Habanero - Alexandria Mall - Some Great Traditional Mexican Food

 This past weekend Terri and I were doing a little shopping at the Alexandria Mall when our tummies started grumbling, so we decided to stop by the food court for lunch. I was surprised to see a Mexican Food restaurant called Habanero where there used to be a rather sub-par Chinese food place used to be. Being the adventurous type, and a well-known lover of Mexican Food, I decided to give the place a try.

I'm oh so happy that I did.

I have to say that experiencing some traditional style Mexican Food really took me back to my days back in Southern California. For one brief moment I imagined that I was eating at a Ponchos, Alberto's, or any Hispanic neighborhood restaurant across So Cal.

I opted to try the Carnitas Burrito and it chalked full of beans, rice, and meat. It was some real greasy goodness. This isn't the kind of food that you can pick up and eat, unless you have a ton of napkins, which may sound like something negative, but when it comes to traditional Mexican fair, this is exactly how it's supposed to be.

To spice up my meal I opted to try three of Habanero's home-made hot sauces. I went for the one that the owner said was the hottest, and it was indeed hot, too hot actually and honestly not very flavorful. The second was straight up puréed Habanero peppers, which was okay. The third was their Verde (green) sauce and that one was the winner. It was just the right amount of hot combined with a rich pepper flavor. Adding this to my Carnitas Burrito took the whole meal to another level. 

Now comes the bad part, the price. Honestly $20 for a burrito and a small soda is just way too much. I feel that if the owners could get that price down to almost half they would be able to attract more customers considering that this is an impoverished area. It is the price that would actually make me think twice about eating there again, even though I really like the food.

I'm going to recommend eating at Habanero if you really want to experience what real Mexican Food is supposed to taste like, but be prepared to pay up for it.

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