Expensive and not worth the money. The fajitas were majority onions with very little meat, taste wise it tasted like onions. The shrimp enchiladas were OK and it was mixed with ground beef (half shrimp half ground beef). We spent $80 on 3 entrees and 2 appetizers. read more

Red Mesa Grill - Steak fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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Had an amazing dinner here tonight. I had the smoked salmon tacos with cherry salsa and a delicious cheese empanada. Also had great margaritas, my favorite was the champagne one. Great service and cute place. read more

Red Mesa Grill - Wonderful champagne margarita - Mexican Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

We always have a positive experience eating here and last night was no exception. It was a dinner for two birthdays we were celebrating so the desserts were an added plus. I called two weeks ago regarding a coupon and spoke with Allison who remembered talking to me which surprised and pleased me. Our server Michael was also great. I have never been disappointed with anything here which as locals makes this one of our favorite places to eat. After having lived in Phoenix, AZ for 25 years and traveled a lot you find that everyone has a different idea of "Mexican food." But good food and good service is what matters and this place delivers. read more

Always a hit, especially because there are ample vegetarian selections. The cherry sauce that comes with a different dish is an awesome extra to ask for on the side with any meal but especially good on the black bean patties!!! read more

Red Mesa Grill - Black Bean cake appetizer with added hot cherry sauce. - Mexican Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Super friendly and helpful staff. Food was good, get fewer stars as margaritas tasted like were pre-made or from a mix. With such an awesome looking bar & price point, expect handmade. Also table, menus and all I touch felt sticky which cost atmosphere a star. Deep clean could help (in and lot outside.) read more

Was my first time coming in traverse city and was just here for vacation and had the chance to try Rea mesa grill Well wasn't to happy with it but still tried it I am from Chicago where the Mexican food is really authentic and done the right way sorry but only good to pass the time wouldn't recommend in read more

Visiting the Traverse City area and decided we wanted Mexican so we stopped by the Red Mesa Grill. As a family of five, we were seated immediately and our server came up quickly for drink orders. Even after ordering our food- it came very quickly! As parents of an 11 year old autistic daughter and a 4 year old - we were very grateful for the quick service and friendly wait staff! Our oldest realized the Mac and cheese on the kids menu was basically Kraft and decided she wanted some (she can be quite particular about her sensory food issues) and the waitress quickly put her order in for us. They really were wonderful and fantastic! I ordered tacos and holy cow- they were yummy and very filling! I ordered two and could only finish one! Hubby had fajitas which he said were delicious. I didn't love the guac as much as the rest of the meal- not that it wasn't good. It was just a sweeter guac so if you prefer that, then it's right up your alley! The decor was cool- lots to look at and spark the interest of our three kids. The kids menu comes with crayons to color with and Wiki Stix to entertain. How cool is that?? Would absolutely go back! read more

Excellent chips & guacamole - we had tacos and margaritas Great way to end a beautiful fall day. Fabulous manager & staff, they were all super attentive and they had smiles for everyone in the room. read more

not what they use to be. executive chef messed up on this one. first of all menu is printed in ten different directions wtf. second you use to get chips and salsa. was told no they aren't free you have to order them? since when. my favorite is kiss ground beef good buy. got a burrito expecting ground beef. nope we don't have that. seriously the least expensive thing you get tif. so if you want tacos or a burrito with ground beef expect something else. what a shame this was our favorite place to go in TC. what a horrible decision they've made. I'm done here I'll find some place else. might also explain why they had 10 tables in use at prime dinner time on a Saturday. do better red Mesa do better. good luck to whoever you got running your kitchen what a shame. read more

We were visiting from out of town. Service was alright. Although there were some issues we had as far as price versus quality. The $21.00 Brazilian Steak was not even enough to feed our almost 13-year old son. He was still hungry after eating it. I ordered the chicken fajitas. The chicken was dry. Chips and salsa were good though. read more

Red Mesa Grill - Chicken fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Last time I dined here I tried the sweet corn tamales. They were so tasty. Usually, I just order 1 of each of the chicken tacos (the combo w/ rice and beans). My co-workers I go with usually order tacos and enchiladas. The proteins here are always well-seasoned. I hate bland food. The chips and salsa are good. The salsa is more a blended thing, not a straight pico de gallo. You can order a variety of adult beverages, too. Queso is pretty yummy too, and I don't usually like queso. read more

Great service and delicious food! We stopped in around 8pm on a Friday evening, waited about 20 minutes for a table, but it was well worth the wait! We were seated in a. Booth in the corner and it was nice and quiet. Service was friendly and no quick. Margaritas were great! We definitely could have split our entrees. We will come back! read more

Overall good place and worth a stop. Looking for a place that had some steak fajitas for my date and I ended up getting a steak also. They had "costa rican steak" and seeing how I am costa rican how can I not get it? The place has some nice charm with authentic masks from mexico and many paper machete things to see. The steak was good but nothing memorable, good meal. Fajitas were the same, nothing wrong at all and good flavor but nothing that really stood out. For sure worth a stop and I liked that they have a TON of hot sauce options. read more

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This is a good little spot to grab dinner if you are in the area! A lot of the food, while very good, is the stuff every Mexican restaurant offers. That being said, there were also some unique menu items that were special to Red Mesa. The N/A Mojito was fine, not the best I have ever had, but it was definitely drinkable. The salsa though, oh goodness. I saw a review that another person left, and they said they could have "drank the salsa". Let me just say, I agree. It was really good! The tortilla soup was fantastic, some of the best I've had. Our server was very friendly as well. I have a dairy allergy, so I can be a little high maintenance (if anyone has a food allergy you know what I mean), but our waitress was more than happy to check with the kitchen on several items. The decor was cool! Whether you have kids, or are just a kid at heart, the Wiki Stick statue will make you want to add your own art onto it. Overall, it was a nice place to eat a relaxing family dinner! Thanks Red Mesa! read more

Huge parking lot and plenty of spots so even if it's busy parking won't be an issue like it is downtown. Waited 15 minutes for an outdoor table, they have a small patio with about 8 tables reasonably spaced apart. The service was good, our waitress was attentive and kept coming back regularly. We never had to flag her down. The chili con queso was great and we also ordered the black bean cake appetizer which was delicious. On the drink side I got the Donkey spurt which I highly recommend, sort of a citrusy rum based cocktail that definitely has that donkey kick. I followed it up with a cuban mojito which was a bit too sweet and not especially alcoholic so I wouldn't recommend that. Ultimately I'm knocking off 2 stars for both the pricing and the ambience. It's priced like a nicer place downtown but the quality and portion size of the food didn't warrant that... Especially given the sort of tourist trash atmosphere of the place. Hearing teenage staff openly argue with each other about who should be clearing the table and how bad their work environment is wasn't a great touch. I think much of this can be blamed on the fact that the location is sandwiched in between a bunch of cheap motels and resorts. read more

Excellent food and great service with a smile! I had the smoked bean dip that is on special for $3 thinking that I'd receive a small ramekin with some refried beans topped with a shred of cheese, wrong! See photo. For dinner I ordered the taco special 1 shawarma and 1 Vietnamese pork bbq taco. Both are delicious but the Vietnamese taco is phenomenal! I expected a typical Mexican restaurant, but the chef certainly isn't scared to mix cuisines making this restaurant unique and full of flavor! My amazing server was Cindy and she took excellent care of me! read more

Red Mesa Grill - Smoked Bean Dip - Mexican Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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Wife and I stopped half hour before closing. Service was excellent. Salsa for chips was best I've had. Tortilla soup also! Chicken and black beans burrito delicious. Topped off with perfect key lime pie. Unusual in that everything was excellent!! Will definitely stop in again! read more

The service was poor and the meals, all six, were below mediocre. Some of the silverware, glasses, and plates were not clean. Very disappointing experience. Will not be returning. read more

We arrived just before happy hour ended and our wonderful waitress honored the menu. The food was so delicious. Chips were thick and crunchy, held up against the cheese and weren't soggy. I ordered the enchiladas which were toasted on the outside and smothered in sauce. Husband ordered tuna which were slightly overdone. Our waitress (Colby), was so sweet and got another order of tuna quickly. My 11 month old loved the beans, rice and ground beef with a side of fries. The food was great but it was the service that made our visit so enjoyable. It was so welcoming and Colby was top notch. Our stay in Traverse City is off to a great start. No wonder everyone we spoke to recommended this place. Come for yummy margs, tasty food and excellent service. read more

This was the worst 'Mexican' restaurant I have ever been to. To start, we were not offered chips and salsa. We asked for water twice and never got it. The so called queso was reminiscent of the store bought Tostitos quest but not nearly as good. The guacamole was at best a dark green that looked a couple days old with no flavor. We ordered grand margaritas that were supposed to have grand Mainer floaters and we got margaritas that reminded me of Chili's. Very over priced for very mediocre food that was called Mexican. Highly don't recommend. Go to Taco Bell. read more

I went out with 3 family members to celebrate a birthday. My food (shrimp enchiladas) was really good. The refried beans were dry on top like they were sitting under a warmer too long. One family member ordered the shredded beef tacos. They were so salty. Another family member ordered the shredded beef quesadillas, and those must've been made with the same beef as they too were salty. However, they came with tomatoes and red sauce so they tasted okay. Another family member ordered the shredded beef enchiladas and they arrived burned. However, our server was very accommodating and had the kitchen remake them and as a rush order. Then it was ok to eat. The server was very sweet and wanted to make sure everything was okay and our experience pleasant. The armadillo eggs were phenomenal, cherry margarita was very tasty. House-made guac was also very good. Restaurant and restrooms were clean. read more

Quesadias are fantastic! Staff is attentive and the drinks are awesome!!! Live on the West side of town, but even with construction detours it is worth the extra miles to get there! read more

I found this restaurant on Happy Cow (sort of like Yelp but for vegans/vegetarians). My review is based on my own experience as a vegan. The menu online has several vegan options, even tamales! I was excited to try this place. Unfortunately, when we got there the menu was much smaller than online. I asked about vegan options and she said that there is a symbol on the menu indicating they can make that item vegan. I got the bean and rice burrito. It came out and was literally a tortilla with black beans in it with a side of black beans. Apparently the rice is not vegan like the menu implies. My burrito had just a tiny amount of sauce and corn salsa on top. Extremely bland. I'm pretty sure they just opened up a can of beans. I also got the street corn made vegan. It was just corn LOL. All in all this place was incredibly disappointing and I would definitely not return as a vegan. That being said, the food was hot, service was quick, and my meat eating husband liked his shrimp enchiladas. read more

Went here for the first time and loved it! The ingredients tasted very fresh and flavorful. The mango margarita was to die for! Great for locals and tourists alike. Service was wonderful as well. read more

Red Mesa Grill - Red Rice and Beans Taco, Chicken Tinga Taco - Mexican Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

We love it here! It's a must visit restaurant every time we come to Traverse City. Feels like they always have new food on their menu also. read more

Red Mesa Grill - Street Corn Tamales - Mexican Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

DANE is the fuckin' man! Give him a raise and Employee of the Decade. My girlfriend and I are TC Eastsider's, We go to Hopscotch and StoneHound quite often, but will always seize the opportunity to go see our favorite East Side bartender. Wish other places had such great, and in-tune employees. read more

Not only was this the best job I ever had to this day, but also the best tex-mex in town. Fun atmosphere, plenty of margarita and tequila options, and the some of the best fried ice cream i've ever had. read more

Red Mesa Grill - I would definitely recommend trying the carribean shrimp tacos. - Mexican Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Flavorful, delicious food! Service was decent, busy atmosphere. Prices are a bit pricey, but understandable for tourist area. Good for a quick bite. read more

Their twisters and tacos are really good and flavorful especially the chile twister. It comes with a really good sauce that I don't know how to describe, except that it taste kind of like blooming onion sauce from Outback lol read more

We all enjoyed our Mexican food very much. The kids always love tacos along with chips and salsa. Love the wixy sticks. So much easier for a 2 year old to do than crayons. Building over and over keep them occupied longer. Haven't had bad food there yet. Always seem to have good service. I like the chicken tacos. read more

Red Mesa Grill - Mexican Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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Ok, I'll be honest....we were there during happy hour. $3 margaritas, cherry margarita, and Paloma's. How can we not say 5 stars starting with that., And yes, they're smaller, but hey - try all three ! Plus during happy hour there are select $3 appetizers. I like the black bean cake. The crema sauce was the bomb. We had 8 people in our party.,Our server was wonderful. Plus all 8 of us were happy with our entrees. I highly recommend trying this out especially during their happy hour (starts at 3 PM). read more

Definitely not great. Beans and rice is terrible, enchiladas are spicy and they don't tell you, sauce is nasty. Service is SLOW. Restruant smells. read more

Every dish we ordered was amazing! The spiced ground beef was the best I've had at a Mexican restaurant, and the drinks were fantastic. We loved that there were mocktail options for the kids, too! The servers were friendly and quick and the manager checked on everyone who was dining. If my family lived close by, we'd definitely make this a regular stop. read more

I am in town for a real estate retreat; this is the second time eating here in Traverse City. The service is amazing and quick. Very nice atmosphere. Able to sit quietly and get work done while I enjoy their tasty food. read more

Red Mesa Grill - Shrimp enchiladas! - Mexican Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Not bad. We spotted this place on the way in two weeks before and wanted to try it out on our second go at Traverse City. Mexican is my favorite meal so this was an absolute must for me to check out. It's off the main drag. Easy in, easy out. Parking lot has plenty of spots. In the midst of COVID, they enforced a "wait outside until it's clear" policy. People respected it and it seemed to work well. The food was tasty, the service was okay, and the price was very reasonable. Typical Mexican restaurant decor that felt very warm and inviting. We'll be back for sure! read more

My girlfriend and I went here due to it being the closest location of the hospitality group this restaurant belongs to, since we received a gift card. Average food. Very weird and iffy service. The hostesses said nothing while trying to seat us in a mostly empty restaurant. Their N/A drinks are in fact not N/A or our server was lying bc what???? So, sobers drinkers or underaged personnel beware. Our server was short with responses and the nearby busser was more of an assistant throughout our meal. They were out of one their only desserts, their fried ice cream. Our server didn't know this . So, instead of asking us if we wanted anything else when she came back, she just left us our bill without a word. We paid with a gift card and our server did not know how to process it. That is the only excuse I can give to the server for leering over my shoulder while the manager cashed out my gift card, once that was done our server maintained position to watch how we tipped them instead of going to check on other tables. I have been here before and had a good time. So to come back especially for a free meal I really wanted to give a good review. The server created a bad ambiance from the start, spotty service, and overall rude tendencies. The food is what you see and expect, decent Latin cuisine for Traverse city. The location is questionable wether you are a local or even a visitor not staying nearby. Just hope for a decent server. read more

Chips and salsa are thick and crunchy chops, chunky salsa. The BEST I've ever had at a Mexican restaurant! Chimichanga was super yummy

My wife and I stopped here while traveling through Traverse City. The atmosphere was what you would expect from a stereotypical American Mexican restaurant. The menus are pretty small. The food had visual appealing, but was lacking. The jerk chicken bowl was not seasoned in the least, and the chicken was very dry. My wife had the shrimp fajita platter for $22, She was not happy. It was pretty much a plate full of onions. Service was ok, but when asked about the food her standard response for every dish was "people seem to like it." She then informed me she was vegan and hadn't tried any of them. There are a multitude of great places to eat in TC. This one failed to standout in any way. I doubt we will ever go back. read more

Had the tacos and I gotta say the garlic pork is DELICIOUS. I wished I had gotten two of those tacos instead of one pork one chicken. Our waiter must have been new couldn't remember our order but I mean that's fixed by simple paper and pen. He also delivered it to the wrong table idk what was going on with him(maybe having a bad night) but the delicious food made up for it and he kept my water filled so that's what matters to me. I recommend this place but it does get busy so be warned. Definitely would go again if I'm in the traverse city area. read more

Great service and excellent food! The armadillo eggs are great and so is the stuffed poblano peppers.