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Senor Sombrero's Mexican Grill

MY REVIEW: Is this place under new ownership? The Senor Sombrero sign is gone and a temporary banner hangs in its place with the name, Mr. Sombrero. They have expanded, taking over the lease space next door, easily doubling the area. The walls have been repainted slate gray, but there are no decorations or paintings on the walls, so it lacks ambiance. There was no music, no special lighting, and supplies to the margarita machine sit on the floor in plain view. They just expanded, but need to make the space more inviting. It needs to get a personality--quickly.

Both the red sauce and green are excellent. The red is chunky, thick and served warm. The green is thick and smooth. Both have some kick.

But I have mixed feelings about the combination plate, Erik Deluxe Dinner. At $12 it is by far the most expensive combo plate. Before I get into what I liked and didn't like about the Erik Dinner, I have to ask the question, is this supposed to be Mexican food from the interior or is it Tex Mex??? The menu doesn't offer any explanation, and I'd like to know because some of the things on that plate taste a little different from the Tex Mex I'm accustomed to.

For starters, I did not like the rice. It was like it was cooked in the conventional way you cook white rice, along with tomato sauce and veggies (onions, bell peppers, carrots, peas). The way I make Spanish rice is heat oil fairly hot and brown the rice, then add spices and some veggie if you like. Mr. Sombrero's rice did not appear or taste like it had been browned. The result was one notch above the stuff you get in a frozen Mexican dinner.

Contrarily, refried beans were something special. Most places serve refried beans that are pale and flavorless. Mr. Sombrero's must add a little lard. Very good!

Taco was very good, but something was different. So I opened it and there was a good amount of coursely chopped onions & bell peppers mixed into the ground beef. The beef tasted good with all that onion & pepper, however, it was used to stuff the enchiladas and chili relleno, as well as the taco, and I grew tired of it after having it in 3 things. The coursely chopped onions & pepper worked best in the relleno, which I liked and which was about the same as most Tex Mex restaurants. I would've preferred just regular seasoned ground beef stand alone in the enchilada & taco.

And the chili gravy atop the enchiladas was different. It was darker red and had a deeper flavor than the light brown chili gravy in most Tex Mex restaurants. Not bad, but different. Also, no cheese on the enchiladas--although cheese is mentioned in the menu when enchiladas are used in other dinners.

I ordered the largest, most expensive combo dinner on the menu so I could sample several different items. I came away liking some things and being disappointed with others.

NAME: Sandy from League City
SUBMITTED: 1/20/2013   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/13
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: Love, love, love their food! Authentic Mexican food which makes it that much more amazing. Their breakfast burritos are to die for. I was actually telling my husband how they needed a new place, because they were outgrowing their space. When I walked in the next day, they had already knocked down a wall and expanded their restaurant! Looks really nice in there! New favorite Mexican restaurant!

NAME: Michelle
SUBMITTED: 1/8/2013   LAST VISIT WAS: Dec 2012
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: Best Chile Rellenos ever! I get the ground beef; cooked perfectly, not dried out in the center like most places. The food here is consistently good, and the service is fast & friendly. We like the mex guacamole appetizer: healthy & flavorful with lots of fresh avacoado, tomatoes, onions, jalapeno & cilantro. Good frozen margaritas. This place is definitely worth a visit for fresh food. Try it and you'll become a regular customer.

NAME: League City Foodie
SUBMITTED: 1/20/2012   LAST VISIT WAS: 01/2012
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: This was my first visit. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was. The hot sauce was excellent, served warm, thick and with just the right spiciness. I had the beef fajita taco salad and my husband had the shrimp enchilada. They were both well-prepared. Everything was fresh. My husband rave about the charro bean and how fresh the shrimps in his enchilada were. For dessert, you got to try the tres leche.

We'll be back!!! My new regular Thursday night dining spot!

NAME: Sue101
SUBMITTED: 7/29/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/28/11
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Mixed fajitas on the lunch menu are a good choice for $7. Chicken & beef were cooked just right and served with refried beans, sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole and 3 pretty decent flour tortillas. Red & green sauces are very good. People who run this place also service the tables and are very nice folks.

NAME: Steve D.
SUBMITTED: 7/7/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/11
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: Much improved over past ownership.

I ate here a year or so ago, and was disappointed. I saw the signs "under new management", and thought I would give it another shot.

Great cheese dip, Taqueria Tacos (pork) were very good. Glad to see a good place to eat in this corner of South Shore. Friendly service.

As mentioned in other reviews, the owners were previous waiters/cooks at other local MX places, and have gone out on their own. I spoke to them and they mentioned that they were trying to get a bit more space, as the current location is pretty small. Hope it all works out for them. Give it a try.

NAME: hauchinango
SUBMITTED: 6/12/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 6/2011
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: Got back as quick as I could, as promised, to try Chiles En Nogado. Like I said, lately I have been on this chili relleno kick. These were really different and really good. The poblanos peppers (2) are stuffed with pork that has been simmered with peaches, apples, raisins and cinnamon. Normally I don't like to mix sweet things with meaty things, but chiles en nogado worked for me. The dish was created in Puebla, Mexico to honor the colors of their flag: green chiles, white (walnut) sauce and red pomegranate seeds. Chiles en nogado is as colorful as it is delicious. At first I didn't know what to think of the very white sauce. I kept thinking it should be thicker like the wonderful almond jalapeno cream sauce that L*eila's in Webster serves over chicken breast. But then I learned this sauce is not cooked, but made in a blender. Crema, evaporated milk, queso blanco, white bread and walnuts are blended together and poured directly onto the chiles rellenos. To cook it would make it more like a gravy and darken the sauce. I recommend this dish for anyone who wants to try something different, even complex, from the interior of Mexico.

However, I was disappointed this dish didn't come with green rice as advertised, but their regular rice which is very good. I wanted to try green rice, but the owner said they don't have enough demand for it to keep some prepared at all times. I suggest that since rice freezes so nicely, they freeze a few servings and thaw as needed---either that or take it off the menu.

Good news, the red sauce was much less watery this time. Much better, it clung to the chips (which, unfortunately, are store-bought). I asked for green sauce to go with the rellenos and it was excellent.

Based on 3 visits since the new owners took over, I'm saying this mom & pop place has a very accomplished, even sophisticated, kitchen.

NAME: Sandy from League City
SUBMITTED: 5/31/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 5/11
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: Six months was the last time I ate here---they were under new ownership which had retained the same menu as before. But now they advertise a new menu, so I wanted to see what was different about it. Like the original menu, the current menu offers a lot of choices, but the new one offers more dishes from the interior of Mexico. For instance, there's Chiles en Nogada which are 2 poblano peppers stuffed with shredded pork, fruit and nuts topped with walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds. It comes with green rice. I didn't order this dish, but it sounds interesting enough that I plan to return soon and try. What I did order was the Erik Deluxe Dinner and it was delicious: 2 beef enchiladas, 1 (regular) chili relleno, beef taco, cheese puff, guacamole and above average rice & beans. In fact, everything about the Erik was above average, especially the chili relleno. What was NOT above average were the chips which did not appear that they were made on premises and the too thin, too mild hot sauce.

Normally commercially-produced chips and watery hot sauce would be deal breakers, but the food on the Erik Dinner was so good that I'm willing to forgive the bad start.

Lately I've been on a chili relleno kick, so you can bet I gotta have some of those uncommon-sounding Chiles en Nogado. Apparently the new menu items are catching on because at 9:30 on a Wed. night the place was near capacity.

NAME: Sandy from League City
SUBMITTED: 5/26/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 5/11
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: This restaurant is under new management with a new menu (as of 4/1/2011), so we thought we'd give it a try. The food and service were excellent. The shrimp tacos are flavorful, with a good chipotle sauce on the side. Everything had a very fresh taste. The chile rellenos are also good - not loaded down with batter, a nice light coating. Cooked to perfection. Save room for the Tres Leches. It's some of the best we've had, and it's made in-house.

This was a pleasant dining experience, with attentive service and very flavorful food. We will go back and try many of the other offerings.

I recommend giving the new menu a try.

NAME: LL
SUBMITTED: 4/7/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 04/2011
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: The service is absolutely wonderful they are very friendly always make you feel at home. The entire menu is great it has lots of choices and I've never tried anything I didn't like. The next best thing that I highly recommend is their dessert Tress Leches cake one bite and you'll be back for more. The margaritas are great but I love their michiladas it's a salsa that you add to your beer some people think it taste like a bloody Mary but it's better. Give this restaurant a chance once you try it you'll be a regular just like me!!

NAME: Samira
SUBMITTED: 2/24/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/20/2011
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: The previous owner has sold to a nice couple who are trying to do a good job providing home-style Mexican along with good service. I had delicious carne guisada. They kept the same menu, which means there is much variety to be had at this little neighborhood spot. Now that there are new owners I don't think you will see the problems mentioned in a couple previous reviews.

NAME: Sandy from League City
SUBMITTED: 12/7/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/10
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: I love it, las carnitas a la mexicana tastes great! their salsa and chips are very good I can not stop eating. Excelent service give Senor Sombrero a try you will love it 2

NAME: Erica from League City
SUBMITTED: 10/26/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/15/10
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: We eat at Senor Sombrero's weekly. I like the Alhambras entree' (beef & chicken). The food is fresh and seasoned well. The service is always excellent - friendly staff. Good chips, salsa & churros. A good value.

Our favorite place for mexican food.

NAME: Lee
SUBMITTED: 2/20/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 02/17/2010
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: Food was terrible, Cheese enchiladas were not even hot enough to melt the cheese. Spanish rice was so dry and hard it was crunchy. Most of the items served were literally tasteless. Service was poor, we had to ask the waiter multiple times for tea refills, extra chips and to correct our order. They are charging an exorbitant amount of money for Mexican frozen tv dinner quality food. Only items that were good were the chips and salsa and the Charro beans. We will definitely not be making a second visit.

NAME: foodie
SUBMITTED: 1/22/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 01/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: the service was horrible. The place was empty. I took 30 minutes to get my check. When i finally got it the bill was wrong. It took another ten minutes for them to fix it. Appeared the manager had no clue what was she was doing. This place is nasty and would highly recommend driving right past it. Very Very unhappy

NAME: R.I.
SUBMITTED: 1/20/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/21/10
FREQUENCY: Visited once

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