Guadalajara Hacienda — Restaurant in Houston

UPDATED REVIEW 7/13/25 — We sat at the bar for 15 mins. People who came in after us for the restaurant & even those who were all by themselves at the bar were served. No one attended to us. The servers definitely saw us & walked past. We the host know we were not attended to & walked out.

UPDATED REVIEW 7/11/25 — KENNETH, our server, was fantastic. Patiently waited for us to order, checked in on us in reasonable intervals, asked pertinent questions, plus found out if there was an ingredient we couldn’t eat when asked. Thank you, Kenneth! 5 stars for your service!

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This is for a visit a few days ago. @Manager, consider re-training your employees.

UNACCEPTABLE SERVICE: I’ve frequented this location several times/year the past 20 years.

Servers’ hospitality is often “hit or miss” here.

I’m appalled at some of the treatment some servers have given me & my guests here. This past week, a server named Isabella, attempted to be “professional” in her demeanor. However, her “unprofessionalism” was totally obvious to me & my guest.

It appears as if she has an attitude with non-white folks. I am not Hispanic, and that should not matter. I paid to eat a meal.

I can see how some staff may mistakenly think someone is Hispanic & judge them for eating at a Tex-Mex place. Or being able to afford it?

Ok, we’re all human. But still, as a “fine-dining” spot, get better at treating customers who are of color.

IDK. Server’s vibes were definitely not hospitable & neither was she approachable that encounter. No one deserves to be treated like that as a human being.

It would behoove one, as a guest server, to keep what appear as personal issues of judging & assuming about people, to outside of work hours.

I can totally, humanely offer benefit of doubt. However, it wasn’t just me who noticed.

FOOD: I’d asked for more of certain things in lieu of one ingredient. Did not receive them. So I kept quiet with server’s attitude going on.

However, my guest, who was of another ethnic descent, received an item they requested.

Very poor, inequitable service....

I usually go to the location in The Woodlands but this location was closer. I love the lime marinated fajitas and I got the shrimp ,chicken , and steak fajita meal. I specifically asked to substitute the regular beef for the lime marinated fajita meat. There was absolutely no lime flavor in the meat. I honestly think the kitchen or waitresses dropped the ball.

I did ask her about it and she replied that it was lime-marinated. There was absolutely no lime flavor in it. The Lime Marinated Beef in The Woodlands is wayyyyyy more flavorful than what I had. The chicken was also flavorless.

I wasn't asked if I wanted flour or corn tortillas . I usually get corn tortillas and if she would've asked , I would've said corn. I won't fault her 100% on that. It took about 8 minutes for the corn tortillas to come out.

I didn't get any lettuce , pico , guac , sour cream or anything. By time my corn tortillas came out , my fajitas were not hot. The chips were never refilled or anything. I was about to send the entire meal back and have it remade but my wife talked me out of it.

My daughters fries were cold on the kids meal and the strips were super over cooked. My daughter didn't even eat 1/4 of it and really none of the cold fries.

I didn't have time to wait another 30 minutes of more for another meal either.

Awful experience!!

The drinks were pretty good and the white queso. My wife liked the huge shrimp, the beef was pretty tender but no lime or flavor really.

The waitress was nice to but my chicken and lack of condiments ruined my long anticipated Guadalajara experience.

This was my family's 2nd outing since the covid shutdown in Feb 2020

We were sitting there ready to go but yet waiting to see her to even pay. .

*Update 8-18-24

The Lime Marinated Fajitas were sooo soooo delicious!! The service was decent. We were ready for the check and had to wait about 15-20 minutes for the waitress to come back...

I go out to eat for Mexican or Tex- Mex more than another type of food and the number of options in the Houston area is significant. The small, intimate places are often the best, but there are some larger establishments with much to offer, and one of them is Guadalajara Hacienda restaurant, next to the Katy Freeway.

This is a large restaurant with abundant seating, inside and out. With so much seating, there usually isn’t a wait and if there is, it should be short. There is a large parking lot, and parking is free. You are not forced to use valet parking, which is good. And since it’s right next to the interstate highway, it’s easy to find.

Guadalajara Hacienda serves the usual Tex-Mex options, like nachos, tacos, quesadillas, empanadas, fajitas, and so on. But you will find a few specialty items here, too, like sweet corn tamale cakes and several vegetarian options, as well as seafood and other menu items. These options make Guadalajara Hacienda a little different from other Tex-Mex establishments. The chef specialties and other options add variety to the choices.

I like the food I have tried at this restaurant. I like that the tortillas are made fresh, in-house, and I like the overall quality of the food. There is a wide selection of beverages, and even the beer selection, I am happy to report, is better than that of most other Tex- Mex establishments, with several craft beers to go along with the usual assortment of Mexican beers. If you want a soft drink, they serve Mexican Coca Cola here, in a bottle, cold and delicious. And, as expected, they serve margaritas, mojitos, and other cocktails popular to this type of establishment.

I love my Mexican and Tex Mex food and I enjoy Guadalajara Hacienda restaurant. The service is attentive, the food is tasty, and it’s easy to get inside, get seated, and enjoy your meal. It’s a good choice for this type of cuisine in the crowded and often overwhelming Houston...