El Jinete Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Georgia

My rating is based on multiple factors. The service was truely terrible. The food was fine, not bad but not great- just meh. The music was entirely too loud. Nothing felt clean. The to go portion of my order was wrong. My 3 children and I went alone because my boyfriend was feeling under the weather. We were seated quickly, but there was food on the floor and where there wasn't it was sticky. I had to dissuade my toddler from eating a gum ball and chips she found on our way to the booth. We were seated by the bar which doesn't make sense for a mom and 3 kids, and we could hardly hear each other over the blaring music. The chips and salsa came immediately, but the chips were bland and the salsa was super watery. Our waiter didn't come over for a few minutes, no big deal. Then when he took our drink order, we waited a while again. Then he took our dinner order and I let him know I'd be placing a to go order after the food came out so I could bring it home fresh, and things got really rough. The two kids burgers came out after a moderate wait. (No veggies on those by the way.) My pre teen had ordered a couple of tacos a la cart and those came out shortly after the burgers. 20 minutes later my kids are done eating and he comes over to take my boyfriend's to go order. I place it and ask if my food is coming and he looks around the table as if trying to locate my food as if maybe I hadn't noticed it or something. When he looks and finds no food, his response was, "oh what did you even order?" I asked for the manager. When the manager comes there's no apology, he just asks what I'd ordered and says he'll be taking care of us from now on. 2 minutes later my food comes out, obviously it had been just sitting in the back forgotten since I recieved it room temperature. I was starving and ready to go, so I ate quickly. The to go order came out already bagged up so I asked him to repeat it back to me. He pointed to each container in the bag and accurately described my boyfriend's food. He left and got the check... nothing was compt, no discount, full price everything! I put my card in the check holder and waited and waited and waited. He came and took the card and we waited and waited and waited. When he brought the card back and the check for me to sign he'd highlighted the section that does the math on the tip for you. I had so many choice words for him, but instead decided to match the tip with none. When we got home my boyfriend's fajitas were missing the tortillas and cheese. Do not waste your time or money at this restaurant. We will not go back. You can get at least the same but almost certainly better Mexican food...

4/16/25 Update

I really hate to do this, as this was my favorites local Mexican restaurant in the area for many years. Took my two boys here and was blown away about how bad it was all around, especially compared to the many many times that we've been here over the years.

The food was awful. Arguably some of the worst cheese dip I have ever had in a Mexican restaurant. And this was my favorite place for cheese dip. It was hard, had an orange tent to it, and flavor was poor.

This was probably the worst taco salad I have had in so many years, maybe ever. The meat was So dry that it was inedible. Even when I put salsa in the bad cheese dip on it.

My boys enjoyed theirs overall. Texas Rice + three tacos with rice and beans.

Service was fine. I wouldn't say that it was wonderful or great, but it was okay.

The food being that poor was bad enough, but then the check came.

$85 for three of us, one adult and two teenage boys. I was absolutely floored. No alcohol was purchased either. They charged $15 for the worst cheese dip I've had in ages. $16 for Texas rice, $15 for three chicken tacos with rice and beans, and 11 for the worst taco salad I've had. And the kicker was they charged $0.85 for a side of jalapenos.

I understand inflation and prices are rising everywhere, but for awful food this was unacceptable. I will not be back in quite some time, but will give them a benefit of the doubt and give it one more shot, as they had always been really good for many years before today.

I work hard to not be biased in these and usually always give the benefit of the doubt, especially when it's some place that myself and my family have really enjoyed going to for many years since living in this area. But this was absolutely horrendous.

Original Post 2019

Awesome Mexican restaurant in Dacula. Food, service, and setting are great. Chips, salsa, and fajitas are excellent, especially for the value. The fajita quesadilla is one of the best things I've eaten in a...

I literally just got off the phone with the same person I ordered my $56.00 worth of food with who is also the same person I placed my order with and paid for it with and he handed me my food. I specifically asked if the sauces were in the bag and and he(whom I believe was the manager/or owner) said yes. Well after getting back to my family home (I'm on vacation and wanted Mexican food) and noticed that no red not green sauce was in the bag. So I called him and of course he remembered us and he had the nerve to tell me if I wanted any type of hot sauce or mild that I would have needed to pay extra. I said first of all I would have but you said that it was in the bag. They had put some chewy chips in my bag with salsa(bland) sauce which remind you I didn't ask for or wanted. This man told me that was my sauce for my food. And told me that was all I was suppose to get. Well to make a sale he should have told me when I asked for the HOT sauces that it was extra and I would have paid for it. Luckily for us the kids wanted tacos from across the lot and it was a plenty to share with us.... By the way the kids tacos not only looked better but was actually better tasting. There's 3 Mexican restaurants in this area and you tend to tell your customers basically lies that you don't give sauces or even that you gave them the sauces shows me as a consumer you really don't care. If the food had any flavor to it I problem wouldn't have mind the no sauce. This is the first and last time me eating anything from here, and my brother in-law who told me to try it couldn't believe that he actually lied to me about having to pay extra said he's done with them as well. Never again...