Address: | 25 W San Fernando St, San Jose, CA 95113, USA |
Phone: | +1 408-283-9595 |
Site: | mezcalrestaurantsj.com |
Rating: | 4 |
Working: | 11:30AM–8:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–10:30PM 4–10:30PM 4–8:30PM |
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Rangaprabhu Parthasarathy
It was a special occasion that warranted a weekday dinner out. We were in the mood to try a new place. I had heard good things about the Oaxacan place in downtown San Jose, Mezcal and decided to give it a shot. This is my brief review of our dinner at Mezcal. We arrived fairly late because it was a last minute dinner decision. Given the downtown San Jose location, we had to settle for paid parking across the street in the KQED building garage. We arrived to a relatively busy place for a Monday night – it looked like lots of office dinners were going on. On first glance, the Cinco de Mayo/Halloween vibe of the place was striking and very unique. On further investigation, we came to know that one of the folks working in the restaurant has produced some of the art which was wonderfully unique. On perusing the menu, we identified quite a few vegetarian dishes. One downer was the fact that one of the key elements of Oaxacan cusine, the Mole sauce was made with chicken stock at Mezcal. Bummer!. We ordered a side of guacamole to go with the complimentary chips and salsa for appetizer. The guacamole was made fresh and tasty. The salsa had a nice spicy punch to it. For the main course, my wife chose a vegetarian tlayuda, a crunchy tortilla shell filled with a bunch of veggies, cheese and sauce. I picked vegetarian enchilada suizas with tomatillo sauce. The little guy got himself a cheese quesadilla. The food arrived in about 10-15 minutes. I liked my enchilada and the tomatillo sauce was very tasty. My wife liked the filling in the tlayuda but not the crunchy shell which was extremely hard to break away and eat with the stuffing inside. It was awkward. The kid’s cheese quesadilla was good (and cheesy). Service was pretty good. Folks were extra friendly. And the little guy charmed them to get a complimentary ice cream at the end. Overall, we liked the food but were not wowed by it. It is worth a repeat trip sometime.
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Lucia Briseno
Ive been here several times as a business dinner or lunch. The service has always been slow but the food is pretty good. But this last time we went was the last time. 2 weeks ago I went with my family and it was awful. The server was a complete jerk. He was rude and disrespectful. From the get go he had attitude and seemed to be in a bad mood. We asked to move closer to the heater since the whole outside patio was empty and we havent recieved our food yet. We were told no and the heaters wont be moved and we cant go inside even tho there was space and it was cold outside. The way he told us was soooo rude and we were talked to like children, felt humiliating as he was yelling at us. We were about to leave when the food arrived so we stayed since we didnt want to be assholes and leave the food cooked already. We told the other server Kiko, who was the one who brought our food, that we were upset over the service. He asked the problem, we told him and he said oh simple we can move the 2 heaters closer to you. As he was moving the heaters and was so kind and helpful, the other server who was rude was there arguing. Yelling asking oh really how was I mean, huh tell me. Like really come on say sorry, but nope we never received an apology. Kiko solved the issue nice and easy he moved the heaters closer to us and problem solved. Unfortunately even tho Kiko was very helpful, I wont ever be going back for business or personal.
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Haley Gribben
Some friends and I went here for an early dinner before a show, and we were very disappointed. The atmosphere: We were seated directly in front of a set of VERY loud speakers where a DJ was playing obnoxious EDM music. If it was 9pm, I could see it but this was 5:30pm. We asked to be re-seated and requested the music be turned down but were told it was not possible by 3 different staff members. (Im pretty sure all speakers have volume control). The food: I am generally easy to please when it comes to Mexican food, but this was probably the worst Ive had. I ordered a salad and the tortilla soup. The salad was pretty gross -- the lettuce was wilted and it had way too much dressing. The soup was very bland, pretty much tasted like someone just opened a can and threw a few tortilla chips on top. The service: It felt like our waiter was intentionally trying to ignore us. After taking forever to bring out our drinks we were left several times with empty chips, salsa and drinks and found it nearly impossible to flag him down. Overall it felt like no one at the restaurant cared about delivering a good customer experience. I will definitely not be coming back.
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Ben Falter
If you are considering coming... you should! The food and service were great here. I was looking for something special to go on a date. I had two places in mind that had good reviews but this one won out and so did we. First know that reservations on evenings and weekends is encouraged... we were able to slip in (thank you). Our cute server Oswaldo was great, patient, helpful in explaining options. The decor is crisp, clean, vibrant, and authentic. Now the food... I wanted to go here because of its focus on Oaxacan cuisine. If you are looking for your tex-mex with heavy Americanized cheese, pickled jalapeños, burritos and the such this place isnt for you. The chapulies (grasshopper) appetizer is also fresh, crispy, and full of flavor; a great way to start a meal. I highly suggest the tlayuda; full of flavor texture and a big size portion for sure. Honesty the chorizo sausage was very dry... wasnt my style and not like any other Ive had... honestly think it might have been over cooked. But the rest of our food, chicken mole and all was great. So go now. Good staff, food, and atmosphere.
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Bryan Carroll
Was travelling for work when I came across Mezcal and it made me yearn for home just a little bit less. I had a wonderful meal and a wonderful experience. I sat at the bar and was promptly greeted by the bar tender who fixed me up a very tasty (and very stiff!) margarita on the rocks. I then sampled the trio of moles with some tortilla chips, and after deciding upon my favorite (the estofado, in case you were wondering, which was slightly sweet, and a little spicy), decided to make a meal out of it. I ordered the estofadas entree which is essentially the classic version of the enchilada made with said mole - fresh corn tortillas dipped in the mole, fried, and rolled. It was served with a mouthwatering chicken breast and topped with some queso fresco, and was eaten up by me in a manner of minutes. I will definitely be back and will most likely order the same thing the next time I end up in SJ.
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Larry McGowan
Weve been to Mezcal several times for lunch and dinner. The food and drinks have always been a real treat. Some reviews have mentioned that familiar dishes, like enchiladas, look and taste different - well, thats because its Oaxacan! The style is from southern Mexico and is quite different from the northern Mexican food we tend to see around here. A lot less cheese and red sauce. No tacos. The first thing I ever had was at lunch - a quesadilla. I didnt recognize it but it was fabulous. My wife loves chili rellenos and almost always orders them at Mexican restaurants. According to her these are the best! And of course the mole sauces are really good. Did I mention drinks? Margaritas!!! Dont forget to try the fried grasshopper appetizer! Actually, I didnt try them but friends have and liked them. Weve always had good service too.