Took a risk on a random spot in a town I haven't been to in over 10 years and struck gold. Driving from Nashville down to Birmingham and landed in Hartselle right at lunch time. Decided to go Mexican. It's a tiny bit sketchy looking on the outside being in a strip mall front, but Don Alejo has so much character. The inside is beautiful with an intricate floor plan and DIY wood features. Table lights were so pretty with that opaque stained glass look. Tables and booths were clean and had nice style. Staff was fast and nice. I don't care if they make the greatest quesadilla of all time, if their chips and salsa aren't good, it's not a good spot. This place nailed both. They use the thicker, denser chips that I love and the salsa was perfect consistency and had a great flavor. Not too spicy, not too bland. Just right to throw back 50 chips before the food gets out. Prices were insanely cheap. 3.50 for a chicken quesadilla. Tell me the last time you got multiple entrees at a sit down spot and got out for less than 7 dollars! Quesadillas were on the smaller size but I'd gladly pay 3.50 for them. Really good amount of cheese and chicken on them and it tasted great. Good on these guys man. They knocked it out of the park at 1:30 on a Friday afternoon. If I so happen to take another detour to Hartselle, I will be giving them more business read more

Don Alejo Mexican Restaurant - 2 shredded chicken quesadillas - Mexican Near Me - Hartselle, Alabama

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Well let me tell you, my husband Darrell and I had the loveliest evening at Don Alejo's last night. The second we walked in, the smell of fresh tortillas and sizzling fajitas just wrapped around us like a warm hug. I ordered the chicken enchiladas -- absolutely divine -- and Darrell got a big ol' plate of carne asada that nearly brought a tear to his eye. Now, our son Jason came along too... he's between jobs right now, bless his heart. But even he couldn't stop raving about the chips and salsa. He even asked for a second basket, which the sweet waitress brought with a smile like it was nothing. The service was friendly, the portions were generous, and the atmosphere made me feel like I was right at home. If you're looking for a good meal, Don Alejo's is the place to be. Darrell's already talking about going back next week, and Jason said it was "fire" -- which, in his language, is a very good thing. read more

Don Alejo Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Hartselle, Alabama

Traveling through town and needed a bite. Wow, chips and salsa were amazing and the service was amazing from Angela. I got the chicken fajita quesadilla and it was amazingly filling especially for the price. 9.25 for my meal plus a water to drink. Absolutely loved the music and layout of the restaurant very cozy for this late January lunch. read more

Don Alejo Mexican Restaurant - Chicken Fajita Quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - Hartselle, Alabama

Have eaten here before but probably not again. Had two ground beef mini tacos with about 2 tablespoons of meat and some lettuce in shell. Beans,rice and meat were just warm. Better tacos at Taco Bell! Medium margaritas were large and good. Didn't see waitress until bill came read more

Goodfood the food was so good and let's go in here with my grandmother the food is really good though if you don't tell them, you want grilled chicken, they will give you shredded. The service is good. They're very nice and I like how the inside looks five out of five stars. read more

Came on a Sunday evening about 7pm. It wasn't too busy but filled up after we ordered. Nice tall booth backs gave us privacy. Service was good, food was good, salsa had a nice bite and not too chunky, and cheese dip was solid. We'd come back. Wife got a grilled chicken quesadilla. It came with peppers and onions like she wanted. It was delicious. I ordered the Chile Colorado off the authentic menu. It was decent. The salsa rojas was good, but a little bland. I've had better. That was a little disappointing. But overall the dish was still solid. The guacamole tasted great! But only a tablespoon of it on some mid-fresh lettuce and a half-slice of tomato. I also had a chunk of avocado rind and the stem. That was also disappointing. But it had a lot of potential. Overall, we left stuffed and would come back. read more

Don Alejo Mexican Restaurant - Grilled chicken quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - Hartselle, Alabama

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Nice little place in Hartselle AL. Not too much else goin on, this is Hartselle classic Mexi, and it hit the Spot. Staff super involved, engaged. & helpful. Start u off w their complementary chips y v chunky salsa. V nice Check out the menu, you're standard wide selections of Mexi entrees. As others have noted, the guacamole certainly didn't come out of a can, as many AL tex-mex eateries do; Very fresh & memorable . They gots a huge menu w Everything Mexican & Generous portions - Fajitas, Tacos, Numerous Vegetarian, Seafood, Chicken, & Cow Entrées ; heard someone order Taquitos as well. The Camarones a Diabla was juicy and delish, &, u guessed it, - wh people spicy :/ read more

One of my favorite places to eat local Mexican cuisine. The service is always good & friendly. Love the food..especially the "Flaming cheese" Highly recommend!!! read more

Clean. I Love the fact that this restaurant allows school related fund raisers. I've been only a couple of times - ONLY for that reason... The food is nothing special. No Flavor at All! I'm not sure how it gets such high praise. The only reason I can see would be the $.99cent Beer & Tacos on Tuesdays. I suppose the food would be okay if one was drunk enough. But, honestly the nickel & dime extras (sour cream, cheese, salsa) Add uP QUICK! Not enough dollars to make it to Drunk ‍ so, just not really sure How it gets good reviews. It IS Okay. But, nothing special. Service is only okay, as well. read more

Dinner with my family last night at Don Alejo was amazing!! This was my first visit and everything was wonderful. Plenty of parking, minimal wait time to be seated, lovely atmosphere, and some of the best food I have ever eaten. There are lots of entrees to choose from and the prices are incredibly reasonable. I didn't get his name, but our server was spot on. He made sure the chips and salsa bowls were filled and never let the drinks get low. As I said it was my first visit but it most definitely won't be my last. Food, service, atmosphere and price -- it can't be beat!!! read more

Good food, the shrimp is really over cooked and they nickel and dime you to death for cheese rice, sour cream and guacamole But other than that good food read more

Amazing, authentic Mexican food. The mercajete, fajitas and authentic corn tacos were all so good. This will be our go to spot after baseball games from now on. read more

The very best, bar none, Mexican restaurant in North Alabama, located in quaint Hartselle. Comfortable, clean atmosphere, kid friendly with separate bar area, friendly wait staff, excellent informative menus, generous portions ... and gourmet quality food. You can't do Mexican better than this! read more

We love Don Alejo's! Everyone is do friendly and eager to serve with a smile & the food is always so good!

I love this place. Best Mexican food in town for sure. Always good food and margaritas.

Our family has eaten here a couple times now. Each time the food has been outstanding. They have Taco Tuesday events where tacos & draft beers are $.99...but go early because they will be packed. You have to try their Flaming Cheese. I think it is my favorite. Good food, friendly people, extremely attentive service. It's well worth the visit. read more

Best authentic Mexican Restaurant in N. AL. Prep, seasoning, taste - all 5 stars. If there is one better, I'd love to hear about it. Only the top rated food truck in Madison comes close. read more

My favorite Mexican restaurant in Hartselle hands down. Clean, great food and excellent service.

Came with my friend for dinner and drinks. The people working were not too friendly. Took about 45 minutes to get some tacos. It was a simple dish that could of probably been prepared in less than 5 minutes. They didn't even offer us water to start off with. We were not satisfied with the service nor food at all. read more

This spot had some excellent reviews so we were excited to give it a try.. there is nothing special about the food I was disappointed it was so talked up and unfortunately the food was average the staff were nice and it was clean and nice ambiance but again, nothing about this place is over 3 stars sorry ! read more

Awesome customer service and the food is rich with so many flavors. Best in town The chili Colorado is exceptional. read more

Fantastic food. The guacamole was so fresh, the salsa was just perfect, the chips were crunchy, the beans were everything and more, and the jalapeños that I asked for on the side had a tasty grilling done to them were perfect. What I liked best was how fresh it was and how nice the owner was. This is coming from someone that lives close to Mexico, in Texas. read more

No matter how many times we've gone here the service always sucks. They sit you, and forget about you. The food is okay, but we won't go back because the service is horrible and they're not very nice in there either. read more

My wife and I got into the area on a Sunday which means that many places are closed. Welcome to Alabama. This place was open so we drove there. On entering we found it to be classic local owned Mexican restaurant atmosphere. There were several dining rooms so the crowd in broken up which for me is a plus. Staff was friendly and prompt. They were there if needed without intruding on your meal. Chips and salsa were good and seemed fresh. Salsa was not on the hot side. I'm sure that if I had asked they would have brought out something with more heat but this was good enough for me. When out order arrived my wife told the waiter that the order looked exactly like the picture on the menu. That is something you don't see every day. Food arrived in a good amount of time and was good. Prices were not terrible. Would I recommend this place if your traveling through town? Yes, it was worth the drive. Place was clean, staff was friendly, service prompt and decent prices. Overall a good experience. What does that mean? I would recommend this place. read more

We had two different lunch specials. Food prepared well. Nice atmosphere. Only reason it got 4 stars instead of 5 was because they charge you a flat $5 surcharge to use a card. read more

Been here many times and each time has been wonderful. Great food and drinks. Staff is great too!

Excellent Mexican (American style) food. I love the salsa and homemade chips here. Fast and friendly service. Fair prices. Just a great place all around. read more

Best local Mexican Restaurant. Love their authentic tacos and tomatillo salsa. The Don is our go-to comfort place.

Super good food. I give a 4 star review due to it being way better than I thought. Nice draft beer and good service

i went in for a meal, not an argument. i ordered a meal called "flaming cheese". i was brought a pile of mediocre fajitas in a grease bath. when i complained about how much grease was in the meal they told me that was how the meal was prepared. before i could say i didn't want it, it was whisked away. 20 minutes later the very angry confrontational cook brings me another one,unasked for ,specifically so that he could argue with me that he prepared it correctly. i didnt argue back at that point, i just wanted to leave. everyone was very rude. even the cashier was pitching a little fit behind his counter ive ordered this meal 4 other times and recieved a non greasy meal every time. there was literally a cup and a half of straight vegetable oil in the plate. i will not be back and i suggest everyone else steer clear. read more

This place is so great! One of the best in the area! We drove here from Cullman because the only good Mexican restaurants there are so crowded. My husband works in Hartselle and eats here often. I finally came and tried it and it was great. The salsa is good and there were some unique items on their menu - a little something different from all the other Mexican restaurants. read more

This has become our favorite Mexican restaurant. The food is very high-quality, and we have always experienced great service. The salsa is excellent. I order the fajita burrito with shrimp. Shrimp is not a choice on the menu with this dish, but they always substitute with no question, and it is always delicious. I usually skip the refried beans, but not here. They are so good. Hartselle is very fortunate to have Don Alejo! read more

Fantastic service! All the food was delivered promptly through a very accommodating staff. The bar with the tv is a nice place to nurse a beer (or one of the awesome margarita selections) while watching a game. Hours are great, and the menu offers a wide selection to ensure all types of appetites and dietary considerations are accounted for. read more

Never disappoints. One of the best in the Hartselle area. But now Yelp is requiring me to write more... so DON ALJEJO IS THE GO TO PLACE FOR GOOD MEXICAN FOOD! read more

The food is great every time I go here. The service is always excellent. Food gets out on time and no long waits. Calling in orders are quick and easy and don't take long to get ready. The taquitos are amazing!! read more

Service is outstanding--they aim to please. Lots of specials and Taco Tuesday is an excellent value for the money. The chicken soup is a must. The draft beer is ice cold, the food is good, and the selection is great. Family-owned and operated, and it shows! Best mexican food I've had in Hartselle. read more

Good food, good service. Best Mexican in Hartselle. We had the Don Alejo burrito and chicken fajita taco salad. Burrito was Huge. Had a great taste. Taco salad was good. We will eat there again. read more

Great local Mexican cuisine. Fast delivery of food, and it always tastes good. Great service.