El Guaca Mexican Grill

I had been looking at various restaurants in Maldon when this caught my eye. With good online reviews already, I had high hopes. So off I strolled down the beautiful main high street and saw the welcome glow of a busy restaurant. The servers were friendly, informative, and importantly attentive with all of the patrons that evening, something I always notice and welcome seeing. The menu has a good stock of popular mexican dishes, and I was impressed by the offer of vegan and gluten-free food, with a good variety of options in both cases (however I am not vegan or gluten intolerant, so if you are, please check these options thoroughly before booking/deciding to go here as you might feel differently). The drinks menu also has a good variety, even having a gluten-free beer option and nice mocktails. I started with Nachos and Margarita. The drink was freshly made with a good amount of salt of the rim. The homemade guacamole was the star of this dish, truly delicious, and the nachos themselves nicely spiced. Normally, I'm used to nachos being drowed in melted cheese or smothered in sour cream. Thankfully, that was not the case here, with a perfectly balanced mixture of toppings!!! For the main I had a beef chimichanga and again everything was delicious, the meat was nicely spiced and tender. If you want more spice, two differently spiced and flavoured condiments are stocked at every table! Again, there was a perfect amount of rice to chimichanga filling, simply perfect. As I had enjoyed all of the food so far, I wanted to try a homemade desert, too. But being already quite full, I was initially hesitant. However, I was delighted to see smaller sized desserts with hot drinks as an available option, a very good idea, which I truly wish more restaurants did. I opted for the churros, and again, I wasn't disappointed. These came out hot and perfectly spiced with a little side of Dulce de leche. My filter coffee with a side of hot milk was well made and again a good compliment to the sweetness of the churros. All in all, I wholeheartedly recommend this place for anyone who wants delicious, well-made Mexican food, with a friendly atmosphere and lovely staff. Definitely visit if you're staying in Maldon!

One of the best meals I have ever had in my life! It was quite loud when we first arrived but there were a couple of birthday parties so we didn't mind, and it got quieter later on. The service was fantastic and everyone was very attentive. But most of all, the food was absolutely delicious. If I lived closer I'd go bankrupt in this place :D

Food is always delicious and cooked perfectly. Staff are friendly and polite. Genuinely some of the best nachos I’ve ever eaten. We were so sad when Colchester then Clacton closed so we’ve been to both Maldon and Newmarket to fill the el guaca shaped hole in our hearts and they are both great. Honestly, it is a little pricey but worth it for a treat in my opinion