Glasgow peeps, I don’t often do food reviews here, but…

Evening all!

I hope that you are having a good week thus far. Mine has just got a whole lot more fabulous since lunchtime.

As the title says, I don’t often do food reviews on this forum, usually reserving them for trip advisor, where I have a history of being pretty prolific. Or greedy, depending on your point of view.

Today though, I had a lunch in Glasgow that was so yummy and such good value that I’m prepared to make an exception and do a micro blog in its honour. One hundred and forty characters just wouldn’t do it justice!

The place of which I speak is Juan Chihuahua , which proclaims to be a Mexican “cantina and tequileria.” I love Mexican inspired food and so when the stars of Scottish weather and hunger aligned to bring us here earlier, I was delighted!

The reality was that we presented ourselves for lunch as a fairly bedraggled party of two plus a baby in a wet pram, having darted in to avoid the filthy snow falling on Sauchihall Street. First impressions of Juan’s were great, a warm smile from the waitress and cosy surroundings in this “from dusk till dawn” style venue. Quite a different vibe to the abundance of rock music and burger joints in the immediate ‘hood.

We surveyed the extensive menu. This kind of menu can sometimes be overwhelming, but here, it was good to see the old Mexican favourites muddle alongside some South American “street food” options, none of latter I had come across before.

I opted for a [slightly] more traditional pulled pork enchilada, my fellow dinner for the house special chihuahua enchilada (which turned out to be beef), and we shared a dish which is best described as the Hispanic equivalent of “pigs in blankets” using chorizo instead of a chipolata plus the traditional bacon wrap.

The enchilada was absolutely divine, with the pork melt-in-the-mouth-superb. It was clear that a lot of love had been lavished on the marination process and its subsequent slow cooking. Also on the plate was a pot of mexican spiced rice; generous dollops of salsa, sour cream and guacamole; and a really nice coleslaw of apple and cabbage to compliment the crunchy side salad.

The chorizo starter plate was also delicious. I tend to only like a small taste of chorizo as I find it quite a “heavy” delicacy and so sharing it was a good call.

The great thing about Juan’s is that you can tell that everything is freshly made there and then, unlike another well known Mexican chain that blights city centres and retail parks throughout the land. The variety of dishes on offer really distinguishes itself from being just another Mexican.

We had a lovely old time just having stumbled across this place for lunch and rolling out again with full bellies and smiles. Where I think Juan’s would really come into its own would be a dinner out with a group of friends. It offers the choice of booths which would probably sit up to six people or more traditional tables from two up to about twenty people.

The drinks menu is extensive and, in particular, if you have a penchant for tequila, the menu lists around fifty different brands to choose from together with frozen margaritas (and so on) if you are really out to paint the town red!

Don’t let that give you the wrong impression though, this place is a class act.

To top things off, I couldn’t believe the value for money of the lunch menu. Two enchiladas and the pigs to share plus four soft drinks came to only £24! Bargain!

I shall certainly be back soon. I hope you get the chance to swing past too. If you do, I would love to hear what you think!

Xx