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Estella's
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
6 reviews for Estella's
I really liked Estellas...
Not just because of Happy Hour being all day Sat and Sun....
Not just because the glass of sangria was as big as my head and was some of the best tasting sangria, ever...
and not just because they have solar powered air conditioning (Yay for going green!)...
It was the entire package. The food was awesome, some really traditional dishes on the menu, and when I asked for hot sauce, I got a house made picante that complemented everything. It added heat without destroying or overpowering the other flavors in the dishes. The chips were fresh, the food was hot.. perfecto!
I've only been once, but I can't wait to go back!
I used to visit this place almost every week, and although I thought the food was decent (not great) I finally grew tired of the slow service, the dirty environment, and the extremely loud mariachi duo that strolls the restaurant on weekend nights (one guy even wears an amplifier on his belt!). So instead of eating here, I drive several miles into Tampa to my favorite Mexican restaurant. Maybe someday Brandon will have a quality Mexican restaurant, but for now all we seem to have are the barely-better-than-fast-food ones.
Estella's is a close to authentic mexican that you are going to get in the area without going south of the border.
I have dined at this location for years, and the food is always consistently good. They start you off with chips and salsa ay no charge, granted they are not the best in the world, but they are free.
The staff first language is definitely mexican, but all speak broken english pretty well.
Parking can be a bit challenging on Friday and Saturday night when they are on a long wait, but the long wait means this place is worth it.
When my Aunt and I stopped here to dine as we searched for some new Mexican places in Brandon, we were intrigued as we entered the restaurant because it's so open that you can see almost every customer inside dining just by walking in. Even booth's are wide open, leaving people staring at you frequently, which can get a little awkward for some.
The tortilla chips tasted pretty awful, which I think is an important part to eating at a Mexican restaurant. People don't normally order appetizers so the chips are usually what they want to hold them over to their main course.
We dove right into the food. I had some tacos de carne asada, which is one of my favorite dishes to order at Mexican restaurants. They came out with more steak than I could ever imagine, and for the most part, the steak had no real taste to it. There was no real flavor, leaving it like a bland piece of meat.
I recognized the tortillas from the grocery store, and the refried beans tasted like Old El Paso beans, straight out of a can, which really is not that great of a quality, and certainly not authentic like Estela's claims to be.
The food was so bland, that I actually got full before I could finish the meal, a rarity for me since at Vallarta's I can eat and eat until I eat everything on the plate and all the tortilla chips without noticing how much I've actually consumed.
All in all, it was agreed that nobody in my family will likely return to Estela's for dining in the future.
Estella's. I am torn in writing this review, as I do have to give credit, where credit is due.
Estella's offers authentic Mexican food (less the green chile), in a geographic location you would not normally find authentic Mexican food. I am talking burritos, tacos, tostadas...
I have dined at Estella's a couple of times and although the service is hit or miss, the food is generally consistent. Good. The chips are a salty wonderful goodness in your mouth and I do not recall a time I have had stale chips served to me. The salsa. The salsa compliments the chips like red on a sports car.
I strongly suggest calling ahead for seating, although I am not sure if you can, and arriving ahead of time to catch a parking space.
I was not aware that Estella's was a chain until seeing jes I's review, so I will second her comment.
I was surprised to find out that this place is a chain restaurant. I've only been to the one in Brandon, and it has been a treat every time. Very good authentic Mexican food -- none of that Tex Mex stuff. The staff is very nice, most speak English in a choppy way that makes you know you're at a good authentic Mexican restaurant. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because last time we went, they forgot to bring us our appetizer. They often have a live mariachi band. Good for a casual dinner, or a laid back date night.
