Comments on: Guajillos Mexican Grill, where flavor comes to die

By: B

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 12:41:26 +0000

I agree, I went there specifically for the Colombian food, and it was great. I have tried the tacos, and they are good, but right around the area (Brightleaf, etc) there are too many Mexican places. Service is great though, and the management is super friendly.

By: Heath

Heath — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:57:49 +0000

That’s an interesting bit of information about the Colombian angle. I haven’t tried this place yet, but it seems like they might be better off playing to their strengths and differentiating themselves a bit with that. There are loads of good Mexican places around so it’s going to be hard to compete on those terms if they don’t know Mexican cuisine inside and out, which it sounds like they don’t.

By: Sam

Sam — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:55:28 +0000

Perhaps the reason the Mexican food is not that great is because the place is supposed to be Colombian, and not Mexican. The owners took the restaurant over from the previous owners who were indeed trying to do a Mexican restaurant. That is why one finds menu items like patacones or empanadas. There are no such foods in Mexico.

By: Sant

Sant — Thu, 20 May 2010 17:49:07 +0000

Earlier this week I popped into the place to avoid the rain and started up a conversation with the fellow. I told him I loved trying foods from different countries and he insisted I try their empanadas. They had a delicious vegetable filling with a little bit of pork encased is a corn-based pastry and deep fried. It came with a wonderful tangy salsa (more like a slaw than hot salsa) that was the perfect accompaniment. I was so impressed I went back for lunch today and had the patacones. This is basically a Columbian version of tostadas but instead of the flat shell being made out of masa it is made from mashed plantains. You can get it topped with chicken or beef but since you get two I asked for one of each so I could try both. Besides the meat, it is also topped with lettuce, tomatoes, avacado sauce, and some other kind of “Columbain” sauce. It was really delicious and really filling. In fact, unless you are a big eater I suggest splitting an order of patacones and a couple of empanadas with a partner. The empanadas are $1.30 each and the patacomes palte is like $6.50 so two people could have a satisfying lunch for $10.

I differ with the above assessment of the salsa that came with the chips. The salsa I had good spice with a garlicy bite.

By: keptsimple

keptsimple — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:50:39 +0000

I’ve had the patacones on the new menu a couple of times, and I thought they were pretty good. Nothing amazing, but a huge step up from the blandness of the old menu.

Somehow, though, the new ownership has managed to remove even more flavor from their water-and-red-food-coloring salsa.

Regardless, I think this place deserves an updated review. In my book, it’s gone from “I won’t complain about eating here if that’s where everyone else insists on going” to “Hey! I’ll go here on my own initiative once in a while.”

By: DID

DID — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:46:02 +0000

FYI – this place changed owners about three months ago – i was excited in that the menu now has a much more Colombian focus – arepas, tortas, etc. and the new owner is super friendly.

We were out and about downtown this weekend and looking for lunch at 3 pm just after Toast stopped serving. I got an arepa and was really disappointed. It was flavorless and didn’t taste anything like the arepas I know and love (granted my Dad grew up in Caracus so I was expecting the Venezuela variety). It was flat and didn’t seemed to be made of masa flour.

My husband got the spinach/mushroom torta which he liked, not as much as the ones found on Roxboro but decent enough.

Chips and salsa were worse than bandidos or el rodeo.

By: lindsey

lindsey — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 04:11:40 +0000

the milk cheese they pour all over the nachos at guajillos brings me back every week! i agree it’s nothing special, but the lunch choices downtown are pretty limited and my empty pockets can’t support a Toast splurge that often…

By: Phil

Phil — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 03:50:18 +0000

Why thank you for the info! Shame on me for not searching “Ninth Street Bakery” in the Carpe Durham box before posting

By: DNR

DNR — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 03:30:11 +0000

The Sri Lankan food (brownish, mostly rice, I’d think it was Indian too) at Ninth St. Bakery on Wednesdays is really phenomenally good. Definitely one of my most-missed lunch spots since moving out west. You should take a detour from Guajillos this week!
http://carpedurham.wordpress.com/2008/05/28/asangas-grill-at-ninth-street-bakery/

By: Phil

Phil — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 03:26:46 +0000

Guajillos’ lineage comes almost directly from El Rodeo, so you get the idea.

That said, I probably eat there once a week (they’re across the street from my office). Same thing every time — a quesadilla with avocado (a special order not on the menu) and salsa verde, please. And this here bottle of Diet Pepsi.

And every time, they don’t bring the salsa until I remind the server

Yeah, there’s nothing authentic/fantastic about the place. But I always enjoy my quesadilla lots. And… let me admit it… I like the “Mexican rice”, too.

Hey – speaking of Five Points in Durham, didja know that Ninth Street Bakery serves Indian food at lunch on occasion? I -think- it’s a regular Wednesday thing but I’m not sure.