Don Juan Cantina & Grill — Restaurant in Owatonna

Wednesday 9/9/2020. I drove to Owatonna to buy a vehicle. My sister came with me to drive the vehicle home. Since she hadn't had a sit-down restaurant meal since Covid hit I decided to treat her to supper to thank her. We just wanted a quick, enjoyable meal before heading home. We arrived at Don Juan at 6:50 pm. We were seated, brought chips and salsa, and the young man asked for our drink order. I started and asked for a beer. He pointed to the bar, stated "I can't touch" indicating he was too young, then walked away. My sister only wanted iced tea, but he never asked for her order. 10 minutes later our server arrived. I asked for a beer then started coughing on a chip and asked for water. He darted away. 10 minutes later he finally brought my water and beer, then took our order. My sisters tea arrived timely but 35 minutes later I finally had to ask about our food. He promptly brought it. It was extremely dry as if it had been sitting under the warming lights for 20 minutes or more. Very disappointing; the whole experience. Hey folks, TIP stands for To Insure Promptness, and there was none tonight. I suspect the food would have been tasty had it arrived PROMPTLY. ...

Good value, friendly & well-timed service, taaasty food. Context for review: since we visited at 5pm on a beautiful spring Sunday, the restaurant only had a few other customers while we were there. Our group of 8 included 3 littles. They do offer a kids menu. Good guac, flavorful chimichangas, even my discerning parents were pleased with the quality and value. We don't often dine out in Otown since we usually prepare a meal at a family home, but 💯 will consider for next dinner out! Suggestions to owners: bring back the "table side guac" experience 😉, offer a bar beverage menu to highlight the full, well-stocked bar, update the seasonal decor, train host/food runner staff to offer and bring high chairs for little toddlers and to bring small plates when serving a shareable appetizer. (Not saying anything was bad, just speaking from my own food service experience on areas where you could shine...

When it comes to Mexican restaurants, it must be hard to rise above the crowd. I eat here about once or twice a month because the care the chef takes is also reflected in the service out front. Terrific flavor and friendliness. Here's an example. I often order the carne assada at Don Juan's because it is the best I have ever tasted. After a year or two of wondering how the chef achieves this, I asked him, expecting to hear about a secret marinade that produces such tasty, tender meat. No, he said. Not a marinade. He uses prime ribeye, thinly sliced. No wonder it's delicious! Now where else would you find what looks like a normal Mexican joint paying such attention to ingredients and taste, right across the whole...