Yelp reviews of Papagayos are a good example of why not to trust Yelp reviews. Had a pretty decent dinner here tonight, the service was fine. It's too bad when someone has a bad experience they feel they have to go overboard ripping the place. Then, when someone has a satisfactory meal, they usually go home and don't write anything. This is a Mexican food restaurant. Don't go here expecting more and you won't be disappointed. Ask the waiter what they suggest and ask some questions. Simple. I sampled the whitefish taco and really liked it. Also ate most of a grande tostada and it was above average. I wonder how often people get bad service because of what they bring to the table. Sometimes a smile, a please and a thank you help produce good service.
Review Source:Came to Papagayos on a quick trip up the mountain. I had never been to this place before, Â but there isn't many places to choose from, and it was either Papagayos or Micky-Ds.
As soon as we walked in, it felt like everyone was staring at us. The bartender, some of the other staff, and a whole table of servers who were on their break in the dining area. It was a little odd, but we just chalked it up to being from "out of town." We were seated promptly, and chips and salsa were brought out, which were OK at best. The real let down here was the service. We sat at our table, eating chips, waiting for the server to take our drink orders for at least fifteen minutes. The server passed us several times, but just walked past us and wouldn't even acknowledge us. The table of servers on their break were seated a few feet from us. They also saw us, but no one bothered to help. We were considering walking out of the place when a completely different server shows up, states that she is just starting her shift, and takes our orders promptly. Our new server was great, brought out our food quickly, and never let our glasses stay empty. But it took 15-20 minutes of sitting around before she arrived. Why didn't anyone else take our order? There were clearly enough servers there!
As for the food, the portions are pretty big. I got the Chili Colorado plate, which came with six tortillas in a tortilla warmer. The meat was nice and tender and delicious. The rice looked like it was going to taste hard and awful, but it was actually okay. The beans were a little bland, but I don't think I had any room left for them anyway. My friend got a small tostada salad, which was huge. He said it was tasty, but just too much to eat. Â Overall, we were satisfied with the food. It's not completely authentic Mexican food, but it did the trick.
I'm not sure if we will eat here again after this experience. As I stated earlier, we were on the verge of walking out when our new server arrived. It should never take 15-20 minutes after we sit down for a server to take our drink orders, especially when the place isn't even very busy. And we know they knew we were there, as the staff all looked at us as we walked in. Just poor, poor, poor customer service. The two stars that they get is for the great server who DID arrive and did her job very well. If not for her, we would have just left.
Lake Arrowhead Village doesn't have much in the way of delicious food or great service, like most touristy areas. Papagayos is one of the only places that qualifies as 'nightlife' in the area, and they stop serving food at 10. So it's one of the only options for going out drinking, but the crowd is mostly older. The food is mediocre...I wouldn't go back to eat there. The guacamole, for which they charge $4.50 for a pretty small side, doesn't look homemade or chunky or anything guacamole should be like. Also we made a reservation for 14 at 9:30 and we weren't seated until about 20 minutes later. I know it's a big party but a reservation is a reservation, right? I guess I don't really know since I've never worked in the restaurant industry but it seems to me like a table should be ready when they say it will be.
My boyfriend hated his enchilada (how hard is it to make a good cheese enchilada?) and the rice on his combo plate was hard and stuck together. They do have very cheap drinks and it was happy hour on a Friday night, which is pretty hard to find. Margaritas were $6 each and beers were $4. My carne asada wet burrito was average...the carne asada itself wasn't very flavorful. Service was pretty good. All in all I'd recommend Papagayo's for drinking and that's it.
I could go on and on about this being some of the absolute worst "Mexican" food I ever had the misfortune to order, but I won't. "Carne Asada does not consist of unrecognizable "Bits of something" in an inedible fat soaked cold tortilla. This is a tourist trap. Period. Have a drink if you need to sit and view the lake, but eat somewhere else. Read the reviews yourself, most are bad. Speaks for itself.
Review Source:What Papagayos has going for them is their location; views of the lake. Â They also have a great patio outside with a live band where you can get tacos, margs and beers and sit outside overlooking the lake. Â I wish we would have done this....
The restaurant could be so much better. Â The chips were cold and kind of stale. Â The salsa was bleck. My quesadilla suprema was pretty good, no complaints there. Â Although they could be a tad more generous on the guac and sour cream the quesadilla comes with. Â They give you this huge quesadilla with like a teaspoon of guac and sour cream. Â My friend did not like her meal, which I think was steak tacos, so she ate the other half of my giant quesadilla. Â
The service is friendly. Â I like the vibe here because there are a lot of locals and people who knew each other saying hi and catching up. Â I love that - but that's more about Lake Arrowhead than the restaurant.
I had much better. I went up arrowhead to see how the lake is.
This place gives out salsa and chips like how they should. Chips come out warm, and the salsa is whatever. I would recommend any other place besides this place.
The tea taste like it was mixed with lake water. Meaning they use tap water to make their tea. I usually go through 3 glasses MINIMUM. I remained on my first glass the whole experience.
FOOD: I got the chicken wrap. NO CHICKEN. all veggies.
My gf just got a cheese burger. She enjoyed the how the bread hugged around the meat. Lettuce tasted weird. Â The spicy onions are ok as a side.
They had the nerve to mess with a tv above our table. A ladder with a man above me while I am eating is not what I call an eating experience.
Table seemed unstable, moved alot.
Do not come here for food.
We have a vacation home up in Lake Arrowhead and have hit this place up probably 10 times. Â Each time I go there I swear I wont come back but then my wife talks me into going there and agreeing to go there always comes back to haunt me.
They understaff the place so there is always a wait to get seated. Â They will tell you 10-15 minutes but it always ends up being 30-45 minutes. Â Tonight they told us 45 minutes and it was almost an hour and a half before we were seated. Â The lack of servers results in long wait times for food once you finally get seated. Â So if you have 3 hours to kill maybe this is the place for you. Â I have 2 young kids so waiting to eat is always a rough experience. Â Tonight was the equivalent of a Vietnam concentration camp level of torture. Â
The only good news is the portion size is bigger than most. Â So by the time the food arrives you have plenty of food to eat which slightly makes up for the wait. Â I would rate the food as average to above average. Â The staff are very friendly despite the obvious understaffing and how over worked they end up being. Â
Lake Arrowhead is a small town with few dining options so they get away with being absolutely marginal and not focused on customer experience at all. Â It's the only mexican choice other than a fast food joint that tries to come off as a sit down joint, so it allows them to get away with the customer dissatisfaction. Â Do yourself a favor and hit up the Lake Arrowhead Sports Bar and Grill in Blue Jay. Â It is hands down the best place around. Â The food is great, the staff is awesome, and the wait time is usually little to none.
The chips and salsa were.... mehhhhhh. I've had better salsa out of a jar.
If I could give negative stars for the carne asada burrito, I would. Â I cut it in half when I got it, thinking I would eat half now and save half for lunch the next day. Â I could hardly finish the first half, and not because it was so huge, but because it was so awful. Â Even the small portion I did manage to choke down haunted me all night long and even into the next morning, I needed about 4 Tums and 2 cans of ginger ale to undo the damage. Â My sister got the California burrito and while she was not as disgusted with her burrito as I was with mine, she wasn't impressed either. Â
The service, pomegranate margarita and fried ice cream were good... hence the 2 stars. Â If I had it to do all over again, I would eat at the McDonalds next door and then maybe stop in here for a drink and dessert, but only if I were with others who were hell-bent on eating here.
This was some of the worst Mexican food I have ever had. Bland, uninteresting, lacking in both garlic and heat.
When a Mexican restaurant puts green pepper in the sauce over a chile relleno (which they misspell a "CHILI" relleno), you KNOW you came to the wrong place. That's what it is, wrong.
Servers were ALL friendly & competent, and earned their tips. Too bad the kitchen is such a mess.
My best friend lives in Lake Arrowhead and has worked at thiis restaurant when she lived on the mountains. Her mom still works there, so I knew that coming with them to the Cinco De Mayo party this place throws we would have a great time, and we did!
We went up there around 3:30 on Sunday, and it was pretty windy and cold outside... so the party moved to the inside. The bar was packed! Everyone knew everyone and it just was a pleasent and fun place to be. We ordered drinks, and the pomegranete margarita is DELICIOUS!! We had a couple rounds of drinks, danced with Clyde, ate some good food and just overall enjoyed the company around us.
Great big restaurant with a fun and friendly staff! We will definitely be coming back! :)
This place is very very very average.
Possibly the worse salsa I've ever had in my life,,, how do u mess up salsa? You drown it in slat.
The kids quesadillas were pretty good,,, the kids cheeseburger pretty good,,, but the Mexican food at this Mexican restaurant is very very average.
Good place to get a drink,,,but good god,,, the food is not good!
I came here late one night with my brother-in-law after the kids fell asleep at the hotel. Â The pizza place we wanted to hit up was closed, so we decided to check this place out. Â
I wasn't super hungry so I just order the chicken hard shell tacos off of the a la carte menu. Â The tacos were decent, nothing to brag about. Â My brother-in-law ordered a combo plate. Â He had albondigas soup before the combo plate arrived. Â He said that the albondigas was bland and not very good. Â He offered me some but I declined.
I'll probably try this place again when we visit next time. Â I'll make sure to come hungry.
I would have given them 1 star, if not for the friendly service and large portions. Â But really, what good are large portions if the food is bad?
Luckily I wasn't really hungry or I would have been really bummed. Â I ordered the tortilla soup (just "tortilla soup," no chicken in it) and my husband got the veggie burrito. Â The soup was kinda bland. Â So was the veggie burrito. Â Still edible but not good. Â The soup was so thick, it was almost like a dip. Â I think they just poured a bunch of corn starch in there to thicken it up. Â At least the soup only cost $4.60 for a huge bowl. Â But again, not even worth $4.60 if it's bad.
I also did not like the salsa. Â It just didn't taste right. Â I grew up with El Torito and like Americanized Mexican food. Â But this was just bad.
customer service:
The two hostess where rude and seemed like they couldn't care less of Papagayos.
We got to meet the owner she was a really nice and very outgoing.
The food was actually pretty good excepy for carne asada which is suppose to be grilled not on a flat stove and believe me you can taste the difference.
Deceiving because it's much smaller on the inside than it appears on the outside. Â We asked for a water view and sat at a high table with a water view instead of a booth. Â The booths were all full. Â But there were only about 4 or 5 booths with views of the water. Â The bar area too was small. Â They did have a large deck but it wasn't open since it was chilly outside. Â
They had a local beer on tap - Hangar 24. Â Yummy! Â And it's nice that they support local vendors too.
The guacamole was fantastic and had large chunks of avocado in it. Â We could tell it was freshly made.
I had cheese enchilada's and Honey had a massive burrito. Â Everything was delicious and service was good. Â
We only had one beef with the restaurant and I think it's because we watch "Restaurant Stakeout" and those shows. Â The high table behind us with a view of the water was being used for employee meals and for the waitresses to fold silverware/napkin sets. Â It seemed like a waste for a prime table and we had to listen to the waitresses chit chat right behind us. Â
There doesn't seem to be many options for good food in Lake Arrowhead so I'd recommend Papagayos. Â They do have delicious food.
Had the gordito burrito and while it was in fact crazy huge, the flavor was just OK. Â I think it was that the put a bunch of black olives in the burrito and the flavor they imparted was a little off putting. Â Nice view and friendly staff during our visit, but certainly not killer Mexican food.
Review Source:Dinner tonight was awful.  Hope it was just a bad day as I have eaten here many many times over the years.  I ordered  chili rellano  and cheese enchilada.  The rellano was about 60 degrees and the enchilada was cold also had that raw tortilla taste.  The only saving grace was the chips and salsa along with our great server.  I will try dinning there again but it may be our last if food quality remains the same.
Review Source:Being Mexican, I know not to buy "Mexican food" from a place full of White people. I went to a concert and it was practically a Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan rally. (Not that I care, just saying) Ok! So I don't understand why anybody is saying the staff is rude, they were really nice, really busy, and some of the girls were really hot. The drinks (my main reason for going) were large, cheap, and best of all stronggg. I had a great time, everyone I was with did also. Would come here again if I had the chance.
Review Source:Papagayos is a HUGE Mexican restaurant in Lake Arrowhead Village (having relocated from Blue Jay). Â It is your standard Americanized-Mexican restaurant - booths line the walls with vinyl benches. Â The walls are covered with beer signs and silly takes on Mexican art. Â The food is a-ok - nothing special, but you won't leave hungry. Â I tend to find the food a little...pedestrian. Â I generally have the chicken enchiladas, which are fine. Â I am pretty sure that they are using canned sauce and canned beans, Â At least, that is how the food tastes.
Of course, you don't have oodles of options up here, but I would always prefer my Crestline hot spot (La Casita).
We came here during our quick family trip up the mountain.
Chips and salsa starter was pretty good with the salsa having the perfect amount of kick to it
I ordered the half Chile Verde half Colorado dish. For ten bucks, I've never seen bigger portions. The meat was really tender smothered in very flavorful sauces. The rice and beens were average.
My wife ordered the combo plate, with a taco, chile reanal and was surprisingly pleased.
We grubbed big time and our bill was only $25.
I definitely recommend coming here if you ever drive up to Arrowhead Lake.
Had lunch at the bar. The service was great. My waiter was very friendly. I sat at the bar so I could watch the sports stations. The taquitos were very tasty, with an ample amount of guacamole and sour cream. The meatball soup (albondigas), was just "ok". The meatballs were not tender and tasted as if they had too much garlic. The vegetables were not completely cooked, yet firm. The chips and salsa were great! I loved the salsa.
Service is five stars, food only three stars.
Caution! Â Danger! Â The skinny girl margarita at Papagayos made my wife very, very sick. Â Possible case of Sodium Benzoate reacting with Vitamin C to form Benzene? Â We called the restaurant and they were not responsive. Â
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bt.cdc.gov%2Fagent%2Fbenzene%2Fbasics%2Ffacts.asp&s=123205c7a5053b5f304cd5610f3814ff8555ee87c719def94231f9203ecba8f3" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.bt.cdc.gov/ag…</a>
When I see "Fajita" on a menu, I get this savory image in my head of a server bringing out this hot sizzling cast iron skillet that makes everyone in the restaurant turn their head as the smell of charred, caramelized meats and vegetables wafts past. "watch out, its hot!", the waiter would say.
Papagayos definition of a fajita is a cold plate with a measly amount of tail on, underseasoned shrimp buried under a mountain of barely sweated, large, rough cut onion and bell pepper. At least they didn't forget the tortillas.
The decor is also pretty ghastly with random pictures of tourists who have had their birthdays there framed on the wall and other tackyness. It's a real shame since this place has an excellent lake view.
I hope somebody at this place has Robert Irvine's number because they're going to need it.
Pedestrian Mexican Food at best.
Good service and friendly wait staff.
Chips and Salsa are good.
Sauces are not homemade and are canned.
Hit and miss on the quality of the food.
Apparently the Margaritas are good!
Guacamole is substandard in the flavor department.
Good place to meet afterwork.
But as far as Mexican food goes Blue Jay is just a short drive away!
Fantastic food.. very good Mexican food and very reasonable prices! Me and my folks went here and we enjoyed it very much.. we had the enchiladas. I'd have to say the others that complained about their experiences must not know good mexican food or must have been too drunk to eat!
Beware: You will definitily be taking food home with you :)
Food: 0
we ordered fairly simple mexican food. 3 out of the 7 of us ordered burritos, which
were dry and under cooked. someone ordered enchiladas which were also under
cooked, the cheese was just thrown on there, also the food was VERY cold.
someone ordered a tamale, and it was drench in enchilada sauce. the beans
were SCARY. the rice was the only thing there that was ok. any way, one of the
people in our party  was  extremely sick after eating this food. so please eat at your
own risk. Â Â
Service: 00
they all were extremely rude even the owner, we walked in, the owner and the
hostess looked at us like we were lost. so to keep those vibes going our waitress
was also extemely rude she walked past us a couple times before even greeting us,
after she got our order for drinks, they came back flat and did not taste like soda. we
asked them if we can get other drinks, she dissapeared. when she seemed to find her
way back we placed our order and we were over charged for EVERYTHING. surprised
we didnt get a bill for using the bathroom.
this place is horrible, overall. your better off going to Arturos mexican food
by Jensens market.
good luck! :]
Possibly the only Mexican place in town.
What I'd get here: The margaritas, which are large.
Who I'd take here: Family and their kids. Possibly a date if we had to be in Arrowhead.
Food Quality: 2
This is a lot like El Torritos or Acapulco; this isn't authentic Mexican food. That said, the portions are incredible. We ordered a taco salad and the Chile Colorado. The taco salad was a x3 portion nacho plate with lettuce instead of tortilla chips. The Chile Colorado could have easily fed three people. The Cadillac-style margarita I got filled a pint glass. Sadly, the positives end there. The food could have used more seasoning. The taco salad was served on a very small bed of tortilla chips. Also, they use Styrofoam to-go containers, which are non-sustainable.
+1 epic portions. -1 food was meh. -1 use of non-sustainable togo containers.
Service Quality: 3
The hosts and server were very friendly, but the service needed some help. We definitely had some moments where we were wondering where our waitress was.
+1 friendliness. -1 where was our waiter?
Location, Cleanliness and Ambiance: 4
This place is in the shopping area of Lake Arrowhead, which doesn't have much to offer in terms of resort towns. Would be nice for a date, though, since it's right on the lake.
+1 on the lake.
How I rate: I have 3 categories, and each category starts at 3 points. For each item where I am impressed, they get 1 point; disappointed, lose one point.
Overall rating: round(average(ratings)) = round(3) = 3
Papagayo's is horrible Mexican food with resort town service.
You could tell this was cheap ingredients put together by people who could care less about your experience because they are right off the Lake in a place with very little competition.
We had a greasy quesadilla, flavorless guacamole, bland salsa and fajitas that were forgettable. Â
I am foodie and I live/work in Santa Monica, where we have many authentic Mexican restaurants.
If you were my friend I would walk yo across the street to California Thai Cuisine which I found to be much, much better (3/5 stars... which to me is serviceable). Â
Oh yeah, it's overpriced.
Brutal honesty is a way of life. Â Honestly? Â This is the worst mexican food I've ever had in my life. Â Period. Â I don't rate many places 1 star, but I had no choice on the matter in this case.
I've eaten here a bunch of times because they have a full bar and a TV for watching Lakers games when I'm in Lake Arrowhead. Â I've tried a bunch of different things on the menu to try and find something good, but every time it ends up being more nauseating than the previous times combined.
The appetizers are terrible. Â They were all purchased at some crappy market from the frozen food aisles and then reheated for a second time and served to you. Â Gross. Â The fajitas are disgusting... taste like what I would imagine rat or dog to taste like. Â The burritos and tacos are inedible. Â And the chili colorado? Â Let's just say I punch myself twice in the face every time I try to imagine what the hell I was thinking ordering that. Â BLEH!!!
If you're going to go to Papagayo's, stick with the chips and salsa (don't even go for the guac) and the drinks. Â The service is friendly (in the bar area, not the waitresses), but stay in the bar and away from the food.
Somehow we decided to eat lunch here this afternoon. Big mistake.
The "dos pescados" or two fish tacos were the worst fish tacos I've ever had. Tiny pieces of flavorless fish caked in an equally flavorless batter and then deep fried. The white sauce it's served with has flavor, unfortunately it's not a very good one.
My friend ordered the cheese enchilada and said it was unremarkable as well.
Add to all this the fact that the waitress seemed preoccupied and only checked on us once, and two stars seems generous.
I used to live right up the street from their old location in Agua Fria. It was one of the only restaurants my parents would take my brother and I as children and it was really quite good. Dollar fish taco Wednesdays were always my favorite! Now they have moved on to a bigger and brighter location in Lake Arrowhead. Even though dollar fish taco Wednesdays are long gone and the menu has changed a lot, they are still relatively good. Try them out sometime if you are in the area and it's not too packed with tourists!
Lost the old feeling and menu, but still good food. 4 Stars.
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