Here we go everybody. It's time for my first restaurant review. I was feeling like some Mexican cuisine this week so I decided to hit up a new restaurant I passed by while on my way to work. It's called Guadalajara. I only noticed this place because it used to be one of my favorite Chinese restaurant in town, Peking. All of a sudden, it turned into a Mexican restaurant!
Anyway, lets review this eatery, shall we?
I pull up into the parking lot and see that this place is not busy at 11:45 in the morning. That is typically around the time that I like to eat lunch. I don't see that as a good sign when only a few cars are parked outside of a restaurant at prime lunch hour. I stay optimistic regardless. When I walk into the establishment, I am instantly overwhelmed by the amount of color and doo-dads that are on the walls. I was in for a treat.
I am greeted by 3-4 people of a Spanish decent, and am led to my table by a very innocent looking, extremely polite middle aged woman. She goes through a typical seating procedure, asking me what I want to drink and telling me what the specials are for lunch. She also placed complimentary tortilla chips and salsa on the table. HUGE PLUS!
Right away, I noticed that the lunch menu had SOOOOO many items on it. Once again, I was very overwhelmed. Nonetheless, when the very happy-go-lucky waiter came to take my order, I decided on an item I thought was very simple, and very standard of a Mexican restaurant; shredded chicken enchiladas with rice and beans.
On a side note, both the hostess and the waiter called me "amigo." It kind of made me feel at home, while still making me feel like an American in a Mexican restaurant. It didn't bother me very much though.
When my food arrived (very quickly by the way), I immediately dug in. Even though it looked a bit plain, I stayed optimistic. I noticed right away that even though I did in fact order shredded chicken for my enchilada, I got shredded beef. Which I suppose was fine by me because I do enjoy both. They do lose points for misunderstanding my order. The enchiladas tasted very standard, but I did notice that the sauce tasted like something out of a can.
I took a bite of the rice and realized that it was very plain. There were not any delightful Mexican seasonings that you typically find in "Mexican rice." The re fried beans looked and tasted like they came right out of the can and got warmed up with a little cheese on the top. I felt like I could make all these things at home, and maybe even make them a bit better with a lot more flavor.
I finish my meal, slightly satisfied, and I receive my check from the waiter. One pro to this place is that is very affordable. I paid just nine dollars for my whole meal. My stomach felt like it was going to burst because it was such a generous portion though. Fine by me! I gave my waiter a generous tip because regardless of the plain tasting food, the service was EXCELLENT! My water glass was never empty, the chips and salsa kept piling up in front of me, and my food came seven to eight minutes after I ordered it.
Overall, I thought this was a great experience at this new restaurant, mainly because of the service. It was also one of the cleanest looking places I've ever eaten at. If the food wasn't so generic tasting, I would have enjoyed my time here a lot more.
In every one of my reviews, I will be setting a rating system that goes off of the three things that I think are most important when reviewing a restaurant; taste, service, and atmosphere. Here are my ratings of Guadalajara.
Taste: 6/10
Service: 9/10
Atmosphere: 8/10
Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant
5309 W 41st ST
Sioux Falls, SD 57106
605-361-3701
For upcoming blogs, I will be taking pictures of the restaurant and the food for a more visually accurate depiction of my experience. I will see you all next week with another restaurant review that I know you will enjoy! :)
-Lunch in SooFoo
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