Fernando's

Mexican is always a bit of a standby food for me. When everything else around looks absolutely sketchy, you can usually count on Mexican food to be at least edible. That's the case with Fernando's - it's edible, it's food, it's not going to give you massive diarrhea.

We stopped in for lunch, because after a week visiting this town I had had all the Sonic I care to for the foreseeable future, and there's not much else going on here. We ordered off the lunch menu: fiance got the single chicken enchilada, and I got the burrito frito.

The chips and salsa were good, nothing extraordinary. The drinks were large, and served in pitchers, causing the fiance some level of confusion until I explained that you drink directly out of the pitcher/mug. The enchilada looked good, though I can't comment on actual taste. The burrito frito is your typical fried burrito covered in cheese sauce. The outer layer was crisp without being tough, and the inside was well-cooked, though I wish it had more flavor to it. The meat tasted like it was mostly unseasoned, and was fluffed up with rice. Not bad, just not great. Beans and rice were the same: not bad, but a little on the bland side.

Service was fast, courteous, and all the employees are incredibly friendly, but not in that overbearing and obnoxious southern way where you just want to shake them by the neck and scream "Shut the **** up already and just take my order!". This is refreshing, because if I have one more waitress with less teeth than fingers try to start a conversation with me here, I'm going to flip out.

All in all, it was a meal. Nothing more, nothing less. The only negative: portion sizes are tiny. Both of us were hungry again within an hour. Still, given that the average price of a lunch special hovers around $5, I can't really complain. If you're passing through and want to grab a quick bite that isn't fast food, this is the place to go.

Seriously?  Don't bother.  I don't know what restaurant most of  these people were eating at, but this isn't what I got served.  So here is the skinny.  Ordered Chile Relleno plate 9.99: comes with rice & re-fried beans, gauc salad on lettuce.  Chile Relleno was not like I have had before anywhere.  Didn't expect Mexico, but didn't expect to be worse than any cafe 1000 miles north of the border either.  Had specifically asked waiter if  had Chile poblano or other pepper like bell pepper as sometimes used with a scoop of ground meat mixed on it.  Assured me was poblano but shredded "meat" (authentic as used in Mexico).  What I got: basically a colby jack frita (fritter).  2 "rellenos"--1st, had a strip of an unidentifiable pepper, may have been green chile because of color.  Not a whole pepper, but a piece of a pepper about 15% of the product.  That, some shredded chicken &  a lot of colby jack cheese was put in a light traditional egg batter and fried.  Result: a mass of tough hard fried cheese meat mix so tough & dry, with the exception of a liquid I couldn't tell if came from the wet shredded lettuce of the salad or the frozen(?) pepper strip they put in it.  No sauce.  Second relleno, no pepper at all.  Think of pan frying shredded cheese  with no seasoning except some shredded boiled chicken with a little chili powder on it and slipping the mass in an egg white batter.  2 pieces about 4" x 3" oval.  Rice was general cheap Mexican,  a little tomato chile chicken bullion and beans were cheap thinned out canned.  
Shrimp enchiladas: same accompaniments, about 8.99.  Same cheese mix with tiny shrimp you get from China in the can at the grocery.  NOT the dried Mexican reconstituted type.   Guacamole was pretty good for a tablespoon portion.  Pre-meal chips were light white corn and crisp, but dowsed with chile salt so heavy, you had to buy more  drinks--an old bar trick.  Salsa OK, fresh tasting but nothing special--can tomato puree with fresh onion, cilantro hint of jalapeno?   Went there on a tip, told--"really authentic & great".  Neither of either.  As a Chef, I don't expect people to cook like me, but I do expect to get basic quality  food for the money I pay.  This was kitsch, cheap ingredients and over priced.  Taco Bell has better food.  Beware.

Feranndos is one of the best Mexican restaurants I have ever been to. A lot of restaurants are about "flash" and "appeal"; Fernandos is about awesome Mexican food. I go there every time I am home! It's a must for locals and those traveling through Magee.