Come on this place is below average and that is complimenting it. Bland mexican food. I kept trying to make it work or find something I really enjoyed and the only thing I would eat if I HAD to go back there, would be there nachos. Tacos are terrible, dry tortilla, chewy meat, ugh bad bad! Burritos are nothing but a lot of cheese. I had taquitos there and they were the worst. they were completely dry and flavorless.
Review Source:Not bad...it's better than your average Mexican fast food joint, but it's certainly nothing special. The shrimp and barbacoa tacos are decent and I like that you can get a platter with rice, beans, and chips for a good price. The topping bar with cilantro an jalapeños is also a nice touch. If you're craving Mexican it'll get the job done.
Review Source:I am from Houston TX and I have grown up on Mexican food. I live on it when I am back home and I have searched all over to try and find a good place around Philly.
This place is like a Qdoba or Chipotle. It is not like a sit down restaurant but has plenty in door and out door seating.
FOOD:
Chips and Queso: chips were great but the Queso tasted like melted Velveta to me. So I would not order it if I went back.
Chicken Fajitas: I enjoyed mine. It was the closest I had found to TexMex style fajitas since I have lived up here. The chicken was big strips of chicken not chopped up small pieces like most places I have experienced here. The pinto beans, guacamole, and rice were all very good. I would get it again.
Overall my fajitas were very good and I would come back.
For the past few years, I've been eating nothing but what I have believed to be authentic Mexican food--you know, the stuff with the lengua/tongue and  Chicharrón/tripe in it, made by Mexican people.  I was taken here by a relative, and it was my first experience, as a man of German descent, of what a lot of reviewers have called, "TexMex."  From what I've read, I don't agree that this can be called exactly TexMex as a lot of what I ate I've had many times at authentic Mexican restaurants.  I ordered the Carnitas de Mexicana.  It came with frijoles negros, Spanish rice, and carnitas.  The thing that maybe made it different and what others have called TexMex was the addition of things like fried bananas (not South American plantains) and orange juice!  However unauthentic these two additions were, they did not detract from the overall delicious taste of the dish.  Another thing that made it more authentic was the free little "loadings" bar for your free chips.  It was small but appreciated. Â
We interacted with two staff members--a pregnant Spanish lady who was nice and an American man who was very attentive (he gave me a box for the leftovers immediately and later actually took my tray with trash to the trash can!) Â
The interior was clean and spacious with plenty of seating (see my pics.) Â The Gateway Shopping Center was, well, the Gateway Shopping Center. Â They have crosswalks for pedestrians to use to get to and from their vehicles, but most North Americans, either pedestrians themselves or drivers, ignore them, so what can anyone expect? Â We were not run over, nor did we run anyone over. Â
I give it three stars because I know what the "real" stuff tastes like, and I like my tongue. Â I'm glad I experienced this more upscale version of Mexican, but I still prefer the Norristown-eatery grime.
I wish there were better standards of ratings on Yelp or some other criteria for judging different types of establishments eg fine dining vs. fast casual.
Any who, I happened upon Mesa Mexican Grill looking for some grub without a Yelp consult but did read a few reviews before drafting mine.
Being of Spanish descent and having lived on both coasts as well as having been to Mexico I consider myself a pretty discerning judge of this type of food. Besides I just love Mexican cuisine.
I would definitely put Mesa in the fast casual category alongside Chipotle, Qdoda and Baja Fresh.
My biggest problem with most of these places is that if you don't come at peak times the food sits in containers all day.
If you go to any of these places at 3-4 pm you'll know what I mean. Since I'm eating at Mesa at 11:30am it's fresh.
As far as the food here. I chose the Fajita Burrito and got upsold to the platter for a couple bucks more that includes more chips with cheese on them. I like the side bar that includes fresh raw onions, fresh cilantro and jalapeños. I think the accompanying small side of salsa was the worst part of the meal. Sadly cause salsa may be one of the easiest things to make well.
Overall, the burrito was good. Healthy portions of chicken and cooked onions inside along with pinto beans and rice.
I will definitely return here and would choose this over Baja Fresh(esp. the one in KOP) and Qdoba but wouldn't dare choose this over some of the Authentic Mexican spots in nearby Norristown.
And if I'm in Philly, Fogettaboutit!!!!
One final note: Â The gentlemen at the register(the guy with glasses) was beyond sweet and super friendly. Kudos to him.
Enjoyed a late lunch here on Saturday. Â Chicken burritos were fully stuffed with very fresh ingredients. Â Chips & salsa came with meal. Very pleasant lady greeted us, answered questions about the menu, took our order & delivered food to our table in the adjoining dining area. Â We will be back.
Review Source:Stop in here for lunch from time to time when I'm in the mood for some quick Mexican food. You order at the counter and then wait for your number to be called to go and pick up your food. There's a decent amount of seating, but I would say the tables are on the small side and they are pretty crammed in there. I usually go with the taquitos, which you get four of, plus you get a side of beans (black or pinto). For cheap Mexican food, they actually don't taste to bad. My friends usually get the burritos, and they are HUGE but they do look good. Other than the Gateway Shopping Center being a PITA to park and get out of, you can easily get in and out of here during a lunch hour.
Review Source:Probably more of a 2.5 stars on this one, but I was feeling generous and rounded up.
First of all, I need to add a disclaimer that I'm a huge fan of Mexican food (my blood is probably 30% queso). Â And that includes fast casual options like Qdoba and especially Chipotle.
Visited Mesa while in the area doing some shopping and got a veggie burrito bowl. Â I liked that the burritos come with a side of chips and salsa unlike at Chipotle. Â However, I felt like the different choices were a bit confusing- I felt like there were 10 options, all of which had one ingredient was different. Â
My veggie bowl consisted of black beans, rice, guac, and a medley of vegetables- zucchini, carrots and green peppers. Â I thought the guac was good, beans could have used a little spice, and the rice was a yellow spanish rice (I prefer the white cilantro rice like they have at Chipotle). Â The medley of vegetables was awfully odd to me. Â I assumed I'd be getting peppers and onions- I guess maybe one of the other 10 options had that instead. Â The vegetables were cooked well but needed some more spice.
In all, I'd agree with some of the other reviewers that referred to this as Americanized Mexican. Â I wouldn't go out of my way to come here again, but it wasn't the worst meal I've ever eaten.
From Cali to Texas, Mesa is alright for PA Mexican food. Came to PA to work, so my co-workers took me to this place for lunch, and it tasted like any other Americanized Mexican food. Reasonable price but portions are small. Don't expect too much here, it is just working folks needing to feed their stomachs.
Review Source:my go-to lunch spot. Â food is fresh and quick. Â i think all the prices are about $1 too high and they are very random in giving you chips. Â i normally order fish tacos or the veggie quesadilla (love this filled with fresh veggies including zucchini, squash and peppers) and it's always a surprise if i am going to get tortilla chips on the side. Â the salsa i wish had a bit more of a kick to it but its fresh so it's fine. Â next to the soda bar is onions, pickled jalapenos, lemons and cilantro - this is a nice touch. Â the staff is also very friendly and the refrigerator case filled with the charge for extras are all good, i enjoy the habanero salsa a lot, it def has a kick!
Review Source:I was somewhat "forced" to go here for lunch yesterday because my usual stop, Dixie Picnic, was closed for a family event.
I ordered the Fajita Burrito with no beans and my better half ordered the enchilada platter.
The Burrito was just darn boring. I probably should have ordered it with sour cream or guac, but these cost extra. The burritos come with chips and salsa. The word parsimonious comes to mind in reference to the portion of salsa offered. The container they give you is so small you have to break up the chips. That said, the salsa is fresh and delicious which is probably why they are so stingy with it.
I agree with other reviewers that Qdoba or Chipotle are much better choices but alas none of those fine establishments reside in Malvern.
I disagree with one reviewer who said the service was bad. The gentleman that waited on us yesterday was super sweet.
Wish I could give this place 3.5 stars.
Food was pretty much what I was expecting. I've been twice this week, using up a gift card I had lying around. I ordered shrimp tacos the first time, a platter that came with rice and beans. Fairly average but tasty nonetheless. Definitely would not recommend ordering them to go, as I did! As with any other tex-mex chain, they package up the entire platter to go, and the bean juice gets not only all over your tacos but in the bag, etc. The second time I ordered the carnitas platter. This was actually pretty good! The pork was really tender and pretty tasty. Came with rice/beans, a couple slices of bananas/plaintains (which, to me, could have done better without), corn or flour tortillas, and a drizzle of sour cream. It was a little pricey for the establishment. The platter and a soda was about 11 bucks.
I actually kind of liked the setup though. When you walk in, the counter is directly in front of you, easy to order. And the employees were super nice, the guy packaged up my order both times and walked to the table I was lounging out to give it to me. Even though I was only a few feet away and could have gotten it myself! And the dining area was open but slightly separate from takeout, so you wouldn't be constantly bothered by people in line, etc. Also saw a sign for BYOB, which is probably the biggest reason for me to come back!
I think what knocked it down from 4 stars was the incredibly inconvenience of the shopping center. Not only is it huge and super crowded, but people are constantly walking in front of cars, and nobody knows how to drive. It takes about 15 minutes just to drive around and find or get out of a spot.
All in all, it was a very pleasant place. While I wouldn't pick it over chipotle or qdoba (tastier and closer to me), if I was in the area I would definitely not mind going back!
I wasn't sure if this place was a chain or not. Turns out, it's a small chain--only three locations around the area. It was okay, but I was hoping for something different compared to Baja Fresh, Qdoba, Chipotle, etc. Unfortunately, the food tastes EXACTLY like Baja Fresh. Their tacos were exactly the same as were the rice and beans. I guess there aren't too many ways to jazz up rice and beans, so I'll forgive them for that. However, I tried their guacamole and it was the same as Baja Fresh guacamole. The only difference is their salsa, which was watered down and doesn't have much flavor. I don't know. I'll probably go again because it's the closest place for Mexican food and it's a step up from Taco Bell, but still it was kind of disappointing.
Review Source:We go here for lunch from time to time. It is always a great experience. The service is generally very quick and the food is great. There are always people in here, but it is never too crowded. It is always possible to find a seat.
The parking in the lot is really annoying, as it is a busy shopping center. We have found that if you park out back of the shopping center, there are tunnels that let you walk through to the front, avoiding a mess. This also avoids the problem of having to wait at the light when you leave which can otherwise cause you to sit for quite a while.
I generally go with the smothered burrito, which is enourmous. I usually can't finish. There nachos are average, and I hear the tacos are excellent. Most of the meals come with some homemade chips (same chips that are used in the nachos of course) which are also not bad. They have great guacamole, but getting extra can get kind of expensive.
If you like mexican, you won't be disappointed with this choice.
OK. About 2 years ago this place had a fire which closed them down of a little bit. Prior to this, I would go there probably 2 times a week. I would order either a couple tacos (which are still good) or the Mexico City burrito. And I would get them wet (haha....get your mind out of the gutters) which is with their ancho chili sauce,sour cream and fresh melted shredded cheese. Now, prior to the fire, this burrito was bangin. But, after the fire, for some strange reason they changed things up with the cheese. Instead of putting real shredded cheddar on it and broiling it real fast, they switched to a horrible cheese sauce. Bleeeech. I mean, really, who uses a cheese sauce? This is supposed to be authentic mexican. I don't see them using whiz in Mexico. So why, oh why do you use it? C'mon Mesa, get with the program. That, and now they charge you for a little salsa on the side. They used to have a bunch of salsa's layed out (like Baja Fresh) where you could get whatcha want. Now, you gotta pay a little extra for it. Bad move IMO.
So, there you have it. This would be a 4 star joint but they betrayed me and switched to an inferior cheese product in an effort I suppose to save a little time. Tacos are still great, and their nachos are excellent. Bring back the real cheese on my burrito and the salsa bar and I'll be a happy camper again.
Mesa is great. This is our default take-out place. I always get the pork enchiladas - they are the best. Also they have great guacamole and salsa. I love their Mexican tacos too. Actually, it's all really good, I could sit here and list their whole menu, HAHA... the best thing is it's affordable, and fresh. Personally I like Mesa better than Baja Fresh, Chipolte, Qudoba, and Moes. :-D
Review Source:In a way Mesa Fresh is much like Qudoba.  I tend to side with Mesa in the head to head showdown however.  Mesa has fresh Mexican at a very attractive price.  Every once in awhile I come here and stuff my face  for under ten dollars and always leave happy.  Try the nachos they reign supreme.
Review Source:
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
