El Parian Mexican Grille

 InfoInfo
Search:    
Former Location
3070 West Henrietta Rd., Rochester, NY 14623
Status
CLOSED (as of February 2010)

See Gone, But Not Forgotten.

Notes and References

Comments:

Note: You must be logged in to add comments


   https://rocwiki.org/Wiki_Settings/Images?sendfile=true&file=talkicon.png See Archive Page for comments prior to 2008.

2008-01-15 12:19:37   Absolutely awesome Mexican food - authentic, and great service. Cheap too! —MarcusKroll

2008-03-18 19:48:54   Introduced to El Parian last summer and still go there regularly when we're passing through Henrietta. My favorite dish is the Special Primo (steak).

The servers are very nice and attentive. Great all around! —SarahLincicome

2008-04-28 10:27:38   we got take out from there on sunday and were underwhelmed for sure... the chicken was bland... the chips greasy... —JcPop

2008-05-01 10:57:44   I had great tacos from here yesterday, but my enchiladas were not very good.

I enjoyed the chips, didnt find them greasy.

Overall I like Monte Alban and Paolas better, but this place was good, Id be back. —MrRochester

2008-05-25 10:25:09   I have been going to El Parian since they opened. Having formerly lived in a town outside of Charlotte, NC, with a high concentration of authentic Mexican restaurants, I was desperate for something to be as good around here. When they first opened I was a huge fan of the chile relleno, but after a few visits they changed the way they made it and it was not as good. When I asked about it, I was given one made the old way, but was also told that would be the last time. I have never tried to order it again, as I have been enjoying the other items on the menu that I have tried. My husband, who is not a fan of Mexican food, loves the chicken quesadilla, and raves about the cheese. Does anyone have any idea what the formulation of this cheese sauce is? It really is amazing. I am glad to see that after over a year in business the place is still packed on the weekends and the food quality has not dropped significantly like so many other restaurants in the area. We actually had to wait for a table on Friday night, and it was amazing how apologetic the staff was, and how quickly they cleared a table for us when someone left. I highly recommend this restaurant! —GirlRoc

2008-05-27 14:09:44   Honestly, I am not a big fan of this place. Maybe I just don't like authentic Mexican food and prefer the Americanized fare. I prefer Moe's and definitely think it is cheaper. —BadFish

2008-06-25 08:03:15   Went there last night with the wife. Reminds me of what you would get in Pilsen, which is Little Mexico in Chicago. Friendly and polite service (but with good English), food decent and reasonably priced. No, it's not the best Mexican I've had if you're a foodie but it gets the job done. Chicken soup a little weak on flavor, Steak taco, steak quesadilla decent and the cheese enchillada was ok, too. Margarita's reasonable and taste ok but it tastes like the mix is pre-made. Overall, an easy recommendation for what it is. If I lived within a 5-10 minute drive it's worth the trip. Further than that, probably not. —wdrazek

2008-06-28 12:07:41   OK this is the comment everyone should read if they are thinking about eating here. This was my girlfriends and my favorite resturant we ate there once a week for numerous months. We were always greatly pleased with the food. Then one day like something out of a horror movie, my girlfriend went to bite into her chicken quesidilla and a spider crawled out of it. Now i didnt believe her at first until she poked her food and i saw the spider again run back into her food and out again. This was only the beginning. We then told our waitress who was new at the time and seemed more fit at an all night diner rather than a mexican grille (She is an older white lady with a raspy voice). So what does the waitress say to us? She says, "Oh that little thing wont hurt you....do you want a new one?". We said yes of course we wanted a new one a spider just crawled out of it. We then listened to her while she was in the back of the resturant and she stated, "Yeah there was a small spider in it you guys are going to have to make another one". When she brings out the new food she looks at my girlfriend and makes the comment, "I picked the spider out and i'm eating your quesidillas in the back"....as though she was trying to make us feel bad for asking for a replacement. At that point we were both disgusted.......we were regular customers and they didnt even take the meal off the bill so i swore we would never go back again and we havn't. I recommend Monte Alban there menu is almost the same as el parian only a little cheaper. The service is also MUUUUUUUCH better and hey so far no spiders. STAY AWAY FROM EL PARIAN bottom line. —KevinandShila

2008-07-21 21:24:47   Cheap awful food. Hardly any meat in the dishes. Had a combo plate and both items tasted the same. Once was enough for me. —ScottHendler

2008-07-29 12:39:23   Went there for lunch a week ago with my girlfriend. She is from Southern California, so maybe she is used to more authentic Mexican food, but it was some of the worst Mex food she's ever had. She had a combo plate with three different items and did not enjoy any of them. I had a Fajita Quesadilla and it wasn't bad. The service was slow and not attentive. We're not going back. —Umbra1113

2008-07-29 15:43:21   We drove by here last Friday night at about 8 and all the lights were off and there were no cars in the parking lot? It seems that the quality has gone down lately (I personally haven't been in a while, just based on the reviews), so I wonder if they are closed for good? —GirlRoc

2008-07-29 17:43:19   El Parian is closed due to "water main break" until further notice. Rumor is that it might have been an INS investigation due to illegals in the kitchen. —ThomasVachon

2008-08-02 00:21:19   EL JIMADOR MEXICAN RESTARUANT IS NOW OPEN IN FARMINGTON NEWYORK 1470 RT 332 {585 398 0110} —jason

2008-11-04 22:18:16   Hahaha! You people are so funny! "authentic Mexican food..." at this restaurant? yeah right. It's not that difficult to either learn some Spanish and make friends or go visit Mexico and figure out what "authentic Mexican food" is. —JenFromDC

2009-01-25 12:59:49   My sister and I took my Mom here for her birthday last night and I felt the need to apologize for our choice by the end of our meal. El Parian is just another in an increasingly long line of "authentic" Mexican restaurants popping up everywhere that use the same menu with the same combos and same choices. The food at El Parian tastes like it was squeezed out of a bag. The margaritas taste like a dirty sock with sour mix purchased from Tops. I feel like the people who run this place are only out for an easy buck and not out to serve up good food.

Why the bitterness? Well, to start, we munched on the free chips and salsa (all clearly poured out of a bag) and, when we were running low on chips and salsa, we proceeded to order the guacamole dip (for $3.50). Mind you, at this point, we were very low on chips. The waiter came out with our tiny saucer of guacamole dip and literally flung it on our table. He didn't even bother to refill our empty chip basket until we asked him. I ordered the Enchiladas Suizas and it tasted like it was 90% cilantro and 10% greasy chicken. Absolutely awful food prepared with zero care. —BatGuano

2009-02-14 12:22:26   Menu is similar to that at the now-closed Garibaldi's on west Ridge and to Monte Alban. Seems to be a family-run place. Not "authentic" Mexican, but very few Mexican restaurants are, and if they were, most Rochesterians would refuse to eat the food. (Those who have lived in Mexico or even in the American west/SW will understand what I'm talking about.)

I find the food to be consistent and, while not great, it's good. Portions are reasonably sized; you probably won't need a doggy bag. The chips are excellent and refills are cheerfully offered. They will allow many substitutions (which other Mexican places won't necessarily do). The salads are pretty dreadful - wilted iceberg lettuce and greasy fried-tortilla "bowls." I like the enchiladas suizas and my husband enjoys the green chile and the carne asada.

The people who run this place are really nice; they recognize regulars and welcome you enthusiastically. —LisaJadwin

2009-02-15 23:49:19   I went there for dinner 2/13/09. The friendly waitress brought us some chips and salsa to nibble on. The chips tasted like they were poured out of the bag and the salsa was a bit watery but not too spicey. The menu was a bit overwhelming— tons of combinations and ways to mix it up but few pictures of the meal. I went with a taco-enchilada-relleno combo. It wasn't too pricey, just $7.50 but the portion size wasn't too big so I was still hungry (I am a lean 21 year old female). The meat didn't taste too right. I can't put my finger on it. Since I was still hungry, I ordered flan for dessert. It was probably the worse flan I have ever had. The flan was lumpy and the top was burned a bit. I grew up in the South and I can tell you the food is far from "authentic." I woke up in the middle of the night with an upset stomache. I wouldn't recommend the place. —JLorow

2009-06-30 11:07:02   Good food at a great price. Staff is very friendly, nice atmosphere. 32 oz beers are like $3 which you can't beat. I go here very often and I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes Mexican food. —ColonyManor

2009-07-23 15:00:50   totally love el parian! super friendly staff, and they have the best salsa!! the owner was sooo nice, too. gave me a free large tub of salsa for my take out order. love it there!! —R

2009-08-03 01:58:27   I went there over the weekend, (despite) some of the comments I saw here, (like the spider story). I never had any problems with El Parian, but I got a big surprise this time! First-off, the food was great. But when it was time to go, I needed a take-out carton. I asked the waiter for a carton, & then went on to ask for a second carton for all the chips & salsa that they bring out & serve to every diner. The waiter said no. He said the owner wouldn't let him. He said that the chips & salsa were only "free inside of the restaurant" & that if I wanted any of the chips & salsa that they served me, I would have to buy them! I ended up taking some of them anyways, but I can't get over the reason why they think that there's any cash value in food previously served. Now I think I know why. I bet they just take the chips & salsa & give it to the next customer! So if you are enjoying chips & salsa, you are eating what was already served to somebody else, & heaven knows what illness they might have had. That salsa, well, somebody else had their fingers in it before you eat it & who knows how many times those chips were on somebody else's table? —RobinLee

2009-08-03 09:34:42   Robin - the reason is to discourage you from asking for more chips and salsa just so you can take them home. This is standard at nearly every restaurant which has an all-you-can-eat component. —EastSideStephen

2009-08-15 18:13:35   Being from Southern California, perhaps I'm picky, but I think I've had better Mexican food in cafeterias. The chips and salsa are pretty good, but, apart from that, the entrees are either bland, greasy, or both. —Kyara

2009-10-04 21:17:10   My partner and I had gone here before several times and liked it. Is it authentic? Who cares, since we generally liked what was served. Anyway, we were going there one evening and saw it closed. We later checked here, saw the spider story, read the speculation and rumor over why it was closed, and then pretty much forgot about it. A coupon in the paper reminded us, and we decided to try it again. The decorations are slightly different inside, but the menu is the same. The food generally seems a bit better than before— or at least different. We didn't find the food fantastic, but we didn't find it horrible either. We'll go again, coupon or not. —JohnPassaniti

2010-01-26 08:35:54   I was greatly surprised to read the negative comments about el Parian. My family and I have been there often and it is one of our favorite places to enjoy a meal and a great margarita.

I was bemused to read two comments in succession about the chips. The first was “the chips greasy...”. The second “I enjoyed the chips, didn’t find them greasy.” We think the chips are great, not greasy at all! It just goes to show you how different people have different perceptions. You will have to try El Parian for yourself to really know what it is like. Spiders or not, I will continue to go back and enjoy myself, and I recommend the place to others.

2010-01-31 13:14:43   Just saw that the name is gone off the place, and there are two U-hauls out front. Are they closing up? —JoshGruenberg

2010-03-24 11:33:47   Sadly, El Parian is now just another in a long line of closed Mexican restaurants. It will be missed, but probably quickly forgotten. —AlexanderGartley