Taqueria Jalisco

Hands down best authentic Mexican restaurant around, people serving are very friendly, and the food is awesome.

Ok, so for five years I had this really tough job over in the Irmo area, which is just not my jam. Nothing against the place, I’m just more of a downtown kinda lady. It was a pretty grueling stretch of time, but ultimately I got a lot out of it, not the least of which being Taqueria mothertrucking Jalisco. (Incidentally, this one odious coworker from that job always used to «correct» my pronunciation of the restaurant’s name like, «Actually, it’s tok-​eee-​AIR-​uh Jalisco,» and I got so sick of it, I finally sent him a link to the entry for «taqueria» on this website that had audio pronunciations of Spanish words, and he never apologized, but he also never said it again, so that worked out pretty well.)
Look, there’s nothing fancy about this place, but what it does have is a hell of a lot of magic! They have the best free chips and salsa in town, a huge menu with a million good options and tasty simple cocktails. Their quesadillas fill me with joy – the spinach one and the mushroom one are my favorites. Get some beans with ‘em, and then you’ve got a bean dip to go with your salsa dip to go with your magical quesadilla! ABRACADABRA!
More great things about Taqueria Jalisco:
— Incredibly friendly folks work there, exclusively, and they work FAST! Your waitperson is going to get your drink order right away when you sit down, and that drink is gonna ride up to your table with some chips and salsa in tow, in about 2 minutes flat. I think there must be a time machine back there in the kitchen because orders fly out of there like nonviolent flavor missiles. This is really important when the place gets jammed up with hungry people come lunch time.
— They have a nice mix of tables, booths and bar seating for solo diners and groups of all sizes. They have a great big booth for large parties, and if the party’s too large for the jumbo booth, they’re gonna add some more tables and chairs to it until everybody fits.
— The prices are INCREDIBLE, like to the point that I almost want the place to raise them a bit ’cause I feel like they deserve it. I guess the fast turnover and killer good eats/​happy bellies keep them well in the black, but damn, you get some good quality and quantity for your dollar when you eat at Taqueria Jalisco. Like, more than you even deserve.
— The ladies room is always clean; no frills, but clean and functional and spacious, so you can transact your turlet business, wash up, and then stand back to check your various parts in the mirror without bumping into anything. It’s probably great for ladies with kids too, but I wouldn’t know about that. I also can’t vouch for the men’s room. I’m just not a man, ok?
If you’re over in the St. Andrews area, and you want a good meal, quickly and for a bargain basement price, you’d be crazy not to hit up the Taqueria Jalisco!

One of the favorites in town. Enjoying time with friends. Fajitas are the best. Share with a friend or two. Large portions.

We always enjoy lunch here. Great food and nice people. My husband loves the chimichangas.

My favorite is the Tortilla Chicken Soup!

Great food! Great service! Great portions! Has a mom&pop atmosphere. My wife and I have tried numerous Mexican restaurants around the Columbia area, and we have found our new favorite. Check it out for yourself!

Excellent food and outstanding service. We ordered chicken fajitas and al a carte tacos with rice. Their hot sauce is off the chain good!!! The portion sizes are huge and the cost is low. We will be back!

Good food and decent menu prices that compare to most other Mexican joints in town. Nothing particularly stood out, but definitely worth a try if you’re in the area.

Brought the family for lunch and the food was AWESOME!!!
Had the Pulpo and shrimps and scallops with ceviche was on point.
The Guacamole was fresh and tasty with the fresh chips.
I’ve found my new Mexican Restaurant to eat at in Columbia.

Agree with other reviews the food was okay, nothing special. I ordered the Jalisco Special lunch dish with taco, enchilada, and choice of rice or beans. Made the mistake of ordering the beans which were basically a refried bean slurry. The taco was okay. The enchilada was okay. The chips were a little stale. The salsa was too runny and bland for my taste. The atmosphere was cheerful and clean and the service was decent. I just need to stop trying to find decent Mexican food in this part of the country.

Ordered fajitas for two. They arrived in under five minutes. Can you spell MICROWAVE? Mushy vegetables. Dry beef and chicken. Rubbery shrimp. They stirred in their houses salsa (more like a thin taco sauce) to give the dish some liquid. Rather gross I must say.

I remember this place only because it is the restaurant we went to on my first day at work. I was concerned about the cleanliness of this place in general. Food wise, nothing special — same as what they call Mexican in this part of the country.

We have been frequenting Taqueria Jalisco for something like six years now and their food is excellent and extremely consistent. Guacamole I like more than my own, and that’s saying something. All the seafood dishes are fresh and well done. An expanding list of specials that includes favorites like tamales and the burrito verde. Excellent, warm, friendly service. You will not be disappointed.

Great place and the wait staff is very friendly.
The food is good and rich.
The only negatives I have is the amount of salt in the dishes and cheese sauce. If your order has cheese and you want to control how much is put on, ask for it on the side.

Another A-​ok Mexican joint… nothing special, nothing great…
Kind of skimpy on the bang for the buck… I love potato burritos– spicy potatoes with cheese and peppers. so when I saw this on the menu I had to give it a try! It was nothing very special~ The beans are very good– taste like home made lard :)
Not Good — Not bad… small place… could be a little cleaner…

Jalisco used to be AMAZING, but it seems to have gone downhill. The soups are still a good choice, as is the taco al pastor (with the green sauce). I inexplicably lurve the potato burrito. They are wonderfully accommodating if you have children.

Hmm maybe it was a slow hour (6 on a sunday shouldn’t be) but we had the feeling that the food had been sitting arond and then was microwaved to order. One thing i lked was the multitude of sauces we got, i was able to drown out the bland dish in verde hot sauce!