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| - I am writing this review to help out those people who use Yelp to actually find what a restaurant is like before they patronize it. I believe I owe it to those folks, as that is what Yelp is all about, after all - finding out what a business is really like before patronizing it.
Don Jose was recommended to me by a friend, who, over-the-top with excitement at me being new to Phoenix, insisted we go there for a meal. She has been going there since she was a kid and excitedly relayed her excitement at the delicious food and low prices.
We all have places that we give good reviews to based purely on nostalgia and not on objective observations. My friend is clearly in that camp when it comes to this restaurant. So let me tell ya what you'll REALLY find if you come to Don Jose, for those of you who actually want to know.
The food is nasty! The salsa is a boring watery puree of tomato, chili powder, and maybe a bit of garlic powder. The chips are the cheapest most pathetic kind of tortilla chip there is - super thin that break easily, stone cold, just blah. (And no refills! Gotta purchase a second bowl if the first tiny bowl is not enough!) The enchilada sauce is a repulsive orangey-brown color, and matches the neon-orange-colored "cheese" that tops everything (quotes around "cheese" because I sincerely doubt it is actualy dairy cheese). Anything battered and fried (such as chimichanga or relleno) is soggy and oily. The beans are fine, but again, bland, tasteless, just drab.
The decor is plain ol' cheap. The drink glasses are plastic, many of the forks have bent tines, and the napkins are thin and don't hold up at all. You can enjoy a nice bouncing experience as the booth next to you/behind you is rocked by little out-of-control darlings belonging to the parents who grew up eating this slop obliviously chow down. Combined with the broken spring trying to push through the vinyl seat, and you may get a sexual thrill you didn't even know was coming.
So there you have it. I don't like this place, but clearly a lot of people do. Oh, and bring cash - they don't take any cards, and the ATM has a good stiff fee.
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