For a long while I have been curious about Rafael's Restaurant. Tonight seemed like a good night to give it a try since we had some shopping to do at Quarry Bend. The restaurant looks appealing from the outside and the decor inside is inviting. That is the only thing this place has going for it. I was thinking of an ice-cold Negra Modela and a fish taco. First negative: no alcohol is served. Looking around I don't know why I didn't figure that out immediately. We received our chips and salsa in a timely manner and the chips were nice and warm and the salsa was actually steaming. First time I've ever had salsa heated. It was way on the mild side and the chips were overly salty. The menu looked like it had enough variety and so I embarked on the fish taco adventure. It must've been 1 microwaved fish stick in a tortilla with shredded iceberg lettuce on it and nothing else. Hello, cabbage goes on fish tacos and if it says deep fried fish then it should at least have some crunch to it. Not this limp little thing! The bowl of sauce on the side tasted like ranch dressing made from some low budget powdered mix. And that was it. I accidentally ordered a la carte so didn't even have rice & beans but my husband did. I tasted his and knew I didn't miss out. The enchilada on his plate was so small I thought it was part of the beans. And it had no taste to it whatsoever. The relleno was bizarre and the stem had been removed before it was split and flattened. We were wondering if it was real...we drank water and our bill came to $15.31. We left hungry and disappointed. The owners don't have a clue about Mexican food. Once was more than enough to visit this restaurant.
Pros: Decor inviting and good location in Sandy at Quarry Bend shopping ctr
Cons: No idea how to cook Mexican food and no alcohol served
more