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Monterrey Mexican Restaurant
- 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:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
35 reviews for Monterrey Mexican Restaurant
Review Highlights
"...Monterrey to the typical El Toro, for example, you will be..."
(in 3 reviews)
"luckily there's a bank across the street for extra parking."
(in 4 reviews)
"They have great quality food and good prices."
(in 3 reviews)
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35 reviews in English
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Review from Shan S.
Tucker, GA
11/12/2011
Love this place for years. Good prices, great drinks!
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Review from David O.
2/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
Not my favorite Mexican restaurant.
I ordered:
- Steak Quesadilla: It was ok, but would have been better with less lettuce and sour cream. I would likely order something else next time.
- Chips & Salsa: Chips were less than average to me, but I liked the spiciness of their salsa. Not my favorite salsa, but better than most in the area.
Service was very good. I would go back. -
Review from James L.
Chamblee, GA
6/25/2011 17 Check-ins Here
Good quality food, very reasonable prices. Always busy... definitely a local favorite.
Parking is a bit hit or miss... luckily there's a bank across the street for extra parking. Just be careful crossing the four lane street.
Service is always good, waiters are very friendly and know many of the regulars by name.
As long as you can avoid the rush between about 6 and 8pm you're pretty set. -
Review from Adree O.
11/4/2011
I decided to try the Monterrey after several times passing by and seeing many cars (thinking it must be good). I walked in and looked around, just looked like a very old place. The waitstaff sat us. The waitress was very attentive. I normally rate a mexican restaurant by their chimichunga. It was dry and kinda gross. I don't care to try it again.
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Review from Brandon G.
Atlanta, GA
10/24/2011
Ridiculously cheap lunch menu. TONS of food and decent quality, especially for the price. I travel 15 miles from home for lunch here.
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Review from Mark D.
Updated - 2/22/2011 8 Check-ins Here
I've been back several times since my original review, and I like it a little better now. The food is still nothing special, but they have a pretty good menu. They also have a couple tvs with whatever sporting event is on ESPN. For those who have never been you have to pay at the front when you're done.
PS - Jacob is one of the best waiters I've ever had.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/5/2009
Monterrey is exactly like the many other cookie-cutter Mexican restaurants in the Atlanta area.… Read more »
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Review from Jamarcus T.
Stone Mountain, GA
2/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
Really enjoy Monterrey, although I have to say I prefer the one on Mount Zion for flavor, but i'll take this one for convenience.
Very friendly and quick staff who are always looking to make sure you're happy. I had the chicken soup and while I enjoyed it, it didn't have the flavor I was used to. Their salsa is okay, not really very spicy, so you wont stuff your face with chips at least, trying to scoop out that last squirt of salsa in your bowl.
Nice location, outdoor seating and it's not bad Mexican. -
Review from Kelly S.
10/30/2009
My friends and I went here last night after receiving numerous recommendations from people we each know (who don't even know each other). So you can imagine my surprise when I realized that apparently everyone we know is a crackhead. That's the only explanation for them liking this place. I mean, none of them have broken legs and live in Monterrey's parking lot, so they must be under the influence of something major.
The service was quite slow. The food was still edible, but probably the worst Mexican I've ever had - and I'm fully accustomed to your average Mexican place - La Parrilla, etc. The brown sauce on my enchilada looked like beef gravy, not like enchilada sauce. The guac on my chalupa had an odd taste and way too thin of a consistency.
The place is ugly. I don't know what makes it different from other places - maybe just that it's so brightly lit and just basically all cream colored - cream-colored booths, walls, chairs, table tops. It gave a vibe like I was dining in the 70s.
The margaritas were decently tasty, strong, and cheap, so that gets them 1 star they wouldn't get otherwise.
I'll go back if I have to, but it will NEVER be my idea to go there.Listed in: Naughty Eats, Congratulations. You suck.
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Review from Gretchen S.
Tucker, GA
2/6/2009
The food is good, the crowd, not so. Every stinking time I've been here I've had to dodge kids playing in the already too crowded parking lot (!?!WTF!?!) while their boozy parents were getting oblivious on the (yes they are good) margaritas.
NOT worth the hassle. -
Review from Shawn W.
Atlanta, GA
5/20/2008
Monterrey is a neighborhood Mexican restaurant just a shade west of Northlake Mall on Lavista Road. The food here is good, though Miss D. disagrees, probably for reasons of ambience. Very small children have been known to run around here unchecked. This is completely the parents' fault, but management needs to step up for safety reasons when waiters are walking around with huge trays of drinks and sizzling skillets of hot fajitas. Little kids are fine at restaurants when they sit down and eat.
The quality of the experience at Monterrey is not enough to attract people from surrounding communities which, along with coupon advertising, explains the neighborhood family crowd.
Miss D. and I came here on a warm night with a group of friends for dinner and drinks for my 35th birthday and our "not ready for ESL" waiter acted exasperated at a routine request from our table. I eat meals out often and if a server *feels* exasperated, he should NEVER show it, so I doubt this waiter was experienced or had the appropriate temperament. Also, there is no excuse for lack of English proficiency if you work with the (gringo) public, which, let's face it, Monterrey caters to. This guy had major attitude and we tipped honestly, but his rudeness cost him.
That same night I discovered that the bartender at Monterrey knows how to POUR! (It was good tequila so I was fine the next day. Word to my younger yelpie brothers and sisters: Stick with the top shelf tequila once you reach your late 20's, or the next day you'll feel as if you were beat up.)
The problem with various waiters originates with management. The majority of the time, our waiters at Monterrey have been good. However exasperation at polite, routine requests, defeats the purpose of eating out, at least for me. Food: good. Drinks: great. Service: FAIL! Three stars is generous. -
Review from Heather S.
Atlanta, GA
9/20/2009
We used to go here a lot, so much that we were BFFs with the wait staff who would always give us free drinks. Maybe that's why we went? But about 4 years ago, I had enough of mediocre mexican food. I think this happened when I ordered something besides the fajita nachos. Whatever I had was bad enough for me to forgo free margaritas and stop going.
Then the other day, we were having the "what do you want for dinner? no, what do you want for dinner" discussion and fajita nachos were thrown out as an option...so we ventured back to Monterrey. Some things never change. Packed, Parking still a pain, some of the same people who were there before were still there...but i ordered my old safe standby that they couldn't mess up and it was as I had remembered. You get a huge heaping pile of nachos even with the half order and it's cheap and just as it should be.
I will venture here in the future, but will never, ever order anything except the fajita nachos. I just don't want to risk getting food that sucks.
So based on my most recent experience, I will give them 3 stars even though I'm pretty sure the other food hasn't changed and they probably only deserve 2. :) -
Review from jim b.
Atlanta, GA
12/17/2009
I'd give it about 2.5 stars. Ate here once w/wife about 2-3 years ago. My fajitas were 100% flavor free. Her meal was just average.
They know their market: people that want to drink a bunch of margaritas and/or people that like like Americanized Mexican food that can't possibly upset their tummy.
We're not big drinkers, and we like flavor, and thus haven't been back. We eat at Eduardos every so often instead, or venture to 'the Buford Highway' (I like calling it that ever since Thomas Wolfe called it that in 'A Man in Full'). -
Review from Jessica B.
Decatur, GA
9/21/2011
We live near Emory and we drive over here, since it is our favorite casual mexican restaurant. They have great quality food and good prices!
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Review from Margaret B.
Decatur, GA
1/27/2009
Why is this place always so crowded?
I knew before visiting to keep my expectations low for Mexican food in Atlanta, but considering how crowded this place was I thought I was in at least for some cheap but strong margaritas and some cheesy piles of food. I was wrong.
All I could think about while eating here was canned food. Canned refried beans. Canned salsa. Canned sauces. Artificial cheese and weak margaritas? Oh boy. -
Review from Nikkie F.
6/17/2009
It's a Mexican restaurant. Nothing special, just run of the mill Mexican food. It's in Tucker. If you live here, it's a nearby option. It's constantly packed, so you can safely assume that you won't get food poisoning here -- which BTW, I never have. But that also means that you're going to have a lot of troubles with parking, especially on the weekends. And totally unreliable service.
A friend and I had dinner there awhile back. She (30 years old) ordered one beer. She was carded, by the same waiter, 3 different times, before she actually got her drink.
I here the booze are good... and those same people claim that the food is GREAT. But if you pour enough alcohol down someone's throat, everyone starts sounding like Tony The Tiger, "Their GRRRRRRRRREAT!" But they're okay. Average. Not great. -
Review from Iffat B.
2/1/2011
This is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in the A. They have the most amazing cheese dip! And my favorite entree is the burrito with nacho cheese. The prices are affordable and the food is great!
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Review from Brett B.
Decatur, GA
12/9/2010
I love this place, been coming since I wad a kid. This is the favorite neighborhood Mexican kind of place
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Review from N G.
Atlanta, GA
2/9/2011
This is awesome Mexican. Very family friendly. I always see someone I know here.
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Review from Jason A.
Decatur, GA
1/5/2011
This place is right near our house and a pretty standard go-to for a cheap, local and pretty tasty place. My wife loves their Texas Margarita (rocks, salt) and often times they are brutally strong (woohoo). I do enjoy their 48 ounce Dos Equis with dinner. They have a smaller size but...nah.
The food is pretty good - it is very straight forward and won't blow you away. That being said, it has always been consistent and the waitstaff really friendly. I usually get Tacos de Carne Asada or a combination with their stuffed anaheim pepper, which is really good. My wife likes the combo chicken and steak fajitas. Sometimes they are overflowing with meaty goodness, other times, they are a little heavy on onions and peppers. Still very tasty though.
Parking is a mess, however. Usually I have to drop off whoever is in the car and park at the bank across the street. It's not that big of a deal though. You get to see some very creative parking jobs used to avoid walking 50 extra feet so I enjoy that.
If you are looking for a religious experience, you need to head elsewhere. If you are looking for easy, friendly and pretty good Mex, this does the trick. -
Review from Robley R.
Chamblee, GA
11/8/2009 1 Check-in Here
Food and service is pretty good. One of the few Mexican restaurants that reminds me of when I stationed at San Diego. If you are looking for Taco Bell or Moe's keeping going, this probably wouldn't be a good fit for you. The parking lot is small, but you can park across the street at the bank if you don't mind dodging traffic. On some occasions the other patrons can be a bit annoying if you don't want to deal with families and rowdy kids.
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Review from Bill G.
5/11/2010
This is the best no-frills American-style Mexican food around. Service is reasonably attentive, food is exactly what I'm looking for when I want Mexican food without surprises, and the prices are reasonable. The happy, upbeat atmosphere is an added plus.When I want to spend more on something fancy, Los Hermanos in Tucker does the trick. When I want authentic, I go to Buford Highway, When I want a burrito the size of a football, I go to Willie's. When I hate myself and don't care what I put in my mouth, I go to Taco Bell. Any other time, Monterrey is perfect. The salsa is a touch hotter than I expected, but still very tasty. Try the stuffed Anaheim peppers - not much hotter than a bell pepper, and meatier texture.
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Review from RIC C.
Lawrenceville, GA
7/31/2008
always consistent. sorta like the toro chain used to be in the 80-90's.
the beer is always cold, and the patio is always friendly.
there you go...... -
Review from Mary M.
4/23/2009
This place has the worst Mexican food I have ever had. Seriously people, I have had better Mexican at Taco Bell. My guess the reason this place is always crowded is because a) they have a patio, b) the margaritas are strong (don't get me wrong, that is a good thing but it doesn't make up for their tacos that look and smell suspiciously like Alpo) and c) people are either too lazy or unaware that right down the road on the same side of the street there is another Mexican place a million times better. Eduardo's. Go there. Yeah no patio, but christ, if you want Mexican food you definitely won't find it at Monterrey's. Drive the extra 1/4 mile.
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Review from Jeff H.
Atlanta, GA
10/15/2009
Random... Perhaps reminiscent of that old mexican chain restaurant Chi Chi's? The cheese dip was runny and had no taste.. My lady had the carne asada.. which was covered with a little tasting brown sauce.. i had the chicken.. which tasted like it had never been seasoned.. Their was an extremely loud pair of couples towards the back.. Obviously alcohol brings people back..the food was worthless.. The service was meh...
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Review from Christopher F.
Atlanta, GA
4/4/2010
Cheap food. Good margaritas. Excellent service!
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Review from kristen s.
Atlanta, GA
11/16/2009
I've been going here since I was in High School, some of the servers have probably literally seen me grow up in that place. Always run into friends, and its always packed. the food is good for cheap mexican,and the margaritas are ridicuously strong. a+
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Review from Jeff O.
Atlanta, GA
4/29/2010
is it possible to give less than one star? This place is the most god awful crappy mexican food i've had the mis-fortune to eat.
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Review from Courtney D.
Atlanta, GA
1/27/2009
Love me some Monterrey's on Lavista. Food is always on par, wait staff is always super friendly, and the tequila flows endlessly...just heavenly. Best time to go is during the spring/summer - their patio is awesome. Plus they are very generous to give you more of the infamous dirty water if your margarita needs an extra little kick (or if you just want to get tanked)...actually, lots of dirty water as I reflect upon my past visits and stumbles out of the door. ;-)
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Review from todd h.
Decatur, GA
2/17/2009
I have gone to Monterrey a couple of times because it was near my house and considering that the lot is always full I thought it had to be decent. The food is pretty bad, the meat is basically school lunch grade.
Although, on the bright side you can go to Eduardo's, the small Mexican family restaurant down the street in the Kroger shopping center. It is not nearly as busy and the food is really good. I have ate there I would say around 8 times and it has always been good. I would recommend the steak products especially, steak tacos are usually my choice.
Anyway, don't waste your time and money at Monterrey's. -
Review from Shelly J.
Atlanta, GA
8/8/2010
I have been going here since I was really little. This is my favorite Mexican restaurant! It has the best cheese dip around and the people are so nice! I love getting anything with their grilled veggies, but I especially love getting nachos. I seriously have never had a bad experience here and I have been going for over 15 years!
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Review from Donna P.
Atlanta, GA
2/14/2011
Been here a few times but not impressed. Food is just ok but place has no atmosphere. A lot of the tables are so close together that it is not an enjoyable setting. We normally go to El Toro instead.
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Review from Nadia M.
Decatur, GA
8/8/2009 1 photo
meh, when I first moved into this hood, I went to Monterey out of proximity. I tend to eat at off hours so I never had a problem getting in, but if you try to go at any reasonable hour, good luck, parking stinks. The waiters are kindof creepy, the food is sub-par for cookie cutter Mexican. I am constantly amazed by the people running across the street (where they had to park because the Monterey folks apparently couldn't plan for a full restaurant) on LaVista risking their lives with cars whizzing by at 45mph to get to this awful restaurant...oh, and it smelled like stale milk last time I went...eww
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Review from You M.
Atlanta, GA
10/21/2009
I couldn't believe when I saw how low this restaurant was rated! Sure, its just a basic "Mexican" restaurant like most of the ones you see around Atlanta. But my family has been going here occasionally for many years, and although I'm not especially a fan of Mexican food, Monterrey has absolutely wonderful shrimp burritos and shrimp fajitas. The seafood tastes really good and everything I have eaten seemed flavorful and exceeded my somewhat picky expectations. I don't eat beef, chicken or pork, so I am usually stuck with bean burritos or cheese enchiladas when I go to a generic Mexican restaurant. Even though I do still consider Monterrey to be a pretty generic Mexican restaurant, their shrimp dishes keep me coming back. That is what sets this place apart for me...any place can throw together a ground beef burrito and throw some canned sauce over it...but not many of these generic Mexican restaurants know (or even offer on the menu) much along the lines of seafood. I'm craving a shrimp burrito now just thinking about it. Their shrimp is large, plump, flavorful and tastes almost as good as what you would find closer to the sea. Of course I'm sure it is frozen shrimp, but it really tastes great. I was much happier with the shrimp options compared to the refried bean options.
If you are comparing Monterrey to the typical El Toro, for example, you will be pleasantly surprised. The parking lot is always packed and sometimes I have to wait in the parking lot for a spot. So I definitely don't think this place deserves its low rating or else most of these people would be going elsewhere. If you are seeking more authentic or gourmet Mexican food, then you should look elsewhere. But for a great margarita, perfectly good cheese dip and a nice grilled seafood dish with a Mexican flair...then I would pick Monterrey every time. -
Review from Keith B.
Atlanta, GA
8/11/2010
It appears from the reviews on Yelp that you either love Monterrey's or really dislike it. I give it 3 stars. It is a basic American Mexican restaurant like many others. There are not many dining options at Northlake so this place pulls in a neighborhood crowd most nights and especially on weekends. We have been going here for many years and consider Monterrey a pretty decent Mexican restaurant - food is okay, chips and salsa are acceptable, their margaritas are strong and good, beer is cold and prices are cheap. It is better than El Toro, but not as good as some of the newer places like Eduardo's. Parking is a problem and it can get very crowded, especially in winter when you cannot sit on patio- sometimes we go and do not even stop because it's not worth the hassle or wait. If you are looking for authentic or gourmet Mexican food, then don't visit Monterrey. Stop by for cheap, decent food and a good margarita or large Dos Equis on tap.
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Review from megan P.
Atlanta, GA
4/4/2010
yummy! and really cheap. we brought a few friends and it was just a good time!
