Diablo's Mexican Bar and Grill — Restaurant in Johnson City

I came here with a reservation for my birthday because I wanted to try a new restaurant. Overall the experience wasn’t that bad but also wasn’t blown away. First issue is that our table wasn’t ready for the reservation and the staff didn’t seem to know what time our reservation was for. However, they put the table together quickly! It seemed like there weren’t that many servers, so it took a while to get drinks or any food ordered. We ate chips and salsa for maybe 30 minutes before we got food ordered. The salsa was delicious though! When we got our food, it all looked good. I tried the birria tacos and the carne asada. The birria tacos were okay, not the best and the carne asada was very dry. We almost finished all of our food before we got any of our alcoholic drinks. When we got our drinks, the server didn’t know what the drink flavors were as he handed them out, so we had to try them all to determine whose drink was whose. Overall, I wasn’t thrilled with my experience, so probably wouldn’t...

We tried this restaurant for the first time on a Friday night. The pros- attractive decor, service was attentive - all of our needs were met, food was beautifully plated, the chicken fajitas were very good with lots of topping options. The cons - our cheese dip & rice and beans were lukewarm, would have liked to had them served hotter. The taquitos were a little bland. The salsa was bland, for a restaurant called Diablo we were expecting a little more picante. The servers lacked knowledge on what beers were on draft and only one Mexican beer was available on draft, they're not serving liquor at this point. The server also lacked knowledge about some of the menu items. The decor is pretty, but the vibe is a little off - it is very dark and feels more like a nightclub than a Mexican restaurant. The dining room could use a little attention e.g. Some tables weren't cleaned very well and were missing chairs. I think the restaurant has potential, but still needs a little work...

I was hesitant to write a review for Diablo because I think I gave up on finding delicious and authentic Mexican food in Johnson City...I'm Mexican so expected better. I ordered the molcajete because I wanted to eat the nopales specifically, but I wasn't made aware that they didn't have any nopales before I ordered. I also asked the waitress to leave out the bacon but they still put it in my food! I was very disappointed. The atmosphere and decor is nice and modern. This restaurant has the potential to grow big and become very successful, but the management needs to step it up to get their servers well trained and knowledgeable about Mexican cuisine. I'm sure if they hire experienced Mexican cooks and they treat them good, they will cook amazing food 😉 One thing I was happy about is that the manager reimbursed me for my food since I wasn't pleased. I might give this restaurant a second try in the near future if I see more good reviews. Sorry I don't have many...