Fri, March 29, 2024

Business Lunch Review: Monterrey Mexican

Editor’s Note:
Wes Hennings never met a meal he walked away from and is an opinionated eater! Each Thursday he shares the results of a business lunch he’s had with a colleague as a way to advise our business community on the good, bad, and tasty across the CSRA. He doesn’t let ABD or the restaurant know where he is going and his opinions are his own. He grades the restaurants he visits on a 1-5 scale with “5” being outstanding. We call this our “Real Business Lunch Review”.

Food Quality: 4
Service: 5
Business Meeting: 3
Value: 4

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

eoy CAMPAIGN HEADER

Walking into a Mexican restaurant on July 5, made me feel a little unpatriotic. But we were a little tight on time and needed somewhere close to the office in North Augusta, so we headed down Martintown to Monterrey. It’s your classic former Western Sizzlin’ turned Tex-Mex, and as my fearless publisher will say, where a #8 is a #8, no matter where you go in town.

So as much as I want you to continue reading, whatever you assume about a Mexican restaurant in town is what you will find at Monterrey.

This is far from my first visit. In our time living and working on the palmetto side of the river, we’ve tried all of the chips and salsa that North Augusta has to offer, and we were never really satisfied until we got to Monterrey. So it became our family spot. It’s an era where people are opinionated on everything, so I’m sure there are fans of Teresa’s or Pablo’s, but this is where we are stuck. We even learned that one of our favorite managers (formerly at our spot on Fury’s Ferry) had also moved across the river.

So, I was a little disheartened when the reasons that we frequent Monterrey were not on display on this lunchtime visit. To start, the chips were a little overdone, and 98% of my opinion on Mexican restaurants is based on the free chips. Luckily, the cheese dip was as tasty as usual and could almost hide the extra crispness.

I opted for the cheese steak burrito, and for my wife, a grilled chicken quesadilla. Mine again was not quite as good as it normally is, with the meat tasting almost watery somehow. The quesadilla was packed with tasty chicken though, so that dish was just fine. Honestly, today’s food marks are based more on history than the experience of the day.

The standout of the experience was the service. While it took our server a few minutes to get to the table (meaning my mouth was on fire from salsa without a drink), once she arrived, she was fantastic. One of the best to date. Our orders were out quickly and drinks did not go empty, plus we received a beverage to go when we paid our check. We didn’t have to worry about our time limit because we left with a good half hour to spare.

In my high school Spanish class, I learned that asi-asi means so-so, and that’s what came to mind as I put my fingers to the keyboard today. Our visit was much of asi-asi. But there was nothing bad or so great as to separate Monterrey from the myriad of other Tex-Mex joints dotting the CSRA landscape. So if you’re in North Augusta and craving a margarita or any combination of tortillas, rice, and beans, Monterrey is a fine choice. But if you aren’t already in North Augusta, it’s probably not enough for me to recommend crossing the border.

Monterrey Mexican
435 E Martintown Road – North Augusta

Subscribe to our eNewsletter for the BEST local business news delivered to your Inbox each week day.

* indicates required

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More Posts

Cyber attacks: Not if but when?

Think your company is too small to be hacked? No. So what happens to the integrity of your business when your customer’s info is breached?