El Jinete - Powell — Restaurant in Powell

Update- dropped a cpl more stars... Returned with all 3 of us this time, but the experience was not great...salsa was cold instead of room temp (not a good sign if u expect fresh salsa btw), the salsa was not very good tasting either, and our chips were cold instead of hot and did not taste fresh or very good either...and none of our entrees left us impressed at all this time..for the most part everything was just not great, and taste n quality just doesn't stack up against our fave Mex spots...which sux when u bring another person to a restaurant cuz it was pretty good before (with room for improvement,as they were pretty new last time we came here), but then everything ends up not being very good at all this time..even the super chorizo queso this time was just not as bangin as last time...We will prob just go to our other preferred Mex restaurants next time instead of going here again (like Monterey's, yum)..it seems like this place went down in quality and consistency since we were here last, and instead of improving from being new it went the other direction..and having a more unique menu just isn't enough to make up for lack of quality..which is a shame, bc how often do u get a Mex rest around here with an actual unique menue?...bummer...maybe they will turn ut around, here's hoping 🤞🏼

My son and i enjoyed this place, food was good, def better than many Mexican restaurants we've gone to. Good salsa, but the chorizo like super queso dip was soooooo good!! Tamale was excellent..tacos were yummy..he loved the rice (i don't do rice personally, but he said it was different and better than most places, it's in his top rices)..and the beans were decent (pretty average)..enchiladas were just ok, not the best I've had (the basic enchiladas; we haven't tried any special ones yet here)..Chile Rellenos were pretty good, but as a relleno lover, (i have tried them at like every Mex restaurant I've gone to, which is a ton), these aren't the best rellenos I've had, but def not the worst either, they were pretty good.. It's odd tho that my son and i both got a relleno, done the same way (u have options here, on filling n stuff), but our rellenos had different sauces on top... One was a dark deep red, the other had a like light orange-ish kinda sauce on it..and the sauces tasted different...so that was kinda odd..not a big deal tho..this place is new, so things like this will happen...and the quesadilla was ok, i got the chicken bacon chz one (which is cool, cuz most these rests. don't have quesos. with bacon in it, but there's some different options offered here), but i was worried if i ordered chicken in it, that they would just pack it with the protein and put barely any cheese in it (cuz that's what they mostly all seem to do these days :/ ), and i was right- tons of chicken and an almost undetectable amount of cheese, which makes me sad..and the bacon was only ok tbh...so yeah, the quesodilla was a bit of a disappointment for me, but maybe others like it this way...But the food was def good for the most part, many Mexican restaurants don't do many of these items as well as this place did, I'll def go here again..and our server was great, he was so friendly and helpful, he had answers to all my questions, and he was on top of everything, and so nice..the place seemed clean and everyone seemed to keep busy..and the menu seemed to b a little different than most Mexican restaurants, like a little jazzed up, with a few more interesting options besides just the same old menu that most Mexican rests. practically allll tend to do, so that's pretty cool, i actually really appreciate that and it def gives this place extra points in my book for that.. Prices seemed reasonable (we got a ton of food and our bill was lower than i thought it would b)...we will def go here again and see how the next visit goes, but i suspect it will b good again, maybe even better since they will have more time open...i also really like Monterrey's alot too, that place is so yummy (I'd say their rellenos are top tier for...

Visit was today 3/10/24 , 4;3O, Food was ok. My wife ordered chicken enchiladas and I ordered Chicken Mole. She was not happy with her food, so I told her to order something else. I told her I could eat hers as a leftover. Joaquin brought a menu and she ordered a taco diner. I almost sent my order back because of the strength of the Mole sauce. I ate just some of it but I never had tasted mole sauce. I think I have had it in just a smaller quantity and maybe a lighter’s version. Anyway I am getting away from my original statement. I asked Joaquin for 2 extra tortilla wraps and he offered some that i could purchase as a side-order. I told him to forget it. I have never had an issue with another restaurant getting me a couple more wraps. He finally brought me some wrapped in aluminum foil. When I got the ticket to pay, it was $43.67 and I gave him my card. OK, now the fun begins. I realized i had a coupon from Mint Magazine that I could have got $5.00 off for on orders over $40. I asked Joaquin to check anyway. I don’t know the managers name when he came over. Letting me know i could use it on a later date on my next visit. I told him I may not come back.

I let him know that we were only 2 people eating today and I had ordered 3 meals. This seemed not to concern him. He just ignored my comment. By this time and because of his “push back attitude”, I told him that we would not be back. Still not a willingness on his part for not wanting to help, but just to argue. I thought it would be better to leave, even tho I told him I would tell others. My comment to folks wanting to dine there is to BEWARE. They don’t seem to care very much for customer retention.Also be sure and taste the mole sauce before ordering. It is very...

FOOD: The food was amazing. The salsa is made in house and is delicious, loads of flavor with a slight kick. The guacamole was also really good, and fresh made. The entres were over the top good. Absolutely worth every penny, and every minute we waited. SERVICE: They were extremely busy, so initially our wait was a bit long. Our original server ignored us after getting our drinks, but we flagged down another server (Michelle) and she was great. Our 2nd server was attentive, friendly, and efficient. She was even thoughtful enough to bring out our toddler's meal first without needing to be asked. Michelle saved our night - gracias Michelle!!! ATMOSPHERE: The esthetic is catering to a younger crowd, but we still enjoyed the look. Our son loved the iguana painted on the wall and the bull in the front. We were taken completely by surprise when, as we were nearing time to leave, the lights cut off for half of the room. Without any announcement loud music began playing and a illuminated dancer came out. At first we were a little sketched out but it ended up being a fun and quirky highlight. Our toddler was confused, until he loved it. We asked and were told the dancing only happens on weekends, and is done twice - during the dinner hours. OVERALL: We really enjoyed the food and are definitely coming back. I highly recommend giving the place a try. If it's that good on the weekend during dinner rush, I can only imagine they're great during the weekday and earlier hours as well. Give them a try, we came on a whim and we will be repeat...