Jose’s Cantina

Typical Mexican American fare done right. The spinach enchiladas were filled with fresh spinach and onions and topped with queso and a mix of crisp lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. The rice and beans were nothing out of the ordinary. My husband had the cheese enchiladas. He said they were okay. My son had chicken enchiladas. He gives them 4 ½ stars. His only negative criticism is that they were a little dry. My daughter ordered the kids bean and cheese burrito which was huge. The margaritas are passable, but definitely made with mix. The server was very friendly. It was a good dining experience overall.

This was a bummer. It came highly recommended and the food was actually pretty great. However, they must have been short staffed. The hostess was nowhere to be found when we arrived. We sat down on a bench in the lobby after 5 minutes of waiting. Still no one came, even though they wanted us to «Please Wait To Be Seated.» Locals walked in and were seated immediately, which was ridiculous in and of itself. That’s another story. Anyway… It took a full ten minutes before anyone acknowledged us after being seated even though we were the only ones in line when we got there. Service was slow after that, too, but our waitress was kind and earned a good tip in spite of her coworkers’ lack of hustle. The food was delicious though. I’m not sure it was delicious enough to wait that long for. We had the homemade queso, and two wet chicken burritos.

An excellent place to eat, the Mexican fare is very well prepared and the Staff very friendly. It is owned by the Owners of Java Joe’s! I really enjoyed the Taco with Steak and rice!

This was one of the few places open past 9pm. When I walked in I was pleasantly surprised with the decorations and the thought that went into it (see pics). We were the only guests there at that time so I can’t comment on the service, but I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the food.
This is my favorite Mexican place in Michigan. I had the carnitas wet burrito and it was juicy and delicious! Would definitely recommend it especially if you like verde sauce because it was covered in it!

Good food, the fish tacos are great! The waitress Forgot to get my sons food though…

So here we are in MI and looking for Mexican food. This was a surprise to find a place this good up here. Then we found out that the cook was from San Diego. The salsa was not as spicy as we like it but good. I ordered the fajitas and they were sizzling and very tasty. My wife had an ala carte beef taco and said it was good. The rice and beans were also good. This is a great place for being in the UP.

We almost walked out before being seated, it was so cold inside that we requested to sit outside on the deck where it was much warmer. We questioned the waitress and she said it was cold in there because the owner was working in the hot kitchen. We suggested she tell the owner about our complaint and that we almost left. We also noticed others who were also cold.
I ordered a blended margarita. It was well blended, but I didn’t taste any tequila in it. We were also served chips and salsa. Chips came right out of the sack and the salsa right out of the can…
My wife ordered chicken quesadillas because she is on a no-​carb diet. We asked for a substitution for the rice and beans, the waitress said they don’t do substitutions. Her menu item clearly stated that it came with avocado dip. It was served without. We questioned the waitress and she told us that you have to ask, because so many people were throwing it out. I really doubt that assumption since the cost of avocados is pretty high.
I ordered the surf and turf combination which was a fish enchilada with a beef burrito and fish tacos. They are supposedly famous for their fish tacos… UGH! The tacos were watery and sloppy and tasteless, the burrito was OK, but cold, the fish enchilada had no fish taste at all, and the fish in there was unidentifiable. Everything was so poorly seasoned. There was also no salt or pepper at the table.
My chair on the deck was very hard and was without a cushions.
Do your wallet a big favor and stay away from this over-​priced slop house.

Stopped at this place on the way to Munising. Our usual restaurant was closed so we opted for Mexican. Well I have to give it a two big thumbs down. Service was horrible and slow. Weakest ice tea ever, refills with no ice? What? In ice tea? Hmmmmmmm. Chicken had no seasoning. I mean nothing. Plain not even a hint of orange coloring. Lol. We eat all the time in Southwest Detroit where authentic Mexican food is served. This place is garbage we won’t be stopping in our way back. Oh and lastly what kind of place only offers one type of salsa.

We’re conscious diners, and in the absence of truly healthy food options, we’ve always considered Jose’s to be our nightly place to go on our week up north. Not anymore, after this year.
Joe is so friendly and I know he cares about customers and also food. But, perhaps the economy has forced some unwelcome changes here.
Chips used to be served with a fresh made pico that rocked, and the chips themselves were great. Now, it seems to be Tostitos and restaurant supply salsa. We ordered guacamole, which used to be made with fresh mashed avocados. Now, it seems to be that green gunk from a plastic tub at the grocery with a few cubes of fresh avocado for appearances. Dishes I used to love seem to be made with the cheapest possible ingredients now, from the abominable «lettuce» through the tortillas and literally everything.
Although I don’t drink, I noticed alcohol comes out fast and large, and food comes slowly. This is not a coincidence.
They now charge extra for almost anything normal you might want with a mexican meal. If you order that pico you used to love? They give you about a teaspoon of it (not exaggerating) on a bed of restaurant supply shredded lettuce and they charge you for it.
My tip is, notice there’s sliced avocados on the «appetizer» menu, it’s about $ 3 or $ 4 for half a sliced avocado. Get it despite the price if you’re determined to eat here, and add it to your food for something worth eating out of the whole mess.
My other tip is for the teenaged boy of about 14 perpetually wearing his Nike «Just Dunk It» Tshirt who appeared to be «working» a summer job here. The tip: get your butt in gear, kid. Women are literally scrambling around you to work, while you sulk and wonder who’s thinking you’re cool. News flash: you’re 14 and not cool, and Joe is paying you to work, so bus some tables and look alive.
Need to find a new restaurant up here or we’ll have to say goodbye to St. Ignace.

Looked at the reviews on Unilocal and took a chance and went the fish taco was awesome and my man hade wet burritos awesome the best we have had in a long time it’s a must to go. we had a wonderful waiter too she was so nice always had a great smile made us feel like we came to the right place

Ick. Service great. Food not. Pop flat. Beer had ¼ gone when bottle (Pacifico) served and with no lime and warm. Chicken fajitas were soo blah. Gross guacamole. Really peppery salsa. Tortillas were gummy/​chewy. «Wet» beef burrito was nasty. Kids ordered chicken strips and fries and those were DELISH! Stick to the kids’ menu.

Food was decent; service was slow at first but the waitress had a large group placed in her section just before us. Overall, a decent choice.

This place is not even trying. Everything is from a mix or a can. The booths are nicely painted. Decent view of lake.

Wife and I came here as soon as we got in town on our honeymoon because we were staying at the baymont next door. This place was amazing. I got the chicken wet burrito and the wife got flautas. Amazing food. Amazing view from the deck. Only reason why its not a 5 star is because they didn’t have Malibu or a few beers listed. Wife LOVED her Margarita too

Not sure where to start. Looks like a 70’s Red Lobster on the inside. Nice view from the deck, but with punishingly uncomfortable deck furniture so may or may not be worth it.
Staffed with lots of middle-​aged women. The hostess had bandages all over her face. Very appetizing.
Waitress brought a basket of chips and salsa and then disappeared for fifteen minutes, so long that the hostess came by and asked if a waitress had stopped to see us. I ordered a house margarita, which came to the table bizarrely warm, despite the ice, and without even a hint of tequila in it.
I ordered the chicken combination – a burrito, a tamale, and a couple of taquitos. Nothing on this plate was fresh or homemade or even remotely interesting. Bland, unseasoned, boiled chicken filling wrapped up in gummy grocery store tortillas, GFS salsa, Old ElPaso red sauce.
Daughter requested a crispy and a soft taco. Waitress said they couldn’t do that. Make two different tacos and put them on one plate for a six-​year-​old? Okay, then – two crispy tacos. She got two soft tacos.
Son ordered crane asada burrito. Bland, rubbery bottom round and lettuce in a tortilla: that’ll be $ 14.
Husb ordered whitefish, because you apparently can’t operate a restaurant in the Straits without selling whitefish. Bland and rubbery, overlooked badly. Menu said it came with tortillas – he requested tortillas and was told that they didn’t come with. She charged us $.99 for tortillas.
Maybe one of the worst eating experiences I’ve ever had. Would not recommend to anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Came during a Summer Sunday evening lull. We were surprised at how well established and large the place was. The waterfront porch dining looked to be a big plus.
Food was pretty darned good — quality that’d be easy to find along Vernor Ave in Detroit might completely elude Yooper Country, but it appears that Jose really wanted to buck that fate. He succeeded.
Fish Tacos were as great as advertised, as were the Carnitas. Son LOVED the sopapillas too!
Presuming that you hit the place when they’re not overcrowded, you’ll be very happy.

Good food. I had the flautas. Nice and crisp. Guacamole was good. Service was very quick. Recommended if you want Mexican.

If you absolutely must have your Mexican American food fix then check it out.
The food is mediocre at best and the beans/​rice, that you get at most Mexican American restaurants, was flavorless. I’ve never had refried beans that had zero flavor. My kids eat anything and even they left it alone.
I tried the Baja Fish Tacos which are rated on the menu as a very popular dish and they were decent but not great.
I understand the location is in a touristy area but the inflated prices should at least ensure the food is worth it. Unfortunately in this case it wasn’t.
The service was good. Our waitress was attentive and friendly which is the only reason I give two stars. The food was one star.

Had a steak burrito here. Portion was on the smaller side, but still cost $ 12. The burrito itself was subpar. I had to drench it in hot sauce to get more of a kick to it. Being from California (in a community largely comprised of hispanics), I have a higher expectation for Mexican food, and Jose’s Cantina didn’t get close to it. Chips and salsa were decent. Service was fine.
In the end, I probably wouldn’t recommend this place to others…

Debated between a two and three star, but group consensus was a two.
Food was expensive. Service was okay. They charge you additional for EVERYTHING: want ½ oz of cheese for your fajita that didn’t come with cheese in the first place? $ 1 extra. Want black beans in your wet burrito? $ 1 extra. Absurd, you’re already paying $ 13 per cheap meal!
And the food was unseasoned, and there was no salt at the table. I ordered the Burrito del Muerto: spicy, but tasteless. Not spicy in a good way, it was just a senseless hot that did nothing for the dish.
Just disappointed overall. Definitely not coming back.