Jacala Mexican Restaurant

Reviews 4

SA

san antonio Dweller

Jacala has been in San Antonio since 1949. It is not, however, my favorite local landmark and I think visitors and locals alike could find many better and more established options in the city. A little history. Jacala is located on West Avenue. A street known for its abundance of Mexican restaurants. It is, today, a predominately Hispanic community. However, it should be noted that when La Jacala was built, West Avenue was a growing upper middle class, predominately Anglo community. As a result, much of Jacalas current clientele are nostalgic Anglo-natives. The restaurant has hosted a few celebrities over the years, names like Glenn Beck, Dick Cheney, and former local sports anchor Dan Cook. The Food: I hate to say it, but the worst part about Jacala is the food. Their salsa is mild, bland, and oddly dry. Most of their plates are doused in, what looks and tastes like, Ricos nacho cheese sauce. Their puffy tacos, which they have often been acclaimed for, are dense, pasty, and under-cooked gorditas. They are neither light nor crispy and they taste like a mouth full of raw masa. Their guacamole is over-processed, frothy, and watery. The enchiladas were filled with a small block of melted cheddar cheese wrapped in a soggy corn tortilla. Their Tex-Mex chili sauce, of which they are also famous for, is very salty and has a canned "wolfe chili aftertaste. You can buy less traditional Tex-Mex fare like an 8oz. ribeye, Monterrey Chicken, or Chicken Mole, but for the price, you may be disapointed. Which leads me to the second worst thing at Jacala... The Pricing: Jacala is overpriced for what it serves. You will be hard pressed to find something on the menu under $10 and what you would be getting is nothing more than a chalupa, an enchilada, and, what appears to be, Ricos Cheese sauce. The drinks are even more expensive. The cheapest single margarita on the menu exceeds $10 after taxes. A pitcher of frozen margarita will cost you nearly $40. The margaritas and mixed drinks are mediocre at best, and for the price, hardly worth the investment. You will do better to stick with a domestic beer on tap for $3.00. Finally, the Service: The service is fine enough for family dining. They usually have an abundance of staff working on any given night But I would not necessarily recommend them for events or large groups. I have been at events where 50 or more people are all being served by a single waiter with occasional help. My kudos to the waiter who managed the separate tickets and really hustled to get the food and drinks out in a timely manner, but the lack of waiters to manage such a large group of people speaks poorly to the overall management and made for a long and slowly moving evening. In conclusion, Jacala is a established restaurant with a long history in San Antonio. But it is one of many such restaurants and is a poor representation of San Antonios rich Tex-Mex tradition. It survives on nostalgia alone. I wish them the best, but I cannot recommend them.

BA

Band Dad

My wife and I have a friend that was complaining about trying to find a Tex-Mex restaurant that has fresh food. We tried several places over the last few months and kept coming up with duds. Bagged guacamole, flavorless food, marginal margaritas. Finally my sister-in-law mentioned Jacala. I had eaten there many times in the past because the company I worked for was located close by. We told our friend about it and we tried it out again last week. We walked in, the place hadnt changed much. We were greeted at the door with a smile and shown to our table. Moments after we sat down our server welcomed us and took our drink order. He brought is warm chips and salsa. Then the test, guacamole... He brought us the freshest guacamole that Ive ever eaten in a restaurant (we got 2 more orders). We ordered the house margaritas, mango and traditional, the $6.95 ones. They were also great. We ordered our entrees and they arrived in just a few minutes. The cheese enchiladas were awesome, especially the chili con carne sauce. My puffy taco was perfect, fluffy, not greasy, and tasted great. Most places, the puffy tacos fall apart before you can finish one. Our friend had the Combo Fajitas and my wife had the Chicken Mole. We were amazed. During all of this, the server made sure our water and tea never got below half full. He even put a new pitcher of tea on our table. We will definitely be putting this place on our short list of favorite restaurants.

JE

Jennifer Parra

went yesterday and was disappointed. payed 25 to reserve for 530 and didnt get seated till after 6 . why should I pay then I ahold of just gone in and waited for a table for my party then. and then we get all are tickets and waiter writers in his own tips. Every couple had a tip of 7.50 on there.. When after they passed the law that they can no longer do that and he still did. Then went to go pay for are food and get my deposit back. some people payed are the main register and some payed arent another register are waiter told us to.. well lady at reg told me no two people hadnt payed i told her everyone payed and is gone already. I told her 3 people payed at other register she told me no possible its not even open. As if I was lying to her very unprofessional and rude. She talked to another lady named mari and mari told her yes its fine ring me out and again she didnt want to she was telling me no she didnt have the tickets. I told her that lady told u yes to ring me out and yet you still think Im lying to you.. finally everything got cleared up after I was about to walk out without paying paying because it was very rude how they acted with me. They offered me a candy. whats a dam .10 candy going to do. never taking my business there again. staff needs to get trained on what to do instead of customers being treated rude and as if we r liers and will run out without paying.

MA

Madeline Smart

Overall, a disappointing and frustrating experience. Was charged $8.00 additional to add fajita meat to chalupas, without warning. Staff not helpful. Entrees underwhelming. I had never been before, and was pleased by the margaritas, salsa, tortillas, and the size and price of the appetizers. When it came time to order, I asked for chalupas ($5.00), and add fajita meat. Waitress obliged, did not mention any additional charge, though I assumed there would be one. When the food came, there was a huge amount of lettuce and guacamole on top, which I had not ordered, the fajita meat and chalupas were just alright. When the ticket came, I had been charged $13.00 for my meal!!! I asked the waitress if she had entered it correctly, she said theres a button for that and I put it, so you can talk to the cashier! I did talk to the cashier, because $8.00 for fajita meat seemed ridiculous. The cashier was not helpful in the least. She tried to explain it in many ways, none of which made sense, and though she agreed that it should have been on the menu, that the waitress should have warned me, and that it was strange that the entire fajita plate cost less than what I was charged, she refused to reduce the price. I guess Id go again for margaritas and an appetizer, but never going to order an entree, and would not recommend.