Brianne Ries
Nestled among some of McMinnville’s most popular restaurants, Los Molcajetes holds its own, bringing bold colors and spicy Mexican cuisine to 527 NE 3rd St.
The location of the restaurant has had a high turnover during the past few years, previously housing the restaurant and brewery Trask and used as the space for the Third Street Holiday Market. Newly decorated with authentic artwork ranging from paintings, dresses and pottery, and with splashes of bright colors
covering some of the tables, the warmth of the room makes you feel like you are anywhere other than the Pacific Northwest.
Adding to the atmosphere is the layout of the restaurant, which is quite large, but strategically divided, providing three separate dining sections and a bar area. Had the restaurant been full, our meal still would have had an element of privacy.
At 6:30 p.m. April 21, our party did not have to worry about being bothered in a loud and crowded restaurant. With a few diners scattered throughout two sections, we were seated immediately and promptly served complementary chips, salsa and water.
The menu boasted plenty of options at varying prices, similar to those you would see at Tequila Grill or
Mazatlan.
Ordering fajitas, grilled chicken tacos and a chicken burrito among the three of us, we were overall satisfied with the meal. The chicken used in the fajitas and grilled chicken taco packed a spicy punch that was overwhelming with the first bite, but cooled down throughout the meal. The Spanish-style rice was a bit overcooked on my plate, but the others’ rice portions were prepared quite well. Each dish on the menu was relatively inexpensive (our meals were each less than $12) and had large portions that could be boxed up and taken home to eat later.
The one downside to Los Molcajetes was the service. Only two servers were working, and they frequently switched which customers they were helping. I had to wait about five minutes after the meal arrived to receive the tortillas for my fajitas. Our water glasses were only filled once toward the end of the meal, which didn’t help when our mouths were burning from the chicken.
There was also a mix up when splitting the check. Instead of coming and asking us the correct amount for each card, the waitress charged an iced tea to the incorrect person.
For a new restaurant, there are many positives for Los Molcajetes, but there are some things that they could work on to increase their customer base.
If you’re looking for a new place to get your Mexican food fix, I give Los Molcajetes a 3.5 out of 5. Go check it out; just make sure you have time to wait for what was slightly hit-and-miss service, but delicious authentic food.