Alvarez Mexican Restaurant

Our favorite Mexican restaurant in Rockford! The food is absolutely scrumptious and the folks that own and run the restaurant are wonderful people and take time to get to know their customers! Everytime we go in there they run over to say hello to our son whom they never forget! In a world that’s too busy and fast pace, they take the time to give great customer service! Top that with yummy Mexican food and you can’t go wrong! I recommend the Carne asada!!!

Unfortunately, this joint is a sad example of true Mexican cuisine and the atmosphere is equally as stale. Nuff said…

1. Winter is coming, so I highly recommend their chicken tortilla soup. I order it with maiz (corn) tortillas and a lime slice on the side, pour one of their salsas in-​soooo satisfying!
2. Another dish I recommend is their chicken with mole. Order it with maiz (corn) tortillas and you’ll have a party in your mouth.
3. Prefer the green salsa.
4. We’ve lived here for 15 years. Went often at first then waned off. The past couple of years, have gone back and the owners couldn’t be nicer.
Stood the test of time, good pricing, VERY welcoming-​it doesn’t get any better than this.
Sure-​there are plenty of restaurants to choose from-​but my number 1 complaint is, I want to feel welcomed. You get that here.
Find your favorite dish, experiment with mixing up salsas and appetizers… you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Another awesome dinner. One of my special places for Mexican food. The only drawback was me subbing my toe as I walked up the stairs. (Blood and all, Ouch) We had our regular server Alberto. we had tacos, guacamole, chips and salsa. And chorizo with melted cheese. See you all next time.

If you have ever been here, you would know two things right off the bat; it’s a family run business and its décor isn’t the best. But let’s establish one point, that kind of annoys me a bit to see. This isn’t a fancy place to go and stare at the décor on the wall with a nice fancy candle lit dinner. But really, WHO CARES? Seriously, if your here to complain about the décor, you are not writing the review for the right reasons!
The food:
Okay let me start off by saying I have been to many Mexican restaurants around the Rockford local area. All of which include: Los Portales, Mexico Classico, el mochajete (Belvidere), de Jauns (Belvidere), mi ranchito, and chilangos. So now, with that being said. I have been here multiple times over the past decade. Food is always great! I had ordered the pollo huasteco, my grandma a chimichanga, and my brother enchiladas. Everything was hot, fresh (you can taste it), and flavorful. Guacamole was also delicious. Yes the chips and salsa had a consistency of almost a soup like texture, but none the less it tasted fine. Okay so let me break it down for ya big picture wise. This isn’t top line Mexican cuisine, the décor isn’t nice, but the staff, service and personalities are awesome. The food is pretty good and the prices are good. Don’t come in here expecting a fancy cuisine. Go in here expecting fun times, friendly staff, reasonably priced food with a good taste. (Not the best, but let’s be honest your not paying that price!)

The food here is the best Mexican food in this area. Complementary chips and salsa as soon as you sit down. !!FREE! These are hand crafted. The beef is so good. I’m certain its never frozen. It does not matter if its grnd beef for tacos or the steak beef you get in fajitas. it is soooooooo delicious. My wife orders the cheese burger (she is very PICKY). She loves it saying its one of the best around.
These people treat you like family. I’m trying to work my way through the menu, by ordering at least one of everything. Its very CLEAN. GO there. Get your Welcome Amigos. Tell them Bob sent you. They dont advertise, it helps keep prices low. Write a review on Unilocal about how AWESOME it was.

Very clean and a welcoming atmosphere. The staff made you feel like family!
Not a fan of the chips or salsa– but the quality and freshness of the fajitas/​veggies and meat were the best in rockford!
Will go definitely go back!

This place is bae. I like the food u got the fajita and it was good, also highly recommend the margaritas and queso really good dawg…

I’ve been going to Alvarez for years but never did write a review on it because I was never a Unilocaler! There are many chain restaurants in Rockford, but if you want some authentic food (besides American… and seriously what is American food anyways?) then Alvarez is definitely your best bet. I’ve constantly gone back to Alvarez over the years because the food is consistently good and the staff is always extremely friendly. You may be asking yourself why I only gave Alvarez 3 stars then and I must say that my reasoning is biased… at this point I’ve been to so many amazing Mexican restaurants that Alvarez has dropped in the standings, but don’t let that deter you — Alvarez is still a great contender for good food! (Alvarez — it’s not you, it’s me).
I think that you will be completely satisfied with anything you have and although I’ve had plenty of their dishes I would have to say that their fajitas are my absolute favorite! The chicken fajitas are bomb diggity and the shrimp fajitas are the bomb dot com so you decide which one gets your tummy growling more! Also, their margaritas are quite tastey but if you aren’t feeling the alcohol then you can always go with a non-​alcoholic Jarito (preferably orange flavored) or Horchata!
The atmosphere is pretty chill so if you’re just looking to have some good food and hang out with family and friends then this is a winner for ya tonight. I used to go here with my mom and some neighborhood friends, eat and dance in the restaurant and this was usually for hours on end. I don’t know if you would want to dance seeing as how there isn’t a true dance floor but it’s just a fun little place. And to top it off the staff are all pretty friendly and usually they are pretty fast. I will admit that sometimes the service can be somewhat slow but what they lack in pace they make up for in cheerfullness. Your wallet won’t be hurting after dinner either, I promise. So hey, give it a try instead all of those other chain restaurants around the area. Alvarez wants a little company!

The food was horrible I spent $ 31 & it wasn’t worth $ 5… I should have trusted the bad reviews… I got my order as a carry out… The rice was very salty… The steak tacos was disgusting the steak wasn’t seasoned they hardly put any steak on the taco, the shell was flour & stale… The steak burrito had no steak in it barely 3 pieces literally… there was $ 1.99 charge for steak… The tamales was horrible they smothered them in cheese & sauce that was horrible… I drove a distance to go to this restaurant & was very disappointed… When it was done in less than 10 minutes I should have known the food was not gonna be right… I do not recommend this restaurant… I will continue going to Taqueria San Jose on East State, Chiquita Foods…

Fast and friendly service, food is a 8.7 out of 10.
It was clean and family fruebdky. Clise to Cherryville mall

My husband and I went to Alvarez in Cherry Valley, and it was the best Mexican food we have eaten in this area. Their Buggy Burrito is HUGE and their Sopa Azteca is the best anywhere. I highly recommend this restaurant to others.

We went here on a Groupon on a Saturday night. The restaurant was a little busy and we waited a few minutes for a booth. Once we got our table it was another 15 minutes before our server acknowledged us. The service continued to get worse as we had to wait an unreasonable amount of time for our drinks and salsa refill. By the time our food arrived, the fajitas were not sizzling and the enchiladas with melted cheese were cold. Plus we had no silverware until I got up and tracked some down from the Hostess. There are many Mexican restaurants in the area and based on our experience with the poor service and luke warm food, I would suggest finding a different restaurant.

I’ve ate inside the restaurant a couple of times but it’s been years ago. A few days ago I ordered food to go and it was prepared in about 10 – 15 minutes. Food was warm and ok tasting. There is another place in town that makes better authentic mexican food in my opinion. I ordered the Chimichanga (chicken) and beef Quesadilla’s. I enjoyed the Quesadilla’s more than the Chimichanga. The chimichang a was a little tough and the rice was a little on the cold side and I picked it up about 20 minutes after I had ordered it.
The ambiance inside was a little off to me. It was dark and the whole layout of the entire restaurant is bizarre to me. Tables are very close to the door and it just seemed to me that I would not enjoy people waiting around and peering into my plate.

I love this place! The service is great and extremelyyy friendly. Great $ 5 lunch specials and overall cheap prices for everything! Can’t really go wrong with any of the options, but my favorites are the chicken fajitas and the ranchero chicken. Not impressed by the salsa, but it’s not enough to take away from the other stuff!

My wife and I are regulars at this restaurant. The food is not gourmet quality, but it is reasonably priced and very good. We have had a variety of items from their menu. We have never had a bad meal there. The staff has always been friendly and attentive to us. The place is a little on the dark side, and the décor could use a bit of a make over, but it isn’t that bad in my opinion. We like this place and will continue to return.

I’m extremely confused about the poor reviews given by fellow Unilocalers. I hadn’t been to Alvarez in about 12 years and recently went with a group of friends. While it isn’t the most spectacular place I’ve ever been, I felt it offered a fun atmosphere and delightful food. We had a group of six and went in at around 6 PM on a Friday night. We were immediately seated and given amazing service from the get go. Our server was very attentive and quick.
As for the chips and salsa, yes, they were standard. The house salsa is a little on the runny side, with less chunks and more liquid. It was okay, but I thought the salsa verde was great! Very authentic and really spicy! The chips were a little on the hard side (though not stale). We had an order of guacamole and I’m confused about what the previous commenter meant about it being served on lettuce, as ours came in a big cup. It, by the way, is one of the better guacs I’ve ever had in a restaurant.
Fridays there is a man who walks around playing guitar. He was not only very talented, but hilarious, and that added to the experience. As for décor, yes, they are lacking, but I figure if you can’t get over that and enjoy the company of those you are with, then the restaurant isn’t the problem.
I had the enchiladas verdes with chicken. The chicken was moist and flavorful, the sauce was perfect, and their tortillas are almost as good as home made. My boyfriend had the chicken tacos and was also extremely impressed. None of the people at my table (out of 6 somewhat picky eaters) had a complaint, though we all agreed the beans were just beans and one diner mentioned that his enchiladas suizas was just standard. I had the horchata, and again, I had a completely different experience. It was delightful and was obviously made in house.
Overall, try this place. The prices are reasonable and if you are looking for good Mexican food this a great place to hit up. If I went strictly by the reviews I wouldn’t have tried it and frankly, that would have been regrettable.

Generally, when locals recommend a place, it doesn’t disappoint. I wish I could say that here. A strong hint that should have been considered revealed itself in a nearly empty parking lot when we pulled in just before 6pm.
We were greeted and seated promptly. They offer horchata, so I ordered one with a water. Like any other Mexican restaurant, they brought out a basket of tortilla chips with a bowl of salsa. I’m not entirely certain I could call it salsa.
Working backwards, the salsa had the consistency and viscosity of paint. Yep, regular ol’ every day house paint. I’m not kidding here. It was beyond gross in that it in no way resembled what I might colloquially consider salsa. Perhaps I’m not exactly clued in to what is authentic, but I expected something red (not pink) with more flavor and I just couldn’t get over the fact that it tasted/​felt as if it had been artificially thickened. We did ask for a bowl of tomatillo salsa verde, which was significantly better.
The majority of the tortilla chips were stale and I’m reasonably certain they came out of a bag from the local grocery store. Unfortunately, we did not finish either the salsa or the chips. Let me say that I have never eaten less than one basket of chips and salsa. Today was the exception.
Then there was the horchata. Never before have I NOT finished an horchata. I’m not even sure this was horchata. To me it tasted like skim milk mixed with Lorann cinnamon oil (you know, the kind your mom made hard candy with when you were a kid). I didn’t even drink half of it.
Finally, the entrée was just about average. Mostly bland mixed with that generic «Mexican food flavor» that you find in way too many restaurants. The beans were basically less interesting than something I can get at the supermarket out of a can. The rice was simply deplorable. It was on the rebound to dessication. To say the food was average is being overly generous. There was nothing about my meal I would want to eat again, nor would I recommend it to anyone. This place needs a new chef/​cook. Regarding the rest of the staff, everyone was pleasant and friendly.

Positives: Attentive staff. Inexpensive food. Refreshingly devoid of d-​bag hipsters. Everyone around us appeared to be having a good time.
Negatives: Décor is sort of cheesy and dark. Complimentary salsa nothing to write home about.
Went at 6pm on a Saturday and got a table right away. I may not come back often but I will return.

Eh…
So they have been around for a long time in the area and as I kid I remembered how good it once was.
Not a fan at all with the food coming out the kitchen as it’s more like lifeless cheap product that makes you wonder if you should pay…
This type of cuisine is easy to make so I’m wondering whats going on back there? Maybe they microwave everything.