We went to Jose Tejas after having not gone for literally decades. The crawfish etoufee was as good as ever, but the noise level…
During the time we were there, my sound meter registered a minimum of 83 decibels and a maximum of 91. An average of 85 over an 8-hour period requires hearing protection.
Bring ear plugs. Don’t expect to see me there again.
That’s why we do take out. I call from home, its ready when I arrive, my wife sits outside in the car and we head to a park or back home. Last time we had a seafood grill combo on special and a steak taco platter.
Did you have lunch or dinner? I always have to wait a long time for dinner. I’ve been there maybe 5 times or so…decent food for a low price.
Lunch, at 1:15. We’re “main meal at lunchtime” people.
Interesting, do you always carry a sound meter or is that some kind of app on a smart phone? All you need to do is eat there once to know it’s not a place for a quite romantic dinner. It’s been 10+ years since I’ve been there, I wonder if they still play a loop of Marty Robbins gun fighter ballads as their back ground music.
Out in the West Texas town of El Paso
I fell in love with a Mexican girl
Nighttime would find me in Rosa’s cantina
Music would play and Felina would whirl…
Jose Tejas is a place I go only when I am in that area and craving cheap Mexican food. I would never seek the place out. There is nothing wrong with the food itself. You can tell most of it is pre-made and sitting under a light or in a steam table. That’s my first complaint. There is no other way they can get meals for four people out in 15 minutes with a restaurant of that size and a two hour wait. Not humanly possible.
While I suppose waiting for a table is part of the “Jose Tejas experience”, is it worth it? That’s a question I have long-debated. Only time I did not wait was a late afternoon lunch. At night (even a Monday) it was between 1-2 hours.
Margaritas suck. Nothing but ice and sour mix. Gotta stick to beer.
The loud environment is fun for about 20 minutes or so. Then your head starts to pulsate like you’re at a death metal concert.
The sound meter is an app on my tablet.
The only good reason to go to Jose Tejas ( and I’ve been more than a few times ) is the gumbo.
I’ve never seen anything under an hour wait …crazy.
Dave any good gumbo recs locally?
There was no wait when we went on 1:15 on a weekday --yet another advantage of eating out midday.
Of course, it doesn’t work for everyone, which is why there’s no wait in the first place.
My son’s birthday weekend (26) and he loves Mexican, although he had never been here this was his choice for birthday dinner. This was also my return in probably close to 20 years, so I was looking forward to rekindling some old memories. We arrived at 6pm on Saturday night and were told an hour wait. After half that time our table was ready, and we were seated.
I don’t think anything has changed astatically about the place; it seems exactly the same as it was 30 years ago when it opened while I was still in high school. Even the prices, I don’t remember what they were back then, but for 6 people a couple drinks and apps for a total of $ 149. $ 30 pp for dine in served meal these days ain’t too bad, and the food, well it was excellent.
I was actually taken back by how genuinely good things were. lol My steak fajita’s, I have no idea what they are marinating the steak in, but it’s delicious. Enough for 4 hearty soft taco’s or whatever you call the things you make with a fajita. lol The chips were great, house salsa very good and we ordered their guac and cheese dips which were great. Soft drinks served in HUGE glasses, attentive service etc.
They continue to be packed and the with their prices and quality, it’s easy to see why they are.
Hey I went here recently… got the steak fajitas, and they tasted great as you said… but they don’t seem to come out sizzling! Isn’t that the whole point of fajitas?
Funny you mention that because I noticed it too. I bet you someone burned themselves on the plate, or worse, they dropped one on someone.
Or someone forgot the sizzle sauce?
I think the first time we went to Jose Tejas in Woodbridge was in the early 90s. I remember this dish with a chicken breast and bacon sauce with cheese on it that was mouth watering. They’ve removed a few of my go tos over the years, but their etouffee is great, as are the seafood enchiladas. I feel like over the years their food had become quite a bit saltier, sometimes to the point where the dishes were unedible. I really wish they brought back that chicken dish, or the bacon wrapped shrimp
