Restaurant Review: Cruz Family Mexican Grill

If there’s one thing I’m a sucker for, it’s family owned businesses. There’s something so special and intimate about a family who can take a common passion and desire and create an entire business around it.

The Cruz family took over what was once Julio’s Taqueria (and before that I believe it was called Eddie’s) in mid-December. On a recent Saturday afternoon, my husband and family (father-in-law, sister-in-law and two nieces) decided to stop in for lunch and check out the change-over.

First off, the menu has changed. Once a taqueria, the Cruz family has implemented a brand new menu – literally with slick menus instead of ordering off of a white board above the counter. From 8 – 11 a.m. they serve up breakfast with 11 different combinations (and prices starting as low as $3.99). From 11-5 p.m. they boast several lunch specials, and they continue serving fresh Mexican food until 8:00 p.m. daily.

The service during our visit was very warm and friendly, as we were seated right away and offered warm tortilla chips and salsa while taking our drink order. Our waitress offered our nieces paper for coloring, which was very thoughtful. They were also incredibly accommodating when it came time to order. My husband had a hankering for a fish burrito, but didn’t see it on the menu (although they had fish tacos), and the waitress quickly offered that they could make him one!

In chatting with the staff about some of their changes since taking ownership they mentioned that in addition to the new menu, they will soon be adding beer and wine, and that they switched over to “real” dishes and flatware as opposed to paper and plastic (always a huge plus in my book). They’re in the process sprucing things up and the most noticeable change is that they’ve removed the tint from the windows, which makes it much brighter and much more visible when passing by on Sunrise. They’ve also painted a bit, and will soon be replacing the tables and chairs.

The entire staff is a member of the Cruz family, and we were surprised to see just how many members there were in the restaurant that day helping out. They are delighted to cook up fresh family recipes, and their goal is to strike a good balance between quality and quantity. They’re so dedicated in fact, that they often work two hours after closing to prepare for the next day.

Due to there being six of us that ordered food, I won’t describe each entrée, but give our general consensus. While we all agreed that the food is very fresh and the portions were generous (the kids meals in facts were almost too generous), we all agreed that it was lacking in something special. We felt that the food was very bland and basic, not having much spiciness to it, which was disappointing. Several of us added hot sauce to our meals in hopes of perking it up a bit, and we agreed that even if they’re just being careful not to turn people away who might not be interested in spicy food, that they need to at least kick it up a little bit. They did say that they’ll be adding a salsa bar in the future, so that would probably help quite a bit.

My sister-in-law also suggested that if they want to market themselves as a family oriented restaurant, that they might want to consider reaching out to families with coupons such as “kids eat free with purchase of adult entrees”, and maybe covering the tables with paper for coloring. They could even play kid friendly movies on their large TV one night a week – again, just ideas if they truly do want to market to families.

The Cruz family seems to really have a passion for serving good Mexican food, and although we were a bit disappointed in the flavors (or lack thereof), we will visit again to see how they progress.

Have you eaten at Cruz Family Mexican Grill? Tell us about your experience, or share with us your favorite dish!
Barbara’s review rating (new system!):
Dining experience and service: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Food: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Cruz Family Mexican Grill
11255 Sunrise Gold Circle Suite A
(916) 638-8163
Open daily 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Do you want to know about a local, Rancho Cordova eatery? Tell Barbara where to visit, in the comments section!

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Posted by Barbara Lopez on Mar 1 2010. Filed under Viewpoints. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.