Doña Esther's Mexican Restaurant

+1 831-623-2518

25 Franklin St, San Juan Bautista, CA 95045 United States of America

Open Today: Closed

Quick Facts About Doña Esther's Mexican Restaurant

Doña Esther's Mexican Restaurant is a small village restaurant that has received a mix of positive and negative comments. Let's analyze the strengths and weaknesses based on the feedback provided.

Starting with the strengths, the restaurant is praised for its friendly and helpful service. Customers appreciate the staff's friendliness and fast service, which contributes to a positive dining experience. Additionally, the fact that the restaurant is open on a Monday night is a strength, as many businesses in small villages may choose to close on less busy weekdays. This allows for more flexibility for customers looking to dine on a Monday night.

Another strength highlighted in the comments is the quality of the food. Customers describe the food as "really good," "fresh," and "tasty." Additionally, the serving sizes are generous, and the prices are reasonable. This combination of good food, generous portions, and affordable prices contributes to a positive dining experience for customers. The margarita is specifically mentioned as delicious, indicating that the drink options are also well-regarded.

The location of the restaurant is also considered a strength. It is situated on a lovely little main street, which offers the opportunity for a post-meal stroll. This contributes to a pleasant atmosphere and adds to the overall experience of dining at Doña Esther's.

Moving on to the weaknesses, one negative comment mentions oven-related issues on a specific day. This affected the menu items that required baking, limiting the options for customers. The kitchen equipment malfunctioning is unfortunate, as it can lead to a compromised dining experience. Additionally, another customer mentions receiving the wrong order, which can be frustrating for diners. These incidents reflect negatively on the restaurant's attention to detail and quality control.

One negative comment highlights the poor management of bottomless mimosa offerings. The customer expresses dissatisfaction with the manager's handling of the situation and accuses the restaurant of falsely advertising. This suggests a weakness in communication and professionalism, which can negatively impact the overall customer experience. Ethical advertising and professional communication are crucial aspects of running a successful restaurant.

Another weakness mentioned by a customer is the quality of the food. The comment describes the food as cold, pre-made, and the chips as stale. This indicates potential issues with food storage, preparation, and overall freshness. Inconsistent food quality can significantly impact the dining experience and lead to negative reviews and a loss of repeat customers.

On a positive note, the restaurant receives praise for accommodating a wedding reception. The staff is commended for their assistance in making the event successful, including adjusting plans based on the weather. This demonstrates the restaurant's ability to provide excellent service for special events and enhance overall customer satisfaction.

Overall, based on the comments provided, Doña Esther's Mexican Restaurant has strengths in terms of friendly service, good food, generous portions, affordable prices, and a pleasing location. However, weaknesses are identified in terms of kitchen equipment issues, incorrect orders, poor management, and inconsistent food quality. It is important for the restaurant to address these weaknesses to maintain and improve their reputation and customer satisfaction. Regular maintenance of equipment, implementing quality control measures, improving communication skills, and ensuring freshness and taste consistency in the food are areas the restaurant should focus on to enhance the overall dining experience.

Best TL Reviews

Friendly helpful service. Open on a Monday night in a small little village. Food was really good, fresh and tasty. Generous serving size and priced very reasonably. The margarita was delicious! On a lovely little main street, good for a stroll afterwards to ease the digestion after over eating.

Today was not a good day for the restaurant. There oven. was not working so could not order anything that required baking. I ordered a tostada with chicken and the plate came out with chicken and beef. My husband had a breakfast plate of huevos rancheros. Our dining experience today could have been better.

Good Mexican food, the place has lots of outdoor seating. The open area in the back has a natural shade. The food servers are friendly, our food was hot and flavorful.

The staff is always friendly and the service is very fast! The food and drinks are always DELICIOUS! I had the chili relleno/ground taco combination plate the last time that I was at the restaurant and it was fantastic! The vegetable soup is another favorite of mine, I always have a cup of it. I like to try something different each time I go so that I can try everything. Dona Esther's is the best!!????????????????

The rating is not a reflection of the server but poor management. When advertising bottomless mimosa it means all you can drink Unless otherwise disclosed. The manager need to learn how to talk to customers and not scream at the customers. Owner must not falsely advertise on their menu as it’s not professional or ethical.

I am from Pennsylvania and everytime I visit my Mother and Step-father we always come here to eat. It pretty much has become a tradition and would be very disappointing if we didn't come here at least once. Very good food and a relaxed atmosphere and you don't feel as if they're trying to rush you out the door like a lot of restaurants do.

The food was cold, and tasted like it had been made before hand. The chips were so stale you couldn't even put enough salsa on the to overcome the horrible taste of the chips. Never again will go back.

We had our wedding there today. They were more accommodating than I could have imagined. Timing was all due to weather if we could be in the patio or not. With their help, the weather turned in our favor and it was outside. They are by far the nicest people I have ever dealt with. Our party was small and we could have the buffet or choose off the menu. The food was great also. I don’t know how it could have been better.

Thank you all for making our day so wonderful.

JJ and Joyce Moran