El Chico

A new Mexican restaurant joins the throng at JBR 9 Reviews

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El Chico has been around in Dubai for a while and my visit last week yielded few surprises. A popular Mexican chain originating in America, the menu contained the usual array of nachos, fajitas, burritos and mocktails. The black and white photos of the founders adorning the walls added a nice homely touch.

To start, my date and I ordered a guacamole to share. Prepared at the table, it was pleasant enough, with ripe tomatoes and piquant jalapenos adding colour to the lime green concoction before us. The accompanying nachos, though, were disappointingly anemic-looking and way too thin.

We were both in a fajita kind of mood, but decided to order different versions to see how much variation there would be. I opted for the oldie but goldie chicken option, and what arrived was fine, the skillet cradling an enticingly slimy bed of onions and green peppers, the average-quality sliced chicken nestling on the top. It also came with a plate of well-seasoned rice and my personal guilty favourite, refried beans, and yet another plate housing lettuce leaves, sour cream and more guacamole. (Interestingly, that evening when we were tucking into our doggy bag, the colour of this guacamole was entirely different – and a whole lot browner – than the stuff that had been prepared in front of us, which remained as verdant as it had been six hours prior.)

My companion had opted for lunch fajitas, the portion of which was, confusingly, just as large as my regular dish. Hers contained beef as well as chicken. I wish I could say what it tasted like, but it looked like strips of old leather and she didn’t disagree, so I decided to steer clear. Service was friendly and efficient, although the manager’s personal visit to our table felt a whole lot less personal when our post-meal customer service survey revealed that it had been a necessary action for the restaurant to score full marks.

There was nothing inherently wrong with our meal, but with the amount of equally good rivals out there (On The Border being a notable – and geographically close – example), El Chico needs to step up its game if it wants to remain busy through the summer months, when its location on JBR’s The Walk won’t draw streetside crowds.

The bill (for two)
2x Pepsi Dhs20
1x Top shelf guacamole Dhs35
1x Chicken fajitas Dhs54
1x Lunch fajitas Dhs38
Service charge Dhs14.70
Total Dhs161.70

By Daisy Carrington
Time Out Dubai, 25 May 2009

• Previous reviews
  • 17 March,2009- reviewed by Time Out Dubai staff
  • 02 June,2008- reviewed by Becky Lucas

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Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.

Posted by: xxx on 10 Sep ' 09 at 18:57

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Family friendly
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Posted by: Abjb on 29 Jul ' 09 at 09:23

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Family friendly
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

I was very afraid going there as because of the reviews written here but it was definitely worth trying this restaurant. I liked the food, tortillas where a bit tasteless but everything else very delicious. Specially the Mexican apple pie!!! I love it. Good for going there with friends but also worth for a nice dinner with your beloved. Service could be more professional but if you ask the guys with a smile they do everything for you.

Posted by: Steve on 02 Jul ' 09 at 19:53

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Family friendly
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Frequent El Chico at least once a month if not more as I am living close to JBR. I've tried Chilis and on the boarder but neither meet the excellent experiences of El Chico. I have been enjoying the live entertainment of the Spanish guitar player/singer in the evenings which really sets the mood. The staff are very friendly and prove an excellent service. The food is always tasty and portions are generous and the free warm corn chips and salsa are always topped up! The deserts are too tempting to resist and the apple pie with the cinnamon ice cream would have to be the best in Dubai. To the staff and management behind the El Chico's success keep up the great work.

Posted by: kate on 21 Jun ' 09 at 05:23

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

Posted by: Rebeca on 30 May ' 09 at 13:48

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Family friendly
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

This is not a Mexican restaurant is a Texmex style of food. Salsa should be more spicy, tortillas should be better quality. they should have delivery. Over all is good. for a texmex. For real mexican food go to Maya restaurant.

Posted by: Yasser on 27 May ' 09 at 12:29

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Family friendly
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

This is my yfavourit resturant in JBR. I love their friendly staff. The nachos are great and so are the dips. I usually go for the enchiladas and the Fajitas. The taste is always great.
I love the grilled salmon dish as well, but I prefer their chicken dishes more that the beef and fish.

Posted by: Pri on 26 May ' 09 at 13:54

• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

I completely agree with the review. The food wasnt great and was just slimy and bland and surely not enticing! Although the staff seems friendly - they either choose not to convey your request to the chef or just don't understand English.
On the border on the other hand was absolutely fanstastic and El chico will need to step up if they want to draw crowds during the coming months.

Posted by: salim on 08 Apr ' 09 at 17:36

OverallFood

• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Posted by: Gary on 27 Mar ' 09 at 11:43

OverallDecorService

FoodAmbienceValue

• Best for: Business lunch
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

I've been going to El Chico in the US since I was a young boy. It used to be a great experience to go out for a fine Mexican meal with me family. As I recall the food was always fresh and delicious.

When they opened here on the Walk I was very excited as Mexican is my favorite food. The first time we went the food was good and the service was excellent. I've been back 6 times since then and the quality of the food has dropped significantly and the service remains fair at best. I almost always order the Steak Fajitas and I always specify that I want the veggies cooked very well done. The waiter always acknowledges my request but the veggies always come out barely cooked and still crunchy. Having worked in the food service industry before I know that you should never send a meal back into the kitchen, so I'm usually stuck with something that I don't wish to eat. On one occassion my fiance ordered the Chicken Taco Salad. She asked for no cheese and no dressing. When the salad came out it was covered with cheese and the chicken that was on it was boiled and mixed with a red sauce. When we alerted the manager he agreed that this chicken was the one supposed to go in the enchilada and that the chicken for the taco salad was supposed to be grilled.

It seems that the wait staff either doesn't understand plain English or they do not convey the customer's request to the kitchen. In any case they fail miserably each time we go. I will continue to dine at El Chico as it's close to where I live in JBR and the chips and salsa are the best around. I'm still hoping that they improve over time.

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