Poblano's Mexican Bar and Grill

Poblano’s serves Mexican fare (burritos, tacos, quesadillas, etc.) from three Greensboro locations: 808 Friendly Shopping Center Road, 3900 Battleground Avenue, and 5710-DD High Point Road in the Adams Farm Shopping Center. There is a full-service bar, daily food and drink specials, and frequent discounts and promotions. Regular hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and brunch is offered until 3 p.m. on Sundays.



With a location nestled in the Friendly Center, Poblano’s is bound to draw a fair amount of shoppers in search of a lunch spot (at least that’s how they first lured me in). The shopping plaza building is surprisingly deep, and the spacious interior offers plenty of seating. While Poblano’s mostly sticks to the standard Mexican restaurant script (Spanish-language music, free chips and salsa), there are a few innovations here. You can get fresh guacamole prepared tableside, the deep menu includes plenty of dessert and vegetarian options, and some of the burrito names (Macho, Monster, Dos Manos) are challenges waiting to be answered. Plus, how often do you find a Mexican Sunday brunch?


Unfortunately, variety aside, the food isn’t very good. Poblano’s offers authentic-style $1 tacos on Tuesdays, but they can’t hold a candle to El Azteca’s. The pastor (marinated pork) was overcooked, there was no avocado, and the curious doubling of the tortillas made for a dry, spongy flavor. A previous order of camarones fundidos fared better, but was still far from exceptional.


Pricing at Poblano’s varies. The abundance of lunch specials ensures that you can get a decent-sized meal and a drink for under $10, but as a dinner spot, it offers no exceptional value. Servers were polite and attentive enough, though you walk away with the sense they can’t get you out the door fast enough.


There are worse options for Mexican than Poblano’s, but with so many better ones around, why bother?


6.25/10