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Rachel’s Review: No Way Jose’s Cantina of Pigeon Forge
Well, I’ve done it. I’ve broken down and decided to review chain restaurants. Really, this time, I had no choice. I feel this particular review needed to be written. That being said, No Way Jose’s of Pigeon Forge was the restaurant I picked. I have eaten at No Way Jose’s many times. This last time I visited was after a very long and extremely hot day at Dollywood. I had my two boys with me, and Joe, my sweetie, had his two children with him.
When we pulled up, I let Taylor, my 13-going-on-21 year old, go inside and put our name in for a party of 6. I knew with that many people, there would be a small wait. It took us a few minutes just to park and herd the rest of the clan in. When we got into the lobby, there were a few people waiting, and Taylor was still standing at the hostess booth. The hostess had completely disregarded him until we had gotten in. I was a bit miffed only because I was pretty tired at this point from the long day we had had. So I got her attention and finally put our names in. We waited around 30 minutes, which was fine, I had expected it. When we were seated, our server brought us piles of complimentary warm tortilla chips and salsa fresca. The chips and salsa are so good at No Way Jose’s that I tend to over-enjoy myself. The salsa fresca is always fresh, with a nice hint of lime and a pinch of heat. All the kids loved it, and asked for seconds.
When we ordered our food, I made sure the kids received their favorites. Taylor ordered Flautas, which is also one of my favorites. It’s kind of like a Mexican chicken eggroll, with refried beans, rice, lettuce, sour cream and guacamole. It’s always a good bet when you order this. The other three kids ordered tacos from the kids menu. They love to see their food served, because the tacos come with little flags of Mexico stuck in them. Joe ordered the Burrito Florentine which is the Italian version of a burrito, and tasted a whole lot better than I had expected. The chili spice in the spinach and melted cheese inside the burrito really worked well. I ordered the Burrito Especial with my choice of shredded chicken inside. Unfortunately when it was served it was not chicken, it was beef. I had to send it back. And unfortunately this wasn’t the first time this had happened. The last visit to No Way Jose’s this same thing happened, and it took the kitchen 3 tries to get my order correct. This was discouraging to say the least.
When I finally did receive my food, everyone else had already finished theirs meals. My burrito was very good however, with refried beans and chicken inside and ranchero sauce on top. It was served hot, and very fresh. I can never complain about the freshness of the food there. It’s always been good quality. The flavors have always been really nice. The cleanliness of the restaurant has been fair to good. However, the service has always been a tad “off”. If I could ask for just one thing from my visits to No Way Jose’s in Pigeon Forge, it would be that the service staff pays more attention to the needs of their customers. Other than that, No Way Jose’s Cantina in Pigeon Forge is a great establishment. I will still visit No Way Jose’s, I love the food! If you have a restaurant suggestion or a comment please feel free to email me, Rachel, at rachelc@valleyvoicenews.com.
