The new Mexican restaurant that replaced Tea Plus, is way too expensive, with prices that could pay off student loans.

The new Mexican restaurant, Taqueria El Comalito, is a family-run business that started its journey as a business near Creek on Jan 14. For the past few months, I have been visiting the restaurant, ordering food, talking to staff, and understanding what their business is all about. I have concluded that I would go there again for a quick snack and a drink but other than that, I just don’t like how expensive it is, the portion sizes, and the fact that the overall vibe is just off. 

My biggest problem with the restaurant is the extremely high prices — it does not take into account who might come and spend money there. Most students don’t have $20 to just spend on food every day. It brings up whether quality over quantity is better, and not knowing ruins my day. The main thing the restaurant seems to be focusing on is quality, and I will say that the food is good, but the amount of food you get for the prices just doesn’t add up. 

I paid almost 20 dollars for one bland Machete De Alambre; which is like a long taco and nothing else came with it. When spending so much money, I would expect at least to get a free side of chips and salsa.

Some other examples of the other prices include a group of tacos, which come in fours, for $15, one quesadilla for $6, and a fast burrito for $6. These prices are more reasonable than the tacos, but the quality of the food is mediocre. I would recommend getting the fast burrito or the quesadilla if you are more hungry than you can get the tacos.

The restaurant has made options for students that are reasonably priced, like the fast burrito. This is so beneficial because half of the students that go to the Creek can’t drive to Taco Bell or another Mexican restaurant, so being able to buy something super cheap and a quick walk away is astonishing. 

It’s understandable why not everything is perfect there, given that they just started and are trying to make a profit, but some things just feel too expensive.

The second problem I have with the restaurant is how little of their sauce they give you. To cope with the mediocre food, It would be helpful to have some type of sauce to accommodate for the blandness. But they only give one small cup of guacamole, a small cup of salsa roja chile, that is a spicy sauce made up from de arbol chilies — it simply isn’t enough. 

Along the same line,  I wish they could add more seasoning to the food. Some of the food was delicious, and others were just mediocre. And even if the food tasted heavenly, like it came from Gordon Ramsey himself, then it would have had something else wrong with it. I got a fast burrito once and it tasted phenomenal, but it was pouring grease out and made the burrito soggy. 

But one thing I do appreciate is how nice the family is. I’ve only talked to them a couple of times, but in just those short moments I can tell that these people were good-hearted. Especially for a business that’s just starting, they didn’t seem like they were in distress. I’m a huge supporter of small businesses and seeing families come in to drop off supplies, and trade spots working, was an experience that I hope goes well for them.

Another plus side of the place is the drinks. The Agua de Fresa, which is a strawberry-flavored drink, exploded my taste buds because of how appetizing it is. Especially their horchatas like strawberries, mangoes, and regular ones are divine. It has been so long since I tasted a good horchata, and now there’s a new place that sells it down the street. It was reasonably priced, only paying 5$ unlike some of the food there is a deal.

One of my last complaints is that the atmosphere is depressing and not welcoming; it feels like everyone there would rather keep to themselves. How do they expect to get business if they don’t even do a small greeting? The decor is simple, but it doesn’t give off the authentic Mexican restaurant vibe. Seeing the cheap decor made my day gloomy, and when I first walked in I thought a child decorated it.

I’m a sucker for good Mexican food, and El Comalito has some good options but definitely could improve. If you’re looking for a nice place to get some Mexican food, come here if you have at least $20 to spare.