Omaha – Roja Mexican Grill

Today felt like a day for a visit to a Mexican restaurant…. The warm Omaha sun had gone into hiding and a cold wind had taken over, so I thought some Mexican heat would help.

I wasn’t going for a lunch-time tequila, but this is quite a selection to say the least. I know nearly nothing about tequila, but there was a variety of different price points for the drinks, including a tequila at $35.

Kinkaider is a local Nebraska brewery and the Devil’s Gap jalapeno ale sounded rather tempting. It met my expectations, it had a subtle flavour, but the heat of the jalapenos was notable as an aftertaste.

I’ve never quite understood why it is beholden upon Mexican restaurants to always offer free chips and dips, but I’m certainly not going to complain about this tradition. There were so many chips that I never did get through them all and they seem to have been home-made, as did the sauce.

This set-up with the pepper and salt reminds me of Grosvenor in Norwich…. The service in the restaurant was friendly, slightly slow to acknowledge me at the door but a staff member apologised and offered me a choice of seating. The staff member who served me was engaging, checked if I had visited before and had a personable and confident personality. The service was attentive throughout the meal and I was never left waiting for anything.

And the food of chicken fajitas which was a bigger portion side that I had expected given all of the different elements that were served. The platter came over sizzling nicely, with the grilled chicken being tender and full of flavour. The onions, green and red peppers added some texture and flavour and the rice had green chillis in it to add some spice. The refried black beans were smooth and all of the other component parts of cheddar cheese, pico de gallo and sour cream were as expected. There was a generous amount of guacamole, always a delight as I do like avocados.

There were though only three tortillas which seemed a little low given the volume of other ingredients, but they were soft homemade flour tortillas and were some of the best that I’ve had. Everything was well presented and the various ingredients went together well.

The only slightly strange element about the service is that the server asked if I wanted a dessert whilst I was still mid-way through the main course. It seemed an odd time to ask, but I wasn’t rushed during the dine.

All in all, I really liked this restaurant and I would go back more often if I actually lived in the area. Friendly staff, decent food and the prices were also reasonable given the quality and quantity of the food and drink. All rather lovely.