Cantina jalisco — Restaurant in Washington

This was my second experience dining here and I wanted to come at least twice before I gave my honest review of the restaurant. Unfortunately, the issues I had with my first dining experience persisted into my second visit. With that, here is my unbiased and honest review of this establishment.

The checking in process was very unorganized. Both times were a problem. They didn’t take our names even though the entree was getting quite full with guests. We waited a very long time to be greeted by the server and get our drink orders. Overall, the entire wait was excessive.

The food was decent enough but the portion sizes were small for the price especially considering the number of Mexican restaurants in the area who are more competitive with price and portion. I wouldn’t have cared if the food would have blown me away but unfortunately it did not. Compared to local restaurants of the same genre I give the food a C+ or B-. Some things were quite good but others just lacked flavor or were too overwhelmed by a single flavor profile like the burrito Zapata. The chorizo was not well balanced with the grilled chicken and rice. I could see where they were going but didn’t quite get there. My first visit I had the pineapple seafood. It was good but there was too much cheese on the top that was way off balance with the seafood. Flavors were better with that dish but again, portion size to price value was not good.

The atmosphere was great initially but the overall volume made it hard to even hear others at my table. Some wall treatments and things hung on the large blank wall of the dining room may help that.

The service was not the best. Though the server was friendly and jovial, they all seemed very disorganized. Our meals came out staggered and missing items that were included in the menu. By the time the last meal arrived the first person served ended up eating cold food. Just poorly timed from the kitchen. Again, a real lack of organization and process to handle a busy weekend rush. This problem persisted over 2 visits weeks apart.

Organization and tightening up their SOPs are very...

Tried out this Mexican restaurant recently and overall had a good experience. The place was clean, with plenty of parking, the waitress was very friendly and paid attention to drink refills before they ran out, which is always a plus. I ordered the quesabirria, and it did not disappoint—flavorful, tender, and well-prepared. The only downside was a mix-up with a salad. We specifically requested it without tomatoes, but it came with them anyway. When we pointed it out, the waitress explained that she pointed that out, but the cook said to send it anyway and ask if we could just remove the tomatoes ourselves, which felt a little off. It wasn’t a huge deal, but it’s something that could’ve been handled better. That said, the food quality was great, and we’ll probably be back. Just hope the attention to special requests...

First time trying this place, food was actually very good , service was good but the smell of the purple Fabuloso cleaning spray they use was so overwhelming I almost thought about leaving . I would caution anyone that’s sensitive to strong cleaning smells like me to proceed with caution. I’ve noticed more and more restaurants using really strong cleaning products and it really ruins the experience for me. It’s unfortunate because I actually really liked my food . I’m Going to go one more time as maybe it was just a fluke . I just wish restaurants would use something we can’t smell as it would make it much...