Hacienda Real Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Janesville

We are visiting from out of town. My son and I are in Janesville for a hockey team tryout. And, we like Mexican food. This restaurant had a lot of good reviews, so we gave it a try.

We were seated at a table in the bar section. Right off the bat, the waiter seemed to have an attitude.... Though, the section wasn't busy, it seemed he was VERY bothered to be serving us. He never introduced himself, so I don't know his name. He was very short with us. He brought our drinks and took our order. He started to walk away before I finished asking him to leave off a couple of side items from my fajitas. It seemed there was some place he'd rather be.

I ordered some queso, which he brought, but he never offered to bring more chips. We got one basket of chips, and that was it. Most of the queso went uneaten as a result.

When he brought the food, he literally tossed the fajitas in front of me, which landed with a thud. I asked for some extra salsa and extra napkins, and, once again, he started to walk away before I finished my sentence. I couldn't believe it.

I was a server back in school (in a Mexican restaurant, by the way). And, at age 55, I've been in quite a few restaurants. This guy WINS THE PRIZE for the worst server I've ever encountered. During our entire meal, he never came back to check on us. We saw him sitting at another table in the corner with some other employees (presumably).

Finally, he came back with the check and thrust it in my face, waiting for me to take it. He didn't put it on the table. He wanted me to take it from his hand. Mind you, we had not yet asked for the check. I took the check from his hand. And, he promptly walked away. He never asked if he could get us anything else.

It was a truly remarkable, negative experience. I got a very negative "vibe" from him right from the first second.... all the way to the end. I don't know if he really just didn't want to be there, or if there was something about my son and me that just irked him. I wondered if it was my Navy hat? Seriously. SOMEthing put a bur in this guy's saddle as soon as he laid eyes on us.

I gave two stars because the food was actually good. But, the service is literally the worst I've encountered in my life. WOW. Really, really bad! This guy should NOT be in ANY position that serves the public. I usually tip generously, and it takes a LOT for me to reduce the tip. I intentionally left a very low tip. I don't like doing that. I really don't. But, this guy "earned" it.

In case management is reading... This happened on July 6th, 2019 at about 7:00 - 7:30pm. Bar section, 2nd to last table against the far wall before...

We have been going to Hacienda for 10+ years. Probably a couple times a month. It has always been outstanding up until yesterday. Food was good but not up to the narm. Shrimp was rubbery. No sauce options on the table besides the salsa with chips. I ordered a lime blended margarita and pretty sure it was straight matgarita mix. Finished lunch and got a couple of boxes. We then sat for 20 minutes waiting for our bill. Nobody came near us. I finally went up to the desk to tell them we had been sitting there for 20 minutes. He asked for my bill which I told him I never got. I told him it was table 3 and had to walk over and check with someone. He came back and printed out my bill. Told him how disappointing this was and he shrugged his head and said sorry. I wrote a note on the bill to Diego(Owner) explained the disappointment. I went back in to get the family and told them I already paid. While I paid some other server brought them the bill which I already paid.they asked where the other server went and they said maybe on break. As we exited we walked by the front counter and the gentleman who took my note for Diego (Owner) was showing it to other servers. I asked why he was showing it and he said he wasn't and said he was putting in the drawer for the owner. I had just witnessed the 2 of them reading and the gentleman behind the desk rolled his eyes.

Looks like I will start looking for a new restaurant. This would never have happened if Diego was working. I realize he can't live there but I will not eat there again if he is not there.

Moral of the story: when the owner is away, the...

While traveling through the Janesville, WI area, my wife and I decided to try Hacienda before heading back to our hotel for the evening. Upon entering the restaurant, the ambiance/decor was what one would expect from an authentic Mexican restaurant. We were greeted by an employee who immediately seated us. Our server was at our table almost immediately to get our drink orders and provide menus.

After ordering, our server whose name was Jesus, brought tortilla chips and salsa which were very good. We didn't have to wait long before our food was brought to us. The food was really very good - some of the best Mexican food I have ever had.

After finishing our entrees, we decided to try the fried ice cream for dessert which was very good as well.

Overall, the food was excellent at a very reasonable price. The ambiance/decor was very nice as well. I especially enjoyed the Mexican themed music that was playing in the background which helped set the mood. It felt as if we had driven south of the border into Mexico and were in an authentic Mexican restaurant! The service was top notch as well. Our server, Jesus, was an extremely friendly, efficient and conscientious server. He checked on things several times during our visit to ensure everything was satisfactory. The owner was on site and was very friendly as well.

I would highly recommend giving Hacienda a try if you enjoy Mexican food and we will definitely be back the next time we travel through Janesville, WI. Very...