Alamo Cafe

Reviews

• ★★★★½ Beef Fajita Plate Visited Aug 23, 2017

  Returned To Try The Beef Fajitas

  I had just returned to Alamo Cafe for the first time in about 25 years and was disappointed with the cheese enchiladas I had ordered on my first visit. I decided to give it another try and ordered the beef fajitas, hoping they would be a much better experience.
  
  I visited during the slower period between lunch and dinner, so I was seated quickly and my order was taken right away. The food came out fairly quickly, and the portion of beef fajitas was a good size. I was also brought a container of freshly made tortillas that were still nice and hot.
  
  I made my first taco with some of the grilled onions that came with the fajitas and gave it a try. The fajitas were OK and definitely better than the enchiladas from my previous visit, but they still didn't impress me. The meat itself lacked the flavor I was expecting and seemed to be missing much in the way of seasoning. I found that I needed to add guacamole, salt, and salsa to really give the taco some decent flavor.
  
  I've had fajitas at other places where the meat is so flavorful that I can sit there and eat it by itself without adding anything. The beef here just didn't have that kind of flavor. The portion was good and the meat was fresh, but the seasoning and overall flavor were lacking.
  
  The service was good, the food came out quickly, and everything appeared to be fresh. Unfortunately, after being away for 25 years, I was hoping to find something that would bring back some of the memories from all my visits here during the 80s and 90s. That didn't happen.
  
  After two visits, both of which left me underwhelmed, I'm left wondering how long it will be before I return again. I had high hopes for a restaurant that has been around for so long, but maybe I simply prefer a different style of Mexican food than what Alamo Cafe offers.

  — Paul

• ★★★★☆ Cheese Enchiladas Visited Aug 29, 2016

  Disappointing Cheese Enchiladas

  It had been about 25 years since my last visit to Alamo Cafe, so while I was working in the area recently, I decided to stop in and see how things had changed.
  
  I remembered eating at Alamo Cafe as a kid, although I didn't have any particular memories of the food itself. I ordered an enchilada plate, and they brought out fresh chips and salsa while I waited. The food came out fairly quickly, along with fresh tortillas, which was one of the things I remembered from my visits years ago.
  
  Unfortunately, the enchiladas were disappointing. The flavor wasn't particularly good, and the enchiladas had a somewhat mushy texture. The sauce tasted more like a slurry of chili powder than a traditional gravy or meat-based chili sauce. In fact, the flavor and texture reminded me a little of the frozen enchiladas you might get from a TV dinner.
  
  The rest of the meal was OK, and the service was actually very good. My waiter was extremely friendly and spent some time chatting with me. He even brought me a drink to take with me when he brought the check.
  
  Alamo Cafe has been around for a long time and is obviously a popular restaurant, so maybe I just ordered the wrong thing. Unfortunately, having one of the staple dishes I'd expect a Mexican restaurant to do well be this disappointing. I haven't been back since, although I'd be willing to try some of the other menu items if I get the opportunity.

  — Paul