Habanero Grill 2 LLC

"My wife and I have tried many Mexican restaurants in our travels and always like to try new ones. We were passing through Elwood Saturday Oct 7, 2023 and thought we'd give Habenero 2 a try. As we drove up to the place, we weren't sure if they were open or not because the parking lot was empty. They have a sign in front that allows for advertising messages to be posted, but that too was empty, giving the appearance the establishment might be out of business. We actually drove by it thinking it was, and then turned around to check if it really was open. Our experience: The Food: We were served the traditional salsa and chips for starters. Usually, we always ask for "tomatillo", or the house hot sauce that is only served upon request. After our waitress finally figured out what we were referring to, she brought out a small dish of what tasted to be a very tasty, house-made habenero salsa with good heat, that cost an extra $1.99. We rate that salsa as 5-star excellent and wished the rest of our food was up to that standard. For drinks, we both ordered horchata. The drinks came in Styrofoam 'take out' cups with lids. The horchata was more sweet than having a nice, horchata flavor. Having tasted real horchata, this was below even a layman's standard of acceptance. We ordered our meals. I had the chef's platter and my wife had the poblano with shrimp. Despite the fact the restaurant had very few customers at the time, our food came out rather slow. My chef's platter consisted of a 1 tamale, 1 beef enchilada ,1 taco, 1 chile rellano 1 veggie tostada and rice and beans. The tamale was mediocre having just a small amount of shredded meat. The taco and enchilada shared the same beef; the taco using a preformed hardshell that you'd find in the local grocery store. The chile rellano had a thick coating of breading surrounding it. The chile was flat and bland. It had a small amount of cheese inside, that when cut open, seemed to weep a mixture of water, quite possibly because it may have started out frozen. The veggie tostada was simply the same shredded lettuce, tomatoes, refried beans and cheese you would have on the side, except it was placed on a tostada shell. The rice was bland and overcooked, while the beans were pretty much the same with an anemic pallor to boot. Overall, I was strongly unimpressed with my meal, especially having tasted much better at other Mexican restaurants. My wife rates her dish maybe a star more than mine, claiming it was acceptable, but not remarkable. The Service: despite the fact the restaurant was hardly inhabited, our service seemed a bit slow. It was only at the very end of our meals that we were asked if everything was ok. The food came out hot, though. Atmosphere: It definitely looked like a considerable amount of effort was put into making the establishment have some traditional flair. The furniture was representative of a 'South-of-the-border' theme, as well as the decorations. It was clean and organized. In conclusion, after experiencing other Mexican restaurants, we probably wouldn't consider returning to this one."

"Good food, little pricey but decent. Stay away from the spicy orange liquid that apparently comes right from Satan's balls ......too hot"

"Ok. I am California Born. Most Mexican restaurants are ok at best in Indy. This place severed very good food. But they have home made hot sauce which was the boom. I was told I only had one so I have to come back. Found out the sever lengua tacos so you know I am going to be back. So for not being downtown this was very good and I will be back... oh one more thing prices are good."

"No one was at the door to greet you. Empty tables with a wait to get seated. Nothing impressive on the menu. About your average menu for the area. Prices are a little much for serving size. No hot sauces on the tables. Getting the food took longer than expected. One person asked if I was only having my drink and the chips since they saw me sitting there with nothing else for a while. It is new so I will wait for a month or so and if they are still open I'll try again. I really like Mexican food. I have eaten food in Mexico. This did not so much remind me of that. 4/9/2019. This visit I had to wait a while to be seated. Did not look busy. Had to wait a while for the chips and salsa. And had to wait even longer to order. Was totally unimpressed with the tacos. Still find it odd not to have salsa for my food. May wait another few months to come back. Guess I shouldn't expect authentic Mexican food."