REVIEW: Walkermole
Phone: +1 (519) 253-8226
NOTE: Restaurant has CLOSED and rumour says it has switched hands and will be reopened as "The Willistead"
Prices: E- $8 M- $13 D- $5
$$ - Affordable
Payment Options:
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Debit/Eftpos
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Debit/Eftpos
Hours: Limited Hours at time of review. Currently open for dinner starting at 4:30pm. Will update as hours expand.
Reservations? Walk-ins Welcome.
Handicap Accessible? Yes.
Vegetarian Friendly? Yes.
Vegan Friendly? No. (But able to accommodate variations ie. no cheese, no yoghurt, etc.)
Gluten-Free? Yes. See comment below the review from co-owner Mark Boscariol
. Everything but the Steak Burrito and Tortas are Gluten-free.
RATING:
Quality of Food: 3.5/5
Service: 3/5
Originality: 5/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Walkermole, probably one of the most anticipated restaurants in Windsor's recent history. Aside from places like Acalpuco Delight, Windsor is really lacking on the Mexican Cuisine front. Windsorites often having to travel to Leamington, Ontario or across the border to Detroit, Michigan for some authentic Mexican Town eats.
Walkermole, as the name alludes is located in the heart of the Walkerville area of Windsor. Kiddy-corner to the Gourmet Emporium, and across the street from the Yoga Loft, Shop Eco, and other trendy, modern storefronts. Hard to miss, with their lucha libra (mexican wrestling) inspired mask illuminating the Wyandotte East strip.
My friend Nicola joined me for this review and we both couldn't wait to see if it met up to all the hype and expectations. We were quickly greeted at the door, and offered up a table for two. The interior is beautiful-- bright orange, fairly long bar, all with a very "Ikea-modern" feel to it.
We were greeted by our waitress and she asked if we had dined here before. When we both replied we hadn't she welcomed us and explained that all the food is fresh and made on site asides from the tortillas which are sourced from Leamington. She then offered us up some margaritas to start off with. I prefer a good Mexican mojito, but my preference got turned down. They apparently "don't have those here". Margherita it was. Did find it odd that our server didn't mention the extensively large (60+) Tequila menu, or offer up a drinks menu for us.
It wasn't long before the waitress returned with not only our margaritas but some complimentary nachos and salsa as well. For really wanting a mojito, the margarita was probably the best I've ever had. It tasted so fresh, with a slight sea salt taste to tame the tequila a bit.The salsa was delicious as well.
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| Veggie Sandwich (Background), Refried Beans & Rice (Mid) Pescados (Forefront) |
As for our meals, Nicola and I asked for our servers recommendations to help us out. She recommended the steak burrito to share amongst the two of us as the portion size is very large. Nicola was after something with seafood or vegetarian. On those criteria, our server recommended the Pescados (Crispy Mahi Mahi tacos). We chose to go with that selection, as well as the (Tortas) Vegetarian Mexican Sandwich. Both were accompanied with rice and refried beans. The food was fairly quick to come out. Unfortunately, I wasn't as impressed with our meals as I was with the margherita. The portions were small and flavourless. The Mahi Mahi tacos were advertised on the menu as having a spicy coleslaw but had no spice or flavour aside from the accompanying yoghurt and cucumber. The Mexican Vegetarian Sandwich was better with a hint of spiciness, but had us wishing there was more stuffing as the bun was thick and the lack of filling made it taste slightly dry. Perhaps some mexican hot sauce on the tables so that diners can add spice to their preference level?
Despite the nachos, and the two dishes we were still hungry. We went for desserts which were just a verbal menu. On this particular day it was flan, bread pudding, and brown sugar shaved ice with mint. We went for the first two. The flan was a larger than expected slice, but had a lumpy texture we both did not enjoy but was okay flavour-wise if you could get over the texture. The bread pudding however was the winner of the night. Yes, the bread pudding was the winner at the Mexican restaurant. It had nice chucks of crispy bread, with walnuts, caramel, and a big scoop of vanilla all in a cocktail glass. Simply AMAZING!
The Verdict: This place will definitely be around for a while. The food is okay but a little pricey for the portions you receive. The dessert was what really impressed me more than the main meal. With the garage door that is attached to the dining room, I can see this being *THE* lunch destination to be this summer for drinks out in the sun and perhaps a small bite to eat. As for dinner, there isn't enough there to make it worthwhile to fill you up. However, if it is a social night with drinks and friends you are after Walkermole could definitely be the place you are looking for.
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8 comments:
Your feedback will be discussed at our next meeting. Yours is the first comment regarding portion size so we will examine. It was important for us to target reasonable price points (ie. Our taco dinner at $12 vs a comparable $14 stir fry at my former restaurant) I recommend the more filling steak burrito in the meantime and we hope to respond accordingly. We welcome your feedback and we believe in continuous improvement
Thank you Mark Boscariol, co owner
Ps as our tacos use corn tortillas instead of wheat flour tacos almost all of our menu (aside from the aforementioned steak burrito is gluten free
Thanks for the comment Mark. The tacos are fairly tiny though, a stir-fry is a lot more filling. I have updated the Gluten-Free section in the review. There was no indication on the menu as to whether dishes were Gluten-Free so thanks for the clarification that the tortillas are in fact 100% corn and gluten free.
The hot sauce on the table is a must and hope to see that added.
Really enjoyed ourselves overall. Best of luck with the new venture!
Giovanni
I agree on the food, it seems likes these guys cheaped out (hot sauce?, lime, overcooked steak, bland fish – also weak drinks if I can add but I get that cuts into the margins). The atmosphere is great though and the servers professional.. (oh and also – nothing really for kids on the menu, even Motorburger has a little something). I’ll be back for the tequila.. Thanks for having an honest review blog, there is no reason why we can’t expect the high quality of other great food cities in our small town, a little criticism and competition just makes us better..
I can honestly say my margarita was more on the stronger side than weak. Perhaps consistency is what is really lacking?
That is what I aim to do with this blog. I write my reviews with no advertising revenue looming over my head like other local sites. Criticism is good, makes you step up your game. To have both owner of Windsor City Grill and Co-Owner of Walkermole read the reviews, and comment on them shows the initiative a lot of restaurants in this area need.
I've been wanting to check this place out since it opened! They're always so busy so I guess that's a great sign. If I enjoy it, being as I live in Wakerville it'll end up being a regular hang out for me and my bf I'm sure :)
The atmosphere is great here, I was totally excited to see this place pop up around the corner. Unfortunately the food isn't up to par with the design. Small portions, high prices and bland boring food. The margaritas were rather pricey but were just about the only thing I really liked. I'd rather visit mi casita or head over to Mexican town.
Going there for dinner tonight. Hoping that the "bland" and seasonless issues have been fixed. Not expecting Chef. Aaron Sanchez or Mexican Town quality but hoping for better than the "Mexican Grill" or Alcopulco's (which isn't bad...don't get me wrong....but The Mex. Grill is horrible)
CLOSED. Too bad, it had potential and crowds all the time. Boscariol must need the cash for his money-pit failure in progress City Grill. Horrific experience at City Grill, dialog with Boscariol went nowhere. Too busy or too rich to care? meh, now that Walkermole is no more who cares...
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