This page is for archiving older comments from Monte Alban Mexican Grill
2006-08-25 11:51:43 Very yummy for diner prices + amigo-ly staff = a reason for being for chains. —ChristineLeo
2006-08-25 12:00:44 Has anyone had the horchata, mentioned in the D&C review? Sounds tasty. —AdamDurand
2006-08-25 14:19:39 I had lunch there last week and found the food well prepared and as "authentic" as I've had in Roch, but it was very bland. I'm planning a return trip and will look for spicier entrees. —RottenChester
2006-09-12 11:18:45 I've found the food and service to be very good here. It's nice to see more good Mexican food in Rochester. —BrettDaly
2006-10-10 07:26:23 This restaurant is great. Friendly staff and great food at a low price. There is actually some spice to the dishes that should have spice. That alone is simply amazing in a chain place. I highly recomend a visit here. —BillFrist
2007-02-07 12:59:42 Good stuff! Authentic Mexican food, great prices, atmosphere is a bit average but all in all a great experience. —JackPorcello
2007-02-22 20:55:54 Order the horchata. It's like a thin vanilla-nutmeg milkshake. And the wait staff is usually impressed when gringos are savvy enough to order it, so the service gets even better. —DaveMahon
2007-02-28 16:09:02 My husband and I LOVE Monte Alban. Not only is the food amazing, but the service is so fast and attentive that you can have order and be out in 20 minutes. We've done it! —MaryMoughan
2007-04-11 18:31:56 this place is amazing. its real food at great prices. i there at least once a week. everything ive had i loved. i even tried a chile relino?? i really liked it. and there cheese sauce is just awsome. real cheese. they make everything there and they make it good. i even brought home some fresh chips. TASTY PLACE! —JadeRaven
2007-04-13 11:33:49 Great experience! The food was rockin' (carne asada tacos, if I recall), and service was fast and attentive. (Though.. there were no horchatas that day.) Would definitely go again!! —JasonMorrison
2007-07-14 23:26:45 Not my favorite, but a very nice meal at a good price. Terrible, cold atmosphere (what do you expect from the former Best Burger location) and they rush you in and out fast, but it’s a good bang for the buck. I hate the chips and suggest you skip the Margarita. But the meals are good. —RalphMeranto
2007-09-07 19:16:37 I go here at least once a month. Love the food, the rice tastes just like the rice my mom makes. The beans are also delicious. I always get the Tacos a la Diabla. IMO, this is the one of better mexican places in town. —MarcVera
2007-09-25 11:54:00 I had an awesome meal here. The food is authentic and as with most Mex places it was inexpensive! —MrRochester
2007-10-14 22:03:07 Great food, reasonable prices, friendly staff, very short wait for food. My new favorite Mexican restaurant in Rochester —FattyFatFat
2007-10-26 18:27:57 this place has really good food @ fair prices and has good vegetarian options not sure about vegan though. feels good to be there. very clean. A++ —JadeRaven
2007-12-12 11:51:20 Is this place actually a chain? I've found other Monte Alban's, but they dont appear to be associated with this one. Either way, the food here is top notch and at great prices. Always save a little room for the fried ice cream on top of the bunuelo. —AlAbonado
2008-03-14 14:20:55 Good Mexican food is hard to come by in Rochester, but I was very impressed with Monte Alban. Great food, very authentic (with a varied menu). Great value, too - very inexpensive for what you get. This place could hold it's own in much more heavily saturated Mexican food markets like San Diego, Phoenix, San Francisco and LA. —KurtSample
2008-03-21 08:37:47 This place is fantastic. The menu is a bit overwhelming because there is so much on it but whatever you order...you won't be disapointed. The waitstaff is also very friendly! —DianaLicata-Wright
2008-04-03 12:28:27 Best Mexican in Rochester area that I have found. Only dig is that their chips and salsa leave a little to be desired BUT the food is fantastic and
the service is friendly. 4 stars for a low cost place. —BeauWilson
2008-07-03 18:21:53 I'd put this on par with San Jose and El Parian - good, not great. My burrito was good, and my chile relleno was really good, but my enchilada was dry (the whole point of an enchilada is to be smothered in sauce and cheese). I should've asked for hot sauce, because it wasn't very spicy - it says "Not all mexican food is hot!" in big letters at the top of their website, so it seems that they're worried about being too spicy - but with all the "bland" comments here, it appears they're overcompensating. —McgMatt
2008-07-19 19:42:52 I will say, and expect to get nailed for it, that our family liked Don Pablo's when it was in Rochester; we only started coming to Monte Alban after DP's closed. And we love it!
My main dig against the place is it doesn't have the "atmosphere" of a Mexican restaurant. You see the parking lot and the strip mall environment of busy East Ridge Road outside. Inside, it kind of looks like it used to be a family diner or a hardware store.
But wow, everything else, oh my!
The service is friendly, without the fake scripting that you get at all the chain restaurants here. No annoying birthday songs. And the food is simply terrific. Not only do the beef and chicken dishes taste delicious as you're eating them, they leave your mouth and stomach "feeling happy" long after you've left. It's hard to describe, but there's just some kind of a light magic in the taste that makes me regret brushing my teeth afterward.
If the owners can ever move their great kitchen and wonderful staff into space that looks and feels more like a Mexican restaurant, this place would be heaven on earth. But it's already plenty good. Enjoy! —bionicsimmons
2008-08-18 12:02:37 Some of the best mexican eats in the area. —BurbsGal
2008-10-12 15:37:19 I am born and raised in California where Mexican food is eaten by everyone. The first year I was in Rochester, I was resigned to lousy Mexican food — until I was turned onto Monte Alban. The menu is huge and the portions are large and perfectly prepared. The Enchiladas Rancheros brings 3 generously stuffed tortillas, filled with perfectly cooked white meat, covered in red sauce and white, Mexican cheese. The accompanying rice side is flawless. The staff is friendly and the prices low. Highly recommend! —christopher0312
2009-01-04 16:47:05 As a native Texan I am happy to say that this restuarant hit the spot! The chili rellanos are just like what I am used to eating in TX and everything else was tasty too. Service was friendly and fast. I've tried a lot of Mexican in Rochester and been disappointed but not here... —RocDiner
2009-01-10 22:27:56 I'll start out by saying that my co-worker is from Argentina and she lives in Pittsford. I recommended she make the hike to the great north, Irondequoit, to try this place and she did. She and her family LOVE it. Feels it's home like for her. Plus it's a GREAT deal for a family of five. That said, I am a family of two and this is one of our very favorite restaurants. First, because it is important, the place is an amazing value. Okay, I take that back. That's not first. I wouldn't eat there a second time if it wasn't really good food. Starting again, First - it's great food. I love the fajita chicken quesadilla. And the quacamole is very good. I am amazed when people ruin quac but it happens, too often. They start you out with chips and red salsa. But ask for the salsa verde or the really hot salsa and they will bring that out for you. I will say, no one can beat a Maria's margarita and this place is no challenge to that institution, but only in the realm of the margarita. The Pancho Special is chicken and shrimp sauteed up with beans and rice and salad, another of my favorites. By the by, they are huge portions and I know I already mentioned it, but it's very REASONABLY priced. (As I write this, I am realizing that this means you all might go and then I might have to wait even longer . . . . and I will cause it's worth the wait but know that I will not be happy about it.) We like it so much that we've driven there through two separate snow storms for dinner there. My dining companion also loves the food, from the salsas to the fresh tortilla chips to the chile rellenos to the beans, but he loves the service as well. We both highly recommend this place. Not amazing mexican food, but really good for a great price. —asally
2009-05-20 18:16:36 Hands down, the most authentic, delicious, Mexican food I've had. The service can be hit or miss, but the food has yet to disappoint. —GizPotter
2009-08-27 01:18:18 went to webster location tonight. Service was spotty. My chicken mole was fine, nothing special. My wife was not happy with her enchilladas. Biggest issue is no liquor as they haven't gotten their license yet. —jmw2323
2009-10-10 01:42:08 I went to the Webster one tonight and had great service. My waitress was very nice but my girlfriend had some trouble with the accent. Still no alcohol which is funny because I think it more family friendly that way. —DamianKumor
2009-12-06 19:00:32 Webster location has bar and liquor license.
My wife and I now have set Monte Alban as our #1 choice for Mexican food in the greater Rochester area. Very good magaritas! The Pollo Ranchero was an excellent choice - full of flavor with the spinach, tomatoes and onions. The Carne Asada was especially good- the thin cut rib-eye was full of flavor, moist with just enough fat. Our waitress was excellent and other staff greeted and spoke with us cheerfully as well. We were sorry to have to leave before the 6pm to 9pm mariachi band was to play. —BradMandell
2009-12-30 19:17:14 We went to the Irondequoit location and were plesantly suprised. It had been a while since we had reasonably priced GOOD mexican food. Too bad its such a drive for us to get there! —JcPop
