We live close-by & tried this restaurant for the first time Friday evening (Scarborough location). We sat at the bar & ordered drinks & dinner. The atmosphere is that of a cute Mexican Diner, welcoming & warm (love the warm lighting). A nice place for singles or families & not too loud. The food was very good, not the very best Mexican I’ve ever had but very good. The menu had a great selection & the prices were reasonable. We ordered a dish made for 1 & shared it. It was plenty for the 2 of us & we still brought a leftover serving home. The Margarita was delicious but so big I couldn’t finish it (a good problem to have) & the service was excellent. I can’t count how many times we were checked on to see if we needed anything (very unobtrusively). A huge portion of complimentary chips & salsa arrived immediately when we sat down. I like my salsa with a little more sweetness to it & I prefer white corn but that’s just my preference. It was still very good. The only complaint we have that will influence whether we make this an option in the future is the guy who was sitting at the end of the bar that night. He was so loud & vulgar, bragging about himself with expletives, including many f-bombs. This while a family with a young little girl sat within earshot. He was extremely obnoxious. We noticed the couple who sat next to us didn’t stay long. We even noticed one of the employees glancing his way throughout our dinner. If this guy’s a regular at El Rodeo, we won’t be. Other than that, it was a great experience & we’d love to go back. Plenty of free parking & a nice outside seating area for warm weather.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 4
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 4
Recommended dishes
Steak and Shrimp
Good food, great people, unique and fun vibe. Cold beer, good drinks, fresh food. Go and enjoy
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Other
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Great sampler
Great street Corn
Best Salsa and queso
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Nachos
I have been here a couple times now and also tried them on Doordash. The reality is, they are so-so. Not bad, but average enough that I'm not excited to go again. But, they are convenient for me with location and hours, so I will continue to go there until I find a better alternative or they win me over.
The bar drinks are perhaps their highlight. As for food, tonight I had carnitas that came with salad, beans, and rice. The salad was just lettuce and a spoonful of pico and a spoonful of sour cream. The carnitas were dried out. The beans and rice were tasty. For a starter they bring over chips and salsa, which is standard fare at Mexican restaurants. The salsa had too much cilantro and the cup it came in was too small. I had 10 chips and ran out of salsa.
The service was my biggest issue. Both times I visited, I had my food long before I had silverware. Most of the staff seemed like they didn't care if there were customers or not. Not rude, Just indifferent.
Also, the posted hours and actual hours never seem to match up. Twice I went to visit during their posted hours, and they were closed. Tonight I was going to get a second drink, but they were closing an hour early.
UPDATE: I have visited one more time since my initial review (three visits and one Doordash delivery in total). The host at the door is perhaps the worst choice in the entire staff. This person seemed like they wished they could be anyone but here. My server was awesome, but the host that begrudgingly led me to a table was one of the worst hosts I have experienced so far, this place or elsewhere. Another issue I have is the way they serve the chorizo dip - on a ridged hot pan. This causes the dip to harden quickly. It also makes it hard to get the dip on the chips due to the ridges. I added a pic. It was tasty, but twice I ordered it and both times I only ate half before it congealed into hard useless mess. I honestly am giving up on them after four tries and looking elsewhere.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$30–50
Food: 3
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 3
The food here is very delicious and flavorable! 😍 Everything is fresh it's Amazing, also the service here is incredible. The atmosphere is very pretty and relaxing. 10/10 🌟
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
We came in this afternoon last minute with a very large party-turned out to be 17 of us. They were more than happy to accommodate us! The staff was extremely kind & patient. The drinks & food came out quickly and the staff continued to be accommodating throughout our meal! We really appreciated it and loved our lunch/experience today!
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
I ordered Tacos De Birria (Recommended by Bartender) Guacamole with Chips/Salsa and a Dos Equis...Received the wrong drink and never received the Guacamole....Salsa tasted like Tomato Sauce with no spices...Chips were bland and unsalted. Birria Tacos and Consume with 2 sides of sauces were all Bland. Even the side of Radishes that came with the tacos tasted like they've been soaked in water for a day and had no taste. (Yes, my taste buds work fine and the guest with me agreed everything was bland as well) All-together, this was very basic, bland food and bad service, would not recommend.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 1
Service: 2
Atmosphere: 3
