Ay Jalisco was one of my "go to" restaurants, but it's been a while as I've been trying other food types. We came back Saturday for dinner. I had the Tilapia Ranchero. It was outstanding. Huge portion of delicious, flaky tilapia and a generous portion of salad and rice. The rice was well prepared and flavorful. One of my dinner mates had the Camarones Entomatados. The shrimp were well prepared. This person rarely finishes a meal, but loved this and ate the entire thing. The other person got chicken fajitas. Also a thumbs-up for this entree. The service was very good. The restaurant is welcoming. Appropriate for date night (although it's not fancy) or families. I was surprised it was not very busy on Saturday night. The food and service are both good - it's well worth a visit. I recommend the tilapia and the shrimp dishes. Will probably try another non-fajita (my usual) entree when I come back. read more

Ay Jalisco Mexican Restaurant - Camarones Entomatados - Mexican Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

See all

we stopped in here for dinner midweek. The service was quick and friendly, and the tables were clean. They were playing some ridiculous Mexican pop music that was almost annoying as the 90s techno they transitioned to halfway through our meal. The food was serviceable. Meaning decent and similar to what you might make at home for taco night. read more

I enjoy coming here, its a very low key welcoming vibe. The service is always amazing and the food is good. I didn't get any drinks this time but I normally do and I can say this is a great spot to come to after a long day and have a drink with coworkers or even better for a solo unwind. Saturday's are nice they have live music the live singer is really good, he is so good my mom thought they were playing music over the speakers we were half in the meal before she realized it was a live singer. Only issue the music is way to loud so if you are coming with family and friends you will not be able to hear each other . This time the server added gratuity which was unfortunate and risky, that can come across like you don't think the guest will tip well. We are higher tippers but we respect the wishes of the servers. read more

It's been our go to place for Mexican for years. Time for an updated review. The place tends to be a little loud. If you want a quiet dinner, this is probably not the place. There is plenty of parking out front. The food is delicious from a simple Taco salad to fajitas to Camerones A La Diabla. The service/food could be a little slow at times. We don't usually mind because we are usually catching up with friends. read more

See all

I ordered From Uber Eats and was impressed with the taste and equality of the food for the price. Chicken in cream sauce was great! My kids loved it with the rice. The Jalisco platter was great! We spent extra for the Salvadorian tortillas. I appreciated them, my family wished we got traditional flour tortillas. The chicarons and yuca was not a good idea delivered because this is a dish wonderful fresh and not great at all reheated. The chimichangas were great! I hate when they all taste the same. These were all unique! For an order in during pandemic times, this is a must try! read more

See all

This was my first time coming here. The salsa that they bring out is very mild. So I asked if they had anything hotter. They made me some spicy salsa. It was so good and hot. The service was great. The server was attentive and polite. The only thing I didn't like was the chimichanga. It tasted like chili in a burrito. But everything else was great. read more

See all

Pretty good place to get food if you want a quick bite to eat. The place had a good selection of food to pick from. I ended up getting the combination platter which had a papusa, tamale, rice and beans, and plantains. The pupusa tasted great with the crunchy and tangy slaw. The rice and bean were flavorful. The tamale was okay. It was slightly too mushy for me. I loved the plaintains. They were perfectly sweet and had a great crispy edge. I would recommend this place if you are in the mood for Mexica food. read more

My favorite place to eat when I am in the area. The staff and owner are great people. I always try to eat something different when I am in there and I haven't been disappointed yet. read more

We rolled into Ay! Jalisco close to closing after dealing with a flat tire. We were prepared to be turned away but were escorted to a table while regulars sat at the bar. I'd been craving real Mexican cooking, a little hard to find around here (except for tacos). Like most Mexican places around here, this is a Salvadoran run place with typical Salvadoran dishes as well as Tex-Mex. There are still some great, more traditional Mexican dishes. I had pollo con crema and it was quite nice. read more

All marinated meats are bland. They overcook all the steaks. Not worth ordering from this location

Dropped in on a rainy Tuesday evening at 7:00 PM. We were promptly seated. There was only one other table with customers plus two customers at the bar. The food was edible. Chips were not fresh tasting, close to stale. Salsa had very little flavor and no bite. Fajitas had lots of onions, a half slice of jalapeño and one under cooked piece of green pepper on top. The ribs were over seasoned and barely hot. The chicken was just past juicy, hot but slightly over cooked. The vegetables I mentioned were barely seasoned. The sauce was wasted on the hot plate. For $13.99 it was overpriced. Oh, the beans were very salty and they skimped on the guacamole, sour cream and picante sides. Our server spent most of her time at the bar. We had to keep getting her attention. She never said thanks, nor even a 'your welcome' after we thanked her each time she shuffled over to our table. We were never asked if we wanted dessert. My ice tea was good, would have been nice if the server would have refilled it rather than ignore the empty cup. The manager avoided us until we were leaving, to say "goodbye" - yep he also doesn't thank customers. read more

I had the tres amigos enchiladas because well... enchiladas are amazing. They were very well-made. The pico, guacamole and sour cream were a nice addition. The rice was a bit on the dry side but with the beans it made it quite tasty! Nice place for a quick bite and the price point was a plus. read more

Stopped by bc I was starving and man I'm glad I did!! Tried a few crispy tacos with beef and a chips and cheese and found everything to be delicious!! The food was well seasoned, chips were freshly fried and the salsa was awesome. The service was also quick and friendly!! Give this local place a try. read more

I ordered from this restaurant for the time last night. The food was delicious. I am currently eating the salmon with shrimps and it's really good. I am very picky about my food so I had to write you guys a positive review. read more

The meat is tender and soft and gives a pleasant meaty taste that weights heavily on the tongue and pairs wonderfully with the accompaniment of the Pico de Gio, guacamole, rice. The Pico de gio is salty and acidic and incredibly refreshing. The rice is creamy and it heightens the dish with a bland clarity. The guacamole is creamy and completes the plate. read more

Ay Jalisco Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

My family visited this restaurant for late lunch on a Friday about 3 pm. There is plenty of parking and lots of space inside. We usually go to their other location on Snouffer School Road, which I prefer. The service seemed promising at first. They seated us quickly and took our orders. The food came out quickly too. We had: (1) Tres Amigos Enchiladas, (2) Carne Asada, and (3) a beef burrito. The food was all excellent. The problems were: (1) there was a man drinking beers by the bar who was talking with all the staff and other customers. He appeared to be a manager or owner. He was extremely loud. (2) Our server decided to have her lunch break at a table near us and completely ignored us while she slowly ate her meal. (3) our server and the man who was drinking at the bar were using a lot of loud curse words in Spanish. Also be aware the music was loud. That is a matter of personal preference, but it seemed loud. I felt the service was poor and I would not go back to this location. read more

We came on a Sunday for lunch and this was our experience. Drinks: 4 out of 5 We order sangria and piña colada. The sangria was excellent. They only serve one kind, the red sangria. It was refreshing, had the right amount of alcohol and fruit but maybe was a pinch sweeter than I usually drink it, but the flavor was espectacular. I don't have much love for frozen drinks so I won't coment on the Piña Colada. Chips and salsa: 2.5 of 5 Chips were not fresh or warm and salsa was just ok. Apetizer: 3 out of 5. We order "Nachos No te Rajes" with grilled beef. The flavor was fabulous but I don't think it made it to our table as soon as it was supposed to. Again tortillas were a little of a dissapointed but the flavor compensated it. Food: 4 out of 5 We order the Pescado Frito and Carne a la Parrilla. The quality of the fish and the steak was espectacular. The steak was nicely done and seasoned and the fish was tender and juicy. I didn't eat the rice and beans, and I don't usually eat the torillas either, but the tortillas were hand made and look so yummy I dipped them on a great quality guacamole and pico de gallo and was static about all the flavors and the freshness combined. Service: 5 out of 5. I read the previous reviews about the poor service at this restaurant so I already made up my mind that I was going for the food only. However, I was pleasantly surprised to have a very kind woman as our server. The place was half full and i only see 2 servers but they did their job as fast as they could and with a smile on their faces. I truly appreciate that because it really does impact a little on your dining experience. Ambience: I was afraid that this location (on 355)would be dark in the inside since does not look very promising from the outside looks and they had no tables outside. But the place is actually very bright using only the natural light of the nice day. The first impression as you walked in is the aroma from the kitchen. Just amazing. Got me even hungrier and optimistic that we got to a good place. The decor was nice and tasteful with Salvadorian touches. Tables spacious and well apart from each other. Bathrooms are clean And very apart from tables and kitchen. Music I personally do not like any kind of Loud music when I am dining. I like to have a conversation and enjoy what I am eating. That is why I was sooo grateful that the music started just as we ordered the check. There is a jukebox (takes cc) thay for some cents you cam get the whole place to listen to your personal choice of music. Good for casual dining with fair prices. read more

Ay Jalisco Mexican Restaurant - Pescado Frito - Mexican Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

See all

I don't like this Ay Jalisco at all , I have eaten there and the service is horrible , they take long , they are rude and the music be to loud , but today I order some pupusas from there and I was very disappointed, they wer saggy and falling apart , they didn't have much taste and the presentation it's awful , if you are just gonna do that ? Why even have a business? That basically stealing ! What it's the matter with this people , the pupusas wer disgusting I will never order from there again read more

Pupusas were really good. And that was it. We ordered Juans platter, a Steak platter, and ceviche. Juans platter used way too much salt in their chicken and steak. The meats were overcooked. The shrimp was fairly large and way better. The steak platter was much better in terms of tenderness. Still a bit salty. The ceviche was one of the worst I had. It used tiny shrimp and tilapia. There was so much liquid that the seafood and onions were basically bathing in the bowl. I'm not a ceviche virgin so... Our bill came out to be $70 (less $19 restaurant.com deal; so grand total would have been $95.) BUT THEY ADDED 20% GRATUITY?!? On a party of four? That is nonsense and a bit tacky. (I deducted 1 star for being shady.) Not worth it. read more

Absolute garbage. The wait time for food is nearly over an hour. The food is not good whatsoever, the proportions look like leftovers. There is no variation at all. The waitresses only look to get money out of you. My first time there was absolutely enraging!!! The waitress took advantage of us... we asked for a platter that was $45 and she added 4 LOBSTERS that were $20 PER TAIL!!! And we were never informed. Aside from that experience, the location and the ambiance of the restaurant itself is completely shitty, the bathrooms are a nightmare. Would not recommend unless what you're looking for is an overall shitty experience with trash food, trash environment, and trash of customer service. read more

Came here because of a Restaurant.com deal, which is a great opportunity for businesses to "deliver the wow" and retain customers (in a hypercompetitive market like food service). They only had 1 server for the entire restaurant, and she wasn't even that good. When we arrived, she was busy attending to another group; so we seated ourselves. It took a while for her to take our order; and it took even longer for our food to be delivered. I was going to leave her a 10% tip; but when the bill came, she had already added almost 20% (!). Which yes, the Restaurant.com deals allow for, but is poor form. Very few venues actually exercise that right; especially if they did a crap job. The food was good, but the poor service eclipsed it. Doubt I'll be going back. read more

The food and service are always TOP-NOTCH! Roberto was our server last night and he treated us like family. Cheif Juan, Jorge, Jimmy, Roberto and the entire staff are the BEST! Make sure you try Cheif Juan's ribs, melt in your mouth. Jorge makes the best darn Piña Colada ever, and the Fried Ice cream is the best in town! Just wished they still accepted www.restaurant.com coupons read more

They provide great food and restaurant is nice to go and eat and relax. Only thing is the waitress that works before 5pm is a little inpatient. But after 5pm they are great! read more

It's really good. Good service and you get what you pay for. I had a big platter and was pretty good ig lmao lol

Originally thought I'd give this place four stars but it's more like 3.5 ... and when rating ... well ... you know the deal. Some good stuff some bland ... burritos are good but I'm generally ho-hum over burritos ... still a good place to go and to try ... but I tend to go to Sardi's or Laredo when I'm feeling a latin flare. read more

Quietly kept. One of the best Mexican restaurants this one and snouffer school locations. Not as expensive as Guapos but not a letdown. Good food and service and a more convenient parking arrangement read more

We went in around 4:45 PM and ordered queso and our main meals. By 5:10 we got the queso and by 5:20 still no food. We weren't ordering a feast! We ran out of chips and no one came by to ask if we wanted a re-fill. We had to be somewhere by 6ish so we thought we'd eat and go. No food by 5:30. Asked for it to go and the server finally asked if we wanted more chips. Took them no time to wrap our food up to go. On our way home. We'll see how the food is. Update to come. As of now the queso was good even though it took 25 minutes to get. read more

We came here on a Friday night and it was pretty crowded. They start you off with the tortilla chips and salsa which was ok. The guacamole dip was ok but I did not like how it comes with a scoop of sour cream on top. For the main course, I got the ay jalisco platter which comes with beef, shrimp and chicken, rice and beans with tortillas. The food was ok but what makes this a 2 star is the service. Service here is so slow and horrible. I think we waited longer than the time we actually ate here. I saw the servers messing up drinks and looking busy but not really waiting on tables. I don't think I will ever come back here again unless they retrain the servers here. read more

I love there soup of camaron(shrimp) it's so delicious I am always getting it never get tired of it love the services and the drink of course you gotta get piña colada so yeah come and try them out they are awesome! Ten years I come here and to me it is still the best! Yay! read more

I've been driving past this place for years and I am so very thankful that my friend suggested we stop and try it tonight! We arrived a short time after closing, but one of the waiters came running when we tried the door and found it locked. He told us "we're closed, but that's okay, come in." The food was good, but the real distinguishing factor was how friendly and fun it felt. Far from being the typical indifferent service that I usually expect, the service was quick, attentive, and super friendly. When I asked about getting a very hot sauce, the waiter mixed up a special blend just for me. The music was loud, but it was very happy and every once in a while, some of the servers would join in and sing with it. When we left, several people behind the bar shouted out a goodnight greeting to us. This was my first time here. I can't wait until next time! read more

Have eaten here many times. Good steak, soup etc. Nice staff. Plain atmosphere but one of those dives where suits to construction workers enjoy read more

Got in as soon as they opened for an early lunch. A couple beers and one Cadillac margarita to start. It wasn't mine but I tried it solely for this review. The menu doesn't specify the price or ingredients used for any drink, but it tasted like any other decent or better version you've had before. They offer regular and large size. The large seemed to have hit the spot, two would leave you right in my opinion. Staff was a little laid back but very friendly. They have one big tv that looks like has soccer on 24/7. We ordered the "No te Rajes" to share which came with steak and chicken strips for fajitas, ribs, shrimp, rice, beans and guacamole. It's like $38 bucks and between 5 of us it complimented our pupusas just fine. The steak strips were very tender with good flavor and the ribs were almost right off the bone. While they were good, I can't rave about them. Everyone else seemed to really love the shrimp that came with the dish. The pupusas were delicious! Beans, pork and cheese, cheese and loroco and for the first time ever i saw they had spinach and cheese. If you enjoy loroco I recommend trying the spinach and cheese pupusas. All very nicely stuffed with good flavors that left me licking my fingers. The side cabbage comes with the tomato sauce already poured on top which added just a slight kick. If you like it hot ask for hot sauce. This is a place I'd come back to for those pupusas AND the next time I'd definitely get myself a Cadillac to start. read more

See all

I love this place. Delicious food, vegan options, friendly staff, reasonable prices. Will return very soon.

I've honestly loved eating here but after my last visit I can't come here anymore. When I entered tables aren't spread 6 feet apart and the bartender was not wearing a mask while serving guests. That is ridiculous and unsafe. Not only are they not following Maryland's COVID guidelines, you'll wait for your food for a long time. I had ordered two plates and was waiting over 30 minutes while the restaurant wasn't full. I had gotten tired of waiting so I left enough money to cover my drinks and appetizer and left. While I was leaving the bartender chased after me with what I assume was another customer, demanding to know why I had left. I explained that it was ridiculous that I was waiting so long she kept demanding to know why. The other lady was recording the entire incident. Do not come here, save your money there's better Mexican food elsewhere. Try Alicia's up the street, better and faster service then this train wreck of a restaurant. read more

A COCKROACH crawled out from under my wife's plate midway through our dinner. DISGUSTING. Needless to say we lost our appetite and didn't finish our meals. After the waitress took the plates away we could hear laughing in the kitchen from the chefs who I guess think that's funny. Worse yet, the manager came to our table to "apologize" but refused to comp the meal, offering instead to replace our meal, or give a coupon for a future visit. Are you kidding? She should have been begging us not to turn them in to the health dept, which I will probably end up doing. Her attitude was indifference at best. If my son wasn't with us I would have made a scene, but instead I just paid quickly and left. The worst part about this is that I've eaten here several times and really enjoyed the food, so it's a shame they have such a disgusting restaurant. I suppose even the cleanest of restaurants could conceivably have an insect get in somehow and not necessarily mean the establishment is filthy. But add to that the manager's terrible attitude about the whole situation, and I can tell you I will never, ever, go again. I suggest you STAY AWAY. Oh, and the AC was broken during our visit and it was hot and muggy the whole time and they didn't have any fans to circulate the air. Just a disgusting, revolting experience. read more

Me and my gf went here for the first time, the food and service were good. The chicken fajita was very good and tasty. And she got the salmon & shrimp which was good definitely a hidden gem! read more

My fajita was quite delicious, but service was rather slow and uninspired.

Great Sopa de Mandongo. Papusa, enchilada. Service with a smile. We love this restaurant

This is a great option if you really want to enjoy outstanding Mexican and Salvadoran food. Prices are also one thing that keeps me going to this restaurant. Even service is simply excellent. Finally, a familiar place where you can 2 watch your favorite games. I highly recommend this place. read more

This is some of the best Mexican I've had since moving to the Gaithersburg area-- the service was friendly and fast and the food is fantastic. I ordered a taco and enchilada combination plate and the taco meat was *really* well seasoned. This place is great-- and I definitely plan on going back. read more