Though the service was excellent, the food and atmosphere left something to be desired. We thought we'd have dinner in Stillwater the other night and for some reason Nacho Mama's popped into my head. So after we completed our business we headed over. The first thing that struck us was the sweltering heat in the building. I'm not sure if they just don't have air conditioning or if it was just out that night, but the few fans they had running just weren't cutting it. Fortunately we we got a table on the patio. Our waitress, who was running her butt off the whole time we were there and putting up with the world's most passive aggressive jerk trying to pass a coupon that had long since expired, was very friendly and attentive. I think it was her first night and she was right on top of everything which says a lot for their training and staff selection. The food, though, was another story. I had the fajitas which arrived sizzling on a skillet with a plate of toppings. The parts that weren't flavorless were WAY over-seasoned to the point where some of the slices of meat were literally crusted with seasoning. My girlfriend's enchilada wasn't much better. The margaritas weren't anything special, either, just margi mix, a couple of drops of tequila, and ice in a pint glass. Extremely weak. By the end of the meal we were hoping the check came quickly as were were fighting a losing battle with an army of flies. This is, of course, not the restaurant's fault, it's summer and we were outside, flies are just something you have to put up with. It just detracted from an otherwise pleasant patio experience. Over all the visit to Nacho Mamas was pretty mediocre. We've been there two or three times and it's always unimpressive. It's a shame, too. This place has the potential to retain some local flavor in a town that is slowly turning into one big strip mall. read more

Stillwater is known for its unique downtown shops and restaurants, and Nacho Mama's is no exception! It's a little spendy, but it is so cute and cozy. They present a very fresh take on Mexican. My favorites are the fish tacos and the jalapeno chocolate chip cookies! I had them both during lent, so I'm not sure if you can get them year-round. Although, they do have chili-chocolate chip cookies. It sounds gross, but they are so warm and gooey! And, you don' t taste the jalapanos (or the chilis), but rather a heat - like you've taken a shot of hard alcohol. Margaritas and the chips and salsa are great too! read more

On Sunday, October 18, 2009, my wife and I had a horrible experience at Nacho Mama's in Stillwater. I went to their website that night and sent them the letter below. After over a week of getting no response, I took the same letter and mailed it to them. Now, well over a month later, I am posting the letter (here condensed due to the review character space limit) to various review sites. Quite obviously, the owners and / or managers of this establishment need to learn the value of what is called "guest recovery" after a complaint. I am guessing that more than a few people reading my letter below will prompt them to be more pro-active in the future. Oct. 18, 2009 I would like to start off by saying that this is a letter of complaint. When we first arrived, your place was getting busy for dinner. My wife and I were waiting, and a tall blond waitress greeted us with "Two today?" and grabbed two menus and started walking. We started following her, only to have her say "I'm sorry. I'll be right with you." So we walked back up front thinking to ourselves why she greeted us and started walking with menus if her intention was not to seat us. When she came back, we were seated inside your dining area. I could tell that it was starting to get very busy, and I only saw two waitresses and no supporting staff in the dining room. The same blond woman, who, to her credit, was very pleasant at all times, promptly took our order. We had a BBQ Pork Burrito, and asked for an extra plate and a side of sour cream. My wife also asked for a side of guacaomole, as she could not eat the chips because the salsa was too spicy for her liking. We waited at least fifteen minutes while the restaurant filled up, and we still got no guacamole, even though we specifically stated that we needed it in advance for the chips. After being flagged down, she then brought it promptly, but it apparently had not been properly mixed, as there was a huge bunch of salt in our tiny 2 oz black ramiken portion that you charge $2 for. When the waitress delivered our food about another five minutes later, my wife told her about the salty guacamole issue, and she politely said she would take it off the bill. The food looked good when it arrived. However, as soon as we divided it and started eating, it was entirely evident that the entire dish was cold. Only the burrito was even halfway warm, and the lettuce was obviously wilted, as if it had been sitting on what was originally a hot plate for quite some time before the entree was finally delivered. I know that you were busy, but it is unfathomable to me that such an obviously cold entree could even be delivered to a guest. We politely flagged down the waitress (again) and told her that the entire entree was cold. She asked if we wanted a new one, and I said that it was okay to just reheat it, so long as I eventually was served a hot product that I could enjoy. The dish did come back promptly and had been refreshed with new beans, and lettuce, so we were finally able to eat. I did enjoy the product to some degree, but couldn't help but feel a little bent out of shape over the whole ordeal (greet, guacamole, initial cold food). But what finally perpetuated this email is that the waitress did not check back with us after she re-delivered our food, to make sure that a wrong had been corrected. In fact, as a rule, a manager should have brought the food out AND checked back (or at the very least, one of the two) under such circumstances. But again, no manager, much less ANY form of support for the two servers who seemed busy beyond their means, was to be seen at any time during our visit. I realize that it was very busy. However, we went to Stillwater because we saw the weather report two days prior and saw that it was going to be a nice day. And as a restaurant manager myself, I also check out weather reports on a daily basis and adjust my staffing and prep levels accordingly. I don't think that this was the case today at Nacho Mama's. I'm afraid to say that I will be giving a disappointing review to the friend who sent us to your establishment, as well as anyone else who should happen to ask me about our trip to Stillwater. read more

I love mexcan food and have wanted to try this place for some time now. I convinced my co-workers that we should have our last lunch of 2012 here and off we went. Fortunately, the 6 of us were the first customers in the restaurant because otherwise we might not have been able to sit together! I read that this was a small place but it is REALLY small! Like, 10 tables total small. We ordered a variety of food, burritos, enchilada bake and street tacos and everything but the street tacos was insanely huge. You get 3 street tacos and you can choose 3 fillings which is great for someone like me who likes to try different things. I had the shredded beef, chicken and pork and it came with rice and beans. The pork was the best but I unfortunately saved it for last and couldn't finish it. All told, I probably had over one taco left on my plate and was pretty full. I thought the chicken and beef were good, but lacking in flavor. And they were too juicy and caused the corn tortillas to completely fall apart. I managed to steal a bit of the enchilada bake and it was quite tasty but HUGE. Everyone but me took leftovers with them. The general consensus was that everything was good but a bit on the pricey side. I think the comment was made that it would be nice to get smaller portions for less money. No one needs 3lbs of food for lunch. read more

Amazing food, drinks, atmosphere -- totally worth every penny. Feels like your in Mexico. Back patio is fun and lively.

Three stars due to initial impression - Stopped in here for dinner Thursday night about 8 pm. Several staff members walked past us at the hostess stand, multiple times. Took about 10 minutes to be acknowledged, as we were talking about someplace else to go. Once seated, the service was friendly and attentive and the chicken machines were really good. The Mama's margaritas both blended and on the rocks were also good. We never received chips/salsa while waiting for our food. read more

This is a place for girlfriends to hangout and drink margaritas and eat cheese dip. A little more inventive than Acapulcos but not much. Their food is just okay and overpriced. That being said the staff was friendly, building was clean and the Southwest Stroganoff of filling and pretty decent. The meat from my friends burrito was so bland it might have passed for roast beef at perkins. read more

If you are looking for a place to bring a larger group, this is not for you. With that being said, this very small restaurant is adorable! If you plan to eat here come with an empty stomach, the serving sizes are huge and the food is amazing! read more

Excellent food and service. We had bbq burritos and enchilada stack, kids had corn on the cob and nachos. Every a dish has a vegetarian option (!!!!!) The servers were all super nice. read more

This was the second resaurant that I tried in Stillwater a few years ago (only second to the old fashioned malt nad burger shop down the street). I will say that this and that place are the ONLY two places i have found worth eating at in Stillwater time and time again. We always have the saem thing- and always struggle to finish it. We bring sometimes more people JUST so we can finish the large chicken nachos- but no worries, we lamost never do, and no matter how soggy it is the next day, i still love it! This last time, we tried something new. We tried the smothered burrito and the fried avacado and sweet potato fries. If you like heat, get those fried fries, they are very good, but very spicy, including the sauce. The smothered burrito was delicious! They were very accomidating to make it vegetaruan with extra beans and veggies. I love this place, and i will be back time and time again. read more

Very good tasting food. Reasonable prices. Attentive staff. Chairs are not very comfortable and space is tight.

I was really excited to eat here cause I have a friend who goes here all the time and raves about how good the food is, but I have never felt so unwanted at a restaurant before in my life. My boyfriend and I walked in and the host/servers greeted us right away and asked if we wanted to sit outside or inside. We replied outside cause it was beautiful out. The server then said, "okay I'll meet you right out there." We have never been there before so we didn't know where to go. The server then said in a very snappy, unhappy, and "I don't want to be here" voice, "IT'S RIGHT OUT THE DOOR AND UP THE HILL..." Not the best way to wow new customers who have access to Facebook reviews, trip advisor, and Yelp... So we sit down at a table and patiently wait for the menus. The server with the attitude gave us our menus and water without saying a word and left, not addressing when she would be back. We waited there for 15 minutes. During that 15 minutes we decided what we were going to get to drink, to eat, and to try their fried ice cream. While we were waiting for our server, we see her attend to the needs of the table to our right, refill their glasses, ask if anything else is needed. Then she proceeded to the table to our left, asked them how everything was. Then attended to the table on the opposite side of the patio. Gets their one drink order, goes to the bar and then comes back to give her customer her drink. Came back to the table on our right while they were finishing up their meal, grab their check, and grab a box for left overs. (mind you, she made separate trips for each tasks, passing our table every time and not addressing us once. Not even to let us know she would be right with us.) On the 9th passing of our table, that's when we had enough. We got up and left. And that said server who sat us down, gave our menus, and completely ignored us, gave us a nice eye roll while we left the patio. For the prices being a little high on their menu, they should have a better more respectable wait staff. Not a single waitress who was working there or outside asked if we were ready to order or needed anything. We felt as though we were being completely ignored on purpose, like we somehow offended all of them. If we ever did, I sincerely apologize. We have never been there before and plan on never going back. read more

This was a hard one to rate. I'll put it bluntly, it's far too spicy for me and my husband. I saw the great yelp reviews mentioning that this place exceled at tex-mex style food, so I wanted to stop by when in Stillwater. We started with the guac, which was very tasty though it was served with some kind of thick baked pita squares instead of chips (not my favorite). I ordered a smothered burrito (chicken) and my husband ordered the chimichanga (steak). Neither one warned us of extreme spice. Needless to say, they were both incredibly spicy. For a guy with Crohn's and a pregnant woman, this was the last thing we needed. Our acid reflux was off the charts and we were both in agreement that you couldn't even enjoy the food due to have insanely hot they were. All you could taste was burning. Our service was pretty good, so I won't fault them there. It's a small place and if you're a fan of spicy food, go for it. Bill cost for 2 entrees, waters (tap) and guac was $35. read more

Nacho Mama's - Chimichanga and burrito - Mexican Near Me - Stillwater, Minnesota

The food was AMAZING!!! The smothered burrito with shredded beef will change your life!!! This is hands down the best Mexican in Minnesota and possibly anywhere. I'm from Texas and have had my fill of amazing Mexican restaurants and I didn't know any existed here! The service was quick and the food was hot and delicious! The place is small and tight but the food was well worth it and they got our drinks and food out quick. read more

We had the queso and chips and steak fajitas. Both were very good! Fajitas could have had more steak and not as many vegetables. Ultimate margarita was awesome!!! read more

This is nacho run of the mill Tex-Mex place. I was here for some happy hour action on a sunny day and it didn't disappoint. I found their menu options to be innovative; Tex-Mex with a twist if you will. Tried out two appetisers: their bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers (homemade!) and the quesadilla (with chipotle steak, portabella mushrooms, jack cheese, and pico de gallo. The house margarita was perfect. Fantastico! read more

The staff, management, and owners of Nacho Mama's are unprofessional beyond belief. The owner himself just called and threatened me. Following an incident where our server became aggressive, domineering and rude, I asked to speak with the manager on duty. I was told there wasn't one on duty and that I would have to call the next day. I paid our bill and left. The next day, I called twice, and both times was told that the manager "had just left". As someone who had worked in the service industry for 8 years, I was surprised to learn that a restaurant wouldn't have a manager on duty during each and every shift. After a few days, I was finally able to connect with the manager. She told me she felt the incident at hand had been handled appropriately, but would check in with the owner and get back to me. She called back, and reiterated that the owner also believed that comping us 10 dollars total for four under cooked burritos was handled appropriately. The issue is, after the first few bites, we let our server know the food was under cooked and not to the standards we have experienced numerous times at Nacho Mama's. He walked away, and proceeded to ignore us for 45 minutes. The appropriate thing would have been to bring out new burritos, but instead, they felt it was appropriate to leave us alone with unsatisfactory food and take off a total of 10 dollars - that's less than the tax charged on the bill. What a joke. This was never about getting something comped. It was about getting the meal we ordered, which then escalated to consistent harassment by Nacho Mama's staff. The owner of the restaurant proceeded to call and threaten me. I am in utter shock that an owner of a restaurant would threaten a supporter of their establishment. I will never go back, and I strongly encourage anyone reading this to reconsider supporting Nacho Mama's. read more

Cool little place. Stopped in for appetizers and a drink and left content. We had the nachos and the fried avocado and sweet potato wedges. Pretty good! Sound track consisted of mariachi band covers of "Hotel California". Yes, covers, as in plural. All different. Three of them. In a row. After the second of three came on we thought it was pretty funny but when the third started it was tough to keep our chuckles to a minimum. Good time! read more

First time visiting, would definitely come again! Though a busy Friday night, service was quick and friendly, drinks delicious, and food tasty and plentiful. read more

The only thing I've tried here are the nachos, and they are great! They are also enormous, so get a small unless you are sharing with a small army. The restaurant itself is tiny, and has a lot going on decoration-wise, which gives it a festive and almost Disneylike atmosphere. I've only been here during off-peak meal times, so the restaurant was fairly empty and quiet. I would imagine (given its size) that it gets super busy and crowded, so I would try to avoid it during peak dinner time. read more

Worst service . Waited 15 min w no one checking in . Not even busy .... Looks like you don't want business . Off to a better restaurant..

Me and the wife had the smothered burrito it was great. Had a pitcher of Margaritas. It was hot out enjoyed the occasional breeze on the deck. read more

I live in Arizona and have a good idea of what quality Mexican food is. This place is AWESOME! Every time I'm in Minneapolis on business I head over to Nacho Mama's in Stillwater. What you get is excellent food with take home size portions in a really cool atmosphere. The jalapenos wrapped in bacon and their version of the juicy Lucy come highly recommended. . read more

Went to Nacho Mama's for happy hour. When we arrived, we were told the bar area wasn't open and to sit in the back for service. I asked for the happy hour menu and was told that to have happy hour, we need to sit up front in the bar area. I asked to go up front to the bar area, and the waitress politely told me it was closed. It was past 5 pm - happy hour time...? So how could you not open the bar for happy hour during happy hour? And they would not provide us with a happy hour menu in the backroom. I felt that happy hour should've been honored. Was someone late showing up for work? We ordered some food (no drinks), then as we were leaving, the bar opened. I will not return. read more

Went there with my wife and we met 4 other family members for lunch. First off we were set-up in a cramped corner and when we suggested a table in the middle of the room we were told there wouldn't be room for the servers to get around which seemed like a stretch and in fact that table was never occupied. Overall we found the food very good with extremely large portions and similarly large prices. I guess my question is why don't they have a lunch menu with smaller portions and prices? I'm not sure how many folks want to eat chimichangas and burritos the size of their heads for lunch and then have to go back to work or do other afternoon activities. Oh yeah...and of course many comments have been made about the $4.00 chips and salsa. Needless to say we didn't partake. Maybe they don't want people filling up on the chips and salsa if they're free and instead have them spend more money on their other dishes. Either way it's very, very odd and I think makes it difficult for them they call themselves an "authentic" Mexican restaurant. read more

Scoot down the alley, off the main Stillwater street and eat at Nacho Mama's! Really great food and drinks, at reasonable prices. My whole family loves this place. read more

We once loved this place, but their food quality has declined to be mediocre. Their chips are thicker when they were once light and crispy. Their chips & salsa was always a high point, but last night the salsa was excessively salty, so we left much uneaten. There was more sauce than needed with their beans. We've been eating here for several years; the last three times were so-so. Last night, our server was abrupt & not very helpful. The menu is changed from our earlier experiences, removing combination plate options. We are giving up for better locations. read more

Portions... Never an issue. Chicken burrito smothered can feed a family of four... Or just me. The taco preparation is very nice with fire grilled way of prep. Nice atmosphere and pleasant service. Will be back for good food. read more

Wow, is all I can say about Nacho Mama's. We had a group of 4 and split the smothered burrito and the chimichanga as well as a few carafe's of Margarita's :). The food was awesome, service was great. We will definately be back. read more

This place is fantastic! Great margarita's, the regular size are large, can't imagine what the jumbo ones look like. Unique menu, we got an enchilada bake that was sort of like a mexican lasanga, really great! HUGE, HUGE portions, which my fiance loves. Great service, fantastic atmosphere, we will be returning- on a regular basis! Made me feel like I was on vacation read more

Who whould have ever thought you would find great Mexican food in Stillwater MN? This place is awesome! Great nachos, and huge plates which means you can easily go in and split a meal. Ive been there 3 times and all 3 times my food and service was great. read more

Get the corn! So good! Great drinks too! We enjoyed our food! The service was great as well. We had a party of 5-6 and got seating on a weekend pretty quickly. read more

This place is absolutely atrocious. The food itself wasn't terrible; We had gotten nachos, tacos, and a chimichanga. They were okay at best, nothing special. But the service was so incredibly bad I lost my appetite. The service was slow, the waitress was one of the rudest people I have ever encountered. We waited 25 min just to pay after eating, and that was after we had to find the waitress inside the restaurant. The cutlery was dirty, the cups were gross and the water tasted like dirty tap water. Don't waste your time at this place. read more

We arrived at a very busy time and it took a few minutes to be acknowledged at our table. After watching several tables who arrived after us get served, we flagged down a server. She did a great job of handling it and quickly got us taken care of with drinks and chips. I really appreciated that the service was great even with the rocky start! Portions were huge and food was awesome. I recommend Nacho Mama! read more

Huge portions, so bring one or two people to share an entree. If not, make sure you are ready to bring home leftovers! Delicious food! Small place (from what we saw), but totally worth it. read more

Great Mexican food! They also have a great patio. The chicken and steak sandwiches are great as is the enchilada bake. Portions are very big, especially when you have overdosed on chips & salsa! The place is very small, the patio is a great addition to the space. read more

Everyone that ate here with me got very sick!! Very blan tasting food and it is expensive.

I try not to write bad reviews, but for 20.00 I bought a meal that was extremely disgusting. If I was 16 and a buddy threw on a bunch of valvetta cheese (yuck) and old non-cooked shrimp I could understand, but it would be free. I was starving, but only ate a few bites with no concern from the staff or kitchen. I absolutely think establishments that make bad food like this should be ticketed with potential food poisoning or false advertising. read more

I loved the Nacho Mama salad! The atmosphere was great! The kids also liked their menu.

This used to be our favorite Mexican place, BUT...recently when placing an order for takeout the woman on the phone, thinking the connection was ended, called my wife a "fcking weirdo". My wife then called back and cancelled the order and told the guy exactly why, quoting the woman at which point he apologized for her. Moments later the woman called back and tried to claim it was a misunderstanding and that it was intended for a different customer. WHAT? Never again. read more