Ay Jalisco

The staff was great, I had no problem with them. But the food was SUCH a disappointment. As a hispanic who just moved from Chicago to The Villages, I was really missing GOOD and AUTHENTIC Mexican food. Unfortunately I was wrong in thinking this restaurant would heal my homesickness. The inside was really cute and well-​decorated and the waitress was quick to seat us and get our drinks right away. The chips and salsa were good. I decided on the two taco lunch special that came with a side of beans and rice. The waitress asked me what kind of meat I wanted, but not what kind of tortilla– so I assumed it would be corn. Now, the shredded beef was okay but I was NOT OKAY with the hard shells. I have never been to a restaurant and been given a hard shell with my tacos. I almost couldn’t eat it. My boyfriend ordered carne asada tacos and his meat was really good and he got soft tortillas but it only came with one tortilla per taco. No extra tortillas to keep it from falling apart or to eat any of our sides with. I was very upset by this. The last complaint I have was when we had to ask for hot sauce and when she handed it over, I had never heard of the brand and, as you can imagine, it was inedible. Now maybe I’ll be back for margaritas at some point or another, but I will refuse to eat any meals from here. I really appreciate them trying to accommodate the older retirement community, which is primarily Caucasian but if I wanted a hard shell with my taco, I’ll drive down the street to Taco Bell.

Very sweet wait staff. Prompt service even when busy. Dinner was perfect amount of heat. Love the decorated chairs. People in Spanish Springs. The Villages — are fortunate to enjoy this cool place.

This rating is solely based on service. It is legit awful, don’t come here if you like good customer service. The food is actually good. But it took five minutes of awkwardly standing around in an almost empty restaurant to get seated and then fifteen minutes to get someone to take our drink order. We almost walked out but they came right when we were about to get up so we gave it a try. The waitress was very uninterested in giving us a nice experience so I probably will never go back here. Save yourself the time and money, if you want a good margarita go up a block to Margarita Republic.

Ate there last week, when we dine out we are never in a rush. Don’t like to criticize but had slow service, the food wasn’t the hottest and tasted bland. I put this down to being under staffed. Though not impressed we thought we would give them a second chance because we were with friends who wanted to try it even though we filled them in. Time 11:45am not busy 5 empty tables outside, numerous empty tables instead, stood waiting to be seated for close to 10min probably only 5min but seemed like 10min. We left no recommendation here.

Had a fajita burrito. Just ok. They both had taco salad. Very little meat and it was cold.

Excellent food in Spanish Spring. Always great service. Excellent prices. A great value in The Villages. Been going there for many years.

This was recommended to us by a local. It didn’t disappoint. My wife and I both had fajitas. They were very good. There were plenty of vegetables and good serving sizes. I would highly recommend.

Went to lunch with a group and the wait time from putting in our order and getting our food was longer than one would anticipate. I was served last after somewhat of a wait after everyone else had been served and I had only ordered the chicken tortilla soup! Our server seemed rather overwhelmed, even having difficulty with the bills. The food was okay, but not worth the wait.

Horrible, sick immediately called them and told them to check their pork. Do not go really bad

No. No No No NO! Don’t.
You will end up feeling nauseated or worse. Or hugging the porcelain throne. Everything about the place reeks of unhygienic food preparation. I’m sure the kitchen is positively disgusting. This place needs an inspection. The staff is very ho-​hum about everything they do. There is a lack of positive energy. The food is bland or even borderline yuk!
Do NOT take the risk.

To say that this place is not authentic Texas or Southern California quality Mexican food is like saying that a Chinese restaurant isn’t authentic New York or San Fran.
Take this for what it is. Every «Mexican» restaurant you go to is simply a fusion of influences. My own family has Spanish, Mexican, Cuban and Puerto Rican. Our family reunions are a jumble of so many different influences that it would make your head spin.
What you have at AJ is a valiant attempt to take this fusion and put it out in a way that a broad cross-​section can enjoy it. Not too spicy, not too bland.
From the start, the chips and salsa are simply par. Nothing jumps out. The menu choices are basically that of any other restaurant in the genre. If you liked Chi-chi’s or Don Pablo’s, you’ll find something here you will enjoy. Staff is great and accommodating. Quick to help with any requests you have. I give 3 stars simply for the fact that it is average. Nothing here wowed me.

I’m no maven when it to comes to Mexican food but I enjoyed this very much. I ordered the fajitas with steak and although they were a little greasy there was enough for a meal tomorrow and I would order them again. Somewhere on the side plate must’ve been a jalapeño pepper which really nearly killed me.

I have to say I enjoyed my meal here and so did my husband. If you’re looking for Tex Mex this is not it. This is California style Mexican just what we expected. The young woman waiting on us was very polite and brought our drinks and chips and salsa in a timely manner. Both were pretty good. We also had a chile rellenos for an appetizer that was also good and we both shared fajitas for two everything done nicely cooked hot and brought out very quickly. This is a good meal.

While it’s not authentic Texas or Southern California quality Mexican (I have lived in both places), for central Florida, Ay Jalisco is pretty good.
I have tried many different Mexican restaurants all over FL and typically they are really poor. I have eaten here at least 5 times and I am always satisfied.
My favorite is the enchiladas verdes. For an appetizer, the guacamole is fresh and they give you a decent portion. The chips are warm & crispy but the salsa should be chunkier (more diced tomato, onion, etc). The salsa is the right level of heat for the average person.
The service is usually great and very friendly. Prices are reasonable and the atmosphere is really nice. I recognize that a 4 star rating might be a little on the generous side but it’s certainly better than a 3 star (especially for Mexican food in FL).
Give it a try, I doubt you will dislike it and you might just find a fun new place to eat. :-)

Well we came back had great service and really enjoyed the food! Many many great looking dishes! All four of our dinners were great I know! Fun atmosphere. Beer cold and good. White wine was in a very small glass is our only complaint.

The chips were worse than Tostitos. The salsa was watery with no taste. Ordered the chicken tortilla soup — everywhere else I had that, the broth was thicker — not here — just like normal chicken soup — kinda bland. They didn’t bring any dishes for the chips so we used our hands to catch the dripping salsa — yech! I had the fish tacos — I have to admit there is great consistency with their food — bland. The mahi mahi was tiny pieces — can barely tell it’s fish — definitely the worse fish tacos I have ever had. The Corona was great but that’s because they didn’t make it. My dining mates who had a burrito and a combo fajita — no complaints from them. The discounted house margaritas (it was Tuesday) were OK because they were discounted but not at the regular price of almost $ 5 a glass. The prices are very reasonable but since dining out is more of a treat for me, I would pay a bit more for better quality. In terms of service, the waiter was nice but we had to flag him down when we needed things. The one time he did come by was two minutes after we received our food. Should be more proactive in stopping by — doesn’t take long to say «How’s things?».

I sat outside and enjoyed the chips and salsa! When my food came out it was extremely over exaggerated hot. My tostada was not crunchy at all, it was soggy. And the rice wasn’t fresh. I was disappointed.

I added the photo of the plate I had which was the Pollo A La Parilla. It was a good dish. I rated it a 3 star due to the kids menu. Ordered the burrito with rice/​beans and the plate came back with the burrito being smothered in cheese and a sauce. It was not listed on the menu. Luckily my son ate the food but please ask questions in reference the kids menu if your child is a picky eater.

— Horrible chips and salsa. literally worse than Tostitos
— Greasy and bland food
— $ 2.75 House Magaritas on Tuesday!!! NOPE. Yellow room temperature gatorade

You know, it’s totally ok and I’ll keep returning.
Our first visit was really bad and we didn’t return for quite awhile. They were also very aloof towards our royal Pekingese albeit that may be a town rule. Sure, people can walk all around the town square drinking and getting drunk and drive their golf carts hammered, but your pooch can’t sit with you outside… yep, makes sense. Anyway, this next visit was much better and the food is solid.
The chips are actually quite fresh and warm while the salsa was tasty.
The other selections are exactly what one expects to find at Mexican restaurants. It also does have nice al fresco dining.