Dean's South of the Border — Restaurant in Punta Gorda

I recently visited Dean's South of the Border and had an wonderful experience. This place offers an outdoor dining experience that truly stands out!

First and foremost, I ordered the sizzling shrimp fajitas, and they did not disappoint. Considering it's a bar, the quality of the food was surprisingly good. The taste was on point, and I was pleasantly surprised by the generous portion size. My plate was loaded with shrimp, onions, peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, rice, and more. Every element was flavorful and well-prepared.

However, not everything at our table was a hit. My friends ordered the French dip and the patty melt, but unfortunately, the meat on both sandwiches was very rare, to the point where they couldn't finish their meals. This was a bit disappointing, but it didn't overshadow the positive aspects of our visit.

Now, let me highlight the true gem of our late afternoon experience - the live band, the Flying Doritos! The music was good and the singer was exceptional and had us all engaged, especially when he opened with a Lynyrd Skynyrd song that sounded incredibly authentic. It added an electrifying atmosphere to our dining experience and left us thoroughly entertained.

In summary, Dean's South of the Border delivered on my expectations. The food and the drinks were good overall, the outdoor atmosphere was fantastic, and the live music by the Flying Doritos was the icing on the cake. If you're looking for a place that offers both a delightful dining experience and live entertainment, this is the spot to be. I'll definitely be coming back for more! 🎶🌮🍻

p.s. My plates were loaded high with food when they arrived at the table, but I was enjoying myself too much to remember to take a picture before I dug in. Sorry for not getting a pic when they were initially delivered, but trust me they...

More like "South of delicious" The people who keep giving this place 5 stars need to grow some taste buds. The American food (Which this "Mexican" restaurant has a LOT of) may or may not be good, but the Mexican food is awful! The atmosphere, name, and decor are Mexican, but a huge portion of the menu is not. I can only speak to the Mexican food, and our experience.

I was surprised that, unlike the 50 other Mexican joints I've been to in recent memory, this place does not bring you chips and salsa when you sit. They are a paid menu item. Whatever...you are trying to make a living. I get it, but I think there is an expectation when you go into a Mexican restaurant that they are brought to you. We ordered some anyway. The salsa was chunky, fresh, and delicious, and the crunchy beef taco was pretty good. That is where good ended. That is why it gets 2 stars instead of 1.

We also had Chimichangas, enchiladas, and grilled chicken tacos. First 2 were awful, but the grilled chicken was especially disappointing. The chicken was cold in the middle. How does that happen when something is "grilled" and cut into strips. It had the fake grill stripes on it, and by the flavor I'm certain that it was the same little grilled chicken fajita strips that you buy frozen at Sam's or Costco. For the price we paid, and the reviews I read before going, I would expect much better.

I'm usually impressed when a server can take a large complicated order to memory without writing it down, and doing it flawlessly. It is no longer impressive when you forget 2 items entirely, including one of the entrees, so that person has to wait another 15 minutes while others eat, and after all that, the previously frozen chicken is still cold inside (All because you are too cool and trendy to write it down) Fail!

NOT...

I have ordered potatoes and gravy multiple times through door dash from this restaurant and they are amazing. I absolutely love them but in the past when I’ve ordered them they have always put the gravy on the side so that the potatoes do not get soggy and gross but when I got my order today the gravy was mixed in with the potatoes which were also undercooked and now completely soggy so I called the restaurant and spoke with the manager regarding the issue of the undercooked potatoes and to also inform them that the gravy was also mixed in with the potatoes and not in the side so now everything was soggy and turned out to be more like mashed potatoes and gravy then potato chips and gravy at which time the manager told me that’s how it normally comes which I know to be untrue. I told the manager that I have ordered these previously and the gravy has always come on the side which is how it should come when ordered to go to help keep the integrity of the food. The manager then told me I was wrong and that it does not come with the gravy on the side unless you specify that and so I told her that there isn’t an option on DoorDash on their menu that allows you to put it on the side and even if there was I have never ordered it that way and it has always come with gravy on the side. The manager then told me I’m not arguing with you have a great day and hung up the phone. What terrible customer service. Not only did they not care about their food being undercooked and not packaged appropriately to keep the integrity of the food but they also hung up on a customer with no resolution. I’m highly disappointed with...