We just got around to trying this restaurant on the Fox River in Ottawa. This location was previously long established supper club and was only recently sold. It's now Mexican restaurant, and GDL is short for Guadalajara. The interior still shouts 'supper club'...dim, dark wood, booths with high backs and vinyl. The music is Mexican. And not too loud. We were greeted and seated promptly in one of the booths (we were a party of four), by a friendly waiter, who brought water and menus right away. The menu has a great variety of Mexican staples. The drinks menu is big on margaritas (none of us are fans), a few varieties of wines, and the standard beers. We opted for soft drinks. All dishes are served with rice and beans. We had chile rellenos, carnitas, burritos...all were well prepared and the servings were generous. The prices are very reasonable. This was an overall good experience, and we enjoyed the evening. Parking is ample behind the restaurant, and there is handicapped parking with handicap access. An overall good experience. read more

Brand spanking new Mexican place that took over the old Monte's Riverside restaurant. GDL (Guadalajara) Mexican restaurant recently opened and I believe owned by the same folks as Tapatios in Ottawa. We dined on a Tuesday evening and it was pretty dead inside. The interior is brighter than the former Monte's. The decor is pretty neat and the bar is super cute. They did a nice job renovating this space. Lots of Roman Empire female warriors on the walls. I ordered the fish tacos and had beans in place of rice. That is a delicious meal! The sauce is so good. Huge portions and plenty of fish. My bro got the shrimp verde plate and added chorizo. He also replaced the rice for beans. He loved this meal, very flavorful. Mom got a la carte ground beef taco and cheese and onion enchilada which she enjoyed. The menu is extensive and the prices are good. The staff are very friendly and kept checking on us through our time here. Ruben was an excellent server. The only minor gripes are it was a bit chilly in here, and there was no music in the dining area. Very quiet. The food is great so we are definitely coming back. read more

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I leave a 3 star not because of the quality of food. Food out of the two times has been good. But the quality of customer service has been not great. If you want a good takeout, this is your place. read more

I love this restaurant! It is our go to restaurant for wonderful Mexican food! The service is always good and the waiters will answer any questions you may have. If you want a dish that's not too spicy, they will make suggestions. All in all, it's a great place to eat!! read more

Visited with a group on Father's Day, I asked for no sour cream (makes me nauseous), to find it had extra sour cream, I would have loved to let them know but he didn't come back for over 10 minutes, I also had to take my drink over to another waiter for it to be refilled at the 12min mark. He was very quick to cut our check as half the group was still eating. The food itself is good. Communication sucks! read more

Great friendly staff. Amazing food and the 38 oz. Monster margarita. We've been a few times and it has always been great. They even have their own fantastic house brand hot sauce. read more

Just left, ordered fiesta fajitas and chicken fajitas. Fiesta is steak, chicken n shrimp...my order had about 7 pinky n smaller sized beef strips, 3 1/2 quarter size shrimp and what was almost ground chicken...very little flavor. Chicken fajitas same...very little chicken. I should have listened to my 2 other buddies! Not much flavor at all, portions are not normal like other places. One and done. Service...we sat quickly... I'll stick with what I know, I gave them a shot read more

Food and Service were fantastic! Prices were reasonable and the atmosphere was very relaxing. (Also, the lights were bright enough to see the food, which wasn't the case with the previous restaurant at this location.) read more

Absolutely excellent food, drinks and service! Arved is the best waiter, makes the whole experience fun!

Service is extremely SLOW!!! Stated NO SOUR CREAM! And you guessed it... It came with SOUR CREAM! Trying to do too much. read more

First time there and i ordered what I usually order in every Mexican restaurant. Cheese enchilada, corn tortilla with green Verde sauce. Enchilada came in a flour tortilla and the green sauce was not pleasant at all. It was very bitter. Hubby ordered beef tacos with corn tortillas. Usually corn tortillas are served on a flat tortilla and folded upwards. These were not authentic. They probably came out of a box. If I wanted this kind of taco I would go to Taco Bell. read more

Finally got to try their food after hearing about it from so many people. The service was really good, attentive, friendly and helpful. The place was clean and very well organized no complains at all, the food was great! Very good flavors, the portions are just perfect. I can definitely say I am making this my new favorite spot to eat good Mexican food. read more

Dined here on Labor Day 2025. Wow, the food was amazing! The chips and salsa are excellent- warm thin chips and salsa that will please all in your group. Rice and beans are top notch too. Great kids meal options for picky eaters. I will definitely be back next time I'm in Ottawa. read more

Prices are high for the serving size, hard to get refills for drinks. Food was average, there's better Mexican food in Ottawa.

I am loving this place. Every time we go I find a new favorite dish! And the Texas Margaritas hit the spot!

it has outstanding food great prices and great service, We will definitely be regulars. The ambiance is authentic also.

It was okay. I had hopes that given the location was formerly fine dining (Monte's Riverside Inn), that this might turn out to be more of an upscale restaurant serving fine Mexican Cuisine, similar to La Mex in Joliet and Pontiac. However, it is not. Regardless, the ambiance is good and so was the service. To me, the food tasted somewhat sweet and bland, not bold or spicy like other Mexican restaurants in our area. The margarita was very good. We also tried to order two shrimp tacos a la carte. For some reason, they don't sell shrimp tacos a la carte. You have to get either rice or salad too. But, they sell beef and chicken tacos a la carte! When we said no thanks, the waiter came back a few minutes later and said, okay, we can give you shrimp a la carte. I'm still confused over that one. We won't be rushing back, but might give it another try in the future. read more

really really good food quaso was very mid but was amazing. people were nice would definitely recommend for around here