We shall see.