Mar y Sol Mexican Food — Restaurant in Juneau

Tucked away in the Foodland complex, the unassuming Mar Y Sol has been on my radar for sometime. TBH, I live in the valley and don’t come downtown often, especially during high tourist season. But I had a good yoga class at the nearby Alaska Club and after a brisk walk to Marine Park, I decided to treat myself. Seat yourself dining, my waiter brought water, chips, and a delectable salsa promptly. The waiter recommended the Birria Quesotacos so I ordered it. Unfortunately, this is not a dish I would recommend. It is basically stew meat and cheese in a taco shell that is then fried, with a side of the beef jus. Greasy, with not a lot of nuance of flavor, I ate one of the three tacos and wished I had tried something else. Luckily, a friend came through the doors and he was glad to take care of my leftovers while I sampled another dish. Something fresher, I asked the waiter, and this time he suggested a vegetable quesadilla. The quesadilla was fine but again lacked the freshness I was longing for. Granted, fresh vegetables have a short shelf life in Juneau, but the lack of them in both meals was disappointing. The menu suggested asking the waitstaff for salsa samples, so I tried the pineapple habanero, hoping to punch up the quesadilla. I think they left out the habanero as it just tasted like puréed pineapple. Darn. I might try Mar y Sol again and just stick with the...

The food is no question good, but as far as them listening to what you order, don’t not check your food if you have take out. I specifically asked for a bean, cheese, and sour cream burrito, all ingredients inside, and got a bean and cheese burrito, swimming in a watery pool from the lettuce they plopped in the container with a teaspoon of sour cream on top (NOT INSIDE). I further ordered (in the same order) a bean, cheese, and lettuce ONLY tostada. I know what you’re thinking, how is it possible to screw that up, but they did! This tostada came with salsa and grilled onions all over it and very little of what I asked for. The kid taking my order said “hope you come again” as I left. I say they all can keep hoping as La Salsa in Nugget Mall or the new restaurant near Harley Davidson are high quality AND they understand when you say “bean, cheese, and...

It's not that I disliked it, but I do feel some things should change.

1. the girl who greeted me looked unhappy. She was probably tired, I don't know. I asked her some questions about the menu and she wasn't rude to me, but it seemed like she just didn't want to be there and it didn't really encourage me to want to try their food. (But I ordered anyway)
2. the tacos de asada I had were decent. I feel like the meat could have more flavor to it, and for the size of the tacos, I don't think they should be 3$ each. I'm from Chicago, and the tacos there are twice the size and $1.75-$2. Will I go back? Mmm it's possible, but probably not...