El Centenario

I am a big fan and have been for the last 10 years, Burrito El Centenario and White Queso. Also consistently good and nice service and rarely a wait. Supports downtown Topeka also so you don’t have to drive out west.

The best guacamole I have ever had in my life. Seriously. I take everyone here and it has sort of become a regular gathering place for my friends and family. They are always friendly and accommodating. I can’t say I have ever had a bad meal or experience here. And the .99¢ margaritas really top it all off!

Not good Mexican at all. Got food poisoning from the place. I have been sick all day after eating there. I do not recommend this place to anyone.

I have no idea how Unilocal knows I went there. but I did and it was great! :)
Really good food, I loved the horchata and the warm chips were great!

After driving 30 miles to visit another highly touted Mexican restaurant nearby where we were turned away because they were closed during business hours «for routine maintenance», we drove to El Centenario. The parking lot was nearly full on a Tuesday night … normally, a good sign.
We were quickly seated because the place is pretty big and chips and salsa soon arrived. They had a 99 Cent margarita special going, so I ordered one … OLE! We also ordered their famous white cheese dip ($ 3.50) and, being my birthday, a large guacamole ($ 6.50). The chips were good and hot, but the salsa was nothing special, so I asked for the «hot» version which was a little better. The cheese dip was good, nothing special and the guacamole was terrible. Beside the tomato, onion, and jalapeños, there was something strange about it, like they added Imo or sour cream to increase yield. Either that or they used inferior (Hass avocados should be used) or unripe avocados. Whatever they did, it was one of the worst guacamoles I have ever had.
My wife had the torta (sandwich) Milanesa ($ 7.50), a thin breaded and pan-​fried beef cutlet on a Mexican bread roll with mayo, lettuce, avocado and onion (tomato on the side because my wife is allergic) with French fries. It was pretty good, one of the better tortas I have had and the fries were hot and crispy.
I ordered the usual on my first visit, tacos and enchiladas. I ordered one hard shell taco ($ 1.75) and two traditional Mexican tacos (served on two soft corn tortillas), one with carne asada (they spell it «azada») and one with carnitas, and a side order of cheese and onion enchiladas. The hard taco was not bad, coming on the usual pre-​fab shell with nicely flavored ground beef and lettuce and Mexican white cheese. Not bad. The soft shell tacos were excellent, coming on two large corn tortillas each and piled high with meat, some onion, cilantro and accompanied by sliced, fresh lime just as they should. Bueno! Finally, the enchiladas had just the right amount of deliciously seasoned red chili sauce and cheese and were baked to perfection. I have to say, these were the best enchiladas I have had in a very long time … OLE!
It was too bad that the guacamole ruined what would have been an outstanding meal and I told the manager about the guacamole problem when were paying our bill, but all he said was «i’ll check it out», not «I’m sorry, let me take that off your check». Otherwise, we were very happy with our meal and will likely return to see if the guacamole problem was a one off deal because it it was not, I will send it back to the kitchen.
CombatCritic Gives El Centenario 7 Bombs Out Of 10 (And An «S&G» For You Military Types) … With A Two Bomb Deduction For The Guac (One For The Guacamole And One For The Manager Who Shrugged His Shoulders) … More Bombs Are Better!

Simply put, the best Mexican food in Topeka. My favorite dish is the tacos at this place, though I cannot recall if I have ever had anything that could not qualify as a «favorite» here. They can get super busy on popular nights, but for a place of this quality I wouldn’t expect much else. The service here is always top notch too.

Absolutely my favorite Mexican restaurant in town. Their cheese sauce is AMAZING. So addictive — I make sure to get menu items drizzled in the stuff. Reasonable prices, okay service and a very spacious restaurant (though cramped parking lot). Definitely my favorite place to eat in town when the mood strikes me to dine out!

Love the food!!! The closest it will get to authentic Mexican food in Topeka!

I love this place! The service is always quick and friendly, even on a busy Friday night. Sometimes it’s so busy that you can’t find parking on Fridays (so get there before 5:30ish! I have yet to try something there that I do not like. Definitely a great spot for Topeka.

Wow! Thanks fellow Unilocalers. I decided to try this place based on other reviews. It did not disappoint. I had a Carnitas Torta that was juicy, tender and delicious. Good prices and good service.

A local place so when you come first time you’re not sure if you wait or sit… just SIT. Large parking lot in a poor part of the city. Lots of food on the plate and near authentic old Mexico taste. Beans are more runny than expected but good. Chips could be better if warmed. Coke products and appears to be a full bar. White cheese sauce was OK but overrated in my opinion… very thin.

Visiting from out of town, we were intrigued by how many Mexican restaurants we saw in Topeka and Kansa generally, so for one lunch we decided to try El Centenario because of the good Unilocal reviews it had. We arrived about 2:30 on Saturday, with only about three other tables worth of patrons, and it seemed only one gentleman was seating, taking orders and serving food. His neutral attitude and lack of outside support made his waiting skills somewhat lackluster, but we did not have to wait overly long for any of our food and always had what we needed. We tried the guacamole and the white cheese sauce to accompany the house chips and salsa, and all of it was very good. Although the special order instruction was not followed on one of the meals, all the food that was ordered (steak and shrimp, enchiladas, and tamales) was very good, excepting the kid’s meal chicken nuggets and fries, which we returned at no charge. Ambiance was quiet, yet cheery. Would eat here again and would recommend.

Highly recommended for the Topeka area. We had chicken fajitas for one that easily feed two and the carne asada tacos are very very good.
Thursday night is 99 cent margaritas which aren’t too bad. Try half frozen half on the rocks no ice with salt and you will be in for a nice beverage!
The cheese dip is kind of expensive but worth the treat every now and then.
Must try for a pretty decent Mexican food place.

Had lunch here for the first time today. I am finicky about shrimp tacos and they were perfect! The shrimp was cooked to perfection and not at all fishy. Service was polite and efficient, everything I want in a restaurant. Also, super cheap! My entire lunch was only $ 5! Will definitely be back.

We used to come here for lunch all the time, and recently their service has been AWFUL! Today we went and stood at the front for 15 mins and no one ever spoke to us. One of the hosts friends showed up way after us and they were immediately seated. They didn’t even speak to us. The last time we went for lunch they asked us if we had a reservation. They seemed put out that we didnt have a reservation. At the Mexican restaurant. For lunch. Just skip the headache and average food.

Geez. Geez. That white cheese… dip is amazing! Sorry, I felt the need to start off with a great rhyme like that. But wow. Went here for the first time tonight and it’s getting a ⁵⁄₅ for me, even when I’m trying to be stingy with them lately!
Food: I get the same food no matter what Mexican restaurant I go to, and I judge a place based off that food obviously. This place had the best of all of it! I get just one chicken enchilada, then load up on salsa and white cheese dip. Margaritas are in there too. The salsa was amazing with a tad more kick than most, and the chips were different some how, but great. The chicken enchilada was STUFFED full of chicken and topped with white cheese. Again, delicious. It was $.99 margarita night, so both of mine were good and quite strong for a $.99 one. Then my favorite, the white cheese dip. Wow. It was so good! I had to text my wife after my first few bites just to let her know I have a new favorite white dip! The food was all top notch.
Service: this place was PACKED tonight. I’m guessing from the cheap margaritas. But we still got seated pretty quick. Drinks, salsa and queso got out quick. Food took maybe 20mins, so not too bad at all considering all the people there. The only complaint was that I think our waiter forgot about us at some point and took a while to come back. But while he remember us, he was good!
All in all, this is now my favorite Mexican restaurant in Topeka. That might not sound like much to you, but I love my Mexican food and that is actually big for me to say! Go here and give it a try!

The Nuevo American Diner! Thursday lunch means $.99 margaritas, Fox Deportes and Pollo Loco. Mostly Hot Dog colors (red & yellow) but it beats the technicolor décor of other Mexican restaurants.
You know that place you pick because it’s consistent/​quality/​quick/​great? This is it in Topeka.

Visited Topeka on business and decided to try this place. I’m from Colorado and grew up on New Mexican food, so I tend to be very picky. I definitely recommend El Centenario! Great food, nice atmosphere, and friendly, quick service. The food had a good flavor to it, with just enough spice, and the salsa is some of the best I’ve had. I will definitely be coming back the next time one in town.

Great food, the fajitas were excellent. The .99 margaritas on Thursday nights are awesome and fairly strong for the price!

Yumm! Don’t think about it anymore — just go! Best Caritas I have had! Service was great as well… which is always a plus. They are located in the old Lane’s BBQ joint. Enjoy!