Jalapenos Mexican Grille

Place is consistently good. Can’t beat their burritos!

I like Jalapenos. Interesting back story because when they first opened years ago, the food was horrible. After a while they finally got it right and they started to get busy. I was really happy for them mainly because the place is literally walking distance from my house. Anyway, after a period of success, the owner decided to shutter the place and reopen as a Greek taverna, which I think was actually called The Greek Taverna. After their grand reopening, crickets. I heard it was good but literally no one I knew went there. Mindful of the error, the place again closed and voila, reopened as Jalapenos.
I wouldn’t consider myself a regular there, more like an infrequent guest but I do like their food. If they had a more a la carte bar menu I might actually consider heading over for Happy Hour. Sometimes chips and salsa aren’t enough and a full meal is too much. Maybe offer single tacos or just one enchilada, no rice or beans. Charge a dollar or two and I think you’d have a real winner.
The place is also not as authentic feeling as some other local places. Hacienda in Paterson, El Bandito in Spring Valley and La Fortaleza in Garfield are all more visually striking, hence my selection of 3 Stars. But if you’re looking for a local Mexican joint with some really good food and drinks, at reasonable prices, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

I really love Jalapenos but something is just not the same here after last nights visit.
The portions are extremely smaller than I remember for both mine and my boyfriends meal. (skirt steak with shrimp and the fajita poblana with skirt steak) The first time I ever ordered either of these entrees the portion sizes were doubled and left me with plenty of left overs. My steak tonight was extremely small and only four shrimp left me leaving the restaurant still hungry. The guacamole was excellent though compared to the last time I felt it was lacking flavor. The service was good over all, never leaving me with an empty drink and attentive. I just wish there were larger portions like when I first started coming here.

Unfortunate… been to Jalepenos 20+ times since moving to the area 3 years ago but our most recent visit was the deal breaker. The food has been what brought us back, but 2 of our last 3 visits have resulted in a private conversation with the manager and a free meal (trust me that’s not a good sign).
The service here is amongst the worst I have ever consistently encountered, and I would refer to as a black hole. If you need anything (including ordering food and drinks!!) expect to have to leave your seat in search of your waiter/​waitress. It’s inexcusable to the management to have the wait staff be so unattentive and perhaps it is a testament to poor ownership.
Until this place gets their service act together we won’t be back, really too bad…

Great Mexican food in a fun environment. I had their flan for dessert and it was the best I have ever had. I brought my friends family one night and now they travel 30 minutes to go back even with 3 Mexican restaurants in the town they live in. Highly recommend this restaurant

Always get the wings and fajitas. A huge fan. I am very picky when it comes to buffalo wings and Jalapenos does it right!

Super yummy food and sangria! I ordered soft shell shrimp tacos and was expecting to eat them with my hands but they were larger and rolled up similarly to enchiladas so I had to use a fork and knife. Either way it was delicious and my friends enjoyed their food as well. Service could of been a little better but all in all a cool place!

Come here alot for lunch and dinner. Food is very very good– I usually get a mix– chimichanga, enchilada, burrito. They are willing to swap items out, etc, so that is always good. The chimichanga is definitely my favorite. Their guac is good, and so is their melted queso dip. All in all great neighborhood place. Service can be iffy. Always either mediocre or bad, never had a great waiter unfortunately. Not mean, just distracted– don’t come around often enough, don’t refill drinks quickly. But the food is worth it.

So so my margarita came in a regular class not a margarita glass when I asked they said they had no margarita glasses it was a Friday night and a rare night we were alone without the kids. Hubby a sangria came in a regular glass as well not even a wine glass– we haven’t been here in a while and we won’t be back to pay $ 10 for a margarita in a glass not a margarita glass how can you call yourself a Mexican restaurant. Food was ok at best no customer service. Sad because I use to love this place now I have to travel to blue moon and la hacienda for better atmosphere and a margarita in a margarita glass!!!

This is my 5^th time here in the past 4 weeks! Each time has been a great experience. Food is delicious and authentic. Just moved to area and heard about there margaritas so I had to try it. To my pleasant surprise food is amazing! Staff is good the bartender is friendly and makes not only a great margarita but a good old fashion as well! Nice work!

giving this 1 star is even too much. the vegetable enchilada tasted like canned vegetables. The jalapeño peppers tasted like sweet pickles. it was the worst Mexican food I ever had. I do not recommend this restaurant.

If I could I would give this place 10 stars! This place is amazing. The food is great. You can see the kitchen and watch the chefs cook up their fabulous meals. Try the steak quesadilla!

Love love love this place. The food is great and the drinks are amazing. If you want a place were they serve great Mexican food this is the place to go.

I so want to give 5 star because I really love this place. People are super nice and I just had 3 delicious tacos (one chorizo, one beef, one pulled chicken). It’s kid friendly, margaritas are great, decent tequila selection, etc. The issue is service. They just can’t seem to get it together when things get busy. If you aren’t in a hurry, you should definitely try it out.

Came here because of the good reviews — DONT UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY CAME FROM. First off, service not great. Didn’t have utensils until the main course came, meanwhile every other table already had it on the table. Ordered guacamole as an appetizer, was extremely bland. Had to steal salt from the table next to us. Margaritas were good so figured there was a bright spot. Then the food came. Had butterflied shrimp (grilled camarones). Not bad, except that the skin of the shrimp was still attached and had to peel it off by hand. Girlfriend had arroz con pollo with shrimp added, but to find out at the end of her meal that the shrimp leftover were completely raw (first ones she ate were pink so she ate the next few without realizing). She then went to the restroom and threw up. Probably going to get food poisoning tomorrow on Mother’s Day, thanks!!!

Great food
Ok service. .was quite busy… i hate to wave to a waiter but I had to we were waiting for 15 min for the bill

Jalepenos is a fine place to dine. Plenty of seating, great atmosphere, awesome food, fantastic service! I’ve been here a dozen times and have tried many different dishes, all of them just as good as the next.
This place is busy and it can really get poppin’ at times. Meaning, lots of servers running to and fro, customer conversation buzzing around, friends meeting at the bar, etc. But it’s all good because no one gets in your way and the buzz is positive. It’s a «feel good» joint perfect for couples, singles, groups and families.
The parking is very good with a small lot in front and a bigger one in back. The place is big enough for all to feel comfortable with different sections to choose from. The bar is not loud and is sort of separated from 75% of the restaurant, although you can choose to sit and dine in the bar area.
Jalapenos is great, and I have never had a bad experience there, only good ones! And every time I walk in, it smells so freakin’ delicious!

I didn’t think I would like Mexican food. I was under the impression that everything is spicy. I’d also been to a popular local Mexican place where I didn’t like anything I ordered. I had a lot of trepidation going into Jalepenos. I was very pleasantly surprised. I got a chicken quesadilla and now that’s my go-​to meal when I go there. It’s delicious. My husband loves it there too. He’s always happy when I say I have a craving to go there. Kids eat free on Sundays so that’s a big score as well.
It’s also a great place for a Mom’s Night Out. I have been to several of those there and it’s the perfect place for it. The service is good, it’s inexpensive, generous portions, casual, big menu, and it’s consistently good food.

First time coming here and I got to say when someone says «make sure you’re hungry enough to go eat here» that’s when I know I’ll enjoy a pace because of their portions. I ordered the California short step burrito and my friend had one of the grilled salmon dishes. First off they bring out some tortilla chips with a dip to snack on till you’re meal is up so that’s a plus to me. When I got my dish I couldn’t help but notice the amount of food I’m about to devour. The dish has sides of guacamole, sour cream, rice and beans. All of which were a great addition to a juicy steak burrito. I only had a bite of the salmon dish but that was also very delicious. I’ll probably come back here again once my craving for a burrito sets in.

Good food and great Margarita’s. I especially was impressed that they made me a Jalapeño Margarita as I prefer a spicy one over sweet. It was fiery hot and delicious!
The food here is typical NJ Mexican.
I have tried their:
Guac — It was very creamy. Above average.
Nacho’s supreme — A bit messy and left a little too long under the heat lamp.
Burrito — Chicken California was good. Lot’s of filler, enough chicken and soft wrap.
Jalapenos Especial — Marinated grilled skirt steak & grilled chicken breast along with shrimp prepared in three different styles. Served with hand-​rolled flour tortillas, pico de gallo, guacamole, & sour cream. The shrimp was a little scary but otherwise a very good dish.
Viejo Churasco — Grilled skirt steak, topped with caramelized onions, & a side of sautéed plantains — My wife and I both liked it. Enough to bring home for leftovers.
The one gripe I had was service. First time around it was fantastic (wasn’t busy though). 2^nd time, very poor (busy). The waiter was MIA for a while several times. Silverwear was never brought out. Water was warm. Kitchen was hectic. The bartender was great though! She apologized for some mix-​ups and personally brought over drinks for us on the house… made up for lousy waiter.
Bar area is small but they have tall tables and only about 10 seats at bar…
Overall good Mexican food, fantastic drinks and a simple ambiance. ENJOY!