13 Mexican Chain Restaurants You May Want To Avoid, According To Customers

When dining out, Mexican food (and all the regional cuisines of Mexico) is one of the most popular kinds of food in the United States. Some people's favorite things to order include tacos, burritos, fajitas, tortilla chips, rice, and beans. No matter how you slice it, Mexican cuisine represents big business. There are many popular locations around the country where people can get some of their favorite Mexican treats served up hot and fresh. Mexican food comes in the form of heavy (but delicious) cuisine, like the kind served at Azteca, or it can be more in the fast food style as with places like Taco Vado or Señor Froggy.

But what happens when a Mexican restaurant chain goes wrong? The dark side of this famous food industry has many customers riled up, and problems run the gamut of food faux pas, including food that's cold, stale, and overpriced — along with confusing advertising, and service that makes you wonder why you didn't just make the burrito at home. We've dug up some brutal takes from customers across the U.S. who walked out of restaurants hungry, dissatisfied, or both. Here are 13 Mexican chain restaurants you might want to avoid. 

Atilano's has a solid range of Mexican cuisine. However, customers have reported finding more than food in their meals. In one instance, a perturbed customer claimed she discovered a rock in her rice and beans. At the same location, another customer left a frustrated review, noting she was stabbed in the mouth by a toothpick while trying to chew her taquito, which one can assume she did not finish eating.

A customer at a different Atilano's reports that he also found toothpicks in his food on more than one occasion — and even a staple in his burrito. At this point, Atilano's might take a closer look at their kitchen operations to find out what exactly is going on with food prep. How often do random objects make it into the food? Hard to say, but it's not a good sign that multiple customers have experienced this problem. If you prefer not to discover inedible surprises in your grub, Atilano's isn't the ideal choice for dining out.

Chipotle is practically a household name in the United States, which means you can find them just about anywhere. However, a number of customers have been left hungry after noticing that Chipotle's serving sizes have become somewhat deflated. Some customers have noted a list of grievances ranging from diminished portion sizes to blocks of improperly shredded beef. 

Another customer on Yelp lamented her visit to "the stingiest Chipotle ever," from which she walked away with a tiny burrito containing less than a spoonful of certain ingredients. And a customer at a Chicago Chipotle's corroborated the portions issue, complaining that meal options contained less protein than they used to. And so, customers are quite aware when Chipotle portions have been downsized but the price remains the same. This is a disappointing trend from an otherwise decent restaurant that seems committed to ethical food preparation. If they would just drop the prices and up the food volume, they might collect fewer negative reviews.

Uncle Julio's is a Texas-grown Mexican restaurant that wants you to know its cuisine is made "from scratch." This seems to imply fresh ingredients and made-to-order grub with that zesty Mexican flavor everyone craves once in a while. But this unhappy customer said, "I've had better fish tacos from the freezer!" 

A recurring theme among Uncle Julio's reviewers is the restaurant's apparent fall from grace. From a Plano, Texas location, one Yelp review said, "Oh Uncle Julio's what the heck happened to you? This location was our go to for years." Another reviewer said, "What happened to this place? It used to be the best Tex-Mex around." At an Orlando, Florida location, a disappointed customer complained that Uncle Julio's used to be her go-to, but that "the quality of the food and service has just plummeted." With this apparent decline of a once-great restaurant, readers might scratch this one off their list.

No one is denying the sheer sass of the Chuy's marketing team, but does the food match the 'tude? According to reviews the food (and service) isn't good. A Forney, Texas customer claimed that "the service was absolutely horrible!" At another location in Austin, Texas another dissatisfied patron left a negative review, noting she and her party had been forgotten after getting waitlisted, and that even after they were seated, there was a 40-minute wait just to order the food.

At other Chuy's locations, the problems seem to continue. A customer on Reddit mentioned that Chuy's has become "mediocre," and that their "prices have jumped 20% or more." For that price jump, you might expect a better-quality dining experience, but the customer goes on to describe stale chips and overly dry beef tacos. Moral of the story? You might want to avoid Chuy's. 

What's a list of troubling Mexican restaurants without an appearance from Taco Bell? Once featured as the sole restaurant of 2032 in the sci-fi action flick "Demolition Man," Taco Bell has fulfilled at least some of that prophecy by continuing to thrive until the present day. But are T-Bell's customers thriving?

As with other entries on this list, Taco Bell's prices have jumped, and yet some customers say the quality has diminished. This unhappy Reddit customer swore that, "A $7 quesadilla just doesn't hit the same as it used to when it was $4." Another Reddit customer expressed great frustration that his food from Taco Bell is consistently "either cold, smashed, old, not what I ordered, or not made right." It would make sense for Taco Bell to listen to their customers and rethink pricing, food preparations, and service. 

What does Qdoba actually taste like? Nobody knows — including those who have eaten there. Qdoba is like the Applebee's of Mexican restaurant chains: generic and forgettable. This Redditor went so far as to call Qdoba "the worst fast food chain" for reasons including bland rice, and beans that taste like they came right from a can, which were coated in a "slimy black bean goo." Nothing like a healthy dose of bean goo with your Mexican supper.

Then there's this customer at a Rogers, Arkansas Qdoba who dealt with overcooked, hard rice and congealed queso. Yikes. Another unhappy customer in Gainesville, Virginia corroborates the above claim about tough rice, and she even mentioned finding actual chunks of salt in her party's meals. It turns out the saltiest part of any Qdoba is the customers. In a Reddit comparison of Qdoba and Chipotle, one user comments that Qdoba's grub comes in greater quantities but that its food is simply less flavorful than Chipotle's. Maybe it just needs a bit more bean goo.

If Mexican fast food is what you want, that's what you're going to get at Taco Time — the food shows up quick and hot. Of course, one question remains: Is it actually the food that you ordered? Not in this guy's case: A customer in Boise, Idaho who ordered a fish taco that had no fish in it. Another irritated customer recounted how he received a green chile chimichanga that was stuffed with rice instead of what it was supposed to contain.

At least Taco Time is cheap, right? This Reddit customer said otherwise: "Just paid $19 for a soft burrito and a classic burrito." As food prices rise, restaurant menus are going to kick up the cost of their offerings just like anywhere else. But $19 for a couple burritos seems steep — something to consider the next time you're in the mood for fast food. 

Del Taco rates the spice levels of its menu items on a scale of "queso" to "epic," which index includes a spice level known as "scorcho." Not according to a Yelp customer from Chesapeake, Virginia who warned potential patrons not to if you want authentic Mexican food. Another customer from the same location said that while Del Taco looks like it ought to serve Mexican food, the menu is confusing. He suggested that "they don't know what they want to be considered." Del Taco's own website features a homepage with fish tacos and french fries, so you can kind of see what he's getting at. 

And a disappointed Del Taco customer in Hillsboro, Oregon said, "The worst Mexican food I tasted was just slop as far as I was concerned I threw it all out after a couple bites of each one."

The original coiners of now-famous "Taco Tuesday" have since relinquished that weekly holiday's title to the domain of public use. While it's a killer bit of advertising alliteration, pursuing legal action over ownership of the tag was apparently too pricey. But what does the public have to say about the Taco John's dining experience? In summary, the reports are not looking so hot. One customer described cheese that wasn't melted her nachos and tacos that were "smushed together."

Another disgusted customer advised others to, "Save your money and go somewhere else," due to alleged terrible food and bad service. One Redditor wondered how Taco John's locations even stay open, calling out the chain on "hot garbage" food and unreliable listed hours. "They aren't even open when they're supposed to be open," he gripes. Then again, given all the negative reviews, maybe that's for the best. Unless you're really into smushed tacos, that is.

Late-night Memo's runs are legendary in some places. Certain locations see lines of young people late into weekend nights, giddy and buzzed, ready for a good old-fashioned 2 a.m. breakfast burrito. But how's the food at other times? And does this accessibility compensate for slow service or greasy content? In Everett, Washington, a grossed-out customer reported that his meal contained more grease than actual food. "My quesadilla was dripping, and it was not edible," he said. That sounds like one slippery quesadilla. 

Another customer at the same location ordered a bean burrito that was so wet it fell apart. This particular review is accompanied by a picture that might inspire a long hiatus from burritos in general. So we've got greasy quesadillas and wet burritos from Memo's — not exactly what you expect to pay for. Memo's also has a bit of a reputation for slow service. A patient customer in Auburn, Washington waited 30 minutes just to get to the drive-through window, after which he said: "The food just was not good."

Some regard Moe's as a former classic that's gone downhill. Judging by certain reviews, it certainly doesn't look like things are moving in a positive direction. Moe's might have landed on hard times like some other restaurants, but you can't blame customers for getting irritated when they pay out the nose and end up with little to show for it. In One customer noted there was "a serious lack of chips in my bag," and after paying $3.50 for a cup of queso, he discovered that it was only half full.  

Then again, Moe's also advertises free chips, but a customer review insists that she received way fewer of these than she expected. Unclear advertising, perhaps? What we can say for sure is that Moe's has gone ham on its pricing. On Reddit, a lifelong Moe's enthusiast recounted his disappointment when he learned his veggie burrito meal would run him a lot more than he used to pay. He said, "I was flabbergasted to see that my veggie burrito made as a meal was $17!" 

No one wants bone fragments in their food. Yet this San Diego, California customer claimed to have found exactly that: "The first two visits, there were sharp bone pieces in the enchiladas." Why she returned after the first bony experience remains a mystery.

From the same location, another customer left with a stomach ache: "Margaritas tasted off. Salsa tasted old." Weird margaritas and aged salsa are rarely listed among the reasons someone visits a Mexican restaurant. Maybe it's just that particular On the Border location that struggles to please its customers. Then again, maybe not. At a Las Vegas, Nevada location, a customer recalled a "sewer-like smell" when entering the restaurant. Probably not a good sign, but at least the odor didn't come from the food, though she described the flavors as "bland."

The Rubio's brand has that azure/gold sun-and-surf vibe going for it. It seems to promise things like fresh shrimp tacos and zesty menu items with "baja" somewhere in the name. So how is it that things seem to be going downhill for Rubio's coastal grill? Apparently, the company operates out of 86 locations, down from somewhere in the hundreds. One Redditor described Rubio's shrunken portion sizes as "undeniably jarring."  

This customer said you should avoid Rubio's tacos. He identified his taco as "one of the most pathetic $10 tacos I've ever paid for." In his attached picture, you can see that it does look meager. All in all, Rubio's offers some questionable menu items, and the brand as a whole looks like it's taking quite a plunge.