I'm fairly certain this restaurant is merely a front for La eMe* ... how else could such terrible food keep a business afloat who's supposed purpose is to provide food?
I've patronized this Tex-Mex mistake several times because (a) I'm a masochist and (b) it's about a 2-minute walk from my place of employment. I've really tried to find something on the menu I can learn to love simply because the convenience of the restaurant's location is undeniable, and when I'm really hungover and need to appear "normal" to co-workers, Elsa's waffle fries are pretty damn delicious (and the sole reason this place is getting 2 stars instead of 1). Every other item on the menu that I've sampled has been Muy desagradable.
If I disappear mysteriously as a result of unearthing a Mexican-American drug cartel please, tell my family I love them.
*La eMe or The Mexikanemi (as it's known in Texas) is the Mexican-American mafia, a highly organized North American crime syndicate...I catch a lot of the Biography Channel...now you know.
This place is gross! They tried to feed my raw ground meat calling it a hamburger. Then the manager acted like it was my fault. The bathrooms smelled like urine and no soap. So how are the employees washing their hands? Only thing on the table that was edible was the chicken fingers that came from a bag. Do yourself a favor and go elsewhere.
Review Source:The good: The food is tasty and the margaritas are so strong that you'll going to need a cab ride home if you drink any more than one of them.
The bad: Don't get anything labeled "mini." I ordered the ministeak fajita burrito thinking it would just be a normal size burrito given that their only other size is "super" which, from the description would lead you to believe is the size of a human baby.
When they delivered the plate I genuinely thought it was just a salad that went with the burrito I would eventually get. Nope, it was the whole thing. I devoured it in a few bites because the steak was so delicious, but I was left hungry.
So hungry in fact that I ended up ordering an order of hot wings. They were good -- on par with Beef o' Bradys I'd say.
I do believe in second chances! Sometimes, even third and fourth when it comes to food, but not for Elsa's.
Unfortunately, this is one place I will not crave. My second visit was just last month, and I still wasn't impressed. Good Mexican food contains some of the freshest and simplest ingredients, but when things aren't fresh, it's very apparent. Here's what we ordered:
Seafood Chimichanga: Okay, don't judge me. This was my husband's choice. If you got the same first impression with this place, you'd know ordering this dish would just increase your disappointment. Definitely not fresh ingredients, from the shrimp and crab to the cheese and rice.
Black Bean Soup Taco Salad: This was my choice. Although it is possible to goof up a salad, I figured a Mexican restaurant would pride and present themselves with one heck of a taco salad. Wrong. Just a bunch of shredded iceberg in a cold fried flour tortilla bowl with some black beans, diced tomatoes, and tons and tons of cheese. I asked for a second plate to pile all of it on. No dressing, no flavor, no good.
The best part of this place were the chips and salsa that come with any table. Chips were good. Salsa wasn't the fresh, authentic salsa I was expecting. More of a pureed tomato base.
The atmosphere was also on top of the list for biggest offender. Several restaurants have come and gone in that same location - I think they all use the same decor, but adding the cheap Mexican style accents really pushed this place over the edge of "sign me up for Restaurant Impossible," which then brings me to the service. We got there at 1pm on a Saturday. We were greeted by no one and stood there waiting for at least 3-4 minutes before someone in kitchen noticed us. The hostess apologized explaining a large party had just left. Although there were clean booths available, we had to wait on them to clear off a specific booth in a specific section - we were the only customers in the dining area (there were three men at the bar taking shots with the bar tender, more on that in a minute). The hostess cleared off the booth and then yelled to us to come over to our table. We then had to wait and listen to their shpeel of their "amazing margarita." We tried to eat peacefully but were distracted by the unprofessional dialogue happening at the bar. The bartender was going on and on about getting wasted while on the job and encouraging his co-workers to do the same if the mood is right. Whatever.
Maybe folks up in Ohio are used to this kind of stuff, but down here in the South, you've got some tough competition when it comes to good Mexican food in Tampa Bay! Oh, by the way, my first time with Elsa's including arguing with the manager about splitting the check, another thing I guess they don't have in Ohio.
Elsa's  is a Mexican sports bar, if you have ever heard  of that before. So if you think you will like that type of atmosphere with mediocre food, you'll enjoy this place. We were there in March and May of '12 and had the same experience. I found the Mexican dishes covered, no smothered, in tasteless cheese, with stale vegetables. The rice and refried beans are no better, maybe not as good, as what I prepare at home. Beans had to have come out of a can. Basically, I think their ingredients are not fresh and tasteless. It's not horrible, but I think we will go somewhere else the next time we want Mexican food.
Review Source:I was born and raised  in Dayton, OH - so I grew up on Elsa's.  It was my first taste of Mexican Food (yep, before Taco Bell came to town).  It was also my first experience with tequila -- thank you Mr. Bad Juan - wish I could remember that nite, I was told I had a great time!
 Very, very pleased to see Elsa's open in my back yard in Tampa area!
 Went there for lunch on Sunday Jan 29.
 Was NOT disappointed!
 Chips and Salsa were outstanding - this it not store bought salsa folks!  It's addictive.
 Small Queso Blanco was more than enough to share.  So creamy and just enough jalepeno in it to spice it up a bit.
 Burritos are fabulous.  Make sure you get them "wet".
 One thing for certain, you will not leave Elsa's hungry!
 This new location has a lot of dining room and a very big bar area with an abundance of TVs..I know you normally don't equate Mexican Food with a Sports Bar, but Elsa's makes it work.  What is better than beer and limitless chips & salsa?  And if you enjoy tequila, the Bad Juan drink is a must..but don't drink too many!
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