El Acapulco Restaurant

We’ve been going here a long time and the food is great. Service is quick and the staff is very friendly.

The food is authentic and very good family owned and has great service very friendly atmosphere
We feel like we ate in a home having a meal with friends

My favorite Mexican restaurant. I have been going there for over 12 years. Juan and his family couldn’t be more friendly and courteous and the food is great…

Lets just say i wish I read the Unilocal reviews before i went here. We had gotten out of the aquarium with the kids and were looking for someplace close by to eat. I don’t know the area very well so we ended up on the street with the Ginger Man restaurant. Would have love to have gone there, but not with the kids. We went to try Johnny Utah’s, but it was closed and this place was right next door. Two good things about the place was the people were friendly and it was clean. However the food was in one word… bland. I understand sometimes its better to not over season food, especially when you are using quality ingredients, but this was not the case. The salsas that came with the chips were ok. Little did I know that would be the most flavor I would experience in the meal. We got the guacamole for an appetizer. The first taste that hit me when I took a bite was sulfur, hard-​boiled egg kind of taste. Very strange. My girls, who love guacamole had one bite and just steered clear. After the weird egg flavor, there was nothing really good about it. My wife had tacos which were of the hard shell variety. When the came to her, the side of the taco that was on the plate was no longer crunchy but had turned to mush and everything fell out of the tacos. Kind of defeats the purpose of a taco. I ordered chimichangas and maybe I have been wrong my whole life, but I am pretty sure what they served me was something else. They looked more like enchiladas… kind of. Honestly I had no idea and with a 2 year old and 8 year old at the table I was not about to send something back or question anything and delay the experience. Again, almost no flavor on anything. I dumped the salsa on top just to remind me i was eating Mexican food. I also noticed that they used potato’s mixed in with their ground beef as a filler. I am not against using something like that to tighten up the texture, but a plain potato just added to the lack of flavor. I am sorry to say this was one of the worst Mexican eateries I ever experienced. I would not recommend going here.

1 positive. The food was hot. Did not look appetizing. The taco hd meat, lettuce and cheese. No tomato or saice. The enchilada was almost flat as well as the burrito. The burrito wrap looked as if it were previously frozen and still moist.

I only come here for one thing & that one thing gets 5 stars from me! The PULLED CHICKEN NACHOS. Try them! Delicious. I don’t even think I like pulled chicken, but these are to die for! They’re very oily, but I mean, they’re nachos. I highly recommend. Apparently you shouldn’t eat anything else at this restaurant, or be in a rush, or expect decent service, but you should go when you have time to kill and are in the mood for a delicious and naughty treat.
I have to agree with some of the other reviews in that this place, which is huge in size, is ALWAYS empty… so that’s a little sketchy. I have no idea how they survive on Washington Street in SoNo, but hey… for that one time a year I’m craving these nachos, I’m glad it’s still standing!

Again how have I not reviewed this place? It’s one of my staples when I’m craving Tex Mex and am ok with finding parking in SoNo. I usually go at off hours like in the late afternoon. I get the same thing — the cheese enchilada platter with a margarita on the rocks with salt. I leave happy and generally bloated but that’s ok. The mom and pop who run this are cute and accommodating. They also have another location near the Stratford train station where it’s easier to park. I really don’t like going to SoNo because of the parking situation.

This is my favorite Mexican restaurant. The food is delicious and the prices are amazing. They use fresh corn tortillas and the rice is the best. The meals are basic and yummy — Don’t come here looking for red carpet service and over priced fancy dishes. The family owners are nice and welcoming — And you will walk away satisfied. They make chips + melted cheese taste amazing. Guacamole isn’t the best in town, but the yellow rice makes up for it. #12 all the way.

Didn’t like the food. Maybe that’s just me. Ambience is not bad. Looks like a piñata party was held here: D food was very soggy and bland

Run, don’t walk away from this «restaurant!»
Hands down the worst dining experience I’ve ever had. This is the only time I have actually walked out of a restaurant because the food and service were so bad. We had to go elsewhere for dinner. We walked in with low expectations to begin with but wanted simple Mexican cuisine. I could get over the awful outdated décor, but as soon as I was handed a menu with mold growing in the creases, I knew this restaurant was far worse than even the surface showed.
The wait staff was blatantly rude and inattentive from the start and even laughed at me for a question I asked about the menu. We ordered some chile con queso to start. It came out luke warm and tasteless. Even the chips were stale and cold.
We had already placed our order (chicken and beef fajitas) so we decided to give it one last try even though my gut told me this place was bad news. The fajitas came out, not on a sizzling hot plate like one would expect, but rather as overcooked strips of poor quality meat covered by a heap of gray gross onions. Next to this was a cheap version of rice-​a-​roni sans the flavor with peas and carrots and runny beans slopped right out of a can. I made one fajita with the cold, thin tortillas they provided, took one bite then looked at my husband and said, «I can’t eat this. We need to leave.» Of course the manager didn’t care about our complaints with the food or service, but merely laughed and said «oh, you’ll be back.»
The positive reviews must be friends of the family. Good for you. I appreciate that you want to hang out with your friends and possibly share a meal with them, just don’t subject the public to the atrocity that is El Acapulco.

Yuck! Zero or minus stars would be more accurate. The food tasted like it came from a can. The taco meat was seasoned only with too much black pepper, the tamale was inedible, the beans were watery. The cheese enchilada was the only item between our two plates that was edible, and even that was like the ones you can buy in the grocery store freezer. Not sure how they stay in business.

If I could give this place –5 stars I would. Worst dining experience of my life. I went here on a Friday night because all of the other restaurants had an hour wait and my friend insisted that this place was great. I know why this place was empty. I am passionate about hating this place. I was forced to use the restroom which did not have any soap in the dispenser, nor do I believe there was an employee restroom anywhere. There are so many other unsanitary things happening in that bathroom that are unmentionable. After that I was sure disaster was afoot. I asked the waiter what was in the vegetable burrito, and he replied with vegetables. I asked him what kind of vegetables, and he said, «all kinds.» I ordered it and literally this is what was in my burrito: frozen cauliflower, frozen broccoli. It was wrapped in a tortilla (presumably frozen), with green sauce, sour cream, and guacamole on top. Now I am obsessed with guacamole, I have eaten it with a spoon on a number of occasions. The guacamole was almost inedible. The taste of the overly ripe/​possibly old red onions overpowered the flavor of the guacamole. You could not pay me to go back.

my shrimp was definitely microwaved! My beans were old!!! My husband ordered green enchiladas & all we saw was cheese barely any sauce They were so dry! The servers were rude & they said they didn’t have hot sauce just salsa for the chips!!! what kind of a Mexican restaurant doesn’t have hot sauce? Even taco bell has some type of hot sauce! The restaurant was completely EMPTY for a Sunday. That should have been a clue to bot eat there. well we tried it we hated it & we’re not going back!

Most horrible Mexican food I have ever had !!!

Because Viva Zapata in Westport is closed for lunch on Sunday, a friend and I meandered up to South Norwalk to see if we could find a place to snack on chips and salsa and knock back a few margaritas.
Based on the Unilocal reviews for this place, we were slightly concerned, but decided to go on a little adventure and see for ourselves. SoNo is a sleepy little town on Sunday mornings, and we were only the second party seated in this tiny little spot. Service was friendly and efficient, but the language barrier proved tricky when I tried to explain about my gluten allergy.
Huevos rancheros are often gluten-​free, and after confirming there were no flour, only corn tortillas in the dish, I ordered it. It was a perfectly fine dish, nothing great, but definitely tasty and the eggs were cooked to my liking. The rice and beans tasted like most typical low-​budget Mexican restaurants, but they mixed nicely with the soft-​cooked eggs. (I recommend a side order of pico de gallo to spice things up a bit. I pilfered my friend’s from her chicken fajita order.)
The margaritas were a little weak, but for an early afternoon lunch, that was probably for the better. The chips and salsas were fine, again nothing special, but not as bad as most reviews would suggest. The red salsa was my favorite, on the watery side, but decent tomato-​onion-​cilantro flavors. The green salsa was quite spicy, and although I generally like hot salsas, this one didn’t have much flavor to balance the heat.
The place started filling up as we were getting the check, which to my Atlanta sensibilities was on the high side for the quality of the food, but then again, this is South Norwalk, so most things cost more.
I wouldn’t rush back to El Acapulco, but it proved to be a decent place for a leisurely lunch and best of all, I didn’t get «glutened» inadvertently.

I have to, HAVE TO, agree with everyone that gave this place one star. You think you’re going into a restaurant that’s similar to Acapulcos, a delightful Tex-​Mex chain. It’s quite possible that people giving this place a good review are reviewing the good Acapulcos.
Everything tasted like it was cooked in a microwave, and then reheated in another microwave. The salsa and chips were definitely dispensed from bags and jars… Ortega I think.
Don’t eat here. Tacos Mexico is 5 minutes away…

My absolute favorite Mexican restaurant in the area. It doesn’t get much better than this, in my opinion. I was introduced to El Acapulco maybe 6 or so years ago and I keep coming back. The vegetarian burrito is gigantic but I have a difficult time not eating the whole thing. The margaritas are great and the beers are really cold.

I do not understand some of these reviews, and will have to chalk it up to tastelessness.
I have to take two subways and a commuter train to get to this restaurant. I still do it. This is simply the best little Mexican place I have ever been to, and I’ve come dozens of times. It’s not the classiest, but I’ve never had such good food and so much fun, and it draws me all the way up to Norwalk.
Their chili con carne is my favorite thing about the place… if I’m not with a date, I always get a quart to go and eat over the next couple days, because it’s too far to come here often and I need my fix.
The nachos are tasty and I always get them, I like their cheese blend and chips.
Speaking of chips, the two salsas you get on the table are great. The green one is quite spicy, though, so be careful.
As far as an entrée goes, I usually get the #40. Look at it when you go there. And you should go there. This place has been in business for decades (about 30 yrs? maybe more? not sure, but has been in the same family) for a reason.
The owners and staff are also very friendly and welcoming. They keep drawing me back. And now, after writing this, I’m tempted to go to grand central after work and head up.

I am sad to see the poor reviews. I have been going here since I turned 21. Margaritas and Nachos quickly became a tradition. My very picky wife has always loved their California Nachos which no one packs on as much Chicken as these guys do. Unlike the bad reviews I think the «reheated» taste is aquired and personally I LOVE their rice and beans and no one else even comes close. My favorite dish is The Chili Rellenos and Cheese Enchiladas and it is unbeatable. All of their dishes seem to go into an oven and always are perfectly crispy and brown. The margaritas and Sangria are also awesome! It is truely a gem of place. If you want to see what good Mexican food is all about, give them a try.

OK, I must be one of those people the one reviewer thinks is on crack. Nothing beats this? Really? This place is awful. Boring mex with cheap ingredients.
Oh, and I’ve travelled to over 25 countries over the last thirty years, some dozens of times. If this is the best food «ever» in the world then I truly must have been walking around in a crack filled purple haze. 8-​| I think not.
Glad you like it, but I never trust people with one review. They often work at the place in question.