Dona Esthers Mexican Restaurant
| Address: | 25 Franklin St, San Juan Bautista, CA 95045, USA |
| Phone: | +1 831-623-2518 |
| Site: | donaesther.com |
| Rating: | 3.9 |
| Working: | 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–12AM 9AM–12AM 9AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 15
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0091joey
As of late Dona Esther is losing its luster as the famous lunch/early dinner stop as you take a day trip in the quiet historic town of San Juan Bautista. You feel like the restaurant is trying to remind you better times the moment you walk in and see numerous of local awards framed about the entire place that are ten to fifteen years old. Its off putting really, especially when the food is now, what I can only now describe as, average. Yes, its not what it used to be. Authentic Mexican food? No, not really. Perhaps theyre cutting resources due to cost, although by doing so it really shows in their food and their menus in the worst way. Artichoke enchiladas, Jalapeno Poppers, and messy cheddar cheese on all their dishes is not authentic at all. Its gimmicky, lazy, and down-right cheesy, where only the gringo tourists might enjoy. Perhaps for a change, lets try out the other restaurants in the town. TO BE QUITE HONEST THOUGH, AS OF RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE WAY MORE AUTHENTIC/TRADITIONAL MEXICAN RESTAURANTS IN WATSONVILLE IN COMPARISON TO DONA ESTER. On more critique of the place. TOO MANY BOZO WAITERS who just walk around the dining halls looking at their cellphones and not doing their jobs taking orders and busing tables. Sure these guys might be 16+ just needing a summer job, but theyre much better off working in a McDonalds or trimming hedges for a lawn company. They ruin the ambiance of the place even further with their uncaring attitudes and overall loitering of the place. WHAT YOU WANT is the one or two WAITRESSES to serve you. THEY ACTUALLY DO THEIR JOBS. TIP THEM PLENTY. Youll feel satisfied at least by that.
JE
jesse banwell
Worst Chile relleno Ive ever had. The "salad" was one of those mixes you get at the grocery store, AND it was way too old (wilted and tasted bad). The cheese enchilada was a ground beef enchilada. My mom found a needle sized bone in her chicken tostada. And the prices, oh my god. 2 a la carte soft tacos? 13 bucks. The prices are like what it would be at a really fancy nice Mexican restaurant. Problem is, this is like a dive bar restaurant with fancy clothes on. The bathrooms have one toilet each. Thats 2 toilets for the whole restaraunt, and the mens is located in the bar off the side. I know this place has a decent reputation, and I went here expecting a nice meal. I thought it was the secret good place, compared to the ultra fancy place across the street. Problem is, the prices are just as high, the atmosphere is way worse, and alas so is the food. Skip it. And before someone responds with "you should have told the wait staff about the problems", the caliber of the food was very low... theres just no fixing that. I can live with a missed bone or a mix up on the enchilada if that had been the only issues. At least the rice and beans were good and the staff was polite. Thats about all I can say nice about the place.
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Chris Turpin
The service has never been terrible the times Ive been here and theyve always been awesome to us. But thats not what I want to dedicate this review to. This review is dedicated to their wet burritos. I love wet burritos. I also happen to love California burritos. (from SoCal. When I was down there I lived off of them.) Before I knew they had wet burritos I swear on my life I had the best wet burrito ever back in the Bay Area. Boy was I wrong, because not only do they serve wet burritos here, they serve a wet SoCal Burrito. And by the gods, it is AMAZING. I cant even say Dona Esthers wet burritos are the best because thatd be completely unfair to everyone else. Its as if these fine people brought a nuclear arsenal to a knife fight. I think its safe to say their burritos are in a echelon of their own. If you like em wet, I cannot recommend their burritos enough! The only negative thing I really have to say is that it spoiled me to how good a burrito really can be.
LU
luis perez
Yo que soy mexicano y cosinero en mi casa tengo mejor sazón que ese restauran, pedi unos chiles rellenos y ni sabor tenian esos chiles no son los pasilla ellos utilisan chile pimiento verde porque el sabor distingue a verdaderos chiles rellenos sabor a chile pasilla, pedi una limonada con sabor a nada porque no sabia ni a toronja no me gusto no lo recomiendo.
NO
Normajean Gomez
I really liked the ambiance. It felt authentic with the romantic music playing however; the food was less than desirable. Tacos SUCK! Rice was cold and red sauce enchiladas were sauceless!!!! The Very BEST thing about Dona Esthers was THE BARTENDER WHOS BEEN THERE FOR 28 YEARS NOW! That guy ROCKS!!!!! Coming back BUT just for him & the Flour Chips & Chunky Salsa. Its the bomb! :-)
AN
Antonio Álvarez Pérez
Autentica comida mexicana, el servicio es fantástico y la comida aun mejor. Eso si hay que ir con mucha hambre ya que los platos son muy pero que muy abundantes
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Ron Allen
I dont mind paying a higher price, fresh made quality food is most important to me. They serve bagged iceberg lettuce salad, bagged chips, jarred salsa, items you buy in any grocery store already made. The fajitas were mostly black pepper seasoned. Where are the mexican seasonings?? The food server was great and I give her 4 STARS
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Raylene Mayer
We always make it a point to eat at Dona Esthers when we return from Monterey CA. We love their food and the overall atmosphere. We stopped Oct 20 and the weather was beautiful so we chose to sit out in the patio and that was such a pleasant experience. We had the chile relleno and I think it was the best I have ever tasted.
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A Private User
the plates were microwaved. my mom said her taco was awful! i had an enchilada. you cant go wrong with that. our server was very nice though. he should be at a different restaurant. my dad said the menu was not that good. poor quaity.tamale had too much masa. courteous server though. we are going to pass next time we are in town.
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Alexander Wekell
Its all white/gringo food, no offense. Its not good, I had tacos, rice and beans and it was awful. Cheddar cheese, bland meat, pounds of sour cream and paper taco shells. If youre a fan of real down home authentic Mexican, go somewhere else. If you like "tex-mex/white-mex" then go here.
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A Private User
Amazing food, Great Atmosphere, feels like home. There is a warm and cozy feeling about the restaurant. From there chile verde to the garlic shrimp, it is always cooked just right. I love this place. My kids & wife love visiting. Definitely worth the drive.
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Ben Reaves
I dont particularly like Mexican food but my wife does. This restaurant introduced me to Carne Asada, and it was delicious! Their atmosphere is in keeping with the town - low key, relaxing ... we loved it. What a nice respite from Silicon Valley!
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A Private User
El arroz esta crudo todo esta muy caro y un pesimo servicio aparte k estan muy pekenas las margaritas
JE
Jesus Hernandez
Ugh... 1 star food. The chile relleno was a egg omelette with pieces of peppers in it that was also burned black on the bottom. Cheddar cheese on everything. Jarred salsa, bagged chips. I do not recommened.
DA
David bjurman
Cant go wrong with a D&E $4.50 super grande burrito to go :-) If you want to save alot of money and get more bang out of your buck the spending 15$ for a burger at JJs go here! Killer burritos!
