Flavor! Value! Chicken!! We got takeout from Jacalito and were blown away. The amount of food, the quality of the food, and the price are all beyond what we expected. Plantains perfectly fried! Juicy chicken with crispy skin! It's our new go-to take our spot. read more

I'm still working on trying out several of their menu items, so I can only speak to their Peruvian chicken, nachos, and yucca. I get the Peruvian chicken with yuca 95% of the time. I am never disappointed with this order (personally speaking). The nachos didn't match the photos on the wall. I thought I'd have fewer nachos (with ground beef) , like a light meal like I wanted. It came out like a meal for 2 lol. Super heavy. I wished there was a bit more salt in it, but it was still good. read more

Jacalito Grill - Ground beef nachos - Mexican Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

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This mom and pop restaurant serves delicious food. I love the steak tacos and seafood soup. We ordered fajitas for a company party and everyone was very happy we catered from here. I highly recommend it. read more

The chicken in the fajita was so flavorful and the nachos were incredibly well put together. Will definitely be coming here more often. read more

Jacalito Grill - Chicken fajita - Mexican Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

I wish they had grilled my taco shells because they were a soggy mess once I got home. The steak taco definitely had a better flavor profile then the chicken. The chicken was shredded, which was unexpected and the steak had some nice size pieces. The meat was NOT lacking in either, which I appreciated. read more

Jacalito Grill - Steak and chicken tacos - Mexican Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

Excellent!! And very clean place! I absolutely recommend this place!! The food is great with very good taste ! read more

Excellent steak & ribs combo! Prompt, friendly service. Wife said her fajitas were great too. And price was right. Clean and quiet. Glad I stopped in here. read more

Great place for a quick lunch, good food, service and adequate parking. A lot of options in the menu, I did not try the chicken but the enchiladas were good. read more

Jacalito Grill is located at the end of a strip mall and doesn't look like much when you first walk in, but this food is packed with so much flavor! Prices are decent for the amount of food you receive and the service is quick. I loved my chicken enchiladas, there was so much meat and it was all nicely flavored. When I added the green salsa it took it up a couple spice levels, but it was still so so so good. I took a taste of my husbands fajitas and the beef was so tender and flavorful. We were expecting a longer wait for the papusas, but they came out with the rest of our food. I can't wait to go back and try something new! read more

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I ordered a 1/4 dark lunch meal and a water. A bottle of water? No thanks, just tap water. What's this 30 cent open charge on my receipt that you didn't tell me about? It's the charge for the water. A cup of water is 30 cents after you buy food for eating in. Never. Ever. Again. read more

Jacalito Grill - Quarter dark chicken, fried yucca, and a side salad. $7 - Mexican Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

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Small, unassuming strip mall location hides some pretty darn good roast chicken (green sauce that comes with is among the best I've had) and quesadillas. They have a large menu with a lot of other items including breakfasts. Ordered take out from here many times and the same guy behind the counter (presumably the owner) is always polite and friendly --has even offered to help take large orders out to the car. read more

Ok so here's the thing, I come here VERY OFTENlike at least once a week and If I'm not calling ahead and picking it up I go through uber eats. I love their Yuca (on a good day) and plantanos fritas (never had a bad one yet). Sometimes my Yuca isnt cooked all the way through whixh sucks because when I get food it's for my BF because we eat lunch together on his break. Usually I just order a side of yuca $4 and I'm ok. Don't judge them soley on this experience just learn from what happened to me. I decided to get somemore yummy yuca 1/2 chicken dark etc etc...Well l, I order online through Clover and on my way there my car ends up running out of gas. I set the pick up for immediately so I called and let them know I placed an order online, I told the gentleman what I ordered and he knew which order I was refering to because he repeated the rest of my order to me. I then proceeded to let him know I'm so sorry, I'm on my way but it's going to be a while I'm on the side of the road I ran out of gas. If there's any way you can keep the food warm until we get there that would be great. I apologize again and he said ok we said goodbye. I finally get gas in my car and then my battery dies because i had the car turned off with the emergency lights running . My bf jumps my car and then I follow him to Jacolitos. We get to the counter and say hi Im picking up an order I placed on line. He says no, I don't think so like he's confused. Now I'm feeling weird because I just spoke with this man no more than 45 minutes ago. I show him my reciept and he tells me someone already picked up the order. ‍ I reminded him that I called and told him I would be coming to pick up my food and he says, yeah I know but someone already picked it up. Now at this point me and my bf are thinking what does this have to do with us. You gave someone the wrong order. I kid you not once ai show him the reciept on my phone he says yeah they ahowed me that too. I told him thats IMPOSSIBLE even if someone was trying to scam me thats my phone number and name but it had my bf card on file...so basically someone would have to have access to not ONLY a random person's phone number and full name but another random person's card number in HOPES they used that card to order (mind you there's no physical card for anyone to steal). So he flips his screen around and shows me the invoice- what does that proove...nothing except I paid for an order that was given away. So me and my bf sit and wait after being put to the side by a walk in customer. (Remember I come here very frquent spending anywhwre from $12 to 20 each time and the last time was for $26ish just the day before) We sit there and I think a customer heard what was happening and he asked if he could help. We let him know that we already paid for our order and he gave it away, thanks for being so sweet though. The customer gets his food and he still hasnt said anything. My bf gets up and asks so what would you like to do? He then acknowledges us and says we'll get it dont worry. It's ok to be wrong, you dont have to blame a FREQUENT and LOYAL customer because you made a mistake. While we are waiting another gentleman with his kids walks in, he just says he has an online order and the jacolitos man just hands him a bag, doesn't ask for a name, doesn't ask for a order number, doesn't ask what he ordered, doesn't ask for a reciept just hands it to him. HOLD UP PAUSE why are we being treated like we are trying to rip you off when your not even checking orders! Hmmmmm...and you wonder why we're in the situation we are in now. We get our food and it was so bad, which I was scared that it wouldnt be made right if he was mad. I ordered a 1/2 chicken dark meat meal with beans and rice, a side of yuca and plantanos fritas, pork and cheese pupusa. We recieved 1/2 dark 1/2 white, and the yuca was very white and hard in the middle ‍. After going through ALL of that, not only personally but with the restaurant I was hoping the order would AT LEAST BARE MINIMUM be right. This whole interaction sucks because I loved this place, it's super close to my bf job and I Really liked, key word liked, their yuca. Do yourself a favor and don't order online because you might have your order given away ‍. I could understand MAYBE if what we ordered was basic like 2 1/2 chicken meals but I ordered random things. Also ATT DOOR DASH, UBER EATS, GRUB HUB, ETC: CHECK YOUR BAG BEFORE YOU COME TO PICK UP A CUSTOMER'S ORDER. Also pass on the tacos I've had better tacos with flavor, plus the last time I ordered I asked for no tomatoes and there was tomatoes on my order. Another thing too on Clover it says with a 1/2 chicken you get 2 sides, over the phone they only give you the option of one side, on their website it says, beans, rice, and salad with your choice of yuca or fries and I ALWAYS have something or most missing and still pay the normal price. I'm done giving buisness my money for inconsistent orders. read more

Jacalito Grill - Reciept, order info etc.. - Mexican Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

I grew up in NM and TX. These guys have legit food and they opened early for me when I was in the area for a sports event. Highly recommend.

Peruvian chicken, tacos, enchiladas, and so much more that can satisfy one's craving for Spanish food. I feel like I've discovered a gold mine after searching "Taco Tuesdays" on Yelp. Although they did not participate in Taco Tuesdays, they have an extensive menu of pretty much everything else -- all with an inexpensive price, especially for their large portions. I ordered the grilled chicken tacos, which came with a side of rice, beans, and pico de gallo. The tacos were street style which I definitely appreciated! The boyfriend inhaled his enchiladas before I was able to take a picture, so it was tasty for him. We shared the yucca and they were generous on the aji sauce (the white sauce) plus they were crispy... mmm, just the way I like it! The service was friendly and quick during our meal here. Since it's close by, we'll be back soon to try their other dishes! read more

Jacalito Grill - Grilled chicken taco platter - Mexican Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

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Good food good portion fairly fast service. Not crowded. In a strip mall on Alban road

When you first walk into Jacalito it is a little overwhelming. The really old and faded menu has a LOT of different food options and should totally be revamped to make it easier to understand. The sign says Chicken and Tex Mex, and when you walk in it isn't like your typical Pollo a La Brasa spot. In fact just by looking at the counter and not seeing a chicken anywhere I decided that I would not be opting for that option. I decided that cheap tacos might be the item to go with here, so I picked up 3 $1.50 ground beef hard tacos (soft tacos are for softies). I'd say the closest thing to these are Tippy's Tacos...and I don't think this place is going to take me away from there. However, these come with the green Peruvian-style chicken sauce, and when you put it on the tacos it takes them to the next level. Tacos were very watery and sloppy. Not a horrible deal for $5. I really don't think I'll be returning here. The lack of customers at lunch time to me was one of a few signs that this isn't the spot for me. Check out this spot for some cheap tacos, and perhaps something else on the menu will entice you. read more

Jacalito Grill - Ground beef tacos $1.50 each, secret is to use the green sauce - Mexican Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

The four star rating is mainly because of the seafood soup & carnita taco (5stars). We also had a half chicken and that was 3 at best (dry, lacked flavor). We will return for the more Mexican and Salvadoran dishes. I think they also sell papusas which I'm looking forward to trying. The seafood soup was a light broth with a few shrimp, clam, mussels and a piece of fish (cod maybe?). It was hot in temperature and oh so flavorful! It was a meal in itself. It was also served with some seasoned restaurant rice on the side which my hubby thoroughly enjoyed. Don't let the fact that this place is hidden away fool you. There are definitely some gems worth trying out & returning for!! read more

Jacalito Grill is delicious!! My favorite thing is the carne asada - the steak is deliciously grilled to achieve bits of char, and the portions are very generous. You won't leave hungry! Excellent service as well. read more

This restaurant is the real deal. For anyone longing for quality steak, grilled perfectly, spiced wonderfully and a taste that takes you away this is for you. I had lomo saltado and every bite was perfect. Thank you. I will be back to try the chicken. read more

This place was amazing... I'll tell everyone, don't judge a book by its cover. Everything was delicious. We got the seafood soup, tacos and pouposas. Highly recommend. Wonderful Customer service. Will definitely go again. read more

Jacalito Grill - Mexican Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

First time here and to start the lady at the front was super friendly and welcoming...that's a big one for me. The food came out at a descent time and the food was so good. The fried fish was crispy and flavorful. The soup had a lot of seafood in it and tasted delicious. We will definitely go back!!! read more

Jacalito Grill - Seafood Soup (mariscos) - Mexican Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

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Jacalito Grill is a rotisserie chicken and Tex-Mex eatery, offering combos, special platters, tacos, and grilled items. I'm a huge chimichanga fan, so I tried their Chimichanga platter - you can choose ground beef, shredded chicken, shrimp, or steak for your filling (I opted for steak). A large flour tortilla with cheese, filled with a generous amount of large juicy chunks of steak, pan-fried perfectly and crispy - this was pretty delicious! The platter came with a side of Mexican rice, beans, and a salad with sour cream and pico de gallo; I only cared for the sour cream and the bottle of really spicy hot sauce (that was available at all tables) - the chimichanga was the star of the show! It was crispy, cheesy, and beefy - simple and yummy! The hubs tried a grilled steak taco - this contained the same steak that filled the chimichanga, and was good with the hot sauce. Service was friendly and efficient! I'll definitely be back for their chimichangas! +steak chimichangas! :D +hot sauce! +friendly staff :D read more

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I've been coming here for a couple years now at least. They have awesome rib/chicken, steak/chicken, combos. Their beans have tons of flavor from the bacon they cook it with. They're chicken is nice and smoky and it comes with your choice of fried yucca or french fries. $7.95 is an awesome price for the half chicken. I've also tried their steak tacos. They were fantastic. They actually used "steak" unlike other places. I love seafood soup but I'm weary of trying it at a new place and not liking theirs. There's always something off. El Riconcito in DC had a decent one but it was deceptively large from all the inedible shells (which made it a pain in the ass to eat, shelling shrimp)and corn etc. They flavor sucked. Another latin restaurant in Brookfield Plaza Springfield ( I can't remember the name) had a terrible one. It was stinky and old. There were at least three different sized shrimp from three different sources I'm sure. It was awful. I barely touched fearing illness. Which brings me to today. I skeptically ordered the seafood soup at Jacalito's wondering how bad could it be. How bad could it be???!?!? It was fan-fkn-tastic!! A steal at $12.95, the soup was light in body yet rich in flavor. There were tons of fresh juicy shrimp already shelled minus the tail. The scallops were juicy and tender. There was also clam and mussels. They garnished the soup with fresh cilantro and served it with a side of mexican rice. They have a few traditional tex mex desserts such as flan and tres leches. My favorite however is the horchata. Service here is great too. I've only ever dealt with two different people here and they're both very nice and helpful. It's a family run business which would explain their early closing at 9:30 (my only complaint) but I totally understand. This place gets a solid 4.5 stars from me. I'd recommend it to anyone in Springfield or nearby. Don't waste your money at corporate juggernauts. read more

Jacalito Grill - Sopa de mariscos - Mexican Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

Was looking for somewhere to grab a quick lunch before boarding the Auto Train and happened to stumble across this place. Given the positive reviews we read, we decided to give it a try. In short, both my wife and I enjoyed our lunch, which consisted of chicken enchiladas, chicken tacos, and a side of chips and guac. All of it was tasty, and we especially liked the guacamole. Service was friendly and quick. We got there shortly after 12pm, and by the time we were eating our lunch, there was a line close to being out the door. I'm guessing this is a popular place in the area and the guy behind the counter seemed to know several of the people, so I'm guessing a bunch of regulars. Both of our meals came with rice and beans and we were plenty full when we walked out. Glad we found this place for lunch! read more

Jacalito Grill - Chicken enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

Just happened to be in the area, on yelp, and saw this place had alot of reviews so we gave it shot. I got the #1 (1/4 a chicken, beef taco, and chicken enchilada). It was great. The chicken was moist and pretty good on flavor. The enchilada and taco were awesome...I should have just ordered these for dinner. I also somehow ended up with yucca which I wasn't a fan of...but I am American so go figure. My friend got the #3 (half chicken combo) and he had nothing but good things to say about it, essentially it is moist and tastes great. Each combo we ordered also came with rice and beans. You wont be able to finish your place of food, way too much to eat. Friendly staff and quiet restaurant. Will be back. read more

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Delicious, inexpensive and friendly! Food was fresh and came out quickly. We really had a wonderful time here for lunch today. I will eat here again the next time I'm in the area. My 2.5 year old son had rice and beans and loved them. I had two chicken tacos with beans and rice. Everything was delicious and the chicken was juicy and had a lot of flavor! The green sauce is amazing! read more

High quality ingredients. Their chicken is probably the best I've had in DMV. You cannot go wrong with the nachos. Everything tastes so fresh. If you need to feed 5 or more the fajita platter is a great option. Also the steak and cheese is perfect. I cannot rave about this place enough. They've never let me down. I've been coming here for over 10 years. read more

Great place for delicious quick tacos. Only been here a few times, but each time I have been satisfied and enjoyed the food. Tacos are great. There is a meal with rice and bean sides, or an option for single tacos. You have the option for shrimp, steak, grilled chicken, shredded chicken, or ground beef. Tacos come with some fixings: cilantro, lime, pico de gallo, and their spicy green sauce. About 2-3$ each depending on which meat you get. I recommend the grilled chicken for best price and taste. I usually get 3 when I go. They have many other menu items as well, although I've only tried their brasa chicken which was quite good as well. I always mean to try their other food, but I love tacos and that is why I always go back. read more

Jacalito Grill - Tacos with pico and their spicy green sauce - Mexican Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

You have to start with: Super Friendly Staff. Great job guys, I always feel welcomed by your great smiles. I haven't had the mex food but can highly recommend the rotisserie chicken. You can get it with the nearly mandatory Yucca and salad along with typical green (cilantro/jalepeno) , yellow (aioli?) and spicy mayo sauces. They grill the birds over real charcoal and you can taste a difference. Plus for no MSG headache from the mojo. 1/2 star minus for variable tenderness of the birds. plus 1/2 star for Latin Football on everyday at lunch read more

Jacalito Grill - Wood grilled rotisserie chicken - Mexican Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

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We're new to the neighborhood and wanted to eat at the Afghan Bistro in the same strip mall. Unfortunately, they require reservations so we decided to try this place. We're big fans of South American food and we were hungry... so why not? My girl had the carne asada and I had the 1/4 chicken. Her plate came with rice and beans while mine came with fries and a small bed of lettuce. The food was delicious. My chicken was so incredibly moist and seasoned perfectly. The decor is nothing to write home about and probably hasn't been updated since the place opened, but aside from the bland decor, the food is what you come here for. read more

We did take out for dinner, including steak fajitas, tacos, chicken and enchiladas. Most meals come with rice and beans. Beans were awesome, but rice was just okay. Not bad, but no different than most places. However, the rest of the food was very good. Flavorful and with generous portions. My one complaint is with a hard taco meal. By the time we got home the "crispy" tacos shells were soggy and just fell apart. When I worked at a restaurant we avoided this by putting cheese or lettuce at the bottom of the shell to prevent the meat making it soggy. Or we would package the meat separately so the customer could build his own taco at home and have a crispy shell. read more

Ok. Got #4 Combo. Carne asada was decent. Ribs were sub par --tender but without character -- like they were made by someone's mom that isn't much of a cook. Girl at register said ribs were good. She lied. Shrimp taco was delish and lots of shrimp. Shredded chicken taco was super boring, dry, tasteless. Don't bother tipping. You're not going to get any more service than you would at McDonald's. You order your food at counter, you pick up your own food, you get your own drink and you go dump your tray when you're done. Tip for what? They have like 10 lines of suggested tip amount when they should really have none. If you're asking for tips then you need to provide service. read more

I love Mexican food to the point my wife thinks I have a problem, I'm white. I can't help it. I've been dying to try this place because of all the positive reviews, and tonight we had the chance. The food was great, hence the 5 star review. However, in the moment of "omg imma get Mexican food" I forgot atmosphere. The problem was tonight was a very rare "date night" event sans kids. This is NOT the place for that, go to Chuy's, pay 4 times the amount. This food (which I thoroughly enjoyed) comes to the cash register Macdonald's style on a paper plate (not even Chinette paper plates). So, if you love Mexican food like me, and need a quick lunch this is your place, just don't try it on a date night....writing this from the couch, alone... read more

My family and I have been going to Jacalito Grill since it opened. The food is consistently delicious! The staff has always been welcoming and always greets you with a smile. The Peruvian Chicken, it is one of the best I have tasted!!! But my personal favorite is their Huevos Rancheros. I am not just writing this review to share how great the food is, but most importantly, I am writing this review to tell you a wonderful story of how awesome the staff is in this establishment. Thursday night around 8pm, I went and ordered food to go, as usual the staff is great and the food is amazing. After dinner, while watching football around 10:30pm, an unexpected knock on the door.... Hmm who may this be, so late at night? I was very suspicious on opening the door. As I did, I was so surprised to see one of the nice men from Jacalito Grill. He greeted me with the same smile as always and he then presented to me with my wallet. He then explained that it was found in the parking lot, most probably I accidentally dropped as I got into my car. This man not only retrieves my wallet, kept it safe and did the most admirable thing! He drove my wallet to my home in the middle of the night.... Amazing!!!! I am so grateful and lucky to have such a great establishment a few minutes' drive from my home, establishment with great food and awesome people! Thank you so much!!! read more

I have been driving by this place on my way home from yoga for the past year now and haven't been able to bring myself to stop because - 1) Alban Road, WHY are you scary at night?? 2) I didn't exactly know what type of food the name "Jacalito" entailed. (and in case you were wondering, it means "little pony" in spanish. YUP.) FINALLY, I stopped. They have a random combination of Mexican food and rotisserie chicken (why???) but hey, who am I to judge? I tried the taco plate and my man had the enchilada plate. Came out fast, super friendly peeps, good price and the food was great! Jacalito, I WILL return to your fine establishment! read more

Most awesomest taco salad ever!!! It's JUMONGOUS! The description doesn't do it justice. It's an explosion of your choice of meat (shrimp, steak, chicken , beef) , lettuce, tomatoes, charra beans, sour cream, cheese. The flavor of the meat is extremely, extremely tasty. I was surprised at how good it was and it's so generous that you can definitely share with another person. This is my-go place for taco salad. read more

Very authentic South American/Mexican style food. The service was quick and friendly while the food was hot, fresh, and authentic. We decided to try this place out after finding out the Afghan Deli was closed. It is a very simple place and think that some people my be turned off by the simple layout and large menus posted on the wall; very third world. Don't be fooled, this place is great. I had the Jalcalito taco platter, my wife had the beef enchiladas, and my son had a few things that looked and tasted delicious (I forgot the names). We really enjoyed this simple Tex/Mex style food. The wood fired grill really put a special touch on the meats and I can imagine that the rotisserie chicken was tasty. I recommend if you are out for a quick and casual lunch, try Jalcalitos! read more

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Sunday 3/6/11 About 6:00PM Yes the staff is frendly, but that should come standard when going to the establishment; friendly only goes so far when the food isn't what one expects. In the end I'm paying for good food and to me that's the bottom line. I had the 1/2 chicken and sadly it was tasteless and a bit dry. Thankfully they included some ground jalapeño which gave the meal a little taste and spice. I'm going to give them another chance and try the Carne Asada; but if that doesn't rock my world I won't be going back. read more

My family and I Love Jacalito's. The Carne Asada is delicious and everything else we've tried is also yummy as well. We eat there at least once a week. We usually call ahead and food is ready within 10 minutes . If you shop at the Giant in Saratoga shopping center, they have a 20% off coupon on the back. They are more than happy to accept coupons. That's what I love about them The staff is very friendly, and the food is excellent. A hidden gem in the middle of a busy industrial park. read more

I had driven by this place several times and thought it was worth a shot to go. I was incredibly hungry so I ordered some chicken and tacos (and didn't eat for the rest of the day). Here are a few impressions: The parking is plentiful. It's on a strip mall at the end so there's no way you can not ever get parking. Once you step inside, it's a very quaint setup. You see chairs and there's TVs (World Cup fever was well under way) but there was no customers there. Worked for me since that meant I got my food. I had it to go which slightly reduces the experience because of it cooling down. I get home and tried their chicken. To be honest, it was a tad dry as most chicken can get. The other chicken place I normally go to has moister chicken which is definitely important for me. Their sauces though were completely better and it saved the fact that it was dry. Flavor wise, it definitely was good. Yuca portions were good as well and definitely better than the place I normally go to. Now for the steak tacos. They were delicious even though cold! I was like "whoa, this is some good tacos!" as flavors were popping. The one thing this place has is flavor. I put four stars down only because of the dry piece of chicken. Would I eat it again? Yeah the sauce makes up for it. I may have found a new place to go if I'm not in the mood to travel too far from home. read more