Life > April 5, 2007

By Kat Williams

Staff writer

Walking into Monterrey Mexican Restaurant, one is met with a whiteboard listing the daily specials, a blank wall, a door adorned with a faded map of Mexico and a bare counter topped with a cash register. 

Once you get past the spare entryway, however, you are met with the tempting aromas of an enticing eatery and the background noise of a soccer game enthusiastically announced in Spanish. 

Located at 3028 Healy Dr. right by Hanes Mall, the Monterrey Mexican Restaurant is just a short drive from campus and well worth the trip. 

Although the decor left a little to be desired, the food was delicious and the service excellent.  Our soft-spoken waiter arrived as soon as we sat down with a warm basket of tortilla chips and salsa.  While munching on the appetizer, my friend and I looked over the extensive menu.

Items featured included appetizers, salads, chef’s specials, fajitas, beef, chicken and pork dishes as well as a vegetarian section with seven different selections and a section of combinations — dishes that included a variety of Mexican specialties.  Prices ranged from around $5 -$8 for a salad to $7-$12 dollars for entrees and also listed a number of a la carte items. 

This menu featured one of the more extensive dessert selections that I’ve come across in a Mexican restaurant.  Flan, fried ice cream and churros were just three of the tempting selections in the section. 

There was also an extensive beverages section, as the restaurant featured a full bar, and included Mexican beer, daiquiris and margaritas among other options. 

The menu also featured a “lunch only” section, served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., which ranged from around $4 to $8. Restaurant hours are from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., however.  Features written on the whiteboard when we entered included $16 fajitas for two, as well as $1.99 margaritas on the rocks from Monday through Thursday.

When our waiter returned, my friend ordered the pollo fundido, two flour tortillas fried with chicken and served with rice and beans, while I ordered the taco salad, which came with a selection of ground beef, chicken or beef tips. 

The food came out in record time and was piping hot.  My friend enjoyed her dish immensely and even said that “it came as close to her favorite Mexican restaurant from home as any (she’d) found in Winston-Salem.”

My salad was also excellent, coming out in a crunchy taco bowl filled with large chicken pieces, sour cream, guacamole, fresh tomatoes and crisp chopped greens. 

All in all, the service was excellent, with our waiter coming by to check up on us just enough to be attentive, yet not overbearing. 

The casual, laid-back atmosphere of the restaurant demands an outfit no more formal than jeans and a T-shirt, yet the food was delectable and the prices very reasonable. 

I would give Monterrey Mexican Restaurant four stars out of five and recommend it for a large group setting, since the entrees came out in such a timely fashion, the service was so attentive and the atmosphere very relaxed. 

Compared to other Mexican restaurants where my friend and I had eaten, we both agreed that it ranked among the very top.  With its reasonable prices and extensive menu, there seemed to be something for everyone.