Disappointing. As always, the staff was very friendly, but service was slow and fairly non existent. The waitress never came to our table to ask about our food..And speaking of nonexistent, that describes our taco salad. Scant at best. Usually taco salads fill the shell. This barely came half way- maybe a half cup of lettuce? The salsa, while it had a great flavor, was all sauce-not one piece of tomato in it. When we told them about the taco salad, they apologized, but that was it. We go to Guadalajara several times a year, and this is the first time we were so disappointed. We will return, but not for the taco salad. read more

Great vibe, delicious food and top notch service! Would definitely recommend to anyone who likes authentic Mexican food!

Delicious food amazing service I'm not gonna lie. I didn't expect to have delicious Mexican food in South Dakota. I ordered the street tacos with Giada and the margaritas were amazing. I had the jalapeño prickly pear margarita and that was my favorite one. I had the mango one with patron who was good and then I tried the Martini that was smooth tasted just like pear juice. Soccer and baseball were playing so it was nice having something to watch while waiting for our food! My husband had the Guadalajara burrito and he loved it and said it was filling! read more

See all

It was the very few places open during a holiday. Great chips and salsa. Excellent and prompt service. Inside is clean and very colorful. This is worth the visit if you are local. read more

Guadalajara - a colorful restaurant with tables and chairs - Mexican Near Me - Brookings, South Dakota

I'm not the biggest fan of Mexican food, but it was really good! Waiter checked on us frequently. I got a combo and it was so much food for a good price. read more

Excellent service and the food was great. We got the enchiladas to take back to our Airbnb for dinner. It was the perfect thing to warm up for a delicious easy meal. read more

Being from Ca, we were so happy to find this place! It has excellent food and amazing service. Very authentic and a wonderful surprise in the middle of SD. read more

Stopped for lunch and I had the enchiladas and soft taco. Good tasting and nice fresh chips with spicy salsa. Fast service and authentic experience. read more

Guadalajara - Parking lot - Mexican Near Me - Brookings, South Dakota

I'm in Brookings SD on business. I decided to try this place out for lunch. Nice place. I had the Chicken Street tacos. On the menu it's #19 Authentic tacos. Very nice. It does come with other meats. My only problem is you can't split up the meats. I like to order three tacos with three different meats. Because they portion them out. They can't do it. However this place is worth it. Give it a try. Hot sauce is good to. read more

Guadalajara - Chicken Street tacos. On the menu it's #19 Authentic tacos. Very nice. - Mexican Near Me - Brookings, South Dakota

Delicious food and good service. Very friendly staff! The atmosphere is inviting. Not only do I enjoy eating here, my grandkids love it and is one of the places they request often. I definitely recommend eating here. read more

Food always meets the mark. Chips and salsa are tasty, and the service is top notch. A local favorite!

Stopped here on our way out west and found it to be a friendly restaurant with good food. They had some vegetarian options that we really enjoyed and a kids menu for the little ones. The margaritas were a welcomed treat at the end of a long days drive too! read more

Guadalajara - a mexican restaurant with a neon sign - Mexican Near Me - Brookings, South Dakota

Colorful tables with a nice setting nice setting. The steak fajitas were hot, tasty and plentiful but a little chewy and over cooked. The steak was thinly cut with a generous portion of rice, beans, salsa. The chips and salsa were good but too many broken chips with over half the basket very small chips you cold not dip in salsa. When the meal arrived the plate of beans, rice and veggies arrived five mins before the sizzling steak on the skillet. That was a first, usually the entire meal arrives at the same time. read more

See all

Love it! Very good and calm place! Fast service and lovely people!! Love that it's family owned!

This place has really lost a step since my college days. Salsa is still good and service was fine. There is no drink menu and the food menu is very blah. The Chile verde was fine but I will go to other Mexican style restaurants read more

Contrary to what another reviewer said, as far as I'm concerned this is authentic Mexican. The retries beans are excellent and I love the carne asada. The decor is...well, my eyeballs vibrate. But it's worth it for the food. read more

I got the taco plate which was okay. The rice and beans were really good, and I'm not one to turn down free chips and salsa, but it was so expensive and the meat was soggy and mediocre tasting. read more

Cold and old Mexican food. This is not Mexican food! Food truck down the street is better! Don't waste your money! To expensive for fake cold food. read more

Guadalajara is an A-OK Mexican restaurant. Nothing shocking here. Like many other places, the menu is eight miles long and it's hard to decide what to get. I found the food to be pretty good for average Americanized Mexican fare. I got one of the entrees with the steak, which was perhaps a bit overdone but still pretty tasty. I ended up experimenting with the various hot sauces they had at the table, which signals how exciting the food was overall. They do carry some spicy sauces at the table. One was neon green. The rest of the meal was somewhat forgettable. The restaurant itself is nicely set up, and the booths are comfy. Our server was less than focused, however, as he completely forgot to bring us our drinks until we'd reminded him. There seemed to be some commotion from the kitchen as well, which all the guests could hear. The service could have been more attentive and professional. But for a quick bite of faux Mexican, this place is all right. read more

Consistently good food and good service. A decent place to get a Mexican food fix when the craving hits. We lived in Texas for a time and got spoiled by the real deal. We do miss homemade tortillas, though, which were standard in most TX places. Definitely one of the better quality restaurants in Brookings. read more

They were more focused on our four month old premie that just fell asleep till he woke up and I had to tell I had to almost yell at them and they tried to give us a buster that is meant for a Toddler and we had to tell them 10 times that were ready to order read more

I have eaten at all of their locations and stopped in Brookings to eat lunch at this one. The 2 stars is for the food which is always good, the rest of the poor rating is for everything being so dirty. It started with the water glasses, mine had food stuck to the rim of it and my wife's had lipstick. We opened the silverware and 3 of the 4 pieces had dried food on it. We split an order of Super Nachos and the serving plates both had dried stuck food on them. This place need to have a close look at their cleaning methods before someone get sick read more

Service was amazing! We had multiple people check on us. Food was excellent! My pickiest kid said it was the best taco he's ever had. It's been a while since we had been there, but we will make it more frequent! read more

Well, not sure where to start since the restaurant is an experience as much as a fill-up. The ambiance is top-notch with what appears to be hand-painted accoutrements in the dining room that scream "authenticity" complete with unique tables, chairs, and a rainbow of bright colors. A quick glance around shows nearly every color of the rainbow from red, orange, blue, and so on -- a bright and lively palate of something foreign yet tasteful. Then there is the food, which is none of these things. We arrived with a rather large group of 8. We were cheerfully greeted and seated as one might expect. After marveling at the artwork, it was time to order...so we did. A platter of this, that, and the other. Some Nachos sans beans, a chicken mole' plate, etc. Nothing exotic or "off menu". Unfortunately, the food was poorly prepared, not fresh, and salty beyond anything I can recently recall. My plate was a microwaved hodge-podge of what one might deem "Mexican", but it lacked the personal touch of a chef and reminded me more of something from the frozen food isle of a local supermarket. One bite and it was evident that I couldn't really eat it, so I picked at it instead until it all solidified -- which didn't take long from the salt infused into the dish. My sister ordered the Chicken Mole' which was flat, dry, and akin to salted jerky...my nephew had the loaded nachos. It went his way, around the table, with all members remarking at how bad it really was. "Way too salty....not what I ordered...this sucks...are tortillas supposed to be crunchy?..." yeah...like that. For an expensive hour with a bill in excess of $100. Yuk. A shame really, because they have an opportunity in a limited market to deliver kick-ass food. They have squandered their position and Instead have focused on convenience and limited competition. It's probably why that this place is still in business. Go to Taco Bell and save the money, or for an "authentic" experience go to Q'Doba across the street. read more

Standard Mexican-American fare. The service is friendly and fast. The food is average especially considering the price. The decor is fun. There are vegetarian options. read more

So i have gone back twice since moving back here from California. I'm sorry this is NOT Authentic Mexican food. Over priced for non-traditional Mexican food. It's sad that they change their cultures food to appease the people of South Dakota. Even though if people here had true Mexican food they wouldn't be disappointment. Sadly I will not be coming back. read more

Absolutely horrid. The chips were stale and lukewarm, the salsa was bland, the cheese dip was runny around the edges yet cold and hard in the middle, the nachos were covered in grease, and the quesadillas were so bad that after a few bites my wife ran to the bathroom to VOMIT. Several items were obviously microwaved -- especially the cheese dip, which wasn't even properly microwaved. (The occasional rhythmic beeping coming from the kitchen confirmed my initial suspicions about their penchant for re-heating.) The cheese in general was bad; the slippery texture suggested that it may have been a bit past its prime. It's no wonder that both my wife and I were ill after dining there. In Guadalajara's defense, the atmosphere was perfectly nice, and the service was at least passable. But any time the food is atrocious enough to make customers vomit, nothing else really matters. The only reason that Guadalajara has those local awards on its wall is because neither Qdoba nor Taco John's can honestly claim to offer "Mexican" food. In any case, we will not return to Guadalajara... at least Sioux Falls is only an hour away. read more

Excellent authentic Mexican food and attentive service. Food arrived piping hot. Chips and salsa are complementary and frequently refilled. Wait staff were prompt and cheerful. Would definitely eat again and recommend to others! read more

This restaurant beats the heck out of Taco Johns. Authentic Mexican with plenty of wonderful vegetarian options. Oh yes, and the chips and salsa are wonderful! read more

Typical wannabe authentic Mexican restaurant. Very Mexican-American. No tequila in the margaritas. Not spicy. Very mediocre food. Clean/cute place, though. read more

Guads is one of those places where you review has to be an average over numerous trips. I can go there one day and be nothing but elated about their service and food. I can go there the next day and walk out somewhat disappointed. To be fair my positive experiences out weigh the negative, but of course the negative stand out more in my mind (being human and all that). Guads is well decorated and clean, the staff are generally fast and friendly, and the food ranges from good to very good. I love their salsa & chips and their guacamole is pretty good too. Guads pricing has gone up quite a bit in recent years and is perhaps a touch high for the quality of food you are receiving. They do not have a very good track record of accommodating requests like extra sauce, no beans, or extra cilantro and sometimes they make odd mistakes like no honey on their sopapillas. If you are in Brookings and you want Mexican-American style cuisine, it's worth giving them a shot. Just don't expect the same food you had on your last vacation to Cancun. read more

Standard Mexican American food. Food was awesome. Don't come for "authentic" but still very good. Service was quick and attentive. They handled our party of 9 with no problem. Price was also fair. read more

They got this great triple burrito thing with probably the best red ride beans in Brookings along with awesome rice. One of the few places in Brookings where you can get real Mexican food (with that tasty Jarritos soda). read more

Great food, friendly and fast service. The portion size is smaller, but the great food makes up for it. Very good salsa with the chips. I look forward to going back. read more

Great staff! The enchiladas are pretty good! Fresh chips and salsa made daily! Carlos and the gang are friendly and really make you feel welcomed read more

Love this place. Great service, good food and my wife and I can get full by splitting a meal. I also love how quick they are at lunchtime! I have been to Mexican restaurants in Texas and I feel like it's the same, call me crazy but it's Mexican food, don't be so snobby and enjoy! read more

Excellent Mexican food. My family and i eat here regularly and I don't think we have ever had a bad meal here. Great friendly service and well priced. read more

I ordered lunch off of the on-line menu for Guads expecting the total amount to be less than 20.00. When my husband picked it up, it was 32.93 with my 25% off of one entree. Needless to say, I called and spoke with an employee to explain that the on-line menu prices were not the same as the paper menu at the restaurant. He told me I was wrong that there is no way the prices I quoted to him were right. I asked to speak with the owner and he practically called me a liar. I asked if he had any intention of making this right and he replied with a no.He said it was not his fault I told him that I would tell my friends about this and he said o.k have a good day with a sarcastic tone and hung up!!! read more

It's your basic Mexican restaurant, it's supposed to look like super old Mexico, like Mexico from the 1800s which is not necessary but fine. What I noticed right away was that the artwork was lazy, like they paid a high school kid to do it over the weekend. Also, the hostess has on one of those cheesy mexican peasant blouses on with yoga pants, again, its lazy. But the neither were the reason I was there, so I just let it go. I sit down to have my meal and the most scandalous thing happened. They gave us chips and salsa and the salsa that they had on the table had no chunks of tomato in it or anything. It was just liquid and that was it, which again you will see in South Dakota but that's also not that horrible. What I couldn't believe is that even though the chips were fresh the salsa was actually that Italian sauce that you get in the cans at the grocery store! You know the kind that you put on your pizza. I mean, how could they possibly have the wrong country's food in their own Mexican restaurant? I couldn't believe what I was tasting! But then again maybe that was going to be the best thing that I was going to have in this restaurant so I waited. First thing I did is ask they guy who looked like he was the manager if they had breaded steak, he said no and shrugged his shoulders and said we have regular steak, it's the same thing. First of all, its not at all the same thing, because its breaded. Second of all, how can you run your own place and not either know the difference or care? I mean, don't they want to make money? I don't get it. I didnt want it to be a sign of things to come, but this wasnt going well. Now, the Mexican food in South Dakota has an awful reputation, so I'm going to order something they can't screw up and keep my expectations very low.I decided to get a chicken quesadilla. When my food comes in I don't really understand what I'm seeing. I mean it's cut into four pieces but with this like weird kind of guacamole on top which I didn't know about then I bit into it and it was just this really thin super thin layer of old shredded chicken, and then it's as if they bought sliced cheese from the Hy vee and just decided to put one slice of pepper jack cheese on it and call it a day. Then I guess to make up for it they put the guacamole on top which I didn't want in the first place. And then for some reason they think every single thing that they make has to be topped by sour cream lettuce tomato and canned olives. It's really gross. I was so upset I could barely finish my food. I didn't even finish half of it. I tried to bite into it later just because I bought it and I didn't want to waste the money, but I just couldn't eat anymore. I was so disheartened. I just don't understand why they are so lazy. It's not that I wanted the food to be like it was from Mexico, I just wanted them to care a little. Why won't this place cook? They don't even care enough to get the right salsa from the can. Did they really think I wouldn't notice?? I notice and I am furious. I hate that place, that food, the management, and most of all that they call it mexican. Its an insult to us all. I will not only never go back, I'm done with Mexican food in South Dakota until a place opens that decides to actually cook real food. For a minute I felt bad posting this review, like maybe the would be really mad. But they are probably too lazy to care. read more

Tasty basic American-Mexican fare. There's a wide variety of menu items, from the typical Am-Mex combos (tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, fajitas) to more Mexican fare ("street" tacos with onions and cilantro). The place is very clean - no dust or smudges on walls or decorations. The service was VERY cheerful and VERY attentive. I'll enjoy coming here again and again! read more