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Anchos Southwest Grill & Bar
Categories: Restaurants Mexican Restaurants Tex-Mex Restaurants Fast Food Mexican, Tex-Mex, Fast Food [Edit]
10773 Hole AveRiverside, CA 92505
(951) 352-0240
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Drive-Thru:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
About This Business:
The Fuji Grill is a high quality quick service Japanese restaurant for lunch, dinner, and catering. We are home of "Healthy and Authentic Japanese… read more »
178 reviews for Anchos Southwest Grill & Bar
Review Highlights
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"LOVED LOVED LOVED the fresh tortillas." In 19 reviews -
"We always split meals here and normally get the fajitas." In 32 reviews -
"The chips and salsa are amazing." In 25 reviews
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178 reviews in English
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Review from Ed F.
5/20/2012
This place is a true gem. Every now and then if I head to Palm Spring, San Diego or the like I usually make it a point to stop by either going to or coming back.
The homemade tortillas are fantastic, they give you butter and once when they were close to closing they loaded us up with a bunch of the tortillas for free! Very good salsa and house chips. One could probably get full on all the free food they bring.
The steak fajitas are where it's at and I doubt I would deviate much from that but we did see a jumbo shrimp something dish that we'll try if I can remember the next time we go.
I love key lime pie, and this place has one of the best (along with Houston's/ Hillstone) you absolutely must try it if this is your "acquired taste."
The service has always been very good when we've been, sometimes it gets busy but there is a bar to wait at and they seat you pretty quick.
This place has Great steak fajitas, drinks, the best key lime pie and home made tortillas! You must go here if you can! -
Review from Cristina A.
Cypress, CA
4/21/2012
Went for dinner Saturday night i read all these reviews that said it was soo good etc... and reviews of the legendary tortillas...
IT WAS OK at that. To me Super Mex has more flavor in the food and way cheaper.
Large Mexican restaurant and every table was full the servers were running around looking very busy i thought to my self this place must be good.
Sat at a table right next to the tortilla machine that was interesting.
I ordered the carnitas plate. it was OK kind of bland although it was nice they were not all crunchy and super fried and greasy so that was a plus. the tortillas were on the bland side (no one compares to my grams tortillas)
Our waitress was very attentive and kept on top of the horchata refills and salsa
I might go again and have something else but its not one of those places i will have a craving for.
Overall...
Good for groups, lot of families and kids, fast and friendly service
Food was OK that's all to me the salsa should have been hotter and the tortillas less bland, and over all just needed something. 2 people =$45.00 total (includes 2 beers) -
Review from Tim Y.
North Hollywood, CA
3/24/2012
Probably one of the best things to eat in Riverside.
First off, FRESH tortillas. The tortillas here are delicious and not greasy. I've had fresh tortillas made for my tacos, but these are not greasy.
Besides that, the steak fajitas are amazing. Thick slices of steak, juicy and not dry. Copious amounts of onions and bell peppers. Put that together with the fresh tortillas: wow.
Chicken is not as good, but just based off the steak fajitas, this place is great.
On top of all this, the restaurant is nice and comfortable and the service is great.
Only thing I didn't like was that the chicken was dry and the chile relleno was overly cheesy and not very tasty. -
Review from Amy O.
Fountain Valley, CA
Updated - 5/11/2012
I thought I should actually give this place 5 stars because every time I come in the approximate vicinity (within 10 miles) of this restaurant, I call in an order and pick it up before I head home. If I'm willing to do this, then the food and heavenly tortillas are 5-star worthy.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/11/2010
LOVE the homemade tortillas! I got full off of them before the food came, but one bite of my steak… Read more »
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Review from Khathy H.
2/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
You must try this place! They have fresh tortillas made right in front of you, which arrive piping hot and fluffy. Is there another reason?
From super friendly service as you enter, from the manager no less, to throughout your mean, and as you exit, Anchos just yelps for a pleasant time. As I looked around, I saw a wide variety of families, couples, young and old, and visitors all enjoying an evening with great food.
If you do decide to try this place, and if you happen to be in Riverside--because that's where we all go during our weekends--I'd recommend that someone at your table get the fajitas. Burritos are huge, satisfying, and great, but I want you to have the experience of a sizzling hot fajita dish in front of you as you indulge on those with the fresh tortillas. If you get some tacos, be sure to finish them quickly as they won't keep in quite the same condition as they came in. I think we all just agreed on trying some delicious steak or chicken, or what have you, fajitas.
How about their salsa? Really spicy! We definitely enjoyed those pre and post meal.
I can't think of a reason why I'd take off a point for this place. It's just the right amount of authentic to keep me coming back! -
Review from lee m.
Riverside, CA
5/4/2012
My BF loves this place so we go often. They get really busy on weekends but we are usually seated faster that the wait time we are quoted. The service is usually pretty good, we've only had one waiter who was completly out to lunch. I usually get the fish specials and the food is always really good. My only complaint is I think their salsa is super bland! I really really really wish they would at least have another salsa option. I love salsa and before meeting my bf never came here just because I think their salsa is so bad/tasteless:( Anchos, PLEASE make a second salsa or at least get some Tapatio or Cholula so I can spice it up myself!
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Review from Jane D.
Los Angeles, CA
3/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
Best salsa & fresh tortillas anywhere!
Bus boys bring you chips & salsa ASAP while you wait, and owner is there every time we go.
Great customer service from the moment you are greeted at the door.
Not overpriced.
We have been coming here for over 15 yrs, back when they had 2 twin girls making the homemade tortillas together! We now drive out from LA for pick up sometimes. -
Review from Shari M.
2/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
Anchos is in the Inland Empire's magazine.... and I want to know why. I'm hoping it's just standard procedure to list all the restaurants in the IE because Anchos is NOT media worthy.
I took my dad here last week because he really wanted to try it. We came during the afternoon so we were seated instantly. We were brought chips and salsa and the chips were coo.... that's it. The salsa is what I said to be "weak sauce". I've had canned salsa that tastes better.
I wasn't sure if the tortillas went with my dad's carnitas but I grabbed one anyway. EWW GROSS! People praising these home made tortillas and let me tell you, home made don't make something good. It was powdery and had a nasty taste. I tried to eat it with the crappy salsa and it was the hardest thing to do sitting there finishing the one tortilla. You want good tortillas? Go to El Torito Grill! I can eat about 6 of those and their salsa.
Three stars are for the "decent" enchiladas and the nice server. Other than that I'd never come back to Anchos. I shouldn't be able to "do" or "work with" enchiladas, they should be amazing.
Inland Empire magazine FAIL -
Review from The G.
Big Bear City, CA
2/9/2012
I've been coming here for almost 20 years, and it's all been downhill since then. I will admit, this once was my favorite Mexican place around, but with increased business always comes the decline of quality with one off restaurants.
I went in a few months ago for my Fiance's sisters B-Day. After waiting forever for our food due to subordinate service; once we were served it seemed like the waitress was on a fast-track to clear our table to get the next round of tippers in there. Well, in her haste to get us out of there quickly, she spilled a drink on our table while clearing it. B-Day girl was completely soaked: shoes, pants, socks, everything!
So here is where I draw my line. The waitress seemed not to be bothered at all by ruing the B-Day dinner. Hardly offering an apology for the issue, I assumed it would be reflected in the bill.
Nope, we were charged for the entire meal that was ruined by our server, and even charged for the drink she spilled.
Talk about a buzz kill, Anchos. Not only did you ruin the b-day, you ruined the evening, and lost a customer that's been loyal to this place since it opened.
Way to go, Bozos. -
Review from Hanna H.
2/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
Kind of pricey for Mexican food (burrito is around $16 and carne asada taco salad was around $15) but really really good. They give you all the fixings too with the burrito - rice, beans. They also have free chips and salsa and handmade tortillas that are sooooo good.
Nice big restaurant that was busy but staff was friendly. I really liked my carne asada taco salad. It was HUGEEEE. You will leave this place with a doggie bag.
Good place for yummy (probably not authentic) Mexican food. Will be going back. -
Review from Randi B.
I normally wouldn't review this place yet again, because there is really nothing else I can add to previous reviews. I love this place, I love the tortillas, I love the people that work here.
But, when I dined here last night with my friend, I found something else to love. She had ordered a combo with a Beef Taco, Beef Tamale, and Beef Enchilada. She took a couple bites of her taco, liked it. Moved onto the enchilada, noticed it was chicken, not beef.
She told the server, who apologized and promptly took her plate away. Normally I would expect a place to slap a new enchilada on the plate and send it back the way they took it away. Not at Anchos! They completely remade her meal and gave her a new taco and tamale too! That is awesome customer service, and that is another reason why I LOVE ANCHOS!Listed in: Delicioso!, Top notch.
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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3/13/2010
I have been back to Anchos a few times in the past couple months, last night included. My new… Read more »
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Review from Tammy L.
Howdy howdy!! - says the greeter
Atmosphere and service: Even though I'm Asian I feel so welcomed!! I like how the servers are dressed up! Very authentic! Eveyone is so cheerful here... Are they drunk? Nope. They just have that amazing customer service attitude!
Food: my boyfriend and I ordered combo #5 which was the jumbo sizzling shrimp and mesquite grilled skirt steak. It's an addition charged of $1.50 to change from grilled chicken to steak. It was a large portion so we shared and it was worth it. My friends got the burrito and the pollo fajitas.
The tortillas are so fresh. Doesn't taste like the ones at rubios or other fake restuarants. Its nice and fluffy and a hint of salt.
Price: kind of pricey for me because I don't normally go out of my way to get Mexican food. The closest Mexican food I had was chipotle and taco Tuesday. This is probably my first time trying authentic Mexican food. And I love it. Oh yeah my combo was $18.50. My friends burrito was $15. And the classic chicken fajitas was $16.
Warning: food baby after the bottomless tortillas and chips! -
Review from Chelsea E.
Corona, CA
4/27/2012 1 Check-in Here
Read some reviews saying the food here wasn't awesome but came to check it out anyway. We had a combo plate with chicken enchiladas, beef taco, and a tamale. Potions were big and the food was good...More than exceeded expectations. Highlights we're the amazing tortillas made fresh on site and Cadillac margaritas! Service was top notch. Only downside was that the neighborhood isn't great, but the restaurant itself was fine.
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Review from Nikki M.
1/25/2012
Score in the Inland Empire! My friend who lives out this way has been talkin' a good game about Anchos for quite some time now, so we finally got the opportunity to get our grub on here. We arrived at an awkward time between lunch and dinner, so the restaurant was not very crowded when we arrived. It's a fairly large restaurant, equipped with a full bar at the front.
We had excellent service from our friendly and attentive waitress. Margaritas were our drinks of choice, and they were pretty tasty. My friend recommended the faijitas and the enchiladas, and we both decided to order enchiladas. She told me about the Christmas sauce, which is a cute way of saying that they put red and green sauces on your enchiladas. I thought this sounded dandy, plus we were exchanging x-mas gifts...how festive! I ordered chicken, and she ordered cheese.
Before I get to the enchiladas, I have to take a second to talk about the FRESH tortilas. Anchos has a machine that makes tortillas fresh inside the restaurant, and in addition to tortilla chips, you are also served a stack of piping hot tortillas. Now that's one good perk! The tortillas taste delicious topped with butter, dipped in the yummy salsa, or both at the same time. I could eat these things all day...so hard not to fill up on tortillas alone.
Now for the enchiladas. They serve up huge portions at Anchos. You get a plate with 3 (I think it was) enchiladas, and a second plate with the rice and beans. That's a lot of food! The enchiladas were pretty good, and I liked that they don't serve refried beans.
Come hungry to Anchos and get ready for those tortillas!Listed in: Mexican Food Mania
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Review from Danny A.
Riverside, CA
4/8/2012 5 Check-ins Here
I have tried the carnitas plate, rib with steak combo, steak and chicken fajitas and they were all good! Can't forget the homemade flour tortillas with butter! Yummy
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Review from Frank M.
Moreno Valley, CA
4/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
Place is pretty good. I've only been for lunch so in all fairness I can't comment on there dinners. 3 stars because the service is a hit and miss. Last time I was there, it was a major miss. I was a bit annoyed with our waitress because she forgot our refills, completely forgot a dinner order in our party (of only 6) & took a bit of time grabbing boxes for our left overs. The food is good, typical Mexican food. I gotta say, the fresh handmade flour tortillas are really good. It gets pretty busy for lunch. Enjoy!
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Review from Denise L.
Los Angeles, CA
1/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
After a long hike and being nowhere near my fav Mexican restaurant, I ventured out to try a new place. I was very pleasantly surprised. I am gluten intolerant, but after seeing the freshly made flour tortillas placed on our table I decided to just go for it. My bf had buttered them up, I just took two bites, and was in culinary heaven. I know, nothing fancy, but mouthgasmic!! They're super fluffy. The taste is just how I remembered it. Worth the tummy ache I was going to get later.
I did not try the chips and salsa, because they have seafood and no dedicated fryer. Everyone else enjoyed them to the point where they were too full to eat more than a couple of bites of the main food. It was a shame really, because the Christmas (both green and red salsa) enchiladas were absolutely delicious. The chicken inside was moist and was not overpowered by an overabundance of cheese. It was perfect! I also ate a soft beef taco. Again, the tortillas. Oh gawd, yum!! We did not save room for dessert, but I'm sure the offerings are good.
Pros:
Amazing fresh flour tortillas
Plenty of parking
Did I mention the tortillas?
Huge portions (we shared one combination dish)
Yummy food
Cons:
Service was friendly, but I did run low on water and was not sure our waiter understood the severity of my allergies. I was a bit nervous eating. (That's why I dropped a star) -
Review from Chris B.
Moreno Valley, CA
2/28/2012
Oh my God, this place was so good. I've been here 4 times now and the experience was the same every time: It was friendly, comfortable and relaxed. The salsa (some consider it 'weak', which I don't understand) was slightly spicy and made from grill-charred peppers/tomatoes and full of flavor (although I wish it had more cilantro!) and the chips were piping hot. The fresh tortillas (which we weren't expecting) were an awesome treat and as fresh as the chips. The food was pretty good (not the most 'authentic', but then again, it's called a SOUTHWEST Grill & Bar, not a MEXICAN Grill & Bar, implying mexi-merican imo).
I'd been hearing that people said it was mediocre and the tortillas were cold-- all the times I've gone, I haven't experienced the problems others have had. Maybe I'm lucky?
The only drawbacks: I just wish there was more flavor to their rice, which hardly requires a loss of a star, but it's still a drawback. :p Otherwise, it's a good place to eat, reasonable prices, etc. Not gourmet, obviously (it IS called a Bar & Grill, people...) but it's a place I go back to as often as I can. -
Review from Sy K.
Lynnwood, WA
2/11/2012
This place is GOOD! I don't eat Mexican food that often. Came by here with some friends in Riverside because they rave about this place. They can swear it's the best Mexican food they have ever been too, even better than King Taco in LA. So we ordered bunch of things. I don't even remember all of them, but the Santa Fe salad was really good and we had like a combo fajita I think. It came just like how a fajita would be served with steak, shrimp, and chicken.
So here it is, the meats are really marinated well. Chicken,beef, shrimp was all cooked perfectly. They also make there own tortilla there. You can see the machine inside the restaurant working up the tortillas the whole time we were there. They also have a full bar so you can get your favorite tequilas etc. I wouldn't say this is the best Mexican restaurant I been to, but this place is definitely a 5 star Mexican restaurant. -
Review from Jordan F.
San Francisco, CA
12/29/2011
Pretty good. Service was great and the tortillas are AMAZING!!!!!! However, the rest was pretty sub par. The chicken soft tacos were interesting. I'm not sure what they did to the meat, but it may as well not even be chicken. My fajitas were decent. The steak was really chewy- I had to cut it up instead of wrapping the meat in a tortilla. But one or two pieces were perfectly cooked- VERY inconsistent. Maybe they didn't let the meat rest enough between cooking and cutting it? The chicken was good, though. Much much better than the chicken they put in the tacos.
Salsa is spicy which is great but it has a weird consistency. The guacamole tasted like it was pre-packaged. They had a lot of customers, so they must be doing something right, I just don't know what it is. -
Review from Paul P.
Oxnard, CA
1/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
The food was good, but not greatest Mexican food like some other reviewers have claimed.
The service was pretty decent.
The ambiance was nice and family orientated.
The manager was nice enough to greet us and check up on us while we were there.
I think they have a pretty good thing going here. I don't have a single complaint about our experience in the restaurant.
Four stars for meeting my expectations of what a restaurant should be. -1 star for not exceeding them.
I would definitely consider coming here again. -
Review from Greg D.
3/14/2012
Great Tortillas!!!!! I went with a seafood burrito (off menu item that the waiter was glad to suggest) and a chile rellano (HUGE, went with no sauce, but good either way)...all in all a very good mexican place
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Review from Steve M.
Riverside, CA
4/4/2012
Their salsa has a delicious smokey taste to it, and they make their own flour tortillas right there and serve them with butter with every order. The food is always good, but I usually get filled up on the chips and salsa, and tortillas and butter, and end up taking part of my meal home.
There are several good combinations, and the fajitas and quesadillas are really good, and they don't skimp on anything. You will not be the least bit hungry when you leave this place. -
Review from Bonnie P.
Riverside, CA
2/25/2012
Really really good food---and keep those warm flour tortillas coming--I don't care if you ever bring anything else!! Oh and lots of butter!!
Listed in: Superb EATS
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Review from Rebecca N.
Riverside, CA
I will only come back for the freshly made tortillas. They have a little tortilla bakery thingy in the middle of the restaurant. Definitely ask for some honey so you can dip some that hot, freshly baked tortilla in.
The entrees weren't that great. I got this combo that came with a taco, enchilada, and a tamale. Meh..the masa was dry and bland in my tamale. The tortilla the enchilada was like cardboard. The taco was okay, meat was a little to dry for me.Listed in: Hola Mexican Food!
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Review from Gregg D.
San Diego, CA
11/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
Everyone raves about the fresh, hand-made tortillas that you watch being made in the middle of the restaurant. There is a reason for that. They are AWESOME! Best part of the meal are the hot tortillas with some butter. Just writing about them make my mouth water!
The place is always busy and crowded, but don't be put off, never more than a 10 minute wait to be seated. It can be pretty noisy, but you soon forget once you get your tortillas.
The regular combos are just ok. Had better, had worse. Still ate every bite and was happy. The flan is so good too. It is really dense, not the thin whipped crap most places serve.
I can't wait to be in the area again to stop by for some warm tortillas and some fajitas. -
Review from Schel H.
11/1/2011
Alright so I came here with a bunch of friends for a website meet and greet for http://www.fighton247.com.
It came highly recommended and both my daughter and I loved it. Everyone who went thought it was a great choice with some super tasty food from scratch. I mean even the tortillas are made fresh and brought to your table warm.
We were able to fit in even though it was somewhat packed that Tuesday... yeah you heard me PACKED ON A TUESDAY!!! that kinda says something IMHO... some super tasty treats.
Everyone in our group loved it there. great great stuff. I HIGHLY recommend it :) -
Review from Ken S.
Norco, CA
4/28/2012
Ancho's food is very good and worth the trip. That is, if you don't mind a food server who only goes through the motions, seemingly hates her job and hates the fact that you were assigned to her station. Even the manager/owner acknowledged the bad service and apologized for the poor service. Again, we loved the food and everyone around us in other stations were having a great experience. Hopefully, our server will be off on the day you visit.
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Review from Paul L.
Blue Jay, CA
2/22/2012
Terrific food at a good price. Great service and pleasant surroundings.
I discovered Anchos over 20 years ago when I lived in nearby Corona and have made hundreds of visits since then. The food is reasonable--very reasonable--and plentiful--very plentiful. I rarely "clean up my plate." The tortillas are made on the site right where you can see them being made and are served piping hot to your table.
I have pretty much given up on Mexican food--everybody has the same items and apparently the same recipes. I usually come away feeling stuffed but not fed and like I may not ever recover from the overload of carbs, but Anchos is NOT Mexican food even though the items all have the same names as their Mexican counterparts. Anchos' food is prepared Southwest style, which means it has actual flavor. Moreover, they usually offer a variety of sauces so that the food can be prepared to your taste. If you like to breathe fire after a meal, they have a sauce for that; if you like spice but not blow-torch heat, they have that, too, and if you like it mild,,they have that too.
Anchos is located n a pretty modest middle class residential neighborhood without a lots of businesses nearby that would attract people to the area, yet it survives and at night, it is packed! If the food here wash;t just wonderful, it is the kind of place that could not stay in business. It's here after 25 years of more because it is just plain good.
I don't live near Archos any more, so my visits are less frequent, but I am always glad I returned. And anyway, any place that serves Hangar 24 Porter will always have a warm place in my heart! -
Review from Allan B.
Redlands, CA
11/5/2011
Great food, fresh ingredients and outstanding service: This is why all the Riverside locals come to this restaurant. Local and affordable Southwest and Mexican food makes Anchos a great spot to bring the whole family.
Once you taste the fresh, hand made flour tortillas you'll be coming back again and again. Don't forget to try the steak fajitas, ribs and fresh chips and salsa. Happy Eating!
Quick note: check my Yelp profile for extended coverage of this and other great restaurants. Also, let's stay in touch! Add me as a Yelp friend to talk and share tips about the best eats in the Inland Empire! -
Review from Ken K.
9/26/2011
If my buddy hadn't mentioned this place, I never would have known about it. And if he didn't tell me repeatedly that the food would be good, I would have vetoed waiting an hour for our table.
The complimentary chips and salsa were quite good, especially the chips. And the tortillas?! I had no idea we would be getting those, so you can imagine my surprise and excitement when they placed them on our table. They bring you stacks of those freshly-made, piping hot tortillas with butter. For a good two minutes, I seriously contemplated not ordering anything and just making those tortillas my meal. But what kind of Yelper would I be if I did that and didn't review the actual food?
So I ordered the Costillas (ribs) and I made my friends plenty jealous when that dish was brought to me. For whatever reason, I thought the meat would be shredded off the bone. When I saw the rack of ribs laying in front of me, it brought a huge smile across my face; there's something about the sight of a rack of ribs that just brings contentment in your life. Anyhow, I knew even before I bit into it that I had ordered correctly. The meat fell off the bone (I'm sure you've never heard of ribs being described that way) and had a subtle, yet tasty, flavor. I didn't use the accompanying BBQ sauce because it was too sweet and tangy for my liking, but I didn't mind since the ribs were good on their own.
I even got a little creative and pulled the meat off the bones and put them in a tortilla with my rice, lettuce, tomatoes and guacamole and made my own little tacos. Heaven.
I had a bite of my friend's tamale and I thought it was the most flavorful tamale I've had.
Service was excellent. I was pleased with how often our server came by to refill our tortilla basket and my seven cups of Sprite (hey, I was thirsty).
If you're ever in the Riverside area and you want some good Tex-Mex food (NOT authentic Mexican, mind you), by all means... make the effort to look this place up. -
Review from Kari B.
Running Springs, CA
12/14/2011
OMG!!! In 35 years of living in California I can say this place has the ABSOLUTE BEST Mexican food I've ever eaten. We went Sunday around 5 and the place was packed and continued to be packed even after we left at 6:30. There was about a 25 minute wait which was easily killed drinking margaritas and eating chips & salsa at the bar.
I was a bit concerned about the open cafeteria feel to the place when I walked in, but that was overcame when I experienced the fresh tortillas being made in front of me, the tasty, large portions, and reasonable prices. I had a 3 item special: steak soft shelled taco, 2 chicken enchiladas, and a cheese tamale with rice & beans. My date had 2 chicken tacos, rice & beans. The salsa was like none that I had ever tasted, and the chips were light and crispy. I took most of mine home as I was pretty stuffed from the chips & salsa, and tortillas. I was confused as to what the tortillas were for, then I realized they were like a bread basket and if we had finished the stack set before us we could of asked for more.
I didn't get a buzz from my strawberry margarita, as a former bartender I'd say they were pre-made and a bit skimpy on the booze. They did offer a large selection of flavors:mango, strawberry, peach and regular. Service was great, though it did take a while to get our food causing me to fill up on the other goodies. I attribute the long wait to the large volume of people in the place.
All in all a very positive experience and I will be back next time I'm down the mountain! -
Review from Jennifer C.
San Diego, CA
4/23/2012
this restaurant is without a doubt my favorite place to eat in riverside. i love the friendly service and the food. i highly recommend the ribs, they're better than most of the other ribs i've tried in nice restaurants. these are full of flavor and fall off the bone! with the guacamole, beans, rice, and veggies on the side, one order is just about enough for two people. also, the tortillas here are the best tortillas i have ever had. they are fluffy, fresh, and just soooo good! i like to eat mine with butter but i wouldn't mind eating them without. i love coming here and will definitely go back many more times.
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Review from Jason C.
Riverside, CA
2/28/2012 1 Check-in Here
the homemade tortillas where awesome. The service was fantastic. Outside of that, I didn't enjoy it. I am not a fan of Tex-Mex style food. I prefer Baja Style food, thats what I think of when I think Mexican food. If you like Tex Mex food, you will enjoy Anchos, I think they represent Tex-Mex wonderfully. If you're like me, and don't care for that Genre of food, I would avoid this place. Or go in and order a dozen tortillas, and a drink, you cant go wrong with that.
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Review from HK K.
Redlands, CA
10/15/2011
What is there not to like?
Dress here was very casual, some looked like they were about to go hunting in flannel shirts and baseball caps. Many just wore t shirts.
First. the place was packed with people. So I thought we would have to wait a long time, but got seated immediately on the patio. The wait for inside the resturant was about 10 minutes. But the patio was quieter, the inside was noisy. The waitress was accommodating and very nice. After ordering the food came in a few minutes. Faster than some fast food restaurants.
The chips seemed to be the commercial variety. The food was good and a lot of it. My favorite combination.
I got the carne asada, about 10 oz slab of meat, mesquite bbqed. Pretty good, better than smaller, more expensive steaks I had at other restaurants. Maybe not as flavorful as the Peruvian steak in Redlands, but more tender. The quesidilla we had was excellent as well. The tortillas were made right then, still hot.
Mine came with rice that was flavored, was OK, but I was too full to eat it. The beans had bacon in them so if you don't eat pork don't eat the beans.
Next time I will try the fish.
We did not try the desserts so I can't comment on those.
So this and Cha Cha's are my favorite IE places so far for Mexican food. -
Review from Diana C.
This place was pretty good! Loved their tortillas and their chips and salsa. I tried their bacon wrapped shrimp and they were delicious! I would for sure get them again. They were a little pricey but it was okay, I didn't pay for them. I wish there were more of these. There was a lot of traffic on the way here. I guess Riverside streets and freeways get congested too.
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Review from Isabel S.
Fontana, CA
9/18/2011
I ordered the carnitas plate. The meat was soft and tender on the inside with the perfect crustiness on the outside, but it lacked in flavor. I squeezed on the lemon and gave it a light dusting of salt before I made some yummy soft tacos with the AMAZING tortillas.
Like other reviewers have said, it's not quite a traditional Mexican seasoning. It does have a lot of Southwest, Tex-mex flavors in it. However, the tortillas are bomb. Definitely worth checking out and going back for seconds. -
Review from Melissa K.
Sunland, CA
7/31/2011
The good:
The tortillas were about the ONLY saving grace for this place. They thankfully serve whole pinto beans (drowning in bean juice) which is a plus since refried beans are usually disgusting. The cadillac margarita was STRONG but pretty good!
The bad:
The portions are so large that a dinner could probably feed both my husband and I after starving for a day. The portions are way too big but on the upshot--leftovers are nearly guaranteed. If you want to eat them, that is. There was a male host that just wouldn't stop SHOUTING. I wanted to tell him to knock it off but this place is already so loud his silence wouldn't do a lick to the overall decibel output this place had.
The ugly:
Holy hell their salsa SUCKED. It needed more of everything except tomatoes. The fish I ordered was BLAND and came with cheese (I opted not to have cheese). CHEESE? On fish? Errrr....okay--how about some lemon, salt, pepper or ANYTHING to bring out the flavor. My husband's enchiladas were so bad (and again, HUGE portions) that he's not tempted to even have them for leftovers.
Overall we wouldn't go back here. Way too loud, the portions are out of control huge and the food is just plain ol' bad. Quantity over quality is never a keeper in my books. -
Review from Chris D.
Banning, CA
8/17/2011
Man, I feen for Anchos on a regular basis. We live in Banning and it's no strange thing for us to drive the 40 miles just to eat dinner here.
Note: It's called Anchos SOUTHWEST Grill... Don't judge Anchos on an "authentic Mexican food" scale. It's Tex-Mex food.
You start out with chips and salsa... so good that you DON'T forget about them when the meal arrives. Then comes the fresh-made, hot flour tortillas and squares of butter! On the merit of these two elements alone, I would've been a regular, but it doesn't end there! I've been told by other Anchos fans that anything you order is delicious... but we just can't bring ourselves to order anything other than the steak fajitas platter. The only way I know to illustrate how good these fajitas are, is by saying that "fajitas" have been ruined for me. As far as I'm concerned, ANCHOS IS THE ONLY PLACE ON EARTH THAT SERVES FAJITAS! I will literally fight anyone that says different! I will battle-rap the ghost of Biggie-Smalls if he dares oppose Anchos' fajitas! I will BEAT... *ahem*...sorry...
If you live anywhere in the area... anywhere that doesn't require an overnight stay due to traveling distance... Heck, make a road trip out of it, and GET YOURSELF TO ANCHOS! You won't regret it.
Even if you get so-so service, you'd do well to swallow your pride, smile, sit up with your hands folded, and just shut up & wait. It's gonna be good. -
Review from Alberto E.
Chino, CA
First and foremost, the tortillas are the bomb! Freshly made tortillas, make sure to add a little butter, instant gratification. The chips and salsa are made just right. Fresh and warm chips that are complimented by a salsa that has the perfect bite.
I recommend the steak, chicken, and beef soft tacos. The best part is they give you so much meat or chicken that you can use your tortillas to make extra tacos. Mmmmmm.
Next on the list for you to try are the variation of enchiladas. Cheese, chicken, beef, and seafood. If you are ordering enchiladas, get the "Christmas Sauce". A red and green sauce, you can have the best of both worlds. All dishes come with beans and rice. The rice is good and the beans have small bacon bits. You can't go wrong with bacon bits.
The service and atmosphere is awesome. Our waitress was on it with the drinks, tortillas, to-go containers and positive attitude. Bring the kids so they can get their ice cream treat after your meal.
