As someone from San Diego, I'll admit I came in skeptical. Great Mexican food is everywhere back home, so my standards are pretty high. While visiting Michigan, I stopped into Gilley's and ordered a custom breakfast plate because I'm on a special diet. It was so good that I came back twice. I've jokingly started calling it the "El San Diego" breakfast plate. The pork was flavorful, the food was fresh, and everything was cooked perfectly. What really stood out was the service. On my return visit, the owner remembered my order and personally whipped up the same El San Diego breakfast plate for me again. It was just as incredible the second time. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Friendly staff, great food, great ambiance, and genuine 5 star hospitality.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] As a Southern California Mexican food snob, I can honestly say Gilley's exceeded my expectations. I'll definitely be back a third time before I leave. read more

Gilly's Bistro - "El San Diego" à la carte breakfast plate. - Mexican Near Me - Bay City, Michigan

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Service was impeccable..[[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambiance was everything and overall pretty good![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The hard shell taco is my fave and the rice was very flavorful! I don't like the beans.. read more

Gilly's Bistro - Hard tacos, beans, rice and puffy taco. - Mexican Near Me - Bay City, Michigan

I grew up in Bay City but I have lived in Houston for 30+ years. On this trip up here, we were craving some good Mexican food, which isn't easy to find (because we are spoiled). After a quick Yelp search, we found Gilly's and are glad we did! [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant is tucked away in an old business district...many of the neighboring businesses are closed.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] It has a parking area in the back but we just parked on the street out front. The staff was very friendly when we ordered at the counter. I ordered a wet burrito. (For those not from around here-it's basically a burrito with some sauce on top). It was very good and I couldn't finish it all. My husband and son both ordered quesadillas, which they liked. My husband said his steak quesadilla was a bit greasy but that was the only negative of our whole meal. We also shared some street corn fries, which we loved. It was street corn on top of fries. I loved the corn so much that I will just get a side of that on my next visit-but the fries were great too. The menu doesn't say it but they told me they would also make items with corn tortillas if a gluten free dish is needed. This may be a new favorite in Bay City! The location is a little out of the way but definitely worth finding! read more

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First time here and it definitely won't be the last! The food was amazing -- authentic, delicious, and the portions were very generous. You definitely get your money's worth! Everything was reasonably priced for the quality and amount of food you get. The staff was kind, welcoming, and made us feel comfortable right away. Great experience all around. Glad we finally tried it and already looking forward to going back. read more

Gilly's Bistro - Ground beef enchiladas, beans and rice. - Mexican Near Me - Bay City, Michigan

This place is amazing! Their Tuesday taco deals are too good to pass up. Don't skip this place. The staff are super friendly. Everything I've tried is amazing. A must try! read more

Drove from flint to est here. Well worth the drive. Best Mexican within 200 miles.

It was my first time trying Gilly's, I've heard from a few people how great it is. The food was phenomenal, and the service was even better Diana came out and chatted with us. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It is such a welcoming and fantastic environment[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]], super reasonable prices! You should definitely check Gilly's Bistro out! read more

Gilly's Bistro - Beef & Bean Tostada with a side of beans, rice and mild salsa. - Mexican Near Me - Bay City, Michigan

Food is phenomenal. Beans not so much. The barbacoa is amazing and so is the birria. Even the rice is really good. Ordered at the counter, they brought it to us outside. Service was great, fast and food was brought out hot. Definitely worth it. Best birria and barbacoa I've had in a long long time! read more

Gilly's Bistro - Birria - Mexican Near Me - Bay City, Michigan

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1. Go to Gilly's 2. Get Gilly's enchilada special 4. Enjoy..... Did you notice I skipped step 3? Made you smile! read more

We were greeted just inside the door, they were happy to tell is how they do things and even directed us to our favorite dishes. Food was longed for since we have no real authentic Mexican places to eat, really. Love this place and plan to use them for catering soon!! read more

Gilly's Bistro - Brisket Tacos, rice and bean sides. Ice cold Coca-Cola and that Jarritos juice - Mexican Near Me - Bay City, Michigan

Two thumbs up!! Hubby had Taco Tuesday special-fantastic! Said they were the best he'd ever had! Unable to finish all 5 Taco's. I had Puffy Taco with beans and rice. Shell was amazing! Beans were great and rice very flavorful! I finished the taco-just, but not the rest. Took it home. Will return for sure! Service was great! read more

A hidden gem of Bay City. Gilly's consistently serves up the best Mexican food in town. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Bright, airy, and casual indoor dining in what feels like an old grocery store.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] No alcohol selection here. Service is usually quick and friendly. Gilly's has grown into a staple of Johnson Street, and should be a perennial contender for best Mexican restaurant in Bay City. read more

I was trying to find a Mexican market in the thumb, which is pretty much impossible and somebody told me about Gilly's in Bay City. While they do have some Mexican staples, it is definitely more of a restaurant and it was excellent. I got the birria tacos and thought I would be able to finish three of them with a side of rice and beans and I ended up taking one of the tacos and the rice and beans home with me. Everybody there was super friendly and asking me how the food was. Two thumbs up. Two thumbs up! read more

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Friendly owners and staff, serving great food in a small mercado/bistro atmosphere. Try the Menudo! No, really, you have to try the Menudo! Best I have ever had, ever, anywhere! read more

Can't say a bad thing about this joint! Corn dip, puffy taco, and the Mexican gyro are all top notch. Not to mention the service, they really treat you like family. read more

Great tacos 5 for $5 on Tuesdays. Great service and nice atmosphere, close to downtown and close to the hospital. First time here, I was very pleased. Nice and clean and versatile menu. Mexican market also. read more

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Gilly's Bistro has the best food around town! [[HIGHLIGHT]]The service and atmosphere is incredible![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] They are well thought out and take care of every customer with kindness! read more

What a wonderful place, awesome ppl and the food!!! Next level to say the least! I have been wanting to find a place like this for a long time... Although there is a wait compared to other places.... Ppl need to take into consideration that this is homemade/scratch made food!!! Not the normal pre cooked stuff that 90 percent of other places like this do.... So much love put into the food and a very authentic quaint little place to eat.... If you are impatient then I would suggest to call ahead but we do not as I love sitting and watching the food being made and chatting with the ppl who work\own the place ... Thank you Gilly's for being our new Mexican place... read more

Gilly's Bistro - Mexican Near Me - Bay City, Michigan

The Puffy Taco Dinner was amazing! We also had the Barbacoa Quesadilla and that was also great! The staff is super friendly and the ambiance is eclectic and fun. We highly recommend! read more

Gilly's Bistro - Puffy Taco and Barbacoa Quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - Bay City, Michigan

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Food (tacos and burritos) was authentic and awesome! Even the sides were something special. Very friendly and almost like being in Mama's big kitchen. No frills but clean and comfortable. read more

Stopped due to the fantastic yelp rating. The second we walked in young girl says one hour wait because "it's taco Tuesday". I was like okay we'll check into our hotel and come back and get our food no problem. She then explains they close in 30 minutes. So I asked her to explain how that works and she couldn't-new math maybe. So she was going to be perfectly happy to sell me food and close before I could get said food. Just put a sign on your door that you're taking no more orders. Also it's a freaking taco. How long does it take to make a freaking taco. I'd definitely not plan to stop here if traveling through. Maybe just a locals sorta place which I typically love to support, but not today I guess. read more