El Pueblo

Excellent service, food is tastey, lots of selection in tequila, pueblo community feeling and an overall comfortable place to land in Lamont.

The service and cleanliness were decent. However, I have to say that while the food was above par, I could not help but take into account that the chili verde was a knock-​off of the yellow Mexican restaurant across the street, Casa Lopez. The pork was stringy, but not very much of it however, the sauce was thick like gravy.
Trying to get a burrito made special was like pulling teeth that I gave up and ordered tacos.

My favorite Mexican food restaurant to eat at! Why? Because it’s AUTHENTIC! I’ve never been served a bad meal here, and I’ve been dining here for my whole life! The service is always great and always keeping your margaritas filled ;) If you haven’t ate here, you are missing out! Try the Cancun shrimp it’s amazing!!!

One of our favorite places to eat! Good stuff! Make sure you ask for the chili verde sauce to dip your chips in!

This place is a little drive from Bakersfield in the City of Lamont. It has been here for years and there are quite a few Bakersfield folks who make the half hour trek to Lamont just for this restaurant. Personally I wouldn’t, but only because not a Shrimp Cancun fan. DOn’t get me wrong, it is a wonderful dish from a wonderful restaurant. It just isn’t something I crave.
In my family I am in the minority when it comes to Shrimp Cancun. They LOVE it, and so, every few months we pack up 11 people and head for Lamont.
El Pueblo is a really nice family owned place. It is old, but they keep it clean and organized. Mexican food is the fare here and they do it well. I have never had a problem here AT ALL. From the kitchen to the wait staff to the drinks at the bar, they are right on at all times. Although I am too lazy to come here on my own, I don’t mind the ride out with the family because I know I am in for a great meal at a good price.
You already know about the Shrimp Cancun, so let me tell you I really like the Chili Colorado and the Enchilada Combo plate with Chile Relleno.
If you live in the area, or just want a little adventure driving to a good eatery, try El Pueblo.

This is the only mexican restaurant that my family and in-​laws will drive for dinner that is outside Bakersfield. It is located on Main St. Lamont, catty corner from Rite Aid. Next to a local gas station. They have enough parking spaces in the surrounding areas of restaurant. Inside is very spacious that it can accommodate big parties and still have enough for small hungry groups.
My staple order here is their Cancun shrimp. These are breaded shrimps over tomatillo sauce. Their menu shows the Cancun with 1 dozen shrimps but you have the option to get the half size order.
They serve you the starter salsa and chips when you sit down, what my family do different is we ask them to bring us green salsa. I love them with chips! Like all Mexican restaurants, they have the variety of enchiladas (options of meats and cheese), Del Mar’s, Vegetables, and sizzling plates. However, I noticed that they don’t serve Albondigas (meat ball soup).
We never had bad food from this place so we are definitely coming back.

Family owned restaurant in the town that I work in. The Cancun Shrimp is my go to here. Great service every time I visit. The fishbowl style margaritas are huge and get the job done! Make the short trip out to Lamont for authentic and delicious Mexican food!

Enchiladas de cameron… A Must!
Ask for spicy if you like fresh jalapeños added. Warning, lots of fresh shrimp but some imitation crab added… But it’s excellent!
Unfortunately the Margaritas are overly sweet with too much mixer.
Fresh chips and great fresh salsa.
I would actually give this particular dish 5 stars if they used all fresh seafood.
The 4 stars are for cleanliness and manufactured tasting margaritas.
It’s still worth the drive!

I love El Pueblo. It’s one of the few restaurants in the area that really delivers. It has a fun atmosphere inside with the bar and the stand that makes tortillas. I have been here probably 20 times with big groups and small groups. I absolutely LOVE the burrito del mar (seafood burrito). It is simply delicious. It is stuffed with fish, shrimp, and octopus. It comes with a creamy white sauce inside and outside of the burrito that I feel like no other place can replicate!
The only issue I have with this place is that the Bloody Mary here is kinda watery. I need some V8 in my drink! But that’s just personal preference!
I will continue to come to El Pueblo for a LONG LONG time!
I highly recommend it :)

AA++++!! Stop here and eat. Excellent food. We’re from Santa Maria, so we know great Mexican food. On our way to NM. Steak quesadilla, pork tamale and pork chili verde enchilada whew awesome! Thanks.

I discovered El Pueblo in the early 1990’s when I lived in Bakersfield, and every time I visit family there I have to make a pilgrimage to the best Mexican food I have ever had.
Be careful with the wonderful homemade salsa and tomatillo sauce — the chips are great, but it’s easy to go through a LOT of them and not leave room the main course…
The key to great Mexican food is freshness and the sauces, and El Pueblo comes through on both. I am most familiar with the three seafood dishes «Veracruzana» (red snapper sauteed in a red enchilada-​like sauce with onions, fresh tomatoes, and bell peppers), «Puerto Vallarta» (shrimp, crab, and red snapper sauteed in a white wine & butter sauce with onions and chopped tomatoes), and the legendary «Cancun» (twelve large shrimp sauteed in a garlic butter sauce). They definitely know how to prepare seafood; however, for those who don’t eat or don’t care for ocean fare, the extensive menu features a wide variety of classic Mexican dishes of every type — tacos, burritos, chimichangas, carne asada — with a seemingly endless choice of exotic and rich sauces. You name it, they have it!
The best choice for the first time visitor to sample a great variety is the «Tres Amigos» platter — three enchiladas (chicken, beef, cheese) with three different sauces (red, green, poblano). However, whatever your tastes in Mexican food are, you will find something to suit your tastes.
I am including a link to video I took on my last visit, when Luis Aguilar Jr made the specialty coffee for myself and my companion — it is very much worth the time necessary for this amazing extravagance:
El Pueblo’s only downside is the distance from Highway 58 or 99 or the city of Bakersfield, but you will NOT be disappointed!

I went there last night and it was really good. I will come back for sure. The service was really great! Their salsa was okay, but their chips were really good. I got their Vegetarian Burrito. It was really different from any other Mexican Restaurant and the change was nice. The sauce on top was really creamy and their beans and rice were very good! If you are headed this way I think its a great place to stop.

We’ve been going to this restaurant for years now, But since last year we have had 3 bad experiences.
Last year as the fair as in town, we visited the restaurant, after sitting down the server brought our drinks, salsa and chips. We decided on what we wanted, the server said that they did not have those plates available, when asked why the plates were on available she said that they were taking food to the fair instead. So, ok, we decided on another plate, food was ok.
The following weekend we were back again and the same thing happened, we tried asking for other plates and the reply was the same. So, not enough food to serve the customers? all the food going to the fair? we brought the issue to the owners son and he discarded us!
Last Saturday after a long time not being there we decided to give another try. My husband shrimp fajitas as white no taste, my chicken salad was a joke! the chicken was hard as a rock to the point I could hardly bite into it!
We called the server and asked what’s going on with the food? her reply was that the grill was cleaned for the night (7:30pm) by the owners son order and our plates were sauteed instead of grilled! My chicken was not sauteed, the chicken was microwaved!
I sent my plate back, when it finally came back the chicken was cut into strips and tasted like soy sauce!
We used to go there every weekend, not anymore!
It amazes me that in this type of economy, they can afford to lose customers.
Sorry Rafael, we’ll miss you.

We ended up at El Pueblo due to sitter location, but we do enjoy our visits & this time was no exception. Our early arrival on a Friday night was a good idea, as the Bakersfieldian crowd started coming as we were leaving. We walked right in and our friend had a table & had ordered our drinks and 2 appetizer plates for us. One plate of freshly fried nachos and a bean & chorizo dip and the other, a sampler platter of nachos, flautas and quesadillas drizzled in a light chile colorado sauce. Wouldn’t have been my call ordering so much food, but I didn’t exactly turn it away. ;-)
So we went with Shrimp dishes, mine were enchiladas with beans & rice. I don’t remember the name of my husband’s dish, but he enjoyed it quite a lot. My entrée was very tasty with huge pieces of shrimp & crab meat exploding out of the sides of these fajita-​size tortillas. I had 3 margaritas, each stronger than the last. The waiter poured my shot of tequila in right at the table… Nice.
Overall, another great experience at El Pueblo… I’m sure the girl that had 2 be helped out of the restaurant supported by her 2 friends would agree!

I had just come over CA 58 and stopped here due to Unilocal review.
It was around 15:30 so there were no cars in the lot, and once inside I was the only one there. So it was a bit odd that It took a few minutes to initially get service, but once service began, it was very good service. They were attentive and well paced. I never felt that I waited for anything, nor did I feel they were ‘hovering’
My first big criteria for Mexican restaurants is the chips and Salsa. The Salsa was GREAT! It was thick and made with lots of fresh Onions, Tomatillos, etc. It had a great flavor and they serve it in a bowl that is gig enough to hold you for a bit! The chips were good as well.
I ordered a Pacifico Beer to drink and the Mug had a thick layer of frost on it. (And I do mean think! Like Rime Ice! … Perfect!!) When I ordered a second one, I got a fresh frozen mug which was nice.
My Entrée’ was the Rd & Green Enchiladas and a side taco. (Crispy, Beef) The Taco was EXCELLENT. It had a wonderful flavor and next time I will order just them! The I had never had Chile Colorado, and so I have nothing to judge it on, but it was tasty. The Chile Verde Enchilada was a bit of disappointment in that it was bland.
HOWEVER, the menu does indicate they can make things spicy, and I had not asked.
I don’t usually eat a lot of the «sides» but the Refried beans were most likely fresh, and were very good (Yes, I said Refried beans!) The rice was also good.
I did not order dessert.
Overall, it was a very good food and It is a Family owned place and the service, even taking in to account what I first wrote, was great.
I would definitely recommend this restaurant if you are any where near the area. (As I mentioned, I was headed to SF and was coming across 58, and the detour was well worth it!)

I am afraid this will be a bad review for the restaurant but it is well deserved today. I know everyone has a bad day but treating customers well is the cornerstone of any business.
Now here is the experience.
My friend and I went to the El Pueblo for the first time in a long time today. It was early (4PM) and we were the only customers. I ordered the shrimp cancun and she ordered a chili relleno plate. My shrimp was terrible. The batter was not done and the shrimp were pre boiled (the kind you buy frozen and bagged at Costco already cooked). I politely mentioned this to the waiter who I think is the owners son, who said that when he was cooking the shrimp and adding the wine the lid came off and he poured way more than normal into the batter and that was the reason for the texture. Now I can tell when there is too much of an ingredient and when something is just undercooked and believe me this batter was undercooked. Anyway, instead of appologizing, he abruptly said «I have been cooking these for 15 years». Now that was said without me being the least bit impolite or even saying anything else to him. He was just rude. My friends chili relleno was good she said but the taco that came with it was soggy tasting.
I know this restaurant has a very good reputation and I have had good meals there before but this experience will definitely keep me away for a while and NEVER will I allow this young man to wait on me again.
To top this all off I didn’t realize until we were back in Bakersfield that the guy overcharged us also. The shrimp price was $ 13.95 and the chili relleno was $ 8.95 and there was a $ 1 charge for the pepsi my friend had. He totalled this to a little over $ 29. I didnt do the math until later and found we were cheated by about $ 4. Wow what a bad experience in a place we used to really like. Shame shame shame on you.

Great authentic Mexican food. Great service and cheap drinks.

I love this place. The staff is always friendly and attentive plus the prices are great considering the portions of their dishes. I recommend the Cancun shrimp dish. It’s my favorite because it has a scrumptious blend of flavors! Mmmmm

On those rare occasions when I go out to visit my friends in Bakersfield (they usually come this way since they live in Bakersfield), we almost always go to El Pueblo.
Let me preface this by saying, we always have a designated driver and we always make great use of the cervesa and margarita selections. If you drink, be sure to have a DD because this place is kind of way outside of Bakersfield in a really small town.
The food here is awesome (again remember that by the time the food comes out I am usually in a very happy mood because my friends and their drinking habits). I’ve had or tasted pretty much everything on the menu and it is all good.
This is one of those places that takes it upon themselves to lessen the burden of waiting when it is busy by walking around with a pretty good bottle of tequila and topping off your margarita. This might happen more than once with the same margarita, so be prepared.
Cheers to my Baco peeps! When we going to El Pueblo next? Hurry up because it’s going to be Africa-​hot in Baco sooner than later.

This review, I think is a long time coming. This restaurant has been around for years serving damn fine authentic Mexican food. I recall coming here in my youth and being impressed then as I am now. I scarcely know what to say. I’ll stay out of the murky indefinite past and keep the review to the present. I recently came back and had a Red and Green Enchilada plate which consists of a Chile Colorado and a Chile Verde enchilada. A friend had quesadilla with camarones a diablo. Both dishes were mildly spicy from the start but rewarded loyalty with a very nice build up. The Colorado sauce was slightly sweet while the chile verde sauce was creamy and comforting as it was delectable. My only complaint would be the blandness of their perfectly moist and fluffy rice. But you mix it with anything else on the plate and find the blandness is a perfect canvas for other flavors. Well played mi amigos, well played indeed.