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Ajo Al's Mexican Cafe
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
17 reviews for Ajo Al's Mexican Cafe
17 reviews in English
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Review from Jim H.
Oakland, CA
When we arrived at Ajo Al's, I thought "Hmmmm, looks like a chain...probably pretty generic food."
However, it's a surprisingly good restaurant. Their sauces and salsas are obviously house made and are interesting takes on traditional Mexican fare. Thicker than most Mexican sauces, they are very flavorful.
We went for breakfast. My huevos rancheros were very good. Now, the eggs were a LITTLE overcooked to my liking in this dish, but other than that, this was a very good dish. And you certainly won't walk away from this restaurant hungry - portion sizes are very large.
Our service was excellent. Our waiter was attentive and available to knowledgeably answer all our questions.
Refills were prompt on water, chips and salsa. He was also right there when the first Coronas were gone to see if we'd like another round.
Very festive atmosphere.
All-in-all, a very good experience food wise and service wise. -
Review from Carrie N.
Gilbert, AZ
9/13/2011
I have always enjoyed Ajo Al's but don't live close to one so often choose to go other places. On Sunday, I went for a late lunch craving the Pizza Nortena. Unfortunately, because I am gluten free, the pizza isn't for me. But, I mentioned it to our server and she came back to tell me that they could make it gluten free for me. I had never even thought to ask but here she took the initiative to find out for me. I haven't had that pizza in almost five years but I can tell you that it is still delicious even when modified with corn tortillas as the base. The service was excellent. Overall, this experience was my best one at any of the Ajo Al's locations.
On a side note, they have the best spicy cream cheese and their salsa is yummy. If you enjoy Mexican, you will love Ajo Al's. -
Review from J T.
Albuquerque, NM
10/7/2011
Hi Yelpers! I had lunch here w/my b/f today and don't plan on coming back. We were completely disappointed in the food here. First of all, we got seated in a tight booth, then a scary, bald headed bouncer looking guy wordlessly brought us some chips & a carafe of salsa (seriously? a carafe for only 2 people??), our food was served VERY oven hot, had to wait like 10 minutes before we could dig in.
Maybe waiting for the food to cool off wasn't the best idea because my ground beef and mashed potato style burrito plate covered in their red suiza style sauce started separating (pools of grease were forming on top of the sauce...very unappealing to say the least). I thought I liked their spanish rice when I first tasted it, however it was too peppery. The refried beans were probably canned. For my burrito, I thought they'd use "papas" type of potatoes (those in N.M. know what I'm talking about!), but it was like mashed potatoes stuffed in a burrito along with the ground beef. The description didn't say they added in sliced jalapeno peppers...ugh, was unexpected and I just decided to choke it down. My b/f's enchilada plate didn't fare well either. Certainly nothing to write home about. On a good note, we liked our beverages, iced tea and Pepsi. How can you screw that up? lol!
So yeah, we don't plan to return. Just wanted to try something new in the neighborhood. Better luck next time :) -
Review from Judy F.
We came here for Valentine's day because my husband's sprint phone was not working. We drop off the phone and walked over for a quick bite. We were lucky we got there before the crowd. We waited for a few mins, before we were greeted and sat. Within 15 mins, the place was packed with people.
We sat down and received a basket of warm chips and two salsa. Then we got two cups and a pitcher of water. The lady did not say anything to us and left. I was not sure if she is coming back or not. ???
Then our server came to greet us. She was very nice and told us the special. She took our drink order and swoosh she was gone. She had a ton of tables. She came back quick with drinks and to take our food order.
I ordered the Comb #11 Chimi with chicken served with beans and rice. The red sauce had good flavor, the chicken itself was bland, the rice was good, and normally I am not a fan of refried beans but theirs was pretty good.
To sum up everything, it was ok. -
Review from Suzie M.
Phoenix, AZ
8/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
To Marty F: this place started as a Don Pablo's, a now defunct Tex-Mex chain. this interior hasn't changed a bit since being taken over by Al's.
We go here frequently, mainly because of the extensive menu and the large variety of street tacos. I can actually eat here and not blow my diet with all the grilled chicken options.
Their bean dip is exceptional and their drinks are good. We have never had a bad meal here and go about 2-3 times a month.
Things they can improve upon: Please don't sit my husband and myself next to a party with a crying toddler. We don't like sitting by the kitchen because there sometimes are flies (yeah, big eew on those days). And they could stand to touch-up the paint around the booths and do some deep cleaning.
This is a good, solid reliable place to eat that's a local chain. -
Review from Danielle A.
Peoria, AZ
12/16/2011
I absolutely love this place when dining there. But, we don't get to do that very often. We have 4 kiddos, so we tend to order and pick up more often for a better dining experience. Lol The last 4 times we have ordered by phone for pick up, there has ALWAYS been a problem with the order. Anywhere from missing 2 entire meals, to missing sides of beans or rice, to no chips and salsa and even wrong dinner order orders. I am so frustrated with them. Every time we call, they just say oops, we'll replace it next time. I've officially given up with Ajo Al's. Sad to say it, but they can only screw up so many times before losing my business. And unfortunately, they don't do enough to make up for their mistakes.
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Review from Diana S.
Sun City, AZ
9/29/2011
Love this place, good food, service and drinks....
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Review from Marty F.
Glendale, AZ
2/22/2011 4 Check-ins Here
The Ajo Al's on 16th St has always been my home for good mexican food. Until this place.. HOLY... I love this place. First off, the actual building is incredible. Kudos to whomever designed this place. It looks awesome.
Their chips are great along with the delicious salsa and hot sauce. My only complaint is the last time I went , the chips were old tasting.. I could tell they gave me the bottom of the chip drawer.
I love this place and will be coming back often! -
Review from Julie R.
2/2/2011
Place is run by gossiping high-schoolers. And what's even greater is you get to listen to all their petty drama while they hang out at the bar after their shift.
Name literally translates to "Garlic Al's" however its really named after a city in Arizona... not the herb, very disappointing.
Other then that, pretty standard Mexican. -
Review from Ayesha S.
11/22/2009 1 Check-in Here
Ended up here the other night when I was wanting something that would fill me up after a long day and be sin filled. Mexican is always the clear choice when I'm feeling this way.
It was a Saturday evening and the restaurant was pretty quiet. Our service was fairly decent- although he seemed to disappear a little more than I wanted him to.
I had the spinach enchiladas with rice. They were cheesy and awesome and just what I needed. However, it is just your standard average Mexican place. I have dined at the 16th Street location and this location was consistent with that one.
Not the best spot in the Valley for Mexican, but also not the worst. I'd choose it over the many generic chains that you have to choose from when faced with Bell Road/Arrowhead area.Listed in: WestSIDE!
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Review from Emily D.
Washington, DC
5/20/2008
I hate that I loved this place!
After an afternoon of hiding from the heat in the Arrowhead mall, Ashley M. and I attempted several other chains in Arrowhead/83rd ave area that all had long lines outside before we came across Ajo Al's. We walked in to the huge restaurant and were seated right away. I loved the high ceilings and silly stereotypical Mexican decor. Sombrero anyone? We were then given the essential salsa and fresh tortilla chips (another reason I have a love/hate relationship with this place...) which just seemed to scream my name once they hit the table.
I ordered the Salad Carbon-Marinated grilled chicken grilled up and then layered over fresh salad greens and veggies with an avocado slice. Topped with fresh onions and shredded cheese and served with Jalapeno-ranch dressing on the side. As a salad connoisseur, I was expecting far less than the deliciousness which appeared before me. The chicken was absolutely delicious and went great with the whole salad! I was very pleased!
1 star removed for being a chain, and for not removing the calories from the tortilla chips. -
Review from Michael S.
Peoria, AZ
11/7/2008
My favorite Mexican restaurant in the Valley, and there are a bunch of good ones here. The atmosphere is a little schlocky but still cool. The service is usually top notch, and the food is terrific.
My wife gets the Salad Carbon - see the previous review. I usually get the Pollo con Cheso - a chimi-style enchilada with a spicy white cream sauce. Heaping portions with rice and beans that actually taste good. 5 Stars. -
Review from Samantha O.
Mesa, AZ
1/10/2011
first impression? the couch in the waiting area is filthy and there's no hostess to be found.
we sat down and received chips and two salsa. we also received two cups and a pitcher of water and then the nice lady walked away. i guess we pour our own water? ok. not gonna lie, it was kinda messy. we pretty much sucked at trying to pour water. haha
everything on the menu was around $15 which was a bit shocking considering the no greeting, the self serve water and the dirty couch in the lobby. i guess the feeling i got from the place i was expecting it would be closer to $10 menu items?
our waiter came out quickly and he was the only waiter on the floor. he did surprisingly well. i never felt like we were lacking when it came to needing something.
my steak fajitas were super tasty- they let the veggies get crispy and there's nothing worse than soggy veggies. the tortillas were amazing. and overall i was happy with my dinner. it was huge so that $15 plate did stretch for a few meals and it really was worth it because the quality is there for sure (i'm leaving out my complaint about the brownish quac and pale pico de gallo bc i didn't eat them and the fajitas were great on their own)
it was definitely a good choice for dinner. it was a decent family owned restaurant.
i just wish the rest of the experience was relevant to the price of the food. the food is worth the price but the rest was a bit off for me.
in the end- after tip it ended up being about $20 per person. i would probably go again if i was in the area and needing some good mexican food. other than that, probably not. it was a-ok and if they upped the rest of the experience i would most definitely be a fan! -
Review from Valerie M.
Phoenix, AZ
10/12/2009
The food here is kind of pricey but you get what you pay for. I love the chips and salsa here but I don't get why they serve their chips and salsa in weird containers that make it hard to eat. It's so frustrating! They also serve you your food piping hot so make sure to let it sit for a minute or else you are going to burn your mouth. Other than that the servings are big and the food is great.
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Review from Bill C.
Sun City West, AZ
4/9/2011
A bunch of us go to dinner on Friday nights in the West Valley. Last night / 4/8/2011 we went to Ajo Al's and had a great time and meal. Thanks go to Isreal our waiter who was always attentive, there, helpful and a good sense of humor. We will return.
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Review from rich c.
Prescott, AZ
1/29/2011
This was our first visit to Ajo Als. We had heard good things. Short 15 min wait for a table of 5 on Friday night. Service was quick, friendly and attentive. The chips and salsa were tasty and not too salty. I preferred the hot sauce, the mild was ok but not the best Ive had. All of us were very happy with our dishes, freshly prepared and very tasty! Only one minor speed bump, my sister was drinking the Ajo Rita (the premium) the first 2 were very good and served in a cool cactus margarita glass, her 3rd was served in a pint glass and definitely wasnt the same margarita, but we were charged for 3 premiums. We will definitely be back.
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Review from Michelle L.
Glendale, AZ
8/16/2010 4 Check-ins Here
i've been here several times now. at first i wasn't sure how i felt about it. it never seems to be very busy, but the service is always very polite and friendly. the food i feel mixed about. it's GOOD. the meat is always tender and the dishes are really flavorful, but i never really found anything that i LOVED. and yet i continued wanting to go back and give it another try. (the chips and salsa are really good -- and of course if you know me, you know that i like to mix the regular and the hot for my perfect salsa). nothing just really grabbed me. their pork isn't shredded like i'm used to, they use pork loin which is good, but the consistency of it just doesn't seem to mix well with the food. and the beef is super tender, but i just hadn't found my perfect mix of flavors yet. until i tried the shrimp rellano. so good! i've been burned by rellanos in the past so i don't usually get them anymore. this was the best rellano! it was breaded perfectly (not too much like some places where the breading completely overwhelms the other flavors) and the cheese was super smooth and just oozed out. delish! and our server recommended something for the wee one that i didn't see on the kids menu (i could have been totally blind) and he loved it! bonus!
