John's Tex-Mex Eatery

Location	Front entrance with John himself in the corner. Taken Oct 2006.
489 South Avenue, Rochester NY
Hours (as of December 2009)
Monday - Friday: 11:00AM - 10:00PM
Saturday: 12:00PM - 10:00PM
Sunday: Closed
Phone
585 232 5830
Website
http://www.johnstexmex.com/
Reviews
2/7/07 City Newspaper

Overhead View (by Flickr user _Yoshi_) John's Tex Mex Eatery (formerly known as Taco John's) is located on South Avenue near the corner of Alexander Street; they opened in June 2006 in the former Ly Lou's location. They serve reasonably priced burritos, tacos, and other Tex-Mex food.

John's Tex Mex Eatery has a laid back atmosphere with bright red walls. The menu is very vegetarian/vegan friendly. The seating area is limited but adequate for most of their traffic. It is owned and operated by a local resident who graduated from RIT.

In the February 2007 review in City Newspaper, Adam Wilcox praised John's as serving "copious quantities at reasonable prices" and recommended the "screaming deal" of chips with guacamole for Mexican mush ($2). (Check out the menu below for the definition of mush!) Wilcox pointed out that other Mexican places had bigger menus, but John's had "distinctive features" such as the neighborhood feel, the focus on vegetarians, and several interesting types of soup. The review also mentioned the friendly, efficient service and great character of the place.

They do not offer delivery service but you can order ahead or takeout.

Menu listed separately.

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2008-09-17 14:03:10   I went there for lunch this afternoon and found the location quaint and cozy. A bit hard to find parking on-street, but if subsequent visits leave me as contented and filled as this time, John's is my new favorite place to get a hearty burrito in Rochester. —JayUnnikrishnan

2008-09-19 14:58:07   The prices are CHEAP and the portions fill you up more than you think they would. Probably some of the best salsa I've ever had in my life. That said, this place is obviously run by communists - its incredibly inefficient with multiple people handling your table, resulting in pretty much dreadful service as nobody knows what's going on. HOWEVER - its more than worth it because the food really is special - its simple and honest, and delicious. My cousin always has a hard time with the front door. —MarcusKroll

2008-11-04 14:08:44   Pretty decent prices. Chips and Mexican mush dip had kind of a small portion though, small sauce container of the actual "dip". Tasted pretty good but i think it was mostly smushed up black beans.

Tried a small burrito and it was pretty big, unfortunately most of it was rice and not much of my meat and peppers(you choose 2 fillings). —Drogean

2008-11-05 08:41:00   I think John serves one of the best burritos in town. Also, he has some new beer selections available (Otter Creek, Brooklyn etc). I love this place. —KimBee

2008-11-07 11:38:53   I went here two nights ago. I was greeted by a friendly waitress at the door. The place has really fun Mexican decor which provides for a really cool, relaxed atmosphere. The prices looked pretty fair, and by looking around, the portions looked very generous. I got a chicken burrito. The burrito comes with rice, black or refried beans, and your choice of four fillers, including things like cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, etc. The burrito was gigantic. I found all of the ratios of the fillings were perfect, with a LOT of chicken. The chicken is very flavorful, with a spicy peppery kick. I found John's TexMex much better than Salina's in village gate. It's around the same price, but the burrito at John's was much more flavorful, and came with things other than just chicken, whereas at Salina's one would have to pay for all of those sides, not to mention the fact that the John's burritos were much bigger. I will definitely be returning here very soon. —SeanToTheFuture

2008-11-18 23:33:25   Went back again and was happily surprised by the meal.

Food came out very fast!

The Mexican Mush chips and dip had a LOT of dip this time. The chips portion was very good. Extra chips is only 75 cents.

This time i got a Large Burrito which comes with 4 fillings. I was much more impressed than by the small burrito with only 2 fillings. There was lots of each filling and not so much rice filler as the small burrito. The large burrito was quite large too.

I liked how the waitress brought some sauces to the table which I didn't receive last time. They added lots of variety and spiciness to the food. I'm a sauce-lover so this was a real treat.

Final bill was about 9.xx before tip and it was pretty filling.

Very happy with my experience, will go again! —Drogean

2008-12-14 15:56:06   Super-friendly service but the food didn't make me want to stop going to Maria's. —BatGuano

2009-04-07 19:03:49   Since I've been here several times since my first take, I'd like to update my original review. First off, the Mexican Mush might be the best dip since guacamole. It's a thing of beauty. Second, the prices are unbelievably reasonable. I have yet to pay over $15 for an appetizer, a filling meal and a drink. Third, I don't walk out of there feeling overburdened by the grease in my veins. The food contains healthy ingredients and I feel good about eating there. I must say that I have yet to be blown away by the entrees I've had, though. There seems to be too many flavors going on at once in the things I've eaten. However, since they have the Mexican Mush market cornered, I'll keep returning. —BatGuano

2009-07-01 22:42:58   I was pretty disappointed the last time I went. A couple out of town co-workers and I went because other than one time out of many, we've had good experiences here. I recommend Jon's to everyone.

First off, there were way too many flies. No just puny flies, huge noticeable ones. Secondly, they did not have any unbeef. I am assuming we were the first in the place for lunch because we were the only ones in there. How could you not know you are out of something when you take an order? Next, when one of us asked for ice for our water, they said they had no ice. How can you not have ice? And finally, the server just seemed uninterested and mumbled. I am not expecting over the top gracious behavior like mom on Thanksgiving, but a simple hi when we walk in and possibly a "thank you" when giving us the check would be more appropriate than ... nothing. —JasonWilder

2009-07-09 18:02:21   I get takeout from here frequently and think they have the best burritos in Rochester. The large burritos probably weigh two pounds and are cheap for what you get. The chicken is very spicy and they have a bunch of good fillers to put in the burritos. The mush and guac are also really good. I haven't ordered anything else because their burritos are too good. I can't comment on the service but they are fast for takeout if you call ahead. —KeithOlsen

2009-08-16 20:19:30 WELL WE HAD A STAFF MEETING TODAY AND WE HOPE TO MAKE A FEW CHANGE'S TO PLEASE THE FEW PEOPLE THAT HAD A FEW NEGATIVE THING'S TO SAY ABOUT JOHN'S TEX MEX EATERY(TACO JOHN'S). THE FOOD IS VERY GOOD AND PRICED LOW SO PLEASE JUST KEEP COMING BACK!!! NOW HAVE GENNY C A. THIS IS THE THIRD THURSDAY WEEK CHEAPER EMPANDAS LOL. THAT'S A PRIVATE CHUCKLE THANKS TO CLAY. GARY —garyshade

2009-09-22 17:53:46   We eat here quite often and really enjoy it. This place definitely fits as a cheap burrito place with great food. I tried the Mexican mush a long time ago and didn't care for it and usually just stick to the burritos. Usually a small burrito is plenty filling and I'm glad to see that they've recently started seasoning their rice and balancing ingredients more (before it was just too much beans and rice). Drink specials are always really cheap and the homemade hot sauces that are on every table are FANTASTIC so be sure to try them. And the staff have always been very courteous to us and service has always been quick. —MikeWu

2009-10-10 22:54:45   The BEST Mexican food in Rochester! Cozy and comfy atmosphere and the most friendly employees I have seen so far! :) —PrincessB

2009-11-09 11:22:14   Yeah the food here is great but i keep coming back for the great service. The counter staff is terribly attractive —expat

2009-11-16 11:54:04   $9 for a massive burrito and a Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA is an absolute steal. Yes, some of the fillings can be over-spiced, but John's strikes the best balance between quality, affordability, and atmosphere in the city. —MarkNewell

2010-02-26 20:33:13   I'm shocked and disappointed! We had been eating at Johns since we moved to Rochester, also did a lot of carry out. I have recommended it to my students and used their website as an example in my web design class. Well, tonight we ate there and I was sitting under a speaker and found the music jarring, so I asked to have it turned down a bit. A few minutes later it was turned back up, louder than ever, and I asked again. They turned it off but one of the waitstaff began singing loudly. When we left, he sarcastically told us to have a nice QUIET ride home. How rude is that?! What kind of a place ridicules its customers for being uncomfortable with the noise level? —CherylDugas

2010-03-03 12:04:05   A little too collegiate-trendy for a real burrito place, but the food is respectable. You'll find better burritos in the southwest, but that's a given. Worth the *occasional* four-mile roundtrip walk for lunch. —nickelcokes