1942 Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Bonita Springs

1942 Mexican Restaurant is a charming, inviting spot that feels like a true hidden gem in Naples. The owners have clearly put great care into creating an atmosphere that feels authentically Mexican. The outdoor seating—set beside a peaceful pond with a fountain—is quiet and relaxing, and the patio’s water feature adds to the calming vibe. With options for a screened-in, air-conditioned patio, indoor dining, and a beautifully lit bar area, the setting is genuinely lovely.

I truly want to see this restaurant succeed, which is why I hope the food eventually matches the quality of the atmosphere. Some dishes didn’t feel as authentic as the setting suggested. The refried beans had a spice—possibly cinnamon—that gave them an unusual flavor I didn’t enjoy. The salsa was also a bit underwhelming, leaning more toward a tomato-sauce taste; more garlic and onions could make it much more vibrant and flavorful.

On the positive side, the hard-shell taco was good, and the enchilada was enjoyable, though it leaned more toward American-style preparation with ground beef, cheese, and lettuce. We didn’t have the chance to try the drinks, but the bar looked festive and well-designed, and the cocktails coming out looked promising.

Overall, 1942 has a wonderful atmosphere and a lot of potential. With a few refinements to the food, it could easily become one of the area’s standout...

Went with a group of people, as much as I review I’m not one to sit down and take pictures, so kindly take my word. I really wanted to like it feel like it lacked flavor. The taco flight was good but how they make it it’s dipped in the sauce when they serve it and it’s just a lot of sauce on your first bite, when I opened up the taco fix there’s barely any in there. I would say maybe fourth of your palm and my hand is quite small. We also ordered the queso dip and that was probably the most flavorful item we had it was delicious. We ordered guacamole for the table there were six of us she failed to tell us that it it was a small portion (lacked flavor) so we left it alone honestly no one ate it, we realized that the servings that came with the churrasco steak was basically the same size as the guac. We ordered the pizza Birria, they weren’t as cheesy and flavorful as I expected them to be however, this is only my third time having birria and I don’t know if I just had a really good one the first time because the last two have not been that great I would really like to give this restaurant another chance, however, I would sit with a different server. Had to ask for basically everything - salt, napkins, plates etc and all at different times. I hope this review helps a little I’m not here to be harsh however I want it to succeed so I can enjoy this beautiful...

Nice looking place, promising menu, but they are completely unprepared. Drinks took a while to hit the table and were mediocre for the price. Our table of four waited 75 minutes for the first plate, then another 30 minutes for the other 3, but only after a significant amount of inquiry. The first dish was fully consumed well before the other orders arrived. Of those 3, one was not what was ordered, lukewarm, and pretty much inedible as it was supposed to be a chicken/chorizo dish but ended up as a thin, overcooked piece of chicken smothered in some kind of meat sauce. A piece of the sliced peppers on another dish had a produce sticker on it. The wait staff is kind enough, but they were pretty much inattentive, unresponsive to several inquires regarding our food. A manager eventually spent a good deal of time explaining and apologizing, and our entire check was comped. Everyone was polite and sincere, and I'd like to see them succeed, but we were not alone in our experience - most of the tables were joking with one another about how bad it was going. It was quite evident they were completely unprepared and overwhelmed for a capacity crowd on a Friday night. Unfortunately, I doubt they'll...