Amazing service, friendly and fast. Get the whitefish tacos! Fresh caught from the lake. Delicious

Thank you for saving our night. After being turned away from other restaurant, we ended up at this incredible place . It was around 8:20 pm and they took us in as a group of 4, and a group of 3 even though they were very busy. Food was super delicious and the lady served us (Theresa ?) was very friendly and knowledgeable. Everyone seems nice and awesome here. We thank you and appreciate your hard work! read more

Very good foood and service. Sat out on deck. Ordered the Guacamole / veggies and whitefish tacos! Excellent. Had a Paloma at the bar while waiting on table. So tasty. read more

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YUMMY! Newaygo to St Ignace for a fish taco? Yes! Yes! Yes! Best anywhere!!!! The view is amazing and their Bloody Mary left us asking for another. read more

Jose's Cantina - "Chef's special" surf & turf. Seafood enchilada, steak burrito, & fish tacos! - Mexican Near Me - St. Ignace, Michigan

Best breakfast in town by a long shot! Drive past Java Joes (mediocre at best) going out of town and grab breakfast until 11:00 here! The huevos rancheros was amazing! All fresh made and full of flavor! They also did a nice remodel this year so very clean with a beautiful view & deck seating. Service was good too, what more can you ask for! read more

What a delightful experience! Amazing margaritas (Mixed Berry was beautiful and delicious) (and Lime Cadillac on the rocks was great!). Guacamole was excellent with a beautiful presentation! We loved the Whitefish tacos; such fresh taste! Beef Flautas were also very tasty! Meredith, our server was outstanding--kind smile, friendly and efficient - she made great recommendations! We will be back! read more

Food and service were pretty good. Cant say it was something special but definitely did not disappoint. Margarita is good too read more

Jose's Cantina - Margarita - Mexican Near Me - St. Ignace, Michigan

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I left a Google review and I'll leave another on here. The bad reviews either went in while it was busy or are just crabby people who wanna make a fuss but my server Paige was phenomenal she was attentive and the food was amazing. The ambience of the place was perfect. I ate a breakfast Burrito my mom had the meat and cheese omelette and my sister had the blueberry pancakes all of it was perfect and we didn't leave a single crumb. I heard another table complain about how the potatoes were cooked but on our end they were cooked to perfection. I loved the food the service and the atmosphere and will definitely be back to eat again!!! read more

Jose's Cantina - Mexican Near Me - St. Ignace, Michigan

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Fresh ingredients, plentiful servings-with superior service. What a wonderful surprise to find this quality in the UP. Very reasonable-especially the draft beer! Do not miss coming here if you are in St Ignace. The staff was friendly and engaging-a n overall terrific experience-after the first night we came back for the second one. read more

Great fresh, flavorful authentic mexican food! I love the sizzling chicken fajita! We love the chips + salsa and always add guac + queso! Birria bites and quesabirria tacos are awesome! Chefs combo is another favorite + carne asada dinner! read more

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Good food, good service can be busy in the summer with wait time, wish they would make reservations

Having moved up to Michigan this last year from San Diego, I haven't found a place that gets me closest to real Baja Mexican until I came to Jose's. I had the cali asada fries and they're about as close to carne asada fries as it gets back in SD But more than anything, Ask to be served by Dan. As someone who's worked industry, he has the best perspective to take care of you but also give you your space and to enjoy the time of why you came to the restaurant. He was perfectly attentive to any needs that arose but was literally in the background and popped up when it wasn't even noticeable that it was needed. His personality has got this uplifted attitude that just makes everything better...even if you've had to wait a while to get in here. When you see him interact with others, it's just this sense of ease and calm that makes everything smooth as silk. So was the food great? It sure was. Was the place great? It sure was Did Dan make it awesome? He sure did. When you come here and want delicious food, make sure you ask for the person who will make sure your time is memorable and most enjoyable. read more

I was so excited to try this place after seeing all the great reviews but it was a miss for me. I ordered their award winning fish tacos and they were not good at all. My fish tasted rancid and the batter was soggy, fish was mushy. When I mentioned the fish taste was off, they brushed it off. I left my entire order as they would not allow me to order a replacement. Very disappointed. read more

For up north this place is not bad and reasonibly priced. Lets go thru the meal; chips and salsa not bad; my whitefish tacos were pretty darn good; my wifes fajitas were quite tasty but slightly dry; she ate most if it tho; our house margaritas looked nice but the mix was way too sugary. i doubt it was homemade mix. overall we will go back. service was great but forget the guys name. great shore view. read more

Good food and service. Nice views of Lake Huron. A deck to dine on when weather permits. I'm a vegetarian and found plenty to enjoy. Wife is an omnivore and enjoyed her selection. read more

What a GEM! Not only do they have the best Mexican in Michigan but they also have great service. I ate here during the pandemic and have to say they were following all protocols with masks and cleanliness. I recommend the shredded chicken crispy tacos! Excellent! read more

Jose's Cantina - Shredded crispy chicken tacos - Mexican Near Me - St. Ignace, Michigan

If anyone ever says anything below 5 stars about this establishment, they are out of their minds. The new owners are A1, top tier individuals. They are constantly improving the menu, service, drinks and most of all the establishment itself. They make sure everything is perfect and if it isn't they will make sure things are right. A must place to visit when in St.ignace. I have not read any reviews before writing this one but I have been coming here for 3 years in a row, and they never disappoint. The restuarant overlooks the lake and is full of great staff ready to assist. Make sure you come and visit and order the Birria Botes and WhiteFish tacos. If you're not a fan of either option, everything else is phenomenal and you can't go wrong. read more

The food was delicious! I highly suggest the White Fish Taco's. Visiting from So. Cal we didn't know what to expect. 5 's Service was fast, efficient our server was delightful. The entertainment was Gary Hatch. He was excellent! read more

Roberto Gallo and staff take pride in the food, drinks and service. This is simply the best Mexican food in all of Northern Michigan and Upper Peninsula. read more

Chicken dishes were flavorless. Nice outside tables but they wouldn't seat anyone out there.

Food was good, margaritas were amazing. Fajitas were actually fajitas. Not fried mixed veggies like more restaurants do. Cherry margarita was delicious. Pina colada was delicious as well. Side of guac tasted like sabra guac. I was actually really sad about this. Only 4 stars because two of the 4 people in our group got sick after eating here. read more

Very friendly hosts and server! Great food, flavorful. It was a busy summer evening, but our service was fantastic and our server couldn't have been more attentive. Highly recommend! read more

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I wanted it to be delicious, but the food was pretty bland and the chicken enchiladas were very dry. My original choice was shredded beef tacos but they were out of shredded beef. It was only 5:00 pm. Seemed kind of early to be running out of food. Service was also unimpressive. It's the off season. Surely they can do better. Definitely won't return. read more

Decent service, everyone was friendly. Floor looked pretty dirty when we walked in, and the food was just mediocre. I don't think the price matches the quality, the beef in the chimichanga was salty, salsa was good, beans were good but there needed to be more. If I were in town again I don't think I'd return here but it wasn't terrible. read more

Jose's Cantina - Chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - St. Ignace, Michigan

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Okay, we are not snobs, but we do live in Southern California and are accustomed to great Mexican food. That said, this place is exceptional and authentic with a local flair (white fish tacos, anyone?). Highlights: Carne asada, white fish tacos and elote. Our server, Alexia, was charming, efficient and very accommodating. And if you can manage it, get a table outside (they don't accommodate parties of more than four on the back deck). The view of Lake Huron and the island is stunning. A true gem. read more

Seriously, why are there any low reviews! This place has the best food. We will return whenever we are in the area.

My family and I came in on a Thursday night around 8 pm with our party of 9. The hostess told us they could seat us if we split up, which we were fine with since we know it's hard to accommodate a large party. So they seat us at a table for 6 and a table for 3. My husband and I were in the 3 table with our 2 year old toddler. My sister had to step out to make a phone call so I helped my parents and nieces and nephew order for their table. After I ordered for them I went back to my table and my husband told me he told our waitress that we'd order when I got back to the table, which is fine since I didn't take long at their table. Well, 20 minutes later my parents table has already gotten their food including a belated drink order my sister placed after she got back and enjoying their meal while our waitress has yet to check on our table again. At this point my toddler is getting antsy so I went to the hostess to ask for a different waitress while my husband flagged down another waiter to see if we could order since our waitress was no where in sight. The hostess and the waiter went and got our waitress to come get our order. When she came to take our order she was noticeably put out with us and pointed out that my husband told her it might be a while because I wasn't at my seat. We just ignored her attitude and ordered because we were hungry. Well another 20-30 minutes go by and we haven't gotten any food and at this point my parents table is all done and ready to leave for the night. I flag down another waitress because our waitress was again nowhere in sight to check on us to see if we could just cancel our order and we'd just go pick up some fast food. While we were waiting my sister noticed our toddler was hungry so she made a make-shift plate of her kids' meals so our little one could at least eat something. The waitress got our waitress for us and when she finally came she told us she couldn't cancel the order because she already put it through. I told her that our family is already all done and at this point we are ready to go. She told us she can put the food in boxes but I asked her what food since we haven't gotten anything yet and we can't wait any longer. At this point she told us she would have to charged us for everything. I told her to do what she needed to do and I'll do what I'm going to do. So she comes back with our receipt and surprisingly my husband and toddlers food but she told me my food was still not done so she didn't charge us for it. She was openly rude at this point. Needless to say we're not eating anything she brought out for fear of extra ingredients in our food. She gave her our receipt and I took it to the hostess stand to tell her our situation and tell her that I'm willing to pay for my husbands drink that did come out and he drank but I'm not paying for anything else because we had to wait so long our family was already all done and leaving. We all drove together so they would have to wait for us to finish our food and with 3 little kids that's not happening. The hostess got the bartender to come since she couldn't make that call and the bartender took off our food and we paid for the drink. Needless to say this was the worst dining experience we've had in a long time. If you happen to dine here and get an older dirty blonde lady for your waitress who looks like she hates her job and hate her life then you're in for a long night. read more

On family vacation stopped in for dinner. Carly was our server... personable, knowledgeable and just a load of fun! she made us feel welcome, comfortable and was very attentive throughout our meal. Food was fantastic and drinks refreshing. for sure! Will definitely be going back! read more

Arrived with 7 family members. Were told a table would be ready in 15 minutes. 45 minutes later we were led to 2 tables for 4. No, you're not allowed to put them together! Later 2 more arrived an we were not allowed to seat 5 at a table! So I stood briefly behind my husband and was told I could not stand!! This was a group ranging in age from 54 to 72 - not a bunch of rowdy drunks. But, big spending adults enjoying each others company on our last night together. I was livid about this unusual downright mean behavior. I do not recommend nor will I ever return. read more

Standard Mexican fare. The whitefish taco was very good; we had it as part of the Chef's Surf & Turf platter, which was really tasty and definitely big enough to share! Nachos are huge, but lack decent toppings; ours (we ordered the ground beef) barely had any meat, lots of beans, and aside from cheese and jalapeños, not much else. Guacamole was really disappointing, it had the plastic-y taste of the crap you get out of a bag. For $6.50 per side, I expected fresh. The service was friendly though they were really understaffed given it was the tail end of the season. read more

I don't usually give bad reviews, but this place was not good! The waitress spilled the waters, then spilled our drinks! Then when we got our food, it was COLD! We ask to have it heated up, so she took the first plate back & when I asked if she would take mine back to heat it up, she said she couldn't because the kitchen got mad at her for bringing the first one back!! WTH...who cares about the customer!?!? Would not recommend! The only thing good was the margarita & the view! read more

I visited here after coming back from Mackinac Island as we were disappointed with the Mexican-themed restaurant on the island. After visiting here, the four-star rating that this restaurant has obtained is about right. The food was average, the service was fine, and there were no cleanliness issues. First, the food. There was nothing bad about the food; however, it was nothing special. The refried beans were rather runny, but the rice was great. The steak tacos were fine. I told the waiter that I enjoyed spicy foods, and he brought out their Habanero sauce - great heat, did not like the flavor. My Rating for this Category: 3/5 Next, the service. The service got better as time went on. At first, I did not feel like I was wanted in the restaurant; everyone seemed annoyed. As time went on, I feel that our waiter warmed up to my family, and he was extremely friendly. The food all came out at good speed, and no one was forgotten about. My Rating for this Category: 4/5 Finally, cleanliness. There are no issues here. The food came out warm as it was supposed to. The tables, dishes, etc, were all clean. When we had the waiter open the umbrella for the outside patio, that was clean as well. My Rating for this Category: 5/5 If you visit this cantina in the summer, definitely sit outside. The view of the little beach and Mackinac Island is beautiful, and it feels like Florida, just a tad bit cooler in temperature. I would come back to this cantina with no hesitation. The food was fine, the service was also fine, and there were no cleanliness issues. I would recommend this place to visitors in the St. Ignace area - it does beat the Mexican-themed restaurant on Mackinac Island hands down. read more

This place is fantastic. They make almost everything in house and the service was quick. Ordered the Quesabirria tacos, as I will always order them if available. The consommé was perfect and the drinks were strong. Highly recommend. read more

Jose's Cantina - Quesabirria Tacos - Mexican Near Me - St. Ignace, Michigan

Lake view patio and amazing Mexican food, yes please! This place doesn't disappoint. I'm big on hot salsa, and was sad when they said they don't have one, but when I tasted theirs I was pleasantly surprised it had some heat to it! Fresh too!! Kids loved their meals too! It was so good, we forgot to take pictures and dove right in! Get the queso! read more

Literally not Mexican. Everything tasted as if had been pulled out of freezer, salted and microwaved. There was even the clear plastic film still in the quest. The only reason it gets 1 star is because I can't give it a 0. read more

We ate lunch here it was later in the afternoon probably 2:00 I think we were the only people there the service was good our waiter had a bit of a accent a little hard to understand so when I told him no onions or lettuce I had both.i don't know if it was him or the cook but that was the only bad thing about our meal.we met the owner and talked a while he was such a nice guy the food could have been mediocre and I still would have preferred it over other places with better food and bad service.but our food was excellent all of it my wife's tostados had so much meat on them they probably weighed a pound apiece definitely good tasting to! read more

Super delicious Nachos! The cheese they put on it was amazing. Best Nacho I have ever had and that is saying a lot! Nice place worth the visit. read more

Jose's Cantina - Yes! - Mexican Near Me - St. Ignace, Michigan

OH BOY. Party of 12.. Went in at 6:55pm with first 5 of us to get a table and some drinks. The final 7 had 5 kids so were running a bit slower than us. After we were at the table, we did not speak to a waitress until 7:12 (17 mins) but did overhear her frustration from across the restaurant with a table in her section being sat before all parties arrived ... when she made it over she didn't ask if we wanted anything, we were just notified that we would be moved to a smaller table if the rest of the party didn't show up very soon... ok, but still no drink order... we would have had 10 margaritas by now but just sitting there.. very thirsty and really off-put by the behavior of the short haired raspy voiced server. 7:15, the hostess is sent by the waitress and asked us to move and I ask if we can order drinks, 3 appetizers, and if the apps are out and the rest of party is not there I'll buy entrees for them.. nope, we are kicked out. It's like we are in another dimension, I can't believe this is happening. We are leaving now (so embarrassing) and the rest of the party walks in right on queue at 7:17. Maybe we are wrong to arrive early and try to have a few drinks and apps, but they seated us ‍.. all 12 of us left and we went down the street to Buoys by the Bay and spent our $450 there. Super good service at Buoys btw, not a mandatory 20% tip added for a large party either so we left 25%.. and live music was also nice. I bet the food would have been good at Jose's.. but wow.. service (and overall attitude) of the raspy short haired lady inspired me to create a Yelp account and drop some knowledge on all of you. read more

Everything was wonderful , it has been a couple years ago and we can't wait to go back! The food was excellent and so very fresh!!!

Excellent spot with a great view. Loved the white fish tacos and the birria tacos especially, will definitely return to this restaurant