REVIEW: Yummy or Crummy?

Mexico Viejo seems to be the underclassmen introduction to real Verm-life because it’s the closest off-campus restaurant to North Complex. And unfortunately, the best parts of this restaurant, the margaritas, aren’t attainable to the little ones in No-Co.

Walking into the restaurant, it’s just what you’d expect from a small-town Mexican restaurant, with brightly colored decor and lots of scenic paintings of cacti. The restaurant is about as clean as any.

I, being a clean-freak, noticed things I would have cleaned, but also as a restaurant worker, understand things easily get overlooked.

One touch I like, that only works for some restaurants but can be tacky at others, is that Mexico Viejo has candy available at the cash register where diners pay. It brings back childhood memories when I see buckets of candies available for a quarter.

I’ve been to this restaurant a handful of times and have never been thrilled, but never disappointed. I recently started going there more often because of their cheap and salty margaritas. So, that’s how my most recent Viejo excursion began — with a jumbo lime margarita on the rocks, and of course, complimentary chips and salsa.

I consider myself something of a young connoisseur as far as salsa goes, and Viejo’s salsa certainly holds its own. It’s perfectly tomato-y with just a slight kick that’s just enough to make your mouth tingle, but not burn.

All-in-all, the beginning of the dinner was awesome. The perusing of the menu was even kind of fun because there are so many options and pictures to match. My friends and I all ordered different things — I ordered the Burrito Californiano and was very excited because there was a picture of it on the menu description that looked delectable.

Therefore, my hopes were pretty high, but when I got the plate, it was a little bit disappointing. It did, however, come with guacamole, which is my favorite thing in the world, so I wasn’t too upset. The burrito itself just wasn’t all that flavorful in my opinion, but both of my friends who ordered meals really enjoyed them.

A noteworthy dish was the Burrito Verde that my friend ordered. The green sauce was delicious and the tomatoes inside the burrito, were to die for. She also ordered a jumbo sangria, which is a kind of mixed red wine with added sugar and chunks of fruit in it. While those aren’t my favorite, she loved it and drank the whole thing.

Overall, our service was really good; the food came out quickly and the drinks were delicious. Every other time I’ve eaten there, including the time I stopped by on my first campus tour (cute, I know) I had been pretty happy with the food, so maybe this time was just a fluke.

Or maybe next time I’ll just get another margarita as an entrée.