Hacienda Del Sol

Very good, large dinner portions! Had the Arroyo Con Pollo… super delicious and very filling! Margaritas not as good, but would still recommend!!!

I went here during the week for dinner, around 5 pm. We were the only ones in the entire restaurant. They didn’t even have all the lights on. The music was not turned on until we were done eating when a large family arrived.
Negatives: Even though the place was deserted it took a long time for the server to return so we could place our order. After the order was placed our drinks took forever and the food took even longer. Once the large family arrived we were forgotten and once again had to wait some more for the check. The food managed to be bland and salty. My meal was nothing special.
Positives: Despite the terrible wait times our server was a nice guy. We got salsa AND beans with the chips! Even though the food was only okay the portion sizes were great.
Unfortunately the negatives outweigh the positives, and with other great Mexican options in the area I will probably never be back.

Deserted on a Saturday night during the holidays — not a good sign. The service was fine, but the food style just wasn’t to my liking. «Runny» would be the most apt adjective. I’ll choose Tequilas or Señor Panchos going forward.

Food was acceptable although not authentic Mexican food… not even.close. one night I went with some friends, Friday night, and the bar was full of shady characters and women that were there not to eat if you catch my drift… very loud. Thank God the security guard threw out a guy that was intoxicated and cursing in Spanish and trying to pick a fight… perhaps thinking that he was in Tijuana. The other days it is an OK place for quick lunch or early dinner but Fridays and Saturday nights it has the potential of becoming a pick up place similar to the places in Laredo, Tijuana or Brownsville. Two stars.

The food here is really good. We come here often for lunch and I always do chimichangas. It doesn’t seem to have the drinking atmosphere a lot of the other mexican places have and no patio. But, it’s inexpensive, tasty, and our service has always been VERY quick. I’d reccomned this place for a quick lunch or night out with the family but if you’re looking for somewhere more lively and fun i’d say go to tequillas.

Walked in for lunch. Only two other peopleK. See us when u want to. Let me know here. First red flag!!! No Carne Asada onlunch menu but in dinner menu. Asked if I could have a lunch portion the answer was no!!! The salsa was mediocre at best. The food, the same. Do not come here! Poor attempt at authentic Mexican food. Even for this area!!! The beer was cold so I will give one star

I’ve gone several times now, The fajitas are my favorite, my kids love their warm crunchy tortillas and beans, excellent service

Great food, great restaurant, extremely friendly staff. Been to this location multiple times definitely be back!!!

Customer service is great! Love coming here for or dinner. Lunch prices are great. Dinner is a little pricier, but really big servings. Overall great place.

Was interested to see what it looked like when it opened up… since it used to be a 99 Restaurant.
The decorating is great. I loved the sponge painted walls. The food was pretty good (but quite a bit more expensive than a Chili’s or On The Border). The part that really made it awesome for my wife, my toddler daughter and I was the live mariachi band that plays while you eat. It was an unique experience and surely trumps everything else in this area of Waterbury. They’ll even come to your table to perform for you.
If you can get passed the bill at the end of the night, then this is a great place to take your family for a night out.

I was happy to hear a new Mexican restaurant was opening up in the area. I was unimpressed, the food was Bland… nothing to write home about. The margarita I had was a bit sour and burned my throat. A little bit too expensive for the quality of food served here.

Good food and lots of it. Clean inside and comfortable with a family. Wait staff was very friendly. Would go again.

Went for my friend’s birthday lunch. The food was good (from what I can tell, I don’t usually eat Mexican). The drink that I ordered, however, wasn’t made the way I’m used to it being made. I wasn’t worried about it because it was good enough to get me by. The second round (which I should have ordered something else but am a creature of habit) was less than worthy even compared to the first one I ordered.
The waitress was quick on her feet and very friendly. She came to the table at one point because the amount of orders she was putting into the system for the cooks didn’t match the amount of people in our group. At least she knew whereabouts that the person was who ordered the meal. Needless to say everything got squared away and the food was up soon after.
With no mention to one of my friends at the table (he ordered Steak Fajitas) just gets a plate of beans and rice and the tortilla container delivered to him without the steak, onions, and peppers that he was anticipating. A few minutes later they arrived by a different staff member than our waitress.
Overall it was a good enough experience to go back again. I’ll just be ordering something else for my drink and, quite possibly, for my meal. You can’t always go to the same place and order the same meal each time.
I gave this place a ³⁄₅ rating because of the two mishaps during the meal.

Interesting Mexican restaurant.
Food was very filling for the price. Also tasted very good.
Staff was extremely friendly. Have not been in since the bar opened up, but I hear it is worth a look.
Parking is decent and it is connected to the Naugatuck valley plaza so it should not be a problem getting a spot.
There is plenty of seating inside.
Very clean and the decorations are nicely put together. I actually felt like I was in Mexico the first time I walked in.
If you live in this town and are tired of Taco Bell and Tequila’s, this is definitely worth a try.

This place was great! It’s been here for awhile now but we just never thought to try it. My parents took me here tonight and I loved it. The service was slow because they were busy and only had one waiter, but he took two drinks off the menu because he realized that the service was slow, we didn’t even ask for this! The ambience is really nice. I got the frozen blueberry margarita and LOVED it. Next time id do on the rocks though. For my food I got the seafood chimichanga and ate as much as I possibly could of it, it was delicious! I will definitely come back here next time I’m in CT.

Before I start my review, I have to address how totally wrong and ignorant Keli R.‘s one-​star review is. She complains about it being like a 99? Well that’s what it used to be. She complains about the liquor license when it’s a legal issue that has long since gone away (and their bar is impressive).
THEN she complains about the Spanish speaking waitress not knowing what carnitas are?! Wow. That is ignorant as hell. Now you reading this, go ahead and type ‘carnitas’ into Google and this is literally what you see: «Carnitas, literally „little meats,“ is a dish made of braised or roasted and then fried or sauteed pork in Mexican cuisine.»
Keli R., here’s a quick Spanish lesson; «carne» means meat, «carnitas» means little meats, and «bistek» is steak which is the word you were looking for. Carnitas can be any kind of meat; pork, chicken, or beef like you wanted. YOU didn’t specify what you wanted, and you’re mad at the waitress? That is pure ignorance and your ignorance is damaging to a business which is the worst part.
Anyways, onto the review. To sum it up, this place is GREAT!
From where a generic, average food place once stood, now stands an impressive Mexican place. The Ninety-​Nine that used to be here is not missed and Waterbury still has Chili’s and TGIFridays for generic, average American food.
Ironically across the street from a Taco Bell, there couldn’t be greater chasm of a quality difference. It’s like comparing McDonalds to a fine steakhouse. By the way, Señor Panchos is on par with Taco Bell, that food is awful, stay away from there except for drinks.
I went in here out of the blue for lunch and had a $ 7 meal I was full. The lunch was inexpensive, filling, and delicious. I didn’t feel bloated or have any stomach pains as low-​quality Mexican food often is notorious for.
As I only went for lunch, I can’t comment on the portion size or pricing, but if the lunch is anything to go by, you will get beyond full for dinner and need a doggy bag. The food here is delicious and I have to especially recommend the side guacamole, it’s out-​of-​this-​world fantastic.
I noticed all the poor reviews are from last year, so it seems that the new year has been good to this place, because if it was bad before, it certainly isn’t now. After eating a hearty chicken meal, I was too full I couldn’t even try dessert or the bar. Their bar is also very impressive looking, large and well-​stocked. I also noticed that while their menu didn’t list Sam Adams, they did have it on tap, which put my inner beer snob at ease.
Hacienda del Sol is definitely one of the best Mexican places in the area.

The food is not horrible, but it’s definitely not worth the price they charge. Maybe if entrees were around $ 8 instead of $ 16 I could justify giving this place 3 – 4 stars. I left unsatisfied and with a large bill.
I got a pork dish that was decent except that the pork was dried out and tough. My girlfriend got fajitas, which she said were good, but she also thought they were not worth their price.
I will not be going back to this restaurant again.
Pros: Fast service, clean
Cons: Overpriced

I really wanted to love it. Because I’m sooooo tired of the restaurants in the area and something would be great. But did not like it… the seafood chimichanga my daughter ordered had a strong smell. my husband did not like his seafood plate ether.

When you hear a near «family run» Mexican restaurant opens in town, you think one of two things.
1. It better have a patio or else it’s not beating Tequila’s
2. The food better be better than Tequila’s (which isn’t hard to do) or I’m not buying it
This place had neither of these things.
First, as the other reviewer stated, you walk in and it’s 99 with a new paint job… why did it take so long to open? It’s THE SAME! Ok, maybe they knocked down a wall and tiled the bar… but that’s it. I said to my mother, WOW LOOKS JUST LIKE 99… the server/​host/​manager? said to me… YES! But the food is better! Hmmmm. i dunno
With that said… ok, when you say GRAND OPENING… please say, «Pending liquor license.» When people want Mexican… people want a Margarita to go with it! But when you disguise your brand new restaurant as a FULL FUCTIONING restaurant. you are false advertising. I saw two families get up and leave within 5 minutes.
Also, please learn the menu. My mother ordered the CARNITAS burrito. Now, I’ve been to san diego… hell, I’ve been to taco bell and we all know… Carnitas means STEAK… The server came over and said… and I quote…,” I know you said Carnitas Burrito but you did not specify the type of filling you wanted.” Uhhhh? My mother stared at her blankly and said, «steak?» Either the server had a brain fart or she’s not Mexican… which then leads me to the question, «If this is a family run restaurant… then you should be Mexican or at least know what Carnitas are, right?
I know this place is new… I know they have MANY kinks… but this is a poor attempt at Mexican food… if I want poor Mexican food I’ll go to Tequila’s… at least they have a patio.