El Vaquero

Very, very average for the price. Service for a Tuesday night rushed and unfriendly. Server didn’t know what a side salad was and never offered me anything to drink. Disappointing.

Had a great meal there. …the service was excellent, very friendly and quick and the food was good. I would definitely go back!

The food is great but service during the week is very poor if you sir at the bar. No dedicated bartender. Just a free for all at the bar. But because the food is so good, I keep going back. Please hire a Bartender that stays at the bar. I had to get up to get my own napkins and had to wave someone down 3x.

I’ve been to quite a few El Vaquero’s around Columbus. And last night’s dinner here was my favorite thus far. Get the number 153 or 171. Mmmmmmm. Super Tasty.

The best Mexican food I’ve had in 3 States in 2 years. A bit different than I’m used to in SoCal, but very tasty.
The service was very polite — when you got it … just enough to get your food and bill paid. No one even checked to see if I wanted another drink. But, they were very honestly nice, when they interacted.
Reasonable prices for what I ordered given the good quality.

There’s nothing wrong with El Vaquero. I would give it 2.5 stars if I could. The food is edible and fairly cheap. The restaurant is clean. Service is always very rushed but polite. I’ll eat here in a pinch but would never seek it out. There are much better options in Columbus. A word of warning, everything is very salty and the margaritas/​mixed drinks are very weak. The menu has recently been updated to include a number of new vegetarian options other than the standard bean burrito and cheese enchilada.

Not bad, but not the best. You will find most of what you expect on Vaquero menu, but flavor and service still needs refining. Would recommend for a quick lunch.

I don’t normally EVER review restaurants, however… I feel the need to. I absolutely love mexican food. Love it. My boyfriend and I are visiting Ohio, had a long day & wanted a drink and a meal. This place had a decent amount of good reviews. We walked in, waited about 10 minutes for a table. Were seated and immediately asked what we wanted while the menus were being handed to us… what? Uh water, thanks. Ordered drinks, they were good. Ordered our food and that was the third time the waiter had been to the table. The fourth, he brought us our food, the fifth he took our plates, and the sixth he handed us the check. He never refilled the waters we had, the salsa that had run out though some random worker had dropped (literally) chips off at the table. He never came back to ask us how we were doing or if we needed anything, and never asked us if we wanted anything else or desert. Not a very pleasant dining experience. The staff has been running around all night long, no personality, the bus boy/​man pushes around a very loud cart in and out between tables obnoxiously. Besides the food, which was mediocre at best, this experience was unpleasant. Not recommended.

This was a first time visit to El Vaquero and I was really excited because my guy doesn’t get excited about Mexican, so I never get to go to these type places. Its got very nice décor. We were seated promptly and chips and salsa right away. The salsa has a great flavor and the chips were good. The server was prompt and nice. He ordered a 3 course combo deal with Azteca soup, 4 enchiladas, and Flan for 12.99 I assumed that it would come with rice and beans, but was wrong. I ordered an a la cart chimichanga for 4.69 and figured I would share with him (Im a burrito girl for sure). We both enjoyed the Azteca soup. The flavor was very good and it was a hearty soup that was very similar to chicken tortilla soup. My chimichanga came with a big heap of shredded lettuce topped with guacamole salad, sour cream, and a big chunk of tomato which I really liked. The chimichanga was about half the size of a normal one it was topped with the queso cheese which was good, but the beef had little to no flavor and I would not order it again. His enchiladas were cheese (weird texture), ground beef (was decent), chicken was dry, stringy, chewy, refried bean was my favorite one. He didn’t like the weird spice they used in that one. I couldn’t place it, but it may be a mix of cumin, cinnamon. The flan was flan but not smooth, more lumpy.
Bathroom report he said the men’s was very stinky and filthy. I didn’t notice an odor in the women’s, but it wasn’t what you would call clean.
The server was very good, being prompt and courteous.

Mexican! Great place to go if you want a semi– authentic Mexican meal. Michelada a are actually pretty good. Try the Carnitas dish!!!

We were on a road trip from New York and wow were we pleasantly surprised by the food here. We love spicy food and our awesome waiter recommended chicken a la diabla and made my chicken Ranchero spicy and gave us sauteed onions and habanero peppers to feed our spicy mouths! !! The guacamole Margarita wow who wudve thought of that. Delicious and highly recommended. sucks that it’s not by New York! !! Our waiter Ignacio was wonderful and very helpful and answered our 1000 questions about everything including what to do in columbus. if in town we will definitely be back :-) cheers !!!

This is almost a weekly lunch for my coworkers and I. Fast and friendly service always keeps me coming back. The Delaware, Ohio location is spectacular as well which turned me on to this whole franchise. In fact one of my coworkers had never been here and said she was in love with the tacos and queso and didnt know what she had been missing all these years. Im a simple chips, queso, salsa and quesdilla gal but I’m sure other items on their menu will not disappoint.

I’ve been here 3 more times since my first review and all I have to say is «GAH!!! WHY DO I KEEP COMING BACK HERE???» The place has been revamped some since my initial post. The menu has been updated, and they have seasonal meals now. The atmosphere is fun and the staff is friendly. I desperately want this place to be good but the simple fact of the matter is, their food is HORRIBLE. It’s not good. At all. Stick to the basics (beef, beans, fajitas) and you *might* be fine.
I had fish tacos tonight and, my goodness, that was horrible. Dry fish. No cabbage, no cheese (just their vomit-​colored special sauce), no citrus, just greasy corn tortillas and dry fish with a bowl of vomit-​cheese sauce on the side.
And what’s up with this place and cheese sauces? If the menu says «cream sauce» or anything similar, expect a lake of velveeta-​like cheese covering your entire plate. Oh, but they do add different spices and colors to the cheese lakes. BLEH!!!
I’m also editing this post to let you all know that my wife and I BOTH had to use the restroom at home and light some matches (if you know what I mean). I didn’t so much as buy a meal as rent it for an hour.
Do not go here. La Fiesta Mariachi up the road is much, much better. If only LFM (that’s what I call La Fiesta Mariachi) had a nicer atmosphere. You can read my review of that place.

I normally avoid this restaurant because in the past it has been bland and service was slow.
Upon visiting the establishment today on a whim… I was surprised to find the food was MUCH better than previous experiences and the service was great.
It was a great change from my last nights experience at the «final cut» which was my final experience.
Great job guys!

I love going here. The food is always tasty! You cant beat the huge margaritas and beers. Its a typical Mexican restaurant in cbus.

Was in town on business and the lady at the hotel desk recommended this place and she obviously has different tastes in Mexican food than I do. The service was really slow, the waiter hardly listened to the order and then when the food came out it was wrong, big surprise. The food was fair at best. The only redeeming values were the outside dining and the Corona lights were cold. I’m not familiar with the area but there’s got to be better Mexican food in the area.

I don’t get the low starrage on this place. Decent food and a good happy hour. What else do you want from a Tex-​Mex joint in central Ohio?

I love me some El Vaquero. Seriously, the place is the bomb. I come here all the time, and the staff have even gotten to know my boyfriend and I! I get the same thing every time (#19) and it’s amazing every single time. Their chips and salsa are excellent as well.
The service is fast and the food is wonderful. A lot of people comment on how the food isn’t authentic… authentic or not, it’s still some damn good food in my opinion.
I highly recommend this restaurant!
PS. They have really good desserts too if you’re not already stuffed!

You guys: this is not authentic Mexican. I really don’t understand why people get so «ERMAGHERD» over El Vaquero.
Okay, sure, it’s quick. It’s cheap. The margaritas are potent. The chips and salsa are plentiful. But that’s about where it ends for me.
I’ve tried fajitas, burritos, salads, quesadillas… everything has been overcooked and doused in cheese (which, let’s be honest, I’m not too upset about… but because of this, it’s impossible to find a fat-​free option because the cheese sauce = their only method of flavoring otherwise bland dishes).
Just my two cents: I’d rather fork out the additional $ 40 and hit up Cantina Laredo — where they make fresh guac right at your table and understand the importance of cilantro, jalapenos and poblanos as flavoring agents!

I have never had a bad experience here as I usually stop in here 1 – 2 times a year. I have found my new favorite here in the #7 Don Juanisco (sp??). It has 2 of the 3 key items for me to love it-​sauce and cheese-​it only needs a side of guacamole to make me happier. It is grilled chicken with Bacon, ham, and poblano peppers covered in chipotle sauce and cheese. You can eat with your fork or on a warm tortilla. I like choices and I had plenty to take home and eat for lunch on Saturday.
My wife loves the Burrito San Diego and their cheese sauce is decent also. Come here during Happy Hour (4 – 7) and get $ 5 – 6 Margaritas and $ 1.50ish sides of cheese. Their draft prices are around $ 2 – 3 depending on what kind.
Service has always been quick, polite, along with hot food. What more can I ask for? This might not Mexican authentic like your Abuela makes but it is better than the Mexican food I grew up eating (Chi-​Chis & Taco Bell). I like the extensive menu and it seems like everyone could find a dish they would like. Also a good place to take a kids since it is loud. If you go before 6, I think at least 50 percent of the people there had kids. Free chips and Salsa also. I wouldn’t go crazy for their blah salsa but its free so i can’t complain.