Geronimo Tequila Bar and Southwest Grill

I’ve been to Geronimo’s twice, and both times have been really disappointing. The first time, one person in our party returned his food because he disliked it so much. The rest of us kept ours, but it was strictly mediocre.
The second time, I went for their happy hour. My group called in advance, and we were told they had happy hour specials. However, after we got there, they told us the specials only applied to people seated at the bar. The bar seating is very limited, so we ended up having to pay full price.
Also, it is almost impossible to order food here as a vegan. After struggling to find something to eat, I ended up ordering a burrito with only vegetables (the rice is made with butter). It was okay, but pretty bland and definitely not worth the price.
The next time I want some great margaritas and chips, I’ll be heading to Mezcal in East Rock!

Former glory devolved more than I thought possible.
Everything we ordered had problems of quality and execution that is inexcusable at this price point; made worse in light of all the formerly glorious meals I’ve had here.
We said yes to chips and guac, made fresh at the table. Our chips were thick and very laden with oil. Heavy, greasy, and I’m no expert at frying but something was off. Change the oil?
My husband ordered lobster enchiladas which were soggy, sloppy, cloyingly creamy, and he is one of the least fussy people I know, and didn’t like them. I tasted and couldn’t place the error, not fresh sauce? Too sweet, too soggy?
I had elk meatloaf which was a huge fail. It was served on top of sweet potato fries, because they are trying to stack the plate vertically. (So trendy) this just created a soggy mess of gravy and oily fries that sounds like it would be delicious but was actually a failure in execution. The meatloaf itself was dry and crusty from sitting around, not a pleasant edge crispy from baking, a dry dehydrated edge from being refrigerated too long.
The sweet potato fries we ordered as a side were so soaked in oil that they were literally dripping as you picked them up. LITERALLY DRIPPING OIL. Not fresh and crisp at all. Again, I don’t fry at home, but, shake the basket? Change the oil?
I’ve had such wonderful exotic meats and treats here but it’s been a few years since I’ve visited. These mistakes are not simply a bad night, they are lazy cost cutting and sloppy measures that so many restaurants seem to slip into over time.
Close down for two weeks. Shrink the menu. Concentrate on freshness.
****note, our server was wonderful and attentive.

Get the Guac! I love going to Geronimo’s simply for their amazing guacamole and the ambiance there. I frequently get the guacamole appetizer as a meal when I’m there. The presentation is fabulous, as it’s made to order, right in front of you by their Guac Chef. It’s pretty entertaining to see someone take some avocado’s, tomato, onion, cilantro, lime, and spices and turn it into a beautiful (and tasty), guacamole dip. That’s my favorite part of my experience at Geronimo’s. I’ve also eaten their guacamole burger, a quesadilla, and yucca fries, but in my opinion, the guacamole is the best thing on the menu. This place has an outdoor patio, which is a nice scene to go for a drinks with friends, or on a date. They have nice bartenders, and one time… I left my credit card at their bar on accident, but they kept it safe for me until I fatefully returned for more guac.

Went here last night for cinco de mayo and it was wicked crowded. Still had a great time though. Me and my friends were able to find a spot where we weren’t getting bumped into even though the amount of people there was insane. The bartenders were very efficient and got things done quickly in order to please the immense amount of people there. I was drinking the original margarita and it was delicious. It was the perfect strength because I could taste the alcohol so I knew I was getting what I paid for but it wasn’t too strong where I couldn’t even drink it. The prices are a little high with the margaritas being $ 11 but it was delicious and I had a good time.

Pretty good food definitely not the best, far overpriced in my opinion. place was busy for a week night but I will probably try something else next time I’m in the area

This review is for margs guac and tacos only!
Really the definition of a 3 star place. Its good and id go back but like not amazing by any means. We got the guac and a pitcher of their strawberry margarita. My brother has had a variety of their tacos. The marg was yum and the pitcher full to the top but the glasses came unrimmed (server didn’t ask salt or sugar etc) and the server didn’t even pour the first cup. The guac was ok but the chips were too hard — they almost tasted stale. Overall its a fun place with a huge patio so if your just looking for a fun time and not a culinary experience its a perfectly good option.

We came to Geronimo for a large group dinner on a Saturday evening. It’s located along the main drag on Crown Street and has a huge outdoor dining area (protected with the clear plastic walls when we went), large bar areas featuring lots of tequila and tequila drinks, and a rear dining room. They accept reservations so would recommend that if you’re coming on a weekend as the wait was long for many. The drink and food menus are huge and diverse – you can find something for anyone from wine to beer to tequila flights to sangria (made fresh and amazing!!) to margaritas. Foodwise, it’s mostly Mexican (quesadillas, guac, burritos, tacos, etc), but also some burgers, Mac n cheese, and other sandwiches. Our group tried a bit of everything and all was fresh and delicious — Frito pie (yes they serve this!), chicken and veg quesadillas, chicken tacos, guac burger, and pork burrito were enjoyed by our group. The burrito and tacos were super spicy (even for my spice loving friends) so keep that in mind! Fun space to drink or grab a tasty meal with friends or family.

There were a few small things that I thought were great, such as the Mexican trash can (i think its called), which was a deliciously crafted margarita with a coronita dumped into it. The guacamole, which was made table side, and served with warm crispy tortillas. And the server, can’t remember his name, but he was handling the big tops in the front, and did a damn good job at keeping our drinks filled, answering our questions, and making us feel welcomed. As for the bad thing, my entrée, the lobster enchiladas. They were not good on many different levels. The lobster meat, whether it be deemed fresh or not, smelled extremely ‘fishy’ and was like chewing rubber. The enchilada sauce did little to supplant the odd tasting lobster meat, and the insides of the enchiladas were meagerly filled, so the shell was essentially falling apart when trying to cut into it. I am a huge seafood lover, so much so that I tend to order it when I shouldn’t. This place turned out to be one of those places. I would heavily advise against the lobster enchiladas. But try it out for yourself and stick to a classic dish to start.

Ok this place is awesome! Great food and the staff was excellent. Great food and perfectly spiced, presentation and atmosphere was impressive. The choices on there menu was endless. Definitely looking forward to our next visit!

I’m a real fan of Geronimo’s, it’s become a New Haven mainstay. Guac and chips are fresh and the Timberlake margarita, a personal favorite, is solid.
The ambience is engaging, maybe a little heavy, but unique.
The menu is reliable southwest; a few items with panache, the lobster mac and cheese and frybread, are great.
Been many times and had almost all positive experiences there — the servers seem consistently nice — but I have observed one of the managers, a middle-​aged Asian woman, to be a bit curt and ‘tudey with some. Saw a hostess roll her eyes at her once, too, so I guess I’m not alone.
On Friday and Saturday, the crowd can get a bit clubbier later in the evening (and that might just be New Haven) but it’s otherwise a sure-​fire spot for good dinner and drinks.

Cool location and environment. Great table side guac, definitely get it spicy! The pork carnitas tacos were awesome as well. The best was half price tequila everything on Sunday! The service was a bit slow at first, I think we were there for almost 10 minutes before the actual server got to us, but it picked up. No mistakes on food or drinks for a party of 6, and the bill was split perfectly. The night was well spent here.

Outstanding place! Highly recommend the live guacamole which they make in front of you. Also, the tamales are worth a try. Finally, their margaritas are amazing– I recommend the spicy blood orange margarita.

Awesome tequila /​margarita concoctions and the food is always excellent.
Great for dinner. Great for drinks. Great for dinner + drinks.
Been here a bunch and will return!

I’m from So. California where Mexican food rules… this place rocks! Amazing food, atmosphere and amazing tequila selection. Enjoying a Karmaberry margarita with Karma silver tequila, Combier, blackberry purée and fresh lime. Beyond good. I’ll be coming back for sure!

Stopped in here on a Friday afternoon for lunch.
Ordered the guacamole for an appetizer — it’s a large serving but a must order. It was so good! Took two of us the entirety of our meal to finish it. The waiter brought over more chips too when we ran out but still had guacamole left. Also ordered the chicken tortilla soup — not the best I’ve ever had and it’s got a little bit of a kick to it but still very good!
For our lunch entrees, we ordered the guacamole burger (plus bacon) and the braised short rib tacos. The guacamole burger was great — just huge! We ordered the burger with yuca fries — which were to die for but we were disappointed that we only got five of them. Also on the side with the burger was a Mexican coleslaw of some sort that was refreshingly delicious.
The braised short rib tacos might have been the best tacos I’ve ever had. They give you three with an order but they pack them tight so you are full after eating three. They also double wrap the tortillas so your tacos don’t fall apart the second you pick them up.
Definitely planning to return for dinner and margaritas (the list was so long!) soon!

My girlfriend and I have dined at Geronimo’s several times for Valentine’s Day dinners, birthday celebrations, etc. We’ve never had a bad dining experience. Our most recent trip to Geronimo’s was for Valentine’s Day 2016. Our reservation was for 6:00 PM. We arrived at approximately 5:50 and were seated immediately. The restaurant was surprisingly not too crowded for Valentine’s Day. We assume this was because Valentine’s Day fell on a Sunday this year, and that more people probably went out on Saturday night. Geronimo’s is not a Mexican restaurant per se, but rather a Southwestern Restaurant featuring dishes from Mexico and the Southwestern United States. It also has the best selection of tequila flights and margaritas in the state of Connecticut. For this particular outing, I ordered the Lobster Enchiladas and my girlfriend ordered the Shrimp Tamales. Both dishes were delicious and we left feeling not overly stuffed. To drink, I ordered a Sante Fe Margarita (1800 silver, triple sec, pineapple and cranberry juices, fresh lime) which I later followed up with a Geronimo Margarita (Anitguo silver, Ferrand and fresh lime). In past outings we’ve also ordered the Spicy Tableside Guacamole (the best guacamole we’ve ever had), the Pan-​Crisped Elk Meatloaf, and the Smoked Buffalo Brisket Tamales. Like I said before, we never ordered something we didn’t like. If you love Southwestern cuisine, tequila, and margaritas, then Geronimo’s is a must-​stop restaurant.

Decided to try this place while visiting New Haven and I have to say this place is awesome. Great service and the food was amazing.

Good food, attentive service and they have the best guacamole. I never tasted that good here in LA. Chicken casadia was also really good. They serve the chips in big Balti… I really enjoyed

HOLY GUACAMOLE. The star of the night was clearly the guacamole. The service and the margaritas were tied closely for second.
They made the guacamole right in front of us which was fun, and it was very tasty. DEFINITELY the best guacamole in town (yes, better than Chipotle lol). A little on the pricier side ($ 15-​$ 27 per bowl depending on which one you get), but it’s enough to share with a friend or two. I’ve also heard they’re starting a ½-​off guac Mondays, so definitely take advantage of that!
If you’re looking to consume something besides guacamole, chips, and margaritas (thumbs up for the Santa Fe margarita btw), try the Braised Short Rib Tacos. Their menu is almost too extensive, but to their credit there’s certainly something on there for everyone.
Note: I’m seeing a lot of criticism on Unilocal for the service here. I came here last night (a Friday night) with a group of 11 other girls from the cheer team and Chris was the most accommodating/​patient waiter. He checked on us throughout the night and made sure our waters were always filled. He even worked with the kitchen to create a dish for my friend who is a vegan. A+ service in my book!

What they make up for in décor, ambience, and guacamole, they lose in service.
I have been here multiple times with groups who always think it is a good idea and am always so surprised on how little effort they put into the service.

**** UPDATE******
A few days after my visit I was contacted by the General Manager of this location. Thao was extremely kind and apologetic. Apparently there was a misunderstanding and gratuity is never added on any check. She graciously offered and refunded our tip and sent a gift card. Thank you so much to Thao, we hope to be trying Geronimo again in the near future!
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original post:
I’ve been to the Fairfield location a few months ago and I absolutely loved my meal so I was excited when a friend of mine wanted to have her birthday dinner here. We had a reservation for 7 people and we were promptly seated when we arrived. Our waitress came to our table fairly quickly to take our drink orders, not everyone was ready to order so she began to pour us water. She looked as if she didn’t want to be there and we felt it the entire time. She disappeared after giving us our drinks. She had an attitude while taking our orders. We should have asked for another server at the moment.
It comes time time for the bill and the do not split bills and for parties of 6 or more they automatically charge a 20% GRATUITY. Had we known that we DEFINITELY would have asked for another server because she did not deserve a $ 40 tip. Our glasses were empty half way through our meals and we did not receive refills on our water or asked if we wanted more drinks. I assumed she thought we were not going to tip well but after seeing the bill I assume she thought since she was already receiving gratuity she did not need to provide decent customer service.
After we paid and headed out I asked to speak to a manager because I wanted to make sure the gratuity percentage was correct as it it not posted on any of the menus or online and it was written in on our receipt. I informed him about the bad service we received and he basically just laughed and said sorry about that and walked away. He obviously did not mean because he did not inquire any further or even ask who served us.
As much as I enjoyed my Mahi Mahi tacos and my strawberry mojito I do not plan on ever coming back to this location and won’t recommend it to anyone I know.

Well, not exactly my go to spot for a number of reasons but let me review its food selection.
Big bowl of guac — decent but since when did guac have carrot bits in it? Chips are fresh. That’s a plus.
Nachos — a hot mess of beans, and beans and beans with cheese here and there.
Don’t go on the weekends unless you dumb young and want to get dumb drunk. No dancing. Music choices are bad and very bad.
At least the bouncers are sort of nice to look at.

I stopped in because the tequila bar caught me eye after trying Louis’ burgers. We wanted get drinks and rest up before heading to the next stop on our food tour. We couldn’t get out of there fast enough because the bartenders were rude. From the moment we asked for a drink menu, the eye rolling started. Will never return.

Best margaritas EVER.
The food is delicious and the environment is perfect for a date!

Geronimo certainly lives up to it’s name. The array of tequila and drinks are wonderful. A personal favorite of mine is the spicy blood orange – I was cynical but I actually can distinguish between normal and blood orange. The spiciness is the perfect kick to keep it from getting too sweet.
Ordering from the bar can be a little difficult, but the bartenders do a good job of fielding the number of requests when it gets crowded. They prepare drinks in a timely (and delicious!) manner. Beware, it gets extremely crowded upstairs on weekend nights (unsurprisingly). There’s a secondary bar downstairs, and even another bar on the patio. Don’t feel the need to wait forever in the main part of the restaurant.
I’ve also eaten dinner at Geronimo’s. It was good, not great – my experience with Geronimo as a bar is much better. I ordered a burrito, which was fairly standard. A friend of mine ordered a tamale, which I heard was a bit better, but certainly not the best she’d ever tasted. That being said, GET THE GUAC. They make it in front of you, and you can specify the degree of spiciness you’d like (get full spicy, you won’t regret it). Spicy guac is the best form of masochism.

Completely average. Decent bar crowd for New Haven and they do have nice little happy hour menu. Everything I ate was bland, boring & average and made me debate whether not eating would have been the better choice.

We arrived on a Saturday around 7:30pm and there was a 45 minute wait. We had the junkyard dough/​flatbread at the bar, which was absolutely amazing, while we waited for our table. My husband had the Incan Goddess margarita, which he loved, and I had a watermelon tequila drink, which I loved!
For dinner I had the lobster enchiladas, which came as a set of three and were really stuffed with lobster. They were delicious. My husband had the pork burrito, which was pretty standard. Really great food, even better drinks, and nice ambiance!

I’m hoping this was just a one-​off experience…
I came here with a group where we were greeted by a very unfriendly hostess. It was as if she couldn’t be bothered to deal with us (and it wasn’t even busy at the time, which might have been a reasonable excuse, but it was pretty quiet). We asked her if there was a happy hour, and she wouldn’t even give us a yes or no answer — she said «that’s your waiter’s job and he’ll tell you when he comes to your table.» Really?
Then when the waiter came to our table, he informed us that if we had sat at the bar, we could have happy hour drinks — but we couldn’t at a regular table. This is something that the hostess should have told us when we asked, but clearly she could not be bothered.
Anyway, we ordered drinks and food. Everything was pretty good. I ordered the fish tacos which were definitely tasty, but the fish was a little bit dry/​overcooked. Everyone else seemed very happy with their orders.
The waiter sort of drifted off at the end of the meal and it took a while to pay our check, but otherwise he was friendly — much better than the hostess anyway!
Unfortunately, later that night I began to experience symptoms of food poisoning. Everything else I had eaten that day and even the days prior had been pretty standard for me. The only new thing I had consumed was the food at this place (this was my first time but the rest of my group had been here before). Again, I seem to be the only person who really felt sick, but it still seems that my dish was the culprit. Who knows.
I would still like to try this place again one day… maybe I’ll let a bit of time pass haha… and hopefully the service will be better overall. Generally, I’d give this place one star, but the other reviews seem promising so I guess it deserves another shot?

Giving this place 3 stars cause the drinks are legit and so is the guac. I’ve been back here a few times since my last review. The last two times were on a Sunday during the day — we only got drinks and the guac.
The service was absolutely terrible, from the bartenders to the waiters. I asked a waiter for water and he got pissed because he wasn’t MY waiter. Well, dude, if you must know, I asked you because our waitress disappeared.
The other time I went, the bartender was unfriendly and cold — everything a bartender should NOT be, especially on a Sunday during the day when you’re sitting at the fucking bar getting served by him.
The crowd was shite, too.

Disclosure: This review is for the bar scene and margaritas. I haven’t tried the food yet.
Friday night can get very loud and crowded at Geronimo. The patio is great for summer nights and I thought the vibe was energetic — a great option if you are looking to avoid the club scene and your dancing shoes (or if you don’t want to pay cover at BAR a few yards away). They really do foster the Southwest culture. The Cucumber Cooler pitcher is also superb and a steal at $ 36 too. We saw the bartender make it and he really made a dent in the cucumber infused tequila bottle. It’s also made with muddled cucumber and cilantro, ideal for a summer night.
Be careful with the Spicy Blood Orange because the jalapeño taste is STRONG. It will scratch your throat and burn. Normally, I’m a fan of spicy food too. But after taking a sip, we were very disappointed and upset to have to suffer through the pitcher. Not yet ready for that challenge, I figured I’d ask the bartender if we could exchange it at no cost for another pitcher.
Believe it or not, IT WORKED! I informed the bartender, Tyler, that we made the wrong choice and weren’t expecting the jalapeño flavor to be so strong in the tequila. It was too spicy for my taste buds and was honestly going to go to waste. Tyler was very understanding and replaced it with a pitcher of Cucumber-​Strawberry. It was a really kind gesture and totally deserving of 5 stars!
Get a group together and head to Geronimo for some great drinks. The combination of great music, drinks and service will result in a great night!

Happened upon this place twice in New Haven: it’s got a great location and a very inviting entry, like a venus fly trap waiting to snap. This place is somewhat predatory in a number of ways.
First, I have to say the food is just okay. Just. Okay. You can find better options a stone’s throw away, but many flock to this spot for its chic posh feel… I guess you come to look at the pretty people in their pretty clothes. It’s a cozy spot with some nice folks to interact with and meet… oh, and food and drinks.
The food was in general bland and seemed like it had been reheated. I had the Molcajete, which was described as a hot rock bowl with steak, chorizo, chicken, shrimp, black beans and various veggies. Well, it was a bit of an awkward mix of flavors and I could decide what was what. I got to try several other items people had got (and had some sips of their drinks) and everything was– as I said above– just okay. The service was pretty absent, leaving us wondering if you should just keep eating and realize it isn’t that great… or if we should wait to try and get the issues fixed. The general feelings of the groups around us seemed to be similarly unimpressed.
So I wouldn’t call this place a good restaurant. I would call this more of a bar that picks up around 11 to the point that they have a door-​guy who will demand your ID upon approach. While I was here, I saw several people be denied– none were at all visibly drunk or anywhere near underrage. It was a horribly awkward experience to see a polite couple a bit older than myself turned away… and then watching the staff laugh at the entire affair. Complete lack of professionalism as a restaurant.
Some have said this place was hit-​or-​miss… maybe I just saw it on one of those nights that was an absolute miss. Locals told me it’s more of a tourist spot (but what does that even mean, it certainly isn’t Disneyland) but I wouldn’t want this representing the best of my city.
So this brings me to the question: is this a dining establishment with drinks or an elitist club with afterthoughts of food?

Holy Geronimo!!! I did not like this place — it was only ok. The guac was good but over hyped and over priced. I ordered the brisket taco and the chicken quesadilla. The quesadilla tortilla were very thick and appeared to have an odd tomato sauce on it. The brisket was so spicy, we had to ask for extra sour cream which did nothing to alleviate the pain. We used an entire thing of sour cream for one taco and my mouth was still on fire. There was no disclaimer on how hot the brisket was and even after talking to the manager, I was hoping they would offer me something else but to no avail.
I got a margarita (strawberry) it was good but overpriced.
The ambience is ok, you go down a spiral staircase to the bathroom and I was worried I was going to fall. We sat next to a fireplace and I was hot. My friends had a great time, I did not.