Northern Virginia Restaurant Blog: Rango's Tex-Mex Bar & Grill in Vienna, Virginia (Tysons Corner...errrr Tysons area)

1934 Old Gallows Rd, Vienna, VA 22182
Tel: (571) 282-3054

Newcomer to the Tysons area, Rango's opened this week to some growing pains. Its website is finally up, though without prices -- a restaurant trend that does not sit well with us. Rango's replaced the short-lived mediocre Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar in the Nordstrom Rack / BJ's Brewhouse Plaza. We were glad to see a new Tex-Mex restaurant in Tysons fill the temporary Tex-Mex void left by the abrupt uprooting of Chili's and On The Border

Right off the bat we'll be upfront and say that the welcoming atmosphere and accommodating staff more than compensated for the bland, uninspiring dishes.

We believe in Rango's potential to step-up their kitchen creations, as the experienced owners are known in our area for running the long-time well-loved local chain Guapo's with roots in Fairfax County dating back to the 1970s. This new endeavor in the quickly urbanizing Tysons (known to most of us as Tysons Corner) has a large physical footprint, ready to seat hundreds of hungry eaters. There is a tortilla-making station inside the dining hall and a large outdoor patio seating area, which is likely to be in high demand as soon as the snow melts.

We came here for dinner on a Saturday night the day after they opened in the first week of February. The staff was numerous, smiling, and friendly. The restaurant's orange walls, low mood lighting, soft Mexican music and dark wood furniture gave it a warm feel, balanced by the large windows that let in ample light. It seemed open and clean, even though one of the black cloth napkins on our table had some dried food stains when unrolled, it did look like it had been through a wash. The silverware was shiny. The large tray-like plastic plates were quite overbearing and the average food portions were spread thin on these large serving dishes.

Chips and salsa arrived at our table immediately. Disappointingly, chips were thin and broke easily when dipped in the salsa. The salsa was watery and humdrum at best, akin to red water with some diced floating tomatoes and onions. We asked for some hot sauce, which arrived quickly in a small ramekin with a warning from the waiter that it was very spicy. It was not. It was the only thing on the table that actually offered some flavor.

The Ceviche ($13.95) on the menu was a full appetizer portion, but since only one of us wanted it, we asked if they could give us a half order. Our request was cheerfully accommodated, which we appreciated, and we were charged for a half-order ($7.00). The shrimp, flounder, calamari, scallop mixture was disappointingly under-marinated. Despite squeezing over the fish the entire half of the juicy lemon almost down to the pulp, it was equivalent to chewing on rubber balls both in flavor and texture. Sadly, the thinly sliced red onions lacked any punch whatsoever. This was unfortunate, because a good ceviche with tang and personality would be sure to set an exciting tone for the rest of the meal. However, this is where our disappointments continued.

We also ordered the Cheese Nacho appetizer platter ($9.95) that arrived on one of their overbearingly large tray-like plates with a mere eight paper thin flat chips topped by a thin layer of cheese, laying on a thin layer of re-fried bean puree. It was accompanied by a small bowl of guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, pico de gallo, and 4 fresh jalapenos. At $1.25 per chip, this was barely a bargain. Moreover, the jalapenos were not only chalk bland, they were also ice-cold, while the lettuce was warm and limp, leaving us to question whether the chef pays any attention to the plates before they exit the kitchen.

Shortly, our entrees arrived, and they were not any more inspiring. Served on the same huge plates where the food is spread wide and thin, in our opinion, the portions seemed rather average in size, if not smaller than average.

Prior to placing our entree plates on the table, the server moved the salsa bowls and seeing some salsa spilled on the table, rather than wiping it, placed the dishes right on top of the tomato pieces. Not the most palatable thing to see. It wasn't until after we were done eating that the bus boy came over and wipe the table before bringing us the check. Attentiveness to details like wiping food remnants off the table in-between courses would have been reassuring, but was missing.

Now where were we... back to the entrees.

The Chicken Enchiladas ($11.95) were dry and bland. Both the very dark pulled chicken meat and the tortillas were so dry that not even a full helping of the green "spicy" (not spicy at all) sauce and the salsa were able to salvage it. Lettuce was warm and limp, and the pico.... oh the tragic pico that usually adds a savory delicious blast of flavor, well.... at Rango's it was lukewarm, bland and barely noticeable.....

The Beef Chimichanga ($11.95) did hit slightly above the (low) bar with its smoky flavor and relatively tasty meat. The ground beef was better seasoned than the Chicken Enchiladas and the tortilla was crispy, not dry. The shell kept its shape when cut into, as opposed to being too mushy or too crunchy that it would splinter into pieces.

While in our opinion the food is bland and unpalatable, we heard a lady, who was obviously a friend of the staff and the owner, at a nearby table, comment that the salsa was too spicy for her. Along the same lines, our neighbors on Nextdoor.com raved about the size of the portions, which we found to be quite average, or smaller in size than average. Neighbors also commented about the "succulent" food, which we found to be quite under-flavored. Goes to confirm that everyone has different taste buds and different strokes for different folks.

The positive side of Rango's is its wonderfully welcoming, pleasant, friendly and upbeat staff. The owner also came around checking on the patrons and asking about the food. After all, restaurants are about much more than just food - they're also about the people and the whole dining experience. At Rango's, the people really compensated for the lackluster food.

We are so lucky in Northern Virginia to live in an area with an abundance of terrific restaurants. We will give Rango's Tex-Mex Bar & Grill some time time to acclimate to Tysons until we ponder returning. In the meantime, we wish them well!