Janos Restaurant

My husband and I went to celebrate our wedding anniversary on a past weekend and heard the buzz about Janos, so we decided to try it out. The crispy skinned sea bass was perfectly prepared, and although the short ribs were tasty, the accompaniments were completely overpowered by the heavy and rich piece of meat and sauce. Halfway through, you felt like you needed a good palate cleanser to continue and the small pieces of jicama swimming at the bottom of a plate full of gravy just didn't do it. Being good cooks ourselves who make short ribs on occasion, we just couldn't see how they justified charging so much money for an averagely prepared piece of meat and expected at least something better than what we could cook up in our own kitchen. The appetizer of ceviche made of fresh fish was completely overpowered by the mango flavor, and the chocolate souflee was not anything resembling a souflee - it was a bland flourless chocolate cake at best. On the plus side, the wine list was good and the waiter's wine recommendation was spot on. Coffee was delicious (even the decaf), and the staff was polite, but nothing to rave about. We had better service from the younger staff at La Paloma's country club at brunch the next morning. Pros: Polite waiter/staff, great sea bass. Cons: Average food for the price. more

We went to Janos on Christmas Eve. We were greeted by the chef and offered a drink while we waited (we were 30 minutes early as we were too excited to wait any longer). We ordered the tasting menu with the wine flight. This place is culinary perfection! Each course was better than the last even though they were hard to top. The service is top notch, very professional, helpful, attentive and friendly. The entire experience was magical. This is hands-down THE VERY BEST restaurant in town. The food quality is unparalleled, subtle intermingled flavors paired with excellent wines made this place worth every penny. This is a place I think about as I would a vacation or a life changing moment. Pros: Worth every penny! Cons: Takes a lot of pennies.... more

The staff is super couteous and helpful with questions. The atmosphere is fun and at the same time romantic. The food is fabulous and then some. Cocotinis and j-bar nachos with chorizo and smoked poblanos were great. The combo plate with jerked pork, oaxacan lamb bbq, and marinated carne asada (delicious sauces for all these as well) is the best thing on the menu. Salmon and rock shrimp tacos were great too. You have to save room for desert and try the dark chocolate jalapeno ice cream sundae. It's pure bliss! Pros: food is excellent and atmosphere is fun and romantic Cons: none, this place rocks! more

Opted for the informal JBar, adjacent to Janos, sat at the bar. Was served by the very friendly and competent 'tender - Michael (who's cute in a clean-cut-Viggo-way). Ordered the meat combo platillo - which has flank steak, jerk pork and shrimp, all very tasty, and the salad/slaws provide a burst of citrus flavor. It's the dessert I'll rave about. I'm usually a chocolate-lover, but stepped out of the comfort zone to try the sorbets. It was an excellent foray into something different; a refreshing, light dessert with wonderful fruit flavors not overdone, right amount of subtle coconut flavor. Pros: Food, drinks, Service, Parking Cons: Hard to find more

the food was delicious and the service was outstanding. the outside view was beautiful. if i lived in tucson, i would go eat there every weekend. more