First Impressions

Nando’s is brand-new, and appears like it’s about 80% decorated.  There’s a distinct “sit-down Mexican” vibe to the place, like a Garcia’s or even Tia Rosa’s, but the incomplete decorative style makes it feel only partially executed.

Our party was seated in a woefully impractical booth for eight, evidently not realizing that people might need to get out mid-meal.

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Second Impressions

We were driven here by an uncontrollable urge to watch college students with 1.6 grade-point averages chase a sphere around like deranged dogs.  The general look– Wallpaper By Samsung with athletic touches– is retained from our last visit.

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I recently moved into a new condo near Ellsworth and Baseline and the first order of business was finding a local mexican joint to get take out from. Nearby there are a few options- Carbajal’s on Crismon and Baseline, Filibertos in a strip mall somewhere on Guadalupe, and Rudy’s Burritos on the Southwest corner of Ellsworth and Baseline.

I have now eaten at Rudy’s three times and can say without a doubt that their burritos are the best in Mesa, if not the entire east valley. I am your typical Carne Asada fan being a big meat eater. Rudy’s Carne Asada burrito comes with a few enhancements. First off, they use some sort of lettuce or collard green in the outside layer of the tortilla. Then they use what seems like the unpasteurized cheese that you only find in Mexican places. Third there is a layer of refried beans, then rounded out with delicious carne asada. Not the Filibertos - tastes like it was just boiled - carne asada, but meat that actually has some flavor to it. No burrito is finished without a generous helping of salsa and Rudy’s fresh salsa doesn’t disappoint. I have only tried the red salsa but it is easily my favorite of any burrito shop in the valley.

My one criticism is my girlfriend ordered chicken fajitas there and frankly they weren’t nearly as good as the burritos. Either way, the burritos are delicious and at a place named “Rudy’s Burritos”, you should order the burritos.

First Impressions

There are fewer locations less up-market than Royal Thai Grill’s, at Country Club and McKellips, hidden behind a Rally’s and next to a massage parlour and liquor store.  Inside the restaurant, there’s a generally “servicably clean but obviously old feel” of the dining area fighting to survive against  sheer an onslaught of “stuff”– small fans and coolers, framed records on the wall, and a large tube-type television distract from the posters advertising specials on the walls.

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I decided to try something different.

I chose a large chicken sandwich, and it was so damp with grease that the lower bun was starting to fall apart as I lifted it for a first bite.  By ~80% of the way through the sandwich, both sides of the bun were becoming unpleasantly mushy.  This can only reasonably be eaten via knife and fork.

They retooled the sweet-potato fries since the last time I was there– more solid and surprisingly reminiscent of normal potato fries.

I will also mention that our waitress seemed reasonably competent– getting all our orders right, although she did have to make several trips, probably due to some side dishes being ready late.

Overall, I wasn’t stunned, but I have to write the chicken sandwich off as an iffy choice.

First Impressions

Chuy’s can’t quite decide if it wants to be bar or a family affair.  The entire place has a crude, handmade look to the decor (brightly painted fixtures, large murals on the wall).  On one end of the restaurant, there are arcade games, and on the other, a bar with foosball and trivia games.  There are a surprisng number of divisions in the restaurant, all with steps or ramps between them.  I almost wonder if their original plan was “Let’s keep the kits in one area, and the grown-ups in another.”

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