We’re still in the process of moving the boyfriend out of his apartment in West Seattle into our new Queen Anne digs, and were working hard over the weekend getting things packed and loaded into our cars. As a treat, we thought we’d grab some delicious barbecue from Brickyard BBQ before heading back to Queen Anne. All afternoon we talked about what we were going to order & how great it was going to taste while relaxing after our packed day. I was probably daydreaming about ribs every 30-40 minutes! [Anyone who knows me, knows I take my ribs seriously!!!] After loading up our cars, the boyfriend took off and I headed over to Brickyard to grab our dinner. It was a pretty miserable day so I wasn’t surprised that the outside seating was empty and it was an off time (4-ish) so I didn’t think twice that only the bar was busy. [By busy I mean there were maybe 8-10 other people in there, but it’s a small bar area.] The building was plastered with Brickyard BBQ signage, including what looked to be a new beer-sponsored banner near the entrance, as well as a sandwich board promoting the daily special — a pulled pork sandwich with fries. You can imagine my surprise when I walked up to the bar and asked if I could place a take-out order and was handed a menu that said Guadalajara full of Mexican food. [Mind you I also had to ask for the menu, I just got a “sure, what do you want” when I asked about take-out.]
Chicken “Super” Nachos from Guadalajara
Frustrated & disappointed that I wasn’t going to get my rib fix but exhausted enough not to leave, I decided to give this place the benefit of the doubt and placed an order. After telling the bartender my order (Chicken fajitas, Steak burrito, & Chicken Nachos) he chuckled and remarked that I was probably going to “clean him out of cheese”. I wasn’t quite sure how to take that comment. It made me very uneasy that my 3 items were going to clean out a Mexican restaurant of cheese. I shrugged it off and told myself I was being silly. Five minutes later, the bartender came back from the kitchen and told me they didn’t have chicken. He explained (rather poorly I might add) that the “grilled chicken” was “still in the big pack and not separated” so it would probably take an hour if I wanted that…then mumbled something under his breath about that’s why they had the pulled pork on special. When I asked if they had already started cooking anything else and explained that the boyfriend had given me strict instructions to bring him something w/ chicken, he said that they did have the shredded chicken used in the nachos, just not the chicken breasts. With the exhaustion setting it, I asked to see the menu again and said I’d choose something that used the shredded chicken… unfortunately none of the chicken dishes were made with that. To compromise I asked if I could just get the fajitas but have the shredded chicken since I couldn’t wait an hour for this food to be ready. He looked perplexed and said, “Are you sure?” which really made me nervous but I was in it to win it at that point.
Fajitas made with shredded chicken from Guadalajara
Ten to fifteen minutes later I got the bill, which the bartender had graciously taken 50% off of the chicken fajitas, so I paid and tipped generously. [I really appreciate when restaurants try to make things right when a snafu like this pops up!] A few moments later my food was ready. Usually I check everything right away to make sure I don’t leave without something important but I was anxious to get home by this point (and it would have required me trying to untie the plastic bags). After getting back to Queen Anne, I unpacked everything and realized that they forgot the tortillas for the fajitas… a pretty essential piece of that dish. Too tired to go back out again, the boyfriend & I just split the steak burrito & nachos and figured we’d get some tortillas the next day and have leftovers.
Steak burrito from Guadalajara
I learnedThe food was just ok. Nachos were decent, but the guacamole served with each of the dishes was really dark like it had been left out in the air for hours. The beans tasted like they came from a can. The burrito wasn’t terrible but certainly won’t bring me back there. Obviously the fajitas were a wash since we didn’t get the tortillas. Plus, he was right, it didn’t really work with the shredded chicken… All in all it was a pretty disappointing dining experience, even for Americanized Mexican food which can be hit or miss on its own. What’s most frustrating is that I learned that Guadalajara took over Brickyard BBQ in early September… it’s now almost November and NONE of the signage has been changed??? It doesn’t sound like this business is off to a good start and the only place I can find this new Guadalajara location [they actually have another West Seattle location and possibly another, but no business website I can find to confirm!] acknowledged is by these random posts by the Stranger and West Seattle blog.
Here’s the breakdown:
Food: Mid to low quality Mexican. If you’re in the mood for a burrito find an El Camion truck for a great one!
Price: Not a great value for the price. The burrito was $10.95, Fajitas $13.95 (minus $6.98 for the discount he gave me), $8.50 for the Nachos. Normally this would make me happy but I can get better quality food for less at my favorite taco truck.
Overall: Disappointing. I hope that this is just a result of some growing pains of starting a new restaurant. If I’m back in the area, I’ll probably opt for Mission if I have a Mexican craving since they’re right across the street AND offer one of my favorite things — plantain chips & guacamole!
What they think:
Yelp*
*Had to use the other Guadalajara location for these because no one has reviewed this one yet!
Want to visit Guadalajara online? I can’t find their website or Facebook page, but did find a Google+ page! If you know what their website is, let me know & I’ll add it!
Fajita fixins (sans tortillas) from Guadalajara
The Trials & Tribulations of a Take-Out Queen 