The Macho Nacho

Oops… closed March 13^th.
Nice location.
Has hosted many different restaurants.
Food not consistent in quality according to even the owner.

The food quality here was 4 stars on my 1^st visit but the slow service dropped the overall experience to a 3. I was hesitant to try the place as I had heard some really awful reviews from friends/​family but we opted to go ahead and give it a shot. We dined at 6:30 on a Thursday evening and there were a handful of other tables occupied. We were greeted and served drinks right away. We placed our dinner order and enjoyed chips and salsa while we waited. Luckily we (group of 6) hadn’t gotten together for some time and had lots of catching up to do as it took our food nearly an hour to arrive. Needless to say, we had filled up on chips and salsa before our food ever arrived. The food was very good albeit slow. I had the Inside Out Tamales and while they were a bit spicy for my taste, they had a great flavor combination. I had to take the majority of my meal home with me but it was also good the next day.
This place has a relatively unique menu and a good location. I really hope they can get the kinks worked out because they have great potential!

Worst!!! My friend and I stopped in. Wow how we were deceived. We ordered 2 apps of jalapeño poppers, the burrito special, and the taco special… ready?
We got 6 poppers for two orders. We got ½ a burrito with lettuce (I don’t like lettuce), and two tacos. Awful!!!

‘Eh’ perfectly describes my feelings about Macho Nacho. It’s pretty close to my house, so I wanted to try it out when my friends came in to town. As a party of 3, we came on a Sunday evening at about 8 o’clock when the restaurant was relatively empty (about 3 – 4 occupied tables). We were seated immediately, which was just about the only positive thing they did.
Ok, so I’m giving Macho Nacho 2 stars for both their service and their food. We weren’t greeted by our server for close to 10 minutes. When we were finally greeted, we weren’t brought waters for another 8 minutes. We were brought salsa eventually, but without the chips. The entire evening followed the same inattentive, slow pattern. Keep in mind that this was a Sunday evening after the dinner rush, so there was really no explanation for this.
On to the food — it was mediocre at best. The ‘queso’ was not queso… more like beer cheese. It was thick and the texture was not at all what I think of when I crave tex mex queso. I also ordered the chicken quesadilla, and when I asked the server if the salsa was served on the side because I didn’t want any salsa in the quesadilla, she told me yes. Low and behold, I received my quesadilla with salsa on the side AND inside. I didn’t even bother telling the server because she never came to check on us after we received our food until after we had finished to bring us the check. Overall, the food was just so-​so. If the food had been amazing or creative, I could have overlooked the slow service. Or if the service had been phenomenal, I could have overlooked the less than impressive food. But neither of these were the case.
Bottom line, skip Macho Nacho and save your money.

There have been mixed reviews on here for this new place, but fortunately we had a great service experience. Our waitress was very attentive. She even made sure to ask us if we wanted one of the free tablets for our daughter to play games on! Free ! Of course!
The chips and the jalapeño ranch dip were awesome! I ordered the California chicken bacon burrito. It was a huge portion and tasty but felt like it was lacking some sauce and the cheese wasn’t really melted. I would’ve have enjoyed it more with those little things fixed. My husband ordered the buffalo wings and he was impressed with the size of them. I think the first one was a bit soggy but he loves them the more he ate of them. You get your monies worth on those! I ordered a margarita but it was quite strong, but I love the fresh squeezed limes! You can definitely tell!
The kids meals are reasonably priced and my daughter enjoyed her hamburger. We will be back to try some other dishes soon!

Meh. Average TexMex. I got the barbaco tacos with beans and a margarita. It wasn’t bad; it just wasn’t special. Everything tastes like it could be made at home without too much effort. The margarita was too sweet and the simple syrup just overwhelmed the fresh lime flavor.
The worst of it is this– the locale is terrible. Parking is hard to find and sadly the food isn’t good enough for me to make the effort to come back.

It you have plenty of time to kill and don’t mind studying the menu for 40 minutes without even a glass of water, then, by all means, visit here and see how much longer it will take to get the food and if the order can be placed correctly. I did not have enough time to find out how (fantastic or bad) their food is because I had to leave after 45 minutes of waiting (and receiving a complimentary glass of water and the wrong order of drinks. Among what must be thousands of restaurants I visited, this one has the worse service.
This restaurant owner should at least try to staff better, at least on a Sunday. We (a party of two) arrived for lunch around 12:45pm Sunday and even though the restaurant is less this half empty, it seems there are only two waitresses. One of them also is the bar tender for the entire restaurant.
We waited at least 15 minutes before she comes over to take the order. We placed drink order and food order immediately and at least another 25−30minutes passed before the drinks were served. One of the drink order was wrong and the other is correct — it was beer, so how challenging does it have to be to get it right?
No chips and salsa during the entire 45 minutes.
Our waitress/​bar tender does not seem like she wants to work there. I cannot blame her. It must be stressful to try to serve while bar tending.
We cancelled our order for a simple lunch and left, because we have no confidence in the order delivered correctly, given the screwup of the simple drink order. Nor do we want to gamble on how much longer it will take to get our food. There are many much better choices in town.
THIS PLACE SHOULD SHAPE UP OR CLOSE THE DOOR. It is a shame such bad management exist in a restaurant in such a good location!

If you were looking forward to trying The Macho Nacho, I recommend you get there right away because this place won’t be around long.
First, the good: (1) the Health Department awarded them a perfect score (100) on their inspection; (2) the toilet flushed.
Now for the not-​so-​good: (1) the menus were disgustingly dirty and tattered and our table had big sticky ring marks on it from the previous occupants’ margaritas — wipe down your tables, yo!; (2) queso dip and guacamole were delivered to the table with no chips. Server promised to bring some but we had to run him down twice to finally get them. It took similar persistence and repeated requests to get salsa; (3) the restaurant was maybe at half-​capacity at the most, yet I looked at the same dirty table with same dirty dishes piled on it for the two hours that we were there — seriously in two hours time no employee in the entire restaurant walked by that table and did a damn thing about it; (4) server scooped up three glasses from our table and went off to refill them all with Diet Coke — I am nearly certain we did not get our original glasses back; (5) food was not flavorful — I can get a better burrito at Taco Bell and the frozen Morningstar black bean burgers I buy at Kroger beat the heck out of their veggie burger, which was disgusting.
Before Macho Nacho opened, they advertised that they would be providing delivery service. Three words for that idea: Good freakin’ luck. If you are really serious about delivery, start by delivering to the tables in your own restaurant.
Something that was especially annoying was the hallway leading to the restroom is quite narrow and really cannot accommodate two people passing each other. As I was coming out of the restroom, a manager (at least I think he was a manager because he seemed to be doing absolutely nothing and it’s clear this place lacks management) crowded past me down the hall. Really, dude? Could you not have done the courteous thing and allowed a customer to exit before you entered? It’s kind of like the elevator rule: life works better for everyone if you let those on the elevator off before you pile on.
Bottom line: I can accept mistakes and slow service. I can even accept the occasional bad meal. I cannot, however, accept complete laziness and the don’t-give-a-damn vibe that this place exudes.
Macho Nacho is doomed unless someone around there starts to give a damn.

My husband and I have a very serious five point grading system for Mexican/​Tex Mex and I really think everyone with a bad early review needs to give this place another shot. Prompt service, great house margarita that isn’t 90% corn syrup, and both excellent and reasonably priced food? Sign me up!
The house salsa and Macho Nachos were a particular favorite. This place should be packed on a game night, although I am selfishly glad it was not.
It is worth noting that the meat quality (especially the cut of the steak) is better than any other Mexican or Tex Mex in town.

I agree with Brad N. I was confused why there were «radio» commercials playing while we were eating, very tacky. This was our second time going here and it was no better than the first. Our sever clearly hadn’t been trained, and all of our food came out at different times and the sides were barely edible. The salsa tasted like it was from a gas station. However, the fajitas were good & the drinks were really good, the wine list was a bit different for a Tex-​Mex place.
After our food coming out a mess, I noticed the manager stopped at every table but ours, and our server never offered to send him over… Which is standard with a service/​food disaster, especially in a new place. I’m wondering what they were doing all last year in «preparation» for opening. I was really hoping for a Chevy Chase gem. :/

Awful! But since Unilocal likes allittle more detail here ya go.
Went there on a friday night with a party of 6 people at around 6pm. We had to put our name on the list as they had nothing available. Not a problem, we sent our husbands to the bar to get us all drinks as we waited. There were 4 house margaritas and 2 bourbon on the rocks to be made. There was nobody else waiting and it took the bartender over 15 minutes! Really? Were they blindfolded and missing fingers? There is no reason they should have taken that long to make.
Then, 3 other parties were sat before we were! We were the only ones on the list!
When we finally got seated we again waited over 10 minutes to even be greeted!
The food was mediocre at best. Beans are runny pinto beans. The fajitas were small and they gave only three 4 inch soft tortillas with the entry. Had to ask for more and wait for them as well.
Frankly I wouldn’t waste your time here. Go around the corner to the mexican restaurant that has long since been established and has superior service, food and bar. My prediction is that this place, if it continues to run the way it is by whomever is running it, will be run right into the ground and the way of the previous three establishments that tried to make a go of it in this location.

Was looking forward to trying this new-​ish place in Lex for their happy hour. (Which friends had raved about) Unfortunately, they no longer offer Happy Hour Prices on Fridays. Drinks are strong. The creamy jalepeno dipping sauce is like crack and the chips were fresh. Delish, but still somewhat disappointed about no Friday Happy Hour

This place is… just o.k. Which isn’t great for their business because there is tons of great Mexican food in Lexington. Jalapeños, Hacienda, El Rancho. I would suggest all of these places over Macho Nacho.
The atmosphere hasn’t changed much since the past three restaurants that have been here, other than a mural over two of the walls near the bar. I’m not complaining about the atmosphere necessarily, I’m just saying — it isn’t new.
The chips were overcooked, but the salsa was good. I was distracted however by the dirty, ripped menus. If you’re a new business, you should be doing everything you can to maintain excellence at the beginning. My fear for all restaurants in Lexington is that they always seem to slip into mediocrity, but I can tell that within a couple months the Macho Nacho is already there. I’m not happy to criticize like this, and by no means do I take pride in it. I would love more than anything for a nice place to open in Chevy Chase so that I could go often with my friends, after all it’s right down the street.
The food was decent, but it wasn’t great, so really why would I go back? I wouldn’t. Also, if you’re a legitimate business, can you please PAY for a Spotify/​Pandora account so I don’t hear obnoxious advertisements blasting in my ear while I’m trying to enjoy a meal.

Reading some of the other reviews I seem to have had similar experiences: I’ll start with the good:
Chorizo beef tacos were really good and very flavorful — would like to try the chorizo beef burger– sounds amazing
Service was quick — though like another reviewer server initially seemed unsure of himself but ended up being knowledgeable and efficient.
Atmosphere was nice and comfortable
Beer selection was excellent
Tequila selection probably the best in Lexington
Guacamole was good and reasonably priced compared to other places with a good portion
Cream dip was pretty good
Salsa had a nice texture to it but was somewhat bland and not spicy at all
Happy hour specials seem pretty good, 4 dollar house Margarita was very good and strong!
Not as good:
Macho Nachos! — with this being the largest thing on the menu thought for sure it would be amazing — but it wasn’t. We were disappointed overall. Steak was pretty good but nothing was really special about them. JDI still has the best Nachos in Lexington. But thought they may challenge them for that title but they did not!
Parking not the best.
Beer should be colder
Needs to add a hot or spicy salsa at a minimum. Salsa could be greatly improved.
Will try it again but wasn’t super excited about returning. Some improvements would make it the go to Tex-​mex place in Lexington but not yet. Not gonna go with Chuy’s as the top yet but probably Coba Cochina!

I was pretty excited about this restaurant. I love tex mex and margaritas! When you first walk in the restaurant gives you a welcoming modern vibe, which is awesome. But from there things just kinda went down hill. I know the restaurant is new but it seemed like the employees had never worked in a restaurant in their entire life. The food wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either and the drink selection was a little underwhelming. I had even concinced a friend to join due to thinking they had a nice beer selection.
All in all, I was disappointed. I think I’ll stick with chuys for my tex mex cravings.

My wife recently suggested meeting her for dinner at this new restaurant and we enjoyed our first visit.
As other Unilocalers have mentioned, Macho Nacho offers a unique creamy dipping sauce with their chips and salsa and we thoroughly enjoyed this version. We opted to split an order of chicken fajitas but discovered that their portion is smaller than most of the local Mexican restaurants. We were going to supplement the meal with a shared appetizer but they were out of the Chorizo Meatballs so we made due with the one order of fajitas and chips and salsa.
Beverage wise we had ice water and Margaritas (which were fairly stout). They have three versions of margarita (grades of tequila) and we chose the cheapest. Two of their margaritas definitely get your attention!
Had a nice time and look forward to trying more of their menu on our next visit! Be warned that parking can be a challenge.

After a lovely Unilocal-​sponsored event, I decided to give this place a second try so that I could give a full review.
We arrived around 3pm, when the full dinner menu wasn’t available – just the shareables and appetizers, as well as the full bar. That basically meant no fajitas or sandwiches, but left a lot of possibilities.
We started with complimentary salsa and creamy jalapeño ranch dip, paired with tortilla chips. The chips are crispy and tasty. The salsa is just sort of weak, but the jalapeño ranch is one of the best things about this place! It would be easy to fill up on just that!
Our server was new – it was his first day. But besides not being completely up-​to-​date on drink prices for happy hour, he was very competent. I ordered a Pepsi and my wife ordered a margarita and a water. The refills came quickly and often.
We ordered some of the basic guacamole (not the bacon and smoky jalapeño version) and it was great! Creamy texture and had a good spicy kick. It had all the flavor that the salsa was lacking.
For our meal, we both chose tacos. Whichever one you choose, you get three tacos and a side dish. She ordered the pork belly tacos and hand-​cut fries. I ordered the barbacoa and cilantro lime rice. For the tacos, you have your choice of flour or corn tortillas. We both chose corn. The pork belly tacos have grilled pineapple and pickled onions. I had one of hers and it was amazing! The handcut fries, once salted, were a can’t-miss side. The ketchup provided had a smoky flavor. (There’s a cheese fries appetizer that I simply must try next time.)
My barbacoa tacos had beef brisket (apparently cooked in banana leaves), onios and chili verde. Let me say that the chili verde has a great flavor. I’d like it as another salsa option with the chips. Unfortunately, it is lost in these tacos – completely overwhelmed by the heavy flavor of the barbacoa. I won’t say I didn’t like the brisket at all, but it did taste like hot, shredded beef jerky. I think you’d need a creamy sauce to balance its strong flavor. It was sad that the chili verde was lost in these tacos.
There were a couple additional issues with my tacos. On one, the edge of the corn tortilla had been cooked until it was so hard that it was sharp. My first bite was painful and I had to peel off the edge of the taco to finish it. On a second one, the entire bottom broke open as I picked it up, making it impossible to eat as a taco. I don’t know what caused (or solves) this problem, but I did read another review that mentions it, so hopefully they’ll work on it.
My cilantro lime rice was nothing to write home about. Not strong on either flavor. I’d definitely opt for the fries next time.
I’m aware that this review makes The Macho Nacho sound hit or miss. Really, there are a lot of things to recommend it. Everything is fresh, and the things that are good are excellent. While there are some missteps, I know that the owner and chef read these reviews, and having met them, I know they can handle criticism and want to improve.
While it wasn’t perfect, it was a great experience and I’ll likely give them another try soon.

I needed a drink. With the kind of week I have had, you’d want a drink (or 10) too. We were told happy hour meant that cocktails were half off, but the hostess. **correction, well cocktails were half off, not the fancy ones on the menu (d’oh!)** And beer and margaritas are $ 1 off. After my initial confusion, i picked the regular house margarita at only $ 4 during happy hour.
Our server was a nice guy, a bit unsure of himself, but that will come with more experience. He brought out salsa and creamy jalapeño dip with chips. The salsa is a bit too mild for my taste, but then I like to eat fire some days. This salsa might be perfect for the masses who can not handle the heat. The creamy jalapeño dip is perfect. We also order the regular guac which had enough kick and spice to make it good. Not overly hot, or overly processed avacado. Little chunks of avacado and cilantro shown through. And the chips were salted AND peppered – a nice touch.
I ordered the pork belly tacos with fries and the husband got the barbacoa tacos. I tried one of his tacos and while it wasn’t my favorite thing (nor his) I can see people really liking it. It had a strong smokey, beef flavor.
However, my tacos were amazing, crunchy little pork belly bits with pickle onions. It was really a good combination. The hand cut fries were also good – way better than the cilantro rice, but then I’m not a fan of rice in the first place.
I was excited to have another chance to visit macho nacho and I am looking foward to trying all the tequilas.

Wow! It was so fun checking out this place with a group of friends. It’s the perfect venue for a group outing, family dinner or date night. The price point and the amount of food you get is so impressive and it’s just right for a fun and casual night out. I was ready for a new and different Mexican restaurant in Lexington and this one perfectly fits a new niche — trendy and upscale atmosphere, unique dishes and very moderate prices. All the food turned out delicious and the signature sauces are definitely worth trying. I had the «Macho Nacho» and the half order was still too big for me. I highly recommend trying this place!

The food was not great. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad taco until tonight, very much a let down. The guacamole was brown and overpowered with garlic. Salads that accompanied meals came out last.
The service and staff were very nice, unfortunately not extremely knowledgable about the menu. They also had some issues with the computers and printing of checks. Overall, I think it boils down to an ownership/​management issue during the opening week.
I plan on returning to give it one more chance. I won’t hold my breath.