Jalapeno Heaven

Love this restaurant. The Seafood Tortilla soup is awesome. Order it everyone I go. The Hectors Cameron is my favorite dish, but to be honest, everything I have ever ordered has been great.
Would highly recommend to all my friends. I go there often and haven’t been disappointed with the food or the service once.

I’ve read some of the reviews below and we must have lucked out on last evening’s visit. It was my 1^st time dining at this place. The busy location and weathered building might be unappealing for some but I don’t let that affect my judgement coz some of my fave restaurants in the area are mom & pop eateries that has the same vibe. (i.e. Rice Pot, The Pantry etc).
We arrived about 8:30p Thursday evening, it was fairly crowded but we were seated right away at the far corner, a bit tight with the rest of the crowd so we opted for a more open space, heavy traffic near the main entrance. Ambience has a casual vibe. Mixed age & diverse crowd, all seem to be having a good time. There’s homemade colorful nachos with red & verde salsa ready at our table along with a jar of jalapeño & carrot pickles. Help yourself to as much as you want if you dare. Lol: D
Service is prompt and friendly & helpful if you wanna substitute rice for veggies instead with no extra charge. Before long, our food were brought out and they do not disappoint in portions. There’s an option of lite & full. If you want leftovers like I do, go for the full. (I’m warming up mine in the oven for brunch, as I’m writing this review.) My bf had beef fajitas and he was very pleased. I had chicken mole poblanos. I love everything on my plate, including the refried beans that I’m normally not a fan of. My chicken was moist & perfectly seasoned with adobo (my choice) the mole sauce, OMG! perfect blend of hot chilies and chocolate sauce. I can’t get enough of it. Other friend had a healthy plate of grilled salmon & veggies and he polished his in seconds. Lol :) I forgot what our host ordered as I was already engrossed with my plate. They have a variety of margaritas, I didn’t taste much of mango in my mango margarita yet it was good. I might stick to just the regular margarita next time instead of flavored ones. We will definitely return next time we crave mexican. It was a perfect cure to our winter blues. Viva la Mexico! Olé! :-)

Well my daughter and I tried to give it a shot after some friends had suggested it. This was on a Wednesday evening at 5:30 pm, December 30^th. But it all went downhill starting the moment we walked in the door and with the woman who greeted us, if you want to call it that. She looked annoyed and barked at us «how many?»… she took us to a table in the backroom area when we sat down the lighting was shining in our faces, so I asked her if we could move to the table against the wall, now mind you the place was practically empty, she looked annoyed again and said fine, but told us not to move the chairs since they wouldn’t be able to seat the table next to us if they needed too. The tables were very close together, so I asked her if we could just move the chair (only one) until they needed that table and we’d switch them back, again the place was almost empty. Well she rolled her eyes and exhaled some disagreeable sound and didn’t really know how to answer us, she just looked at us as if we had a foot growing out of our heads and like we were big pains in the arse… at this point my daughter and I had a bad feeling in our stomachs about how our whole dining experience was starting out and just decided to leave. So with that said, we never got to try the food actually and now we don’t feel comfortable or welcomed going back and I’m afraid she might be there to greet us again. So we ended up going to Su Casa Mexican Restaurant further down the road, which was just okay, but the staff was warm, wonderful and engaging.

i am on the fence on this place. several people say the location is lacking charm by calling it a dumpy house. i never tended to notice and wonder what the heck i am missing in life that people see it as dumpy, especially in country-​like branford. i like the outside area in summer. the inside is just like most other family style mexican restaurants, maybe some seating is a little old and uncomfortable, metal chairs with fake leather padding, but otherwise it’s the usual mexican/​american sombrero deal and i like the mexican music they played.
i have been going there for many years, and my mom loves it still, making it hard to decide on 2 or 3 stars. to this day, her favorite dish is the chiles rellenos, which i laugh is spelled wrong on the menu (chiles rellanos), if you want to think of how authentic it is, but after trying several other dishes it is my favorite also, only for the incredible richness of the cheese sauce, which sometimes degrades into what seems like only cheese and green onions dumped on it depending on the day. the rice mix they serve is not really good, nor are the refried beans. the rice is like an orzo pasta that tastes like it is made from a box and the beans would be better without the faint sausage taste. some do make beans with sausage but as a vegetarian its not my favorite taste. the other dishes i tried were sub par. white enchiladas that should have come with that cheese sauce, i thought, but instead were dumped on with a buttery, winey sauce and a little cheese. the tired veggie mix was bland, like a frozen veggie mix. someone below called it «beige». I’d say jalapeño heaven is not incredibly authentic, but i will still take that as a personal insult, and wonder how she wouldn’t call taco bell «beige». also, the clientele on my last visit was of all types who seemed to enjoy the experience, not just old beige people. of course taco bell is much cheaper, making it easier to deal with, and i will have to add the service at jalapeño heaven has been atrocious. i pointedly asked the waitress a question and she proceeded to stare directly at my mother to answer the question for a lengthy amount of time. hello! in previous visits another waitress accused me of ordering something i didn’t, that’s just rude, and i had to wait to get the right dish. also, they do not do drink refills. if they could do a few things just a bit better, i would up the score. i like the countryish, family atmosphere.

I would have to say this is probably one of the best hidden gems for Mexican food that I have been to. I have been here more than 5 times now, and have yet to have a bad meal.
They bring you free chips and two types of salsa when you sit down, and keep refilling both of them as often as you want, which recently has been quite a few times.
My gf usually gets the burrito and I keep getting the asado’s because the steak they put in them and the flavor is amazing. I usually finish my plate, and end up eating some of hers too.
It is a tiny place, but has never been packed or uncomfortable in there any time that we have gone in. We will keep going back, thats for sure.

Went again on a Sunday afternoon. Food not as good. Definitely a different chef from Tuesday evening. Buffulo wings were soggy. The crab cakes were mainly breading, don’t recommend. Chili rellenos had a mushy coating, did not care for them. Chimmicganga and salsa were still delicious.

My family and I were driving to find a place and we stumbled upon here after the place were going was closed. I am glad it was closed because we found this hidden gem were the food is fresh and the server was great.

This place is a gem. Great food and a really nice front of house staff. You can eat upstairs, downstairs or outside if it is warm enough. To all the ambiance haters, if you want some guy with a monocle and a fancy mustache to take your coat, get out of here, WE DON’T NEED YOU. Seriously this place is what it is, and it does a damn good job.

Everything here was amazing! The chips and 3 different flavored salsas were great. Then we ordered the spinach, artichoke and jalapeño dip — amazing! Our dinners were both delicious and they give a good size portion for the price. This is our new spot. We will definitely be back.

Delicious! Hidden gem and we will definitely be back. Not much to see from the outside but the service and food were amazing!

If you should know five things about me before reading my reviews they would be: 1.) I am brutally honest, if I can make it better at home, I am going to tell you so. 2.) I am passionate about good food. My motto is to make it Simple, Fresh and Delicious. 3.) I am a big supporter of dining at privately owned, local restaurants; stay away from chains. 4.) I am always available to discuss my review and 5.) For the past couple years, I am all about authentic Mexican Cuisine.
With that being said my wife and I finally made our way over to a Branford, CT staple… Jalapeño Heaven.
ATMOSPHERE: 2 out of 5
Have you ever heard someone say «Sometimes it’s not where the food comes from, it’s the passion and quality behind it»? Even though this is true, there is a thin line to this mindset and Jalapeño Heaven is in need of some updates to push them back over that line.
Our experience started in the parking lot, where the freshly spray-​painted red lines in the gravel directed you to your parking space. While I am sure this was a temporary fix to assist patrons with proper parking, it really isn’t appealing and even had us wondering if we should go in.
The restaurant itself is inside what used to be a residential house and the layout is a little confusing your first time there. The walls are brightly painted in an attempt to give you the feeling you’re in your Abuela’s house in Mexico, but unfortunately its very monotone and if fell flat to the warm and inviting setting that I think they were going for. The banquet chairs and standard center-​pole tables lacked any covering and gave the dining room a «budgeted» look.
The weather was perfect and we dined on the patio. The outdoor patio was a great idea, but with limited execution as it small and overlooks a busy street and a gravel parking lot.
FOOD: 3 out of 5
I immediately go to Chips and Salsa… I can’t get enough of this tasty snack. What I really liked about the chips at Jalapeño Heaven was the fact they were tri-​colored and not overly salted. Sure they all taste the same, but they look pretty while you’re eating them. They also had two different salsas to dip in; a traditional and a tomatillo. I found both of them to have depth of flavor, but both also needed seasoning. I am pretty sure that the traditional salsa was prepared with a roasted canned tomato which took away from the other fresh ingredients that were added. Some salt, fresh cilantro and a little acid would have given the salsa a little pop. Funny enough, the tomatillo salsa was lacking the same thing, no doubt prepared by the same person.
I had the Carnitas with Spanish Rice and Refried Beans. A very generous portion; you’re not leaving here hungry, that’s for sure. Unfortunately, everything needed salt. I am not sure what the chef has against salt, but I shouldn’t have to put it on myself. Just a tiny amount put a step in the rice and brought the refried beans to another level. Although the carnits also needed salt, I also felt that they fell short on bringing the freshness. When I make carnitas at home, the minute you bite into them you experience a «pop» of freshness. My suggestion here would be to deconstruct the plate and let the customer fill their own tortillas. Be sure to add some fresh cilantro and lime to the plate as well to bring the «pop».
SERVICE: 5 out of 5
Without a doubt the highlight of this restaurant is the customer service. From the manager, who also sat us, right down to the server, service was friendly, attentive and inviting; exactly the type of service that you should expect from a restaurant like this. Great job!
PRICE: 4 out of 5
If I hadn’t mentioned it before, the portions were very, very generous for the prices. I would love to actually run some numbers with the owner to see if they are short changing themselves because there was a LOT of food.
I took away a star because of the balance of pricing between food and alcohol. Our food portion of the check was $ 37.90 and a fair price as I have said. However we shared a liter sized (33 oz.) carafe of margaritas at $ 22.75 and then shared a Blue Heaven Margarita for an additional $ 10 (very tasty, we really enjoyed this one) making our bar total $ 32.75. Maybe I am wrong, but If I were to guess, the income from the bar is balancing the higher food cost.
A few adjustments to the menu and this would be 5 for 5.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 3 out of 5
In the end there are some simple «quick fixes» that needs attention. I know this review may seem harsh and I don’t want to discourage readers from trying Jalapeño Heaven, I know I will go there again, I am just giving my honest review to encourage the restaurant to make small changes to improve guest satisfaction. I am looking forward to going back and seeing improvement.

I absolutely LOVE THIS PLACE! Can’t go to Mexico right now? Well, this is the next best thing. Authentic, delicious food in a laid back and relaxed atmosphere. I particularly love the Tamales, Margaritas and clearly home made chips and salsa… The owners Hector and Gail are almost always here and always make me feel so welcome!

The name of this location is very much misleading. The cuisine is neither spicy (or flavorful) for that matter nor heavenly.
This restaurant is a conversion of small house. Tables are tightly placed. The service is both friendly and efficient. But given the clientele, it’s understandable as to why flavor & spice is lacking. The clientele is monochromatic and older. Understanding that, the restaurant I’m sure, satisfies the customer by supplying all of which is demanded. For one who is a foodie, the cuisine is too… shall we say, beige? Not exciting, nothing to write home about. Just food that’s there to eat. Even the margarita was beige.
Aside from the fact that I’m merely visiting the area for work, had I had the opportunity to come back, I’m less likely to partake again or tell anyone to visit.
A meal at Taco Bell has more flavor. I’d much rather go there than here.

I know Jalapeño gets a lot of hate from my fellow Unilocalers. I am also aware that I’m usually the girl who says ambience makes or break a meal. But there’s something about this place that exudes more charm than trash.
First off, guys, it’s Mexican. Served on the side of a busy road. In an old (some might say dilapidated) house. What did you expect when you pulled in? Michelin dining? You knew what you were getting yourself into when you walked through that screen door. But once you get over the traffic, the fact that there’s a fire station literally across the street, and the kitschy dancing Jalapeño caricature on the seemingly 40+ year old sign, you realize this place is DIRTY GOOD.
Jalapeño Heaven is the kind of place you go to when you’re not trying to look pretty eating. Maybe you go with your family. Maybe you go with your bestie. Maybe you go with your girlfriend who you’re tired of wooing but still wanna give her a good meal (you sweetheart). Maybe you go by yourself!!! There’s no judgement here – and that’s the beauty of it. I’m all for an expensive five course meal followed by a night on the town in your best dress. But you can’t have a dress for every night you dine out. When you’ve run out of dresses, throw your elastic waisted eating pants on and get your unpretentious self to Jalapeño Heaven. And say hello to Gail for me.

Authentic Mexican food that’s absolutely delish. They have an extensive menu so there is something for everyone. I also tried a pickled jalopeno for the first time. We will definitely be back anytime we are craving Mexican and are close to home.

Simply the best MEXICAN around, friendly staff, great food and outdoor seating. Try there homemade singaria

OMG this place is amazing. First thing I noticed was the fresh mint growing outside which can only be for mojitos! But really, it was the food and amazing staff that won me over. The chalupas were one of the best things I have ever eaten. Omg, So delicious. If you’re ever visiting Hartford, it’s about at 15 min drive to Mexican food that will change your life.

Great little Mexican Place in Branford. I got take-​out from them last week for lunch, on the recommendation of a co-​worker. I was pleasantly surprised with both the portion size and quality of the food. You definitely get your money’s worth.
From the outside, this place looks unassuming. It’s a weathered little building that looks like a house, and has a separate entrance for take-​out. When you go in, you are instantly greeted by a friendly staff, who manage the to go orders. I ordered a grilled chicken burrito, and it tasted very fresh. The chips and salsa-​which were additional-​were really good too. They offer a wide assortment of options, including smaller, lite fair sizes. These small portions are super satisfying, so I can only imagine what a full size one looks like.

This is not my usual «type» of place, I much prefer the high end restaurants in New Haven or downtown Branford to the décor here.
I went here today for lunch with myhusband while out running errands and I was so disappointed. I think today was the day everyone decided to cut corners. I get beef chili rellenos every time and today they were not anywhere near the quality they usually put out. The ground beef tasted like poorly seasoned and reheated leftovers, doused in sauce and put under a broiler.
While already disenchanted with my meal, the Chatty Cathy at the next table over never shut up the whole time, and definitely needed a lesson on limiting her volume when speaking to people while indoors. Eating our lackluster meal while listening to her incessant talking was giving me a headache and a bad case of indigestion so I decided to just get our meals to go and pay the check… which took over twenty minutes.
I have to say the first couple of times I went here the food was pretty good and the service was much more efficient (mostly at night), but after today’s food and service, it will be quite some time (if ever) before I go back.
At least at the more upscale places, people have manners and we receive the service we are accustomed to. FYI, our «lunch» was $ 50 for two including tip… isn’t that a bit excessive for bad food and lackluster service?

I enjoy Jalapeño Heaven.
Good stuff: The food is really tasty. I like the size of the fajita dish. They do give a lot of steak and/​or chicken. They have foxon park which is good. They have fresh, endless chips. The setting is nice.
Bad stuff: I don’t like their rice that much, I’d almost rather ask for double the portion of beans. The owner is constantly drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. The smoke sometimes will creep through the windows and enter the returaunt which is absurdly disgusting. I went there one day on a slow day, and when I walked in, you could tell the owner and one of the waitresses were smoking cigarettes RIGHT outside the window on the ground level, and you could see all the smoke bellowing into the joint. Kinda gross. The owner of this place (older lady with short haird), needs to take a step back for awhile. You can tell she’s burnt out and she doesn’t really understand how her presence being a constant is a negative thing.