Border Grill

If you’re looking for some really good Mexican food, look elsewhere. My experience was very disappointing, and I don’t plan on visiting again.
We ordered guacamole for the table, and it was fairly good. Service, on the other hand, was absolutely awful. The waitress didn’t refill my water, and did not bring more tortilla chips even after we asked three times. I tried to order horchata, and they don’t serve it. You call this a Mexican restaurant?
For my entrée, I ordered a sampler of three ceviches. They weren’t bad, but the portion sizes were tiny, and I had no chips to eat them with. I finally got fed up and just forked the stuff into my mouth and got out of there are fast as I could.

Thank you Christina, Christy and Destiny for amazing brunch! What a perfect place for groups to have a great experience. The food was perfect and the service 6 stars!!! We will be back!!!

Brunch last week was *amazing*! Our server, Carmie, went above and beyond. One of our guests is vegan, and she made sure we could alter options so that everyone could eat! Our drinks never sat empty – she even got me an agua fresca that made me not regret being the designated driver – and we got to try sooooo many tasty things!
The cauliflower taquitos, both with and without aioli, were to die for. I didn’t know that cauliflower was capable of tasting that good. We also adored the sweet corn tamales.
On the non-​vegan front, but as a person who doesn’t eat beef, I haven’t had a «pig in a blanket» in over a decade, so it was so exciting to get to eat some again!
We will be back to take advantage of the locals’ discount on this fantastic brunch.

We had lunch here are after a trip to the Bodies exhibit in the Luxor next door. It was a Wednesday around 2 and it was dead! When we arrived only one other person was eating so we were able to chat with our waitress for a bit. Im pregnant and obviously can’t drink so she suggested the blood orange lemonade refresher and it was amazing… I didn’t even miss having a cocktail! We decided on the guacamole to accompany the chips and salsa the give the table as well as the green corn tamales. The guac was thick and chunky, just the way I like it. The tamales were delicious, nice and sweet with plenty of whole kernels… They did serve it as just a mash versus a traditional filled type and they were a bit soft, they had to be eaten off the wrapper as opposed to being able to roll them out. I had the carne asada tacos and my husband had the yucatan pork. I loved mine, 3 small tacos with small bites of steak with the perfect amount of spice. My husband enjoyed his pork… He said it had a great unexpected cinnamon flavor that was nice as well as it was served with cooked plantains yum! Both dishes came with 2 types of rice and refried black beans. I suppose they’re a bit more sustainable but I do miss the good ol’ pinto beans I’m used to. The only down side was since it was so slow everything came out within about 15 minutes of placing our order, but no biggie since it was all amazing.
Something I noticed on the menu is everything applicable labeled gluten free as well as «80÷20» which indicates that at least 80% of the dish made from plant based ingredients (Not that either of our meals were!). Border grill is located in the stretch of restaurants going towards the convention center or the shark reef.

I always try to hit this place every time I’m in Vegas. Owned by Mary Sue and Susan (I know of them from their radio food show once on KFI Los Angeles), this is a GREAT Mexican food restaurant, from ambiance to the sauces. Especially the salsas and sauces.
Tip: If you’re only at Mandalay Bay to visit them for lunch or dinner, park in the Convention parking lot, as they’re close to that lot, near the Shark Reef. Otherwise, you’ll have to trek a ways from the main casino (which isn’t bad, considering you can walk off the calories on the way back).
Tip 2: If you like really really hot salsa, like the addictive kind that makes you cry but you just can’t stop eating it, ask your server for the «diablo» salsa.
Tip 3: If the climate is decent (sunny, 70’s-80’s) ask if you can be seated out on the patio for nice ambiance.

Best ceviche ever!
What a great find. I will have to visit to try something else on the menu or maybe just ordsr the Peruvian Ceviche again. Just delicious!

Is there such a thing as too much service? Our server was way over the top and in your face. I know he meant well but constant references to how he knows best (including upselling) and stopping by every 2 minutes was kind of off putting. Then again, maybe he took a hint because after our food was dropped off he was nowhere to be found. We had to flag a manager to get our bill.
As for the food. The octopus appetizer was wonderfully tender. The entrees however. My dining partner got the skirt steak and asked for another vegetable side in place of the pepper strips that came with it. He really doesn’t like peppers. Well, it came with a loadful of peppers. The steak was also on the salty side. He had to scrape off the chimchurri on it. I had the shrimp and scallop dish. Oily and not much garlic flavor.
Aside from the octopus, maybe we ordered the wrong things. The experience just wasn’t on par with the price.

They have the best brunch special ever! Ok if y’all have read my reviews y’all know I love tapas style foods. And for brunch this place has ALL YOU CAN EAT tapas, and yes I did say ALL YOU CAN EAT. And that’s lot all! Just for 10 $ more you can add bottomless mimosas! And not just champagne and regular orange. You can choose from 12 different juices! From blood orange, to peach, to strawberry! But be cautious… Those mimosas will sneak up on you!
We tried a lot of the plates but just could not do them all. It was just the two of us, it would be more beneficial if there were a few of you doing the brunch so you can try more food. The highlight of the meal, a must get, if you do come is the shrimp & grits and the spicy chicken tamale! You will die so bomb.
Their grits is hands down the best I have ever had. It is so cheesy and flavorful. And the salsa on top amazing! Not too spicy but just right. The tamale was also one of the best I ever had! It is really spicy tho but I can take it. The sweet corn tamale wasn’t all that great so just skip that.
The oyster taco was also pretty amazing. Everything was amazing. The staff was very attentive. Made sure our glasses were never empty. One I thing I do wish they had were desserts.
Oh! And if you sign up for their rewards thing, they give you 15% off every time you dine with them!
I would come here again and recommend this place for a nice classy brunch! I’ll be back!

You really need to read this. It’s a bit long. But, please hang in there. It’s worth it. I was amazed by their concern for my issue. I am permanently disabled and walk with a cane with constant pain. I was walking from the convention center and food court area to the casino. I was stopped by a security guard at the Border Grill due to some ongoing floor reconstruction. Rather than telling me where I could pass, I had to ask the guard, «Where do I go?» She sat there on her wide butt and pointed to a steep long staircase headed downward. It should have already been quite apparent to her that I was in no condition to maneuver those steps. I then asked her how could I get down there, alluding to my obvious disability. She went on and on about an elevator, a walkway downstairs, and an escalator. But her description was unclear as it was obvious that she couldn’t care less about my issue.
After about 10 or 15 minutes of wandering around trying to find where to go, I finally ended up finding a hotel employee who helped me find my way. It was a LONG walk around. No reason existed for me to even have gone down that long hallway in the first place. No signs were posted, no detour was shown. Just, «Good luck, disabled folks! You don’t matter!» I was furious. This was not right. So, as I entered the area that finally got me downstairs below the restaurant, I told the security guard I saw about the problem. He told me to go tell the Manager at Border Grill. So, I did. Here’s where my day was brightened.
I approached the Manager, who was at their «Back Door» entrance. I told her the whole story. She seemed very concerned. However, I still wasn’t feeling as though they were going to make any changes or improvements. So, I specifically asked that they find a way to divert the folks who have mobility issues so they can not go through what I just went through. She looked me right in the eye and said she’d handle it. Then, she asked if I wanted lunch. I told her, «No, I’m just walking through getting a little exercise. I just wanted to be sure nobody else has to go through that» She again offered me lunch and a drink, almost pulling me inside the restaurant. So, I accepted her kind offer.
Now to the food! LOL. I had some chips and salsa (three kinds: two red, one green) and guacamole to start. It was delicious, and had good spices. I also had a «Mexican Mojito,» which really kicked some butt. Then the chile relleno burger came. OMG — just look for yourself — I posted a photo here. Not only was it ridiculously huge, it was awesomely delicious as well. The fries were skin-​on and fried just right, too. I barely got through half the plate. But, I did finish that drink! All-​in-​all a great meal. Comfortable porch-​like atmosphere downstairs, too. I wasn’t even aware that the Border Grill had a downstairs until this. Great service, great food, and now the best part.
The manager (I wish I remembered her name!) came back to me near the end of my meal. She told me they are using their in-​house elevator to divert disabled people around the construction. This eliminated a very long walk around that mess. Now, they can just go into the restaurant, take the elevator, and be where they need to be to get to the casino. Viola — problem recognized AND resolved within the time it took me to half-​eat my free lunch. Now, THAT’S real service. They didn’t have to do any of that. They could have just said, «OK» and left it at that; which is what I expected considering the first person (stupid lazy guard) I dealt with on this issue. But, that lady made my day. Not for the free lunch. I wasn’t even that hungry. But for the kindness and consideration she had, and for having implemented an immediate fix. I’m impressed. Great job! Great food! Great service! Thanks!

I love chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, so I was looking forward to experiencing the restaurant during my stay. The first night we ate at the bar and had a blood orange margarita with a mole rim and the citrus chicken quesadillas. It was so good I did not want to stop eating, but I was stuffed. On my last day, we had lunch there, also at the bar. It was happy hour so the drinks were a little less expensive. I had the spicy shrimp tacos.
Food, drink and service are phenomenal. Prices are average; not overly pricy, but not cheap. You are paying for quality in food and service, so just do it. Go there. Eat there.

My husband and I just had an amazing experience here at Border Grill. Our server was Autumn, and she was absolutely great. We asked what the best thing to get here — and Autumn steered us in the right direction throughout the whole meal. She recommended to get the «Ultimate Border Grill Experience» — which was a sampler of 3 appetizers per person, 2 entrees, and 2 desserts. Our food was absolutely delicious! The service was outstanding! Autumn was so genuine and nice, even though we got here later, and stayed way past the closing time.
We will definitely be back and recommend Border Grill to our family and friends! :)

I was searching for a bottomless brunch spot, and Border Grill more than filled that void.
The good:
— For $ 35, you can try anything from huevos rancheros to steak and eggs to breakfast fries (similar to poutine but better!).
— For an additional $ 10 — I repeat $ 10 — you can also get bottomless mimosas. You seriously can’t beat this deal, as one mimosa can typically run you anywhere from $ 5 – 8 each. There are various seasonal juices (at least 9) and all were fresh.
— Service was great, and our waitress even let us order about 30 minutes after brunch ended. Score.
— Atmosphere was lax and inviting. The outdoor patio also overlooks the pool area and lazy river.
Definitely recommend. Cannot wait to go back (hopefully each time I’m in Vegas!).

I’ve dined at Border Grill 3 times and I’ve never been disappointed in the food. Service has been hit or miss. I dined for dinner a month or so ago and we had the most outstanding service. Sunday I dined for Brunch and the service was sub-​par. To start off, our server served my friend water in a cracked glass. When we noticed and alerted her she was less than empathetic. Throughout the meal it was almost like the server was going through mood swings. She was nice then she was rude then she was friendly again. Very strange.
Onto the food. Spectacular. The all you can eat tapas menu is phenomenal and the $ 10 bottomless mimosas is a must! They have over 15 different flavors! The French toast, steak and eggs, and breakfast fries were some of my favorites! For dinner I had the steak quesadilla, very simple but excellent quality of steak. One strange thing to mention though. We ordered he fries a second time and this time they were seasoned completely different. Kinda strange as I enjoyed them the first way better.
I absolutely will be back to try new menu items and have another great experience.

If you feel like you’ve done something good in life and deserve something good, you have to run here! Although it’s a bit out of the way and you have to take few extra steps through Mandalay Bay, it’s worth it!!!
We’ve come here at least 5 times in the past year and it just keeps getting better!
Our last visit was on last Sunday. The girls in the front were friendly and welcoming! Our waiter, Mike was the best part of this Vegas trip! He was friendly, helpful, professional and has the best sense of humor.
We ordered…
Green corn tamales — Perfection!!!
Short Rib Enchiladas — Tender, Fresh and Delicious!!!
Tres Leches Cake — BEST EVER!!!
Washed it all down with my Margarita and the hubby had a Carona. Everything was delicious but the Tres Leches has got to be the best thing ever!!!
It’s great for dates, groups and families. They have seating inside and outside.
Looking forward to our next trip to Border Grill!

If you happen to be at Mandalay Bay for a convention then this place sure beats the food court down the hall, I said to myself while in search of my only meal that day. I wouldn’t recommend going out of one’s way to dine here though since there are far better Mexican restaurants elsewhere in town. Border Grill is the epitome of a tourist trap as one would expect given its location. Going in I new this but the scene was quite bleak at the other spots and the food court was crowded and well, I don’t eat fast food.
In retrospect I should have gone to the food court. The service, at the bar hightop was great, but serving stale tortilla chips? This is 2015 at a premier spot on the Strip with prices two times what they should be for Mexican fare. I drank an Arnold Palmer, or two, OK it was likely three… those were decent and I believe the bartender made them with fresh lemonade. The entrée, I don’t recall what it was but it was probably something safe, such as a chicken quesadilla. The fact that the entrée doesn’t stand out in my recollection of the meal but the stale soggy chips does proves my point; this place is merely «Meh. I’ve experienced better.»

3.5 stars
Good food, but kinda pricey. We went to Border Grill randomly since we were staying at the Mandalay Bay and wanted to grab a quick dinner. It honestly reminds me of El Torito Grill or any other Mexican restaurant that’s on the fancier end. We went on a Sunday night around 7pm and found it decently full, but with no wait. Keep in mind this was Labor Day weekend too. We weren’t looking for a full-​on meal and most of their dishes were $ 20+ so we ended up ordering the baja ceviche ($ 15) and the carne asada quesadilla ($ 19). Both were tasty, but a little too pricey for what you’re getting, which is not much, in my opinion. I know it’s Vegas and it’s a very nice restaurant so I can’t really blame them, but I doubt I will return. It’s just Mexican food. I can get both dishes for cheaper and tastier elsewhere.
The two highlights were the complimentary chips and salsa (they give you 3 different sauces) and the service. Our waiter was nice enough to even pack our leftover chips and salsa, which was awesome. Not really a must if I’m ever in Vegas again, but Border Grill is good and would make a nice date place so it’s a solid 3.5 stars in my book.

Came here with a group of 6 last weekend for dinner. Service was pretty decent.
I’m only slightly familiar with the work of the two chefs, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. Kudos to the duo for creativity of the dishes and the thorough knowledge of the waitstaff. They serve warm and crispy chips and 3 kinds of salsas; all unique and good. We started with an order of the guacamole, which was pretty standard. Nothing really stood out with the order and it was a tad bland.
For my main course, I ordered the Yucatan Pork ($ 24). It was a good-​sized plate; price wasn’t great but wasn’t bad for restaurants on the strip. The pork itself was tender, but the flavor was just OK for me. There is a pretty heavy cinnamon flavor, which I found bright, surprising, and interesting, but that’s really all I could taste. I think the dish was slightly bland and could have had a bigger variety of flavors. The rice and beans were very standard and uninteresting. I was a fan of the plantains that came with the dish, though.
Overall, just an OK experience for me. I would definitely be open to revisiting and trying some of the other dishes, as a lot of them sounded interesting and creative.

Came here for dinner with a friend before seeing a show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Knowing it can get busy on a Saturday, especially on the night of a show, I made a reservation on OpenTable. Got there on time and checked in at the hostess stand. I wanted inside seating because eating outside during a Vegas summer isn’t preferable while dressed up for a show. However, the wait for an inside table was going to be 20 – 30 minutes. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of my reservation? Since we had a show to get to, we reluctantly took the patio seating to get seated immediately.
Our server Carmie was very nice. She was very helpful when asked for appetizer recommendations. We were torn over which ceviche to order, but she informed us that we could split a ceviche order in half and get a bit of each. Perfect solution. We tried the Baja Ceviche and the Tuna Crudo (the recommendation of Carmie). Ultimately, I preferred the Tuna Crudo. Props for the recommendation. Because we’re locals, Carmie suggested we sign up for the VIP Club, which would get us 15% off on future visits, as well as the current visit. Saving money is always appreciated.
As for my entrée, I ordered the Ropa Vieja off the specials menu. It was braised beef short rib, carrot purée, mojo, and crispy yucca. Knowing I’m eating on the Strip, I was a bit worried how much short rib I’d get for $ 27. Once the dish came out, I was pleasantly surprised at the portion. It was a ton of short rib. Very tender and I could pull it apart without the need for a knife.
Overall a good experience, but not perfect due to the inability to seat us inside even though we had a reservation.

I’ve been to BG a couple times, but it’s been about five years since my last visit and I’ve honestly forgotten about the great food. Well, I’m really glad for my visit last week and the wonderful experience we had. The food was delicious and the service was insanely fantastic. Our server, Jessica was the most thoughtful, kindest, and simply amazing. Everyone seriously deserves high praises for the top-​notch service!
Border Classics ($ 19): Chicken Panuchos (Black bean stuffed tortillas), Green Corn Tamales (Sweet corn, sour cream, salsa fresca), and Plantain Empanadas (Roasted plantains, organic black beans, poblano, cotija cheese). I absolutely loved the panuchos; so good! The tamales were pretty great considering that I don’t usually like sweet versions. The empanadas were okay.
Wagyu Beef Sopes ($ 14): Guajillo chile marinated Wagyu beef, corn masa «little boat», and mango red cabbage mint slaw. The meat was delicious and tender (although a bit sweeter than I prefer), plus the fixings worked well. It was interestingly just one sope and the price is a bit steep for it.
Restaurant Week 2015
Dinner $ 50.15
Donation Level: Silver Platter ($ 4)
FIRST
«Chorizo» Beef Tartare: Quail egg and potato puff. Very good beef tartare and I loved the puff — wish there was more!
SECOND
Gaucho Steak: Grilled ribeye, chimichurri, crispy garlic potato, and huitlacoche butter. This steak was very generous in size and cooked well. The whole dish was super flavorful. I loved the potato! Just really good steak.
THIRD
Smoked Chocolate Brownie: Cinnamon smoke, chocolate sauce, and almond ice cream. The stack of brownie was covered in one of their short glasses, filled with smoke. The cup was removed as soon as the plate hit our table and you could still see the smoke swirling. Very cool. The brownie was delicious and I loved the addition of smoke. Great ice cream, too.

I read that Border Grill had one of the best brunches in Las Vegas. So decided to check out the Mandalay Bay location for their Border Brunch. For $ 35, you get unlimited made-​to-​order tapas. It’s really a great deal!
First off though, finding Border Grill was a bit of a pain. It’s really deep within the resort, basically near the pool area. If you’re coming in from the monorail, basically keep walking past the casino and through restaurant row. You’ll know you’re on the right path if you pass Aureole and then eventually you’ll see signs pointing to Border Grill.
It was a beautiful day outside, so I decided to so sit at their Patio. Even though I had a reservation, I opted to sit at the bar since the table they provided me had too much sun shining down on it.
But let’s get on to the Border Brunch. They provide you with a menu of about 22 dishes to order and you basically order anything you want. For a solo diner, they recommend ordering two at a time and four to five dishes at a time if you’re with a group.
Here in chronological order is what I ordered:
Empanada with Cinnamon Butter –
This was like an amuse bouche and came with the Border Brunch.
Tomatillo Egg Benedict –
Cornmeal battered tomatillo, hominy grits, epazote hollandaise, roasted tomato, baked kale
This was a good dish to start with. Fried green tomato with a nice runny egg on top. Delicious!!!
Breakfast Fries –
Beer braised short rib, manchego cheese, bacon, sunny side egg
This was very dish but I’m glad I got to try this. It’s a breakfast poutine essentially since you have cheese, short ribs, and a runny egg. This is probably a dish better suited for a group to share because, even though this was only my 2^nd dish, I was already starting to get full.
Serrano Ham Waffle –
Manchego cheese, maple syrup, butter
I liked this! It was a good combination of sweet and savory.
Peruvian Shrimp and Grits –
Aji panca salsa, roasted green chile, creamy parmesan grits
Ordering this seafood dish was a good way for me to get my money’s worth out of the $ 35. The shrimp was cooked nicely and had a very nice kick to it with the chile. A very unique take on shrimp and grits.
Oyster Taco –
Cornmeal battered oyster, flour tortilla, pickled chayote, tomato, buttermilk aioli
At this point, I was pretty stuffed but I still wanted to try more. This oyster taco is really about the size of a street taco so it was only a few bites, but that was more than enough for me. I really enjoyed it!
Churro Tots –
Dulce de leche infused churros, cinnamon sugar, chocolate ganache, passion fruit purée
From the beginning, I already planned on ordering this last since it’s pretty much like a dessert. As small as these tots were, they were pretty dense but had good flavor. The two sauces worked well with them.
Overall, I thought the $ 35 AYCE tapas Border Brunch was worth it. But I was really limited to my stomach capacity since I only got try 6 dishes out of the 22. I highly recommend coming with a group if you plan to try all 22 dishes.
As for Border Grill, it’s a really nice restaurant! It’s a nice take on upscale Tex-​Mex food similar to Mesa Grill. I did visit the other location at the Forum Shops which I’ll review later, but I like this location a lot better, especially if you can snag a table outside. I would definitely love to come back again to them for dinner.