Don Jose Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in City of Yonkers

This was a very hard decision. I really REALLY wanted to give this place 5 stars but I couldn’t. I would love to come back to see if things change at some point. We started off with the usually salsa and chips that all Mexican restaurants provide and we were pleasantly surprised that the salsa was very flavorful. It wasn’t like other places where it’s just basic pick de gallo. Then we come to my first point. They were understaffed. When we walked in, we waited at the door for about 6-8 minutes before anyone came up to us but it was obvious that the place was packed. Luckily there was a single table that had a couple that were leaving so we asked for the table. There was only 2 people attending the every table. We waited about 15-20minutes to have our order taken but at least we had chips and salsa with water. We watched as they struggled to accommodate the people that kept showing up. The place is sort of small but they make good use of it. It is decorated very beautifully but there’s no music whatsoever so you end up hearing everyone conversations. Our food came out pretty fast. We had guac and chips and it was great. The portion was perfect for 2 people. I ordered a steak burrito but was given shredded beef. My wifey had the Burris tacos. Both dishes were really good so it makes up for the incorrect order being given to me. They have Mexican Coke which is always better than regular coke; however, they don’t have any alcoholic beverages. In terms of pricing, it is on the higher side but it is about right when compared to any Mexican food in the area. My receipt had a QR code that said I could pay with my phone so I scanned it. It brought me to a website where I chose to pay via Apple Pay because I have my debit card linked. I was happy to support a fairly new local business so I left a 30% top. I completed the payment and was brought to a confirmation page. A few seconds later I received a notification from my bank saying I made a payment of the exact amount. We thanked our server and headed out. Before making it to our vehicle we were chased down and asked to come back because we didn’t pay. People stared at me as I walked back. I pulled out my confirmation page and showed the staff member. He said I did it wrong. I pulled up my bank account and showed that the money left my account. He said it didn’t go through on his end. I asked him what he wanted to do because I wasn’t going to pay another $100 for no reason. He said he would go ask someone else to come show me that I hadn’t paid. When the second staff member came over, it refreshed and said I had paid. I get not everyone is good with technology but my confirmation page should have been enough in my opinion. If not then my bank account showing the money being charged by their restaurant should have been. I’m any case, it was a good experience overall and I will...

I have also enjoyed going to this place, especially for the food and drinks. However, recently the service is genuinely horrible. I don’t mind waiting, especially when there is not enough staff to adequately service guests, however, the wait times are actually unbearable. The last time I dined in, it was a Monday in March. While it was quite busy, I had to wait 30 minutes to be sat, despite there being a couple of open tables due to only one waitress being there. Once seated, I had to wait another 30 minutes to receive a menu and a water. After waiting over an hour, I was able to place an order for drinks and food and then waited another 30 or so minutes to actually eat. From the time I entered to restaurant to the time I received my food and drink, I had been there for 2 hours, which is unacceptable. I do love the food there, it is authentic, Mexican food and truly is 5 stars. However, the last and final time I visited the restaurant, I placed a pick up order for two spicy margaritas. Although I was told it would take 30 minutes to pick up the order, I didn’t quite mind as I was running a few errands nearby, even though a 30 minute wait time is insane for 2 drinks. Upon arrival, I stood in the entrance for 10 minutes, despite showing up at the accurate time I had been told. No asked me what I had ordered or was waiting for. I had to stop two members of the staff to see if my order was ready. Once I talked to the staff for the final time, I had already been there for 15 minutes and they had just began making my order. It’s completely ridiculous that the service is so poor. The food and drinks are absolutely delicious and if there was adequate staff or staff who cared to service guests, this place would be great. Purely due to the wait time and the uncaring staff, I don’t see myself returning, although I would love to but couldn’t see spending as much time as...

I am hesitant and leaving a good review for this restaurant because I don’t want anyone else to know about it. I want to be able to go there anytime I want and not have to wait for a table but that’s not going to happen. The food here is ridiculous, fresh and delicious. my first option was the seafood ceviche, which took a while to come to the table but when I saw it, I understood why. It was made fresh. That’s right, the fish was cut fresh, sliced, seasoned and placed in the vinegar, red onion mixture, and allowed to “Cook” for a solid 10 minutes before being served. It was the most tender delicious item I’ve ever had and worth every minute that it took to go to the table. Which was fine, because I enjoyed one of their delicious margaritas, and their chips and salsa, which were heated before being served, which is usually never done, and the salsa also was delicious. My entrée was the Asada Oaxaquena which was ridiculous. It was packed with chicken, pork, shrimp, steak, chorizo, and cactus baked in a delicious and flavorful sauce. It came out fresh out of the oven, steaming hot, and I was still burning my mouth on its temperature after 20 minutes, and since I love eating my food hot, I was very very happy. It was served in this volcanic type of clay stone dish, (I really have no idea what it was), but it maintained the heat throughout the entire meal. It was actually still boiling five minutes after it was served. But when I packed up my leftovers because I could not finish it all, the leftovers were still warm in the take-out tray. This is my first time at this restaurant, and will not be my last as everything that came out of the kitchen was made to perfection and I’m sure they’re going to be in business for a long time. Do yourself a favor, and make a reservation , you’re going...