Terrible...over priced...misleading ads
Written: Oct 07 '09 (Updated Oct 11 '09)
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Pros: None.
Cons: Misleading ads. Misleading specials. Use of poor English to justify outrageous prices. Childish decor.
The Bottom Line: I would avoid El Rodeo. Their food is very average at best. Their prices are misleading. Their coupons are misleading. Their specials are misleading. Their dining area is child-like.
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| lovehifi's Full Review: El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant |
On several occasions I, and my better half, have visited the El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant located on Detroit Rd in Westlake, OH, in the Savanah Commons shopping strip.
Our last visit will literally be our last. The following is why:
First of all, there are many misleading and confusing ads and promotions.
For instance, on our most recent visit, we saw a sign outside proclaiming '$2.00 off draft beer'. This is a sidewalk standing sign used by the restaurant to advertise daily specials and so on.
To me, a $2 off draft beer means my beer should cost no more than $1-2. Not so at El Rodeo.
We ordered several of their 'special' beers. It turns out that their special applies only to a Mexican beer, which tasted terrible to boot. By the way, it was not a Corona, but a crappy lower shelf Mexican beer. Please read on.
El Rodeo, like many other Mexican themed restaurants, offers free chips and salsa to all their customers. However, at El Rodeo, they don't tell you that if you ask for 'seconds' on their salsa and chips, you will pay an additional 99 cents. This is the one and only Mexican style restaurant that I have ever visited which charges patrons for extra salsa. Really? What a rip-off.
We ordered our meals, with the thought of using a coupon which we found in the local coupon flyer distributed in our neigbhorhood. The coupon was for a 'buy one, get one 1/2 off' deal.
We both ordered similarly priced meals.
I had a chicken fajita, which is what I usually order when at a Mexican restaurant which is unfamiliar. It was about $14, which is a fairly average price for this area. The portion was not large. It was average sized at best. The meat and vegetables were soaking in the pan in fluid/grease and were terribly soggy. This is very unusual. Most of the time when a fajita is brought to the table, it is done so piping hot and sizzling. The pan is dry.
Chips & salsa are average. If I remember correctly, the chips may have had more salt than I am accustomed to eating at such restaurants. I prefer the fresh made salt-free chips I've had elsewhere. The salsa makes the chips, not the salt. To that end, I hate store bought salsa chips. I cannot find one without salt. Just 'less salt' which is not the same at all.
The salsa itself comes in a little bottle which El Rodeo must refill and reuse. It is nice, but does not hold that much salsa. If you desire more, it's 99 cents, not free. The salsa is average tasting. It is good, but not overly 'hot'. I prefer a hotter salsa, while my wife prefers milder. I wish they'd make one of each, to suit all preferences.
My wife had a sampler platter which she did not enjoy at all. She never received her enchilada, which she had added onto her order. So we had to request that it be removed from the bill. Her food was only luke warm. If I remember correctly, her entree was also in the $10-12 range.
As mentioned, the atmosphere is not impressive. The music lends slightly to the Mexican experience, but the decor does not. I don't know how else to describe it other than 'childish'. The plastic white seats with childlike drawings on them is just not impressive to me. It looks more cheap than reminiscent of Mexico. As mentioned, the employees seem to be of Mexican origin, which does lend to the atmosphere, but on the other hand, communication is an issue and I see it as a way to misinform the customer.
When we asked for the check, we were told we could NOT use the coupons in conjunction with the 'beer specials'. It had to be one or the other.
So we reluctantly took the $4 off our draft beers (mine), figuring it would even out.
Our crappy tasting cheap Mexican beers were $4.75 each, AFTER THE $2 OFF) each beer. That's $6.75 each for these lousy tasting beers. What a rip off.
With a buy one get one 1/2 off coupon and $2 off each draft beer, our meal for 2 was still around $35 before tip.
Forget the tip and forget about El Rodeo. The food is below average tasting. I was not impressed with their Fajita, which I usually order at a Mexican fair. Their prices are misleading and their specials are even more misleading.
Their dining room is very child-like. It is poorly done in a very simplistic theme which is more reminant of a Disney themed dining than anything else. Mexico holds some of the greatest Pyramids. The child-like drawings and color schemes are not at all impressive.
The servers either do not speak English well, or at least pretend as such. So, when you ask them a question about the cost, they kind of shrug their shoulders and give you a less than adequate answer, leaving you guessing as to how much the meal will cost.
My wife ordered a Marguerita, also on supposedly sale. She ordered hers 'on the rocks'. The server said they served the drink in that fashion. What she received was a 'frozen' Marguerita. Not the same by any means. And, with the $2 off 'special', her drink was STILL $10.00. That is ridiculous. Even at Crocker Park, a nearby hotspot and upper end well designed mall, a Marguerita can be purchased for less, and from a Mexican style restaurant to boot (Aguava), located next to Champps.
So, with 2 meals costing less than $10 each (menu price), plus a couple beers at $2 off and a Marguerita at $2 off, our bill still came to about $35, before tip. What a rip off.
We will never go their again. The food is mediocre. The prices are misleading. The drink specials are a rip off. And the decor is suitable for children, not adults. Most importantly, the service is poor. When a server either cannot communicate with the customer, or pretends to be unable, the result can be very disappointing. In the case of El Rodeo, that was indeed our experience.
I do NOT recommend this restaurant at all, considering their coupons are of no real use as an incentive.
Recommended:
No
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Avoid Beer Specials. Ask before you buy.
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Epinions.com ID:
lovehifi
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Member: Stan
Location: USA
Reviews written: 159
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
I have always had a fascination in the field of audio.
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