As I move to bigger and greener pastures, I quite fondly remember my time in Tyler where I lived for almost 20 years of my young life. One of the most significant places to me is Don Juan's On The Square. Though not the original location, it is the most vital Don Juan's location in Tyler because of one thing: they have a liquor license. Don Juan's On The Square is not only crushing it in the food department, but it is also vital to get a drink. They have plenty of beers to choose from, top shelf margaritas, and ranch waters, but the life changing paradigm shift of drinks at Don Juan's is the Big Steve. The Enormous Steven. The Monumental Stevie. A drink so powerful and so strong, it is served at a maximum of two per customer. What makes Steve so significant? Well, they don't tell you exactly what is in it. The best inference I got from a friend was that it has a lot of tequila in it, obviously. It's strong, but it isn't potent in taste. It goes down smooth and suddenly you're laughing more and the food tastes so much better than you even remember. You go nonverbal as you take your first bites. You don't remember much, but you feel emotional that you're in your hometown showing the love of your life how you grew up. You don't even remember how you appeared in this seat. The last three hours of life feel like a blur and the following three hours mold together full of joy and laughter. Life is worth living on a Big Steve. Now the food. The chips and salsa (red and green) are always a joy here. They're always a bit crispier than other places, which I always enjoy. My go-to every dinner at Don Juan's is the Carlos Sampler. For just around $16 you have a feast of two chicken flautas, one cheese quesadilla, one sope, and nachos served with either shredded chicken or beef (I recommend the chicken). Plus you get guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, and queso with it as well. Everything you need. Mix that and a Big Steve and you're golden. The decor inside is always over the top, and both the first floor and the second floor have a ton of energy sweltering at every moment. It's really just a cornerstone of Tex-Mex in Tyler and is proof of how dreams really can come true. Me and my Steven can take over the world. RIYL: The strongest drink ever made. read more

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Good prices, big portions, but food was mid. Also super loud in the restaurant. Not just from people talking, but there was weird loud ambient noise. I wanted to try a little bit of my usual favourite things to get at a Tex-Mex restaurant, so I got chorizo and egg breakfast tacos (minimum 2), one chicken enchilada, and one barbacoa taco. Everything was so mid. I normally love breakfast tacos, but I would actually say they were far below average. The barbacoa taco was pretty dry, and the chicken enchilada was okay. The only alcohol they serve is tequila and beer. My friends got some big margs. I like how they serve queso with bread. Service wasn't great, and I had to go up to the counter myself to get napkins. read more

Don Juan On The Square - Chicken Enchilada, Chorizo & Egg Breakfast Tacos, Barbacoa Taco - Mexican Near Me - Tyler, Texas

Third Time stopping by after last review. Doesn't disappoint, raised my star rating because I have more experience with good and bad since last time. My go to coming thru. read more

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Pretty busy place! Prices look great for the ambiance. upstairs has a bar so you socialize. read more

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First time here! Served chips and salsa right when seated. Waitress was very nice and always there to serve us. I got a sangria swirl margarita and ordered the chicken enchiladas. They were good rice just needed a bit more salt and flavor. Its alot for a good price. I was not able to finish it all. Definitely a good vibe and nice place to bring family and friends. Will for sure come back again. read more

Don Juan On The Square - Red chicken enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Tyler, Texas

Always amazing and I've been going there for years. Always good service and fresh food. Try all 3 locations

The anticipation outside until 11 says it all. The food is good and comes out fast. Service is excellent and the sweet tea is worth figuring out parking. read more

ABSOLUTELY AMAZINGGGG! First time here and me and boyfriend had to get it to go because of how packed it was! The food absolutely delicious, chips and salsa amazing! And the customer service is on point. Definitely going back! read more

We both ordered the cheese chili relleno. The poblano pepper was way undercooked and hard. The cheese was not melted. It literally turned my stomach. The beans and rice were tasty. Service was excellent. Chips and salsa were just so so. I cannot recommend. read more

Stopped by Monday 9-8 at approximately 8:30 pm. Drove across town just to go there. They have always closed at 9. The sign still says 9. Sat down and several staff members ignored me. One finally shouted across the restaurant we are closed. They closed early and topped it off with terrible customer service. read more

Great lunch, burgers are terrific, service was very nice as well. Nice place for a lunch meeting.

Do not fill yourself up with tortilla chips--then you'll be too full to enjoy whatever delicious food you ordered. The lunch fajitas were super delicious and so were the charro beans. Whenever errands take me downtown, I will eat at Don Juan's. Clean establishment, attentive staff. read more

Friday afternoon before the eclipse the place was packed at 230! Our group of 5 got the last table ... and lots of yummy food. Everyone was satisfied! We liked the green salsa better than the red. Definitely would eat there again. Colorful clean and cheerful interior. Bathroom was spotless. read more

Don Juan has amazing service, solid food, hot hot sauce, and the best margaritas in town in my opinion. The only thing I would change is how loud the restaurant gets during busy hours due to the open floor plan. read more

Classic tex-mex place in Tyler, basically a pillar in the community. Always rely on fast service and good food.

Food is great. Nice atmosphere. You get red and green salsa with your chips. Both are way to hot for this gringo. That would be my only complaint. I love chips and salsa, but theirs is just too hot to enjoy. read more

The lunch fajitas are a no-go again, as far as I am concerned. The beef fajitas were over-cooked, there was no sour cream, guacamole, etc. Just "meat" and onions/green peppers, refritos, and dry as heck rice. Their salsa is excellent, both red and green. And the top-shelf spicy margarita I had was honestly "to die for"! Will I come back? Yes! Will I order luch fajitas? Heck NO!! BTW: The service was stellar!! read more

Not many options for lunch downtown on a Saturday, so we decided to try Don Juan's - established in 1997, so we figured it must be good. Decor is lovely and adds a lot of character. They were quite busy during the lunch hour, but we didn't have to wait for a table or have a delay on food. Our waitress did a great job. Two salsas: red and green, both extra spicy, so we ended up ordering queso for me. Queso came with bread!? Wondered if we had somehow wandered into an Italian place by mistake. Queso was yellow and a touch spicy but had a good flavor. Chips looked like they actually made them in-house. I ordered burrito with fajita chicken, she ordered cheese enchiladas (which ended up having queso on top of the burrito as well - cheese overload). The kid got cheese quesadilla (beans and rice only option for sides); doesn't come with a drink. She wasn't a fan of hers, mine was tasty though expensive for what I got; chicken was a bit dry. Kid ate the cheese quesadilla without issue. Beans and rice on all the plates were reasonably flavored. read more

Yummy yummy food!!!! Hot sauce is hotttttt though Chips and drinks were great and good service.

BEST AUTHENTIC MEXAN FOOD EVER. i probably eat at Don Juan's at least twice a week. the environment is friendly and shows the Hispanic culture. read more

Don Juan On The Square - enchilidas - Mexican Near Me - Tyler, Texas

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One of the few restaurants in Downtown Tyler that is opened for lunch and dinner. Serving an array of typical Tex-Mex food, they have a bit of seafood, burritos, tacos, etc so everyone can likely find something. They have unlimited tortilla chips and salsa which I always appreciate. They have a salsa verde and salsa roja which is pretty spicy and tasty on the other dishes as well. I ordered the small shrimp Mexican cocktail which came in a cup with tomato based sauce, onion, shrimp and fresh parsley. It was pretty good although the sauce was a bit sweeter/thicker than I normally like. The salsa and chips were good additions to the sauce. The other entrees came with a lot of food including rice and at a very reasonable price. Overall, an okay choice if wanting Tex Mex with more seafood options in the downtown area. Our server was very slow and forgot about our table throughout the service despite not being very crowded. I was happy a server continued refill the waters since everything is a bit salty. read more

Don Juan On The Square - Shrimp cocktail (small) - Mexican Near Me - Tyler, Texas

This place is mid asf not recommended food was bland and cold no flavor This restaurant is a L read more

Eating my way through Tyler this week. The Juanita's are awesome, but this is the 3rd time I've had them. Don't know about anything else on the menu, but I'm told there is lots of other good stuff. read more

Don Juan On The Square - Juanita's plate with corn tortillas - Mexican Near Me - Tyler, Texas

Not to burst anyone's bubble, but this is just an okay, family friendly restaurant. Our service was prompt, the adequate food was served quickly. The margaritas were watery and not decent enough to order a second round. We were told they make the flour tortillas in-house, so we tried them. They were rubbery and tough. Thankfully the corn ones were tender and good. None of our dishes were worth mentioning. The prices are $ so if you're looking for economy, it's a good choice. read more

The inside of the restaurant is very cute. The salsa is served in syrup pourers. They give you plastic to go containers to put the salsa in. It was just a bit strange. I ordered the tostadas with beef. They were okay. The beans had nice flavor but not much to them. My husband ordered the chile relleno. He said it was pretty good. read more

Don Juan On The Square - Tostadas - Mexican Near Me - Tyler, Texas

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Unfortunately my service wasn't great, my waiter was MIA for most of the meal and not the friendliest, but in his defense it was super busy. However, my food was really good, I would definitely try it again. read more

A great gem found in the middle of nowhere in the little town of Tyler Texas! While on our adventure to Dallas Texas we decided to hit the road for a bit and find a little bit less artsy-fartsy place to see what Texas was all about in the rural area. And we found this! Pretty good Hispanic traditional food with a hint of their own ingredients and spices to say the least. The only negative I have here is my girlfriend was very cold as we sat about 4 seats away from the front door and it happened to be cold in Tyler Texas on that night and boy was it aggravating. So word to the wise if you're hot natured or cold natured depending on the weather you might not have the best time if you sit near the door, word to the wise! You've been warned! The bathrooms I do appreciate because they are one person only bathrooms. You don't see that too much anymore but it's a very small touch of Beauty that is being forgotten each and every day. They were not that clean while we're on that subject, however it was acceptable enough to get the job done! The hostesses and servers were very family-oriented and did not seem rushed or franchisee. I had no clue what we were walking into but we were satisfied being that Dallas Texas was the street Taco capital of the world and we hadn't been pleased thus far. Have fun here, live a little and definitely enjoy the scenery. Top recommendation: Frozen Margherita read more

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I love all the dishes here, and cool old building in the heart of downtown Tyler. You can't go wrong! If you're in Tyler, come check this place out! read more

The one restaurant in Tyler that's always hoppin! Don Juan's is a Tyler classic, family owned and family run. This place is great for a quick lunch or a family dinner. The interior is very festive with traditional Latin woodwork and large piñatas hanging from the ceiling. I personally do not think it's the best Mexican food I have had, but it's always a solid 6. I always order the tacos, either chicken or beef with a side of rice. The tacos are traditional street taco style, served with onion and cilantro. Make sure to check out Taco Tuesday! It is packed with every high school student in Tyler, so make sure to go to an early dinner. There are multiple locations so pay attention when your googling directions. One Don Juan's location is downtown and the other is located off downtown in a more traditional restaurant setting. I would recommend to try this Tyler classic and support local! read more

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Margaritas, queso and tacos were all delicious!!! Service is good and it's is very busy on Taco Wednesdays. Highly recommend!

I've been coming to this spot for years and I've seriously never had bad service. The food is the best in town. The wait staff are always efficient and accurate on the order every time. I used to work at the Regions bank downtown and would come over for dinner with coworkers on our break. Once both of us forgot our wallets and we told the staff we'd be right back to pay for the check. The hostess said "hold on I'll be right back" and came back with two tshirts and said "don't worry about the check. It's on us! Y'all are here all the time". I'll never forget that! read more

Great spot for lunch! They were quite busy during that lunch hour but thankfully they have a second floor for additional seating. My server was prompt, took my order quickly and my food came out astoundingly fast. He was also prompt with delivering my check and processing my card. I have had slower service as fast food restaurants! The food was also delicious! I ordered the small flauta plate and it was the perfect amount of food. Many of the menu items have the option of a small (e.g. 2 flautas) and a large (e.g. 4 flautas) plate. It came with rice and beans and a small salad that had a slice of avocado. read more

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I absolutely love Don Juan's! It's such an authentic Mexican restaurant and it's one of the best in the area in my opinion! It's family owned and you can tell just by the food. Just like most Mexican restaurants you are greeted with a basket of chips and two types of salsa. Both are so delicious, but be careful because on some days they can be spicy! As for my entree I ALWAYS order the Chile Relleno. It is a fried relleno pepper (it's not spicy) stuffed with your choice of meat (I always get steak) and other things like onions and then fried. It comes with a side of Mexican rice and beans with the salsa and cheese on top and it's just an amazing bite and I feel like I'm always craving this dish! I haven't tried other things on the menu but I've heard you can't really go wrong with this menu. It's also inexpensive which is a plus!! I would recommend this place to anyone wanting to have a Mexican night :) read more

Don Juan On The Square - Chile Relleno - Mexican Near Me - Tyler, Texas

I like this place, the people, the food. Went to DJs for lunch today at about 11:00. From the sidewalk into the restaurant, it smelled of strong cleanser -- so strong that we went elsewhere. I realize it's nice to have good cleaning but impossible to enjoy a meal with that strong smell. We came back by the sidewalk about 45 minutes later and the sidewalk odor remained. read more

Great food and consistency is one of the keys. There are two locations downtown on the square is usually busier during regular hours of the courthouse. Family owned and I have never eaten anything I did nor enjoy. This is one of my favorite Mexican restraunts! Love it! read more

This review is overdue. I came here a while back with a friend who used to live in California and insisted this place was pretty good and comparable to what she missed in San Diego. Yea yea, that's what they all say! I tried enchiladas and chicken tortilla soup and eh...the enchiladas had nothing on Cali, oh, but the chicken tortilla soup was the best I've ever had and I still crave it to this day! What the what?! Nice pulled big pieces of chicken and warm tasty broth down the throat. Sad thing is, I ordered the enchiladas! Lol. My friend's mom is the one who ordered the soup and let me try some. She ended up sharing it after she saw I liked it so much. Bless her because I wanted it all. Service was good (I think...) and the decor was fab and authentic to Mexican culture. If I ever come back...you know what I'm ordering! read more

Before I give my mixed review of this place, let me just say that if they were in my home town, I'd likely patronize the place occasionally. The atmosphere is fun; the service seems to be decent; and the food is fine. I went to the downtown square location on a mid-afternoon, found a table and was promptly served a paltry basket of chips and two souffle-cups for salsa. It's on the house, so I shouldn't complain. But, c'mon. Maybe I'm just spoiled by the other 5,000 Mexican restaurants that serve more than a handful of chips at a time, along with actual bowls for the salsa. Not a deal breaker, though. The Service The server, albeit polite, had very little command of the English language. Furthermore, he had what appeared to be meth teeth. I'm not one to judge. His oral hygiene is his business, but it's far from appetizing when your waiter starts talking and you're drawn to the black teeth in his mouth. Otherwise, he was polite (the two times I saw him). But there was still that language barrier -- which resulted in me inadvertently buying a fish taco platter and two chicken tacos (I ordered steak tacos). The Food The fish in the fish tacos seemed to be sauteed in garlic butter, and they were good. They were served alongside some purple cabbage, tomato slices and a small plate of sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo. The cilantro was nowhere to be found, and I didn't bother asking for it. Corn tortillas (for soft tacos) should be steamed, but these were fried slightly. Not the way to do it, but, still, with some cabbage and (nicely hot) green salsa, the fish tacos were pretty good. Ditto on the corn tortillas for the chicken tacos. I had mine with avocado. After a bite and the realization that I was eating chicken, I sent the order back for steak tacos to-go, as the fish tacos and (average tasting) rice filled me up, Someone will be taking leftover tacos for lunch tomorrow. I think, with a little improved communication, I could really like this place. The red and green salsas were exceptionally good. The food -- all of it -- seemed freshly made. Next time I'm in Tyler, I'm going to try this place again. read more

I stopped in Tyler on my way to Shreveport and asked for a lunch recommendation at the spa down the street. Everyone said it was $1 Taco day at Don Juans so we went in. We were so happy we did! The fresh chips and really fresh and good red and green slasa hit the spot. Two great beers and five tacos later we were really happy. The service was fast and attentive and the BBQ beef tacos are killer! Thanks Spa friends! read more

Don Juan On The Square - Very festive - Mexican Near Me - Tyler, Texas

Nice Mexican restaurant in downtown Tyler. The food was good and the service was friendly. I would recommend this restaurant.

Food is good but they will up charge you for every and it can get a bit pricey. My nachos ended up costing my around $18...