Back in 2021, one of my favorite breakfast spots, Country Kitchen in Newport, NH, announced that they wouldn’t be reopening after Covid-19 closures. I miss that spot; it was definitely a bit of a dive, but the food was good, the prices quite affordable, and they really had a nice selection of locals that were always dining there. But the place wasn’t closed for long, in 2022 it was announced that the building was reopening, this time as Jalisco Mexican Bar and Grill.
One thing to get out of the way up front: This is the place in Newport, NH, and not the similarly named Casa Jalisco down the road in Claremont, which opened around the same time, and that I reviewed (and enjoyed) in 2024. Doing a bit of digging on online LLC filings, these appear to have different, but overlapping ownership, so there’s some commonality between this “Jalisco”, the Newport “Casa Jalisco”, and the small Mi Jalisco chain down in Keene, Peterborough, and Milford. So, while I like the “other” Jalisco in Claremont, I’m treating this as its own place, and it’s actually quite nice to see the renovation. Country Kitchen had some “small town charm”, but was also starting to get more than a little warn: Jalisco did a very nice renovation of the place, installed some booths, divided the place into an updated bar and dining room, and really gave the place a decent makeover.
Like most of the Mexican places around here, Jalisco has a rather extensive list of Margaritas, ranging from the house Margarita, to various upgraded liqueurs, to a few flavored varieties (and one of their more popular specials is getting a flight of the flavored Margaritas). Their house Margarita is one of the better ones in the area, but this time I went for one of the flavored varieties: the Jalapeño Margarita with Hornitos Plata, jalapeño juice, and a very generous load of pickled jalapeños. Very spicy, but also refreshing on a nice day.
For the main course, Carol opted for their basic combo platter, with rice, beans, a mole chicken enchilada, and a chile relleno. I find a chile relleno to be a good gauge of a Mexican place, since there’s a bit of execution here. You need to start with a decent poblano chile of the right size, stuff it with a reasonably good cheese mixture, bread it, and then cook it up so that the interior is crisp and not soggy, and the interior is nicely warmed through. The version at Jalisco is one of the better ones in the area, and the chicken mole enchilada had a reasonably good mole sauce as well. Overall, a good combo.
For my dinner, I did my usual order (that goes way back to my childhood in Arizona, going to Macayo’s, which I should really review at some point), which is chicken chimichangas. Like a lot of New England Mexican places, these are served up as pair of smaller chimichangas, and open-ended instead of burrito-wrapped. I generally like the smaller portion size, and this approach allows you to mix and match flavors if you like, but at times I do find myself craving a larger, single chimichanga. Served up with some fresh tomatos and a rather good guacamole, these were crisp and flavorful. The accompanying Mexican rice was nicely flavored with a lot of jalapeño, which made for a nice side.
I’ve not yet experienced either the dessert menus, nor any of the brunch items (Jalisco opens at 11 and has a few brunch-oriented items on their lunch menu, like a huevos rancheros), but I’ve certainly enjoyed the rest of the menu we’ve experienced. While I’m still sad that Country Kitchen is gone, I’m glad it has been replaced with a spot that’s still popular with the locals, offers up good food, and has reasonably good prices. I suspect they’ll be here for quite a while.
