Ate here as it was walking distance from my hotel. Saw some decent reviews and thought I'd give it…read morea try. I will start by saying the place was clean, plenty of seating and friendly staff. As I walked in I noticed a bar area to the left which had a little crowd in it (big night for sports on tv). I sat at my table and was quickly brought chips and salsa. Average for both. Interesting that there wasn't any salt or hotter sauce on the table. Had to ask for it. I ordered my typical "new Mexican restaurant"meal of a taco/enchilada/chili rellano. This plate is what I compare all Mexican restaurants by. First flaw was that they only had ground beef or chicken. Better Mexican restaurants have multiple choices for these. The taco came out with ground beef, some lettuce and cheese. It tasted fine. The enchilada was basically ground beef wrapped in a corn tortilla with some sauce on it. Again, just ok. For some reason Carolinians think a chili rellano is beef and melted cheese with a small portion of a pepper mixed in. This is far from what I am expecting. I would say the food was ok but not on my "must try again" list. Honestly if it wasn't for just enjoying sitting in there after a long day I'd just assume be eating Taco Bell. The margarita here was good and that helped!

We love this place. The food is straight up authentic and coming from Arizona, I was quite amazed…read morehow good the everything was. Christian was totally perfect at his job. My Mexican shrimp cocktail had huge pieces of shrimp and avocado in a delicious sauce. So amazing. Sangria was delicious. Perfect experience.Did not expect the perfect Southwest experience in Blythewood Sc but was proved wrong. Now you know why you can't get into their parking lot.

Best Mexican food I've found here yet. Wonderful friendly service. We'll be back over and over…read moreagain. Our favorite place.

A great choice for Mexican. The inside is nice and more spacious than I expected. They do have…read morehappy hour specials. The food is seasoned well and the portions are great. The margaritas were pretty decent too. The service was good and efficient. Overall, a really good experience and I would definitely return.

My girlfriend and I had dinner last night and it was excellent, she told me that her bean burrito…read morewas the best , I had a chicken dish that's always good , the cheese dip is the best overall it was a great example!!

This is the best Mexican you're going to find around Elgin, seriously dont waste time anywhere…read moreelse. This is NOT a chain, so you're getting some of the best home-cooked food. The staff and owners are AWSOME!! Super friendly, pleasantly attentive, and people who will remember you with a smile the next time you come in. Chavelas has it's own private parking along the side of their building. They offer limited seating outdoor (which is covered) and ample seating indoor with both booth, tabletop, and Bartop options. It's football season, but dont worry as Chavelas has several T.V.'s for your viewing pleasure throughout the restaraunt and at the bar. The restaraunt is always clean which is one thing I always admire about here, they truly care at Chavella's. Lets talk food!! Today I ordered the Chavella's Special which is "a little bit of everything"; absolutely hit the spot!! The menu has all your favorites and some new ones you didn't know about, but be sure to look at the "Specials board" at the front as you walk in. Chavella's offers your normal fountain drinks, Jarritos (my favorite), Horchata, and many others. The full bar can bring a smile as well whether it's a beer, Michelangelo, or their own Sangria!!! If you are loving the fall weather and are looking for soup try their Carne En Su Jugo, it's one of their specials and for a great reason. Ask for their "House hot sauce" if you want a bit more Ying; it's soooooooo goooooooooood and not overbearing. If you make it into South Carolina, and find yourself close to Elgin, be sure to make Chavella's one of your planned stops.

We were concerned about this place being authentic but I assure you it was. Our waitress spoke very…read morelittle English and couldn't tell us the soda options which I found endearing. The actual inside of this place is well lit and quite at lunch time. I can see this place being a hot spot for drinks since there are margarita flight options. I had a Bueno salad add chicken and it was great. So flavorful I didn't need dressing which is good because it doesn't come with any. The tortilla strips and the tortilla chips with the salsa were very fresh and warm. I feel like tortilla chips at a Mexican restaurant is so important and vital to the overall experience of the food you get. My bestie got the pork carnitas and he loved it. He even ate his leftovers cold, and it was delicious according to him. The tortillas came warm, however they did bring him flour tortillas after asking for corn but again the waitress doesn't speak very much. I'm not really sure why she would be waiting tables but needless to say it was a great experience and certainly was authentic.

Had the pleasure of sitting at the bar and meeting Joe. Super down to earth and cool guy! Attentive…read moreto his customers and ensuring everything is perfect! The food was amazing and speaks for itself!! My first time ever trying queso with pico de gallo in it and it was amazing! The strawberry pitcher margarita was delicious!! Will be coming back soon! Gracias joe

This restaurant wasn't far from my hotel, so I stopped in for a late lunch. Enjoyed the chips and…read moresalsa and queso. The chicken chimichanga was good, too. Service was great. Never felt rushed. Food was served quickly and was well presented and prepared. You can tell this place has some wear and tear, but isn't that also a sign of a well loved spot?

The woman that seated us was not pleasant. Our server Manuel was awesome. The food was very good…read moreand portions were large. I love a good seafood cocktail. Sangria was good not great..

Visited the San Jose restaurant on Sparkleberry Lane in Columbia, SC and it was an awesome…read moreexperience. Food was excellent, chips and salsa was tasty (could have had more spice/heat), staff was super including a very young man who seated us (son of manager/owner I think). This young man's sincere manners and professionalism was unexpected and it was delightful. We are new to Columbia and this is the BEST restaurant we have found so far when we are craving mexican food.

I just recently moved here from California where there is amazing authentic Mexican food on every…read morecorner. So when I come here I actually usually just get the beef tacos and carne con queso dip. It's probably the least authentic Mexican food on the menu, but that's what I want these days. The food is alllllways quick to come out and fresh. The servers are always nice as well. So far so good!

I miss the days where you could walk up and place an order with the person. This location has a…read morekiosk. It's a newer building and the food was just ok. For fast food dislocation is just OK.

Stopped in and ordered 3 tacos I was the only customer in the store at 8pm I counted 6 employees …read more After 15 minutes I was so mad I walked out without my food and money. Will never go back

I'm not too sure how to feel about this place. Chips and salsa, definite 10/10...my daughter had…read morethe barria tacos. 3/10. Lacked flavor, and the tiny dipping bowl was cold. She added salt, pepper and sour cream but that dog just wouldn't hunt. Grilled shrimp taco, great quantity but something was missing...I ate them tho

We went on a Friday around 8pm and if I didn't knownany better, I would think this place was…read moreclosed. It was just a few people at the bar and the whole place smelled like fabuloso... which is awful to smell while trying to eat. For my order, I had steak chimigangas but what I got was more akin to half sized burritos with leftover chicken fajita mix.... it was mostly onions and peppers with a few strips of chicken. I am not sure what my wife got but it fared better than mine. It wasn't terrible but there are other places nearby that are a better bang for your buck and cheaper. The wait staff was really nice though.

Loved our waiter, he was on top of things & provided the best customer service (we left a nice…read moretip), but the food was only okay: Chips & salsa: the chips were GREAT, the salsa was boring. The meat needed more seasoning on both our dishes, the beans were fine, the rice was the perfect texture but lacked flavor as well. We may come back to give it another go, we'll see...

This is one of my go to,places for business lunches. Reasonable prices, very quiet and nice booths.read more

Coming from Texas , I can say that I truly understand really great Mexican cuisine. In the Columbia…read moreSC area, there are just a few restaurants that mimic what you would find in Mexico. San Jose has a good selection of foods and have tailored their menu to the local clientele with US menu items along side traditional Mexican dishes. The food prices are consistent with local area, but expect to pay higher than normal prices for the beer, wine and alcohol selections.

Great food ! Chips and salsa were delicious…read more Casada Mexicana was excellent and you get two in the order. Great value Highly recommend