Jose Tejas

(This review is for the new Mount Laurel Jose Tejas restaurant on Sat 02/11/23 @ 4:30pm.) I've been to the Iselin, NJ restaurant about 4 times and I've been to the Newark, DE restaurant once and they were both awesome. I noticed a couple of years ago that they dropped to a much smaller "Covid Menu" which a lot of restaurants and bars had been doing. It's now mid-February 2023 and they are STILL on a small, stripped down menu which is super annoying. They literally have a one page menu. One side is drinks and appetizers and the other side has soups, salads and entrees. They don't offer tacos, they don't have any burgers, just fajitas, enchiladas and some baked burritos. One of my favorite entrées that I've had from JT is blackened catfish and it's not on this small menu. I should start by saying that the service was fantastic. Everyone was very attentive and I had my water refilled three different times by three different people. It honestly never went empty. They brought me another glass of ice water every time it got down to about 1/3 full. The food also came out incredibly fast. I couldnt believe it. Tonight we ordered Queso Dip, a bowl of Gumbo, Steak Fajitas, a side of jambalaya and we enjoyed the house chips & salsa..... the chips & salsa were very good 5/5, the Queso Dip reminded me of Velveeta Cheese Product big time and tasted like cheddar broccoli soup so it was a 2/5, the bowl of Gumbo is one of my favorite things from there and I absolutely LOVED it. It's sooo smokey and rich and a little spicy. It's sooo good! It was an absolute 5/5. We both got Steak Fajitas and they only come with onions.... that's it. Onions. No peppers, no scallions, no tomatoes, the skillet came out with strips of Steak and onions. That didn't bother me too much but it was odd and different. The Steak and onions were also covered with spices that made it all pasty. There was so much seasoning on it that it was pasty. I thought they tasted OK but my GF said it was way too spicy hot and she didn't eat any of it. She literally used the tortillas to eat the cheese, Pico de Gallo and rice. So the Steak Fajitas were a 2/5. The side plate of cheese, Pico de Gallo and shredded lettuce was great 5/5. I liked the black beans and Jose's Rice but she did not. She thought that the black beans were too spicy (she's a wimp). I'll say the black beans and rice were both very good at 4/5. We both liked the side dish of Jambalaya which I thought was a great deal and lot of food for a low price. Jambalaya was 4/5. So we ended up bringing the great majority of our Fajitas home. I have high hopes that the next time I visit I'll be happier with everything. Again, the service and speed at which we received our food was stellar but a few dishes were too spicy and lacking.

So understanding they are just opening and figuring things out, it was tough being patient. There were three parties of five waiting to sit while parties of 2-4 were coasting in and out. It’s like the idea of pushing two tables together was out of the question. That’s ok, chalk it up to being new and figuring things out, no worries.

The service was great. Our staff was very attentive, bringing chips and drink refills regularly. I can’t compliment them enough about how stellar they were. Unfortunately, that’s where the good ends. The food was so insanely salty. The burro was covered in “enchilada sauce” that tasted more like a salty packet of brown gravy than “enchilada sauce”. Your salt sauce burrito comes with salty black beans that spread out and blend with the salty brown gravy to cause some sort of sodium infused reaction that makes you thirstier than you have ever been.

The rice was pretty good until you got down to the salty soaked rice marinated in the salty brown gravy and salty black beans.

I need to clear the salt from my system and give it a few months before trying this place again. I hope they figure out the seating aspect and the salt content.

Pros: Staff!!!, chips, service once seated
Cons: Salt

Used to visit the location in Woodbridge all the time when I lived up that way. So happy they opened one up near me. Same vibe, great Tex Mex food. The warm chips and salsa start your meal off are always great. Nice selection of beers and drinks. The fajitas are great as is most of the other food. Super service, very attentive staff.