El Mariachi II (Albany, NY)

For all my years of living here in the Capital Region, I have never tried El Mariachi. It could possibly be due to my avoidance of anything Mexican that wasn't Taco Bell. But I've grown wiser in my years... and thanks to Chipotle and a handful of restaurants in Maryland (go figure), I'm open to trying Mexican cuisine.

M and I decided to give El Mariachi II try one recent Monday evening. It's located on Hamilton St. and next door to Cheesecake Machismo. Depending on when you go visit, parking can be a pain. We headed over after 5 and were able to park right in front of the restaurant. There's also a parking lot across the street if you want to hit them up for lunch.

We were quickly seated and served chips and salsa as we read through the menus. I noticed that some of the other tables had ordered the sangria, so I figured it was worth a shot. We ordered a small pitcher, which was alright. I've definitely had better. The salsa was pretty good, and not at all chunky. I also ordered a side of guacamole, since M was hogging the salsa.

There were plenty of items on the menu that sounded so appealing, but I ended up going with the soft tacos with grilled steak. The platter comes with three tacos, rice, beans, a little scoop of guacamole, and a dipping sauce... I think it may have tomatillos in it. It was topped with some grilled scallions that tasted great. I quickly scarfed it down. M went with a salad. I don't remember what kind of salad it was, but it looks like a chopped salad with salsa on top.

I should have said no, but I ordered dessert anyway. I went with the flan, and it was okay. It was creamy, and not at all overcooked like the one we had at El Platano. It was topped with cinnamon, which I could have done without.

El Mariachi II Mexican Restaurant
289 Hamilton St # 291
Albany, NY 12210
(518) 432-7580
website