Lia M.
Yelp
Estefani's offers many Mexican, Salvadoran, and Guatemalan specialties and the owner is Guatemalan and Salvadoran. It's definitely a popular restaurant--my friends and I went around 5 on a Monday and by the time we left, it was packed.
The food is very good; the drinks and service are not. Our server, while somewhat friendly, was completely clueless. We had long waits for service and he couldn't answer basic menu questions, such as what type of margaritas come on the flight. He also couldn't understand that we wanted to split what we ordered. He also couldn't understand that two of us were doing separate to-go orders to take home to our families. It was just not good.
We each ordered a margarita flight. The margaritas are very strong, but they are super sweet and from mixes. I had a headache after the first sip. None of us finished our flights, which is extremely unlike us. The woman at the next table actually sent her drink back.
The food was great. We ordered maduros, birria tacos, yuca con chicharron, and garnachas Guatemaltecas. I don't eat maduros, so I can't comment on those. The yuca con chicharron was tasty, but the menu states that it comes with cabbage salad, so I was expecting either cabbage or curtido; neither ever appeared, and I knew it was pointless to ask the server. The chicharron was crisp and the yuca was perfectly cooked. I'd never had garnachas before but they were so delicious (think mini, crispy sopes) and I could eat a plate of those anytime. Birria tacos were excellent and the consomme was rich. I thought the chips and salsa were a bit bland.
I got chicken enchiladas to-go for my dad and stepmother and I tried the beans and chicken, which were great.
It's pretty inside, but in using the restroom, we found that the toilets were extremely low. Like, uncomfortably so, and I've never experienced anything like that. So weird and inaccessible.
Unless you were looking for something you can't easily find elsewhere, such as birria tacos and garnachas Guatemaltecas, Estefani's probably isn't worth a drive or special trip. But if you live nearby, I'd highly recommend takeout (definitely do not eat inside, especially as a fight almost broke out at the tables next to us) and I look forward to getting takeout next time I am in town.