Under the right circumstances mismatched salt and pepper shakers is tolerable. Maybe a funky coffee house, a hot dog stand, camping. Not in a large restaurant that charges $10 for three tacos and serves hundreds of people a day. I noticed this is the configuration on all the tables in the back part of the restaurant where I dined. Could this be some new tableware trend happening at all the hip restaurants in New York and L.A. and it's finally made it to Mexican restaurants in Salem Oregon. I doubt it. Los Arcos on Commercial Street near 12th also has mismatched chairs in that part of the dining room and outside. I'll give them a break on the
chairs, they're probably expensive to replace and they did make an effort to put similar ones together. One thing that Los Arco's does well, is make fresh tortillas that come with many items on the menu. The three Jalisco style tacos come with shredded or ground beef inside these homemade tortillas and is served with rice and beans. Even with the tortillas, Los Arcos is just ok. This doesn't stop lots of people from eating lunch and dinner
there, the place is usually packed.
Have been there, done that...I like good Mexican cooking, and I like pork dishes. Theirs are the worst!
ReplyDeleteWe joke about the two times we got BOILED PORK! No flavor, No sauce, laid in the tortillas, with a bit of lettuce, and no cheese.
I cannot figure out why this place is so busy, I guess Salem-ites like bland food.
why waste your money on food like that when you can make your own authentic tasting food for 1/4 of the price, i dont get it
ReplyDeleteI have friends who like to go there for the strong margaritas. Although, I doubt that explains ALL of the traffic.
ReplyDeletei've never eaten in the restaurant but love going to the lounge... they have fabulous drink specials and a chips-and-salsa bar that you can load up at repeatedly for free. not bad, since you need a little food substance with that strong margarita! the lounge is smoky, of course, but they also serve the full menu.... once my boyfriend ordered lamb chops. i think he liked them, that was a long time ago. i never noticed their chairs, etc didnt match!
ReplyDeleteAmen on the lounge, it's great in there with the chips. I personally like the lobster enchiladas and the pollo a la crema, but the rice and beans is not exactly the best. I think it's pretty average food, I just really do like the lounge. If I were not going to relax and have a drink, I'd be at Hacienda.
ReplyDeleteAuthentic Mexican food is one of my favorite cuisines. I personally would not recommend Los Arcos to anyone. My best friend had her husband's birthday party there, and I ordered Camarones ala Crema (shrimp in a creamy cheese sauce).
ReplyDeleteMy meal tasted as if the cook/chef had opened a salt shaker and dumped the contents onto my plate. I thought maybe it was just the particular food I had ordered, but my husband had Steak Fajitas that were over salted as well.
Unless you prefer a "salt lick" as your main course, do not patronize Los Arcos!
Haha, Oh the mismatching Chairs.
ReplyDeleteThe lounge is fun and the only reason to go there.
I once watched a lady fall over in her chair...it had wheels at the bottom. Maybe they should have saved that chair for the dining room and not the bar...
They have the best daquiris I've ever had in Salem, so that's the draw for me. I'd say the food is the same as any other Mexican American restaurant. My boyfriend and I went there last Thursday for drinks and nachos (in the bar)... good combo. We got there before it got busy. There was only one watiress for the entire bar though, so we felt a little ingored.
ReplyDeleteI just ate here and I always order arroz con pollo my first time at a mexican restaurant to see it it's worth coming back...sadly, it wasn't so good. But my dining partner had a lobster enchilada that was killer, so I'd be willing to try again and order something else from their HUGE menu. Chips and Salsa were bland.
ReplyDeleteHorrible. I have another bad review online at Trip Advisor. This place sucks. The carne asada was the worst ever. the manager told me that i had ate too much to complain about my food. And as for that free salsa and chip bar. Not once did our server tell us about that. I just thought that the service sucked or that it was the rare mexican restaurant that charges for chips.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if all that crack made you lose your senses but I LOOOOVEEEE Los Arcos. (And McDonalds too) Whenever I feel down, I go in there and see all those mismatched chairs, hehehe, it makes me giggle. The arroz con pollo is the best!! <3333333
ReplyDeleteLove Los Arcos and have for many years. They have the best margaritas I've ever had... anywhere. You get a great margarita that doesn't skimp on the tequilla, like some Salem Mexican restaurants do. I have yet to have a meal I didn't like.I could eat there every day. It's a busy place so I must be right about the food.
ReplyDeleteLol I Love Los Arcos. And Edwin Jr. Im His Gf<3
ReplyDeleteFor my money, this is one of the better Ameri-Mex places in town. I don't expect it to be what it's not, so I not disappointed. I had a Chile Relleno combo Lunch today. The CR was huge and Cheesy. The Refried Beans were better than average. The Rice was ho-hum, but served in a pool of Enchilada Sauce which was a tasty and unusual touch. I also notice they earned a perfect score from their most recent Health Dept visit. As a friend is fond of saying: "I'd agree with you dissenters, but then we'd all be wrong!" (Just kidding ;~D)
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