It has become a tradition that when our Chicago friends Lily & Molly come to visit their friend Kerri in Naples every year, we always go to a Mexican Restaurant. Our Miami friends Greg & Charlie always make the drive to join us. The first year we all got together, we went to Iguana Mia in Bonita Springs and had a great time… after many margaritas of course!
The second year, we were going to try Mesón Olé, but it had closed down. Now called Mr. Tequila Restaurant, it is located at 3126 Tamiami Trl N in Naples. We all had a pleasant experience. Dominic and I revisited the restaurant several times after that, always having a great meal.
The flavor of their carnitas (my favorite childhood dish) is the closest to the flavor of the carnitas from the Mexican restaurants in Puerto Rico.
The flavor of their carnitas (my favorite childhood dish) is the closest to the flavor of the carnitas from the Mexican restaurants in Puerto Rico.
However, for our 3rd reunion, my Tulane friends Jes, Christian, Damien & Cyrus were in town as well so I made reservations 1 week in advance at Flaco’s (4947 Tamiami Trl N # 110, Naples). A few hours before we were to meet, Kerri called Flaco’s to add 1 person to the reservation and they told her they did not have any reservation for us. I called, tried to work it out with them, but they did not make any attempt to accommodate us. There was no manager or owner to speak to, not that day, not the next day, or the next when I called back. Because of this incident, I have a hard time returning to Flaco's.
Scrambling, I called Mr. Tequilas and they were very happy to accommodate our large party at the last minute even though they were busy themselves. Unfortunately, that night, almost everyone was disappointed with their meal. This discouraged Dominic & I from returning.
Until recently, we found ourselves in the neighborhood and decided to give it another try. We’re so glad we did! The restaurant was packed (and we were not even in season) so the service was a bit slow and I felt like I was interrupting the server’s concentration every time I had a request, but he took the time to give us his opinion on several dishes.
I ordered the “Carnitas Platter” and asked if they could make it a little spicy. I am always VERY careful about asking for spicy at Mexican & Asian restaurants. My dish had a nice kick to it and was as good as I remembered.
Dominic was in the mood for fajitas so he ordered the Fajitas Mr. Tequilas (steak, chicken, shrimp & chorizo). He loved it!
Their salsa is always good and plentiful. It is not spicy at all though. We’ve had their Shrimp Diablo and Chicken Enchiladas and they are both delicious. I had their “Alambre” on that fateful night so I do not plan on ordering that dish again, but I do plan on returning… especially for their XL Modelo Especial on tap!
