Let's just get this said right up front: We've been to Cafe Olé in downtown Richmond dozens of times, and we've never been disappointed.

The name implies Mexican, and yet we struggle to describe the menu. It's definitely sort-of Mexican, if that makes sense. Burritos. Taco salads. Tacos. A salsa bar.

And yet . . .

Mexican lasagna is no one's idea of Mexican food, or even Tex-Mex. Fish tacos are Mexican, but not when they have blackened fish and are seasoned with tropical fruit.

So it's not really Mexican, but it's all good.

But get there on time. It opens at 11:30, and if you wander in between noon and 1 p.m., you may be standing in line for a bit. We see the same faces in there a lot.

You order your food, and you're assigned a number. When your order is ready, a woman hollers out your number, loud enough to overcome the crowd noise. We admit to envying anyone whose job consists of yelling just about anytime she feels like it.

We also admit to being fans of places that let you dispense your own fountain drinks, because we like refills. That's the way it's done at Cafe Olé. Unfortunately, like in so many places, the drink dispenser is in a heavily trafficked area.

And we like the serve-yourself salsa bar. Cafe Olé serves chips with just about everything, and its bar is well-equipped with green salsa, red salsa and pickled jalape?os. Both salsas are mild enough for anyone. And if you want to kick it up a notch, there's a variety of bottled hot sauces.

Cafe Olé has a basic menu -- tacos, hefty-sized burritos and taco salads -- and daily specials.

If you get just a taco, which comes with chips, and a soda, you're going to come in at about $5 for a satisfying, filling lunch. If you go with one of the daily specials, you'll spend a bit more.

We have a special fondness for the complex flavors of the fish tacos, which we regret to say are not on the menu often enough to suit us.

We'll finish with the plusses and minuses:

Plusses: Great food, great prices, free drink refills.

Minuses: When it's crowded, which is usually is, it can be a bit claustrophobic. If the weather is good and your timing is bad, the line can stretch out the door. And unless you work downtown, its location probably rules you out as a customer.

Conclusion: One of downtown Richmond's best places to grab a working lunch. It's a shame it's not open on weekends.

Working lunch is a weekly review of restaurants serving lunches under $10. The reviews are written by Times-Dispatch staff writers who dine anonymously.