Hot Jalapeno — Restaurant in New York

Being a vegetarian sometimes makes for a little anxiety when dining out. They mark little “v” marks on their menu to denote vegetarian items. I love mole! But as a vegetarian I’m often unable to eat it because of the chicken stock that is added to it. The waiter wasn’t able to answer my questions but the chef came out. The mole was vegetarian. No chicken stock or other animal flavorings. The chef told me they have a number of vegetarians that come in. I had enchiladas with the mole. Companion had the Chile Rellenos, also vegetarian. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals. One warning though, while the beans are vegetarian, the rice is not. Almost every Mexican restaurant I go to uses a mix that contains chicken flavoring or they use chicken stock or both. Even when it’s listed under “vegetarian”. Notable exceptions were my two restaurants in upstate New York, El Loco Mexican Cafe (Albany)and Jose Malone’s Mexican Irish Restaurant (Troy). We made the rice from scratch with no animal products. One thing I didn’t check out until after eating was their patio. I didn’t see it until I was looking for the restroom. I did check it out. Reminded me of an outdoor restaurant I ate at in Tulum Mexico on New Years Eve (2019). Next time. I was on my way home a little later so I grabbed a couple of street tamales from a vendor on the nearby...

I'm going to give my honest opinion, I ordered 2 tacos and 1 burrito de cecina. Off the bat, poor service the waiter kept giving me weird looks among the others waiters. I don't know if it's because I was eatting alone or judging the way I was eating. If I'm paying my food, leave me alone and look somewhere else! The meat wasn't cooked right and it was chewy like gum which is disgusting, I had to tell them to give me some kind of discount but the price does not match the quality. Throughout the years they have upgraded the location, but the service and food needs to be better. I didn't tip because I didn't feel like I was treated right. This isn't the first time they mess up, another time I ordered pick up and they messed up my order. When you're eating with your family and friends, you want to eat in a place where you're gonna feel welcomed and the food is going to match the prices. This place didn't match the price of their food or their service. Never coming here...

My family and I have been regular customers at Hot Jalapeño since 2020. We’ve always been patient and supportive, whether ordering takeout or dining in. Unfortunately, we’ve noticed that lately the food hasn’t been as fresh as it used to be, which has been disappointing.

We also understand that the restrooms are not for public use, which is completely fair. However, for loyal customers who have consistently supported the business over the years, a little flexibility would go a long way — especially in situations where it's genuinely needed.

At this point, we don’t think our family will be doing business with Hot Jalapeño anymore. It's unfortunate, as we really used to enjoy...