Chile Verde Cafe

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chris1961

Joined 8 years ago

Great Fajitas. Certainly not authentic Mexican cuisine, but they are better than El Vaqueros...the dishes are more interesting and have more flair, however, portions are smaller, and more expensive too. Appetizers arent cheap either...four very small one-bite crab cakes, $7.00.

Complimentary chips and salsa are refrigerator cold. Not as appetizing as Vaqueros and Casa Fiestas, which served warmed chips. They also dont offer the 4-5 different hot-sauces on the tables. In fact, they offer any. When I asked for hot sauce, the waiter brought out some very slightly spicy salsa...certainly not hot, even by the most sensitive palate.

I rated Verde as "Recommended" as opposed to "Average" because of their Fajitas. The marinated in honey and soy sauce (thats right, about as un-Mexican as it gets) chicken or beef are some of the best offered. The sugar in the honey caramelizes on the meat and vegetables, giving a great crunch, while the soy offsets the sweet perfectly. I highly recommend them.

While not on my "Must go again list", I would visit again if I were in the area, and had Fajitas on the brain.

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justjackson27

Joined 5 years ago

You want Mexican food?. I would say this place has more Tex-Mex than authentic Mexican food, having lived in both California and Arizona. The best thing about this place is their delicious sopapillas. Many "Mexican restaurants" in Ohio know nothing about authentic beans, rice or pulled meat dishes. Not only does Chile Verde make a mean Aztec BBQ Burrito (it's mildly spicy and very delicious) but the sopapillas are the fried doughy kind, not the fried tortilla kind you find in many Mexican restaurants throughout the area. It's a smaller place, so it might be busy or you might have a minimal wait but it is certainly worth it. Enjoy!

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wolfwood

Joined 5 years ago

Overrated, In My Opinion. I should preface this review by saying that I lived for a number of years in Arizona, where I routinely had FANTASTIC Mexican food. Ever since moving to Columbus, I've been looking for something that stacks up. And so, after seeing that Chile Verde Cafe won Citysearch's Best Mexican Food of 2007, I had to try it. In my opinion, it fell way short. I went for lunch and tried the BBQ fajita burrito, which many other reviewers have suggested. First of all, $10 for a burrito at lunchtime WITHOUT any rice OR beans on the side is way too much, but I was willing to try it anyway. I wasn't impressed. The quality of the meat was pretty poor, and I didn't care for the combination of sweet BBQ sauce and chile con queso topping the burrito. I realize that they were going for a "sweet and spicy" type of taste, but in the end, it just wasn't very good, at least according to my tastes. I barely finished my meal. On the other hand, my wife's tamale lunch was fairly tasty, and more reasonably priced, so the experience wasn't all bad. Perhaps it's unfair for me to compare Ohio Mexican restaurants with Arizona Mexican restaurants, but I have yet to find what I consider good Mexican food in Columbus. The search continues...

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lovemesomegrub

Joined 5 years ago

best mexican. This place is awesome. It is the first mexican place where I have taken one bite and been like WOW that's good. It beats the Don Pablos type of mexican food, this is the real deal. Pretty inexpensive too. Only downside really is the amount of seating, but honestly I have never had to wait more than 5 minutes for a table.

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Swift8384

Joined 5 years ago

Avoid delivery through Cafe Courier. We had a birthday at the office and decided to have lunch delivered through Cafe Courier.

Our food arrived about the time it should and quickly we realize someone didn't receive part of their meal. We call back and they said they would take care of it. Then the same person found their taco to be mushy on the bottom and called back to complain because they couldn't eat it. The rest of us also noticed our meat was dry and the rest a bit soggy. We do not know who is at fault for these things.

I would be willing to give the restaurant a try if I went to eat there for dinner but some of my co-workers said they would never eat there. How can you blame them? If they team up with Cafe Courier and then treat their "to go" as dispensable (by serving sub-standard quality food), does this mean they rely on the great margaritas and surroundings to make up for the bad food?

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BoldFoodie

Joined 5 years ago

The best mexican. Thankfully, not your typical Vaqueros. Innovative, great quality mexican. If I want mexican, this is where I go. I have never had bad service, or experience. Salsa is the best, and they have some of the best wraps you can get anywhere.

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lauralen

Joined 5 years ago

Best Mexican Food in Town. My family and I are Mexican food junkies - we ahve been to every Columbus restaurant, and we frequently vacaton in Sante Fe. Chile Verde is by far the best, most authentic Mexican food in Columbus. Nowhere else in Columbus can you dine, have made from scratch margaritas and blue corn enchiladas, and look up on the walls to see RC Gorman replicas. I truly feel like I am in the South when I eat there!!!

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wesnealcoe

Joined 6 years ago

Best Mexican Food I've Ever Had. After growing up in California, and living in Branson, MO for the last 26 years, I've eaten all kinds of a variety of great food. However, my wife and I enjoy going to Chile Verde Cafe over all the other places. My favorite food there is the Bar-b-que grilled fajita burrito. In fact, I love it so much that I used to stuff myself with the chips before I got the main course. My strategy was I wanted to be full, so I would eat only half of the burrito. Then I would take the other half home and enjoy another meal. However, my plan soon failed. I ended up eating the chips and the big meal at the place. Anyway, all that to say, I love the food, and the atmosphere. Perhaps the best part, however, is the friendliness of the ownership and staff. If you walk in a stanger, you can't help but walk out a friend, and a pretty full one, at that. There's a theme park in Branson called Silver Dollar City. Their motto is: "Create Memories Worth Repeating." That ought to be the motto of Chile Verde Cafe. Each time I go there is a memory worth repeating.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Editorial Review by Christy Buena. Located in the Carriage Place Shopping center, the New Mexican restaurant serves large portions and offers frozen margaritas.

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hagsman

Joined 7 years ago

Best Mexican food. My first visit there was great. The food was terrific and our server, Rita, was very pleasant. I plan to go back often.