Jose's Restaurant — Restaurant in Cedar Springs

If you've ever wondered what it would be like to enjoy some of the best Mexican food you've ever had while sitting in your grandmother’s rec room circa 1984, then boy, do I have the place for you.

Jose’s Restaurant in Cedar Springs is a quirky, authentic gem with food that absolutely slaps. The chips? Homemade and thin enough to double as tortilla shurikens—crispy, delicious, and addicting. The rice and beans were textbook perfection, like they studied abroad in Mexico and aced every exam.

Now, the salsa has flavor for days, a super fresh, bright, savory kick that'll have your taste buds doing the cha-cha. But it arrives with a confetti explosion of rough-chopped onions and other chunky veggies that feel less festive and more like you're chewing through a garden. Could use a finesse filter, but hey, flavor wins.

Let’s talk enchilada sauce. I don't say this lightly: best I've ever had. I considered drinking it straight. If Jose sold this stuff by the jar, I'd be the first in line with a straw.

They get a little weird with the cheese situation, everything's topped with hand shredded yellow American cheese, which is both charmingly old school and mildly confusing. But somehow, it works. Like a mariachi band covering Bruce Springsteen.

The hard shell beef taco? A crunchy masterpiece. And the homemade hot sauce served from a red ketchup bottle like it's on parole from a backyard BBQ, is straight up fire. Literally. They’ve got a milder mustard bottle version too, for those who enjoy their heat with training wheels.

Now, the vibe. Oh, the vibe. The place hasn’t changed a throw pillow since 1984. It’s dark, it’s dingy, and the carpet, designed to resemble cobblestones, feels like it's been through several historical reenactments. Let’s just say it’s seen some things. The decor is charming in a “please don’t look too closely” kind of way.

Service was insanely friendly. I think our server thanked us more times than I’ve been thanked my entire life, probably 1,700 thank yous, give or take.

Best part? Dinner for five ran us $71. That’s five full bellies, one scorched tongue, and zero regrets.

Come for the food, stay for the nostalgia. Just don’t wear...

I love this place, but it's a place you will probably either love or avoid.

If you want to sample a few of jose's offerings I recommend a combination plate, it comes with a tostada, taco, enchilada, and beans and rice. The tacos and whatnot are good, but the star is definitely the tostada. If you want to stick to just the best things at Jose's I'd say go with tostadas and the beans and rice.

Despite what some people say I dont think the cheese that jose's is known for is velveeta. It's just a creamier, softer cheese than what you are probably used to. It doesn't have the processed plasticy taste that velveeta or a similar cheese would have. I like it, but have noticed that because of the creaminess of the cheese I prefer to go without sour cream for most offerings at Jose's. The house hot sauce is also pretty unique. It's much less viscous than a typical hot sauce, with red pepper pieces providing most of the flavor instead of a strong vinegar base. I love it, but make sure to give it a good shake before using; you don't want to leave all that good flavor on the bottom of the bottle.

Decorwise, dont expect it to be styled like all of those newfashioned El Chaino Authentico restaurants. It's a real small town restaurant with sombreros and velvet pictures of matadors on the wall. If that's the kind of real authenticity you're into, good, but it's definitely not going to impress anyone looking for fancy dining.

As far as service, Jose's has one long time waitress that has always been fantastic. There's also another server who I think has only pretty recently entered the field. She was dismal the first time I met her, but I was very impressed at how much better she had gotten when I came back a week or so later. Everyone has to start somewhere and I get that, but if you're a grumpy gus or are dining out with one you might want to wait another week or so for her to get it...

Unfortunately, this place is terrible. Was hoping this hole in the wall would make up for its atmosphere with delicious authentic Mexican. It fell flat in every way. The decor took me back to grandmas in the 70s. Including the dust ropes hanging from the ceiling and chandeliers. They still had Halloween piñatas hanging from the ceiling (it’s July). There is no way they pass inspections. Looks like a lot of their storage is out in the restaurant area. It’s one of those places, like a shady gas station where you’re too scared to use the bathroom because you know it will be dirty. The lady server was pleasant enough. Slow service, but she was alone and there were 4 tables. My friend loved the horchata. I enjoyed the beans and salsa. That’s about it. The microwaved “chips with meat, onions & cheese” felt like something I made as a teen for an after school snack. It was made with cheap American cheese. My cheese enchiladas tasted just like a grilled cheese (same American cheese). Very strange. My friend had the “carne asada tacos”. It looked like boiled, cubed meat and she said it was terrible and couldn’t eat it. They did refund us for that item. Save yourself and go elsewhere. I’m still a little traumatized for even eating...