Dean’s South of the Border

Stopped here for lunch after arriving in Punta Gorda for a vacation. It looked cool from the outside, so I decided to drop in. The setup to this place is great, with indoor/​outdoor seating and a nice bar. Also a stage outside, but no one was playing. I had the 3 tacos with rice and beans. More than enough for 1 person, but just meh on taste. But its a cheap spot for lots of food (and strong drinks.) Worth a try!

Inside and outside bar with plenty of tables. Nice selection of meaty sandwiches and burgers Tex-​Mex food and good breakfasts. Lots of locals come to the outside bar to watch football and hear the live music. I like to stop in on the weekends for a few beers and lunch when I get the chance! There’s always parking for my motorcycle right at the bar

Exceptional service! These people work hard to take care of their clientele! I would recommend this establishment all day. Huge love to the hard working staff.

Used to be my favorite Mexican restaurant. Food still okay but service sucks. All new help the night I was a here about a week ago. Bring back old waitresses do yourself a favor and specially with winter coming

Best breakfast two visits in a row. My husband lived in Tucson for years and ordered the Juevos Rancheros — and swore they were as good or better than Arizona — which is saying a lot. I ordered the grilled vegetable omelet and it was huge and delish!
When it gets busy you may have to flag down someone if you need a refill, but great outdoor patio and friendly people around us made it OK. Plus, they open early on Sunday’s for breakfast and short of an IHOP, not many places to choose from outside of hotel restaurants and that’s just not fun.
Dean’s is a great place — maybe not «gourmet» in reading the other reviews but a we’ll be back.

Nice atmosphere and lovely waitress, but that’s about it. Decided to stop in for lunch after the holiday parade and it was a mess. Asked for pacifico beer, only had one. Asked for tecate, waitress comes back s nd «theyre out». Third time’s a charm. They had enough Modelo negro for one round, then had to switch to something else.
He ordered the beef tacos on CORN tortillas, came on flour. He sucked it up and said nothing. He also ordered a side of grilled jalapenos. got pickled jalapenos thrown on the grill.
I ordered a bacon cheese burger with American cheese. It came with cheddar. I’d asked for the American. They took it back scrapped off the cheddar, threw on a couple unmelted slices and brought it back to me. The waitress and agreed it was unacceptable. … took it back and got me a new one.
They need to lose the «Mex» portion of their theme. Nothing Mexican about the place.
The two stars are for the open air and the nice wait staff alone. Wish they had something better to work with.
Keb’ Mo’ playing in the background accounts for half a star.

My drink was eh. Chips and salsa were fine. Too many smokers on the patio to eat outside. We didn’t stay to have any entrées. We wanted to go somewhere else for dinner.

We sat on the patio and it was very nice! The food was awesome. We will definitely be back!

Decent mexican food, i only got the nachos and wings but they were good. My boyfriend got a salad it was HUGE. excellent margaritas and fairly priced. A little loud, but live music is a plus

Very busy place for happy hour service as expected, oysters small burgers are pre-​prepare patties disappointing order something else

Went here for late night snack after a long day of driving.
They had live music 80s cover band. Pretty decent.
Food was served till 11. So we rushed to

Food was ok, nothing special. Aside from the rude hostess everyone else was friendly. Chips and salsa aren’t free and aren’t that great. My husband enjoyed his prime rib sandwich.

Dean’s is an interesting place. First time I was there the police were called because two inebriated patrons were having an argument over whether a certain part of a certain person’s body were real. My next visit I was entertained by folks who kept using the restroom and coming out wiping their noses. Hmmm… If you want loud, rowdy, rough and tumble this is the place. All types visit and all types are welcome. I guess that’s why this mild and meek lady feels comfortable here. The service has always been attentive and the food authentic and above average. There’s a very nice outdoor bar/​dining area which even on muggy days is comfortable due to the open breezeway and fans. I recommend Dean’s for both the food and atmosphere. KQ

Unlimited Tacos Tuesday $ 10 tasted good. It’s a texmex and raw bar mixed into one. Beer selection ok. Huge outdoor seating.

Drinks are good, prices are good, food is good, and live music all the time. Definitely, one of the best (if not THE best) places for nightlife in the area. And if the band of the night is, «Remedy», then go… just go! They’re awesome.

Very nice dinner of the yellowtail Tuna (VERY generous portions, bordering on massive), nicely blackened and properly cooked to order, with grilled veggies and «loaded) potatoes (hold the sour cream, thank you for that!). My wife had the Taco salad and as always I stole a crispy corner of the «bowl». Salsa was nice and tangy and corn chips were fresh and not soaked through and saggy.
Quick, friendly service (as per usual), casual beach attire welcome, quiet enough inside to have a conversation and the food was an unexpected DEAL through the early bird special (pure luck on our part). The menu is large and diverse. Worth a look for sure. We left well fed and pleased again with Dean’s good food and service.
I’d recommend to a friend anytime either «townies» like us or touristas.
Thanks for a nice meal at a great price.
Elaine

We came here on a Monday and was pleased to see that it was open. No Bloody Mary bar. Only on weekends. I liked their variation of the corned beef hash. Corned beef was chunky and not small-​diced like other places. Item to note — the outside seating near the road is pretty loud. Staff was friendly and accommodating.

Tacos are EHHH, chimichangas taste like NADA, server in the twilight zone NOT PAYING ATTENTION, prices are ok and the place looks great. Nice music. Overall,
It’s a good place to drink but not to eat.
FYI I started this review as soon as we finished eating, we still waiting for the server to come get the card so we can GTFO…

Great nachos. Cold beer. Food… Got chorizo tacos. Told it was chorizo sausage.
Nope. I got three tacos with about two tablespoons of chorizo seasoning per taco.
Salty as heck. Not palatable. Third and final try.

Had a great Tex-​Mex meal the other night at Dean’s! I expected the place to be rather loud because the bar (which you pass through to get to the main door) was hopping and the noise level was high, but the dining room, though busy, wasn’t terribly noisy, even with several televisions over the bar.
Despite having «South of the Border» in their name, Dean’s menu is not limited to Mexican food. In fact, the Mexican food only takes up about half of the offerings; you can also get burgers, steak, wings and other stuff, and they serve breakfast daily!
The three of us diners all picked off the Mexican part of the menu. My parents each had enchildas, which were HUGE; neither of them (with different appetites) could finish. Mom just got one, Dad two. With the sides it’s a load.
I had steak fajitas, probably the best I had ever had (and I lived in TX for two decades). The meat was wonderfully seared outside but perfectly pink within, served on a hot skillet atop a mound of grilled onion (white and red) and bell peppers (red and green).
Let me not forget to mention their QUESO! Lovely white cheese with a pleasantly drippy consistency (no so runny as to be straight-​up liquefied, but not stodgy and lump-​laden) made for the best queso I have had in some time!
Joe, our server, was attentive and efficient.
Top it off that this was an incredibly affordable meal (dinner for 3 + cocktails was no more than $ 50).
Overall, this was a great dining experience and I would definitely return. Next time you’re hungry for Tex-​Mex, make a run for the border!