I have raved about Tres Primos in the past to anyone who would listen, so we felt it was finally time to post an actual review to show why we love them so much. Central New York is absolutely inundated with Mexican restaurants as of late and, barring a couple of standouts, they are all pretty much exactly the same thing. Generic Mexican-American fare with little-to-no variety or flavor to set them apart from each other. But the ones who do stand out tend to lean more towards the Mexican side of Mexican-American and Tres Primos is definitely in that park. Family-owned and operated, Tres Primos does everything they can by hand short of making their own tortillas and you can taste the difference. Even after suffering a crippling loss when one of the owners passed away recently, they still continue to carry on and not sacrifice quality and hospitality.
We went today because I had a strange craving for a burrito after finding out that our original dinner plans were a bust due to an unexpected closure of the restaurant we were going to try. When we pulled in at 4:00, we were greeted by the owner and seated immediately. She took our drink orders and immediately brought out house salsa and a basket of chips, prompting Chelsea to immediately ask for a bowl of queso to go with the chips. Their house salsa is one of the best I’ve ever had with perfect acidity and flavor, the chips were warm and lightly salted and the queso creamy and cheesy with a hint of spice.
Chelsea ordered the Chalupa Dinner, a choice of chicken or steak (she chose one of each) with lettuce, shredded cheese and sour cream in a thick, fluffy and lightly crunchy shell served with Mexican rice and refried beans. The shells were beautiful with a warm, fluffy interior and lightly crispy exterior, chicken and steak both cooked through and seasoned perfectly and all of the flavors and textures worked very well together. The rice is simple, just a standard yellow rice, but it holds a lot of flavor and goes great with everything. Refried beans pack a lot of flavor in such a simple dish and the texture is one of the things that turns a lot of people off, but these were smooth, creamy and had a nice sprinkling of shredded cheese melted on top.
I ordered the Primo Special, a big burrito stuffed with chicken and chorizo, smothered in queso and served with Mexican rice and refried beans. The chicken was the same as in Chelsea’s chalupa and the chorizo added a touch of heat and some extra texture to go with it. Smothered in the same creamy queso as was brought to the table, this was a dish that hit the spot perfectly for me. Once you start cutting into the burrito and the chicken and chorizo falls out, I like mixing everything together so you get the whole shmorgasbord of flavors and textures all at once. The only way this burrito could have been better would be if the queso, rice and beans were all inside so I could pick it up and eat it by hand instead of with a fork and knife.
From start to finish every time we walk in the door, Tres Primos has never let us down. Delicious food, lovely staff and dirt cheap food for the portion sizes. The family that owns the restaurant are some of the nicest, most polite and welcoming people in the food service industry and they are always genuinely appreciative of every patron they get. The dining room is small, but the staff size is smaller. Even with a packed house, we’ve never seen more than two people working the floor with two cooks and a dishwasher in the back. The food takes time when the place is packed and service gets a touch slow, but I promise that it’s worth the wait.
Tres Primos Authentic Mexican Restaurant
1099 NY-5, Elbridge, NY 13060
(315) 277-5508