Fiesta Grande Mexican Grill

This continues to be the best Mexican place in The Villages. The salsa is really, really good. Chips warm and fresh.
I never had the house made sangria before today and it’s quite tasty.
Lunch specials a good value.
No need to leave the bubble that is The Villages for some quality Mexican food.

This is a very respectable Mexican restaurant near the Villages. The service was prompt and efficient, while the kitchen turned out our meals quickly. The complementary chips were fresh, slightly more dense and crunchy than usual. The salsa is delicious although it may be a little more peppery than most people are accustomed to.
My only real disappointment is the scant amount of shredded cheese on the tacos. Come on guys, load them up a little !

We found this place while visiting Sumpter Landing at the Villages. After reading some of the reviews I’m glad we didn’t read beforehand as it might have swayed our decision.
The wait was not too long considering the size of the restaurant and the number of people ahead of us when we arrived. We like professional restaurantures, if there is such a word. After patiently waiting we were sat down with salsa and chips arriving almost immediately. As we waited prior to seating we had already chosen our meal. We ordered when we sat down and the food didn’t take long to arrive. It was a shrimp fajitas meal for 2. They were sizzling hot and it was plentiful and fulfilling.
We will be going back and hope the service and meals don’t waver from our 1^st visit.

Although at quick glance this may look like a 100 other Mexican restaurants but What a nice surprise this place turned out to be. Nice décor, super attentive staff, great selection, tasty food, well prepared. Generous servings on the lunch menu priced &6-​$ 8. We had the burrito and the steak fajitas, and enjoyed them throughly. BTW– Indoor or outdoor seating.

My boyfriend and I, as well as my mother and some friends at other times, started going to Fiesta Grande in 2014. We first found the one in Mount Dora, but when we learned this one was right down the street, we were ecstatic. The food was great, the portions were amazing. The first, second, and third servers we had were amazing. We went there for birthdays and such, but for the last three times, during 2015, we were far less than pleased. Our first server was an older lady who barely spoke enough English to understand that we don’t eat meat and would prefer beans on our taco salad instead. Well, the order came out with beans, but it was the Fajita taco salad with mushrooms, which I detest. The order took forever and she barely checked on us.
The last two times, tonight being the final time we will go there, have been awful. The staff kind in general, save one, seem to sneer at any special requests and tend to get huffy. They spend more time joking with each other in the «salsa room» than they do actually waiting on the tables. The last time and this time we had Rolando. Last time we waited an unexaggerated 30 minutes for our bill as we watched him gaze out of the window, apparently mesmerized by something other than his customers. This time he showed up to take our order, brought it back, and then disappeared to help his 3 tables around us, full of what I’m sure he figured were «higher tippers.» Between the three tables, he checked on them 23 times. He never checked on us once, and the one time we caught him to ask him for more salsa, he never brought it. As each of the other tables payed their bills, he would take the slips, go directly to the computer, and process their cards. He took my card, disappeared for 5 minutes, and came back to give salsa to the table behind me before he remembered to drop my card back off.
Needless to say, he received a 0 tip, the first one I’ve ever given in my life. Little did he know, I start tips at $ 20 and deduct a dollar for each missed refill, lack of checking back, etc. Last time he only got a dollar and some change. I was goaded by my boyfriend into believing that maybe he just had an «off» day last time and we should try again. We won’t be trying again.
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Mi novio y yo, así como mi madre y algunos amigos, en otros momentos, empezamos a ir al restaurante Fiesta Grande en 2014. En primer lugar, encontramos el restaurante en Mount Dora, pero cuando nos enteramos que éste estába mucho mas cerca de nuestra casa nos emocionamos. La comida era estupenda, las raciones eran increíbles. El primer, segundo, y tercer mesero que tuvimos eran increíbles. Hemos ido allí para los cumpleaños y eso, pero las últimas tres veces, durante 2015, hemos estado mucho menos que satisfechos. Nuestra primera mesera era una señora mayor que apenas hablaba suficiente Inglés para entender que no comemos carne y preferiríamos frijoles en nuestra «taco salad» en lugar de la carne. Bueno, la comida salió con frijoles, pero fue el «fajita taco salad» con champiñones los que detesto. La orden tardó una eternidad y muy pocas veces vino a ver si necesitábamos algo.
Las últimas dos veces, con esta noche siendo la última vez que nos iremos allí, han sido terribles. El equipo en general, salvo un mesero del cual el nombre yo no recuerdo, parece burlarse de cualquier petición especial y tienden a ser malhumorados. Pasan más tiempo bromeando unos con otros en el «cuarto de la salsa» que lo que gastan atendiendo las mesas. La última vez y esta vez nos atendio Rolando. La última vez esperábamos (yo no exagero) 30 minutos nuestra cuenta mientras él miraba distraídamente al vacío, por lo visto hipnotizado por algo distinto a sus clientes. Esta vez él apareció para tomar nota de lo que queríamos comer, lo trajo de vuelta, y luego desapareció para ayudar a sus 3 mesas alrededor de nosotros, llenas de lo que estoy seguro que contenían «buenas propinas.» Entre las tres mesas, él los fue a ver 23 veces para asegurarse de que estaban bien. Él nunca vino a ver para asegurarse que estábamos bien ni una vez, y la única vez que lo llamamos para pedirle más salsa, nunca la trajo. Como cada una de las otras mesas pagó su cuenta, Rolando llevaba la cuenta, se iba directamente a la computadora, y procesaba sus tarjetas. Él tomó mi tarjeta, desapareció durante 5 minutos, y volvió a darle salsa a la mesa detrás de mí antes de recordar pasar por la mesa y dejar la tarjeta y el resto de la cuenta.
Cabe decir que recibió una propina de 0, la primera que he dado en mi vida. Poco sabía él que empiezo las propinas a $ 20 y deduzco un dólar por cada vaso vacío de soda/​vino que no llena, la falta de volver a ver que necesitamos, etc. La última vez él recibió un solo dólar y cambio. Mi novio me incitó a creer que la última vez el mesero sólo tenía un día de estrés o algo así y que deberíamos volver a darle otra oportunidad. No lo vamos a intentar de nuevo.

I guess my expectations are higher than most of the reviewers because when we ate @ Fiesta Grande on 06÷07÷15 we were exceptionally disappointed. The restaurant was recommended by friends who live in The Villages. I like my hot food HOT, ours was lukewarm, at best; one would have thought that the food would have been hotter given the time we waited to receive it. The ground beef in my Taco Salad was blah, not seasoned; the lettuce was way limp; the size was a joke since it was basically less than six inches; and I was grossed out by the liquid sitting at the bottom of the shell, as it the beef wasn’t drained after being cooked. If I didn’t have such an aversion to vomiting, I would have puked. I couldn’t wait to get home to partake of some Pepto-​Bismol. Next time I have a craving for a taco salad, I’ll go to Taco Bell.

I do not know why my wife and I keep trying this place. Tonight is the end though. The service is always slow and they act as though they are doing you a favor to take your order. They are very very stingy with the salsa. Tonight when I ordered a taco fajita salad I asked for a bowl of salsa with it for a topping. The salad came without the requested salsa. When I asked for it the waitress smirked and walked away. When she brought it it was thrown on the table. Forget asking for anything else. She only returned to deliver the bill. As for the taco salad… the fajita meat was way over cooked. The taco shell was stale and sooty. This place needs to throw out all the help and start fresh. When this place opened we loved it, but no more. We gave it a chance. Hopefully another Mexican restaurant will open in the area. We love Taco Madre in Ocala, but it’s a little far to drive.

In the last year we tried many of the local Mexican restaurants. This is one is VERY VERY good. The flavors are not over whelming. Their fresh salsa was so good I almost needed a spoon, but the chips where so fresh and NOT TOO salt. If you are in the mood give this a try.

Best Mexican restaurant in the villages. Big Margaritas, extensive menu and friendly service.

Hands down best Mexican restaurant in the Villages and most likely best overall restaurant in the Villages. Try the fajitas texanas, one of the few places that make them right. Also request the hot salsa, it’s better than awesome and not overly hot.

My family eats at Fiesta Grande often. They have great Mexican dishes and are always consistent. Great margaritas too!

Tried this restaurant for the first time tonight. All was well except the refried beans on the combo platter. Was like water. Asked the waiter if it was always like this, and he said, «depends when you get here and if they add water to them. It was at 5:15pm, and they should be fresh and ready.
He did not offer to bring some better beans or something else.
Problem I observed was that there was no management on duty and young servers and staff they were not tuned in or in a position to observe any problems.

My wife and I have eaten in restaurants all over the Villages area and a lot of them are very good but this place rates an «amazing». We have eaten here several times and have brought friends here a few times and all agree that the food, service and atmosphere is excellent. Our new favorite. We will be back.

Stopped in tonight for dinner, food was authentic and tasty. Prices were good and service was fast and friendly. I would recommend giving it a try. Oh yes, and two for one delicious Margherita’s!

It’s wonderful to have really good Tex-​Mex food again like we enjoy usually weekly.
Fresh chips, salsa with a little bite, great creamy white cheese dip & wonderful margaritas start.
We enjoy their cheese enchiladas but hear the fajitas are wonderful also! Their specialty dishes are excellent too & a friend said best mole he’s ever had.
Be sure to get there before 7 for Happy Hour…

I don’t know what everyone is talking about here but, it was the worst food I have ever tasted! The chicken tasted not like chicken and the service was unpleasant. The only thing this place has going for it is it’s CHEAP!

I still don’t know what the name of what I ordered is but is was amazing. They have a picture of it on the menu and it comes in a tall black bowl that looks like it’s made of volcano rock. They put potatoes, chicken, green onions, and cheese plus some more and give you shells so it has the fajita taste. The feel is your standard mexican place in a strip mall but it was one of the best mexican meals I’ve had. The chips and salsa was really good.
I know the villages has a lot of places to eat but if you are on the south side of it make sure to stop by and try to find the amazingness I had.

When leaving California it’s hard to find Mexican food elsewhere that really excites me. That said, Fiesta Grande does an okay job.
Their prices are fair, and the food is okay; it’s not the best, but I’ve had worse. I had their fajitas which included some grilled frozen shrimp and some poor cuts of flank steak with vegetables. The guacamole was a true disappointment though, definitely had a processed or packet-​prepared taste to it, and you just can’t do guacamole unless it’s fresh.
The salsa they have is pretty good and they do have some decent beer specials for happy hour, so those are always a plus in my book!

Delicious! The salsa was spot on tonight. My favorite menu item is the molcajete caliente. It’s fajitas ramped up… with plenty to share!!!

Can you imagine getting a plate of food from a mid level Mexican joint and it doesn’t come with beans and rice? How much money can you save by conserving beans and rice? 2 cents a plate? Service is slow and they got the order wrong. It’s just another mex place with orange walls. Go for a beer. Fine. Don’t expect anything and you’ll be just fine. Oh, and they don’t take reservations, which is truly convenient FOR THEM when we have a party of 8.