[Limey]

Ay Jalisco's is okay but nothing special for our tastes. We now go to a new ownership Mexican restaurant in Lady Lake called 'Fresh Jalapeno' which is owned by a Mother & Son who does all the cooking and everything is made fresh every day, and it is noticeable. They are on 441/27 before Fruitland Park at the red light on the right. Since we have been here, it has always been a Mexican eatery and it had frequent health issues but the new owners made it very clear that they have zero connection with any previous owners. Service was prompt, happy servers and very clean!

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by shaw8700@outlook.com

If ever you find yourself tootling along in your golf cart, feeling rather peckish, and you pass Ay Jalisco, just keep going. Nothing to ‘eat’ here.

Ay Jalisco! is the best Mexican restaurant in The Villages. (I also like Casa Agave, on 301 in Wildwood a hundred yards north of 44, but it’s not in The Villages.) In both restaurants, I recommend the Enchiladas Rancheras substituting cheese for meat. Try them! In any !
Mexican restaurant, some dishes are tastier than others, and you have to go there enough to learn your favorites. For example, some make great chile rellenos and some don’t. Try the Cadillac Margarita at Ay Jalisco! and the Top Shelf Margarita at Casa Agave. Both much better than your usual margarita. Ay Jalisco also has a lovely patio where you can eat outside in the shade and enjoy lovely Spanish Springs and hear the music from the square a block away.

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Very mediocre food and terrible service. I asked the server if they could make the tacos with ground beef. She said yes, but brought me tacos with shredded pork, and never returned to the table. I left no tip.

I hate to say it, but the best tacos in The Villages are at Taco Bell. They use ground beef, and they have actual taco sauce. Other Mexican restaurants use shredded beef or chicken, and, if you ask for taco sauce, you get a blank stare.

Lots of restaurants around here are screwing up orders. Last night I ate at MezzaLuna. My date asked for her eggplant Parmigiana with no mozzarella on top and no pasta, but it came with the cheese. Wednesday night we went to Thai Ruby and specified no rice, but they brought it on the side. It happens.

I first went to Taco Bell in 1972 and soon was eating there several times a week. However, if your idea of an edible taco is Taco Bell, I can’t trust you to judge any other tacos. Hard taco shells are not Mexican, and ground beef on tacos is not Mexican, and while I like Taco Bell hot sauce a lot, it is not like any salsa I’ve eaten in Mexico. If you read this, go to Netflix and search under Taco Chronicles and watch that enthralling documentary about the varieties of real tacos in Mexico, none made with hard shells or ground beef. Last time I was in Mexico I got to eat tacos like this every day with tortillas hand made on the spot. So delicious! Nothing at all like Taco Bell tacos, which are NOT delicious.

[airstreamingypsy]

Ay Jalisco is delicious, at least what I always order is. I get the CAMARONES A LA CREMA. Yum.....

[Marmaduke]

Originally Posted by Randall55

I remember going to the restaurants in the Villages for the first time. Disappointment is an understatement. After nearly 20 years living here, I cannot give you a solid recommendation. One or two items are tasty in most of the restaurants. You should try various dishes until you find something you like. Orlando and Ocala have great restaurants. The only time we dine out is when we are out of the bubble.

Ocala is wonderful for restaurant choices without the white knuckle traffic in the city.
So many choices are consistently excellent.
Not white tablecloth dining of yesteryear, but food, drinks and service are great.

[maistocars]

Originally Posted by Blueblaze

Like most folks (myself included), I see you like TexMex, not Mexican. Unfortunately, the farther you get from the Texas, the less likely you are to get TexMex. Real Mexican restaurants are usually run by real Mexicans, and that's what you usually find, when you find a Mexican restaurant 1,500 miles from Texas.

I haven't had a decent fajita since we moved here from Houston. Like Quesadilla's, it's not a dish you would find in Mexico. And I completely agree -- tacos are not improved with pork or shredded beef, much less fish! But I love fajita burritos if they're made with real grilled steak.

That said, I think Ay Jalisco is better than some of the other Mexican joints we've tried here. I'd hate to see them close.

Ahhh, but there is a Torchy's Tacos an hour away - just went there on Thursday. Best green chili queso and frozen margaritas ever! Went there all the time in Texas.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by MandoMan

Lots of restaurants around here are screwing up orders. Last night I ate at MezzaLuna. My date asked for her eggplant Parmigiana with no mozzarella on top and no pasta, but it came with the cheese. Wednesday night we went to Thai Ruby and specified no rice, but they brought it on the side. It happens.

I first went to Taco Bell in 1972 and soon was eating there several times a week. However, if your idea of an edible taco is Taco Bell, I can’t trust you to judge any other tacos. Hard taco shells are not Mexican, and ground beef on tacos is not Mexican, and while I like Taco Bell hot sauce a lot, it is not like any salsa I’ve eaten in Mexico. If you read this, go to Netflix and search under Taco Chronicles and watch that enthralling documentary about the varieties of real tacos in Mexico, none made with hard shells or ground beef. Last time I was in Mexico I got to eat tacos like this every day with tortillas hand made on the spot. So delicious! Nothing at all like Taco Bell tacos, which are NOT delicious.

Isn't everyone entitled to their own opinion about what is delicious? To me, tacos and burritos are handheld foods, like hot dogs, burgers, and sandwiches. I don't like eating tacos and burritos with a knife and fork, which is usually the only way to eat them in most restaurants, along with rice and beans which most people leave on their plate. I like taco sauce, which is sold in grocery stores in a jar and included in the taco kits. It is not the same as salsa. The kit recipe calls for ground beef, not shredded beef. By the way, Taco Bell does not claim to be authentic Mexican food. They call it Mexican inspired food.

[DrHitch]

Of all industries that have to monitor social media for a firestorm, the restaurant industry faces the biggest tidal wave of negative reviews.

If you don't like the provided service or quality of the food, simply speak face-to-face with the owner/manager. There's no need to spam a negative review WITHOUT SPECIFIC REASONS all over un-social media....

[Regorp]

Originally Posted by shaw8700@outlook.com

If ever you find yourself tootling along in your golf cart, feeling rather peckish, and you pass Ay Jalisco, just keep going. Nothing to ‘eat’ here.

I will stick to Fiesta Grande in Colony Plaza, as our favorite Mexican eatery in the bubble.

[MSGirl]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Very mediocre food and terrible service. I asked the server if they could make the tacos with ground beef. She said yes, but brought me tacos with shredded pork, and never returned to the table. I left no tip.

I hate to say it, but the best tacos in The Villages are at Taco Bell. They use ground beef, and they have actual taco sauce. Other Mexican restaurants use shredded beef or chicken, and, if you ask for taco sauce, you get a blank stare.

Does Taco Bell REALLY use ground beef? Or the texture of ground beef?

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by DrHitch

Of all industries that have to monitor social media for a firestorm, the restaurant industry faces the biggest tidal wave of negative reviews.

If you don't like the provided service or quality of the food, simply speak face-to-face with the owner/manager. There's no need to spam a negative review WITHOUT SPECIFIC REASONS all over un-social media....

Bigger than timeshare companies and car dealers?

As long as a restaurant review is detailed and accurate, I think it serves a useful purpose. Negative reviews of great restaurants usually help the restaurant because other posters will call out how good the restaurant really is. But, I agree that informing the manager is also helpful.

[retiredguy123]

///

[msilagy]

My assessment is the rating of restaurants in TV depends on where you come from. Big cities, jobs that allowed you to entertain customers $$$, experience the best food wherever they were. Those that come from small cities, no real high line restaurants have a totally different opinion. I cannot recommend one restaurant here. A bunch of us eat outside of the TV and enjoy excellent food - large portions, tasty. My opinion is a 4 for most of the restaurants here.

[Fuzzyjourneyfan]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Ay! Jalisco isn't Tex-Mex, and that definitely might be the problem. They're South-Western Mexican, near Puerto Vallarta (Jalisco is a state). I always get the shredded beef tacos. It's more like a combination of a guisada and barbacoa - tougher shreds of beef from a stew, and sometimes there's pieces of potato in it. It's very wet, which is why I think it's probably part of a carne guisada (beef stew). Their salsa is thin, and they've changed the recipe so I think it's no longer ketchup-based (which is a western Mexican thing and an acquired taste for Americans).

It's a family owned-and-operated restaurant. Unfortunately they use a mix for their pina coladas so I can't recommend those, but this seems to be common around here.

Ground beef tacos is absolutely an American thing, not a Mexican thing. The best tacos are carne asada (marinated skirt-steak), chopped onion, cilantro, a squeeze of fresh lime and a squirt of salsa roja on a double-stack of small, made-to-order soft tortillas. You can't get good ones in The Villages at all.

There's a place I get them on 301, and they're outstanding. Two asada tacos and a bottle of Mandarin Jarittos, it hits the spot. Most of their customers are Mexican, and most of the non-Mexican customers are from somewhere in South America. Hearing them talk in Spanish with each other, with all those different accents and regionalisms adds to the experience. That and the chickens that sometimes wander through the outdoor eating area - which is pretty entertaining. It's like visiting a friend in Mexico and being served lunch in their back yard. Always a treat.

But all you ground beef taco eaters stay away, and don't take up space in line there. Stick to your Taco Bell.

This sounds great! What is the name of the restaurant? 301 near what other main street?

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Ecuadog

Viva Mexico Taqueria?

That's the one! They look like nothing special but you can tell they're the real deal by the line at lunchtime and all the construction/roofing/landscaping trucks in the parking lot. They're not the only taqueria around (there are a couple others) but they're the most popular with the people most qualified to know.