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| - Maybe we went on a "bad" day for the restaurant, but this particular Carlos O'Brien's left MUCH to be desired in the way of both food quality and friendly service. I've eaten at the Avondale location and left there very impressed, so I was expecting a similar experience at this Northern Ave restaurant. Sadly, this was definitely not the case.
I ordered shredded beef tacos with a side of beans because I like the result when the taco spills over onto the beans - it makes the beans especially tasty. However, someone needs to teach the cook how to make authentic Mexican refried beans because these were shameful. First of all, they were red; not brown, but red. Not sure what they put in them to make them red (I was afraid to ask), but it looked as if they may have added red chili sauce or some type of red sauce to turn them that color. Whatever it was, it didn't enhance or noticeably change the flavor to something favorable. Plus, when the waitress brought the plate to our table, the beans appeared to have a dried, crust-like surface and rounded edges, kind of resembling a pancake...only red...with a tiny bit of semi-melted cheese on top. I've had WAY better refried beans from some of the drive-thru places in the area. In fact, I don't think I've ever had worse refried beans anywhere. These were not like the refried beans I had at the Avondale location.
On a positive note, the tacos were very good once I added a mixture of salsas and pico de gallo. Salsa and pico de gallo are what make or break my dining experience at a Mexican restaurant, and I found the hotter version of the salsa to be the most flavorful at Carlos O'Brien's. Someone needs to also teach the cook how to make pico de gallo that has flavor; but, as a tomato and onion garnish, it passed. The salsa in general needs more garlic and cilantro, in my opinion.
So, will I be going back to this location of Carlos O'Brien's? Not a chance. It just wasn't that good, nor was the service very friendly. Maybe our waitress was tired...who knows...or cares, as I'll be enjoying my Mexican food elsewhere in the future.
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