el jinete mexican restaurant

el jinete is a good option for mexican when i am in a rush as it's close to my commute route.
the people are friendly and is usually not a problem to find parking. the lunch specials are good and doesn't put a debt in your wallet.
the complementarychipsand salsa is good, especially the salsa, which is chunky and refreshing.
i tried a few things and have been very happy. i wanted nachos once and it was a disappointment as it seemed that they putchipsand melted cheese on it via microwave...i haven't tried it since so it may be an anomaly. that night, i tried the taco salad and it seems that they microwaved it too as the lettuce was warm as if it came out of the microwave as was the taco bowl (it was chewy).
again, my negative experience was one night and i have come back few times since without complaints...but i haven't ordered those items.

service underpar. my boyfriend & i went here (red bank location) to eat this past saturday evening. we were sat right away with menus. the waitress came & got our drink orders. we had to ask forchips& salsa (isn't it standard for most mexican restaurants to place these on your table at the waitress/waiter greeting)? we then were into ourchips& salsa when we realized we had no silverware or napkins (to wipe the chip salt from our hands or salsa on our lips). why are we having to ask to be served standard things served at a restaurants??? after i waved to the waiter that he was serving our meals to the table across from us we finally got to enjoy our el pastor tacos. these weren't seasoned as we expected & there was way too many onions put in mine. luckily my boyfriend loves onions. finally no one came to see if our order was complete, satisfactory or if we needed anything else (including drinks). well our waitress came to clear my boyfriends finished plate & at that time asked us how everything was. thank goodness we didn't have anything wrong with our order....we would have been waiting forever. i felt the service could have been better.

garbage. i heard this was good from my mother as she and her coworkers frequent it for lunch...wrong. aside from thechipsand salsa which were fine, the food was slimy and had no flavor. i ordered a vegetarian quesadilla. i am not sure why it was slimy on the inside but i could not eat more than a couple of bites. i went there with my mother for dinner and it appeared as if her food was slimy as well, but she didn't seem to mind so this must be the standard she was used to. i decided to fill up onchipsand salsa since they were edible. i do not recommend unless you are into unauthentic, slimy, bland, "mexican" food.

good food and service. we went for lunch yesterday both had the fajitas they were good the rice and beans were fresh but just standard fairchipsand salsa very good salsa in its own container and everyone has own bowl is a nice touch i will be back also the service was very good.

awful service. we have been to el jinete five times (three times we were just carry out). as time has gone, so has the service. this past visit, we came to the restaurant to order a take out. as we waited for the food, we order drinks. the $2.00 off daiquiri and it had zero run in it. we asked for a replacement and got a slight update... emphasis on slight. it was more ice and less of everything else. this was the second visit that we received a terrible mixed drink.

as we waited, we got nochipsand no dip. once we got the food and were ready to leave, we got the bill and paid. luckily we checked the change we received and realized that the math was way off. what is going on here!??!! the waiter then tried to charge us more for ordering a stiffer drink and then backed off. we got the correct change and then ran out, relived that this experience was over. wow, this was bad... possibly the worst restaurant experience in the last 15 years.

delicious. we had a great experience the food was outstanding. wasent like your typical tacky mexican decor, wait staff was very nice, goodchipsand salsa and excellent churros!

soooooo good!. my favorite mexican restaurant! the pollo chipotle is awesome. margaritas are strong and good.chipsand salsa are fresh. prices are amazing too. the staff has always been very polite. we go once a week!

tasty and filling. this place has good service, and the food is great. the tortillachipsthey bring to the table are fresh and hot, and the fajitas cozumel are amazing--with steak, shrimp, and cheese. it's hard not to order the burrito el barzon every time, after you've had it once. it's stellar, and it's as big as your head, so there's lunch the next day!

sodium overdose. i'd put this place in the top tier of mexican restaurants in cincinnati - good atmosphere, great menu variety, good service - except for the fact that from the time we got ourchipsand salsa on through the rest of the meal, our tastebuds were assaulted with huge amounts of salt and/or msg. i am not one who usually gets too worked up about this, but these guys take the adobo seasoning overboard. their sister restaurant el picante has a tendency to do the same thing but these guys just kick it up a notch. still feeling it a day later.

great mexican and cheap!. this was great.chipsand salsa were wonderful!! the food was hot and spicy and really good. will go back for more!