El Jarro Mexican Restaurant

If you're up in the area, give this a try. The menu has many many items on it, and I think that can make one feel overwhelmed. I also think that it causes the restaurant to lose focus a bit. For appetizers I had what I call a tuna popsicle, since I can remember the name, but it wasn't a popsicle at all--it was grilled tuna on a skewer--the marinade was not over the top and the grill on the fish made it a perfect bite or two. The enchiladas Nortenas, the green corn and chicken enchiladas with verde sauce are both worth it for something different. The tuna entre', while delicious, suffered from a lack of focus--there were too many items on the plate and there was a strange marsala mushroom sauce on the redskin mashed potatoes. They had a well stocked bar and the Don Julio plata margaritas were nice and tart-- The service was a bit confused at times, but overall the ambiance is upper scale tex-mex with nice pieces of art here and there. It isn't the greatest mexican food in the world, but for the price point it is well worth it. There are many gems on the menu, it just may take time searching through it all to find them. more

Very excited to celebrate my 23rd bday here! :) more

Best Mexian food in San Antonio more

Best Margarita ive ever had! more

The best Mexican restaurant in the world......best food, great atmosphere, and friendship....even after many years of absence Arthur still remembers friends and their family. He is unique and so is his restaurant. We enjoyed ourselves immensely last summer while vacationing in SA and New Braunfels. Arthur, you've never lost your touch...... more

I am not native to San Antonio but it didn't take me long to figure out this is the BEST Mexican restaurant around. The food is delicious and the service is even better. I celebrate every birthday at El Jarro and come up with any excuse to go sit on the patio and have a top notch margarita for date night. When I have clients or famil...y come into town this is always the first place I recommend. The atmosphere is fun on the weekend and you always feel like family. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu but my favorite is the botana platter. There is even a really funny server named Carlo who will make you laugh every visit. Five star vote all the way around! more

Great Food!!!!! Had Enchiladas and Nachos!!! Perfect Afternoon retreat. Ideal for getting out of the house and having a great time more

In addition to running the very busy restaurant, they have a voluminous catering business and always seem to come up with great new dishes that, happily, they're willing to share. more

El Jarro is a family owned business since 1975 and is run by owners Arturo and Sandy Cerna. You can really tell the emphasis is on family as you will see many of the same folks working in the restaurant year to year. I really like it because in addition to the management, many of the waiters and staff have been there for a while. You really feel like part of the family when you dine there. more

El Jarro offers surprising delicious food, gracious wait staff and killer margaritas making El Jarro our go-to restaurant in San Antonio. Owners Sandy and Arthur Cerna provide a pleasant and dependable dining experience, evidenced by the number of regulars you see each time you go. We love the outdoor cafe when the weather is right, a live band and dancing on Friday and Saturday nights and the Sunday buffet. Chicken marsala, Grilled shrimp with pasta and Tenderloin Chipotle are my favorite dishes. I occasionally save room for the unusual flan dessert - very dense and not too sweet, but memorable. This is the place I always bring my out of town guest who want to experience San Antonio Mexican food. more

Really good lunch buffet and great margaritas! more

If you want the best, authentic... go here... more

Love this place! The decor is fun and festive! The food is authentic and delicous! Wait staff is greatly accomodating, I had a party of 20 and they helped me with no problems! more

Let me start off by saying I'm a fan of the queso and salsa at El Jarro. The salsa tastes super fresh, and has a nice kick to it, and the queso has tasty chunks of roasted chili's...muy bueno. I was tempted to lick the bowl...but instead I found a chip shaped just right, and scraped every last drop out. The guacamole is good too, but, as is always the case, dependent on the quality of the avocados. If there's one bad one in the bunch, then it's easy to pick up on that taste.I went for carne asada, which was cooked to order, and hit the spot. Or rather, it would have hit the spot, if the spot hadn't already been rapid fired at by the chips, salsa, queso and green stuff. More on that below. It came with a green chicken enchilada, which had good flavors but was a bit dry (nothing a dousing with any or all of the above 3 accoutrements wouldn't fix, though). I really enjoyed the rice...lite and fluffy, and flavored just right. I tried to finish it all, but towards the end of the meal as I was robotically shoveling it toward my pie hole, it began spilling out of my mouth and making a mess, so I had to throw in the napkin. ince I've only eaten here the one time my experience is limited, but it was a solid 4 star meal (i.e., Yay! I'm a fan.), and I know that it's a favorite of my San Antonio co-workers. They've got a little bar in the middle, and I'd bet they have a nice happy hour here, replete with plenty of munchies. Just a guess, though...you might want to verify that for yourself before getting all excited and making a beeline for El jarro at 4 pm. Looks like maybe live music on the weekends, too. The waiters were attentive despite a large party (or perhaps because of?), and they kept filling my iced tea and the chip bowls. Which is kind of a catch-22 at Mexican joints because I always fill myself up before my entree even arrives, then I eat the whole friggin' entree and have to lie down and roll myself out, which is a bit embarrassing. Dirties up my clothes, too. more

I love the food here. Excellent veggie options when I'm not feeling carnivorous. I feel leaving stuffed, but not like I want to kill myself like I do after Tex-Mex more

I see El Jarro has mixed reviews but I like this place. You almost always need to come prepared for a wait, though, I'll warn you of that. Luckily, you can find chips, salsa, and strong margaritas at the bar to pass the time. The food is really pretty good. I ate here recently with a large group of some of my favorite family members and we all shared and sampled each other's orders. It's different from your typical greasy Tex-Mex but I sort of like that it's a bit more fresh and possibly slightly healthier than average. Possibly. I can agree that it's possibly a bit overpriced for what you get. But, the cost isn't extreme either. The service could use some work. The waiters were certainly friendly when they were around, but tended to disappear for a bit too long. What's fun at El Jarro is the live music on weekend nights. But you have to plan ahead, because lots of people show up and it takes a long time to get a table! Now, go... have fun! more

El Jarro is the best Mexican Food in South Texas. If you eat here, you've got to try the Maria Tortillas. more

We love to eat here on Friday night! Listen to the band and drink margaritas! more

The mole was the best!!!! Great variety for Sumday brunch. Would highly recommend it more

El Jarro is an institution! Hard to believe that I've been going there almost 30 years now. We always have amazing food, the Maria's Tortillas are a must and quintessentially San Antonio, the tortillas themselves are second to none - made fresh on site, and margaritas hit the spot. Their weekday lunch buffet is always incredibly delicious, and the live evening entertainment is the perfect complement for an absolutely fun evening. Thank you, El Jarro, for all the wonderful years of special (and everyday) events. Don't ever change. My only comment is that they're not open for weekend brunch or breakfast. That would surely be fantastic! more