Nicely decorated . Pleasant staff., great food…read more I do not enjoy most Mexican food I find most of the food is smothered in cheesesand refried beans. However this place has won me over. Authenticate Mexican. Had the chicken burrito today. Moist chunks of grilled chicken, black beans and rice. Just the right balance. I am leaving full not stuffed and happy.

The service was ok. The food was not the greatest and didn't taste authentic. It wasn't bad but…read morejust not as good as I had at other restaurants. The salsa was kinda brown like it had been sitting and the queso (yellow) was not tasty at all. I wouldn't go back but it's nicely decorated and clean

Absolute hidden gem- You have to try their quesadillas. Service was great and food came out fast…read more Really good food

I'm so done with this place. The customer service is absolutely terrible every time and there is…read morezero pride in their business. The cashier always has had an attitude but we were always able to ignore it due to the good food. My husband previously had an al pastor that made him never eat pork again. It had a foul taste and he vomited. Mind you, he had eaten this dish for many years at this location. I encouraged him to return and choose a different meat. Tonight did it for me... I ordered a chicken burrito as usual. The cheese was hard and cold, the tortilla was also hard, dry, and flavorless and not wrapped well. The meat quality has declined and it was overall inedible. I am not a picky eater. The restaurant was cold (possibly saving on energy- I get it) BUT my food was just waiting in the carry out and I had to wait an additional 5 mins just to pay for my food because the register was unattended! Why? Shocker, the cashier was outside hanging out with their girlfriend. Lastly, they charge stupid extra for salsa and they didn't even give it to me. Not to mention the price has significantly increased over the years but the quality has heavily declined. Will never order from here again. Take the trip to El Taco Yummy or Taqueria El Molcajete who appreciates your business and serves phenomenal food.

Great people and good 10/10. Authentic and delicious. From management down great service. Recently…read moregot a to go order for work overnights. By the time I ate it I realized they didn't put the sides in. My beef enchiladas were damn good. I called the next day and said the sides were missing, can I just get them since they were paid for. Since the meal was so good I added a meal too. I go to pick it up and pay for the added meal and they comp'd the whole thing plus added the missed sides. Guy at the counter said it was our mistake, we got you. I felt that. Places just don't do business like that anymore and do right by their costumers. We will be back again.

I'd give three stars for friendliness because the servers lacked that little bit of warmth that…read moremakes guests feel genuinely welcome. A simple smile and something like, "Welcome to Papa Joe's! My name is LaTasha or DeShawn, and I'll be your server. Can I get you started with something to drink?" would have gone a long way. Instead, a female employee came to our table without saying a word, placed the utensils down, and walked away. Later, our male server had much the same demeanor. We never learned his name. He wasn't rude just very robotic and flat in his interactions. I asked a couple of questions, we placed our order, and that was about it. For me, a Mexican restaurant should have a warm, lively, welcoming atmosphere. Unfortunately, that was missing here. I honestly receive a friendlier greeting at Olive Garden. Now for the good news: the food was excellent. The chimichangas were delicious, and the birria tacos were absolutely outstanding. The dining room had a pleasant, neighborhood Mexican restaurant feel that I really enjoyed. That part alone makes the restaurant worth trying. I think the owner would benefit from investing in customer service training or hiring servers with stronger people skills. Social media marketing on TikTok and other platforms may bring people in the first time, but it's the hospitality that keeps them coming back. Westminster has plenty of good restaurants, so standing out requires more than great food, it requires making guests feel appreciated. As for me, I'm honestly undecided whether I'll return. The food was very good, but I also value a genuinely welcoming dining experience, and unfortunately, Papa Joe's fell short in that area.

Food and service were very good. A humble location for sure, in a strip mall. But an excellent…read morecasual meal. We loved the seafood dip especially

The Only Review You Need To Read…read more We decided to check out this restaurant, as my funny little honey is actually from Colima, Mexico and if anybody knows Mexican food, it would be her. Also my Aunt Johnnie (RIP) who relocated from El Paso, TX to Ellicott City years ago, this was her favorite restaurant. First off, I'd like to say that the word "authentic" is thrown around a bit too liberally when it comes to Mexican restaurants around here. The Hispanic population here in Maryland is dominated with people from Central America, of which Mexico is not. The restaurant itself is rather quaint, with plenty of room for either couples or a large party. The staff were very friendly and attentive; definitely seems like a family-owned business. Now, let's talk about the food. In a nutshell, we were not particularly impressed. The chicken tortilla soup was basically a watery bean soup with little flavor and two large tortilla chips placed in it (no tortilla strips?). I ordered my "go to" dish which is chicken enchiladas. Meh; the enchiladas were just fine, the rice was brownish in color (we're used to orange Spanish rice), the black beans didn't have a lot of flavor and refried beans are refried beans - hard to mess that up. My girlfriend got chile relleno and she was taken aback a bit that it had shredded chicken and onion in it (usually it just has cheese). She also pointed out that this was a Mexican restaurant, but there were no albondigas, no molè, no sopes, no guacamole nor sour cream anywhere in sight. And I pointed out no pictures of Vicente Fernández on the walls either. But what was good were the chips and salsa we had to munch on while waiting for our entrees - that I can recommend; good salsa. Three stars is the best I can do. Personally, we tried it, and we didn't find the experience that great where we need to go back again. And I don't want to give the impression that I'm trashing the place - it's a nice sit-down restaurant and if you're looking for some South Of The Border fare, then it's fine. But it's actually more Tex-Mex than "authentic Mexican."

Pretty good, the food was good as far as my limited taste is concerned. The portions were good for…read morethe prices they charged. Staff were friendly and didn't seem to have any issues. The atmosphere was filled with Mexican or Hispanic leaning decor and music playing in the background.

Excellent Mexican food, great service and large portions. We started with chips and salsa. Their…read moresalsa is spicy and just the right texture. Not too runny, not too chunky. My husband and I ordered the Hot Winter and it was delicious! So much to eat that we took home lunch for the next day. Drinks were very good. We were just visiting the area but if we ever get back we'll definitely head to this spot.

The food and drinks were delicious! I didn't catch photos of everything, but the steak quesadilla…read morewas a standout. I also really enjoyed the strawberry and mango margaritas, which paired perfectly with the nacho chips. While our server was very sweet during the initial order, the service was unfortunately nonexistent after that with almost no check-ins. The ambiance is very loud--almost like a club--and the music was blasting so much that I had to step outside a few times for a break. That said, the flavors were on point, so I'll definitely be back to try more of the menu.

In my opinion, the food was good. I really liked the birria tacos on soft corn tortillas. For $20,…read moreyou get three generously sized tacos with rice and beans on the side, which is a great value. We also ordered a passion fruit margarita for $14, and it was delicious. The waitress was very friendly and accommodating. We chose to sit on the patio, which was nice, but there were a lot of flies outside. I think the restaurant could improve the outdoor dining experience by adding something to help keep the bugs away because they were pretty annoying. Next time, I'll probably choose to sit inside.

The best Mexican restaurant in Ellicott city. The cozy atmosphere and great food makes for a very…read morerelaxing dining experience. The service was also top notch

This is your standard Mexican restaurant. Everything we had was good but not great. That is except…read morethe shredded chicken taquitos. 6 to a plate. I should've just made that my meal. They are a must try. We tried two different taco plates, birria and chicken. Service was good. The place is kind of boring.

What a nice spot ! Very good authentic Mexican food . Everything was fresh and came out hot. Our…read moreserver was friendly and fast ! 5/5 stars ! We will be back .

I had the jalepeno and cheese and chicken tamale. Both were wrapped in banana leaves which gave it…read morea slight sweet taste. Came with a hot red and mild green sauce. The server explained that everything is made by hand. I also had a pork torta which had avocado, lettuce and tomatoes with grilled pork. Very flavorful and the bread was good. Prices are great and the ambience is quaint. I will repeat. Highly recommended.