Jacalito Grill

Great restaurant, delicious food! Been frequenting this place since Mauricio’s on Rosedale went downhill.

They made the guacamole in front of me. It has nothing but avocado and pico de gallo in it. It’s good as is pretty much everything I’ve ever ordered here. The service is good, occasionally slow. They get a lot of people in and out and good lunch specials.

All I have to say is the guacamole here has mayonnaise in it! Gross. This is 1. Not authentic and 2. Disgusting. Not to mention the prices are the highest I’ve seen for Mexican food. And I’m from the Bay Area where prices are higher than most places. The staff is nice and they serve alcohol. If it weren’t for this id be giving this place zero stars.

This restaurant definitely turned it around. The service is much better. The food taste better and they also added more food for their happy hour such as empanadas and chicharrones. Benjamin the bartender rocking the drinks. Very courteous staff. Very much improved. Upbeat music for the perfect ambience. Gonna start hitting this place on a weekly basis. Owner very friendly. Keep it up guys!!!

If you are in the market for subpar Mexican food at exorbitant prices, this is the place for you!
The three of us spent $ 75 for:
— guacamole that was bland-​with very old tasting Pico de gallo mixed in.
— crappy iced tea & coffee (how do you screw that up?)
— tap water that tasted like it was from a garden hose.
— greasy and flavorless tacos.
— unseasoned & dry chicken/​shredded beef enchiladas.
— rice & beans seriously lacking in flavor and quantity.
One thing that was free…, was the nasty smell of greasy tacos imbedded in my husbands shirt that we immediately had to wash when we got home.
The increase in prices here, absolutely do not warrant the poor quality food.
To be fair, the service was good, though.
We will not be back… see ya!

This place is great for a week night or a weekend evening. Here, you find a relaxing atmosphere with great drinks and food. And let’s be real here… constant bowls of chips and salsa is ideal, right?
So, I’ve tried a few things at Jacalito Grill. I usually get their chicken salad. It sounds boring, but it’s topped with a Mexican Caesar dressing and other delicious toppings. Most recently, I had the chicken empanadas at happy hour. They were filled with chicken and beans and served with a chipotle sauce. YUM.
The prices here are pretty decent overall, but considering the quality of the food they are fantastic! I recommend Jacalito Grill for an easy night out.

Price price price price price!!! The food at this restaurant is pretty good but for Mexican food in Bakersfield the prices they charge are absolutely ridiculous. I have frequented this restaurant for years and recently noticed an insane price increase to the menu. For example Fajitas used to cost me $ 12.95 and now they are $ 17.95 that is a 39% increase. That is just crazy. I will find another place to eat as the food is not worth that kind of money.

Only giving them 2 stars because the hostess was super nice. The food was sub par and extremely iver-​priced. $ 20 for one plate at lunch is ridiculous for mexican food. The rice was crunchy and the ice tea tasted like coffee! Will not be going back!

Even with so many restaurant choices in the area our top choice is STILL Jacalito Grill. It might be pricey for mexican food but they serve a great meal every time we visit!

Their food isn’t that great here but I always come back due to the bar being so convenient for me. If you are looking for some drinks and appetizers, this is your place! Big sports bar and a good atmosphere.

I cannot understand how anyone could love this place. I liked the atmosphere and really enjoyed the patio. The food was really terrible. I asked the waiter what a sauce was on my plate (resembled curdled milk and tasted like it) and he said he had no idea. If you just want a beer outside its perfect. Don’t get the food! I went starving and ate a little even though it was nasty and know that my stomach is going to be messed up already.

Jacalito Grill has recently become our favorite Mexican place in Bakersfield. The service is great! You usually can get seated without a wait. We really like the Chile Relleno, Shrimp Ranchero and the Beef tacos! Be sure to get the table-​side guacamole! It’s great, too! Everything we’ve tried on the menu is delicious and worth trying.

Came in on a Tuesday there is only on waitress on the bar side. Have been waiting over an hour for three Tacos. Have still not received food no chips and salsa that I asked for. I cannot give a review on food because I still have not received anything!

Not the best Mexican restaurant. I think people go for the bar atmosphere. I dined in the afternoon, and another day I dined at night. The restaurant was not packed; however, food was hot but nothing to brag about, and service was good but not attentive.

I wanted authentic traditional Mexican food — with lots of pico de gallo, spicy/​limy/​zesty sauce-​the whole shabang. So I was disappointed when my food didn’t look anything like my preference of Mex food.
Chips and salsa were very bland. The salsa was a runny, black sauce with onion bits. I like my pico de gallo salsa just fine. I asked for spicy sauce to accompany with my entrees and the waiter brought out the same salsa. No bueno.
First entrée: Two Beef enchiladas with beans and rice: the meat was juicy and tender. But thats all I liked. ($ 13)
Second Entrée: Two Mexicano Beef Tacos: again, their meat is phenomenal. But the tacos came out with lettuce and cheese. Where’s the onions? cilantros? pico de gallo? This also came with rice and beans. Very unusual and pricy for two small tacos. ($ 15)
I do like the spaciousness of the place!

This spot is right by our house and since my family loves mexican, we frequent it. They are a great spot for little kids and love that we’re rarely the only ones there with a toddler. In general, the service is quick and attentive and the food is yummy.
Their chips and salsa are addicting, their enchiladas are wonderful, and their chile rellenos are made from real, fresh chilis.
WARNING: if you notify them of someone’s birthday, they take this as a request to sing. I know this is not unusual for a restaurant. However, what is, that when they do this, they bring out a plate of flan. Again, yes, bringing a dessert to the birthday person isn’t strange either. BUT, adding the cost of the flan to your ticket because you «requested» they sing by merely mentioning someone’s birthday is a bit irritating. The flan isn’t expensive, but I’m not a fan of being charged for something I didn’t’ specifically order. If they are going to charge for such things, it should be stated explicitly. In our case, no one really liked flan, so we paid for something we didn’t ask for or eat.
With that said, in general, their food is good. Their fresh guacamole (made at the table — note you can order guacamole not made at the table, it is not as good) is amazing. Their service is at least on par or better, and overall it is a decent choice for Mexican food in the northwest.

We tried this place wanting to give another Rosedale Mexican restaurant a try. We went in on a weekday afternoon around 2:00 so the place was pretty cleared out.
We were promptly greeted and seated and our drink order was taken. This menu was very big! As usual with most Mexican restaurants.
They returned with our drinks and some chips and salsa and we said we needed a few more minutes to decide. My husband chose the chili verde plate and I selected the cheese enchilada rice and beans. So they promptly took the order asked my husband if he wanted corn or flour tortillas and away she went.
The salsa and chips were nothing but average. The salsa was not a pico de gallo it was a runny thin type.
Our meal was delivered and my husbands chili verde looked amazing and he verified that it was very good only to confirm it by cleaning his plate. My enchilada plate was very good but cheese enchiladas are not hard to mess up but the enchilada was full of cheese and the sauce was nice. The rice was fluffy and beans had a bit of a lard flavor which I like.
We both really liked our meals and definitely will be back it was a really nice meal with great service with decent prices.

Nice place. Chips and salsa came out immediately. Salsa was deep red with real chunks of onion and peppers, really good. It had just the right amount of heat to it. Tasty and hot
I ordered the number 12, (beef taco, chi ken enchilada, and shredded beef burrito)
Started with the taco and it was so good I was hoping I didn’t make a mistake ordering the others. The shredded beef burrito was very god as well; however it was almost all beef, very little anything else. The chicken enchilada was very tasty.
In the end I had two margaritas and the bill was still less than 30 bucks
Great place great food
I’d recommend it
Bryan

Taco Tuesdays. Happy Hour. Beer.
That about sums up my reasons to come here.
Their happy hours specials run later into the evening, so kudos for that. Their tacos are pretty average and I thought they were lousy until I found the toppings bar hidden away in the corner. Their fried zucchini sticks are s’okay. Service is slow in the bar area and it takes awhile to get your food. The patio is nice in the spring and fall. Parking is horrible in that strip mall.
It’s OK, and that’s about it. The quest for a magical Taco Tuesday spot continues…

By far the best place you can go to for Mexican food. ANYTIME of day, whether you’re there in the morning for their signature Bloody Mary’s or in the evening for shrimp tacos and cadillac margaritas, this place will not disappoint. Their staff are the best and are always accommodating even on the busiest days. After conversing with the staff there, it is said that their produce and foods are hand selected at farmer’s markets throughout the area. Thanks for keeping it real Jacalito, I will be returning soon.
***** — Service (not common for these type of establishments)
***** — Drinks (Any margarita)
**** — Food (Mole, burritos, tacos, rice plates)
**** — Ambience (Mixed crowds provide a different look of Bakersfield)
**** — Price (food and drinks for two = $ 40)
*** — Chips and Salsa (Free but the food trumps all)
** — Parking (enjoy the walk y’all)