Best Mexican restaurant in the Columbia area!! 10/10 will go here again. Service is fast, food is delicious and well priced. The ambiance is great! Would give 6 stars if I could. read more

Visited the San Jose restaurant on Sparkleberry Lane in Columbia, SC and it was an awesome experience. Food was excellent, chips and salsa was tasty (could have had more spice/heat), staff was super including a very young man who seated us (son of manager/owner I think). This young man's sincere manners and professionalism was unexpected and it was delightful. We are new to Columbia and this is the BEST restaurant we have found so far when we are craving mexican food. read more

I just recently moved here from California where there is amazing authentic Mexican food on every corner. So when I come here I actually usually just get the beef tacos and carne con queso dip. It's probably the least authentic Mexican food on the menu, but that's what I want these days. The food is alllllways quick to come out and fresh. The servers are always nice as well. So far so good! read more

Went to the new location of San Jose on Taylor Street and the service & food was excellent. Loved the ordering at the counter. That saved a lot of time. Manger was very polished and very personal. We will go back. read more

Rice beans, and burrito were comically bad. Threw directly into trash. Thanks for nothing, San Jose!

Stopped in for a quick (and I mean food was cooked and served within 10 minutes of seating!) dinner. Will neither the ambiance or food was mind blowing out of this world, it was solid good quality. So while I wouldn't find myself craving this place at 2 am, I would come back read more

Make sure you order chips with your queso they do not come together which is kinda crazy!

Horrible service from the start. Was greeted with a straight face and a head non. Place is dirty and most of the workers are in their phones just chit chatting. I felt watched. The food was horrible and tasted funky. Y esto viene de un hispano americano. This comes from a beaner himself. Do NOT RECOMMEND. They have roaches too read more

Newly renovated. I'm not a Mexican food lover, but everything I ordered here was excellent!

amazing quality, comes from a true consumer of the art. I go here weekly and think it just cant get better

The last time I was here I was very disappointed.... The food is not good any more and that was hurtful.

We went on a Friday night and the place was packed! I ordered the shrimp chimichangas and it was delicious. Not all of the shrimp were deveined, which is why they lost a star for me. The chips and salsa seemed fresh, and my margarita was delicious! My partner ordered the shrimp diablo and loved his dish as well. read more

San Jose Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

I ordered the combination dish #26. A beef burrito, a enchilada & a chili relleno. We are not big people. We were seated at a table that when we sat down we weren't able to sit across from each other. We moved to another table and all was fine. The waiter came to us, gave us chips and salsa and we place our order for beers and food. We got our beers and in record time before I took a second sip of my beer the food had arrived. Indicating the there was no cooking involved. The had been ready, scooped up and sent to our table. On a extremely hot plate. The chili relleno had no pepper until I pushed the beef around and found two one inch pieces of green pepper. The beef burrito was very salty as was the chili relleno. The cheese enchilada turned out to be beef not cheese. Disappointing evening at this newly re-opened San Jose. This hasn't been my experience before at a San Jose restaurant. I would like to go back but as my wife says I hate to throw away good hard earned money on food that is not good. Sorry San Jose. read more

This has been our favorite spot for Mexican for a few years.. It's always clean & the staff are so friendly and welcoming. The service is always quick & the food is delicious.. "See you tomorrow".. read more

We arrived a little after 7 and we're promptly seated. However, we waited over 5 minutes to be greeted. Our chips and salsa arrived shortly after 5 minutes then our server arrived. He took our drink order and asked if we were ready to order. He was ready for us to get outta there. He rushed and rushed us. We ordered queso, which was good, to start. My sister and I each had 2 tacos and a beer. The beer was COLD, that's always a win in my book. They advertise they have 12, 22 and 32 oz but our server said they only have 12 and 32 oz. The tacos were fine. There were tons of toppings, which was a plus. A little mountain of lettuce and cheese! We finished our meals and waited forever to receive our bill. I actually had to ask someone else to get it after 15 minutes. Our server rushed us through every part if our order but when it was time to close up couldn't be found. Food was reasonably priced and tasted good (not great but not bad). Service was 1 star all the way! read more

Would not recommend, my mom beat my ass in the bathroom, great food though and great service

I visited today to get a to-go order. I called to place my order but the phone lines were busy so I decided to drive there to place my order and just wait while it was being prepared. Jorge took my order and while I was placing my order he interrupted me and had a very cold and harsh tone that made me uncomfortable. So I decided that maybe I should point on the menu to what I would like. He then talked down to me like I was a child. While I understand due to the pandemic it might be more stress on employees, it does not justify being rude and unkind to customers. After I thanked him for my order I waited for my food. When I got the itemized receipt I noticed a code that was unfamiliar and it seemed like code language to the kitchen. So be careful with this restaurant. Demand better customer service. read more

San Jose Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

I still consider myself to be pretty new to the Columbia area. So when that craving hit for Mexican I called a friend and ask for the best place to go and they recommended San José. Before this point I've only ever been there for drinks; they do make a pretty good stiff Margarita; however; I found the food itself to be a little bland and under seasoned. Normally, you could look at the meal and see the abundance of flavor but this was mighty underwhelming, but again If you're in the mood for drinks it's the place to be for a nice margarita. read more

San Jose Mexican Restaurant - Arroz con Pollo - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

This is the second time coming here and we enjoyed our food very much. The chips and salsa were good both visits. The only reason I am knocking off one star is because it seemed to take a long time to get our food read more

San Jose Mexican Restaurant - Vegetarian #1 - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

My family and I love this location because the food is always hot and the wait staff are always friendly. We dined in last night and I had my usual: Quesadillas Rellanas...and it was perfect, as always. The shrimp are juicy, the salad with guacamole is fresh, the queso and salsa bring out all the flavors of the dish. We reside in Blythewood and while there's a location closer, this one is near our old neighborhood. My husband and I frequented this spot when we were dating, we celebrated Valentine's Day just months after we got engaged and we had a meal with my stepson there the night before we moved into our new home (you get the picture). read more

San Jose is the standard Mexican restaurant in the Midlands. You know what to expect. That said, the fajitas are good. read more

San Jose Mexican Restaurant - steak, shrimp, and chicken fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Well as far as this chain of restaurants,this one was one of the best. First time coming here. It's just another San Jose's other than that. I'd say I'd come back for the service and the ground beef Enchiladas,with a side of beans. Pretty tasty. It is what it is. I just prefer Tex-Mex. read more

Got the enchiladas supreme with side of rice and beans to go. Was well packaged and a good portion. The food was flavorful minus the rice was a little bland for my liking. When I called they said 15 minutes which I should have gotten there a little earlier had to warm the food a little when I got it home but overall I will be visiting this location again maybe for a dine in experience to better gauge it read more

Fresh tasting Mexican fare! If you are going to choose a Mexican place that offers Americanized Tex/Mex for a nice sit down place, this is the one here in Columbia. So fresh and the burrito sauce is great. And real beans! Pick de Gallo on point. read more

Hmmm it was okay, lots of menu choices. But most of the food had so much cheese on, it was losing a lot of freshness in the final product. Pretty affordable, they have various location in Columbia. But there is so many Mexican restaurants in Columbia, San Jose isn't one I would go back to. read more

On vacation. My son took us here for dinner and it was "Muy Delicioso!!! I had the deep fried burritos and the wife had chorizo con pollo. We definitely will eat here again next time we visit Columbia, South Carolina! read more

San Jose Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

We went there a Friday night even thou the parking lot was full, we got a table right away. At the entrance , It's was confusing to know who was awaiting for help or table so you have to wait for someone to know who is next for table? Anyways, the service was fast! The waitress was superb! The chips and salsa came right away. We got cheese deep, it was good. My kids got cheese quesadilla and chicken fajitas with rice and fried beans , they really liked. I got shrimp enchiladas with beans, the shrimp was too salty and tasted fishy. I was disappointed. I may go back to try something-else because I real like the service. read more

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The chicken was flavorful and fresh. I enjoyed the salsa. The chips were stale and the table service was very slow.

So I came in to get a Chile Relleno at 4:45 on a Sunday. I waited upfront for five minutes but no one came to seat me. The restaurant was empty. I then moved to the middle and waited another few minutes while two waitresses and a waiter sat chatting and laughing. My waitress was even making eye contact with me for quite awhile before she decided to come up front and seat me. She took my order right away and then began to chat In Spanish to her coworkers about how Americans just want anything with a lot of cheese . They were speaking loudly one row behind me. When she brought my plate I responded, yo no quiero Mucho queso. She rolled her eyes. She and her coworkers continued talking about how they hated dealing with customers, but in English. I left my plate pretty much untouched read more

Some of the best Mexican I've had in a while!! I was traveling for work and pleasantly surprised.

Racist scum! My family and I decided to eat here on Saturday 7/14. When we walked in the hostess (a young brunette girl) was talking to an elderly couple as they were leaving. After she got finished talking to the couple, she sat down and talked to her coworker leaving my family and I standing in the waiting area for at least 15 minutes. We were a bit confused and wondered if she was even the hostess because surely a hostess would greet us at the very least. A couple came in and it was only then that she decided to pry herself away from her conversation and seat to greet us. She approached us and asked "how many?" We are black the couple that came in were white. She couldn't be bothered to greet us until the white people came in and it was super obvious. We decided that any business that treats it's customers that way didn't deserve our money so we left. I will never eat here again and I will tell my friends (of various races) not to eat here either. read more

Food is a tad on the bland side. However this is coming from true Texans, we love everything spicy. We would certainly eat here again, just ask for extra jalapeños. read more

Cinco de Mayo!!! Line was long but their system was fast. My food was still good and hot when I arrived home..I live about 15-20mins away. Will go back Food was so good I forgot to take a picture of it lol read more

My family and I will drive past 2 other San Jose restaurants​ just to come and dine at this location​. I believe their food, drinks, and service is better. I always order a chicken dish with rice and beans (I've had just about all of them). I always replace my sauces with queso even on my rice. Yum. With a nice MONSTER margarita. read more

Giant Mango Margarita, giant mango margarita ,giant mango margarita. The food and service were very good too !! but the drinks were outstanding. great for early afternoon pre-happy hour drink fest!! read more

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You can't go wrong with cheese dip! Only drawback is they're closed on Mondays. Friendly staff.

***LUNCH VALUE, BUT NOT FOR DINNER*** Here's the blunt of my review: For the quality and flavor of the food, paying for higher-priced plates doesn't make a difference. Go cheap here instead. Lunch Specials are available 11:30--2:30 Mon-Sat, with most specials priced at $5.50 and higher. ESTABLISHMENT: The restaurant looks deceptively more appealing from the outside. As you park and walk up to the building, your expectations are higher than they should be. (I advise that you check your expectations at the door or you'll experience a disappointing reality.) As you walk in, there is a bar immediately to the left and a reception booth directly in front of the entry. The interior cleanliness and maintenance of the furnishings are not on par with the expectation set forth by the grand presentation as you walk in from the outside. For the location of this restaurant, you would think they would at least spiffy up the place in order to attract more local diners and keep their business. The salt shaker was greasy. The floor was dirty. The workers were loud and vulgar (speaking vulgarly in Spanish). If I went to a hole-in-the-wall, I'd expect this type of ambience but in exchange for better food. SERVICE: The server was quick. He refilled my cup when it went empty, took my order and had my food out just 9 minutes later. (It could be due to little business at the time I arrived) FOOD: -Chips and Salsa- The flavor of the chips hit me like cigarette smoke in my mouth. I don't know if this could be due to old chips or 'recycled' chips being used. Once the thought crossed my mind, I left them alone so as to not disgust myself at the table. The salsa (for the chips) tasted as if it was sitting in an open container for days in a fridge full of other food...definitely not a fresh taste. I usually LOVE eating chips and salsa while I my food arrives at Mexican restaurants. This put a damper on my taste buds and my meal already. -Carne Asada- Let's start with the bad; the meat did not have enough (or perhaps any) seasoning. It tasted as if it had been cooked on the iron over remnants of other food, allowing some browning on the steak. But the meat itself did NOT have flavoring as if there was absolutely no preparation of the steak before it hits the heat. The rest of the platter was actually delicious. The avocado, tomato, lettuce preparation seemed fresh. Also, the beans and rice actually had plenty of flavor--surprisingly better tasting than the steak itself. -side of tortillas- I had asked for flour tortillas, but was given corn instead. I decided not to raise the issue. By this time, I just wanted to enjoy what I could from my meal and make the best of it. OVERALL: They have a happy hour and a bar, so perhaps their forté is partying and not food. If you do chose this place, come when you have a lunch crave for Mexican during your work day. But seek out better places if you have the time. It doesn't have to be more expensive for Mexican food to be of higher quality. It just requires a staff that prides themselves in maintaining a high standard for quality Mexican food. People who know the difference will become loyal patrons of such establishments. read more

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Service was fantastic, very clean and our order was correct. Our daughter is 18mo and makes a mess while eating but they didn't mind and even played with her. read more

People are nice here. Service is good. FAJITAS are awesome and the margarita is worth it. Id say if you're close by and graving some Mexican food, stop in and get your fix. read more

I called to order a combination that included a chile relleno. I was told that they did not have a combination plate that included a chile relleno that I could order one, two or three of them. And I'm like huh? I know I have ordered this before. So I hang up, check the website and sure enough there are three combinations that include a chile relleno. So I ordered combination 29; rice, chicken quesadillas and chile relleno. All I got was an inordinate amount of cheese and ground beef. No chile. The quesadillas is wet and soggy.I have become increasingly discontented with this chain. The customer service SUCKS! At this location and the Hardscrabble location. You have to look for your server if you want a drink refill, when I walk in there is no greeting just, what did you order? My boyfriend absolutely refuses to go any more. So does a really good friend who used to go with me at least twice a week. This is also disheartening because it is so close to my house. We have started going all the way across town to Real Mexico because the service and food are both excellent. read more

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