February 10th, 2010
POSADOS CAFÉ LINDALE
3201 S Main Street
Lindale
TX 75771
903 881 0493
Posados is one of Lindale’s most popular eateries. It is an American-style Mexican restaurant serving fajitas, tacos, burritos, enchiladas and some seafood, ribs and steak too. They also have hamburgers, chicken and even grilled cheese sandwiches, for those fussy children that might be dining with you!
The things I love about Posados – the food is good and not expensive. My favorite is the chicken fajitas and I love the tortilla soup that comes with it (if you want, you can choose beans as a side dish instead) plus the sizzling platter of chicken and vegetables with a side of guacamole, sour cream and salad. I rarely have room to eat it all – but that could be because I find it hard to resist scoffing lots of the complimentary fresh tortilla chips and salsa that keeps being refilled! Another bonus – the margaritas. Posados is licensed so you can have a drink with your meal and the fruit flavored margaritas are very good – especially on a hot day. Actually, there is even a bar at Posados where you can sit and drink and munch on some chips ‘n salsa chatting to friends or watching a game without having to order a meal. It is not in the slightest bit seedy.
For children – the never ending supply of chips is great, plus the coloring provided on the kids menu, and the sopapilla dessert and ice cream for treats after the meal. I dread to think what is in that ice-cream though, it’s probably full of additives and sugar and … well I mustn’t think about it as I know my kids expect an ice-cream if we eat there!
I like the atmosphere and lighting in the restaurant but I also enjoy eating outdoors and Posados does have a small covered patio area. Posados is often a bit cold for my liking so we nearly always eat outside in the warmer months. I wish the outdoor seating was round the back of the building and more open though, perhaps overlooking a little Mexican garden?!
Things I don’t like about Posados – it s always busy! Of course that is a result of it’s popularity but it does mean that you will have to wait to be seated at busy periods and we have been there when the ice-cream machine ran out and the staff were too busy to refill it (disaster for the children!) Personally I don’t think much of their tortillas – at Posados they take pride in the fact that they are made on site and the kids like to watch them being pressed by the big machine– but I find them flabby and rather greasy. Otherwise, the food is good quality.
Posados has a lighter lunch menu and will also cater your event. Gift cards are available – they are twinned with
Mercados and there is a rewards card points scheme which gives you reductions from your check. It is easy to see why many Lindalites chose to dine at Posados.
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February 10th, 2010
Jalapeno Tree Mexican Restaurant is located at 420 Loop 323, Tyler, Texas 75701. Inside is fairly large space and nicely decorated. Their booths are pretty large. They could easily fit six normal size people, or maybe 8 small people.
Before your meal, chips and two different kinds of salsa are served. A red and guacamole. Kinda spicy so be aware in case you are not a fan of hot stuff! I can not tolerate hot stuff.
Next to us there was a large party for a girl who I think was turning 21 years old. The only reason I am saying this is because through out the night people kept buying her shots of drinks. I remember thinking I never had so many people show up at my birthday. So they are able to manage a large party.
I went there lately and ordered an ala carte beef taco with a side of Charo beans with tortilla soup. To my surprise it was very filling. My brother and my sister in law shared fajitas. The place is great and a fun place to go and enjoy a meal with your family. Food is good, usually the company is even better. The service was also very good.
Here are some examples of food you can find in their menus: Salad and soup, Quesadillas, Fajitas, Grilled Specialty, Star dinners, Mexican favorites, burritos, lunch specials, American food, children’s menu. If all this is not making you hungry I don’t know what will. They also serve a complimentary ice cream with your meal at no charge.
I would suggest the next time you find yourself hungry and around the loop, stop by the Jalapeno Tree and eat. While you are there you can ask them about their Pepper Posse reading and eating for free there. I am sure if you ask anyone who works there, they will be able to tell you more about this. You can also find this information on the back of their gift cards.
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January 30th, 2010
El Original
1313 E. Erwin Tyler TX
(903) 526-2999
On the Square
113 E Erwin Tyler TX
(903) 526-0702
One of my favorite restaurants to go to almost every week in Tyler is Don Juan’s. What you get at Don Juan’s that keeps me coming back is consistency and decent service.

Don Jaun's
The food is always of high quality and I usually get a pretty good waiter or waitress attentive to my food needs. They will almost always bring out some godo quality crunchy chips to your table. These chips aren’t the thin greasy chips you get at most places that people seem to like a lot. Don Juan’s chips are small triangular crunchy goodness. Combined with Don Juan’s extra spicy green and red hot sauce and you get a nice little appetizer prior to your taco’s or quesadilla arriving.

Don Juan's
My favorite item right now at Don Juan’s taqueria are their chicken taco’s on corn tortilla’s. I will usually ask that they include cilantro, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and avacodo. I will usually get the taco’s without avacodo and I will sometimes ask for the waiter to go back and bring me some avacodo but usually I will just eat it however it comes out. Isn’t that what you do at McDonald’s? My order is never right there but I just eat however it comes out because why waist time complaining every visit?
My favorite drink at Don Juan’s is their Cantoulope juice. I would have never thought this flavor of juice would be good but in my mind it doesn’t taste exactly like cantaloupe but more like a refreshing fruit drink without distinct melon flavor. If you doubt my recommendation go ahead and order this drink and see what I mean. This drink is some good stuff! I have recommended the drink to a few of my friends and my wife. All of these people were reluctant at first but went ahead and ordered it. Now all of those friends order nothing else but yes you guessed it, Cantaloupe juice. You can beat this stuff. It is better than Tropicana pure premium orange juice no pulp and for me that is saying a lot.
When at Don Juan’s don’t spend too much time loitering at the entrance. You seat yourself people! See the sign that says “seat yourself”? Ok you have seen it so go ahead and find a table and wait for your server. This is how the machine works at Don Juan’s and we in Tyler like it like this. Why wait for a meaningless hostess to help you find a table when anyone with a brain can locate a clean empty table on their own? We can only hope that other Tyler restaurants learn from this ingenious idea.
Don Juan’s is located at the downtown square on Erwin and they have another location further down on West Erwin in the Mexican area of town near the brookshires dairy processing plant.

Brookshires Dairy Processing
There are some obscure Mexican retail shops nearby with manicans wearing skimpy outfits and a house operating as a second hand used junk store. There is also Sam Hill Ace Hardware and lumber close by the West Erwin Don Juan’s location.
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January 24th, 2010
Casa Ole Mexican Restaurant is located at 5105 S Broadway Ave., Tyler, Texas. This is a restaurant that looks quaint inside and out and is similar to an old time restaurant building in Mexico. 
The waiters and waitresses are so friendly and congenial. When we have gone to eat there they have been very nice to make your order custom if you are needing to substitute different menu items. The menus are built to reflect the amount of food you want and what you want to pay for. An example is: “uno” would be one enchilada, with Spanish rice and refried beans…..”dos” would be two enchiladas, with Spanish rice and refried beans.
There is a small difference in the price but their prices are very economical. For two people you can have a nice meal and spend less than $20.00. The restaurant serves rainbow sherbet for dessert as a complimentary item.
Even if the time of day is noon which is customarily the busy part of the day they will get you seated and served in a fraction of the time that other places take. If you are looking for good Mexican food, wonderful service and economical price Casa Ole is the place to go.
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January 18th, 2010
Juanita’s Mexican Buffet is located on Hwy 110 in Lindale, which is close to Tyler. My friends took me there once for lunch and I thought the food was pretty good. It is buffet style restaurant which I prefer most of the time because you can choose how much you eat and when to stop. The menu selection was good…Spanish rice, fajita meat with onions and bell pepper, chicken fingers, some type of stew, rolls, muffins, salad stuff and peach cobbler for dessert.
Our waitress wasn’t that great but I think she was busy with all the other tables. Like an attentive waitress, she did stop several times at our table to ask if we were OK…but did not take our plates away very quickly. Not a big deal…I still enjoyed my meal and I would do it over again if I had another opportunity. As long as the food is okay and the company great I can overlook some of the other stuff. The restaurant is on the small side and you can tell they probably had some regulars who often like to go have lunch there. We took my 21 month old daughter and of course she draws attention everywhere we go.
People love baby’s for the most part. It makes for a great conversation starter to have a child go out to eat with you, especially if you are shy and have a hard time saying something worth while your children always have something funny or smart to say. Never a dull moment. Juanita’s is a great place for a buffet style
mexican restaurant and the price is reasonable. It is not gourmet food…but good reasonable quality and price. For what you pay…this is worth it
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Tags: Juanita's Mexican Buffet, Tyler TX Mexican restaurants
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January 16th, 2010
Mercado’s at 2214 WSW Loop 323, Tyler, Texas 75701 established August, 1987. Posados is affiliated with Mercado’s, it’s the sister restaurant. When I was younger I worked for Mercado’s and loved the food and the people but that is not why I am writing about it. I enjoy going there with my family and friends and having a good meal and great service.. I love their fajitas. I always order them because they are so good. Home made tortillas (flour or corn)….great salsa and home made chips makes for a good appetizers. Some of their other entrees are tamales, chilupas, tacos and enchiladas. If you are trying to loose some weight they have some great salads.
Mercado’s is a great place just to go have a few drinks with your friends after work. They have a small bar area there…where you can chill and enjoy a drink and watch some great sports on the TV. Margaritas are pretty good there.
You can reserve an area for a private party if you would like. They set up a buffet serving area for your private party. They offer some great desserts when you are done with your meal. Bunuel’s for two or a sundae. Money too tight…… free frozen custard on the house and usually free sopapias which are great with some butter (mystery oil mixture) and honey. The service is good and the food even better.
Looking for a job, this
Mexican restaurant is a great place to make great money. It is hard work and long hours, which is OK if you are prepared for this. Waiting tables at Mercado’s means you walk out daily with the profit you made and don’t have to wait for a paycheck, although you do get a small guaranteed pay. Mercado’s is a great place whether you choose to work there or dine.
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Tags: Mercados, Mercados Tyler Texas, Posados, Posados Tyler Texas, Tyler Mexican Restaurants
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January 12th, 2010
Villa Montez has now expanded their patio to wrap around some of their amazing old growth trees that are some of the largest trees of their type in the East Texas area. Since Villa Montez sits up on a mansion on the hill they have trees that grow down in the valley up past the top of their mansions roof. With the new porch wrapping around two of their large post oak trees they have one of the best views and outdoor patios in East Texas.
When you order something from Villa Montez you consistently get one of the nicest food presentations that any Tyler Texas restaurant can dish out. I honestly have not seen anything quite like the food presentation that Villa Montez offers their customers. The closest thing to it is Kiepersol restaurant which is another fabulous Tyler restaurant. Kiepersol is located in Bullard and is a bit of a vacation to travel to but the experience is on par with Villa Montez. The difference between the two is price. You will pay an arm and a leg when visiting the Kiepersol winery and restaurant while you will be able to get away with an affordable classy meal and view when at Villa Montez. I recommend asking to be seated on the patio as long as the weather permits as you just can’t beat the fan misters, the view, and the trees while eating a delicous meal presented in a truly remarkable way.
My wife ordered a pork tenderloin dinner at Villa Montez and there were these white crispy things that I had no idea as to what they were but made the overall presentation just right and the little things tasted pretty good as well. I ordered the Sea Bass after many requests by the owner on several different occassions and although I am not one to normally order fish on a menu I was pleasantly surprised. The Sea Bass is now one of my new favorite menu items at Villa Montez and I think you will find it fresh and filling if you order it for yourself. If you are not a fish person and especially do not like the “fishy” taste that most fish give off than the Sea Bass is just right as there is no fishy after taste. If you like to order an appetizer before your meals then please take a look at the Chino rolls. They are basically southwestern egg rolls that come with a jalepeno jelly. These egg rolls are delicious and I order them almost every time. My father in law ordered the steak salad and unlike other restaurants, Villa Montez does not have you asking, “Where’s the beef!” He loved the salad from what I could tell and everyone liked sitting out on the patio.
After dinner, my wife and I shared a creme brule. Villa Montez gets the creme Brule right and not all places do. The creaminess was just the right amount. It was not too sweet and the caramalized sugar on top really hit it over the top. They usually put a couple of berries on top with a dab of whipped cream to make this the top desert in my list on their menu. After you get up I recommend taking astroll around their grounds. They have a very nice fountain and cement bench as well as an herb garden and water fall. The whole facility is truly amazing and I always wonder just how much it cost for the facility and refurbishing it to the degree that Villa Montez has done. The whole experience is remarkable and I really don’t have many complaints. The service there has always been spot on and you will usually see that the waiters participate as a team helping each other with making sure glasses are kept full and the food is delivered on time and to the right table. I assume tips are split up among everyone as the team participation in providing service is always consistently the same unlike most Tyler restaurants who seem to get this major part of the dining experience wrong.
The only thing I don’t like about Villa Montez is their pasta meat combinations. It is only personal preference but I just don’t like the combination and recipe of some of their pasta dishes. I think as long as you order anything else you will be more than happy and you may even like the pasta I am just an italian only type of person when it comes to pasta. Having a latin blend with pasta just doesn’t do anything for my taste buds. Do not be surprised to find one of the chefs or the owner coming by to personally meet you and shake your hand while you are here. When you first arrive you will have a large room with tables to wait before you are seated. You can order an appetizer or drink while waiting for your table and may end up meeting someone new in this little hangout. Expect Thursday – Saturday at Villa Montex to be packed but also expect a wait time for a table at a convenient 20 – 30 minutes at the most. This Tyler Texas restaurant truly gets it right on verey level. Come to Villa Montez and expect to have a 5 star dinner without the 5 star price.
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Tags: Latin Cuisine Tyler, Tyler Texas Mexican Food, Tyler TX Villa Montez, Villa Montez, Villa Montez Restaurant
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January 8th, 2010
Huge Portions of Tex-Mex Classics
For a great family night out with your fav tex-mex classics why not give On the Border a try. With everything from sizzling hot fajita plates to the perfectly crunchy Chimichanga you’re sure to have leftovers.
Great Patio Party Place
On the Border’s huge patio is the perfect place to celebrate your birthday or event in Tyler Texas! Whether it be a birthday party, anniversary, or just people watching, do it from one of the best patios in town. For an even better Latin flavor restaurant with a much bigger outdoor patio up on a hill try Villa Montez. Any many ways Villa Montez far out does what On The Border has to offer.
Happy Hour 3-7 p.m.
if your lucky enough to get their at happy hour you’ll also enjoy half priced appetizers along with your favorite beverage. So call some friends and get over there pronto!
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Tags: On The Border, On The Border Tyler TX, Tyler Texas Mexican Food, Villa Montez, Villa Montez Tyler Texas
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January 8th, 2010
With around 1000 Mexican eateries in and around Tyler Texas ranging from the big chains to your little ‘hole in the walls’, Taqueria El Lugar is a Tyler staple. With its five locations Lugar offers everything from beef tacos to chicken burritos. And if you think a quesadilla is a thin tortilla shaped like a triangle you haven’t met Lugar’s #7. The #7 is a super quesadilla stuffed to the gills with your choice of beef, ham or chicken with cilantro, cheese and sliced avocado! Oh!-you’ll need both hands! The Super Quesadilla cost around $3.80 each
A Great Place to Bring “Out of Towners”
You have friends from out of town? You want to show them something a little less tex-mex?
Taqueria El Lugar is more authentic and will not disappoint non Tylerites. Try its newest location in the shopping center just south of The Diner in Tyler. If you hit ‘Academy Sports’ you’ve gone way too far!
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Tags: Taqueria El Lugar, Tyler Texas Mexican Food, Tyler TX Taquerias
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January 8th, 2010
Mexican restaurants in Tyler are a lot like Churches in Tyler. Some prefer the mega churches, just like some choose the impersonal larger favs like Mercados or Jalapeño Tree. Well I no more prefer being one of a billion served than a billion saved. When it comes to Mexican or “Tex-Mex” food, why trust to a corporation what has been done better by grandmothers for centuries. Ok so that’s a bit nostalgic I admit, but Texas is blessed with some of the best cultural foods of any place in the world. This is why I visit restaurants like Don Juan’s. When I eat Mexican food in Tyler I want it taste like authentic Mexican / Texan food.
Don Juan’s is a local Tyler business with two locations; that serves the authentic food I expect to have in Texas. Their quesadillas and enchiladas are absolutely out of his world and their Chimichanga has to be the best in town. But everyone has their favorite menu item. And with an atmosphere as authentic as the food, it’s a great place to take out of town guests for a bit of local color.

Great cantaloupe juice!
So next time you’re tempted to follow the crowd to one of the mega Tex-Mex establishments, try something a bit more personal. Try Don Juan’s located at 1313 E. Erwin, or on the Square at 113 E Erwin, in Tyler.You’ll be glad you did.For a menu see their website at www.donjuantyler.com.
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Tags: Don Juan's Mexican Food Tyler, Don Juan's Tyler Texas, Tyler Texas Mexican Food, Tyler Texas Taquerias
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