El Canelo 3

Who knew that little old C’ville had a Mexican restaurant?! I have lived in the area my entire life and was pleasantly surprised to see this place pop up on Unilocal when looking for a dinner place that wasn’t my regular spot. This will now become my regular dinner spot. The menu had a good selection and variety of standard Mexican fare. The chips and salsa was fresh and delivered promptly by Carlos. Carlos was super friendly and courteous and our food order, with minor substitutions, came out perfectly. This is probably one of the only places in this area with truly good customer service. Let’s keep this place in business by enjoying great food in our little town.

This is our favorite place to eat in connellsville. Possibly even in all of pa! Fresh ingredients give this Mexican cuisine all the flavor it needs to be called great food! Staff (Carlos) is more then friendly and will answer any questions you may have about the food. Be sure to try the queso fundido as it is the best thing you’ve ever had, I promise! And they now serve beer and mixed drinks! Merry Christmas to all!!!

An oasis. Love the salsa athough wish it was chunkier (just a personal preference). I can’t go a week without a burrito or soft taco from here which explains why i need to be careful or I will someday resemble a burrito. The staff is excellent also.

My wife and I were in the Connellsville area recently and had a very nice dinner here. They have a very good vegetarian menu which my wife enjoyed. The food is good, basic and authentic Mexican. Nothing fancy but it’s all well prepared with excellent flavor and nice portion sizes. If you’re in the area I’d definitely recommend it — a nice, neighborhood restaurant with a very friendly staff. Stop in!

Great Mexican, and the only you’ll find in Connellsville. I wish they were open Sundays, but as Carlos says, «Everyone needs a day off!»
It is delicious. I usually get something really simple, but I’ll get sides of all the great fixings, pico de gallo, guacamole, and my favorite: the nearly intolerable it’s so spicy, tomatillo salsa. El Canelo has the best (and hottest) I’ve ever had.
I would give it 5 stars, but I have a problem with Carlos apparently. All my friends (who are more regular visitors than I am) get served promptly and accurately and have nothing but glowing praise for the service. I however, always get my food last, my drink refills are skipped when everyone else’s are filled, and it never fails that my fixings, which to me are the most important part, get forgotten about or mixed up. Once I was without silverware and I had to ask more than once to get some. Maybe next time I go in I’ll ask him if he has a problem with me. While everything is delicious and I get what I want in the end, I always leave there feeling kind of discriminated against, like I’ve just done battle.

After reading the reviews on Unilocal,we decided to give it a try. This is in my opinion the best Mexican to be had locally. The chips were not that fresh but the salsa was really good. We did get there late so that might have been the reason for the chips. The food was really good though so that in itself will bring us back again. The kids quesadilla was a hit. Don’t know what cheese they used but my toddler made short work of his.
Service was great. Carlos was really attentive. He was also a big hit with my toddler. He talked to him and played with him every time he came to the table.
We will definitely be making a return trip in the future.

Thanks to Unilocal and the review by Nichole M we found this place on the way to Fallingwater. After Fallingwater we decided to check out the Mexican food in the middle of no where. It was about a 20 minute drive from Fallingwater and was somewhat along the way back to our hotel in New Stanton.
Like the previous reviewer, I too have been spoiled by the Mexican food in southern California as I grew up ten minutes from Tijuana in San Diego. Now I live in Philly where the Mexican Food is getting better but sadly there is no place that strikes me as memorable.
We were in the mood for something different since all we really saw around were fast food joints, some chain restaurants (Bob Evans, Cracker Barrel) a couple Chinese places and one Italian restaurant. None of those offerings interested us as much as a Mexican restaurant in the middle of no where.
So I’m on a diet which is basically a no carb, no dairy, and no sugar. I have been really good for 24 days and have been really tempted but always said no. But being on vacation and having salty tortilla chips with homemade salsa sitting right in front of me I didn’t hesitate. After a few chips I ordered the carne asada plate as it is my benchmark for a Mexican restaurant. My GF had the taquitos. After more chips and salsa, our food came.
My carne asada plate came with rice, beans, guacamole, pico de gallo and sour cream. All in all I have to say that it was really good. The carne asada was seasoned well (meaning not overdone!) and cooked correctly (well-​done not well well done). The guacamole was a bit creamier than I like but it was tasty. The beans were too runny for me but the rice made up for it. I don’t care for sour cream with my Mexican food unless I’m at Taco Bell but then again is Taco Bell really Mexican Food?
All in all I was pleasantly surprised by El Canelo. The manager, Carlos, is a good guy and we chatted about the area and about the restaurant. I will definitely recommend this place to anyone who happens to be in the area. and if I ever make it back I will stop back in for the carnitas (another standard of mine for Mexican food).

I have to be honest here. This was the first time I have ever been to this town called Connellsville. I had absolutely no idea where I was or how I would get home if I had to explain it to someone. All I knew is that it was dark, cold, and we had driven through a lot of trees on a four lane highway.
After miles of cold darkness, TA-​DA, a town. Here nestled in this little wee-​town in the middle of nowhere (which is apparently Fayette County), is a shining beacon of some of the delicious authentic Mexican food I was spoiled by in sunny southern California.
The dining area is smaller, but booths and a large table for bigger parties. We walked in and the only waiter on staff for a slower weeknight was Carlos. Carlos is the waiter to end all other waiters… He knew my roommate and all of his friends by name and even knew what they usually ordered. The restaurant wanted to close early but when we came in they told us to absolutely take our time. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this welcomed and comfortable in a new place.
We were brought chips and salsa (homemade) and drinks. I ordered a Vegetarian #5 which essentially a plate of cheese and beans. AMAZING. The food was fantastic and served quickly. The staff was insanely accommodating and friendly. The dining area was clean and open for being as small as it was.
I would recommend this place to anyone in the area who is craving a Mexican meal and happens to be out in the middle of essentially no where.