Doña Esther's Mexican Restaurant

Tina R

2024-03

Freaking fantastic. How is it we haven't eat here before? We were in the area but this place is worth a drive from San Jose. Their beans are old school and I would be happy with that and a tortilla but an excellent chili rellano and enchilada came with it too. Breakfast burrito was good. Highly recommend. More choices to explore here!

Jessica Le Good

2023-05

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Ivonne Gamez

2024-04

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A. Shephard

2024-04

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Phil bans

2023-12

Excellent traditional beef soup, albondigas soup. The chicken fajitas were great. Lots of food for your money . Family run business for many years. After your meal go to the San Juan Bautista mission or the many small stores and antique stores .Parking: Mainly all street parking

Orlando Rios

2022-05

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.

Beatriz Ceja

2022-05

Was on a family trip decided to have lunch here and lets just say we were very disappointed. Not authentic at all. It was if they served the food on plate and then placed it in the microwave for way to long. I always order nachos because, I mean how can you mess up nacho lol but they proved me wrong. The nachos were so bad, everything was bad honestly. When the waitress was about to take our drinks she was yelled at from across the restaurant that that wasn"t her table by the manger I supposed. She looked so embarrassed, it was very uncomfortable for us and her. That should of been our first sign to leave. Well, lesson learned. Good luck if you decide to eat here.

Bay-B Joey

2023-12

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John JJ Moran

2023-11

Food was excellent, served politely and in a timely manner!The owners and staff are just lovely people!We had a wedding and wedding reception there back in March, and they made it just grand.A great place to stop in and relax and enjoy!!!

Linda Kenworthy

2024-05

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James Eisner

2022-05

The best Mexican food and mixed drinks this side of the border. Great atmosphere and super friendly staff. Try the flour tortilla chips with their homemade salsa. Best chips ever!

L P

2019-05

Dona Ester's was fabulous. The service was prompt and the servers checked on us frequently. The food quality is great and is priced below what it's worth in my opinion :) The mariachis were an added bonus!

Colleen Richert

2023-05

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.

Lenny Dellavalle

2023-09

Best Mexican restaurant in the whole world.Okay I am a little biased on this one, as Dona Esther's has been my favorite place for I guess twenty years now.That being said,Donas is the best, Great food, great service, great atmosphere (I love the back outside patio.). I recommend, Dona's Nacho Supreme as an appetizer.If you go to Mission San Juan Bautista and walk around the corner you and your family and friends will find yourself at the fabulous table.Enjoy...= )~

Jennifer Contreras

2023-10

Came here on a Saturday, mid morning. We were greeted nicely and sat immediately. It was rainy, and we wanted to sit outside under their covers. The waitstaff never complained about coming outside and getting a bit wet. The food we ordered was great. They also brought out a piece of cake and sang happy birthday to my brother. We didn’t ask, they just did it and was such a wonderful surprise. We’ll have to go back for lunch or dinner.

Richard Higgins

2019-05

This was a return visit from four years ago, where we had a very good dinner. This visit was a Tuesday evening dinner. Our server took our order and brought us our drinks, chips and salsa. Twenty minutes later, we asked for another basket of chips as our dinner was not ready. Another twenty minutes passed and we finished the second basket of chips, we asked about our dinner and they said it would be right out. We have never eaten 2 baskets of chips before dinner at any Mexican restaurant before. 5 minutes later our dinner arrived. Pictured is a beef taco, beef enchilada and beef tamale dinner plate. The taco was good, enchalada was ok at best and the tamale was dried out as I left it on the plate. It looked like the dinner sat under a heat lamp or salamander way to long. Probably made before my wife's cheese enchilada dinner. My wife managed to eat the enchiladas, not much flavor, and had to pass on the rice that smelled burnt. We discussed our dislike with the meal to the server and he was sent to surprised with our comments. We over heard several customers ask when their meals were going g to be ready. I saw two people working the kitchen, but couldn't figure why it was so slow. What a disappointment. My advice is to steer clear of this place as we will not return. I sure hope that the service and food issue we experienced was just this nights issue.

Michael Lyons

2022-05

Decent Mexican food in the area...not anything to write home about. Staff was friendly and relaxed.

Jose Luis Flores

2023-10

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manuel bautista

2023-11

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Sandy Hepburn

2023-05

The food is excellent! I ordered off the senior menu, that meant a smaller portion. But not so small that I didn't get filled up. For $9.00 I received a chima changa with beans & rice. The other items were cheese enchilada & meat enchilada with your choice of chicken, ground beef , shredded beef or pork. They all included beans & rice. My husband had a burrito the size of a dinner plate with his choice of meat. That was $14.00. But well worth it! The service is excellent. My only complaint and this is personal as with all restaurants that play music , it was very loud and since we are both hearing impaired it made conversations very hard. We will definitely be returning to this restaurant in the future!

KoppyandDave C

2019-05

Had a great time, went with a local (good friend ) that recommended going here. Food was good, live Mariachi's for a Sunday lunch.

Brianne Sanchez

2022-05

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Mirka Pedroza

2023-06

I was very excited to have lunch here as I had come years ago and enjoyed not only the food but service too. Unfortunately, this time I took my family and we were very disappointed. The service was horrible we felt uncomfortable. The waitress was not only rude but condescending. I would even say racist and we saw her attitude change when she helped other people. As for the food it was mediocre the chilaquiles were more cheese then tortillas.I don’t know if ownership changed or what made this place go down hill but please stay away and go to places that would appreciate your business.I can’t believe my family felt this in a Mexican restaurant.

Fawaz Koussa

2023-06

The rice and beans were good, but the chili rellenos were very greasy and one was filled with more seeds then cheese. The cheese enchilada was also extremely greasy and the ground meat in the taco was completely unseasoned. The staff at the front was super friendly. When I informed our waitress of the fact that my daughter choked on the chili because it was more seeds and grease than pepper or cheese, she laughed it off then said "sometimes they are like that". Oh another thing is that the Chili Verde in the burrito was definitely made with chicken instead of pork.

P Largo

2023-05

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Kim Torres

2023-05

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!!👍🍸🌶🌮

Joyce Stocks

2023-05

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 MoranParking: No problems with parkingKid-friendliness: Our young grandchildren were with us and they made it very easy to accommodate them.

maribel saenz

2023-11

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The pissinator (i sell urine)

2023-07

If you enjoy rat or roach soup, then this place may just be for you. Chips are great but the food doesn't feel authentic one bit and doesn't feel like it's made with love. Cooking isn't always easy, but it feels impossible to mess up something like mexican food. If you're considering visiting Doña Esthers, I suggest you save your money and go to another restaurant or just make something at home. And I am not a tourist, I've been a resident of San Juan for over 11 years and have been to Doña esthers multiple times, I just live off the chips each time. Outdoor area and chips are the only thing I actually like about here.

Lidia Garcia Farmers Insurance

2023-05

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.