Abuelo's

Last night my partner and I decided to try Abuelo's Mexican food restaurant at Barton Creek Square Mall. We had been driving around trying to figure out where we wanted to eat, and neither of us had eaten there before.

We were seated right away in a booth against the wall. The backs of the booths are high, so I thought it would be a nice quiet dinner. Our waiter promptly came over and took our drink order. I was teetering on the brink of ordering a margarita, but decided on the tea instead. As soon as he left, I looked around and realized how noisy it was. How did I walk past all those children on the way in and not notice? If I didn't know better, we were actually at Chuck E Cheese. When the child in the booth behind us started to scream and push on the booth, I started thinking maybe I should call the waiter back and order a margarita after all.

We looked at the menu and decided to start out with Abuelo's Dip Sampler trio (Queso Diablo, Chile con Queso, and Avocado Cream). The Queso Diablo was very good, the Chile con Queso good, but the Avocado Cream was just a disappointing and bland guacamole. The house salsa was mild, but flavorful.

On to our main course. I chose the Sonora (beef burrito topped with chili con queso, cheese enchilada, and tamale). My partner chose the Juarez (crispy beef taco, tamale, chicken enchilada, and cheese enchilada). My beef burrito was very good, the cheese enchilada was okay, but the tamale was very bland. The rice and beans were okay. My partner enjoyed her dinner but agreed with me that the tamale was bland.

Meanwhile, the kids screaming all around us and their parents ignoring them was really beginning to annoy us. One kid at a table diagonal to us was throwing things while his parents ignored him. I looked down at the crayon that landed at the next table and wondered if his parents were going to pick it up. Of course not, they left it for the waitstaff to clean up.

Oh well, on to the dessert. We told the waiter when he seated us that it was our first time there so he brought us a complimentary dessert to share. We had the flan, which was okay but not something I would order again. It was more of a cream dessert instead of a custard, which I'm accustomed to.

Overall, the food was okay, but not great. I would not go out of my way to try it again. They have an extensive kids menu, which is probably why they had so many kids there. So, if you are looking for a nice place to have a quiet, romantic evening, this probably isn't the right place.