Willie & Juan’s in the East – A Mexican Feast

Where we went: You may remember that, a few weeks back, the Supper Seven made an abortive attempt to try out Willie & Juan’s on St. Joseph Blvd. in Orleans. We were dissuaded, at that time, by a wait time of 45 minutes! This being the day after Canada Day, July 2nd, we did not hold out great hope when we made the call to check on availability. To our pleasant surprise, we were told that there would be no problem and they even accepted a reservation request (a sure sign that one was not needed 😉 For those who may remember it, Willie and Juan’s replaced Mexicali Rosa’s which had been an Ottawa East End fixture for many years.

What we ordered: It had really been quite some time since I had eaten Mexican food and the menu presented quite a challenge since there were many items that I would have liked to try. Finally, I opted for a Chimichanga with sides of rice and salad. Since I am a aficionado of guacamole, I added this, even though I suspected that it might end up being more food than I could eat.  Dorothy ordered a taco salad and Norma a burrito. Amber, somewhat uncharacteristically, ordered cheese nachos from the kid’s menu. It was a sign to me that she was a little unsure of the food, since she normally orders from the adult menu. Lara ordered chicken nuggets and fries. 

What we got: There are very few restaurants, no matter how good, that can usually completely satisfy our entire group. The odds are simply stacked against it. However, this evening, everyone was satisfied with their choice. The food was served promptly and hot. Quantities were neither overly big nor small. The salads were fresh and crispy and plates were colourful and attractively arranged. For dessert, we ordered an adult portion of churros from the children’s menu. These are deep fried pastry sticks that were a perfect finish to a great meal.

Worthy of note: Our server (unfortunately I forget his name) was cheerful, enthusiastic and helpful. He informed us that he also worked in the kitchen and was very knowledgeable about and helpful with the food choices. His upbeat manner, especially with the children really made a good experience a great one! Even if you have to wait a while to get a table, it will probably be worth the slight inconvenience!

Summary

• Positives: I don’t often give a five star rating except for exceptional circumstances. The service here warranted it. The food was also well above average. 
• Negatives: This particular evening there were no negatives.
• Recommendation: Willie and Juan’s gets our hearty recommendation. 

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