El Cabo Restaurant — Restaurant in Jacksonville

Wanted to try new restaurant at convenient location. Read previous reviews that mentioned no beer and bland food. Although the place was very nice looking with a large dining area and both high top and regular tables, I was by myself and decided to get take out. There were about 3 families eating at tables when I arrived at 5:45. I was instantly greeted by several wait staff. They had a very large menu. I wanted a full meal so ordered the carnitas platter which they said would take 15 minutes to prepare. About 10 minutes later I was given a large and full take out bag and charged $20. At home I was impressed. The main course contained several very large pieces of slowly roasted pork with grilled onions on a bed of rice and mashed beans. There was a separate container of shredded lettuce and a bean sauce. Then a large bag of chips, a container of salsa and 3 soft tacos. I could only eat about a third.

Even with the salsa the taste was bland ( I do not like hot flavors). I added some salsa we had at home that enhanced the flavor. Admittedly, since I had take out, I may have missed sauces at the tables. Bottom line: pretty good. Would take my family there. Probably would choose a more flavored dish or ask for more spices. Very nice place and nice people. I hope...

Service is very slow, and refills on chips and salsa and drinks had to be requested repeatedly, even though the restaurant wasn't busy. The servers didn't keep up on that well. One person with us had enchiladas, and she said they were very good. The chips and salsa were fresh and tasty. Also, the rice and beans were delicious. The vegetarian fajitas were not fresh and not seasoned well. They were clearly reheated vegetables. We won't be ordering them again. This is not a place for vegetarians to eat, unless you just want rice, beans, chips and salsa. No vegetarian meals were listed on the menus. The frozen margaritas we had were very, very refreshing and delicious. We will probably go back during happy hour because of the margarita special. Overall, we had a nice time while we were there.

Edit/Update: We went yesterday, and the food and service were so much better. The staff working there now are a lot better and friendlier. We had a great experience and had a lot of fun. We will continue to go back! A solid 4 stars...

Being older and well traveled, I have eaten some fantastic foods from all over the world- on location! Is it me, or has Mexican food and service changed for the worse? It seems to me that it has. It feels like they all buy inventory and products from the same organization and do not dare to deviate from the expected food script. Chips, salsa, tacos, burritos etc… Having been to Mexico and having lived or the border for a spell, Mexican cuisine is so much more diverse than what we see now in America. I wish someone would bring back that version of one of my favorite world cuisines- old school. Anyway, I’m not a fan of Americanized Mexican food. Staff was great, not as tentative as they could be but there and eager to assist. The food was expensive for the quality and quantity. Being back $2 tamales on the weekends and you’ll need to hire the fire department to guard the door. That’s my 2 cents. I would eat there again but know I’m not going to be excited or...