If you are from the Syracuse area, chances are you have dined at, or at least heard of "Juanita's Mexican Kitchen."I ate there on 5/29/09 and here is my review.
Before I even set foot on the premises of Juanita's I had it in my mind to like, dare I say LOVE the food based upon what I have been told in the past. I have never met anybody that speaks ill of Juanita's. I walked in to the restaurant with opinions very high already of the famous Syracuse spot. After eating a meal there I left with a very different opinion.
First Impressions/ Atmosphere:
As you first walk in you do not immediately register that you are in a Mexican restaurant at all. Sure there are the token brightly colored woven rugs hung on one wall, and an occasional sombrero scattered about, but overall nothing that screams "FIESTA!" There was no music playing and I felt more like I was in a dimly lit cafeteria than a restaurant. After waiting for a few minutes to be seated a waiter escorted my dining partner and I to our booth, which was in the front of the room. The booth was comfortable enough but a draft from the front door got annoying FAST. I will get more into the service later on.
Overall rating for atmosphere: 2 out of 5.
Food:
As with any new restaurant I go to, I ordered an appetizer for our table to get a greater variety of the food than just a standard entree. The sampler platter ordered consisted of 3 parts : beef and cheese chimichangas, Mexican egg rolls, and Jalapeno poppers. The Beef chimichanga consisted of ground beef inside of a flour tortilla, which had been fried. The beef lacked any real seasoning and the tortilla was overcooked, dripping with oil from the fryer. The cheese chimichanga was slightly better, having a good flavor but bland texture from over frying. Next was the Mexican egg roll, which is very similar to that served by Chili's by way of there Southwestern egg rolls. The only comment I have about them is that they were pretty tasty but had a strange smoky flavor, which I didn't mind as much as my friend did. Lastly came the Jalapeno poppers, which were very obviously the same frozen appetizers anyone can get in the grocery store. Disappointingly, they were the best part of the starter. All three of these only came served with salsa, which was mediocre at best. For an entree I ordered enchiladas, which came served with re fried beans, rice, lettuce, and sour cream, all topped with a red sauce. The chicken in the enchiladas was very under-seasoned and lacked any character or flavor. They used a corn tortilla for the enchilada. I know this is standard but I thought that a flour tortilla would have made this dish salvageable. The re fried beans were standard, and the rice had no flavor at all. The quesadilla my friend ordered was no different. The same lackluster sides were served. We were so disappointed by the food that both of us took two or three bites and left the rest at the restaurant.
Overall rating for food was .5 out of 5
Service:
Service was the only thing about this meal that made my experience at Juanita's semi- enjoyable. All the servers were very friendly and helpful. The hostess was an elderly woman who seemed to know everyone, and made you feel like "one of the family." The only qualm I have with the service was for the price I paid for this meal, I expect the servers to be dressed a little nicer. The entire wait staff was wearing shorts, tee shirts, and sneakers. Maybe this is nit picky but when I spend money to go out to eat somewhere, I would like the wait staff to be dressed accordingly. The staff at Juanita's dressed more like they were working at Taco Bell than a sit down restaurant.
Overall rating for service 3 out of 5
Price:
I ended up paying almost $45 for the entire meal, and I ordered water for a beverage. I would not balk at this price if I enjoyed the food at all. The bland offerings at Juanita's are not worth the price they charge.
Overall rating for price is 1 out of 5
I would probably not ever go to Juanita's again, unless it was under new management, or had completely overhauled the kitchen staff. The atmosphere was not inviting or warm, and the food was wretched.
Overall rating for Juanita's Mexican Kitchen in Liverpool NY is 2 out of 5, and that is purely based off the friendliness of the wait staff.
