Plaza Jalisco — Restaurant in Chehalis

Mom and I stopped in here for lunch while travelling through the area on 1/24/18 a Wednesday around noon.

Location = A, Exterior = D, Interior =C-, Food = A, Service = B, Value = B

We'd planned to stop for a Mexican lunch and found this restaurant. It's directly off the I-5 freeway so it's easy to get to. It's in a modest, older, stand alone building that's a bit run down, both inside and out. It's in a commercial area too. The parking lot and backside drive are somewhat run down, pot holes and narrow. We visited during rainy weather and there's plenty of standing water in the park areas.

There's two entry points, the main, front entry and a side entry near the bar. We entered the front.

The inside is weird and not inviting nor very comfortable. Immediately inside the front door which is centered in front, you're in the lower level of seating. That lower level is narrow, lined with four seat booths along the windows and two seat booths opposite the narrow aisle.

Further inside, up about 4/5 steps is the upper level and host station. This upper area is actually "L" shaped. Immediately in front just a couple 4 seat booths and a couple two seat booths. We sat at the 1st 4-seat booth. The booth was normal, vinyl seats but very closed together to the table. We're not fat, average to slender and the table was darn near in our sternums and no room to adjust the booths, still we got by.

Looking around, after we ordered, the floor is tiled, dirty, some chips, hard wood booth legs and bodies, worn, dirty. I walked to the restroom down the other part of the "L", still narrow, same booths, flooring. You pass the bar and the side entrance. The bar is modest and traditional looking. Restrooms pretty average.

So, the best and really most important part was the food. It was delicious and came out quickly. It's what I'd call "Americanized Mexican" versus authentic, but it's just was we like. Of course we were starving but that aside, it was traditional, hot, tasty and ample. Warm chips before and decent salsa.

There was a steady flow of customers coming through on this Tuesday, noon time. Pretty normal service though I should have had more refills on my soda, but friendly and smiles. Value seemed pretty average.$25 for two of us, full lunch meals...

We used to dine at Plaza Jalisco in Astoria, Oregon quite often when we lived down there. It was always decent, not great. Tex Mex comfort food with a bar. I always loved their table salsa. Fast forward some years to Tumwater, Washington. We dine at the Tumwater location when we have a craving for Tex Mex comfort food at decent prices.

Was doing business in Chehalis and spotted yet another of their operations in the restaurant chain. Odd location that challenged the GPS. Arrived for dinner and was greeted by a distracted manager / host who was more focused on her family and children dining there and running back and forth from their table to the host area, to the kitchen, to a table by the kitchen, etc. I love children dearly, but this is a safety issue first and foremost as well as a service issue. After repeating our requests for specifics on the meals (type of tacos, enchiladas, etc.) they were still incorrect. The quality of food here on this dinner service was sub-par. All items were bland and very uninspired. Pollo de la Crema had minimal flavour and was very unappetizing. This just wasn't a good meal, nor a dining experience.

We will not be back to this location. Chehalis has many other options for good Mexican food. Try...

Their food was terrible. The customer experience was horrible. The Chile Relleno was 80% egg and 20% Chile. Worst Chille Relleno plate I’ve ever had. One of the staff members had their children hanging out in the restaurant one of them called me fat in Spanish thinking I didn’t understand. This happened all while the server was running my payment. The server pretended like he didn’t hear it.

I later called the restaurant and asked to speak to the server who helped me. He was “too busy to pick up the phone.” I then asked to speak the the owner and was told that he was “in the back room and also too busy to pick up the phone.”

This place is a joke, nasty service and food. Embarrassing representation of Jalisco, where my family is also from. Absolute...