Ricardo's Mexican Restaurant

06/28/11

Love it!!

by SariB at Citysearch

Been eating here for years, and had dinner here last night..love the carnitas and enchiladas..place gets busy, but service is always good..bit pricey, but its good!!

06/20/11

Would Not Recommend This For Weddings

by bethechange1 at Citysearch

Family members chose this restaurant for a wedding reception which was the only reason for my attendance. There are only two Mexican restaurants I will eat out at and they are not in Las Vegas.

Nice restaurant decor, appeared to be authentic with the pottery here and there but too warm inside, especially when a large group gathers and hot food sits on the serving table over an open flame for a long time.

The food was unremarkable: Cheese enchiladas with red chili sauce, very bland. Nice amount of cheese but the food was not very warm to begin with and cold cheese congeals and loses flavor.

The Spanish rice was cold and overcooked with too much cumin. I've never understood why cumin is added to Spanish rice. My grandmother never used it for that dish.

If there were beans in the refried beans served, you would not have known it. The texture was closer to a puree, and only mildly warm. For myself, refried beans are an indicator of the talent behind the cooking. Excellent refried beans equals excellent food. Ricardos came in, on a scale of 1-10, at 3. The best thing about them was that they needed no additional salt.

The chile verde was not up to my standards. Bland but salty, not a good flavor from the meat (was that pork?), not even a hint of fire and watery. Considering how long the food was in the warming tray, the sauce should have thickened a little but it didn't. It would have been interesting to know what went into it.

Tortillas at the table would have been nice had there been some. The container arrived with five tortillas for a party of ten.

The chips and salsa were plentiful and had good flavor.

The service was not too good, which I find very interesting because of all the good things said about it in the the previous reviews.

The staff seemed distracted from the get go. Drinks were ordered, and when finally brought out to the table, there was confusion. Staff could not seem to differentiate between iced tea and cranberry juice. Also staff seemed to be anoyed with the ordering process. Perhaps this annoyance had something to do with the fact that they were working on a Father's Day Sunday night. Regardless, you don't throw off your work issues on customers.

Now, it was a hosted bar for the reception, but no one was able to advise the guests as to just what that meant. Was this the wedding party's responsibility to inform guests or was this the restaurant's task? We'll never know for sure. All we were advised of was that once a certain dollar amount was reached, drinks would be "cash and carry", staff's exact words. What it resulted in was early arriving guests getting their drinks for free and later arriving guests having to pay for theirs outright. The best part about it: the Margaritas on the rocks are very good, and this was fortunately a redeeming feature for Ricardos. Just keep an eye on your change, and make sure you get it. Even after the manager was called in on the situation, staff still had the nerve to come to the table, and pound ever so gently on the table where said change, in the black Ricardo's folder, was to have been put. After being advised that it was not so, and short of accusing guests of lying, staff accomodated with the exact change as they should have in the beginning. It was very clear that the staff present were overwhelmed with the size of the party, roughly about 50-60 guests including the wedding party.

As I said in the beginning, I was attending a family function which was the only reason why I was at Ricardo's, but if asked, I would not recommend it for banquets.

Perhaps on a return visit (yeah right!) I'll be able to experience a more positive dinner event.

01/19/10

Ok for what it is

by Megsdivine at Citysearch

After reading the reviews on Citysearch, I was excited to try this restaurant. I was pretty shocked when I saw the prices. I kept in consideration that this is Las Vegas but I still felt it was overpriced. The food was incredibly bland for a Mexican restaurant. Two of my items were cold in the center, leaving me to believe that the food is not made fresh but refrigerated and then heated when served. The service was good and I was compensated for the cold food but the damage had been done. My search for an authentic Mexican restaurant in Las Vegas continues and I will not be returning.

• Pros: Good service
• Cons: Not authentic Mexican food & a little pricey

01/22/09

Great Family Style Mexican Restaurant!

by samsara112 at Citysearch

Ricardo's Mexican Restaurant has always been my favorite Mexican restaurant in Las Vegas. From the first moment you walk in, it's obvious that Ricardo's has a unique atmosphere with the various decorations on the wall as well as the uniforms worn by the staff. The ambiance sets the mood for a nice, casual evening with family and friends. The food itself tastes great and is offered at an amazing price point. When you're first seated, you're immediately given chips and salsa (two different types of salsa) and if you're not careful, you could fill up on those alone. The menu itself is extensive and it offers all typical Mexican entree items. I usually order the same menu item (carne asada tacos) and they are consistently delicious. I've been with several friends and family members over the years and they have always enjoyed their entrees as well. the portion sizes are enough for the largest of appetites and the food itself is always tasty.

Ricardo's even offers a unique bar dining experience where the booths are custom fitted with individual flat screen tv's. In addition to the full restaurant menu, you can even order happy hour menu items during applicable times. Be sure to try one of their margaritas as I can personally attest to how amazing they are!

Three years ago, I had Ricardo's cater my birthday party and I also had them cater a corporate event last year. Both times, I was extremely pleased with not only the food and the service, but also the fact that Ricardo's was priced better than many competing restaurants. Everyone enjoyed the food and I was pleased with the personal attention that the catering department gave to me in both situations.

Given today's economy, Ricardo's is an amazing find in that it offers great food at a great price. I would highly recommend this restaurant and plan to return again shortly.

• Pros: Great Food, Great Price, Great Service
• Cons: Absolutely None

01/18/09

Great Mexican food, great staff, will definitely be returning!

by jepayneiv at Citysearch

My friend and I stopped in for lunch at Ricardo's last Friday and couldn't be more pleased with the food and service. Started with chips and salsa, obviously. They have two different salsas; one is standard and the other uses roasted tomatoes which was awesome. I think we went though 2 or 3 bowls or the roasted tomato salsa. For the main dish I had the chicken enchiladas smothered with cheese and half red, half green sauce, the way I always order them at other places. They were more than willing to accommodate what my friend likes to call "a high maintenance" request. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and the beans and rice were done exceptionally well. I forget the name of what my friend ordered, but it was basically a big mexican cheese pizza. The thing was huge and while I didn't have any of it, he said it was great too. As for drinks, we both had Carta Blanca's, something a surprising amount of places in town don't have. I've heard Ricardo's has amazing margarita's but I didn't get to them on this visit, but as we loved the food so much I can say we will definitely be back...especially since they are open until 6 am! Overall, a great family-run restaurant with good food. Lived in Vegas for 7 years now and I don't know how I made it this long with out eating there.

• Pros: Great atmosphere, service and food
• Cons: None that I could come up with