El Jalisco

I’m not going to write a bare minimum bad review, unlike our service today. We stopped in to grab a quick lunch, I had heard the quality was good. I’m not going to say the food wasn’t good but the quality of service and also receiving what one ordered seems to not be of concern. I went with my parents, ordered a round of beers and (2) DINNER (yes, dinner portions at lunch, must be a crime) enchilada supreme and a lunch fajitas platter… after we were told we could not order from the dinner section, we stated we had ordered (my parents had been there previously) during lunch from the dinner section… after double checking we were approved for our selections. We were at this point leary as to how the rest of our meal would turn out. Our beers were empty, waitress never checked, my father went to the bar and purchased more after 5+ minutes of waiting after asking for our waitress. Our meals arrived, the fajitas were fine but my parents still received the lunch enchiladas instead of the dinner. This was when we decided we’d not come back. It took another 20 minutes to get our check fixed…
All in all, there’s better places in the area. Don’t waste your time, aggregation or money on this establishment.

We were going here for some time, but recently it has gone off the rails both with food quality and especially service. As a result we will not be returning after today’s debacle. Started off with the waitress telling us we could only order off the lunch menu and not get something off the main menu. After checking she took our order from the main menu, Enchiladas Supreme (3 enchiladas). My husband had to get our second round of drinks from the bar himself because the waitress was nowhere to be found. Finally our order arrived after quite some time and it was the Lunch Enchiladas (2 enchiladas). Not what we ordered. They blamed it on a new computer system. After much confusion trying to «fix» it and much irritation, We are done.
This is not the first time something like this has happened here either. The last time we came in, we were actually told by the lone waitress at the time to basically eat at our own risk. She was the only one there, all had called out, and whoever was in the kitchen at the time wasn’t normally in the kitchen. I greatly appreciated her honestly and we finished our beverages and went about our day.
We understand that things happen. They have been happening too often here for our liking.

Great great great and I owned the Mexican Hacanada many years ago in Punta Gorda. Service was good price good as well and I really loved the food. I will be back.

Amazingly great food… excellent pricing for budget conscious… and real margaritas… very Latino décor n atmosphere.

Writing a poor review for El Jalisco seriously makes me sad, but you guys have really taken a huge turn for the worst. El Jalisco’s previous location, La Esperanza, was FANTASTIC! We had been going for years, and resumed when that location was closed and later turned into El Jalisco. The quality at El Jalisco was solid for a few months, but as of ¹²⁄₂₀₁₅ it has dropped so bad that my family has decided to just stop going indefinitely. Our waiter tonight, Hans, did his absolute bare minimum. Drink orders were incorrect and I didn’t receive a refill until he came with our bill. He didn’t know the menu items well, and disappeared into the back for over fifteen minutes. Food was just OK. Tamale tasted fresh out of the freezer. The food isn’t terrible but it doesn’t really make you want to come back either. There isn’t any music playing, so it’s dead quiet and kind of awkward. The chips are never fresh and they are never willing to make table side guac, despite it being on their menu. Not going back, sick of disappointment.

Very tasty food. Extensive menu. And a great atmosphere. Bright, spacy and a good looking bar too. We will be back!

Always good food and service. Been coming here a long time. I have been here multiple times love the food love the service.

Best since laEsperenza closed, this just as good and reasonable prices also great margerata Might be spelled wrong but you know what talking about. Just try you will like.

This has the best Mexican food in the PC, PG area in my opinion. On the 41 east access road, but easy to drive by, though.
I had the small beef (I said beef, not ground beef) tacos with beans and rice — it was good. My date had the «mushroom quesadilla» because she doesn’t eat much meat. It was a cheesy mushroom feast — and quite good. Chips & salsa were pretty typical.
Ordered a couple frozen margaritas and was told the «machine» was broken, not filled, or something else mumbled. Ok, got one on the rocks which was meh. Heard the same story with another patron. A Mexican restaurant without a frozen marg might as well be out of flour tortillas, too. It dawned on me after leaving that they should have used a blender like we do at home. Doh! I’d have ordered another round if frozens were available.

I eat here often. As far as Mexican food goes, pretty good. Large portions, and mildly spicy (I loveeeee spicy food). Don’t come here expecting première service because it just ain’t gonna happen. It’s a bit of a mix bag when it comes to that. With that said, I’ll still be eating here next week. I love their fajitas and Yolanda’s.

I have been searching for a Mexican Food Restaurant all over the Port Charlotte area and beyond that reminded me of the cooking style and taste of California and this so far is the closest yet.
Chicken Fajitas are really good and yes I am picky so I’m happy to say there is no fat left on chicken. Restaurant is clean and wait staff are friendly.
Restaurant sits back a little so it’s a little hard to find the first time. I say, thank goodness for Siri

My husband & I went there last night for dinner and were seated in a booth in the dining on the right side near a big screen TV set on the wall above us. We ordered the Fajitas for 2 and had beer, salsa, chips, & pico de gallo while we were waiting. Suddenly, we saw a small brown German cockroach scurrying across the table right in front of us. My husband killed it but our appetites vanished. We know that where there is one of these bugs there are thousands more. And we couldn’t possibly eat a meal there after this experience.
My husband went to the bar, paid for our beers and explained to the female manager why we were leaving and not paying for the dinner that was just being brought out. The evidence was in the middle of our table.
Needless to say, we will not return.

We made an unplanned stop here this afternoon and were pretty much pleased. Our waitress was friendly and efficient and the food was good. They had horchata which was a rare find around here. The chips were just ok and hadn’t been heated which started our meal off on a bit of a low, but after that, everything we had was tasty and hot. The joint is nothing fancy, but it was comfortable with peppy, Latin music just loud enough to enjoy without making you wish you’d brought ear plugs. All in all, it was a good choice!

Party of 5 from teen to grandparents, all lovers of Mexican cuisine & residents of Charlotte County… Short & simple review: atmosphere nice, bathrooms so-​so; service/​wait-​staff superb. The food all tasted quite good, plentiful portions, nice fair modest prices & generous portions. HOWEVER, one suggestion to the cooks: I ordered the fried chimichanga dish & the two chimis were sadly buried under the salad topped with the sour cream & guacamole… Well, any thoughtful chef should realize that’s a sure formula for a nice crisp dish becoming immediately a soggy mess under the weight & moisture content of all the topping… Additionally the main course is totally hidden from appreciation & all you see when served is the salad & refried beans basically… Not appetizing that way… This essentially ruined an otherwise delicious dish & tainted the experience. The guacamole & sour cream should have been on the side, perhaps in those little white paper «cups» with the salad either on the side if space permitted or in a small plate… Same with the enchilada dish another guest at my table had. He said it was really fine but somewhat bland but not happy with the presentation. Why bury the main course in a pile of salad & topping? We will try it again. Hope the owner reads these reviews because they’ve got everything else almost perfect. A little more attention to the bathrooms would be appreciated.

From the tourist standpoint, just a little tough to find as the sign is a little hard to read and it is set back a bit from the service road. Google maps was right on the money though.
Had a wonderful meal! Way more than we needed… Priced right, great service, and the food was very good. We went a little later and it was quiet but it worked out nice. Our waitress was a joy… more than helpful and on top of everything. In fact, all the employees were friendly, smiling, pleasant and willing to make our evening a positive experience. It makes for such a pleasant experience when hard working servers are treating you with honest concern. This restaurant reminds me of Mexico, where else can you find harder working people?
This isn’t fancy dining, but it is very well done. It is a good sized establishment and you wouldn’t realize that looking at it from the street.
I had the blue margarita special ($ 5.00) and it was great… in fact, I had two! Thankfully I wasn’t driving. My meal was a combo called the Alambre Texano, beef with red sauce, pork with green sauce and a chili relleno. ($ 12.75) Excellent! In fact, the pork was as good as it gets… fall apart tender, moist and flavorful.
We took two boxes home and I’m looking forward to leftovers tomorrow. We will be returning! Thanks. Mike in MN

Great food, prices on point, excellent service, well decorated. If you like pork, try the Pork Carnitas. Best I’ve had!

Best Mexican in town! Start with the queso while mulling over the many entrée options. If you can’t find what you want they’ll make anything. Great prices and portions!