Mexican favorites & many flavors of margaritas in a casual space with traditional accents.
Richard “Rick” Beach
5/4/2025 update. We (3 adults) went around 515 for dinner. After a short wait we were seated in a small booth in the very busy intersection of the inside seating and the inside “annex” where they often seat larger groups. The food was as good as ever, but the service is sliding. Two entrees came in reasonable time, but mine came 4-5 minutes later (nothing special about the dish). We enjoyed our food but my son drank his fountain soda but we couldn’t get out or any other waiters to stop while they went back and forth to other tables. We finally got a different server to stop after 5-6 minutes. And then we really waited. We assumed the waiter would bring a refill fairly quickly since we complained nicely about the food and initial refill delays. The refill came about 8-9 minutes later, after the second waiter delivered food orders to two other tables. We really like Monterey, but we hope their service issues are resolved by the next time we go. I dropped the overall rating to a 4 due to the service this time. I could have gone lower but the food is still excellent.
Original review:
Another great find. There are a lot of decent Mexican restaurants around us but we tried this one after a recommendation from a long-term resident in the area. The food was excellent. It was fresh, tasty with good-sized quantities, and the marinated chicken was not overcooked. I would have rated the food a 6 if possible! We took advantage of the weather and ate on the patio. We enjoyed the art (forgot to take a picture of the colorful mural), but the street noise was a little loud at times. The restaurant could use a “refresh,” especially in the bathrooms. Our server was friendly and helpful. We will definitely be returning to try other menu items.
… moreJulia Echols
I’ve tried just about every Mexican restaurant in Smyrna, and this is the only one I’ll go to these days! You can’t find a better combo of food, drinks, service, and atmosphere in the area.
The frozen margaritas are delicious and actually strong (recommend the Texas frozen half pitcher – best bang for your buck). There are SO many different drinks offered on the menu. The meat is great quality, especially the shrimp (we always get the fajitas) and the enchilada sauce is to die for! The restaurant is clean, comfortable, and has spacious indoor, outdoor, and covered outdoor spaces. Good for big groups! The prices are also very reasonable.
The only thing I could possibly think of to improve would be the chips – they are probably a 7 out of 10. Other than that, this place is perfect and has been our go-to spot for years!
… moreSkylar C
We had a great experience at Monterrey in Smyrna! Our server, Leo, was fantastic! He was super friendly, attentive, and made sure we had everything we needed. We ordered the birria tacos, chicken soup, Henny margaritas, and a pitcher to share. The food was flavorful and really filling, and the drinks were strong. Definitely a great spot for good vibes and great food. We’ll be back!
… moreJermaine
I went there last night and it was AMAZING!!! The food and our waitress were spectacular. Drinks were also on point. Definitely will be coming back again to try some more of their amazing food.
… moreParis Paskel
Just came here with my girlfriend and the service, food, and drinks were amazing!! Our server, Maurice, was so nice and he treated us very well! He had multiple recommendations and was also very funny! He made us laugh!! If you ever come here you’re definitely gonna have a good time!
… moreKeja Jay
I will start by saying my boyfriend and I have been customers for years and always loved our service and food. With that being said…sadly last night we were profiled and refused service by the server in our section and given a new server(who was on his very first shift) while our original server chose to serve another table before us who sat down after we did. And I will be clear this review has nothing to do with him and everything to do with our original server. If you decide you don’t want to serve certain people, have the decency to not do it in eye and ear shot of that table. Not sure if we’ll return to this location even though we have always put this location above the others. Food was still fantastic as always but our date was affected by this servers behavior.
… moreShannon Redding
I don’t like that the fajitas don’t come out sizzling. They come out and the food is warm not hot. The steak and chicken has no seasoning. I use to go to the Atlanta Rd establishment before they closed. I come here often but every time I come the fajitas are not hot or sizzling when they arrive at the table. And please season the steak and chicken
… moreDayonna Gardner
Just moved here from California and this is the closet thing you get to auth Mexican food. The food was very good including the drinks from the bar. Drinks were huge, very strong, and cheap for the quality and price. Also the food portions were huge and cheap. We didn’t get our bartender name last night but he was very professional and provided excellent service while only being the only bartender on a very busy Saturday night. He still checked on us to make sure we were good which is appreciated. We will definitely be back with friends and family. This is the best spot we found so far and it’s literally down the street from my house.
… moreLatoya M. (YardgyalMyrie)
We had lunch fajitas…I had Texas style (steak,shrimp,chicken) and my hubby had steak. The food was delicious and plentiful and came out piping hot on in a skillet. It came with rice, refried beans, sour cream, pico de gallo, and guacamole. We ate and still had enough to take home for dinner. Will definitely be going back!!
… moreMathis Bagwell
First thing, wow the service is extremely fast. When I pulled in, I considered finding lunch down the street as the parking lot was packed. It seemed very busy, but the service was still superb and extremely quick! Also, the food is delicious and very affordable. I ordered a shredded chicken quesadilla with cheese dip on top, a corona, left a 20% tip, and my total was $15. Not too bad! The only negative is the bathroom cleanliness. They aren’t super disgusting but a little gross. If I am in the area, I will be back. Probably wouldn’t go out of my way to eat here.
… more