*Happy Hour Review Only* Went here for happy hour and had a wonderful experience. It was around 4:30 pm and wasn't packed. The bartender/server was attentive and quick with our drinks and food. Ordered the ground beef tacos and their version of loaded fries along with a pitcher of margs. The fries were bomb. They season their fries like curly fries, so flavorful. The steak on the fries was cooked well and didn't get any fatty pieces. The tacos also had good flavor. The margs did the job too. The chips were crunchy and weren't stale! Don't come here expecting authentic Mexican, but for a happy hour it's a good option. read more

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I dislike giving bad reviews to small businesses but this restaurant needs help. It seems like the owner just does not care anymore. We had a group of 10 people come in on a Sunday afternoon and this is my take: ATMOSPHERE First of all the restaurant was freezing. It was literally 63 degrees (see pic) and the staff were wearing ski jackets and hoodies to stay warm. I went up to ask the staff to turn the heater on and they said only the owner has access to the thermostat that was under a locked box. I asked them to give him a call and I would talk to him as they seemed scared to make the request. They reported back that he agreed to turn up the thermostat. The entire restaurant was dimly lit and gloomy. They probably keep the lights low to hide the dirty floors and tables. See pic. FOOD As soon as I saw the menu I could tell it was Americanized Mexican food and had zero hopes of anything tasting good or authentic. The food ended up tasting better than expected and by that I mean it wasn't bad but it was flavorless. Just dead. They need to learn how to use spices and produce when cooking to liven up their flavors. All of the salsas, sauces and guacamole were pre-made and tastes like they can from a can, jar or previously frozen. None of it tasted homemade. SERVICE The servers were very nice although probably unhappy to work at a miserable place. read more

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I ordered their Chile Relenos with Spanish rice and beans. The service was good and my food came out hot and delicious!! read more

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I arrived at 4:30. Waited 5 minutes. Another couple walk in. They are greeted and served chips n salsa. I then got chips n salsa. It 4:38 when my order was finally taken. I ordered a drink and soup. The other couple ordered water. They got their water and I watched my drink sit on the counter as the waitress went about her business. My soup arrived and finally my drink was delivered. She then brought napkins to the other couple ordered water. I didn't get any... WTF??? Next time I walk in and she is the waitress, I will go elsewhere. She was lucky I still tipped. Undeserving tip. read more

This restaurant has a fun outside inside decor. I really liked all the star lanterns hanging from the ceiling. I ordered the two item combo with the cheese enchilada and chili relleno. Great flavors and I liked that you could add a side of guacamole or sour cream free of charge. Excellent service! Our waitress was very attentive. The chips and salsa were not that great so had to take off a star for that but I would definitely eat here again. read more

Don Jose's Restaurant - Combo 2 Items + Rice & Beans - Mexican Near Me - Castro Valley, California

I don't know how this place has such low reviews. We almost didn't go because I read some of the reviews, but I'm so glad we did! I got the chicken and beef chimichangas and they were incredible! The guacamole was amazing, super crispy, super flavorful. The service was great, very fast and checked on us a lot. This is our New Mexican food spot! read more

Don Jose's Restaurant - Chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Was recommend by a colleague since she grew up loving Don Jose. Decided to come for dinner after bowling. Seever was friendly and attentive. -Flautas were not crispy. Chicken had no seasoning. -Camarones a la diabla was on the saltier side. -Super Burritos (carne asada) were nothing special or note worthy. -Taco Trio was said to be good (from a teenager). -All rice were hard and almost inedible like it was uncovered from the day before. We didn't take a good look at the bill until it was paid and we had came home only to realize they charge an adult double the price for soft drinks compared to kids. Don't know why the up charge when it's the same exact drink. Won't be coming back here. One and done! read more

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My go to place locally for Mexican rice and beans, chips & salsa, and soda refills. The service is friendly and attentive. It's been here for ages and there's plenty of competition nearby. My usual order is the two items combo with chile relleno and burrito. The combo comes with refried beans and rice. The burrito is on the smallish side. I was full with chips before my food arrived. I eventually finished my rice & beans and most of the chile relleno. I took my burrito and remaining chile relleno home. It was a pleasant lunch. read more

Don Jose's Restaurant - Chips and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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This is a rescue restaurant. They need to reach out to Gordon Ramsay or one of those shows that brings the love back to their business. The restaurant it self is large nice floor layout, patio seating , and beautiful bright colors and decor throughout the restaurant. I ordered the Cancun platter and most places make this dish with some sauce . They gave me dry chicken, shrimp ,onions and peppers over smothered in cheese. I ordered the spicy or jalapeño margaritas and it was tasty , but I had to send my first margarita back because it tasted like a sprite soda . I would not recommend this place unless they do a 360 on the food . But the restaurant itself is beautiful. read more

Don Jose's Restaurant - Cancun platter - Mexican Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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THE GOOD ° Friendly staff - but quite slow ° The interior decorations are fun and festive ° Margherita was okay enough ° The chips and salsa were free flowing - chips and salsa were actually pretty good THE BAD ° I got the Regalo, very lackluster - nothing in particular tasted really good - Tostada was wet and no longer crunchy - forgot to take a picture but it came out with a lot of lettuce and some shredded chicken on top ° Tables were questionably clean ° Had a group of 7, they got us 2 tables that really only sits 6 THE UGLY ° Don't expect things to move fast. read more

Mm.. just a personal honest review. Staff was super friendly. Food was okay. We had the chicken fajitas. It was dry and bland. The fried chicken wings was the more seasoned dish. Ambience was casual. I get Christmasy vibes from decor. Not sure why.. lol maybe the reds and woodsy feels. Nothing wrong with that. Just saying. read more

Don Jose's Restaurant - Chicken fajitas. Just on the dry and bland side for Us. - Mexican Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Great food great drinks great atmosphere. Great service love everybody that works there. Great place to go and eat. read more

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I have been here a few times before writing this review. First time we loved the food & beer but the margaritas were not good. On our 2nd visit we ordered lots of delicious food burritos enchiladas and everything off the happy hour menu quesadillas flautas and jalapeno poppers all the food was good, again margaritas were terrible. The next time I didn't want to order a margarita so I got a whiskey drink and it was terrible. The food here is good though so next time I will drink water or soda. Not sure why the drinks are not only par with the food but this place is convenient in the middle of town near shopping, gas etc. read more

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19 dollar super steak burrito omg came with no bean rice on the side. I ate the half how is this ok... plz read more

Don Jose's Restaurant - $19 super steak burrito. I ate the half - Mexican Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Food was great! Service was great! Ambiance was great! Me and my group were pleasantly surprised by this restaurant. Its weird that overall it has a avg rating. read more

Today's visit was great. Everything came out hot and fresh. Much better than the last time I visited which was years ago .... The menu is very reasonable priced. Full bar and kids menu. read more

Don Jose's Restaurant - Carnitas plate - Mexican Near Me - Castro Valley, California

I make a lot of food at home. But when I need a fast meal I always come here and get rice / beans/ chips salsa and enchilada sauce. Hands down, best enchilada sauce ever. Service is quick and friendly, bar tender knows what he is doing. Getting that strawberry margarita on a warm sunny day, it's elite. Top 10! Also love sitting outside, or in bed area, so comfortable and there is always a game on !! Can't go wrong! read more

The service was friendly and the food was good. The margarita was perfect for me, not too strong. The server didn't rush us.

Don Joe's is a Castro Valley classic whether you think it's good or not. The reviews are pretty bad but you can't expect authentic taste everywhere. Of course you can find better Mexican food somewhere else. Going into this restaurant is for the experience, they have a cute bar and it's family style. The service is pretty good, the bartenders and servers are always on the go yet you can easily catch their attendance. It's nicely decorated for the holidays during this time of year. All of the patrons I've met are real sweet. Sizzling fajitas combo for 2 people came with a big amount of chicken, shrimp, & steak--really hot. The Tex Mex was too good, you wouldn't know there was any liquor! They brought out a lot of chips & salsa. Fajitas combo - 8/10! Solid, good portions for 2 people. Big prawns. Wish there was more flavor in the meats or regular salsa instead of guacamole though. I should've asked. Tex Mex - 10/10 dangerously tasted like juice... You get a bang for your buck Potato skins - honestly one of my faves 9/10 you can't go wrong! chips & salsa - another win, they constantly give you more without asking. they're fresh but I wish it wasn't in a paper container lol 8/10 read more

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Second time here the service has improved compared to the last time I was here it was really slow last time I was here. Our waitress was very tentative and the food came out quickly. Plenty of tables and has a bar. The food isn't too bad but my only that after dinner it didn't sit too well. Hopefully next time if we come back that the experience will be better. read more

Don Jose's Restaurant - Taco Trio Rice & Beans - Mexican Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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sat us almost instantly, gave us menus, and never asked for our order. 30 minutes wasted. Yeah, I'm not going here again.

Roaches everywhere ! went there for years and it went downhill fast. New owners or management took over anddon't know what their doing. It's sad it was a nice place for lunch and dinner. read more

Long overdue visit to a place nestled smack dab in the middle of Castro Valley village. I've been eying this place for a while and finally my curiosity got the best of me and I made my debut! With out a reservation I showed up on probably one of the busiest days of the week for this area and this place was no exception. Parking was particularly a struggle but managable. Entering an seeing the cute cubby they call outdoor seating made my destination choices easier. The hostess greeted us as I entered and asked where we'd like to sit. She said outdoor seating is come and go! So go we went! Before even seated a waitress came with menus and asked if we'd like water or drinks. Silly, I'm here for drinks! I was not expecting to eat but I had a slight grumble. Anyways, on the docket first was a Flaca-Rita... In my chase for a drink from an establishment I regular'd for years and was shuttered for good during the pandemic, I see a drink that sounds like or has similar ingredients and it's always going to get a try. Saddly, The Flaca-rita was not it, but on it's own the drink was a good drink. It's primarily just a skinny margarita. Slightly on the strong side but not too strong. Food, I ordered Flauta. Haven't had this in maybe 10 years. No photo unfortunately because my hunger kicked in before my mind did. It was a really good dish. I myself could live of rice and beans so being served on the side made this dish a satifying meal. Lastly, A Peach Mojito, I like obscure flavors.... and I don't think I've seen or had a Peach Mojito before. I can say, Peach makes for a good flavor of Mojito and Don Jose makes a damn good Mojito. A side note, I did eye the bar walking by and it has a suprising seducting allure, I will have to come back on game night to experience the bar in itself. read more

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Never again.. Geez the food is just awful... Awful.. $38 for 3 pieces of chicken bunch of burned veggies and 3 corn tortillas.. Brought wrong order and pretended like it was our mistake.. had no time to wait for another order and ended up eating it.. Burrito was so bad that o think my husband is still on the toilet never again... never... read more

Solid 3 star restaurant. Margaritas are good. This place is mediocre at best for food. All the reviews are correct on lack of seasoning on most of the meat, steak, chicken, and shrimp. Chili's is more flavorful. read more

We walked in a nice gentleman status right away. It took a little time for the waitress to come she came. We got coffees, but we almost had to flag her back to order our menu. I used to go here before it was totally different. There's a different menu now. I'm gonna have to really think about it if I come back. read more

Man. Now I remember why we never go here. The restaurant was empty- the server took a very long time to take our order, refill chips etc. Drinks- margaritas were okay, 7 up had no syrup, we requested a horchata- horrible. We don't even know what it was. But it was disgusting. Food- kids split a sample Platter- my 8 year old spit the wings out and said they were disgusting. My husband got something like a Mexican pizza. Taco Bell would have been better Here's the kicker- she completely did not get my food order. She said between the music and hearing loss she has a hard time.... Well . Timing- it took a good 45 minutes to get the garage meals. Unfortunately we will not be returning and sat this point I wonder how they even stay open . read more

Let's just say that this is the first and last time that I will be going to this restaurant. The food was sub-par, very dry meat. Even the rice was dry. Anyway I was here about a week or so ago with a lady-friend of mine and we we're trying to enjoy our food, when she yelped, "Is that a roach?" To my disbelief, it sure and the hell was! So with that said, it ran across the table on to the wall where I squished it! Needless to say we we're both disgusted. Honestly, I shouldn't have to pay for anything! They comped about half of my bill but still we we're both grossed out. And I have a pretty strong stomach. That was totally un-called for. Needless to say, we will not be returning to this restaurant even if they get the situation under control. Who knows how their kitchen is. You wanna talk about unsanitary this was just disgusting and I've been to some holes in the wall where they didn't have this problem. Honestly I'm thinking about reporting this place to the FDA, however I'm not trying to be that guy, but they need to clean up their act! Asap! Someone can get really sick with those little bastards running around. How fowl. Honestly I'm still a bit appalled that we we're forced to see that. Here are some photo's for your enjoyment. Enjoy the food and the roaches folks. read more

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(1 out if 5) If my mind is set on eating Mexican food... this would be the LAST place I pick. The food here is awful. Service isn't bad, and ambiance is nice, but the food here is just bad. Simply not good Rothyy. read more

Yeah! Never been here. We looked up place on maps and found this place. Not to my liking. Service was great, food just not for me and drink was taste I had two. read more

Don Jose's Restaurant - Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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It's my first time here and I had a pretty good experience. Service: The staff who took my order was kind and patient. I ordered take out and I did not have to wait long. Food: I ordered the super burrito with ground beef, super burrito with steak, nachos with steak and the wings of fire. The super burritos were delicious but I prefer the ground beef more than the steak. The ground beef burrito was absolutely amazing. The cheese and beans along with the ground beef basically melted in my mouth. Not to mention, they give you free chips, a side of salsa, sour cream and guac. If you add the sides to your burrito, it tastes even more amazing. The nachos were also really good. I would skip the wings of fire. It was only okay. I recommend trying their burritos! They're delicious! I like how they put the burritos in a container instead of wrapping them in foil. They are on the pricier side. You have to add $3 for steak. But, I think it's worth the try. read more

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We were seated and taken care of right away. We were checked on many times as well. The restaurant has great music and beautiful decor. The food came piping hot. I personally got the Mole Enchiladas (2x). I've had my fair share of Mole and theirs was great! It's on the sweeter side but still savory and the chicken was juicy. read more

Don Jose's Restaurant - Mole Enchiladas (2), Chimis (2), and Super Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Castro Valley, California

I've hosted my annual cookie swap here for the past 3 years. Both managers I've delt with have been easy to communicate with and helpful. The servers are very prompt & helpful. Food is always good & consistent all the other times I've been there as well. read more

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This restaurant is always a hit and miss. But I did enjoy my bowl of chicken tortilla soup. I honestly expected a bowl to be larger, but it was enough. It had plenty of chicken. And it hit the spot on a cold rainy afternoon. I would have liked tostada or a tortilla on the side and a lemon. read more

Don Jose's Restaurant - Chicken BOWL Tortilla Soup - Mexican Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Very disappointed at the food quality here for the price. My super burrito is so small. Nothing super about it. My friend's fajita also was disappointing. We've never had such bad Mexican food at a Mexican restaurant before! Go somewhere else for your Mexican food fix. read more

Don Jose's Restaurant - My sad super burrito. So small. Nothing super about it. - Mexican Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Venue is clean Nicely decorated Customer is efficient All employees are friendly Parking lot is safe/lots of parking Food is NO for me Sorry Chips were stale Salsa is bland/commercialized Food was mediocre Zero flavor There is outdoor seating A full bar Happy hour Sorry I'm just not a fan of the food read more

Improve the service, and professionalism of the waitress & manager. Don Jose's Restaurant in Castro Valley use to be my go to place to eat. Not anymore!! Jan 15, 2025, I was part of a large party of twelve. We received HORRIBLE ACCOMMODATION S, rude waitress, a manager with a weak backbone & unprofessional attitude. They refused to give us five separate checks. The waitress left our table to work another large party that came in after us. She said she was sending over another waitress & to be patient because the waitress is new. We got tired of waiting for our order to be taken, we got up to leave. The manager came over to persuade us to stay. He wanted to give us gift cards. Why would we go back only to be humiliated again!! Highly DO NOT recommend this establishment. read more

Terrible Terrible Terrible, there should be a law that forces restaurants to go through an approval process of their food before they are allowed to claim they are a Mexican restaurant. The chips were even bad. Such a shame because the place is very cute! I hope someone who truly knows Mexican cuisine takes over one day. read more

tbh, two stars is rounding up a bit. margaritas tasted off. I'd bet they were using a cheap mix and not fresh lime juice. and they were way too sweet. Carnitas were horrible, burned and dry and no flavor. literally just shredded and burnt pieces of pork. been dip was okay, but not worth a return trip. service was not quite rude, but definitely unfriendly. read more

Im sorry but the food is not the best but the service was superb! Dyana M. Was great, friendly and I would go back just for her! I can tell alot of regulars go here due to tgem knowing their names and what they order. Its very laid back and was not very busy when I got there around 4. read more