For a moment there, Garcia's Bistro had its regular customers heartbroken at the news that it had…read more"closed down permanently," but fortunately, not long after, the beloved spot pulled off a miraculous comeback, returning to the neighborhood better than ever before. This popular family-owned restaurant is well known for its blend of Mexican and American cuisine, welcoming atmosphere and excellent service. It's amazingly designed menu has a very creative selection of entrées, like none that I've ever seen before in any restaurant. Its flavorful food is served in generous portions, by cooks dressed in black professional attire, that together wirh its elegant presentation, help create that unique "bistro" experience in a warm and friendly atmosphere with a diner-like feel. As soon as I found out the good news that the place had opened once again, I had to be one of the first ones to go visit and dine there. It seems that the two partners had split up. One stayed running this restaurant and the other chose to remain with their food truck. The only changes that I noticed were that some of the signs in front of the building were torn down and temporary homemade ones were put up. They had changed their business logo although their name remained the same, with the addition of the numbers 581. They already had menus with the new logo printed out, and their cooks remained the same, maintaining their elegant black professional attire. I was warmly greeted by a friendly lady employee as soon as I walked in. She remembered me from the last time I had dined there, and immediately detected my happy feelings of seeing the restaurant opened again. After being seated at one of the booths, she took my order. I had a Coke to drink, the Cancun Shrimp Chorizo Dip with Tortilla Chips as appetizer, and the California Burrito with added Chorizo as my main entrée. It was all very well presented and amazingly delicious, as always. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the high-quality of their food. The server did an excellent job checking on me to see if everything was of my liking and to see if I needed anything, including a softdrink refill. All the customers that came in expressed great joy at the re-opening of this well-liked restaurants. For dessert I had a slice of their Coconut Cake. It was amazing. At the end the owner who had stayed with the restaurant arrived and I expressed my gratitude and well wishes for the restaurant's future success. I highly recommend this Bistro to all. If I lived closer, I would be here dining more than once a week. It's that good!

A great spot for a diner feel, in a town where there isn't one. Everyone is super friendly and the…read morefood is guaranteed fresh and yummy

Out of all family-owned Mexican restaurants mini-local-chains with more than two restaurants in the…read morearea, Alejandro's Mexican Grill is one of them. The others being El Rodeo, Tacos Rojas, and Pancho Mexican Restaurant. Besides this Alejandro's Mexican Grill in Salem, Virginia, there are two more locations in Roanoke, Virginia. One is on Campbell Ave in the Historic Roanoke City Market area, and the other is in the Hollins area at the corner of Peters Creek and Williamson Rd. Established in Downtown Roanoke, in November of 2007, by co-owners Moises and Lisa Nucamendi. Their second location in the Hollins area was then opened in December of 2008. And finally this, their third location, located in the Mill Lane Commons Shopping Center, in Salem, Virginia, was opened in June of 2019. I have already dined and reviewed the other two restaurants and invite you to read those reviews and view my photographs accompanying them. The restaurants are known for their authentic California-style Mexican Food, their popular salsa bar, and award-winning margaritas. Their menu includes traditional and authentic Mexican items such as Mexican Sopes, Tacos, Enchiladas, Tortas, Chiles Rellenos, and Flautas, among others. Their dessert Flan is made in-house by their head cook, and have the reputation of being delicious. When I arrived, their restaurant's front did not look at all very fancy. And from what my server told me, the restaurant used to be twice the size, but they gave up the extra space due to the poor economy caused in part by the Covid years. Their interior decor and furniture is outdated yet in good condition, clean and very comfortable. Mexican artworks decorate the walls of the place and is what gives it an air of distinction. The ceiling lamps and lighting treatment also help give the restaurant some class. As soon as I entered the restaurant, a gentleman Host greeted me and took me to one of the booths of the restaurant. It was early for dinner but since I hadn't had lunch so I didn't seen to mind, and there was a large party dining there at the moment as well. My server, a friendly young gentleman from Honduras, gave me a warm greeting and took my order. To drink I had a Virgen Mango Margarita and a glass of iced water. For appetizer I just enjoyed their wonderful chips and the salsa from the Salsa Bar. As my main entrée I had 4 Flautas (2 pork carnitas and 2 shredded beef). They came accompanied with Mexican rice and refried beans. And topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and shredded cheese. The salsa bar was very clean and the salsa looked very fresh. The tortilla chips were also freshly made and one of the best tortilla chips I've ever had. However the flautas had much to be desired. The tortillas that they were wrapped in were not fried crunchy as they should have been, and the shredded beef was overly seasoned and too spicy. Yet the pork from the carnitas was seasoned and cook to perfection, and the rice and refried beans were good as well. My servered came to check on me at the appropriate times and in time for me to order dessert for the Grand Finale of my dining experience. Of course I ordered their in-house made Flan dessert. And I can assure you it was delicious and wonderfully presented. In conclusion I found the ambiance of the place to be pleasant and friendly, even though the decor was not too modern. Most of the food was good, and the customer service was excellent, so I wouldn't hesitate to return next time I'm around the area. I particularly enjoyed the Virgen Mango Margarita, their Chips and Salsa, and their in-house made Flan.

We enjoyed a fabulous meal in June 2026 at Alejandro's restaurant in Salem, VA. The prices were a…read moregreat value with large portions of terrific tasting food! Our order was not quite right (they brought 3 floats instead of 4), although eating just two of them with beans and rice was more than enough after snacking on delicious chips and the MANY choices of salsa. They then over compensated by giving us even more floats that we had to take home afterwards. The server was very competent, attentive, professional, courteous, and quite helpful. We are eagerly planning our next visit to this restaurant we very highly recommend you enjoy!!

This is our go to Mexican restaurant in Roanoke. The food is fantastic. The service is great. The…read moreatmosphere is welcoming and everyone has fun. Mexican food at its finest!

Highly recommend and very yummmmyyy!!!!! I really enjoyed my Arroz Con tejo (ACP). I added veggies…read morelike onions, mushrooms, peppers to it. It came with chicken, shrimp, and beef on a bed of rice and melt goooeey cheese. SUPER GOOD!!! My boyfriend got a burrito and a Al pastor taco and I loved his food as well. Overall, GREAT food!!! The service was quick the food came out super fast. Portions are huge and prices are great. It was $30 for 2 entrees, one beverage, one taco. Ambiance is super casual. They have a lot of good looking cost effective drinks. Parking lot of small.

The loud Mexican music was annoying, the waiter (who refused to speak up over the loud kitchen…read morenoise and music) was really hard to understand, the food was some of the worst Mexican food we have had in a long time, the overcooked chips came with a skimpy amount of salsa, no condiments on the table, and the prices were the same as much better restaurants. Other plus side, the place was clean and had clean rest rooms.

We went to Salem for a graduation and ate there 2 times in 4days. My wife and I split chicken…read morenachos both times and they were loaded with meat. Service was excellent both times from start to finish.

When I asked a personal friend of mine of Mexican origin what special restaurant she and her…read morefamily went to eat at to celebrate Easter, she replied: "Our usual place. My husband took us to El Costeño Mexican Grill." This triggered a desire to go try it out. She also told me, and our server later confirmed, that the owners were from Veracruz, Mexico. After doing some research I found out that Veracruz cuisine is known for its unique blend of indigenous, Spanish, and Afro-Caribbean influences resulting in a rich and flavorful mix of flavors. So with this background, you can imagine why I immediately made plans to go have dinner there with a friend who also appreciates good Mexican cuisine. When we arrived to the restaurant on Peter Creek Rd NW Roanoke, Virginia, it was located in a small strip mall of two businesses shared by a gas station. Yet surprisingly it also had a brick outdoor patio dining area as well, with outdoor seating. Inside, the restaurant was clean and organized, simple decor, some very unique style framed Mexican paintings on its walls all around. As soon as we entered a young lady host came out and gave us a warm welcome with a big smile and took us to one of the tables to be seated and gave us a copy of the menu. Our server, a young, friendly lady greeted us, brought us a basket of tortilla chips with a couple of bowls with salsa, and took our drink order. To drink we both just had Iced water, although they had a variety of softdrink, beers, and Margaritas. The Chips were fresh, thin, and crispy; and the salsa tasted amazing. Their menu was full of authentic Mexican food, including, super burritos and fajitas, as well as their famous mole sauce. All at reasonable prices. For appetizer we ordered the Queso con Chorizo. To eat my friend ordered the Super Burrito, and I ordered the King Burrito. The Chorizo of the appetizer was the Spanish Style with is richer in flavor and the Queso was soft and yummy. Best appetizer of its kind I've ever had. My friend's entrée looked wonderful with Mole on top. And he said it tasted like heaven. My King Burrito looked great with the melted cheese as well as the guacamole on top, and tasted amazingly delicious, filled with quality ingredients seasoned and cooked wonderfully. For dessert we both had a Churro Bowl that also was delicious. I highly recommend this restaurant for the comfortable and relaxed atmosphere, amazing, genuine Mexican food, and extraordinary service.

This little restaurant is soooo delicious! A true hidden gem. We just had an excellent experience…read moreinvolving carnitas, a super burrito (it is super yummy!) and a truly excellent strawberry margarita! We will be back.

Los Arcos Mexican Restaurant is located in a nicely designed but older restaurant building with…read morecolorful furniture off Peters Creek Road in Roanoke, Virginia. Many times my friend and I had driven by this restaurant wondering how it would look inside and how the food would be. From past experience Mexican restaurants were either amazingly good or unfortunately poor. So today we decided to go and try it out. No longer would it be a mystery to us. We had no idea of how the ambiance would be inside, nor the customer service, nor the quality of the food. We arrived around 4:45pm for an early dinner on a Tuesday late afternoon. The outside architectural design of the building was full of arches, hence the restaurant's name of "Los Arcos." It had a nice outdoor patio dining area surrounded by a low wall full of upside-down arches. Since it was a record high temperature day, there was no one dining outside, but the area looked nice with each round iron table having a large red umbrella to protect customers from the sun. When we entered the restaurant, we were greeted and immediately taken to our table and given copies of the menu. The menu was very well organized with subject tabs and color photographs of their most popular items. When our server came by to take our order, we both ordered iced water to drink and as our main meal my friend ordered the Enchiladas Mixtas and I ordered the Burrito Jalisco with grilled steak rirfrom the Specialties of the House page of the menu. As we waited for our server to arrive with our meals, we munched on the complimentary Chips and Salsa. The chips tasted good although they didn't look that fresh and the salsa looked nice but tended to be on the hot side, with no mild available. When our food arrived, my friend enjoyed his. Mine had missing the pico de gallo side. The chorizo was very tasty as it should be, but I question the steak quality. Not that it was hard or brittle, on the contrary, I felt that it was too soft and spongy. It was seasoned right with lots of lemon juice, but it's texture left a lot to be desired, especially to me who am a steak connoisseur and afictionado. The side of rice was a bit dry and lacked freshness. The dessert menu selection was a very good one, and their photographs made them look so good, yet they were the greatest disappointment of our meal and dining experience. We both ordered Churro Cups. By now the restaurant was almost half full, but this was no reason for the time to prepare and serve our dessert to have taken longer than to serve our food. Then the crust of the Churro Cup was overcooked and hard. By hard I mean I was not able to cut it nor eat it. Yet it looked so good that you would have never imagined that it was inedible. I even asked for a knife to cut it and was unsuccessful. I asked one of the servers for the manager and he told me there was no manager, that he was out until 6:00pm. So I was not able to complain about the dessert or have it comped. The menu of this Mexican restaurant is amazing but I find that the quality of the food and execution of cooking them is lacking from the part of the cooks there. And the absence of a manager on the premises is questionable. For this reason and for the problems I encountered with my meal there, I don't think I will return, especially with so many good Mexican restaurants around. It's a pity because otherwise this restaurant has the potential of being a great one.

Food: The best Tex-Mex in the Valley with great margaritas…read more Service: Good Ambiance: crowded, but worth the hassle Parking: Its bad. Small parking lot which fills up quickly.

I ordered online. For some reason, the order for my beverage didn't convey to them, but I showed…read morethem the email receipt and they got it for me quickly. I came seeking pupusas, and theirs were deliciously grilled and delivered satisfaction. The price was a bit high for lunch, but I could not accuse them of shorting me, either with respect to the abundant flower buds embedded inside the pupusa, or the pleasantly pickled sides. I took a chance on a tropical fruit I'd never heard of, and I got a ton of it that took me two days to drink, with a fascinating flavor and enough pulp to make it clear this was real fruit (although I'm guessing they add sugar to these things). I wish their menu made it clear whether the beans were vegetarian and I could have done with the ability to mix and match pupusa flavors rather than getting three of the same one, but my basic craving was fulfilled.

One of my wife and my favorite places. Friendly, inviting staff. Locally owned. Clean, well…read moremaintained dinning room. Great flavors! Honduran and other Latin dishes