I erroneously thought Don Juan's Mexican Grill & Cantina was part of a chain. It's an easy enough…read moremistake to make with similarly named Mexican restaurants throughout the States. And seeing how extensively the former Denny's Restaurant was remodeled you definitely get that large corporate feeling. This is not your Mom & Pop's home-town restaurant effort. But that corporate feeling begins to fade somewhat while you are dining. The staff are friendly, helpful, and appear to be enjoying themselves as evidenced by some of them singing along to the authentic Mexican background music. The menu is huge! Would you believe 20 pages of drinks and food? Fortunately, there are photos for almost every dish, so you have no problem wondering what it is that you are ordering. Besides, most of the offerings are Tex-Mex dishes which Americans are quite familiar with by now, e.g., tacos, burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas, and chimichangas. One thing that I found puzzling was that tamales were only available in each of the three Combo dishes. You apparently cannot order tamales singularly. Upon being seated, we were promptly served complimentary chips along with a red salsa and a refried bean dip with cheese, pepper, and tomato. The salsa had no spicing at all. We each ordered a large (24 oz.) draft Modelo Especial ($10 each). My initial test of a Mexican restaurant is to try a dish with their Mole and compare it with memories of the home cooked meal I was served by a close Mexican friend more than 30 years ago. However, I had wanted to also try something more than the Pollo Mole at Don Juan's. I zeroed in on Tampiqueña ($27); a marinated grilled steak and a mole enchilada coated in their house made Tia Maria Mole sauce. The dish was also served with refried beans, rice, lettuce, tomato, green onions, and guacamole in place of sliced avocado. The steak was pounded very thin so that the likely tougher cut that was used was not overly chewy. The flavors however, with the grilling and marinade were quite tasty. The enchilada was filled with tender chicken, and the mole coating on the flour tortilla was more sweet than savory as opposed to what I would have expected from a more traditional chicken and mole combination. I guess it was the Tia Maria. Once again, I did not notice any spiciness . I was also provided with a container of four fresh, warm, flour tortillas. While I'm not a fan of flour tortillas these were the best flour tortillas I've ever encountered. My wife ordered the Tacos Al Pastor ($21), choosing steak over pork or chicken, topped with pico de gallo and fresh cabbage in corn tortillas. The three tacos were also served with rice, lettuce, and tomato. The red salsa served on the side had no spiciness. However, a second container of salsa more brownish in color had plenty of spiciness. She was very pleased with her meal. One additional item on the dessert list called out to me from the moment I saw it on the menu. Sopapillas ($9), as served here, they are triangular shaped pastry dusted with cinnamon sugar, whipped cream, and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. They were tasty and enjoyable but nothing like what I first encountered in a Mexican restaurant more than 55 years ago in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There they were a basket of fried dough morsels served to us before our meal, with honey to be poured on them. YUM! Overall, we were pleased with our Tex-Mex experience and are very likely to return to try some additional menu items. If you want spicy, be sure to request the appropriate salsa.

I came in for a quick lunch and was disappointed by the quality of the dish I ordered. The menu…read morehere is a book and there were a lot of options, everything looked so good! I settled with a chicken dish, maybe it was chicken chipotle?, but it was pretty bland and had no flavor, which was surprising based on how it looked. The service was good.

Never did I think that I would have to write a post like this, but I also never thought I would…read moreencounter a restaurant that provided both horrible food and drinks. Although the scenery and overall aesthetic make the place look like an inviting attraction, once inside, the concept feels more like a Venus flytrap. (If it were possible to give a half-star or no-star review for the quality of the food and drinks I was served, that would be my rating instead of the 1-star review I gave.) While eating, I found myself constantly wondering how other people there were enjoying the food. The demographics seemed to represent a specific group, yet it was difficult to understand how such a similar experience could be perceived so differently. Even though, the food and drinks were terrible, I can say that the service was not. That is the only positive aspect I can point out. We were seated quickly, and our waitress was attentive and responsive, even during busy moments. This made me wonder if they receive overflow customers from nearby restaurants with holding. As this was the following position that me and person that I went with were positioned in. Below are the items we ordered, along with detailed feedback on their overall taste: ------------------------------------------------- Items Ordered: - 2 orders | Birria Tacos ($$37.90) comment: I never thought it was possible to receive birria tacos where both the meat and the sauce were completely tasteless. No matter how much I tried to use the sauce and other condiments provided, nothing improved the flavor. While eating, I kept thinking that even Taco Bell would have made more decent tacos. - 2 order | (Custom Order) Strawberry Mojito ($28.00) comment: Might as well have ordered straight liquor, as the mixed drinks just tasted exactly like that with some sort of sweet syrup that did nothing to appease the overall taste. - 1 order | Fried Mexican Cheese Sticks ($12.95) comment: Upon trying it, the first thing that stood out was a flavor that resembled cardboard, with only a very slight (and I mean slight) hint of Dorito chips. - 1 order | Expresso Martini ($15.00): comment: Tasted like straight vodka, nothing else - 1 order | Crunch Wrap Supreme ($20.90) comment: This was the only slightly decent item we ordered. Even then, when compared to a fast-food chain like Taco Bell, they would likely make a better wrap than what was served here--and for a lower price. CONCLUSION: ------------------------------------------------------------------------- I hope they take this feedback as encouragement to improve their food and drink quality, because what was presented was truly disappointing. I came in expecting to enjoy a lunch date, and while it at least gave us something to laugh about, I'm serious when I say the items we ordered were atrocious. I would rate everything a 1/10, except for the Crunch wrap Supreme, which gets a 3/10.

Nicely styled cantina with tavern vibes with great tacos and other Mexican food options. Would like…read moreto try their drinks sometime soon as well. Service was great, despite there being only 1 server when I was in. Food was great. Had the carne asade fries to start, it's served on crispy waffle fries and the carne asade was super tender. I was about to go for some Birria tacos but decided to try something a little different and ordered the chopped cheese burrito. Delicious. Looking forward to coming back for more!

greatt local spot for Mexican food. You can really tell everything is made with care and pride --…read morethe flavors are authentic, fresh, and full of comfort. Every bite tasted homemade, not rushed or generic like big chains. The food was authentic,delicious, portions were huge, and the quality really stood out. On top of that, the people were kind, welcoming, and clearly passionate about what they do, which makes the experience even better. If you're looking to support a small business and enjoy amazing Mexican food, this place is definitely worth checking out. I'll absolutely be back. i could not take pictures due to me diving in the food as soon as it was ready . i recommend eating theere while food is hot

Do you want a small family homey atmosphere? This is your place. Inside has multiple tables…read morewith Mexican vibe to get you in the mood for your meal. We've had a meal at Taqueria a few times and thoroughly enjoyed both. Always flavorful, and always plenty to eat. A picture is worth a thousand words. Staff are very pleasant. Adequate parking in a small strip mall. But I always forget about them because I don't see their shop everyday. Go and enjoy.

I really enjoy it here and sometimes forget they exist but the staff is always really nice and it's…read morea cool place to sit and eat. I really like their flan and their Taki coated street corn.

I was in the mood for a quesadilla so I decided to give Tacos Diablo a try…read more With that known, I ordered a chicken quesadilla and it was fine. To explain, the tortilla was fresh and cooked perfectly. However, the quesadilla was very thin and didn't have much in it. The only thing inside the quesadilla was chicken and cheese which led to it being a bit dry. The quesadilla definitely needed some type of sauce. At least the chicken itself was flavorful and tender. That being said, it was simply an average quesadilla. To be brief, Tacos Diablo has acceptable quesadillas, but they are nothing special.

Great location & ambiance, great service and great food. Interesting creative menu and everything…read morewas well prepared for all 4 of us. Very impressive cocktails and even have their own infused spirits! I did think the Sea Bass was a high price for the size of the fish and would order something else next time.

I ordered a house salad with spring mix and all I got was a box of chopped romain. A pitiful salad…read morenot worth the $9.

Well, the oysters were fantastic, and that's why I made the 35 mile trip. I hate city traffic!!!…read more I also had the calamari with peppers, also good. Not like rubber bands, tender. Now the downfall, the chicken sandwich. I did notice other plates coming to tables looking like the fryer temp. is too hot, or cook time was too long. Some fish fry that came out looked quite dark as did my chicken, as you can see! A slight burnt taste was evident. It had good flavor under that burn, and the chicken was close to not being juicy, almost dry. The place is clean, and if not for the location, I would sit at the bar and have the raw bar! Something very important to me that hit me the instant I stepped through the door, if you're looking for a great shot of A/C on a hot day, not here!!! Barely got comfortable from the almost 90 degree day on a bike, and then worked up a return of sweating as the place filled up.

I finally decided to give Hooked a try after hearing many great things about their lobster roll…read more With that said, I'm glad I did because the food was delicious. To explain, I ordered the cold lobster roll with fries and it was great. First off, the lobster was tender, incredibly fresh, and they loaded the roll with it. Likewise, the roll was perfect. It was airy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. My only issue with the lobster roll was that it needed more mayonnaise. In the same manner, the fries were phenomenal. To make plain, the fries were scorching hot and seasoned to perfection. Also, they had a crispy exterior with a fluffy interior. These were simply great fries. Essentially, Hooked offers great lobster rolls and fries.

In town on a work trip and after driving almost four hours , I was hungry. I was in the mood for…read moreREAL street tacos and Mexican food in general . I looked on yelp and saw that Jesus's was a good place to go after looking at the posted pics .i ordered the asada torta and asada street tacos . After crushing those two plates , it was time for the dessert . I ordered a serving tres leches and a serving of flan . Holy cow they were DELICIOUS . I'm here for a week , so I'll be here every night for dinner and dessert

New favorite lunch spot!…read more Jesus's is brand new on river street in Troy and they are killing it! Everything is exploding with flavor and so well done, affordable too! Last week, my office ordered the burrito box for 6, 6 full sized chicken burritos, tons of chips, and two salsas for $54. You can't beat that deal, and the flavor was out of this world on every single component. The pico was incredible and the burrito were a great size. Today I tried the birria ramen and I really enjoyed this as well. They are killing it in the kitchen. The only question I had is, why isn't it served with birria meat? The standard option is chicken, which was good but I think the beef would go better with the beefy broth. Either way, it was a stellar bowl of soup for lunch, and so so filling, I could barely finish half. And the packaging was great too! We're already planning our order for next week. Check it out for sure.

Stopped in for brunch and had a blast. The mimosa deal was great for my wife and I. We enjoyed the…read moredip trio appetizer which was solid, definitely could've used some more chips. The service was fine, I think our waiter had a large section and was trying to make sure he got to everyone. The food was the real star. Both of our main dishes were amazing and super filling. Easily enough for two meals. One of my favorite local brunch spots, especially for quality Mexican food.

Very disappointed. Our group of about 14 women reserved a lunch get together at this restaurant…read more The place looked very nice. It was empty when we came, and we had at least 4 servers taking care of us. But the service was totally inadequate! We were seated at two tables. One table got their food before the second table even got our orderscyskrn despite several requests. The first table got their checks before we even got our food. When our reservation was made we were assured that we would get separate checks, but after our lunch there were several discussions and arguments about getting separate checks, using credit cards etc. At the end we did get separate checks but it was a hassle. Our food was if uneven quality. Some hot dishes were cold. My "tropical" salad was a big bowl of iceberg lettuce with a few strawberries and a couple tiny (diced) pieces of canned pineapple. It cost like a real lunch - about $15. The whole experience was unpleasant.