El Jalisco

Overall the food here was delicious, super flavorful. I highly recommend the shredded chicken burrito! We ordered guacamole and at first the server brought out pre-​made guac from the kitchen which had clearly been sitting out for awhile and was super brown. When we explained that we wanted the fresh made table side guacamole she quickly switched it for us. The table side guacamole was just the right portion for 2 to share and the jalapeños in it gave it a nice spice.
Would’ve given 4 stars but the service and teamwork was lacking. We went at 11pm so the servers were starting to close down and do their sidework early. Our waitress was super sweet and shared the patio section with another waiter (he clearly was ready to get out of there and avoided any eye contact with our table when we were looking for our waitress to get refills). It was super humid out and our table (slick marble) was covered in condensation from the water… When cutting into the burrito the plate slipped off the table and shattered on the ground. The other server just stared at us and then walked over to another table and continued talking. I understand that he wasn’t our server but at the least he could’ve grabbed a broom or told our waitress. I used all the napkins and cleaned up the mess with the broken glass myself. No one said anything and our waitress was shocked when she returned 5 minutes later. She quickly ordered another burrito and took the pile of glass out of the way. Having worked in a restaurant myself I was appalled by the fact that the other server just didn’t care and allowed a customer to clean the floor without even checking to make sure everyone was ok.

We were just passing by looked up on Unilocal found this place. It served the best salsa I’ve ever tasted to start followed quickly by our meals I had shrimp quessadilla Andy wife had a burrito. Very good we will come again next time we’re in the area for sure!

El Jalisco is my definitely my favorite Mexican restaurant in Tallahassee. My wife and I always order the quesedillas they are the best. They recently remodeled the place and it looks great! Dont forget to order a margarita while you’re there.

They updated their whole look and menu, and it looks and feels a lot nicer. They did an amazing job with the renovations. However, in their rebranding, they slimmed down their menu to the point of frustration for me. It went from 60+ items to maybe 20? The removed some of the most essential menu items for a vegetarian eater. For example, they removed the veggie king from their menu. It also seems like in classing-​up their glasses, they made them all smaller. The beers are probably like 10 ounces now. So a «two for one» 7 $ beer special is really only 20 ounces of beer. Whatever it’s probably still a good deal but I’m not into it.
If you are the kind of restaurant goer who enjoys a classier experience (I usually am NOT and would prefer to eat every meal from a hole in the wall dive) you will probably really enjoy the updates.

Normally I have great service but tonight Has been the worst ever. Best part is that the drunk manager doesn’t even care. But it’s ok, this restaurant is off my list of favorites. Oh ps it’s my birthday. Happy freaking birthday to me!

Overall, El Jalisco is my go-​to place for Mexican food at a good price!
I have consistently had both good food and service on every one of my trips here. The menu seems to cover everything I could possibly think of, although the fajitas have been my favorite dish. You must try the happy hour special on margaritas! It is hard to beat 2 for 1 drinks anymore, much less when they are margaritas. The guacamole is as fresh as can be, since it is made right in front of you upon ordering.
As an American from the cold north of Wisconsin, everything here has been delicious, but if you seek a review from a more experienced palate for Mexican food, see the other reviews!

Went here for dinner last night with a small group of friends, and I hate to say it, but I’m not sure if I’ve ever received worse service. Luis seemed genuine, but likely just careless. He brought out chips before even taking drink orders, but forgot then salsa. Then brought salsa plates but still forgot to write our drinks. We didn’t order food until about 45 minutes in, he offered refills but each one must have taken him 15 minutes or more. All around bad service. The food was sub par, and the veggies seemed out of place… squash in a fajita and an enchilada? We hoped it was bad service because it was busy, but looking inside, all of the chairs were flipped up and there were only 10 – 12 tables being served outside with somewhere close to 12 waiters in the restaurant. I’m typically not that picky, but average food and bad service is nothing to be excited about.

We have had a great experience every time. I always try different shrimp entries and they always turn out to be at best.
Great food and great environment. Especially the southwood one is great.

Yeah. i used to be a el hos junkie. until i read their health inspection. .HOLY S#*! i will never go back. to ANY location. I work in this industry. .so i will impart sound wisdom… if you really want to know how clean your favorite kitchen is… always check their dumpster pad… it says it all.

Matt went there two days ago. El Jalisco told Matt they have «a new system.» Matt waited long time for food. Matt was sad. Matt didn’t have a lot of chicken in his quesadilla. Matt payed. Matt left.

Real chicken breasts on their fajitas and other dishes stood out from other Mexican joints that use chicken pieces. The service was spotty. Real attentive and friendly but often left used dishes on the table. For instance our empty chips and salsa bowls sat lonely at the edge of the table awaiting pick up for the entire meal including paying the bill at the table. That said, the biggest downside is the high prices. What is this, Europe? Skip eating here a few months and you can buy a plane ticket to Mexico for real Mexican food.

WORST SERVICE EVER!!! We were seated at a nasty table and asked for it to be cleaned. The hostess didn’t have the best attitude but we stayed and read over the menu and waited for our server. S/​he never came after 10 minutes of waiting, yet a couple sat down and were immediately served!!! One waitress tried to serve us and she was off the clock smh… Me and my family will never be back!!!

I can’t really rate the food here. After waiting fifteen minutes for a server, while having other servers stare at my group of four, I chose to take my business elsewhere. Its a shame. Its a friends birthday, and we wanted to treat her

When I first walked in with a friend we were told to wait so we waited about 15 minutes and 2 more parties came in and were seated one of which was a party of 8 that didn’t even have all the members of the party. It wasn’t clear why it took so long for my friend and I to get seated and the hostess didn’t give an answer.
The margarita was great. The food was «meh» I had the carnitas the waitress was nice. I think if I go back I’ll visit the other location.

Straight up, no frills Mexican-​American dishes, mild, plentiful, affordable. Easy to get full here.

Tallahassee has a lot of great Mexican restaurants, but if you are in the FSU area then El Jalisco’s is your best choice! The food is good, and they have a huge menu. The salsa is super yummy, but be sure not to fill up on chips and salsa.
The margaritas are 2 for 1 during happy hour and they are huge! Be careful though, they can make or break you! Came here all the time when I was in college. They are great for big groups and always super accommodating. Love sitting on the patio, and they have a bunch of tables out there.
I didn’t catch our servers name today (Bori maybe??), he was from Orlando and was very friendly to us and did a great job. Anytime I’m in town El Jalisco’s is on my list. Be sure to check them out!

I’ve been pretty pleased with the experiences and food I’ve had at El Jalisco the times I’ve been.
Both times, I was seated right away. There are a lot of tables both inside and outside, so it’s usually really easy to find a place to sit.
Each time I’ve been, I’ve ordered something different, but one of my favorite things to order at El Jalisco is their chips and queso! The queso is so creamy and delicious and not too spicy like the queso at some Mexican spots. I would recommend this for anybody who wants something a little different from the regular chips and salsa appetizer.
The chile relleno is also really delicious — I particularly like the beef filled option. The chile doesn’t get soggy like it does at other places, which is usually my primary complaint with chile relleno dishes generally.
The fajitas are pretty good here. I’ve had the combination of all the meats (steak, chicken, and shrimp) and I think the steak is probably the best meat.
Service can be pretty hit or miss. Some days it’s on point, but other days you get totally ignored.
Prices can be kind of high for certain menu items — the fajitas are kind of pricy if you get two different meats.
Overall a pretty good Tex-​Mex choice in Tallahassee, though I didn’t really feel amazed or think this particular restaurant was any better than any other Tex-​Mex places I’ve been to.

I like El Jalisco. Truth be told, it’s been a while since I’ve been to an «Americanized» Mexican restaurant — to the extent that I sometimes feel I’m in a caricature of the restaurant. But, it’s starting to sound like I’m here to draft up a poor experience review and that’s not the case. (For such a case, I’ll direct your attention to my Chipotle Mexican Grille review from last night…).
We were a table of 7. Everyone ordered what they liked (2X quesadillas, chimichangas, taco salad, fajitas, steak soft tacos). I ordered the Juan Colorado — and it was quite good. The Colorado sauce was spicier than I would have expected any dish to be served, but I truly enjoyed it and would have liked it even a wee spicier. Fact is, I didn’t know it was even to be a spicy dish! It consisted of two pork chops in the special sauce, along with the refritos and rice.
Margaritas were good — most likely a mix, but this isn’t any sort of high fallutin’ tequila sippin’ bar replete with homemade concoctions.
I think El Jalisco is among the better mainstream Mexican places. My proclivities for the likes of La Tiendita and El Viroleño (admittedly not Mexican but Salvadoreño) remain stronger though.

Finally a Mexican restaurant that isn’t afraid to add some heat to their salsa. pyou know most of the cookie cutter Mexican places water down their salsas. They brought out your normal chips and salsa. He server was nice and did what servers do. He brought us stuff and asked a couple of questions and we told him and he brought us stuff from th kitchen. Nothing special but he was good at it. The food was really pretty good. I got the chimichanga with your normal rice n beans. My table mate got some tacos and they looked pretty good. He seemed to like them cause they didn’t last very long. Now this is maybe the best Mexican restaurant I have been to in a while. Good thing for me ha? Since I seem to be on a quest for really good Mexican food.

Alway’s good food, good service and FUN. We chanced in here on St. Patrick’s Day, hoping to catch a bit quieter crowd. Wrong, who knew everyone else in town comes to El Jalisco Mexican Restaurant to celebrate «wholly Irish» Day!
Our poor waiter had a rough start with a tab walkout, but he remained attentive to us, in spite of that dasher picking his personal pocket. Awesome salsa and terrific margaritas.