Reviews for Ernesto’s Fine Mexican Food in Ellicott City, MD

In my opinion, Ernesto's serves the best Mexican food in Howard County. The fajitas are our usual choice at the restaurant.... We've tried them all -- steak, chicken, shrimp, veggie and a combo. Everything is grilled beautifully. The food comes out toyour table wonderfully fresh and with a great aroma. The vegetables are cooked just right; not over cooked or undercooked. There is one special dish that we have ordered many times - Brochetta Ahumada. It is flamed at table side and is atower of shrimp, chicken and beef. I recommend sharing it with a friend or plan on bringing leftovers home. Even the chips andsalsa served when you are first seated are better than those at other Mexican restaurants. The prices are very reasonableespecially given the quality and quantity of the food. Our usual choice, the combo fajitas (shrimp/chicken), are $16.99. You canalso get them for two for about $28.00. We've tried other dishes and were always happy with our choices, but the fajitas are thebest selection in my opinion. Oh, did I forget to mention the margaritas. They are huge and very, very good. We brought anumber of friends to the restaurant and everyone has loved it. Read more

This used to be our go-to Mexican place for years. We forgave the bad quality food during Covid but our last meal September 2022... was terrible too. The batter on the chili rellenos was all wrong. The beans were flavorless. The rice was okay. The salsa wasvery thin and they gave us very little. Moving on. Read more

Our waiter was very nice, but the food was horrible. We ordered flautas, tacos, queso, and Mac and cheese (for the... toddler) Everything was soggy, bland, and undercooked, and honestly just tasted like it was out of a can. The beans as myhusband said tasted like they dumped them out of a can and barely warmed them. The flautas were soggy, barely warm, and dry. Itried dipping them in sour cream, gauc, and the cheese sauce and it still couldn?t counteract the dryness. The Mac and cheesewas just boxed Mac and cheese and looked like it?s been sitting in a pot all day. Margarita?s we?re fine, but watery. For $50+for two adults and a toddler to have dinner, very disappointed. Read more

My hypothesis is that management has changed as the stakeholders continue to demand unsustainable increases in quarterly... profits. This has led to extreme cost cutting measures. Many years ago it was a decent restaurant but now it serves the blandestplate of food in Ellicott City. Even the color of the food is muted. How did they manage to do that? Service is fine but youcan't mariachi your way out of this one. Read more

Tried it for the first time tonight. We got a veggie burrito and chicken chimichanga and they had no taste. We had to add salt... ourselves to give it any taste. The only thing that had taste was the salsa that came with the chips. We were so excited to trythis place but the food was so bland... Read more

Best Mexican food I've had in my 10 years living in the Baltimore Washington area. I'd keep going back for the service alone,... but the food is excellent! Read more

They have definitely redeemed themselves since the last time I was here. All of the staff members were very friendly. The... margaritas were pretty good and the smoked salsa is absolutely delicious. The stuffed jalapeno appetizer is a must if you likejalapenos. It was very, very good. Also, the cinnamon mints are a nice touch. Read more

Great price for the quality of food. The authentic taste proves and setting is great for a date night or celebrating festivities... with friends. Drinks are well priced also. If you like authentic Mexican cuisine and an intimate setting, this is more fitting.Highly recommend the fish tacos and Tortilla Soup. Read more