Life’s a beach at Don Juanz

The 318 Forum’s always-hungry reporter often lunches at a local restaurant and tells you about the experience.

Most times, it’s me doing the inviting.

But on a recent Friday, a friend asked if I would like to join him for lunch at Don Juanz Baja Beach Tacos. There are two locations, but we would go to the one in Shreveport (1400 E. 70th St., Suite 101A.)

Don Juanz has been here for years, but I had only been once, and that was a long time ago. So, without hesitation, I said, “Yes!”

The first thing I noticed when walking in was the atmosphere. Cool. Refreshing. Relaxing. Most of that had to do with the color palette. After all, “Baja Beach” is part of the restaurant’s name. There were blues and yellows, giving me the feeling I wasn’t in Shreveport. Along with three televisions — including one big screen — there was, for lack of a better description, a tiki bar. If we chose, we could sit down, enjoy a beverage and not have to imagine too hard that we were on the Mexican coast.

If you’re looking for a place with only a few offerings, Don Juanz isn’t it. The extensive menu board behind the counter where you order lists more than 30 choices, including salads, quesadillas and Baja bowls. And those were in addition to seven items on the lunch specials ($12.99) menu. But, of course, the star of the show is the tacos.

Two Baja Carnitas Tacos and a Pacific Rim Fish Taco.

It took my friend and me a few minutes to digest all the possibilities. The gentleman who took our order, Bailey, could not have been more patient and friendly. We peppered him with questions, and he answered them all, as well as offering some recommendations. One of my friend’s questions addressed the concern that two tacos, which you get with the lunch special, would not be enough to fill his hearty appetite. Bailey suggested my friend get a lunch special and add a single taco from the big board. That would make a meal of three tacos, chips, salsa, a small serving each of rice and beans, and a drink.

That’s what my friend decided to do, and I followed suit. We also ordered a cup of guacamole ($7).

There is plenty of seating at Don Juanz — booths and tables. At 12:15, there were several people enjoying lunch. Still, we didn’t wait very long to be served our chips and salsa, and our meal came a few minutes later.

The chips and salsa were really good. I did not find an ounce of grease on the chips. They weren’t overcooked and paired well with the salsa. The salsa wasn’t too hot, wasn’t too cold and had the right amount of kick.

My friend may have enjoyed it even more than I did.

“That was really good salsa,” he said. “I think I needed more of it.” My friend said the salsa was every bit as good as the best salsa he’d ever had, which was from another Shreveport restaurant.

I thought the guacamole was good, albeit a little on the heavy side. There wasn’t an overwhelming avocado taste, but rather a fair mixture of avocado and spices. Our bowl was even decorated with a couple of thin tortilla strips rising above the green layer of goodness.

For the lunch special board, I chose two Baja carnitas tacos and added a Pacific Rim fish taco ($5.89). The carnitas tacos were loaded with pulled pork with (more than) a drizzle of honey chipotle-tequila sauce, grilled fresh pineapple and red onions, served on flour tortillas. The fish taco had grilled yellowfin tuna, lettuce, jack cheese, cilantro, mandarin slices and lime-cilantro crema on a gluten-free corn tortilla. The chunks of fish and other ingredients made for a nice break between the two carnitas tacos.

From the lunch special menu, my friend chose the Mexi-cheez chicken tacos and added a chipotle chicken taco. His cheese taco had grilled chicken breast, queso blanco, grilled bell pepper, onion and sliced jalapenos, served on a flour tortilla. The chipotle taco had grilled chicken breast, fire-roasted corn, Monterey Jack cheese and chipotle aioli, all on a flour tortilla.

“The tacos were really good,” my friend said. “The tortillas, if they aren’t homemade, they had that authentic homemade feel and look.” (The menu indicated the tortillas are freshly made.) “They were soft and not too chewy. The toppings were the right amount. You felt like you got some substance from a taco.”

But can you have too much of a good thing?

“What stood out on the tacos was the sauce. It was good, but for me, there was a little too much. (The sauce) added some great flavor and really enhanced the taco. But I’m somebody who wants just a hint of that flavor, so I can taste the other stuff as well.”

Don Juanz offers three desserts, but after finishing our meal, my friend and I barely had enough room to squeeze out of the booth.

The cost of our lunch before taxes and tip was $44.61. My friend and I agreed that the lunch special — with just two tacos — would have been filling, considering the other items included. So, you can have a satisfying lunch at Don Juanz for less than we paid.

Why haven’t I been to Don Juanz Baja Beach Tacos more often? I don’t know, but that will change. I give the restaurant four forks. The food, atmosphere and what seemed to be a genuine appreciation for our business mean I will be back. Even going out of my way to do so is a lot shorter than a trip to Mexico.