New Zealand Herald

Reviews for Jalapeno’s Mexican Grill

by Alysha B.
28th April 2013

Felt really disappointed after giving this restaurant a second chance. My tacos were soggy with only meat in it. Felt like I had wasted my money

by Anita E.
14th February 2013

Our food took a long time to arrive even though the restaurant was almost empty. We were stunned by the minuscule serving size of the tacos. When we asked the waitress if there was any salad that came with them even she looked embarrassed. We left feeling disappointed, ripped off and hungry. Avoid.

by Glenn T.
10th December 2012

I went to Jalapeno’s for the first time today.
Had lunch there, the food was superb. Very busy and rightly so. Authentic Mexican.
Try it! You will not be disappointed.

by Hank
18th September 2012

Dropped in for lunch today with my girlfriend and was very pleased at what we got. We ordered a burrito each and a plate of nachos to share. As it turns out, this was too much as the portions were quite generous.

The grilled beef burrito I got was great. There was plenty of beef inside and it was very well marinaded and juicy. In fact, the only complaint I have was that there was a bit too much juice in it that made it a bit messy to eat! Other than that, I felt it was more meaty and had less rice and beans filler than most other burritos I’ve had in Auckland.

The Nachos were crunchy and delicious, no complaints there! I was surprised at the guacamole, which was chunky and was clearly made out of real avocado. Also, the guacamole was free, which is a breath of fresh air when almost every other place wants an extra dollar for it! The nacho chips themselves were also different from the stuff you get from the other places. It’s hard to describe, but I would say that it’s harder and crunchier.

Overall I was very pleased with the food at Jalapeno’s and will definitely be returning for lunch more often. I don’t know how authentic the food is because I’ve never been to Mexico, but it’s a breath of fresh air to find a Mexican place where not everything is slathered in cheese.

by Lydia C.
17th August 2012

Two of us came to eat dinner on a Friday night. We were seated immediately and in about 5 minutes had decided what to order, so we placed our menus on the table. We waited for a while and realised no waiter had come to see us and we were getting hungry. I looked at the counter and noticed 4 staff members standing in a circle, talking. We watched them for a few minutes, hoping to be noticed. I turned around and noticed two other tables of diners looking up at the counter, waiting for some attention/service from staff as well. I made eye contact with staff members about 5 times with no response, before someone finally came to take our order.
The food was fine, though “medium” spice was very very mild.
Cocktails were BEAUTIFUL, so tasty.
Just a real pity about the service. I’m on a quest to find the best Mexican food place in Auckland… I’ll keep looking.

by Ashley K.
25th July 2012

We went here for lunch today and were disappointed. The woman recommended the fish taco so we got one. It came out covered in mayo, literally drenched in mayo. I took one bite and the fish was cold inside, not warm. We told her and without asking if we wanted a new one she took it and brought it back hot. Not because they made a new one but because they put it in the microwave! Sorry but hot mayo is disgusting, and really grossed us out, we didn’t even take another bite. Besides the fish taco, the enchiladas were just ok nothing special. It’s no wonder the place was empty at lunchtime! We will never go back!

by Susan
7th July 2012

Had read the excellent reviews and was very much looking forward to an authentic and delicious Mexican meal.
Unfortunately this was not the case.
Our meals were average in flavour, had little spice (even when we had specified otherwise), and we’re barely even warm. Needless to say we were disappointed. But hey, at least it was cheap!

by Jessica
19th June 2012

I love the food here, I walk 30 mins there and back just to get takeaway Jalapeno’s. I recommend the quesadillas, with home made guacamole and corn tortillas. Delicious and worth the wait that some people have complained about in other reviews.

by Tim W.
13th May 2012

I’m probably the first customer of this great Mexican joint, I’m probably the most recent customer, and I’m probably the most frequent customer.

It’s about as authentic as you get (talk to the staff!), so if it’s not what you expect, just be open minded and try some real mex.

I like all the dishes, but the Alhambre is the best.

by Amy
30th April 2012

I am quite new to Auckland, only have been here for 3 months and from Texas. I had to find a place that served comparable Mexican food in NZ, and glad I somehow found Jalapeno’s. Their homemade corn tortillas and the spiciness of their salsa truly reminded me of the great Mexican food I would have in Texas. The owners are from Mexico..and have some people from South America helping work there (which doesn’t matter). I like the alambre a lot, great portions and their beans and rice are delicious. Also, the horchata is yum. And they are the only place in Auckland so far that has authentic Mexican tequila sold in the States, that are nearly impossible to find in NZ. Respect! Will be coming back here when I crave Mexican comfort food

by theTaster
20th December 2011

I went there today and asked for the Special, burrito+drink, I go there quite often and always order for takeaway, the food is excellent, great taste and portion, I really enjoy the the way it is made, really Mexican way. However, I think you should be a bit faster when taking takeaway orders, I spent an average of 10 – 15 min each time and sincerely it’s too much. So I recommend the manager to see this issue and improve it, it’s easy and all customers will be more satisfied.
Thanks

by Gareth
7th October 2011

I ate here for dinner on a Friday night, I got the Enchiladas, I’m glad I paid $2 extra for Jalapenos (surprised they are not included) and $2 for guacamole cos the chicken was quite plain on it’s own. Overall it was ok, but not as good as my meal at Mexicali Fresh last Sunday, just cos the meat was more tasty there.

by Antonio R.
7th September 2011

I work for the Hispanic Club and have heard great things about this new restaurant from our customers and will be going soon. I was not surprised to read the review from Daniel H, over the last 10 years we have heard many stories of the Mexican Cafe (worst Mex place ever, and their fake “mexican owner” thats actually Brazilian – wrong culture darling) running dirty trick campaigns against any nearby mexican or latino places until they go bust. Best of Luck to Jalapenos, authentic is always better than fake and its good that they are educating kiwis of what is real Mexican food.

by Valentina A.
28th June 2011

Jalapenos Mexican grill is the best Mexican restaurant in Auckland. The food is delicious, fresh, fast and cheap and the staff is soooo friendly. The decorations are so colourful and very Mexican!
Jalapenos is unique, big and not over crowded with things.
Go Jalapenos!!!!

by Jessica M.
25th June 2011

I’ve try almost all the menu and i’ve loved everything, everything is really tasty, fresh and healthy.

I’m an enchiladas and alambre fan and i also love the chicken quesadilla, it’s like being at home.

I love the decoration, it looks really mexican but fancy and contemporary at the same time.

Thanks guys!!!

by sandra
24th June 2011

I am a big fan of Mexican food and Jalapeños is by far the best Mexican restaurant in Auckland right now as its menu is wide, tasty and cheap! I love the fact that they make their own tortillas, also the guacamole is superb as it is homemade plus the nachos are also fresh. This is amazing for me and for the people I recommended this place, we think that absolutely everything we tasted has been great. Jalapeños has become my favorite Mexican restaurant in Auckland!

by Alistair I.
23rd June 2011

Great spot, friendly, clean and not the ordinary Mexican that is all over the place. I really like how they make their own ingredients. I’ll be going back with friends very soon.

by Daniel H.
23rd June 2011

Worst mexican I have ever had unfortunately. A burrito was advertised as $15 on the menu – when we questioned this, they reduced the price to $13.90. Against our better judgement we ordered and were served up a burrito made with a bread wrap from a plastic bag, warmed for about 10 seconds. It was tasteless and filled with mostly rice and beans – very little meat. A real disappointment. There are much better Mexican places in Auckland – they may be expensive compared to Mexico but nothing could be as bad as the slop we were served here !!! Would be surprised if this place is still here in 3 months…oh hang on rip off time as the World Cup is almost upon us.

Comment from Team J. of Jalapeno’s Mexican Grill 27/07/2011    Hide »

Hi Daniel H. or dh0l as your View Auckland nickname. Here is the…    More »

Hi Daniel H. or dh0l as your View Auckland nickname. Here is the exact same reply I did to you in View Auckland:
“This is the first time I see this review. I’m the owner of Jalapeño’s Mexican Grill and you could find me on the premises if you have any concerns/queries. I don’t need to hide my identity if I want to say something. As a true Mexican I respect everyone’s opinions and I’m not ashamed to expose my point of view.I do respect your opinion and if you didn’t like the burrito you could tell the manager, call or email and we would gave your money back…but shame you didn’t! We do not do fake Mexican food as most of the places here in New Zealand, it is against our principles to lie about what we offer as we are proud of where we and our food come from. We are an authentic Mexican Food restaurant from tip to tail and my team, food and products are the prove. We don’t say we are authentic just by having sombreros around and call Mexican food to something is not.There is a whole range of cheap and expensive Mexican restaurants in Auckland that offer fake Mexican food and use low quality products that you can choose from. Those places can’t even made guacamole with natural avocado, a real salsa with fresh ingredients, fresh beans or homemade corn tortillas which are the very basics. But they can offer you taco shells and a whole range of weird things that ARE NOT PART OF OUR TRADITIONAL FOOD.Our prices are based on our high quality ingredients (local and imported) and if you have any doubt I invite you to come to the restaurant and verify.Just FYI we have a lot of regulars as they like real Mexican and real Fresh food and we work hard every day to offer them and everyone else the best products and service we can. Alejandro Olaya Owner Operator – MEXGRILL INTERNATIONAL LIMITED”

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