Margarita’s Jalisco

We made the 25 mile drive from Lawrence, on a night and time they advertise as being open (6pm on a Tuesday — my birthday by the way), but were turned away in the parking lot. As we drove up, a man I assume was the owner knocked on the window of our car and said, «we’re closed for maintenance». I told him, «but we drove all the way from Lawrence to eat here», to which he replied, «sorry!».
You can’t close a business during business hours for routine maintenance just because Tuesday evening may be a bit slower than most. For an emergency (power outage, flood, bomb threat), yes, but maintenance, absolutely not. They had 12+ hours between closing on Monday night and opening on Tuesday morning to perform the maintenance, they could have scheduled (and advertised) closing between lunch and dinner instead, but they chose to close unannounced at prime dinner time instead.
I had heard that the food was good here and the service excellent, but I will never find out because I will not be back. You had your chance Margarita’s Jalisco, and you wasted our time and our gas … you blew it!
CombatCritic Gives Margarita’s Jalisco 1 Bomb Out Of 10 For Obvious Reasons And A Spot On My WALL OF SHAME … More Bombs Are Better!
PS — We drove over to El Centenario just a few blocks away, they were open, they were packed, and we had an excellent meal … read my review elsewhere on Unilocal

The staff welcomes you like family. The food is great and the margaritas are the best around!

Staff was super friendly. Free chips and salsa great! Main dish was delicious! Will be going back next week for sure.

Seriously good food! I had Ivan’s tacos excellent, my husband had Pollo palalpo and talked about how good it was all the way home. Salsa and chips yum! Margaritas 5 star. Service was great too. We will be back I’m guessing tomorrow.

My wife and I were very surprised by this place! It’s not fancy, but the service is very efficient and responsive. I had the burritos deluxe and they were the best burritos I have ever had in any restaurant! The red sauce was amazing and the ingredients were all fresh. Even the free chips and salsa appetizer was great. The staff work together as a great team (5 different people helped us throughout our meal). I was really impressed when my water with lemon was almost empty and a female server saw it from across the restaurant and brought me a new water with lemon and asked «would you like a refill?» We will definitely return soon!!!

First time at Margarita’s Jalisco. Very pleasant surprise. Jorge and his staff are excellent and the food is even better! The red sauce on the entrees is superb. Good portions and attentive staff. Very reasonable price. Nice job!

The food was pretty good (though I received the once I received wrong order and nothing was done to correct it). This place is always busy and it certainly always has been when I’ve gone. So much so that the service suffers — like I said, I’ve gotten the wrong food, checks weren’t settled promptly, drink refills were slow, etc. The space and amount of staff so not accommodate the bewildering amount of people who come here. I’m assuming cheap drink specials and proximity to the university have a lot to do with its popularity.

I’m a «regular» at Margarita’s Jalisco. I have eaten there since the day they opened. I echo all the positive comments about food, drinks, and service. Ivan and Jorge have done it right!

Really nice place to eat, sort of hidden in the middle of T-​town.
Really nice flavors and reasonable proportions.
Diners will most likely leave satisfied if not blown away.

I think this is pretty good food. Loved the Ivan’s tacos and also the other tacos. I thought they were good value. The salsa is good and the guac is even better.
I would recommend this place.

I visited Margarita’s Jalisco recently. The food was wonderful. The service was great. The staff was very friendly. The food is not the run of the mill Mexican food that is usually found in Topeka. I had the Mexican Tacos with grilled chicken. They were delicious. I loved the hot spicey sauce that comes with them. The portions are very generous. It is allways exciting when a new restaurant opens in Topeka and this one did not disappoint. I am going to try everything on the menu.

I give Margaritas Jalisco my highest recommendation for Mexican restaurants in Topeka, Kansas. The staff led by Ivan and Jorge are some of the friendliest and most accommodating people I’ve ever met. They will take care of you and engage with you to ensure you are having the best dining experience possible. The food is a step above nearly all of the Mexican restaurants in Topeka. Everything I have ordered there has been perfectly prepared, plated, and served in the most appealing way. I eat seafood nearly every time I go there and the shrimp, scallops, and tilapia have always tasted fresh and were perfectly cooked. The margaritas and mixed drinks are always prepared properly and taste great. Bottled beer is always cold and draft beer is served in frosty glasses and mugs, they even serve Blue Moon, one of my favorites. Ivan and Jorge have paid attention to the details and have created a restaurant where you feel like you are part of their family. Come here, and come here often, you won’t regret it! JMY

You’d think that with so many Mexican places in town you would just keep getting the same thing. NOT at this place! They have the best chips ever! Light and perfect. During my first visit I had the nachos. They mix beef and chicken to make the best nachos I think I’ve ever had! My second visit was take-​out. I had the soft shell fish tacos. Again, best I’ve ever had here in Topeka! They were about as good as it gets with fish tacos. The guacamole is home made and fabulous!!! The only thing is I think they need to spend a little more time perfecting the margaritas. It came from a jug and was a little warm but honestly I would order another one! I would say stopping in for a meal at Margarita’s Jalisco is a must and you will not be disappointed!!! I highly recommend this place! Great food, good prices, and wonderful service!

I’ve been here two times now and think this place has pretty good potential. The service is always friendly and accurate, prices are fair, and food is tasty. Haven’t tried anything that I do not like just yet!

Do you like cheese?!?
On my first visit I asked for a recommendation. Jorge asked me that question and recommended the pollo (chicken) palalpa. It was great. Been back many times (I live down the street) working my way through the menu. Service has been consistently good and friendly, food has been consistently great.
My kids love the loaded french fries (I think they’re great, too but, I’m there to eat Mexican). If I don’t develop a little bit of self-​control, I’m going to gain 50 lbs.
UPDATE: It’s now summer 2015. This place has hit its stride and I still love this place and the fact it’s in my neighborhood. It’s not just hit the stride, but it’s busy. Margaritas are excellent.

Have been here several times. It’s always very good but last night I ordered the caldo de pollo on a very cold night. It was absolutely delicious! This will definitely be my go to chicken soup from now on. Huge portion, just the right amount of spice and loaded with chicken and vegetables. I had enough for lunch the next day and made all my coworkers jealous. this was seriously good stuff. Oh yeah, the chips and salsa as well as the margaritas were very good, too.

This was really great food. Chili Rellano was best I have had in Topeka. Chips and salsa were tasty. Read other review and doubt that person ever went there. This is a great local eatery and needs our support.

When you walk in the place smells like bathroom cleaning products. I would not call this Mexican. The food was extremely bland. Also, if you would like to have a severe stomach ache for the rest of the night this is the place for you.