Loco Hombres/Alonzo's - We hombres are loco for their nachos!

Another review that is long overdue, is of the sister restaurants Loco Hombres and Alonso's. Located in old Roland Park a short walk from Loyola College, the two restaurants share an entrance, hostess stand, and bar. Loco Hombres has a tex-mex theme, while Alonso's goes for more of a sports-bar/pizza theme (although the 2 menus are overall very similar). The tex-mex ambiance is experienced before you even walk in the door, with the old Spanish-style tiles on the roof of this old corner business (which is incidental, as this is a common style found on rowhomes made in the "daylight" period, which is a whole-nother blog!). The Alonso's side also sells beer and wine for about couple hours later than most of the nearby liquor stores.

Anyway, we had visited on Wednesday night, having been there many times before, expected greatness. We have been there in both large groups and small, and tried items across the menu. One previous visit worth noting, was on the opening night of the 2008 Hampden Christmas Lights - while all the "Avenue" restaurants were on a 2 hour wait, Loco's accommodated a party of 12 in a matter of minutes. And everyone left satisfied.

This week we were in a beer and pub-grub kind of mood, and we remember being intensely impressed by the nachos they served - so we each ordered an order of nachos. I got ground beef on mine, the others got chicken. As we remembered, the portions were huge and looked delicious. Each plate of nachos was smothered with cheese, olives, peppers, guac, etc.; and you never had to worry about getting a nacho with nothing on it. The ground beef was good, the more mild of the choices, but of course was a little greasier. The chicken had a slight bite to it - which we all found to be delicious - and was generously rationed throughout the plate.

The nachos with meat were $13, and were large enough for 2 meals. If you're in a vegetarian mood or want to save money, they're available without meat for $10.

Most of the dishes offered are between $10 and $20 - some other Bob Ganoosh recommendations include the fajitas, the huge burgers (1.5lbs!), and the pizzas on the Alonso's side. They also have a nice drink menu, with a decent beer selection and some fun cocktails. I got a bottle of Newcastle, served with a frosted glass, that was very cold and refreshing on such a warm evening.

So, of course, we give our strong endorsement to these fun restaurants for almost any occasion - large group or small, dinner or just pub-grub during the game.

And, they get bonus points, since our waitress had a Natty Boh tattoo!