Uncle Jalapeno — Restaurant in Herndon

I really wanted to like Uncle Jalapenos. Big fan of Indian and Mexican food so thought this would be great. The first time we went, back in April, everything was great; from the minute we walked in until we left. The service was wonderful. The hostess, the waiter, and other staff members were extremely friendly. The owner even came and said hello. The food was absolutely amazing. The chips and salsa were really good. And our main courses were delicious. My picky 7 year old even loved his meal. The last two times we went were nowhere as good. We went a second time at the end of April and were looking forward to another good experience. But we were let down. We got seated and that's where it all fell apart. Our waiter must have been new because he wasn't aware of much. We asked for kids menus and he said they didn't have them and that they didn't have kids meals. We were telling him that we had them the last time we came. He just told us to order off the menu. A lady came and asked if there was a problem and she said, yes we do have kids menus and gave them to us. Then it took about 15 minutes for the waiter to come back and take our orders. 20 minutes later he came back with someone else's order and then about 10 minutes later he brought our meal out. We finished and asked for the bill. In less than 30 seconds he came with our bill. There was a mistake on it, but he said we were mistaken and the price for the mocktail was not different from the alcoholic drinks. I said, I came before and it was $8. He said, you must be mistaken. I was like, you know what that's fine. I'll take it up with management later. So we left. I sent an email, but never received a reply. After a few months I thought, let's go back. I'm sure it was just an off day and we had a bad waiter. Wrong!!! We got there and a staff member came up and asked if we were there to eat. I said, yes could we get a table for 4. He said, hold on and went to the back. A couple of minutes later a waiter came and asked if we were being seated and we said we were told to wait. He said he'll get a table ready for us. And he did. We got to our table and I had to clean off rice bits and chip pieces from the table. They needed to sweep underneath the table, but they didn't seem to care when we said something. So we sat there. It wasn't that busy. We waited for about 10 minutes before we asked someone if we could get chips and salsa. About 10 minutes later I asked if we could get someone to take our order. A few minutes later the guy who told us to wait and went to the back came to take our order. And when I say take our order, he said "what do you want?" Super rude. And then we didn't see him until it was time for the check. And he was there in less than a minute with it. But they came with our order and again the food was great. We all loved our food. But the service was horrible. I think a band plays on Saturday evenings because they were setting up by the bar while we were there. And it looked like they were going to have a birthday party because all the attention was going towards the three booths by the bar. It was just another horrible experience. We love the chips and salsa, but it's not enough for us to drive 25 minutes out to Herndon to be treated like crap. Sadly, we won't...

I had just finished watching a movie at the AMC theater and was feeling hungry, it was about 3 or 4pm. Curiosity got the best of me, as this place was new, so I decided to give it a try. Upon entering, the servers greeted me with enthusiasm. However, I couldn't help but notice that the place was eerily empty. I took a seat at the bar and was promptly served chips and salsa, which was nice. The taste was decent but nothing to write home about.

The owner was present, and she graciously allowed me to sample two different meats before I settled on a specific taco. Unfortunately, their Jalapeno Queso Masala dip left much to be desired. It resembled a sweet tomato sauce, something more suited for dipping a grilled cheese sandwich into. What's more, it was disappointingly runny and lacked the expected thickness of a dipping sauce. To make matters worse, it lacked spice and the queso was non-existent, it was served with the same chips they bring to your table when you first sit down. I wouldn't recommend it.

As for the tacos, they were also a letdown. The mushroom taco, in particular, was a disappointment. It consisted of just a tortilla and a few slices of mushrooms, nothing more. The tandoori chicken taco wasn't any better, with a lackluster presentation and a taste that was bland and boring. When I expressed my dissatisfaction with the taste, the bartender shifted the blame to the chef. Later on, another bartender took over, and while I understand language barriers can be common in some places, struggling to communicate added to the already less-than-pleasant experience. The wait staff is also poor about following up with the customer to see if they need a refill.

Furthermore, the green margarita was priced at $12, but it was served in a small 10oz-12oz cup and was more sweet than strong. The fusion of Indian-Mexican cuisine didn't work for me and left me with a rather negative impression. Additionally, I couldn't help but feel uneasy about the staff's interactions, particularly with one individual. Though I hope it's not the case, it was giving me strong labor trafficking vibes.

Here are a few suggestions for improvement:

Consider hiring a more skilled chef and additional cooks to reduce wait times for food.

If you're aiming for a fusion cuisine, focus on creating unique and flavorful dishes that blend well together, avoiding disappointments like the Jalapeno Masala Queso.

Experiment with various toppings for your tacos beyond just cilantro to enhance their appeal.

Address the issues with the mushroom taco; if it can't be improved, consider replacing it with a sweet potato taco.

5.Reevaluate your menu pricing to align it better with the overall dining experience; customers should feel they're getting their money's worth.

Don't put wait staff who have poor communication skills in areas of the restaurant where communication...

I am writing this review after my second visit! My husband and I are not Mexicans but we loves maxican food also some indian dishes, when we realized having a good mexican-indian fusion tastes we did not hesitate to came and try. Our first visit it was last Saturday (October 28, 2023) there were some issues on service but we did understand because they were just a couple days brand new staff restaurant. Tonight (November 3rd. 2023) we decided to come back to try the watermelon frozen margarita and dishes for sure. We had to wait around 45 minutes for the lady in charge of our table take the food order meanwhile other waiters serve us chips and water. When she (an indian lady) arrived to take our order she wrote wrong and back couple times to make sure she doing right. After that we had to wait around 50 for our food arrived wrongly. Minutes ago we realized a lady were looking who order the food looks like our oreder finally she left our order on the wrong table. It’s Such a shame that we had to wait around 110 minutes and not get the correct order. we had to ask for the check for our drinks; but one of the supervisors told us that we didn't have to pay for it. It is a shame that this happens because they have a fairly large staff with poor disorganization. The owner (a Indian lady) realized this situation and offered us to stay but my biggest concern was for my husband who is diabetic and had already taken his medications that indicate 30 minutes prior to eating and otherwise he begins to faint. He told me he felt bad and we decided to leave. Unfortunately, good food but very bad service, poor organization of the staff, very poor training. Unfortunately we have had to tell three groups of friends not to come to this place due to the poor service, after we had already told them that they served very delicious margaritas and the fusion of two cultures and flavors. The photos are from our...