Javier’s Hacienda

My heart is broken. Javier’s was by far my favorite restaurant in Indianapolis. From the Diego dip to the Butter Tequila Shrimp, I had never had a bad thing there. 5 stars forever.

Some of the best street tacos in the city. Especially the pastor and chicken! All the staff are super friendly and nice. One of my favorite Mexican places in the city by far!

Easily the best guac in the world… atmosphere fantastic… my date beguiling and sexxy.

I’ve been driving past Javier’s Hacienda (what once was El Sol) semi-​frequently since moving to Indianapolis in 2010. While I’m absolutely a fan of Mexican food and enjoy seeking out new places to dine, I’d never taken the opportunity to stop at this restaurant on E. Washington, mainly because it’s not located in the most attractive part of town.
Then, one evening, a wild (stuffed) donkey appeared outside the door, balloons in tow! And, being the taxidermy enthusiast I am, I knew that Javier’s Hacienda needed to be added to my list of Mexican restaurants to try.
Friends, do not let the location or exterior of Javier’s Hacienda fool you. This place is, in a word, great!
Upon entering, you will realize that Javier’s Hacienda is much like the TARDIS: bigger on the inside. Seriously, this place is pretty insane. The entry way leads past the aforementioned and friendly-​looking donkey into three stories of open space, accompanied by exposed brick and Mexican decorations. This is not the average, tacky interior I expected. In the center of the room is a large stone fountain with multiple figures carved into the sides.
After opening up the menu, I quickly realize this is not your average Tex Mex destination. Words like «lamb shank» and «banana leaves» start to excite me. And their sides vary more from just rice and refried beans? Whaaaa?
The waitress asks if she can interest us in any appetizers. I decide that Platano Frito sounds pretty damned good — deep fried sweet plantains with sour cream and cojita cheese. She makes sure to mention that if we’re fans of guacamole, we should definitely try theirs. Go for it, I say! I love avocados!
We order the «hot» guacamole and the waitress enters the aptly named «Guacamoleville». Yes, Javier’s Hacienda has a bar that serves expressly as Guacamole Central. All of the guacamole is made to order. I watch our waitress carve up fresh avocados, and I’m all too excited to get this wondrous creation into my mouth! Moments later, it is served up in a lava stone bowl. I’ve only had guacamole this good in maybe one other place in town! Next time I may ask for «extra hot» as I only tasted heat in a few bites. Otherwise, sheer perfection!
For the main course, the boy and I decide to share the Fajitas Mexicanas with two meats: chicken and carne asada. What arrives is a far cry from any fajita I have ever experienced, and I mean that in the best way.
In another lava stone bowl, we are served up tender slices of chicken and medium rare (yay!) slices of steak in a sauce of onions, cheese, poblano peppers and spices. Seriously, this dish is beautiful, and it tasted even better than it looked. The onions had some char and tasted great, the meat was juicy and delicious, and I sopped up the remaining «soup» with some tasty corn tortillas. Blissssss.
Our waitress was very friendly and attentive, albeit new. She kept apologizing for very minor things, like moving our plates to accommodate food, or forgetting to take our menus away. No worries girl, you’ve got this!
I have to say, my experience at Javier’s is the first time in a LONG time that I considered Mexican food to be more than just «okay.» I sincerely look forward to the next time I dine here so I can try more of their menu options!

Formerly El Sol, think they had to change the name due to legal reasons. Same great food different name. It’s a tad overpriced but this place is the best authentic Mexican in town. Doesn’t matter what you get it’s all very good, the interior atmosphere is nice as well. My only complaint is I don’t go very often since its in kind of a ghetto location and off the beaten path. If you’re feeling adventurous give this place a try!

Love this place!!! It is the closest I’ve had to Arizona Mexican food (consider it a good measuring stick). We are here a week ago and returned last night for dinner and came back today for lunch.
First off don’t let the outside of the building scare you off, the inside is clean and will shock you with how different it is from the outside. They also make guacamole fresh inside and you can see them making it. They do have a nice bar area too.
Now onto the food– The salsa that comes with the chips is actually pretty spicy, but not over powering. The jalapeño queso has very very small pieces of jalapeño in it and is fantastic.
The margaritas are served in sizes small, large or pitcher. I got the special of the day and it was the top shelf margarita. It was really good and pretty strong.

For our main meals I got «Javiers Combination». It was really good and pretty filling (it’s a nice plate if you can’t decide). I was impressed with the plating. It the 1^st Mexican restaurant were it didn’t look like everything was just thrown in the plate. My wife got the steak «Street tacos”(4 comes in an order). I tried some and it was fantastic. I will get them next time to change my order up.
Dessert alone is a reason to come here. The chocolate flan is one of the greatest dessert ever! It looks like a layered cake. The top half is chocolate cake and the second layer is flan.(uploaded a picture) We shared the dessert the first visit and we have got our own since then. :)
Our lunch visit was nice because even with it being a Saturday they still had a lunch menu available (11am-​3pm). We both got the steak fajita burrito. It was really good, but the cheese sauce inside was a little too much for me. My wife on the other hand lives with the saying «you can never have too much cheese». She love it. Would I order it again… yes, but there are so many other things I wanna try or have again.
I very highly recommend this place. I heard the original owner has taken over the business again. People said it’s a good thing

Avoid. Saturday afternoon, we were the only customers. I ordered the carnita tacos… worst I’ve ever had… strangest meat I’ve ever had, small portions.
We did meet Javier, nice man.

We had dinner last night at Javier’s Hacienda for the first time since the restaurant reopened. The restaurant has returned to Javier’s ownership, the original owner of El Sol de Tala at this same location (he is not able to use the original name).
A taco special is offered on Thursday so we tried the tacos, an unusual dinner choice for us. All were complex and represented meats also served as a more complete entrée. After many years of eating here, we believe the success of the food is based on the complex flavors created, especially in the meats. Nothing is overplayed-​all melds into a delicious bite.
We have eaten in many Mexican restaurants, often in Mexican communities, in an attempt to find legitimate food offerings. This is one of the best whether Javier’s Hacienda or El Sol de Tala.
We are pleased to find the restaurant back on course as a long time Indianapolis best!

I’ve been coming to El Sol (now Javier’s) for 12 years now. After several bad experiences in 2010, I took a 5 year hiatus. I decided to give it another try today. I certainly was not disappointed! The atmosphere was great and the food very good. The margaritas were a little weak and you didn’t get a lot for the $ 8 guacamole, but ultimately still a very good experience all around. I would come back!

They were out of two of the four vegetarian filling options. I appreciate that they have more interesting veggie options than beans or cheese, but the corn option I had was pretty bland. I’m not that into mushrooms so I didn’t try that. They were also out of all varieties of Jarritos, which was disappointing. The salsa was just so-​so, but I enjoyed the salad that came with the entrée.
The interior is definitely interesting. There’s a large fountain in the center and it’s set up like you’re sitting in a painted courtyard. Completely windowless but the painting makes you forget about that somewhat. They shoveled the sidewalk just from the parking lot to their door, leaving the rest of the sidewalks full of snow and ice. Not a very good neighbor, IMO. Service was okay. I was out of water for quite a while before I got a refill. I’ll be looking for better Mexican restaurant options in the area.

Glad to see it was pretty busy this evening! But our waiter was still very attentive! The margarita was very strong. Very. And the food was delicious! I had the fish tacos. Baja tacos I think they were called and they were probably the best I’ve had in the city. The salsa was kinda weird but my husband liked it. Really good experience overall!

Outstanding!!!
Being from South Texas and knowing what good and legit Mexican food should be Javier’s is on the money!
I sat in the bar, staff was friendly and attentive. Beer selection is favored more for Mexican beers versus local craft. Which is great all around.
The presentation is a step above your usual plates with the beans and rice acting as platform for the protein. It was nice to get field greens versus shred ice burg lettuce for side.
Queso Fundido was spot on and enough for 4 people.
Price was excellent! I cannot think of any reason not to go for a first or fifth time.

Javier’s Hacienda is the place to have a good Mexican meal near downtown Indianapolis. Although the exterior is coarse and the neighborhood uninviting, Javier’s Hacienda is surprisingly gorgeous on the inside.
What separates restaurants serving a rather stock menu of ethnic foods from one another? I think it’s the effort to try to deliver an excellent product, and Javier’s definitely tries. The guacamole, while a bit pricey, is delicious and has an interesting presentation in a stone bowl.
The entrées are served with a mixed greens salad (way better than a boring pile of tired, shredded lettuce), and the sides of beans and rice are deliberately made to stand out on their own. The main dishes are outstanding and it’s obvious the chef wants you to enjoy the food.
Service is friendly and quick. I’m looking forward to my next meal here.

3.5 stars Heard they made a change to el sol and figured id check it out! I had the molcajete fajita type dish which was a cool presentation but I felt it over cooked the meat. Menu looks like they have some unique items and I definitely want to go back and try some other things. Food is better. Service is still lackluster besides the bus guy who did most of the work for my server. I gave him most of the tip while I watched her stand at the family or owners table and talk. It was pretty slow too. I will probably return with a group sometime to try some more food.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but Javier’s is El Sol with a different name? Maybe?
All of the wonderful food is still here, and Javier’s provides a truly authentic and fresh experience every time.
Some gems on the menu include the ceviche selection, which while not always in stock, is always delicious. The flavour profiles are very complex.
Javier’s has the best Michelada in this city hands down. It’s also bigger than your head.

Everything was very fresh. The guacamole was outstanding! The margaritas were the best I have ever had. Charro beans were very very good and authentic.
I’m going back!!!

Sad face. I never thought El Sol was the end-​all, be-​all of Mexican fare, but it had a certain charm. It was a good, cozy, casual fallback for nights when you didn’t feel like being more creative with your dining destination. It was never difficult to get a table, and the service was always excellent to boot. I’d have given it a solid 3.5 a couple years ago.
On the positive side, I’m glad that they decided to pare down the novel-​esque menu under Javier’s iteration of this business and also turn off the omnipresent and oppressive TVs that were constantly blaring by the end of the El Sol régime. But the food has gone downhill a bit. The veggie quesadillas were way too salty, the salad was drenched in dressing and the real margarita still had the saccharine quality the one made with a mix does. My dining partner said the tamales were dry as the desert sun. The complimentary salsa tasted oddly like marinara sauce.
The service is still good (but I feel bad they have to wear these terrible matador T-​shirts) and the atmosphere is basically the same old El Sol, disintegrating burro in the entryway and impressive stone fountain and all. But it’d take a special circumstance to bring me back here.

We arrived expecting El Sol but were not disappointed. The house margaritas were better than a typical house marg. The shrimp ceviche was spicy and flavorful. I had the steak quesadilla and it was very tasty. Only knock on it would be a little too much grease. The sautee needed to be drained off a bit. It was not as lively as previous visits and the décor is muted (no more animals in hats on the villa roof). Still, a very enjoyable night.

The amount of sadness that filled my heart when El Sol (previous name/​same location) closed earlier this year was pretty ridiculous. I felt like a little lost puppy without a bowl of amazing cheese dip trying to make her way in a world of sub-​par Mexican restaurant impostors. I don’t even feel like I’m exaggerating because I was legit sad, haha!
Along comes Javier’s Hacienda to make everything right again! Javier was the original owner of El Sol for over 25(ish) years and he is back and better than ever :) I’ve already been here at least 5 times since it reopened (I told you I was obsessed) and I was thrilled to see that the infamous jalapeño cheese dip and salsa was just the same as it used to be — albeit in a smaller bowl with a slightly higher price tag, but I don’t even care its so good (and I consider myself quite the cheese dip extraordinaire)! They have added some new items to their menu (I’m partial to the Baja Street Tacos) but still have some of the old favorites (like the 3 meat fajitas) as well!
Yay for Javier’s Hacienda!

I find the people at Javier’s Hacienda to be very friendly and that’s just one reason I like to eat there. The food is very authentic and you won’t find Mexican cuisine any better than this in Indianapolis.