nuevo leon mex mex restaurant

just ok - no reason to go out of your way to try it. have no idea why previous accolades call it "hidden gem" since nothing about this place is special. small store front w/plastic hanging sign, diner-esque seat-yourself-tables, no atmosphere & average food, yet $$ prices in line w/high-end restaurants! i've tried twice now- once for dinner & lunch when in area- neither time impressed. only 2 items on lunch menu were what i expect to pay at establishments like this ($6.95) but rest $7.95-$10.95. i enjoy warmsalsabut theirs tasted canned w/thick dollar store tasting chips. unless you're a local saving money on gas, don't waste your $20 per plate for dinner at this place & by no means take a date.

steak patron. food quality good. service decent. too big of a menu to work through . location and restaurant itself a bit of a dive but $$$ prices. first round ofsalsawas warmed tomato sauce. 2nd round was totally different and much better. are there two? shouldn't they ask which one one prefers?.... chips were not light and crispy, way too thick. ordered t-bone rare delivered very well done and dry!. ordered beer just before 7pm (ending happy hour) deluvered 10 mimutes later seemingly deliberate to charge full price, which they did. all in all i won't go out of my way to come again.

a standout in a sea of mediocre mexican restaurants. if you ask me, dallas' mediocre mexican (or texmex) restaurants outnumber the good ones 3-to-1 or thereabouts. tonight took us to nuevo leon, one of the "good" ones and possibly even "great." the area is anything but fancy, and the restaurant itself is humble, but comfortable. our waitress (and possibly owner?) was prompt, courteous, spoke perfect english and had an engaging smile. the chips andsalsaweren't much to note, warmsalsawith a bit of a tinny aftertaste. what struck me as noteworthy was first, that i narrowed my options down to at least 8 items that all sounded intriguing. secondly, the sauce on my carnitas con chipotle entree was remarkable. a hint too spicy for me, but easily overlooked because the sauce had unique and wonderful flavors i couldn't quite identify. i saw small, roasted seeds of something and it had an earthy, nutty, smokey, unusual and wonderful flavor. it's not too often you encounter 100% new flavors, so for me, that made nuevo leon a standout.

my favorite mexican restaurant. i love this place. it's inexpensive, comfortable and casual. we haven't had a fast food meal since we found this great place that gives you a real meal at a good price. they're open for lunch and dinner and even have a $5 menu at lunch. if you're looking for texmex this is not your spot. they have white cheese, very little if any lard and fresh delicious entrees of all my favorites. i occaisonally treat myself to seafood or a steak and i love their ensalada nieves at lunch which is essentially chicken fajita meat sliced and served over fresh lettuch and vegetables with the house cilantro dressing.


-----20 jan, 2011-----

carnitas con chipotle. succulent chunks of pork with a mild, spicy chipotle sauce. i like to have corn tortillas with it and mix the meat with my salad and beans and sauces. it comes with borracho beans which means "drunk beans"... they mix a little beer in with them to give them a little zing and also a fresh, crispy salad with their house cilantro dressing. the best salad dressing i've ever had, bar none. i like to have a little of their greensalsawhich is quite hot atop my little tacos. sooooo good.

best ever for mex-mex. i get the two beef enchiladas and one chicken enchilada with the green sauce. if you don't get full on the chips and the bestsalsayou will find in dfw. this is the only mexican food that i eat, unless the plate is clean no matter what. everything is great not just good. i love this place. if you are like me and think that most popular places taste like they put wolf brand chilly on the dinner this is not like that. this taste like a mexico dinner.