Consuelo Mexican Bistro

I am so disappointed with Consuelos. This restaurant had excellent food and service for a few years, even when they were packed inside and out with customers. Now, the last three times I have gone (my rule of thumb is 3 chances before I don't go to a place anymore), each time there was plenty of wait staff and less than 5 occupied tables. We (my wife and I) waited almost 15 minutes after being seated to get a menu, then another 10 or more to get our drinks, and then 45 YES, 45 minutes to get our order of overcooked chicken and greasy carnitas. Our waitress promptly disappeared after dropping off the food, never came back to us, so had to go ask bartender to get us our check. Stay away! more

The food is mediocre and overpriced. The staff was ok, could have been more attentive considering the price. The management and attention to customer service is among the worst I've ever seen \r \r We never actually had a desire to go to this restaurant and the only reason we did tonight was because we had a gift certificate. The Restaurant appears nice enough, well furnished, nice looking bar, decent wait staff. The first thing you notice is that there are no chips served. Only soft tortillas and 3 different salsas. If you want chips, that will cost you $3.00. The ceviche was ok, but it was served with soda crackers. The margarita is about a 3 on the scale of 1-10. This would have been a mediocre meal at best, and an overpriced shopper trap at worst. However, it was my interaction with the general manager that really sunk the evening. He informed me that despite the fact that there was no expiration date on the gift certificates I had, he would not honor them as they were at least several years old. I let him know that the State of California actually requires gift certificates without an expiration date to be honored regardless of what the restaurant's policy is. At which point he turned cold and repeated that he would not accept the gift certificates and stated ""you do what you have to do"". I considered walking out without paying the bill, but thought better of it and paid with a credit card instead. \r \r I lodged formal complaints with the California Department of Consumer Affairs and my credit card company. \r \r I've also read on yelp that other people have had their gift certificates illegally rejected. if this has happened to any of you or you encounter it in the future I recommend you lodge a complaint with the California Department of Consumer affairs. It is quick and easy. \r Pros: Location and atmosphere Cons: high prices, poor quality food, service, and management more

Since the dining area at Consuelo was totally packed when we got here, we ended up sitting at the long bar.... more

Since the dining area at Consuelo was totally packed when we got here, we ended up sitting at the long bar. The bartenders were all very friendly ... more

I so wanted to go my husband didnt because its not good mexican food. The only good thing is drinks, appetizers and desserts. when i got my dessert I looked to the wall and saw a COCROACH! walking up the wall. I nearly wanted to scream And sat at the very corner of my seating looking for a worker or someone. they offered free food. But we are not here for free bees was our response. my husband told me to look under the table there were dirty greasy reading glasses and another cuaracha I should have yelled CUCARACHA! yes i called the health dept on them! Pros: location, drinks, desserts Cons: service, dirt, cucarachas, main food more

What a surprise to find out that everyone wears a coat inside the restaurant because the front door is drafty and they have the top windows open. The salsa dishes don't even fit on the plate, the silverwear doesn't match, you have to ask to have sweetner for the ice tea and a match for the candle. The place is so dark you can't read the menu. There are no chips for the salsa just tortia's and when you order your food, like Carnita's, all you get is a bowl of pork, nothing else, no rice, no beans, no vegatables, just meat. Everyone wears a jacket inside while your eating and everyone complains about it and the manager doesn't even care. He blames things on the economy. Well, you can't use the economy excuse we paid $210 for dinner. They take no responsiblity for anything apparently. However, our waiter did make a great effort, the gaucamole is good, the margarita's are good but don't expect the hostess to speak Spanish, they are so mis-managed it really was a sad sad joke of an experience. Bring someone you want to break up with there because it would be the perfect place for a reality check. Oddly enough the place was full of people wearing there coats and complaining. Never never never again. more

My boyfriend and I dropped in on a Saturday afternoon and were seated outside right away. The tortillas instead of chips was different but good. We knew right away the food would be good when we tasted the salsas they brought. You can order your beer with a flair, which means it comes in a salt rimmed glass with lemon juice and ice. I found it to be very refreshing. I was hesitant about the ""tapas style"" but loved it in the end. The food was amazing. I am use to authentic mexican food and have to say this is the first time I have found it in California. I am orginally from Tucson, AZ and I truly miss the close to the border Mexican food.The mole tasted amazing and I loved the torta de elote was like had not had in years. The prices were what I expected for Santan Row. We had the guacamole, one entree, two sides and two beers. With tip our meal came to $50 and we were stuffed. We have already made plans to come back with my parents. If you like Authentic Mexican food you will truly enjoy this bistro! \r \r The one down side... our waiter was slow. He was very polite but we waited forever for our check. Good thing the weather was so nice. We spent almost two hours there! Pros: Torta de Elote Cons: Service was slow more

We were able to get a list minute reservation on Open Table. This place is located in the hip new area of San Jose and you definitely get some good people watching if you ogtain a coveted outside table. We started with the tableside guacamole ? mmmmm? And Sangria for me. It was a pretty tasty beverage and I think I might have been able to thoroughly enjoy a pitchers worth with ease! Next hubby and I split the chicken Pipan - Chicken in a delicious green mole made with pumpkin seeds, tomatillos, nuts and spices. Super tastey. We also ordered up the fried plantains, and the Torta de elote - Savory corn bread, chile pasilla, onion, bacon with poblano pepper cream sauce\r Of course I totally enjoyed the plantains ? mmmmm?.. hang on, still savoring them?.\r We ended with chorros and some great conversation!\r The only weird thing was that they had tortillas as opposed to chips so it did keep me from over eating, but it was not as fun or enjoyable with the guacamole.\r Pros: Prompt seating with reservation, tasty sangria Cons: Parking, service is ok, no chips only tortillas more

I've been here at least five times, have always left happy. I would go more often but it's pretty damned expensive, $12 margaritas for example. Too bad it's on Santana Row. The fresh guacamole made at the table is great. The tortillas are the best I've had outside of Mexico, I imagine a little old lady in the back making them by hand. I always get the Carnitas. If you've never had nopales (cactus) you should definitely try it, it's like a mild bell pepper flavor and it blends well with the rest of the food. This is a good place to go with a few other people and order a bunch of dishes family style. The food is more traditional Mexican cuisine, so that might throw you off if you are used to Chevy's/El Torito/Pedro's or typical taqueria fare. They have an awesome tequila selection, it's fun to get a few shots with friends and do a little comparison tasting (just be ready for the bill). They have Dos Equis Amber on tap, one of my favorite beers. Service has always been good for me, so I'm surprised to see the negative reviews, but I usually go on the weekends. Pros: traditional mexican food, great tequila selection Cons: expensive more

YUM but on the pricey side. Mango Mojito was the best I've ever had - strong but very tasty. their flavor... more

YUM but on the pricey side. Mango Mojito was the best I've ever had - strong but very tasty. their flavor of the day agua frescas was really good t... more

I went to Consuelos to celebrate my girlfriends birthday. They packed us into a corner where you had to virtually walk over chairs to squeeze in. The service was horrible. We asked to speak to a manager regarding the restaurant temperature and just got a lot of rude responses. My toddler was walking around our table since we had been waiting for our food for nearly 45minutes. I was told by the manager that she is NOT to get out of the booster chair. If you are a parent, you understand how horribly hard it is to keep a child entertained without food for that long. It is definitely not kid friendly. I will never dine there again since service is part of the pleasures of dining out. Frankly, the attitude there is, we have enough business.. we just don't care! Pros: It's in Santana Row Cons: Horrible service more

My friend and I dined here the other night after going to the movies at Santana Row. This place has some of the worst ""Mexican"" food ever. Most taquerias are better than this place! The sangria was the only thing that tasted good. Almost everything else was either very common or very flavorless. And what exactly are they trying to do? I've never seen a place that offers tapas AND antojitos. If they want to make this a tapas-style restaurant, then all the food should be served that way. Our service wasn't bad, but we were seated on uncomfortable benches in the middle of the restaurant and the food just made the entire experience that much more unenjoyable. This place is all about the location and the multitude of tequilas, but has no real substance. I wouldn't eat here again nor would I recommend it to anyone. Pros: Location, drinks selection Cons: Food, prices, uncomfortable seating more

The food here is very good and quite unusual. I haven't had a bad meal but I'm not sure what region of Mexico the food comes from. As mentioned before the guacamole is made fresh at your table, to your liking and is delicious. What many people find unusual is that there are no chips. The guacamole is served with fresh tortillas. I've been amused listening to people try to order chips. One guy actually asked if they could fry up some tortillas for his table! Why can't people go with the flow? If they don't have chips, they don't have any damn chips! \r \r The atmosphere is casual but nice. You can come in jeans and feel comfortable but suits aren't out of place either. The service is OK here; nothing to write home about. We've had decent service and very bad service but never great service. They're lucky the food makes up for it. This is a borderline place to bring kids. It's not really set up for kids but they will make some attempts to accommodate them. Parking isn't too bad on weeknights but it's always bad at Santana Row on the weekends more

I've been here a few times and the food is consistently good, but the service is hit or miss. Usually, a miss. It doesn't make a difference if it's crowded or not. It has the potential to be a great place if they could just improve upon their service. If you appreciate good flavored coffee, they have it, but the cup is small and be prepared to wait, wait, and wait for a refill---a deterrent if you're out for weekend brunch. Pros: Food, Fresh Guacamole, Drinks Cons: Service, Service, Pricey more

I had been to Consuelo Mexican Bistro couple of times - mainly for brunch/lunch. The food is real good. The menu is pretty good ... I normally don't prefer Mexican food. But I love this place. Pros: Location, Ambience Cons: Can get crowded more

I never liked Mexican food before. I earn miles on certain restaurant that participates and this one does. We tried it one day, and I acquired a taste for Mexican food. Also tried: chicken mole, carnitas, lamb and lately the newest menu, scallop. It was cooked to perfection just a little too salty (but I am on a no salt diet at home). Cons: very pricey, little serving more

Went for breakfast/brunch .What a bomb! Horrible!!!! Service stinks you couldn't get the waiters attention if your life was dependent on it...food was cold and unappetizing...my wife practically cried when her small portion of food arrived...had to go to chilis restaurant to eat something( i never thought I would say this but chilis tasted divine at this moment!!) Support your local mexican taqueria ""bistro"". I wouldn't go back here if you offered me a free meal...stay away..what a dissapointment!!! Cons: food, service, portions more

This was my second visit to Consuelo. We visited because we wanted tapas, but didn't want to brave the rainy day, rush hour traffic to Mountain View for Cascal. That was a big mistake. I wasn't impressed with Consuelo on my first visit, but my second one was even less impressive. The food was heavy handed and overly dense/greasy/fatty. There was no finess or depth to the dishes. The sangria we got was overly sweet and didn't have any fresh fruit in it. To top it off, the prices are outrageous in terms of both quality and quantity. That was my last visit to Consuelo. Cons: High prices, poor food, nothing special more

This restaurant was a welcome addition to Santana row among the Italian and American offerings. My husband and I went there for brunch on Sunday. The Bloody Mary's there are PERFECT. I had a Mexican version of Eggs Benedict; my husband had some type of Portebello mushroom and cheese dish. Both were excellent. We dined on the back patio, which was sunny and warm. However, we wanted to sit in the front and were informed that the seats were taken (although empty!) Service is often unprofessional and friendly; the hostesses ignore you when they see you waiting for a table. Servers act like they'd rather be somewhere else. Pros: Good food, Good brunch, Great drinks Cons: Service more