jacala

i can't believe i waited 30 years to try this. my experience at jacala's from the ambiance to the quality of the food was great. we had a party of 25 and the service was impeccable. i felt welcomed as soon as we walked into the door. the hypnotiq margarita was one of the best margaritas i've ever had. the chips and salsa were great. the beef enchiladas and beef fajitas were so amazingly good. i enjoyed every bite. if you love guacamole, i was appreciative that they provided a lot on your plate. the beans and rice were flavorful, delicious, and perfect. i can't wait to go back.

food was good not hot but ready to eat, service was ok not good but ok, we were asked to leave before we were done with our desserts and drinks. my 83 year old grandma really wanted to eat here for mothers day, we went saturday and unfortunately we told by the owner.that she had a reservation ready to be seated in about fifteen minutes, grandma hadn't even finished her drink or dessert i would have rather gone to nichas on the southside... we will not be going back

a family favorite. i have been going to jacala for about 35 years or as long as i can remember. the food here is really good and i can't recall a bad experience here ever.

top 5 mexican restaurant in san antonio. just kinda stumbled on to this place and they do mexican food right! they get it. from the chips and salsa to what i had, chicken flautas was fresh like homemade. will be coming back at night to try their world class margaritas next! a restaurant thats family owned since 1949, jalcala will sure satisfy your hunger for authentic tex-mex food.

tasted like i remember. after all these years the food still taste like i remember--good. we went on a kinda busy saturday nite, got seated in the party room which was fine cause there was lots of people watching to be had. they get all kinds of mixed groups in this place, which i like very much. that means from affluent to well not so affluent go here to eat and party. we ordered the small queso w corn torts and it was served nice 'n hot, its a great app for 2-3 people. we had already been munching on the delicious chips 'n salsa. i also buy the salsa to keep at home. since we had an appetizer we split the no.3 plate of 3 cheese enchis w chile con carne, 2 puffies & of course rice 'n beans. but i also had to try one of their chicken mole enchiladas because i love mole. for me, they make some of the best cheese enchiladas in town. i love that chile con carne on top. i think the puffies are ok, wish they were bigger (don't we all?). this time the rice was nice & we upgraded to frijoles ala charra, which were delicious. much better than the refried. the chicken mole enchilada was described as a "spicy mole sauce", well it had spices but not spicy at all and very tasty. the portions are large so we still had leftovers to savor the next day. next time i won't wait so long to come back to get my enchilada fix.

had dinner here and the food was just like it's always been -- plentiful, hot, enchiladas with plenty of gooey cheese, and a nice small bowl of warm, homemade tostada chips. definitely a "locals" place where the food is in the style of long ago, so don't expect creative cuisine -- just enjoy a good hearty texmex meal. we came mid-week in the evening and it wasn't that busy, our server was cheerful and prompt, food came out quick and super hot. granted, it's not a meal "experience", but i like that you can stop here and have a consistent reasonably priced meal, a very inexpensive cold schooner of draft beer, and be in and out in less than an hour.

this is normal san antonio mexican food. bland, generous portions, pleasant atmosphere. spacious interior, which is great and unusual in the area. great staff. the food is edible, particularly if you don't like spicy. i'm a wimp and prefer flavor over hot-spice, but unfortunately the food lacks in both.

the flaming cheese is tasty but in a college dorm food way; pile cheese, meat, and taco seasoning on a plate and microwave it. guilty pleasure? sure, for the first two bites before you realize what you're eating.

the fajitas should be avoided. no flavor in the peppers and onions, meat is overcooked.

enchiladas were good.

classic san antonio tortillas--thick and bready. not my preference, but good for their type.

i know several native multigenerational old-time san antonians who love jacala, though, both anglo and hispanic... so try it as as a sample of local style of mexican food. you may love it. not my style.

$ 2.99 margaritas on happy hour, but i didn't fell any alcohol in it... the food is good, i try the chicken enchiladas con mole poblano, and flautas, portions were satisfying, the place is big, and excellent custumer service...

this restaurant is over 65 years old, and looks like it. it does has atmosphere nice patio dining in a convenient midtown location. the salsa was watery and tasteless with a very slight tang. the food was good, but expensive for what it was. when walking out, we always ask ourselves, "will be ever come back here again?" well, only in a pinch, if most of the other mexican restaurants in san antonio are closed. believe me, there are lots of restaurants we try that we would never go back under any circumstances.

food was good, not great. the beans and homemade tortillas were awesome. hot sauce needed more spice. service was very slow. drinks took a long time to be refilled. other diners in my party thought overall it was mediocre at best.

cheese enchiladas and puffy tacos-yum!. i've been going to jacala for 30 years. i always get the #3. take the extras home and eat it later. i love their cheese enchiladas, puffy tacos and rice. i do think the beans could be better. still good though. they make their salsa and flour tortillas fresh. i buy their salsa in heb too. while i love their food i do agree that sometimes their wait staff give bad service. they are friendly, just not always on their toes. i've learned which waiters to ask for. however, most of the time they do well. the food is good and not bland. i've eaten at a lot of mexican restaurants since this is my favorite type of food and i still love jacala the best. i do wish they would bring back the fountain on the patio. it was beautiful.

what the heck happened to your puffy tacos? they went from being my favorite item to horrible taco shell with potted meat?

been here many times food is generally good, but tonight food was freezing cold. i'm not talking kinda cold i'm talking below room temp

there's always the next time. an overwhelming desire for tex-mex possessed my wife and i today after all the ham and turkey we have had over the holidays even though we did enjoy some very good tamales as well. arriving at the restaurant, we walked past the kitchen with the ever present spanish music blaring through the screen doors and the now vacant patio, up the stairs and through the front door where we were greeted with the pungent aroma of comino and of fresh corn masa cooking. can you say "starving"! we sat down, were handed menus, and were all set to order our favorites.

uh-oh! the menus were new since last we ate there which is usually cause for concern. after reviewing the menu pages we found our favorites at what appeared to be the same price as before. the only thing we noticed were some new plate combinations with quantities for the large appetite like three cheese enchiladas and two puffy tacos with rice and beans. as hungry as we were, i came close to ordering it.

chips and some great salsa devoured, cheesy enchiladas with meat gravy and tasty puffy tacos decimated, rice and beans inhaled, our hunger for tex-mex was finally satiated. feeling well satisfied we paid our bill and noticed a sign next to the register, "tamales - $10.99 doz." in all of the many years i have been coming here i don't think i have ever had one of their tamales. and if they make them here, they have got to be good! unfortunately, our freezer already contained several dozen, but there's always next time.


-----07 dec, 2012-----

one of the best . . . .. this is one of those places that someone tells you about because it is not on a main traffic artery nor is it in some shopping center or well to do neighborhood. once i found out about the place, i have been going ever since (and that has been over 20 years ago).

if you are looking for the taste of oaxaca, or the flavors of michoacan, or can't eat tex-mex food unless it tastes and is made exactly the way your mamacita makes or serves food, please save everyone the grief of reading your sarcastic review and go somewhere else. there are throngs of us that are not disuaded from calling this restaurant one of the best for the food it serves. yes gringos love the place but are outnumbered 3 to 1 by hispanic diners.

sorry that a few of you folks have had bad experiences. i have known the sisters that own the place to be usually nothing but accommodating and the same is to be said for their excellent wait staff. you don't stay in business for decades if you are not doing something right!! as you will find common, even the best restaurants have their off days. i have had a couple of experiences with cold enchiladas here myself.

however, when they are on (which is most of the time), the cheese enchiladas with chili con carne are one of the best in the city for tex-mex renditions. the crispy and puffy tacos are usually very good as well (grease-a-phobes need not try the puffies). the salsa casera with chips is good; good enough that you will find the salsa in the grocery store. bean and cheese nachos are prepared individually and are flavorful as well. rice and beans are good, but unremarkable for the most part as is commonly the case.

overall, this is one of my go-to places for tex-mex and near the top of my list for same. if you find that this is not the case for you, i'm sorry, but am glad that the crowd of diners will be decreased by your number.

this is the second time i've ordered food to go and gotten the wrong order. jacala is out of the way and not worth the time to go back if they mess up. buyer beware! check your food before you leave. the service is hit or miss.