I stopped off for a quick lunch. I ordered a grilled chicken salad. I got shredded lettuce, a bit of rice at the bottom, and a handful of flavorless chicken on top. Oh, and chopped tomato - maybe a chewy tomatoes worth. I complained about the missing beans, and after the server argued with me and I showed him the menu, he brought out some pretty bleh refried beans. Not what I was expecting for a salad! I definitely ordered badly, but couldn't have been much more disappointed. I would have told the server but he was too busy chatting with other staff. read more

I used to LOVE this restaurant, but my last several visits have not been pleasant from the customer service down to my meal. Very disappointing as I work close by and I really enjoyed going here for lunch. read more

Just had dinner here. Service was ok. After being seated and given the usual chips and salsa, I ordered my food. Not less than 10 minutes of ordering I received my food. That's about 5 chips. So I guess the food was quick. The down side is I asked for more salsa the guys said I'm sorry we are out. Wow. Mexican restaurant with out salsa. Not to mention there's a $2.00 service charge for something that I don't even know. So watch out for your bill. read more

Best Mexican restaurant in Cville! Well prepared, light food and friendly and accommodating staff. Tasty Margaritas!

Best Mexican in Charlottesville, hands down! Quality ingredients, quick service and always friendly staff. Tacos al Pastor are my favorite. read more

My wife and really like El Jaripeo. The food is delicious and portions bounteous. The staff is friendly and efficient. The prices are quite reasonable. The menu is extensive. And, they have live Mariachi from time to time! read more

What a awesome surprise! I thought that there was only one good Mexican Rest. in town and I was wrong! The food and service here is fabulous and it offers a little different atmosphere. It is like being at a friends for lunch not just another restaurant. I can see the folks at this location work hard and really care about people. We will definitely go back here over and over since we are local. Thank you for another great choice for dining out. read more

Appetizers were good, but their happy hour margaritas were great (goblets for only $5)! The first time I went the service was quick then in the beginning, then nonexistent once we received our food (we had to flag down other servers for condiments and refills of water). The second time I went the place was nearly empty so service was on point. For Mexican food there is better in the area, but it wasn't bad. Just not the best. read more

Awesome food, consistently good service, reasonable price...by far the best in town. Many other places are overrated...this is sure to satisfy. Worth the trip. read more

My favorite Mexican Restaurant in the Charlottesville Route 29 North Area! Service is always fast and friendly! Plenty of seating including many booths. Free Chips & Salsa and sometimes you can ask for Salsa Blanca (Which is amazing!) My favorite menu item to order is the California Burrito which is a large burrito with beef or chicken inside and a white cheese sauce on top! On Thursday & Saturday's they have Fajitas for 2 on special for around $16.50! Also, you can get a margarita on special too on Thursday & Saturday! I've never had a bad experience here, and all my friends that have tried it love it! They do offer take out and still give you very generous portions! There is limited outdoor patio seating when the weather is warm! read more

Great food and good prices! Will definitely go back- the Texana fajitas for 2 are the best!

This isn't the best food in cville but it is standard fare Mexican food. It's authentic and priced fairly. read more

Fast service, great authentic Mexican food, and cheap prices. You can't beat it.! Oh! amazing margaritas!

I went for lunch mid afternoon and was seated at the same time as two other tables. I ordered lunch special #3 as, apparently, did a woman at another table. I asked for mine with beef and rice, the plate that came to my table had chicken and beans. Turns out they had mixed up my dish with hers. I watched as they figured it out with her first, took the plate back to the kitchen after it had been on her table for a few minutes and she had poked at it with a fork. They came to my table and took away the plate....and returned a minute later with the plate that had been on the other party's table. At which point I simply didn't trust that I wasn't eating recycled chips or anything else. The salsa had a nice bit of kick to it for a generic, Mexican restaurant. Apart from that, the chips were slightly stale but not bad. I didn't eat anything else and won't return. Serving food that has already been served to someone else isn't ok no matter how long it sat on the table or what you think someone did or didn't do with it. read more

This is a pretty run of the mill Mexican place. Not bad, but certainly not exceptional in any way. The fare is typical tex mex food and the service was good but not particularly warm. There is certainly more authentic Mexican food in the area. read more

Very good food everytime I go, friendly and helpful staff. Recently I lost something in the restaurant and the man that worked there moved my whole booth to help me find it. It's my new hangout. I highly recommend it! read more

Stopped here for dinner on our way to D.C. from a weekend in North Carolina. The place looks very festive with lots of Mexican decorations. As soon as we sat they brought chips and salsa which were good. I ordered the Fajita Burrito which is a HUGE burrito filled with onions, peppers, and chicken, topped with salsa and sour cream. It comes with "avocado salad" which is really iceberg lettuce, two tomatoes and a small scoop of avocado. My boyfriend ordered one of the combination platters which came with an enchilada, a tamale and a beef burrito. My burrito did not have chicken. I felt they tried to stuff it up with vegetables and a "little bit" of chicken. Nothing amazing. The salad was mediocre. My boyfriend's order came out wrong so he had to wait around 12 minutes while I ate my burrito for his order to come out again. When it did, it wasn't a plate worth waiting for. Two ebtrees came out to $20 dollars which isn't bad at all. Overall, it was a medicore "meh" experience. If you want cheap Mexican this is an ok place, I guess. read more

Great little Mexican restaurant with great prices! Love the tortilla soup!

There is not much authentic about the Mexican food at El Jaripeo. Then again maybe that's best. And there is nothing much house made here.. House assembled maybe but not house made. The ubiquitous "red sauce" came from a can; the ground beef is gray in color and so finely chopped it's near power form that tells me it's cooked, frozen and defrosted; the cheese was more mozzarella than anything Mexican. Taco shells are small and a very strange brown color as well. Whole grain? Likely not.!! Margaritas are more mix than tequila and not worth the $8.50 each. The chips, however, were warm but the salsa lacking. Prices are inexpensive (in the $6.00 - $10 range.) Bottom line is El Jaripeo is another run-of-the-mill restaurant in the dining wasteland that is Charlottesville, VA and the surrounding environs. As for Mexican food? Well, likely better to invest in a good Rick Bayless cookbook and stride out on your own. read more

This is the best mexican food I've had on the east coast. I have yet to be disappointed and I eat here all the time now! 1/2 price kids meals on Monday is a great deal too! They're also very friendly and fast service. read more

Nice ambiance and the nicest waitstaff as well. Inexpensive and generous portions. However, the food is fairly generic. Great place to take the kids but for a more discerning pallet, this may not be the best place. read more

This review is for the one on Main Street by UVA. Great service, better quality and flavored meat than most standard mexican places. Best burrito california and pollo loco we've had anywhere. Good kids menu, fun atmosphere, and good music. Found our new mexican place in Charlottesville...it used to be Guadalajara which we still like but the seasoning on the meats and the quality of them is far better here. read more

Yummmm, affordable, yummy, good service, friendly and clean.

This is the best Mexican restaurant in the Area.. HANDS DOWN!! I love that they not only serve warm chips and salsa but they also serve a second "white" dip. Its my favorite and keeps me and my family coming back over and over. The restaurant is clean and the staff is excellent. read more

I just don't get why this place is so popular. I keep trying to give it a chance, but it just seems to be another mediocre Mexican place (something C'ville is not short on). The prices are reasonable, but despite it being close to my house, I gladly drive 3 miles past El Jaripeo and Guadalajara to pick up from Baja Bean, instead. I'd much rather someone resurrect High Tide Burrito (which had great burritos, but poor marketing) or Baggby's, which both used to occupy the north side location previously. read more

Looking for consistently good Mexican food in northern Albemarle County? This is the place. Great salsa, great guacamole, and good food. The carnitas are excellent. Try them. My family and coworkers enjoy this restaurant. read more

I wish there is no star. Horrible restaurant with horrible service. Food was okay but service was horrible and waitress automatically added tip. She was not attentive and do not even know how to serve at all. read more

This is my most favorite Mexican restaurant! My family and I go all the time! Great service and great food!

Authentic? What the store-bought pre-mix Marguerita (foul tasting)? The loaded with salt absolutely everything (even the rice!)? Overcooked beef. Overcooked shrimp. There were 2 things that were B grade: salsa/chips and the flour tortilla for use with their Fajitas. Everything else was C to F grade. Not going back for sure. read more