Reviews for Jalapeno's Taco Bar

04/15/2016 - Tamara
The first time I came here was Cinco de Mayo, when the restaurant was fairly new. It was packed for the holiday and the service was very slow and drinks weak--but not just because it was a holiday, it was obvious they were way understaffed, they should have known to staff up for May 5. Gave it some time and decided to give it a second chance. Big mistake. We paid $36 for basically 2 drinks. The service was OK, but because the drinks were so weak it was a complete rip-off. We ordered 2 jalapenoritas, jumbo size for $10 each. They had no alcohol in them, it was all syrup. Ordered 2 shots of patron to throw in there (one in each drink) to make the drinks "normal", so the drink charge breakdown was $10 for first non-alcoholic jalapenorita + $10 for second non-alcoholic jalapenorita + $8 for first shot of patron + $8 for second shot of patron, just to make the drinks decent. Told the server and she said she'd tell the bartender, but it was Never Addressed. The manager should have come over and at least apologized. Will definitely not go there again. It was pretty telling that during Friday beginning of dinner rush there were only 6 tables seated. Will be surprised if they do not close down before end of the year. Really awful business model of weak drinks and poor service when there are so many good Mexican/Tex-mex restaurants in Austin.

03/02/2013 - Bruce
I bought 2 $10 Groupon coupons for this place. After I used the first one to purchase some tacos, I wished I hadn’t purchased the second. The tacos were awful. I decided to use the second coupon and tried some tamales, which were also awful (I couldn’t even bring myself to finish the third, they were that bad). Not only is the food awful, it is way overpriced. The tamales were $2.29 each. I can get 3 much better tamales for $2.75 from the taco wagon that comes by my office every day (their tacos are also much better and cheaper than this place). Also, I called my order in for the tamales. I was told they would be ready in 5 minutes. After 15 minutes, they told me it would be a few more minutes and that I could wait in their “bar area.” I expressed my displeasure. One of the waitresses told me they had been busy. The place was practically empty. Suddenly, my order was ready. So, I’m assuming they were hoping I would buy a drink while they made me wait. But, because other customers could hear me expressing my displeasure, they decided to give me my order and get me out of there. I will never go back.