Adobe Reds

The portobello flatbread and shrimp quesadilla are the best i’ve ever had. Great place!

I signed up for Unilocal just so I could warn people away from this restaurant.
As a lover of all things tex-​mex, from Rick Bayless’s fancy pants places in Chicago to Del Taco (RIP), I could not wait to try this place out. I didn’t care that it lacked atmosphere (which it does). When the chips and salsa came I got my hopes up even higher. The salsa was very good!
I got the stacked enchilada w/​chicken and my husband got the chicken soft tacos. I could not even eat ¼ of the chicken enchiladas and I was super hungry and they were covered in cheese (usually means I will eat anything…). There was something off about the food. It had a strange skunky taste. The chicken did not taste like real chicken. It was dry and cubed, like it had come from a warehouse already prepared. Even the soft tacos were inedible. And how can you possibly screw up chicken soft tacos?!
The sides were also incredibly dissapointing. Open up a can of Bush’s pinto beans, pour it on a plate, and you have Adobe Reds «beans» side dish. The rice had the odd skunky taste that made the rest of the food inedible. The honey slaw tasted like cole slaw from Shop N’ Save with some honey mixed in.
Even worse, we could smell the delicious BBQ from Pappys while sitting in front of our nasty plates of «food.»
Skip this place. Please!

Ok, so this is one of ‘those’ reviews… the ones where I make the review without having tried any of their fare. But it surely wasn’t for lack of trying!
I went with a buddy of mine to give this place a try and without even letting any food pass my lips I was greatly disappointed.
I had to fight through the onslaught of guests lined up around the block to get into Pappy’s before I could even get into Adobe Reds. I entered the building and waited a tick… looking for a sign from one of the servers (or an actual, factual sign). There was neither.
So I seated myself. I wasn’t going to stand at the door like a cardboard cut out. I’d sit at a table like a human being while I waited for my friend. It took him about 5 minutes to meet me. Then we waited for either the waiter or waitress.
And waited.
They buzzed by us several times, tending to a few other tables. The place wasn’t packed, but they might have had two tables each. So I got up and retrieved a menu for my friend and I while we waited to be acknowledged.
And waited.
About 10 minutes later a gaggle of attractive, giggly teenage girls barged in the door and made a beeline for a table. With in seconds the male waiter practically jumped on them and demanded their order.
Here’s where I suspected something was wrong, but said nothing. My friend and I continued to inspect the remarkably short menu– and to muse over why they would call a deep fried burrito a ‘chimichanga.’ I’m not making that up… they explained it on the back… they just said ‘to hell with it’ and decided to make chimichangas out of deep fried burritos. They didn’t SERVE burritos… just their version of the chimichanga. Definitely a creative interpretation of ‘authentic’.
At about 15 minutes later, a group of portly, older men walked through door, seated themselves and were immediately attended by the female waitress. Now it was my turn to say ‘to hell with it.’ My friend and I proceeded to leave without another word.
Maybe I’ll go back one day when I’m not wearing my invisibility cloak. In the meanwhile I“ll stick with Milagro where I’m sure the food is authentic and delicious and the help is friendly and not visually impaired.

My first experience with Adobe Reds was at a party they catered… and wow. The food was GREAT. A week later, I went to the restaurant with a group of eight co-​workers, excited to share the experience with them! Unfortunately, it was on a day that one of their servers did not show up for work. The service was lacking, food was slow, etc. I told the owner how disappointed I was with the service. He came to the eight of us and assured us it was due to the employee missing work. He then gave each of us a free lunch so we would come back and give him another chance.
I AM GLAD TO SAY THAT WE DID! Today, I went back to Adobe Red’s for lunch. I was in and out in 30 minutes, had a plentiful meal (two of us split one meal and it was perfect portion), that was DELICIOUS and well balanced. The service was top-​notch. I have to say that the experience has brought me back to my original fondness for this place. I will return again, and I hope to see you there too!
D

Had lunch at Adobe Red’s today. Everything was excellent! The chips are just salty enough and the salsa has a tang to it. I had the salmon wrap — it had arugula and watercress in it and Adobe Red’s honey vinaigrette. It was nicely done. The mango salsa and the slaw are very good, too. If you don’t want those, you can get steak fries here.
I’ve had the B.L.A.T (BLT with Avacado) before and was very happy with that, too. While I was sad to see The U go, I’m glad that Adobe Reds came in to keep making good food.

Adobe Reds showed some promise in its chips and distinctly biting salsa, and the red flatbread. But once we got the main courses, everything went downhill.
Firstly, the server gave us the main courses a minute after serving the appetizer flatbread (which we ordered way in advance). It’s really a pet peeve of ours whenever we get served the main course even before we touch the appetizers!
Secondly, the main courses were very, very sub-​par. My husband tolerated the chimichanga only because he slathered the salsa all over it.
Unfortunately, not so lucky on my carne adovada, which is described as «pecan smoked pork slow roasted and smothered with our red chile sauce.»
It was not slow roasted. It was hard like rubber. It didn’t taste anything like pecan smoked. And that sauce? Flavorless. If you can imagine a cardboard-​tasting sauce, that would be it. The rice and beans on the side were a bit hard and tasteless.
I’m very forgiving — normally I can tolerate sub-​par food and finish my meal anyway. But I stopped eating right then and there. Two fistfuls worth of rubbery meat left uneaten.
$ 30 for bad food. I’ve eaten better for $ 19 elsewhere. Won’t be going back. Yikes!

I was born and raised and went to undergrad in New Mexico. So, when I heard that New Mexican restaurant had opened in St. Louis I was ecstatic. It is really a unique cuisine and I miss it. (I love all different types of Mexican food — both authentic and the various adaptations in the US (Tex-​Mex, etc.). And St. Louis is a basically a barren wasteland for Mexican food on almost all fronts.) So, Adobe Reds gets an extra star just for existing.
It was a mixed experience, but overall positive. I started with a margarita and was so happy. It was very true to what a margarita should be and is if you are South of the border and not in a tourist trap. Real limes were harmed in the making of this margarita — not the disgusting sweet nastiness that one most commonly finds. The table next to us was freaked out that it was so sour, as was at least one reviewer here. It is a matter of taste, but I will stand by it authenticity.
The salsa had some a distinct Chipotle flavor to it that I wouldn’t associate with NM. That is more Tex-​Mex. (Which is a cited influence for the place.) It was also a bit sweet, which was odd but not bad. I appreciated the consistency. This is what fresh tomatoes do if your not making sauce. I hate when salsa resembles marinara.
The kitchen was nice enough to make straight up cheese enchiladas for me. I love stacked enchiladas with fried eggs on top. I dream of home because of them. So, that is exactly what I ordered with green chile (that is how we spell it in NM). It was a mixed experience. The chile had a really nice flavor and some kick. The consistency was a bit unusual for an enchilada sauce. The egg was really nice also. The tortillas in the enchilada were falling apart for some reason, which made it a bit mealy. Also, the cheese could have been more melted.
My husband had the enchiladas with shredded beef. He is always on the look out for Mexican food with shredded beef. He also found aspects of the enchiladas off, but said the shredded beef was very, very good.
So, the beans were good. But clearly something is wrong with the rice. It is definitely hard. This is not a regional quality. They need to be revamped.
Finally, pull that salt shaker out — because almost everything needed more salt. That’s fine, you can always add salt — but you can’t take it out if the kitchen over salts your food.
Service was very good.

I’ve been anticipating my visit to Adobe Reds for some weeks now, and I’m happy to say that I was pleasantly satisfied.
As with any Mexican-​style restaraunt, Adobe Reds provides complimentary chips and salsa. My friend and I were greeted promptly by our waitress and given ample time to look over the menu.
The queso bean dip we had as our appetizer was stellar. The perfect balance of smoothness and a hint of spice. We both had chimichangas; one chicken and one portabella. The portions were fairly large, and quite tasty. I definately recommend the portabella! We finished our evening with sopapillas. I must admit, I’m a bit of a sopapilla afficienado… and Adobe Reds nailed it. They use cinnamon ice cream, and that mixed with the honey creates the most wonderful medley of flavors in your mouth.
If you haven’t had a chance to check out this new neighborhood favorite, I certainly urge you to go.

The service is the only thing that is done well here. I came here expecting to grab a sandwich at «The U,» which evidently closed, and in it’s place found a very appealing Mexican restaurant. I love Mexican food and was looking forward to a good margarita and some tacos.
The house margarita as awful. I think whomever made the house mix put way too much sour mix in it because it tasted like high-​concentrate sour mix. It was literally impossible to finish and tasted like I was sucking on a sour warhead candy. A house margarita is a staple and should set the tone for any Mexican restaurant.
The chorizo tacos were just okay. The meat was tasty, but way over-​cooked and the lettuce mix definitely had a bagged appearance, where I expected a freshly cut mix. There was way too much lime in the sauce, so I began to think unpalatable doses of accent flavors were a running theme with Adobe Red’s.
Then, I almost broke a tooth on the undercooked rice. I left feeling disgusted with myself for spending money on such terribly prepared food.
I won’t be giving this place a 2^nd chance.

Great service! Red chili on pork tenderloin with rice and beans!!! Outstanding!!! Not a Mexican joint!!! It’s New Mexican, adobo style.

Great lunch at AR today… Shrimp Flatbread was very good. Guacamole was ok (improved with a bit of addl salt). Service was fast and friendly.

This place is fantastic! The atmosphere is SO inviting and friendly! My husband and I have always been greeted promptly with attentive service. The wait staff have always been cheerful and are quick to extend themselves for the customer. I’ve seen both the owner and chef step out several times to check in on guests, asking if everything is ok. How often do you see that?!
On to the food… are you kidding me with these negative reviews? The flatbread is AMAZING! We had some family in town this past weekend and were treated to some of the most FABULOUS nachos I’ve ever put in my mouth. Every bite had a different flavor and there were nonstop toppings that kept us coming back for more. We literally licked the plate clean.
The crab cake tacos are out of this world.
Portions are huge.
Don’t even get me started on the margaritas… if you haven’t had one of these, put your computer down now and GET IN THERE! #1 suggestion: spicy mango margarita with sugar on the rim.
This place is fab. End of story.

The food here is, to put it delicately, an absolute waste of time and money.
I wish partial star awards were available This place would be awarded a half a star based solely upon the «Oh hi! You opened a restaurant!» merit badge. That’s about all the credit this place deserves.
Unfortunately, Adobe Red’s is yet another entry into the St. Louis tradition of producing slow-​motion trainwrecks of mediocrity.
Two of us eating, and we ordered the tamales ($ 8.99) and the stacked enchilada «Christmas style» ($ 9.99).
After placing our order, the server brought out a platter of Restaurant Depot’s finest chips and salsa. No flavor whatsoever, other than the fryer grease that the chips glanced at when they tried to reheat them in vain. The salsa was gritty and had a pre-​packaged flavor — whether it was house-​made or not, it sure didn’t taste like it. It didn’t taste like much, actually.
The tamales were dry and crumbly with the unmistakable taste only an old tamal can have. The pork inside was dry and lacked any flavor whatsoever. The chile sauce on top was equally flavorless.
The stacked enchiladas are a southwestern tradition, and are actually really good if done right. These are not done right.
Four tortillas on a plate, drenched in fryer grease, with the same above-​mentioned dry pork sandwiched between. This would be good if some more thought went into the preparation, but it was flavorless and required a lot of salt and hot sauce.
The red and green chile sauces on top of the stacked enchilada were absolutely flavorless. No heat, no real flavor. As someone who has a deep appreciation for true, authentic green and red chile sauces — this was a distinct disappointment.
Sides served were beans and rice, of course. However, these beans tasted like unseasoned chili beans straight from the can, requiring a lot of hot sauce and salt before giving up. The rice tasted straight from the microwave and had that telltale plumpness and rubbery texture that you get with instant. Again, no flavor. I left my sides mostly untouched because the bland flavor wasn’t worth the time.
I realize the aim here wasn’t authentic Mexican — it’s southwestern style Mexican-​influenced cuisine. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter what style you attempt if you can’t execute it well enough. For this reason, Adobe Red’s gets one star.

Seriously not so good, food was sub par and everything had a weird sweetness to it from way to liberal use of cinnamon. I love Mexican food… authentic (have you been to Cherokee street lately?) to Tex Mex (which I do not consider Mexican food, but I would opt for Chevy’s over Adobe Reds and I don’t care for chain restaurant). This was not good Mexican nor Tex Mex.

Small disclosure: I hate Mexican food. When I was kid «Mexican Night» was code for «Mommy spent too much money at the liquor store to buy real food; now you’re stuck eating what they feed livestock.» To this day whenever I eat beans and rice, I’m assaulted by the smell of malt liquor and images of my mother sprawled out on our pockmarked couch. I still don’t understand why she never bought an ashtray.
With that being said, I really enjoyed Adobe Reds. I’ve been there two times. The first time I ordered the pork tacos. I thought the meat was tender and the portions were big enough to satisfy most people. The second time I ordered the Enchilada. Man… did I enjoy that. I’m ashamed to admit that there was so much I didn’t finish eating it (I might have just been having an off day and eaten too many of their free chips). My only complaint about the Enchilada was that there were weird bits of (tomato skin?) that were weird to eat. I’m no chief and certainly no chef so take my opinion lightly. Both times I went, the service was great and the free chips were awesome.