Jalapeno Grill & Cantina

Ordered some shrimp tacos the other day when on a family outting… was the sadiest tacos i have ever had. each taco only had three mini shrimps in them and a hand full of salad… they were more like salad tacos… i will not be returning peace .Only leaveing a two star because waiter was kind

Pretty good food decent service.
Drinks are good prices even without happy hour. Didn’t care much for their version of guacamole but in all it was a nice dinner. Very dim lighting inside so couldn’t really comment on cleanliness. Crossing my fingers it was ok.
Parking is horrible though.

We love this place! Excellent burgers and too die for fries! Great service too! It’s a escondido fav!!!

Food was greasy and not fresh. Not mexican fresh food. never coming again.

We needed a place to eat in an otherwise barren restaurant scene (even fast-food)on Christmas Day night and finally found this little gem. Interesting building, interesting décor, pretty good food, outstanding service! Definitely return on our next trip through beautiful Escondido.

A bit over priced for the quality of the food and atmosphere, but the steak was good and the service was okay. This is certainly not a fine dining establishment, but was priced as such. It was very noisy because the bar and the dining area are in an adjoining room with no walls, so the noise of the bar is loud. During the evening the outside door was open a lot and people smoking outside were more than noticeable, because of the smell of smoke. Over all, good food, but I would not take children to this place because it really is just a bar.

If you want cold congealed Mexican food, a rude wait staff, and a ridiculously long wait time, this is your place.

I was just there for seriously 3 minutes with my family trying to check out a new spot, our waitress completely ruined it for us, she was completely rude just dropped menus off on the table and didn’t say a word comes back and simply says «chips and salsa»? And my mom responds yes please and she walks away with the dirtiest look, I’m a waitress myself for the past 6 years and never have I seen someone serve someone so unhappy it was horrible 3 minute experience at this restaurant.

This review is based solely on the first and last time I have been exposed to Jalapeño Grill. I was looking forward to a date night with my boyfriend but we should have seen the red flags from the beginning. We walked in through the «entrance» and were immediately bombarded with waiters taking orders from tables seated so close to the entrance we could smrll their perfume. We awkwardly stood by waiting for direction as no one even acknowledged our presence. There is no host stand and the waiters are too overwhelmed to say «Someone will be right with you»…despite their proximity.
We finally got seated at a less than small table that could barely host the drinks and chips. At this point, we were finally greeted by a waitress who seemed completely in over her head. We were ready with drinks and knew what we wanted to order but she refused to take our actual food order until she ran another table’s credit card for their bill. So we waited 10 minutes to get our water and beer (which came out separately) and then were asked if we were ready to order. .Yes, we were ready when you took our drink order but whatever.
Ready for the order? One order of carne asada fries. Nothing else. We were planning on sharing because we both weren’t entirely starving. She took the order and that was the last we saw of her for about 40 minutes.
After the 40 minute wait, we were about to walk out when the ONE plate was finally brought to us. The fries were clearly left sitting under a malfunctioning heat lamp because half yhe plate was cold and the cheese was hard and less than appetizing. We were done and not even hungry at this point.
Did I mention that while we were waiting, we were sat under an air conditioning vent? Oh yeah, the same vent that was leaking on my boyfriend the whole night but who could we tell as our waitress ignored us and all other workers pretended not to see us. We noticed everyone dining had at least 20 years on us and all other tables were being waited on. I can asure that as a young couple who own a business and have a law background, our money is just as good as anyone’s.
We were so upset that we immediately waived down the one person who looked like an owner/​manager. We asked for a box and a check as we didnt even intend on eating the food. The box was brought out but the check never came.
At this point, my boyfriend got up and handed the same guy his card and expalined that we wanted to leave. Normal customer service would say you ask questions as to why but no, he was ready to scan the card. When he brought over the receipts, he made an excuse that he usually has better service and that he would buy us a drink «next time». Umm… we should not even have paid for the meal at this point, let alone get a drink next time.
We will NEVER be taking him up on his offer. This service was the worst I’ve experienced in years. My review history will show I usually write good reviews and this is my first bad one… for a good reason.
Eaters beware.

It was just okay. I ordered the chipotle chicken which was merely just a chicken breast with sauce on it. No real thought to the dish. But my husband got a sandwich that he loved! So perhaps I just didn’t order the right thing.
It was pretty dark inside and not in a romantic or classy sort of way. The décor could be better. Outside seating looked nice though, wish we would have sat outside!

My wife and I come here every Friday! The atmosphere is great. The food is great. The service is great. What more can I say. I can’t understand the people that give negative reviews. I guess they’re just career Unilocalers! Enjoying undermining small businesses that are working hard in a still sluggish economy. How about giving the business an opportunity to explain or correct before just blasting them! Anyway enough on that. Great place. Go there! Ask for Jorge!

Great food and great service!

Lively atmosphere, quick and friendly service!
We came here on an early Friday evening. It was already fairly busy but we were greeted and seated immediately. Chips, Salsa and bread was brought out to start us off. Food was prepared amazingly quick!
I had the Mesquite Grilled Carne Asade plate. The carne asade was made using flap meat, which made it very tender! The serving was ample and flavorful!
My wife started with the tortilla soup, which was a meal in itself! She then had the Mango Chicken. Again, serving was ample and presentation was great! She enjoyed the dish very much, but couldn’t finish.
I believe drinks were half off as well! Winning!

Delicious Prime Rib Tacos (3) Complete with Horseradish Spread, Au Juis, Guac, Sour Cream, Lettuce, Fresh Salsa and Chips, Pinto Beans and Rice and Cotija cheese all for $ 10! What a steal and delicious, will be back. Great margaritas for $ 4 and Teacte for $ 3.75. Awesome interior, warm and inviting with an awesome atmosphere that leaves you wanting to come back!

This place is certainly one of my favorites. When my husband and I lived in the area, we ate hear every other week then eased up to going monthly. Any time we had visitors over, that hadn’t tried the place, we made sure to take them. We’ve heard nothing but good responses every time.
It’s obvious why the locals visit and it’s obvious why we make sure we visit any time we’re in the area, now.

Awesome Food !!! Got the Mango Chicken, jalepeno potatoes, salad, and veggies… delicious :)
Husband got Stake, baked potato, veggie, salad, and bread… he loved it :)
We will be returning soon :)

THE SLOWEST customer service I have ever experienced. Our party was incredibly patient and understanding to the best of our ability, but we were on a time crunch to be elsewhere before 8 PM. We asked for our check at 6:40 PM. By the time 7:30 PM rolled around, most of us just left and had to ask a friend’s husband to stay and pay for the meal first. This was after we walked to the register and requested our checks. There was nothing wrong with the waiter herself, it was just a matter of the restaurant being extremely understaffed, especially for a Friday night. Hire more waiters and waitresses!
Food itself was delicious. I was a fan of their «wet» shrimp burrito. They have tons of salsa to choose from, but I couldn’t tell the difference. Rather than having so much salsa to choose from, I wish they had hot sauce. My friends liked their margaritas, both skinny and regular, though some couldn’t differentiate between the two.
Outside ambience is really nice, especially on late summer and early fall evenings. Imagine straw umbrellas, heat lamps, and the perfect amount of lighting.
Unfortunately, the sluggish service is what I will remember about Jalapeño Grill and Cantina, not so much the food or ambience.

Is it a steakhouse… is it a Mexican eatery? It’s both!
The food is good, the salsas are above par for sure, but I fear I ahve not tried any of their true house specialties yet… so I am hoping that 4^th and 5^th star can get tacked up there very soon.
The outdoor seating is a great touch, especially along with their great happy hour specialties!

One of our favorite spots in Escondido, My family and I have been coming here for years. Many a birthday, football game, Christmas eve, random get together, etc. have been spent here by us enjoying yummy food and cold beer. It’s not a gourmet knock your socks off menu, but it’s delicious, satisfying, comfortable, huge portions, inexpensive and has a full bar.
We always sit on the cantina side and order off that menu. It’s basically a ‘choose your meat’, ‘choose your style’ (burrito, salad, nacos, etc.) and ‘choose your toppings’ from a loooong list of things like rice, beans, cheese, etc. (and for which ‘EVERYTHING’ is a completely acceptable answer). The food has been consistently good and I always look forward to it when we come in. It is nice that it’s completely customizable so that you get exactly what you want. It’s also nice that it can be made to be waist-​line friendly with some conscientious ordering.
Service is friendly and fast — some of the servers/​staff have been working there for years and years. It’s a family owned and run business, and has a lot of Escondido locals that frequent the place. (Many of the Woody’s regulars and staff migrated here when they closed their doors.)
All in all it’s a comfortable, welcoming place to hang out, maybe catch a sports game, relax, and have some casual drinks and delicious food. It’s endeared itself to our family over the years and we plan to keep coming back for years to come.

I like this place! Very good prime rib– only available after 4. Good attentive service, nice environment. A little tricky find, but one you do you’ll be happy you did.
Bring a little change this place as its a little more pricey than a typical Mexican place– but it’s nicer with a full bar, and wine list.
Definitely worth a try for a meat eater, especially the prime rib and hamburgers. For Mexican I might venture elsewhere.
P. S. from 4 – 6 they have a twilight special with prime rib, grilled talapia, California chicken, or shrimp scampi for 13.95 includes sides.
Happy eating!