El Cerrito

Stopped by based on only reviews by others. Sat at the bar and had great service. Portion to price ratio is very, very good. My 6’10″ friend couldn’t even finish his enchilada.

Wow! Went on a recommendation and the food is outstanding. I would highly recommend this spot. The food has a really home style feel.

The server was rude. I asked what was the difference between their carnitas tacos and their al pastor tacos and he his answer was, «a lot of things.» He then told me the the el pastor tacos were beef even though it is listed as pork on the menu. When we received our food the carnitas were dry and had no flavor. The guacamole was awful. We couldn’t even eat it. When we paid the cashier asked us how everything was and when we told him that the food wasn’t very good, he turned his head and didn’t even apologize. Awful service and awful food.

Paid a visit there tonight. Had the Steak Acapulco. It was fantastic. Steak flavorful and tender. Awesome place!

Wood. So much wood. Everything around me is varying shades of brown, like the inside of a Keebler Elf’s cafeteria.
My wife and I tried El Cerrito because we’d passed it so many times going to other restaurants and shops nearby that we began to get curious. First point: what does «el cerrito» mean? Answer: little hill/​mountain. #boom. So we stopped by the little hill for dinner one night and we were one of four tables occupied. A couple of well placed TV’s let me keep up with the Big Ten basketball game of the night while we waited for service.
The prices surprised us. This place is very affordable! My wife and I both ate heartily, tipped and it cost just north of $ 20. I had a quesadilla, my standard I’ve-never-been-to-this-Mexican-restaurant-before-and-am-scared-to-order-something-I-hate choice. We snacked on salsa, delivered in a tiny carafe to pour into individual bowls (germaphobes rejoice!). The salsa was good, but nothing special. Same with the chips.
The quesadilla was large and in charge, but not the best I’ve had. Not even in the top 10, probably. The whole thing was overwhelmed by large crunchy onions which probably could have been cooked for a bit longer. Service, too, was underwhelming. With only 4 tables open I figured I’d get a little more attention. Oh well, maybe I blended into the forrest around me.
Anyway, the price is amazing but I got what I paid for. I may be back on low budget days, but there are a few other Mexican joints I’ll probably be visiting before I return to this little mountain.

Olé!
We decided to try El Cerrito after becoming disappointed with so many places in the area. These folks were friendly from the moment we came in the door. Our chips & salsa were tasty. I ordered the enichildas de cameron, shrimp enchiladas with spinach, mushrooms, poblano peppers, and probably other stuff I’m forgetting. They were freshly-​prepared, hot, and delicious. While we ate, we were asked multiple times if everything with our meal was to our satisfaction. A gentleman (I suspect the owner?) was having fun chatting with a little girl at the table next to ours. She had a Dora doll, and he was amazing her by speaking Spanish like Dora does. It was cute. I must not be the only one who likes this place. It was full when we were there, and their percentage on here speaks volumes. Check this place out if you can’t find a Mexican restaurant in the area that you enjoy.

First time here thanks to a hubby who wanted to try something different. And thanks to Unilocal reviews. Not as friendly as our usual Mexican place, but obviously the staff recognizes the regulars… We were newbies. Fish tacos were awesome! Sauce and pico de gallo OMG! Yum. Choriqueso good, nachos carbon a «do again» margarita was a bit too sweet, even tho a top shelf. Maybe the mixer? We’ll go back

The biggest problem El Ceritos has is front of the house. There are plenty of waiters but by observing dinner services more than once, they are not allowed to take orders. So when it’s busy your going to wait to get a drink order in. And you’d better put your entire order in right then and there or you may loose your opportunity. The guy who is apparently the manager up front has a socialization issues with people/​patrons. Not very personable consistently.
I wanted to like this place so bad. They are smaller than the big El Meson’s in Plainfield. A classic mom and pop restaurant. And I would’ve patronized this establishment multiple times a month. Weekly easily. However, my last visit there was my LAST VISIT there. The long and short, party of two never received there entrees. It took far too long to get a margarita, chip basket refills had to almost be begged for and the poor attitude by the gentlemen taking food orders really put me off. After an hour and fifteen in those hard 45 degree angle seats was all we could stand and we proceeded to the front to ask to pay for our adult beverages and lobby our complaint about not being served our food.
Sadly, Apple Bees across the street took very good care of us and we were satisfied with big conglomerate commissary food.
To be clear, I prefer to give my hard earned money to mom and pop establishments over big biz. But they little places are not impressing me lately. You must shine or I won’t dine.

I would give this restaurant 5 stars, but service was a little slow. It wasn’t a perfect experience but it was pretty damn good. :-) and pretty cheap. $ 12 for a lunch and HUGE margarita. Well worth the price!!! :-)

Good food, authentic staff, great price.

Always a good meal and good service. Cold beer and good Margaritas. Locally owned not a chain

The tacos de carnitas are so simple and flavorful with their fresh pico (with a touch of jalapeño) and a unique housemade sauce. I know they have other gems on the menu, but I can’t get past these tacos every time I go.
The chips have improved from my first few visits, and I like the salsa.
The portions are generous, I always have enough for a next day lunch. (I recommend reheating in a toaster oven, thank me later!)
**They get an extra star for being a locally owned, non-​franchise restaurant in an area offering mostly Applebee’s and Chili’s type dining.

We used to love this place. But in the past 6 months it’s seemed to have gone down hill. Slow service & the food lacking what it used to.

My wife and I went here for the first time this evening. We lived in Texas for over six years and really fell in love with certain dishes from some of the family owned Mexican restaurants in San Antonio and Austin. We’ve been searching for a similar type place across central Indiana but never found one… until tonight. Wow. This is what we’ve been looking for. I saw Tacos al Pastor on the menu but wasn’t sure I wanted them since more than a few places really mess them up. I asked the waitress about them and decided to go for it. She agreed to put cilantro and raw onion on, the way I’m used to eating them, even though they typically don’t serve them that way at El Cerrito. The sauce? Rich with just a hint of that sweet BBQ taste. The pork was tender and tasty. ¡Sabroso! A real winner. My wife had Enchiladas Suizas… another tough dish to do well. We’ve been to places that bury them in white cheddar or jack cheese. Not El Cerrito. They used authentic crema and what tasted like queso Oaxaca or something similar. I’ve read other reviews where people complain about the slow service here. I think they’re missing the point. This is a real honest to goodness Mexican restaurant and food is not something you rush through in Mexico. If you want fast, Qdoba is across the street. If you want good, El Cerrito is just the ticket and well worth the wait.

His place is a hidden treasure! The salsa, chips and food is amazing!!!
You also can’t beat their deep pours on Jack :)
Get the fajita’s and pork burrito– amazzzzizng!

Another great lunch and excellent service. Always greeted promptly and quick service. This is an independent restaurant not a chain.

Tacos carnitas, Taco al Carbon, and Pollo Chipotle are a few of my favorite dishes here. Top shelf Margarita are delicious!

Great service ! The owner’s wife such a delightful person that remembers all of her customers.
I tell all my friend’s clients and family how great our service was.

Food was really good! Service was excellent. Prices were reasonable. Definitely will be going back.

We will return to this Mexican restaurant because we feel that the quality is good and the manager plays an active part in the business. He wants to make things right and checks with everyone throughout their dining experience. We give it an A+ for Mexican although we still prefer the chips and salsa at Chili’s restaurant.

Some of the best fajitas I’ve had. Salsa is amazing! My fiancé and I ordered the fajita for two and had plenty left over. Entire staff is helpful in making your experience top notch, as soon as you get close to running out of ANYTHING, someone from their staff is right there to assist you. Great atmosphere, great food and great customer service!

Decided to give this restaurant a second chance, glad we did! Food and service were both very good. Guacamole was EXCELLENT!

Where do I start? Bad food or worse service? I ordered food to go for me, my sister, and our four young children. We were mixing and matching meals, no problem.
Placed my order on the phone, no problems. Was told 20 minutes. I got there in 25, and saw my food sitting on the table. Being a Saturday night at 6 pm, that’s good they can get it out that fast.
I waited 8 minutes from the time I got in until I got acknowledged from the host (turns out it was the manager on duty). I told him I was here for pickup, and I thought the food was mine. He rudely said «I have a lot of to go orders. Which one is yours?» Well, they didn’t take my name on the phone, but I can tell you what I had in it. So I told him, he looked at the receipt for 3 seconds, and rang it up. It was higher than I expected so I asked him to go through it with me. (I had accidentally said an item when ordering, and thought they charged me for it). He again, rudely said «it’s right there». I explained I could not read their shorthand for each item and could he explain. He again, rudely said «ok hunni give me a minute» and explains. The last item was more than I thought and questioned it. Again, he rudely said «give me a minute hunni». Hunni doesn’t sound rude, but I assure you, he was being an a**. He shows me on the menu, I say ok and pay. He looks up at my after I paid and says «it’s over there». You’re kidding me right? As I was leaving, I asked a server if that was a manager. He said yes. I told him what happened, he did not look surprised at all, and apologized about it. He was very sincere, but you can tell this was not the first time he’s heard that about the manager.
I get home, knowing I was going to give a poor review on service, but hoped I could say at least the food was good. Nope. As others have stated, incredibly bland. I also could not distinguish the difference between my enchilada and burrito. Seeing as how that’s 2 very different foods, it shouldn’t have been an issue.
If I could give this place a 0 or ½ star, I would. The ONLY positive about this place is their decent prices. Hard to beat for the portions.

Service was very attentive, our glasses never got less than half without a refil. Food was good. Flautas were very good and crisp, and vegetables were fresh.

Stopped in on a whim because it was walking distance from Discount Tires and we had and hour and a half to kill. We were pleasantly surprised. The tortilla chips were very fresh. The salsa tasted delicious, not bland and not too spicy or overly hot. The service was friendly enough and we were brought refills of water when needed. Our food order was taken in a reasonable time. Compared to similar restaurants, I would say the food came out a bit slowly, but we weren’t in a hurry so not a big deal. The taste of the food was really good and worth the wait. I would say definitely above average. We have eaten at nearly every Mexican restaurant in Plainfield and Avon and I would rank this place among the best in the taste department. We will definitely come back for dinner so we can see what the margaritas taste like. I recommend you give this place a try is you are in the area.

We have given El Cerrito a couple of chances now!
Unfortunately there (his) service is awful!
Too bad because when you finally get your order it is above average Mexican food.
But there is no organization and never enough servers! We had to get our own menus ask for silverware and practically get our own drinks! Sorry he does not want to hire or maybe no one wants to work here. The owner better get with it or this place will not last! Too bad because food is better than EL Meson!

Nothing like a quick Mexican lunch. There are several in the Plainfield area. Although the food is as good as most of the several places available, the service can be a bit slow. One thing that will set you apart if the kitchen is backed up — is to make sure my drink is full and to continue to check on me (or my group). Service is key to setting different places apart when trying to serve the same dish with the same authentic flavor. If the service would improve, I think my average rating for them could as well.

Stopped in on a whim at 1:15 on a Sunday and didn’t get our food for an hour. The host (owner?) seemed grumpy but the waitress was very nice, fast and efficient. Salsa was pretty bland, chips were warm but too thin for my taste. Food was just ok. We were seated in the center section where the unpadded wood benches are too high for your feet to touch the floor and the wooden seat backs are rough like a cat’s tongue. Not good for an hour’s wait.
My first and last visit.

I had such high hopes after the other reviews. The service is THE WORST! We waited 30 min for refills on drinks, 30 min for refills on chips. Seriously? The food was average at best. Definitely will NOT be back. Would not recommend unless you have 2 hours to waste on mediocre food.

The margarita’s here are so good.
Had Enchiladas the first time and fajita second time. Both were good. Soft Tortilla are very good as they are not too soft but have a roasted touch to it.
Went to this place for dinner on Sun and Mon, both times it wasn’t even 50% occupied.
First day service was good. They have serious miscommunication or coordination going on there. The other day we happen to get a tempered, rude waiter (the clean shaves guy). He comes and tries to take order for drinks however seems blank and showed as if he doesn’t speak/​understand english… asked us to give 1 min and left. Then another nice waiter (goatee bearded guy) who served us a day before came and took our orders.
Now, the rude guy came back with brings 2 marg’s which we asked him but not ordered. When we tell him that the other waiter (bearded guy) already took order while you left because we thought you cant speak english. He got pissed and tried to argue“but I’m your waiter…” Took the drinks and got back with right ones. Instead of normally placing the pitcher on table he makes efforts to bang pitcher and glasses. We were skeptical to to drink that and we just hoped that guy didn’t add any crap thing to our drinks.
He kept that behavior until the end. We saw him being nice to only the person (not all on table) who asks for check or is paying bill… he goes pats their back and if everything was okay. He did the same on our table. He thinks people are stupid to give him the tip.
Fair price: 80 $ for 3 people ~ 3 fajita’s n 1 marg pitcher