Featuring a great selection of homemade food and tortillas, Guadalajara Restaurant and Cantina offers reasonable prices for a robust meal.

At the suggestion of a friend, my father and I ventured to this restaurant, located on North Willow Avenue, which greatly met our dining standards.

The eatery is featured for its notable Mexican cuisine from publications such as the Fresno Magazine. Owners Cecilio and Rosalinda Garcia pride themselves in their authentic, inexpensive Mexican fare.

The Garcias opened the first Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant in 1988 on Weber Avenue. When Guadalajara first opened up for business, Cecilio and Rosalinda had to sell their 1929 Ford vehicle to get money for the eatery.

Since then, despite financial setbacks, Guadalajara has thrived as a successful operation for Fresno residents.

When my father and I first walked into the restaurant, we were amazed by the bright colors that were painted on the walls. The atmosphere in the restaurant was very welcoming and authentic — like we were actually eating food in a foreign country.

After being seated, warm chips and freshly made salsa were served to appease our hunger. Though a simple combination, I was impressed with this typical starter because the chips were crunchy and salty and coupled well with the spicy salsa. Rather than store-bought, the chips had clearly been fried freshly in the kitchen.

Our food was served in about 15 minutes, which was impressive due to the crowd of customers in the eatery. I ordered a dish consisting of beans, rice and pork, while my father had the chile Colorado burrito stuffed with beans, rice and beef.

When our food arrived, I could clearly smell the different spices on the very hot plates. The aroma from the different plates was very enticing, which sparked my interest in the dish. The most dominant smell was the jalapeno chiles that were mixed into my food.

Although rice and beans are often served at most Mexican restaurants, the Spanish rice at Guadalajara was very impressive, tasting fresh and flavorful instead of bland like at most other restaurants. The rice was mixed with peas, carrots, lima beans and jalapenos, highlighting the authenticity of real Spanish rice.

For my dish, the fried pork was just right — not burnt but crispy — and the homemade tortillas were wrapped in foil which kept them hot. The flour tortillas that were given to me with my meal were outstandingly made.

Automatically, I was able to tell that they were made from scratch. The size of the tortillas was much larger compared to standard store-bought tortillas.

Completing the plate, delicious beans were refried with chicharrones and had enough cheese to create a flavorful taste. They added to the amount of food and variety of color on my plate.

Despite the amount of food served, my meal came out to only $9. Based on the menu, most plates are priced around $8-12, while smaller dishes of tacos, beans and rice are only $5.

Although the food was delicious, Guadalajara Restaurant and Cantina impressed me mainly because of the great service the staff provided. My waiter was always looking out to see if we needed anything; not once did we have to call him over for something extra.

Serving as a family-owned restaurant and featuring homemade meals, Guadalajara stands apart from other Mexican eateries for those in search of authentic, reasonably priced fare.

Guadalajara’s Clovis location is at 1365 N. Willow Ave. [Northeast corner of Willow and Nees] and can be reached at 559.299.2504.

For more food reviews, read the Jan. 10 article, Rio Grill showcases Brazilian cuisine.

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