Salena's Mexican Restaurant

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  • 2.78947/5 Star Rating.

Based on 19 Ratings

274 North Goodman Street
Rochester, NY 14607
(585) 256-5980

www.salenas.com

Cuisines:
Mexican/Latin
Amenities:
Credit Cards Accepted, Take-out, Delivery, Outdoor Dining, Full Bar
Avg. Meal:
$7-$15

The City Newspaper Description

Reviewed by: Michael Warren Thomas

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Salena’s has developed a reputation for very good Mexican food and an impressive array of Tequilas, probably far more than any other restaurant or bar in the region. The flour tortillas are made from scratch on a daily basis.The location in Village Gate Square makes an interesting destination, with numerous independent stores, artists, and other restaurants.

 

User Reviews of Salena's Mexican Restaurant (23)

City Newspaper is not responsible for the content of these reviews. City Newspaper reserves the right to remove reviews at their discretion.

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  • 4/5 Star Rating.

The Loaf said on Jun. 05, 2008 at 5:26pm

a friend requesterd i try the wings...si i went and found them AMAZING...the server was GREAT...Very friendly...Loved the outside patio..the dineer was also good...portions a bit on small side...no ice in water...you gotta try the WINGS!

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  • 2/5 Star Rating.

CJF said on Jun. 27, 2008 at 6:40pm

not good. i love mexican. and i try this place consistantly, hoping that maybe something will change. not the case. if you want good mexican in this area, paolla's or johns tex mex (taco johns). good, fresh, mexican food.

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  • 1/5 Star Rating.

Dennis Foley said on Aug. 01, 2008 at 5:03pm

I agree if you want good Mexican in this region you have to travel to Sodus or Canandaigua for half way decent Mexican food. It is sad that the best Mexican in his town is Taco Hell. Avoid Selena's

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  • 1/5 Star Rating.

Lana said on Aug. 29, 2008 at 8:32am

Selena's is awful Mexican. The food is very bland and waaaaay overpriced. I think the only reason it is busy is because of the location and too many people that don't really know what good Mexican food is. Go to Monte Alban on E. Ridge Road....much more authentic, flavorful and totally affordable (and by the way, run by actual Mexicans!)

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  • 4/5 Star Rating.

Sharon said on Mar. 25, 2008 at 9:44pm

Salena's - get a great meal (lunch or dinner) at a great price. You've got to like American version of Mexican but with their new expanded location they are offering even more inventive dishes. I eat there often and the food is always fresh (especially the vegies) and served promptly and well.

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sara said on May. 04, 2008 at 6:46pm

I had a wonderful experience at Selena's. I am a very picky eater and i loved the food at Selena's. The White style chicken enchiladas were fabulous and the service i had was great. We had chips, salsa and water as soon as we sat down and our server was always walking by (it was about 8-830, so we could have been her last table : ) ) but overall thumbs up, id definetly go back for seconds!!!

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  • 1/5 Star Rating.

Rebecca said on May. 02, 2008 at 3:07pm

Salena's hands down has the worst service of any restaurant, especially any Mexican restaurant in Rochester. The food is on par with El Parian in Henrietta but half the portion and twice the price and the service is consistently dreadful. They have the worst wait staff. You shouldn't have to wait 15 minutes for your server or chips and salsa.

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  • 5/5 Star Rating.

Jill said on Apr. 29, 2008 at 9:54am

Wow, Mexican food has been my all time favorite for years...but never had I experienced it as delicious as Selena's. It has been extremely hard to find a great Mexican place in Rochester until I stumbled upon Selena's!!! The portions are huge, the food exquisite, the atmosphere inviting...the service is friendly & thorough!!! THANK YOU SELENA'S!!!

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  • 3/5 Star Rating.

Evan said on Feb. 17, 2008 at 2:34pm

Selena's is pretty good..a bit inconsistent but not horrible...I would go if your out of options and driving in that direction

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  • 4/5 Star Rating.

Kara said on Feb. 26, 2008 at 8:45am

Salena's is a great place for lunch too. The service is quick enough to get back to work on time and the food has been great every time I've been there.

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  • 5/5 Star Rating.

todd said on Nov. 29, 2007 at 11:08am

I love the food here, I think that one of the best overlooked items on the menu is the soup, I know you don't go to a mexican resturant to get the soup, But it's great and it changes. Last time I was there I had a sweet potato white bean chowder, AWSOME. The chicken wings are great, and the sweet potato fries with a maplebutter chapolte' sauce is someting that would make you smack your mama!

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  • 5/5 Star Rating.

Lucybelle said on Jun. 14, 2007 at 12:48pm

Selena's is definitely a 5 star restaurant. Their newly remodeled site is superb. It's large, airy and the service and food is outstanding. They are very accommodating regarding special diets..i.e. gluten free. Kudos to Selena's.

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  • 1/5 Star Rating.

blake said on Jun. 19, 2007 at 12:18pm

Salenas terrible. It survives because of it's atmosphere and location. I have eaten there twice and have had dried out, tasteless dishes. They can't even get the beans and rice right. Try El Rincon in Sodus or Canandaigua, then see if you dare to go back to Salenas.

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  • 1/5 Star Rating.

Jen said on Oct. 29, 2007 at 8:15am

Salena's is not authentic. Salena's is not good food. I'm not sure how it survives.

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  • 1/5 Star Rating.

Mary said on Nov. 27, 2007 at 2:24pm

I dunno - - maybe I just don't "get" Mexican food. Everything I order turns out to be wallpaper paste spread on a shingle. We were seated next to the ramp that goes out to the terrace and the wait staff was pounding up and down the ramp the entire time. It was pretty expensive too.

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  • 3/5 Star Rating.

Sandy Rubin said on Nov. 09, 2008 at 9:40am

Best service, great food. My husband and I are always impressed with the service and food.

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  • 4/5 Star Rating.

Lola Smith said on Jan. 25, 2009 at 10:41am

I am mexican, and this food hits the spot. the food is good and the service is great! I enjoy every visit! The food is perfectly priced!

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  • 2/5 Star Rating.

Rob said on Jun. 30, 2009 at 6:20pm

There food was Ok but not that great., rather bland I was really disappointed hat you had to pay for additional chips and salsa; way different from what I am used to coming from Texas. I doubt that I will be going back there.

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  • 4/5 Star Rating.

Suki said on Oct. 07, 2009 at 5:17pm

Salena's would be a perfect restaurant if the service were better. My husband and I consider it our favorite restaurant because the prices are great and the food is consistently amazing. I would even consider us to be regulars, going about 2-4 times a month, depending. We have had some servers just be plain rude to us. Not to mention they are constantly changing their hours and we have driven out there to find they are (surprise!) closed on a regular business night either for no reason, or to remodel, or for a private party. But the sangria is delicious and it makes us pretty happy by the time we leave, bad service or not.

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Paul said on Apr. 22, 2010 at 4:19pm

I agree "Go to Monte Alban on E. Ridge Road....much more authentic, flavorful and totally affordable (and by the way, run by actual Mexicans!)" I have been here on at least five occasions, food was not impressive, one time not even hot.

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  • 2/5 Star Rating.

roadhog said on Aug. 01, 2010 at 3:52pm

go somewhere else. Any Mexican restaurant that has to have a multitude of hot sauce bottles lingering around cannot have good food. and in fact, Selena's is classic mediocre "ethnic" cuisine found throughout the US.

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Aaron Metras said on Sep. 15, 2010 at 3:49pm

My name is Aaron and I took over as GM here at Salena's 4 months ago. I have noticed most of our negative reviews are old. I believe we have made a lot of positive changes here at Salena's and we are always striving to improve. If you have had a poor experience, I encourage you to come back and try us again. If you are not completely satisfied please feel free to ask for me or leave us a note on our website. We are always open to constructive feedback. I look forward to seeing you and hope you have a great dining experience.

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I was chef in mexico said on Jul. 07, 2011 at 8:33am

i went to this place, is fake food less portion for the price you pay, the service only care when is time to pay the bill so please dont say is MEXICAN FOOD, this is TEXMEX food

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