El Chico Mexicano - Dublin

Another one bites the dust... Once a decent Mexican eatery, it's standards have dipped to sub par. The salsa isn't what it used to be. The margaritas are tooth achingly too sweet, and the food is not worth eating out. Do yourself a favor, and make it yourself from the box of El Paso. The burrito is not as big as it used to be and the meat in there was non existent. I was so disappointed that another restaurant I used to enjoy is now one I will avoid.

Mexican Food at its worst! I emailed for a reservation and received no response. I followed up with a phone call and got it confirmed. No apology for not receiving an email response. On arrival tuesday night) the place was almost empty. Within 30 mins we were the only diners in the place and I now know why.... We ordered drinks and were told for the Mojito that there was no crushed ice and possibly no mint. The waitress said she would see if the chef could smash up the ice with something in the kitchen hmmmm! After looking at the menu we decided what we wanted but when we went to order we were told that there was no pork or no prawns available that ruled out 3 of the 9 possible starters and some of the main courses). It would have been nice to have been told this when we were given our menus. We were given nachos and salsa while we waited...Salsa, surely this is an easy thing to make, particularly as the restaurant claims that the chef spent a lot of time in mexico and southern US. The salsa was a watery mix of what seemed like canned tomato and onion with no spice or real flavour to it. The mains arrived seafood tacos and beef fajitas). Seafood tacos having eaten these many times in the US i was delighted they were on the menu but how dissapointed i was. The tacos were somewhat soft, somewhat hard and chewy had a feel of being microwaved). The seafood was definitely not fresh...very tough and chewy pieces of squid and some tiny not fresh) mussels. Again the salsa served with them was more of the same as detailed above. Beef fajitas...stated on the menu that these were to be served on a 'sizzling skillet '...it certainly wasn 't sizzling when it arrived at our table. While the beef itself was nice and soft, there was no flavour and no typical mexican kick to the sauce and dish overall. Bland is the best description i can give. The waitress asked if we wanted any more drinks, i ordered one more beer but she forgot. She came back to the table to see if everything was 'ok ', so i then reminded her that I asked for another beer. Seems hard to imagine she can forget something from the only customers in the place. Overall I would avoid this place at all costs. The management and owners need to think hard about making some critical changes quickly or this place will be another of the empty units in Swords. Such shame as a good mexican in Swords could do well.

Not too long ago, I celebrated turning another year older. I managed to stretch the celebrations to a week; but the guts of the festivities kicked off on the Friday beforehand. My birthday is June 7th. I’ll leave the year out. Anyway, to kick off the weekend I had a dinner date with my best and closest pals at the new Mexican restaurant in Swords Village, El Chico Mexicano. It’s a great spot and has rekindled my interest in the area, along with the opening of The Attic Bar. It also meant we could all meet in one place easily, without long commutes home. Win-win. We started with bowls of Pico de Gallo salsa and tortillas. These come to the table anyway…which is always a bonus. The salsa is delicious, although at times it can be inconsistent. Sometimes it’s fiery, sometimes not. Buckets of beer were ordered (the first of many and plenty of margaritas. They make an excellent margarita at El Chico Mexicano. Probably the best I’ve had. Ordering one is a necessity..ask Milan to make it, and you can thank me later. At some point, I took a break from the best margaritas in town to have a mojito. Curiosity got the better of me. These were very good too, and take a little while to make so you know love and care goes into them! I could smell the lime and mint before it arrived at the table. I’m digging the straws too. The birthday girl started with Birthday Quesadillas. That’s quesadillas to all of you, non-birthday folk. They were stuffed with chicken, cheese, scallions and black olives, with more Pico de Gallo and guacamole on the side. They were wonderful! Most folk ordered nachos. They have different types on the menu – the favourite seems to be the ultimate. They come with everything above; chicken, jalapeños, guacamole, sour cream and cheese. I think the difference between Ultimate and Supreme (a little more expensive are peppers. We were in the restaurant for hours, but it felt like no time at all. The atmosphere is great, you don’t feel rushed, and there’s plenty of space between you and your neighbouring table; so you can say what you want after a few cocktails and no one (apart from your dining partner will be within earshot to judge you. The staff are all incredibly kind and helpful, and feel more like friends. It’s a very relaxed place indeed. The prices are great; you won’t leave hungry. And every Sunday, there is traditional live Mexican music which is really, really good. For the main course, there were plenty of Steak Rancheros (a 10oz sirloin with a fried egg, hot sauce and patatas bravas It went down really well at the table. There were also burritos here and there. Ordering a burrito that’s good and isn’t from Boojum is mighty tough these days, but these ones fit the bill quite well. They’re stuffed with plenty of rice, beans, salsa and sour cream; and they’re loaded with cheese. The beef used for the burritos, tacos etc. is really high quality and melt in the mouth. I ordered my favourite, seafood tacos, which you can also order with chicken, beef or vegetables. I love all the fresh and punchy flavours and the seafood they use. You don’t get any sides but five soft tacos is more than enough! Instead of having cake, Ramona (part of the El Chico team! gave me a birthday margarita, and a shot of tequila for everyone at the table. I like her thinking. Everyone sang Happy Birthday, and very kindly treated me to the dinner and margaritas. I have great friends! After dinner we headed out for some more drinks. It was obviously time to put the camera away… I slept until a ridiculous hour the next day, after an evening of great food company. Thank you all for the perfect night! I enjoyed it immensely