If you are looking for some good, reasonably inexpensive Mexican food near Columbia University, Nacho's Kitchen is one of your few options. The food here is good, although there is nothing spectacular about it. Having been raised on "authentic" Mexican food in my hometown in California, some of the dishes failed to impress. However, they were still pretty good for what you will be paying (generally $7-10 for an entree, pretty average for the area). They serve the obligatory chips and salsa right after you are seated. The chips were good, and probably made fresh at the restaurant. The salsa, though, was just more like tomato mush...no kick to it at all. Very disappointing.
The service was adequate. I know, not a very descriptive word, but the best I can think of for this place. Your server will greet you, take your order, serve it, and you won't see him again until you flag him down to ask for the check. It gets the job done, but it doesn't impress me.
Nacho's also serves a selection of burgers, which are surprisingly tasty. If the diners are full, Nacho's is a great option for that burger fix.
One other thing that got on my nerves: I can understand a nominal charge for bringing extra items to the table, like when I asked for a small dish of guacamole. 50 cents or a dollar would cut it, I would think, considering how tiny the dish ended up being. But $3.95?? That, in my book, is a rip-off.
Overall, I liked this restaurant but was not impressed enough to make it a regular stop for me.
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