Horrible service. I mean HORRIBLE. Forgot my drink order 3 times, would bring guacamole but no chips, forgot my order, didn't refill drinks, messed up half our drink orders, food was about 95 degrees and tasteless. Guac was actually really good! It was not a busy night maybe 6 tables and I saw 2 serves and a manager on the floor. I would not recommend. read more

I wrote this review for the Red Bank Rd. location, but this also applies to the Montgomery Rd location, which is where I go with friends! Probably the best Mexican food you can get for the price. Cincinnati sadly does not have the plethora of Mexican restaurants that Los Angeles, my previous home had. I've tried the others that were available here and it just doesn't compare to El Jinete. All I can say is the Sangria Margarita the size of my head and a Burrito Loco just completes my Friday nights. Just this Friday (Nov 30, 2012) I had a Burrito Loco AND a Hot & Spicy Burrito and the Sangria Margarita the size of my head and it was AWESOME! Oh, and I forgot the awesome home made chips and salsa. These guys just know how to please every time! What started as a solo deal became a two-person party at the Montgomery location, and I always have a party of 4 or more now. Once you bring someone here, they become regulars too. The staff here is absolutely amazing and they really treat you like family. Marco and Francisco are two of the shining stars there. They bring the place to life and just make you feel at home. Good times all around! All I can say is that I'm going to miss this place. I'm moving to San Francisco by the New Year. El Jinete is one of the shining gems of Cincinnati, and one of my very fondest memories of living there. I hope and pray for their continued success and hope that I'll see them on the west coast soon! read more

Stopped in on lunch while my wife was at the Dentist. Quickly seated...great salsa. The beer was ice cold, great friendly service from everyone and the food was on point!!! Would not hesitate to come back anytime I was in the area read more

I've been hitting El Jinete for lunch lately since it's very convenient to my office. The location seems to be plagued ever since the old standby, PJs, folded up. It seems there's been a couple places in and out of there. The location isn't necessarily the easiest to get into. Be that as it may, I've struck up a pretty good rapport with the manager, Adrian... he's a really accomodating guy, nice as can be. It's hard to stand out in the Mexican food field... but I think El Jinete has done a pretty decent job! First of all, they've completely overhauled the interior - done a great job even over the former El Rancho Grande that used to reside there. They've painted the building a bright green color... which helps it stand out. The food is actually really good. So far I've had the shrimp enchiladas... a couple of chili relleno peppers (which are really good). The food is actually really great. I have no reason to not make this a regular lunch stop. read more

The best and most authentic Mexican restaurant you can goto. I get the burrito loco with no rice and extra guac.

I had decided to try El Jinete since it just opened up on Montgomery Road next to the McDonald's. The restaurant is easy to miss as there's no good entrance from Montgomery Rd if you're coming from 275. We arrived and were seated right away. Salsa was brought out immediately after we sat down. The chips and salsa was delicious. The salsa was very flavorful though lacking a bit on the heat level, and the chips were nice and crispy. We all ordered water which came out right away. We then placed our food orders, and within 3 minutes out food was on our table. I had ordered burritos acapulco, which was supposed to be 2 chicken burritos, but one of them ended up being steak. The chicken was bland and flavorless. The steak was overcooked, tasteless and I had to spit it out a couple of times due to getting a mouthful of gristle. It didn't taste fresh, it tasted like it had been either frozen or reheated in a microwave. The fact that it came to our table in 3 minutes should be a sign to anyone it wasn't cooked to order. The bill for the food was fair $8.99 for my order, which for a sit down restaurant is a fair price. Within 5 minutes of finishing my meal I got terrible indigestion, and so did my other 2 friends who ordered different foods. El Jinete has gotten rave reviews at their other locations, so maybe it was just an off night. read more

Best Latin American restaurant in the city, try the Ceviche, you will not be disappointed. read more

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Asked for extra lemons (nailed it, twice) Good cheese dip (check out day slo mo) The Burrito El Barzon is DANKKK Very few Cincinnati Mexican restaurants have a burrito that features chick and steak. This is my favorite dish. Very flavorful and very fresh. Salsa game is next level. Simple to mess up but they do it right. TRY IT OUT read more

Been here a few times. Just your basic cheap eats Queso & ground beef dip is always good Burrito barzon is packed full of meat goodness. Stuffed with chicken, steak, shrimp & pork. Covered with queso churrizo & more shrimp. Heart attack on a plate. Have an ambulance on stand by. Ha ha ha Me & my partner usually get the fajita for two. We are both big guys & can't eat it all Sooo. Try this my partner got a Bloody Mary made with their house salsa. It's really good. read more

My family and I discovered this gem of Mexican cuisine. True, the outside is unassuming however the inside is cosy and the food is excellent.. we have never been disappointed! Staff is very friendly. If you are feeling the need for good Mexican food we highly recommend El Jinete! read more

Watery flavorless beans, flavorless Mexican rice, chicken breast sliced crazy thin with burned veggies on top featuring mostly onion. No discernible flavor to the Chicken Jalisco whatsoever and not much chicken in it to boot. Want good Mexican food? Go to Cazzadores, Milford. read more

Good lunch spot if you're in the mood for Mexican. And a co-worker of mine and I were both in the mood for Mexican and luckily our office is just a traffic light away. The chips and salsa on the table were pretty good, about what you'd expect from a Mexican place, nothing more and nothing less. I got the chicken fajitas and the chicken and onion and peppers had good flavor, but the rice and other accompaniments were pretty bland. Again, right on par with what you'd expect, nothing earth shattering, but perfectly satisfying. On food alone, I'd probably give this place 3 stars, but the service we received was fantastic, so I added a star. Seated right away, food came out quickly, and drinks refilled in perfect timing. Exactly what you're hoping for when you step out of the office and go out to lunch during the week. read more

Stopped by for the first time on Friday night with a party of six. Efficient friendly service and good cold beer to start. A pretty typical Mexican place for around here in terms of atmosphere and menu but the food quality was better than most. Salsa had a good kick. One in our party got the fajita Tropicana served in a pineapple! I got the tacos al pastor and they were really good - generous with the meat, saucy and lots of grilled pineapple! Even the beans and rice tasted better than typical. Kids got fried ice cream and declared it the best they'd had. Would stop back anytime. read more

Casual Mexican Restaurant w/ outdoor dining in good weather. Friendly waiters at lunch, ready to banter in what little Spanish I have at the ready. Haven't yet had a chance to try their cocktails or margaritas, but those are also priced aggressively. The salsa here is great, the chips are passable (they are a bit sweet to my tongue, as if they came from a bag). The service is HELLA quick even during the lunch rush, which is great for those of us who have to be back to our desks within 40-60 minutes. Their lunch specials are VERY affordable, as well, which is awesome. The quality of the food is acceptable for casual Mexican dining. There's really not much to write home about - the refried beans are runny and the rice a bit flavorless, although the fajitas are both tasty and VERY plentiful. You will not leave El Jinete hungry, but it's not really a memorable dining experience. This is the place to be in Montgomery for those who want quick, hearty Mexican food. It's worth every trip there. read more

That is good Mexican! I wish the (lunch) portions were bigger though. I never make it to doggy bag status #sadface read more

El Jinete - Shrimp chimichanga - Steakhouses Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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This is a nice restaurant with polite staff. The food was good but not authentic Mexican. The mushroom quesadilla was a nice change of pace. The queso dip was very good. I did not care much for the guacamole. I believe it may have had egg in it and tasted a bit sulfury. The decor was nothing special.with mirrors that dated the place and needed a desperate washing. read more

El Jinete - Steakhouses Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Stopped in for lunch this week and was pleasantly surprised. Ordered the Chile Poblano and it was very good. I'm not a big rice fan, but their's was moist and tasty. As far as chips/salsa goes, I'd say middle of the road. Extra points in my book for low salt chips. The bar area looked very cool, great design. I'd recommend if your in the area. read more

This place I have a few tries to lately and it seems much better managed than before. Food is good. Service is bad if you're a party of 1-3 I still recommend take out over dine in unless you are a party of four or more. Less likely to be forgotten. read more

Food average :-( Hospitality bad :-( :-( :-( Waiter never smiled. Never turned back to check on food. Made to wait long for check and then to get back credit card. read more

My meal was so perfectly crafted. Great presentation, clean restaurant, extra friendly staff (SUPER funny), very accommodating on a Saturday night, and the prices are EXCELLENT for so much food! I will definitely be coming back and recommending! read more

El Jinete - Steakhouses Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

I have visited this place a couple times before. Nothing special - but sufficient. Tonight was horrible. Waited at the bar with no bartender. Waited for over 40 minutes for a table with plenty of open seating all over the restaurant. Finally was seated. Ordered. Another 45 minutes passes after ordering. No food. You can only eat so many chips. Table across from us was seated at least 30 minutes before us..they got their food when we were leaving. A family next to us heard us complaining. They said they are regulars and that they will never come back. They said their food took forever and when they did get it - it was not worth eating. After asking how much longer our food was to take..another 15 minutes. We canceled our order. Paid for our drinks and will never be back. The manager didn't even seem to care when we walked out. It's pretty hard to mess up a simple Mexican dining experience with low expectations....but they figured it out tonight. read more

I've been twice now for lunch. Reserved review for 2nd trip hoping 1st wasn't typical. Same experience. No one at counter when you walk in. Had to wait 5 min to get seated. First time it took 20 min to receive food, and after waiting 20 min again the 2nd time I just left. Seems this is typical after reading some other reviews. 20 min wait during lunch break is too long. Food isn't worth the wait. Won't try a 3rd time. read more

Have gotten carry out for lunch multiple times and has been delicious every time.i always order fajitas and it is a significant amount of food. read more

Worst service ever. Had to hunt our server down several times. We had to wait 30 minutes for queso and had to ask for it multiple times. When we told the waiter that we felt that we should not have to pay for our queso and our waiters response was"well you ate it all". He did comp the queso but overall the attitude of our server was horrible. Lastly I ordered the fajita salad. On the menu it did not mention sour cream while the other salad did so I was pretty upset when there was sour cream on my salad and it did not have peppers and onions as one would assume when you order something with fajita in the title. I would never recommend anyone to eat here. read more

Great place and atmosphere. Friendly staff. Portions are crazy huge. Prices totally reasonable. Margaritas seem to come by the gallon as long as you have a DD lol. read more

Our first time here! Highly recommend! Food was delicious! Frozen margaritas were perfect. We were seated promptly and had awesome service! read more

El Jinete - Steakhouses Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

The service here sucks, plain and simple. We've been sitting here for 40 minutes and are still waiting on our food; while others have come in after us and are eating. Our food finally arrived and the order was all wrong. The servers speak such poor English that they do not understand what you are trying to say. Bottom line avoid this place. read more

Upon walking in no one was at the front desk. I waited and waited until someone took me to my seat. As I was being seated I was immediately asked if I knew what I wanted to order and given salsa and chips. I had never been here before so I did not and said I'd look over the menu. The waiter did not return for nearly 20 minutes. I never got a water, nothing. I had questions about the menu and looked for someone working and didn't see anyone. The table next to me said they had been waiting for their extra items for over 15 minutes as well. Finally, a different waitress came up to me as I was leaving. I told her this was lunch time and I didn't have an extra 20 minutes just to even ask for a water. Will not return after service like that. No idea how the food was though. read more

My wife and I stopped in for an impromptu lunch on Valentines Day. So glad we did! We're both big fans of good Mexican food and they do a great job here. We both got the lunch menu fajitas which were a FANTASTIC value! Huge portion for lunch prices, we were both stuffed. Great flavor. Great service. Overall a great value for your money! I recommend this place! read more

One of my favorite Mexican places, big place so can accept department luncheons. Good service too!

Food was good, but service was very slow. Not sure what the problem in the kitchen was but it was very slow. We waited over an hour and a half after ordering for food to come out. Waiter was nice and apologized. read more

Solid pick for lunch during the work week. It is close to my work and the staff here is fast and friendly. I had the grilled chicken breasts with chorizo and cheese. I love Hispanic restaurants, and this is a solid choice. read more

I had the absolute worst experience here that I think I've ever had at a restaurant. When I go to any Mexican restaurant, they're usually very attentive, bring you chips and salsa right at the beginning and are usually very on top of things. Here? No way, we were blatantly ignored. We were sat down at our seats and were without any food, waiters attention, or drinks for over ten minutes. There was a bartender who was pretty busy (due to the fact that he had several other tables that he was attending to,) so we decided to make it a little easier for him and move up to the bar, because we were kind of tucked into the back of the restaurant. When we moved up to the bar, the bartender clearly made eye contact with us, didn't say a word, and walked away. He just stood up at the hostess stand for the next ten minutes. We sat in that restaurant for over twenty minutes with no drinks, no food, no service or even a smile from anyone before we finally left. I've never been so shocked and disappointed. read more

Great people, good service, good food. I called in an order shortly before closing time, but had called the wrong branch. When I showed up, of course my food wasn't there because I hadn't called this location. The man at the front stayed late, and cooked my order again for me himself. This is above and beyond. read more

It has been a while since we visited El Jinete as we have been frequenting another local Mexican place. But, we thought we'd give El Jinete another try, and based on this latest experience we won't be back. Service was terrible, and the food was mediocre. Even though the crowd was very light last evening, we waited and waited for the server to come to our table, and then return. He would walk nearby but avoided eye contact even though we were trying to politely flag him down -- seemed intentional so he wouldn't be bothered. Took forever for our food to arrive (it was delivered by another server), and our own server never stopped by to ask if everything was okay or if we needed anything -- like another drink or more chips. We waited again a very long time to get our check until we asked another server to get it. Some pieces of the entrée on wife's plate were cold while other pieces were warm. My chicken burrito was okay but the ground beef one was overly greasy. We both had upset stomachs and acid reflex overnight. Surprised to see that most of the other reviews are positive; Maybe we just stopped in on a bad night and got stuck with a bad server. read more

This was a random gem we stumbled upon. We didn't expect much (only because we have high expectations of authentic foods, non-americanized) but enjoyed their delicious tacos which were seasoned to perfection. The people were also very nice and the price was great for all the food we ate. We give this place two thumbs up. read more

This restaurant is my favorite find here In Cincinnati. The chips and salsa are soo stinking addicting and delicious. The wait staff are funny and very prompt. We went and ate with my 10 month old daughter a few weeks ago and were in and out in just about an hour (Although we already knew what we were going to order when we went in, so that helped shorten the time.) Everything is so affordably priced it's ridiculous because it's not like they are skimping on any flavor at all. All delicious! Let me recommend the "El barzon" burrito and the fajitas for two. Oh my gosh, the fajita plate is massive and it doesn't make sense to me how my husband and I can eat until we are stuffed and then take it home and still can make another couple meals of the left overs all for $21! It's insane and soo good. Yes I know there is more authentic Mexican elsewhere so of your looking for menudo and whatever else, I don't know what to tell you.. But if you're into deliciousness, this is the best place for you :-) read more

I really have to stop coming here on Friday's. This place gets packed because when they are on the food is really good. The problem is it takes forever to be seated. The servers really do not communicate with you all that well at the front desk either. Most of the time we are a minute or so from walking out of the restaurant it is so bad, I do see people leaving most of the time waiting. I will say on the opposite end there are usually a ton of people waiting at the desk to pay their​ bill too, this is confusing because you usually pay your server at the table. Then once you order you usually wait another 30 minutes to an hour to get your food no joke. I have noticed the quality of the food coming down a little bit too lately. The last time I went my steak burrito was more than 50% onions which is not usually​ the case. Go here only if they are slow or you do not care how long you are there. I think this is a product​ of their own success. ​ read more

Our daughter and her family live nearby and we always come here when visiting them. We have always had a good experience here. Not great food, but very good. They also have good beer and drink specials with many choices and sizes to pick from. read more

Pretty much all of the Mexican restaurants in Cincinnati have the exact same food. El Jinete is no different, except that their service is awesome. They're very friendly, and definitely come prepared to deal with the lunch rush. read more