Gringo’s Cantina

If there is a restaurant that embodies all the frustration I’ve had with trying to find Mexican food in Denmark, Gringo’s would be the one. Coming from the East coast of the US where a Chipotle, Qdoba, or Baja Fresh is almost guaranteed to be a stone’s throw away, imagine my horror when I tried to get a burrito and chips fix only to find out I’m in a land where Mexican restaurants feel as common as unicorn sightings. This led me and a few of my fellow study abroad students to try and find Mexican/​Tex-​Mex restaurants that were near our host town of Roskilde, and lo and behold, Gringo’s right by the train station! Were our prayers answered? Could I finally rid myself of these taco themed dreams? Well, the story continues…
Walking in, you will find the most stereotypical «Mexican» décor possible. It seems that no matter which side of the Atlantic you are on, parrots, Corona beer ads, sombreros, fake vines, and that god awful stale mustard yellow paint will be there. But no worries, we were here for the food so that can all be given a pass. I got a steak enchilada while some of the other items ordered by m group included a pitcher sized margarita, a cheese quesadilla, chicken enchiladas, and cinnamon sugar chips with ice cream. My enchilada was barely passable. The steak was decently tender but way too salty while the rice and beans served with it were beyond stale. In addition, the salad which came with the entrees were swimming in water which made it very unappetizing. Also, the portion size was pitiful. While I had gotten used to the general smaller potion sizes of dishes in Denmark, I don’t see how anyone could possibly be full with the amount of food served, especially at the prices they charge which will be discussed shortly. The cheese quesadilla was also a joke — it was a small flour tortilla with barely a pinch of barely melted cheese pressed in between. While I didn’t get to try the margarita, apparently it didn’t taste bad, but it was a shade of green which does not exist naturally in nature. Finally, on a positive note, while it took about 30 minutes to make, the chips and ice cream were quite good.
Inside, the restaurant itself is mostly booth style seating with a few small tables as well. The service was quite slow but at least the server was nice and let us split the check at the end. Bonus points for that. Finally, moving on to value, portion sizes here are very small yet the prices are not. My enchilada and a Corona came to about 150DKK. Not the most expensive meal I’ve had here, but pricey for the quality and amount of food I got.
Overall, I was disappointed with Gringo’s. The food was poor, service slow, and prices too high. The only redeeming qualities it has are a good location and okay, if slow service. Looking for a burrito fix? Try Taco Diner near Nørreport station.