Don Jose Mexican Restaurant

Don’t know what’s happening at Don Jose’s lately but this use to be my favorite Mexican restaurant when up in Sebring… the past two times we’ve been the service was not very good and the food was even worse than the service. This last time we went which was two days ago we ordered chicken fajitas and they came out not smoking & sizzling… WHAT??? Since when do fajitas come out and you don’t hear them coming? I even said something to the waiter and his answer was well I’m sure they’re hot, really wth? The chicken inside of them was tasteless!!! We wanted to order a second round of drinks and the waiter never came back to check on us… this kind of food and service happened the last two time we were there, so guess what Don Jose, we’re done with you, we’ll be going to the new recently opened Mexican restaurant or drive to Anita’s in Lake Wales!!!

This place was a great find!
Ordered the buffalo wings for an app which was mostly wings not legs which was right up my alley! Very good.
Dinner — Had the Shrimp Fajitas and it was excellent. The shrimp were large, plentiful and not over cooked. Winner winner fajita dinner!
I recommend the Mexicana beverage — tequila, pineapple juice, orange juice, and grenadine. Perfecto! My dad had the Tequila Sunrise which was equally tasty.
Atmosphere was very cool. We sat outside which is a great view of the lake and it is screened in. Huge too! They have a very cool vibe with blue lights around for ambiance.
We will def be back here! Tip — make a reservation on weekends. It gets busy!

They are not authentic Mexican. And when I called to place a to go order I asked about the «special meat mixture» for the nachos. I wanted to know what kind of meat it was and I was told «ground beef or something» I asked could she check for sure and I was told «I told you I guess it’s ground beef» well because of you Don Jose lost out on some money tonight and for the future from us.

Large open place, you can tell it was another establishment before becoming what it is today.
They had an all you can eat taco bar which sounds awesome in theory but the set up looked like something from a high school cafeteria. Not very appealing.
We decided to order from the menu. It was odd to have a Mexican restaurant not provide us with chips and salsa so we ordered chips and churiqueso. It did come with salsa too. Salsa needed salt, very bland, chips were okay and the queso was interesting. If you’re thinking the delicious white queso that’s a staple of most Mexican restaurants think again. They don’t offer that on the menu. This was just chorizo with melted shredded cheese on top. It tasted good but not what we wanted.
My entrée was okay, I opted out of the side of rice and beans because I figured I would be full from chips. I had the chicken chimichanga. It came with no tomatoes, lettuce, pico, nothing. So I had a very bland cheese, chicken and onion entrée. I had to dump what was left of the bland salsa on top to give it some flavor.
My partner got the flautas, which came with all the fixens as he ordered the full platter. Even with the lettuce, the tomatoes, rice and beans he said it was bland and dry. He needed something to dip it in but alas I had stolen all the bland salsa for my chimi.
Over all, it was a poor experience. If you want Mexican that is easy on spice and safe for your grandmother to eat bring her here!

This is Sebring’s answer to Americanized Mexican food and the classic example of how important location can be.
LOCATION– Absolutely stunning! It’s directly on the lake with beautiful views. If the weather is good hit the deck! Note that it is covered from the harsh Florida sun and also screened in so the local insect life doesn’t bite your butt or other sensitive spots.
ATMOSPHERE– Mexican kitsch! It really is beautiful and very nicely maintained. Between the décor and the view, first impressions are excellent.
ADULT LIBATIONS– I can only speak to the house margarita on the rocks. It was pre-​mixed, decently tart, average strength, and in a very small typical marg glass. The price was also small at $ 3.25. It was so small I’d need to drink about six of them to begin to think about getting a buzz.
CUSTOMER SERVICE– My waitress/​bartender was just fine so no problems.
FOOD– Thin warm thin chips appeared immediately and I had a choice of mild or spicy salsa. I chose spicy and indeed it was and the red style. I ordered the 3 Enchilada Combo at about $ 10.00. It arrived quickly and I was not impressed with the plating. Don’t these folks know how important that is? See my picture. It was OK but nothing special. The chicken version with mole sauce was the best of the bunch. There are tons of small Mexican joints in Sebring or Avon Park with much better food but you will sacrifice the view and the liquor license. It’s your choice of course.
CONCLUSION– Would I return? Yes I would. The beautiful deck and view is just too much to resist. I’d try something other than the house marg and maybe try a selection of appetizers.

Great location, right by the lake, and close to the beautiful Highlands Hammock Florida State Park and other landmarks. No matter where you sit in the restaurant, you can pretty much see the water. I would have preferred sitting outdoors, on the deck, just to catch the cool breezes from the lake, but my friend thought it was too cold to do so.
The prices are decent — for about $ 8-​$ 10, you can get a large portion of food for lunch that will keep you full for hours. Service was also great, with the waitress (and at other times other waiters that would assist her) bringing us constant drink refills and refills of their complimentary chips and salsa. They would also ask us if we need anything and if everything was okay, despite the fact the restaurant was quite full.
I ordered the chiles rellenos, and while they were okay, they were just okay. I wouldn’t call this authentic Mexican food, no more than I would call P.F. Chang’s authentic Chinese food. They are both Americanized versions of what we consider ethnic foods. I also did not see any hot sauce on the table, which is unheard of in an authentic Mexican restaurant. The rice on my plate was very dry and somewhat hardened, and the refried beans were also nothing to write home about.
After eating in many authentic Mexican restaurants, I can say this is not very different from On the Border, and other similar chains. The food did not have a lot of flavor, especially the cheese. I have had better chiles rellenos elsewhere where the cheese was very creamy and flavorful. Considering the fact that over 75% of the population in Sebring is Anglo, I assume that Mexican restaurants are not very plentiful, so perhaps this is the best Mexican restaurant in the area and what they assume is authentic. Having tried authentic Mexican food in rural Florida communities that have large Mexican populations, I can tell you that this place is not really authentic nor truly memorable for their food, but it does the job.

This place is usually good and used to be a good value for the money. Lately the portions have shrunk, prices have gone up and service is hit or miss. If there is a party going on, expect the service to be terrible, especially if you have a waitress vs a waiter. For some reason the guys seem to do a better job. Guess they have to pay for the new landscaping somehow and have become lax in their attentiveness to what made them what they are. If I go in from now on and see a party, I will leave. We waited an hour to be served and usually takes 20 minutes.

Food is average. Very very noise, there can be no conversation without yelling at each other and the server disappears for long periods. Not going back. I want to add how rude some of the staff were trying to pay my bill and a wait staff practically knocked me over bringing a to go order up front

My dinner was delicious. My wife’s dinner was delicious. This may be the best salsa I have eaten. This is our second vacation in Sebring and our second meal at Don Jose because the first visit was so great.

Don Jose has location going for it, being right on the lake with outside seating and a dock that extends over the water. That’s nice. The building is architected like a proper Mexican casa, the landscaping is impeccable and the interior is quite nice too.
As for the food, well. I had something that should have been pretty easy. A chicken enchilada platter with rice and beans. The chicken was okay but the rest of the plate tasted burned. The rice was crisped, the beans were overcooked and the cheese melted on top of the enchiladas was burned. Served on an extremely hot plate, I think the problem may have been that it spent too much time under the broiler.
The Coronas were fine.
I wouldn’t say that I would return to Don Jose.

Here again! We took friends from out of town here and they loved it. Everything was delish! The Shrimp El Dorado was the best.

I love coming here with my friends and family. Very great service and ambiance! I love their chicken chimichangas!

I’ve eaten here a few times and I’ve run into people in Orlando who ate here. Simply some of the best Mexican dining you can receive! If you like great Mexican cuisine, go here.

Visiting from Fort Lauderdale and stopped by here for lunch and couldn’t pick a better place! Ordered beef burrito and it simply delicious!!! Plus 2 4 1 margaritas ;-)
Loving the décor and friendly staff.

Good service and food but Sangria tasted watered down. Would definitely eat here again.

Disappointing! $ 15 for a chicken dish that was mostly rice and beans. If I wanted a plate of rice and beans I would have ordered that. I got a small portion of chopped chicken that was very dry! Won’t come here again.

This was a great find. We had lunch Tuesday afternoon. The food and service were great, complimented by the atmosphere and view! I would recommend this to anyone looking for good Mexican food with large portions & ice cold Modelos, at a good price!

Awesome location. Beautiful view of lake. Really cool atmosphere. The enchiladas rock! And very affordable. What a cool place. I love Mexican and this did not disappoint!

I have been coming to this establishment for nearly two decades. During this time, it has changed names and management. I actually enjoy coming here most of the time but during my most recent visit with my mother, I was beyond disappointed in the service provided during a weekday lunch service.
First, we never received water or chips (complimentary). Second, we are vegetarians and asked for a vegetarian chimichanga, which they have been making for almost two decades. The waitress informed us that they do not make it and have never made vegetarian chimichangas. Then we ordered bean/​cheese chimichangas and asked for the manager. The manager never came. We ate our food and waited for the waitress to return to pay our bill, but she never returned. We actually had to go to the register at the front to pay for our bill. We are very disappointed. Normally this establishment does a good job, and I would have reviewed it favorably. However, I can not overlook having one of the worst experiences at this restaurant.

This restaurant is in a great location in Sebring with a wonderful view of the Lake. I lived in New Mexico for several years and try not to make comparisons but for Florida, it does nicely. The mole, red and green enchilada sauces are especially good. I eat here fairly often while working in Sebring. Oh, the salsa that comes with the chips packs a nice spicy punch as well. In contrast to other reviewers, I have always gotten good service here.