El Bee’s

2 – 3 stars is a good rating here. Service is always top notch.
Prices are way too high for average food. Complimentary salsa would go a long way.

Great atmosphere and lighting. Parking lot was full so we were pleased we found someplace popular. Service was fast and friendly. Margarita was yummy. No vegetarian options. Bummed the beans were fried in bacon grease but the taco salad was still good with guacamole instead. Waitress was very helpful and accommodating. We’ll be back for sure.

Margaritas age great, unless you love the bottled margarita mix version, as these will not include any such mix. I love the elbee’s version myself. Wouldn’t recommend any of the cheese dips, but the bean dip is great. If you don’t like fried flour chips ask for corn chips or both, they are always happy to bring either or both if you just ask. We like the enchiladas with ½ cheese since they tend to be heavy on the cheese. Then biggest liability is the arrogance of Bob who believes he sees everyone in the order they arrive and has no need to keep a list. We are often seated after others with the same number of guests. We have been going for years so we know the drill, but anytime we wait we end up explaining the unusual system to someone looking confused because none of the many employees rushing by them will acknowledge them. Bob may like his system just fine but it’s frustrating for the Rest of us. We tend go early to avoid the wait — or go elsewhere.

Save yourself a headache and stay away from this dump. The owner is one of the rudest individuals I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. However, if you enjoy a rough slap to get your attention that it’s time to be seated and enjoy dining under hospital grade surgical lighting then go right ahead. They will not reseat you. They will not be polite to you. At El Bees the customer is wrong Your integrity will be insulted and your corneas will be assaulted (as apparently El Bees has high instances of old people falling down, owners words)

Service is always very good and the food is consistently good. My favorite on the menu is the cheese dip but be sure to ask for the original version.

Yuck, yuck, yuck. My husband and I really like Fernandos, so when we moved to Elkhorn we were happy we’d have El Bees close by as a substitute. We were sadly mistaken.
At Fernandos we usually get a liter of rocks margaritas, chicken Fernachos with almost no cheese, a large side of green chiles and a side of retried beans. It’s plenty of food and the real reason we like it is for the green chile salsa! That being said, the first time we went to El Bees we basically ordered the same thing. The margs were good, but the rest was ehhh. The green chile were watery and lacked any spice. The service was ok, but nothing like what we were used to at Fernandos.
We decided to give El Bees another try tonight. We got there early and sat at the bar. First we ordered the margs. They were good. As the waiter delivered those I tried to order a chile con queso, but as I started talking the guy walked off and pointed to another guy to come take my order. Rude! We ordered the dip and a large side of green chiles. The cheese dip came out barely at room temp and began to coagulate quickly. The chiles were watery and flavorless.
We still went ahead with our order of chicken nachos with a side of beans. The nachos came out hot, but again the beans were room temp.
The food we were served was unacceptable. To make matters worse they have one bartender that just stands around and leans on the bar. Lazy! Maybe he should be given a lesson in customer service.
After our experience tonight I can with certainty say we will never return to this restaurant. We will drive the extra distance to go to Fernandos on 114 and Dodge or 74 and Pacific where we are treated well and served good food!

It was terrible. Flour chips were greasy, the food is covered in lettuce, olives, and tomatoes to make the portions smaller. Great service though. Waitress was very good and nice.

If you come knowing what to expect, this can be a good experience. It’s a small town stop that probably is the only watering hole for miles, so I can certainly see the draw in coming here for dates, family dinners, and pit stops between Waterloo and Omaha. The food is certifiable tex mex, and if you love that gooey oozy cheese with a side of meat, then this is your place. It’s not quite taco bell or taco johns, as the chips and the hard shells for tacos are freshly fried for you, but its doesnt have the wow factor for me in specialty items or unique sauces or salsas. Since I dont live anywhere near Waterloo, I’m sure my visits will be limited, but I think this is a staple in this town for many of the locals and will continue to serve some hot fresh tex mex for many generations to come.

Took forever to get a drink. The margarita is good if you only want the taste of tequila. The queso was just melted cheese. No taste
If you like your dishes with absolutely no seasonings and no taste, drowned in cheese this is your place Even the salsa had no taste.
Taco Johns and Taco Bell are even better.
Don’t waste your time or money on this overpriced crap.

Chips and Salsa are not complimentary, which I guess I could live with if they were charging a decent price and the rest of the food was great. Not the case here. We went a couple weeks ago, so can’t remember the exact price but it was around $ 7.00. Sorry not paying that much for something that is complimentary at all other Mexican restaurants. We decided to get the queso dip instead. This tasted like Velveeta cheese. I had the chicken chimichanga which was ok, but very small portion buried under a lot of lettuce. I remember going here years ago at the old location and thought it was decent.

Bob the owner is an idiot who tries to take names by memory… You could wait for minutes or hours…

They have exceptionally good bean dipp and an above average cheese enchilada and is a cute family run buisnesses giving it that friendly small town vibe

Walk in expecting white people pleasing TexMex with copious amounts of yellow cheese and you won’t be disappointed. Chips and salsa will set you back 6.50 but they are of the fresh fried flour and pico de gallo variety. They were solid but it just doesn’t seem right to pay the price of an entrée just to get chips and salsa.
My father in law ordered the huevos rancheros which came out under a golden brown layer of cheddar cheese. Just like my enchilada and my mother in law’s tostada. If you are lactose intolerant you can’t eat here. Colby Jack cheese is the star of the show at El Bees. Rice and beans were also caught up in the cheese lava flow.
The enchilada was pretty bland but what flavor it did have was good. It was just WAY too much food.
Come and have the Mexican food you ate in 1989 and enjoy some cheese. If you need something sweet after the sodiumstravaganza, tootsie pops are coming your way with the check.
Don’t make a special trip, but it’s good at old school Tex Mex.

Great little local spot. Extremely casual great setting for families or a night out with your other half. My husband and I love their homemade red sauce. Big portions so we always have an appetizer and then share the chicken enchiladas. The staff is always friendly and the service is fast.

Born and raised in the next town over, I grew up going to El Bee’s fairly regularly. We still go there every few months to this day. The food is delicious and not overly expensive. The atmosphere is friendly and so is the owner. When we have relatives or friends in town, 9 out of 10 times, we’ll take them out to eat here. This will always be one of my favorite places to eat and just hang out.

We just moved to a lake in Valley and thought we would be regular customers especially for carry out. The first dine in experience we had was fine, our waitress was very friendly.
Tonight we called to see if there was a menu posted anywhere online so we could place an order for carry out. The woman on the other end was SO rude, laughed at my question and then basically hung up on me. She did not offer any solution or seem the least bit interested in our business. I’m very disappointed as this could have been one of our go to spots.

We have gone here several times because my mother in law for some reason loves the place but I do not agree. I have ordered several different things and I can’t tell a difference. It all just looks like a plate of Mexican food. It all tastes the same, bland.

Margaritas are the worse I’ve ever had! Wait staff never checked on our table, had to catch her and ask for more water. She checked on table beside us 6 times as it was on her way to the kitchen. Tip reflected the level of service. Won’t be going back. The food is mediocre at best, lacking good flavor. I have certainly had better Mexican fare in other restaurants. El Bee is a looser! Been the three times and have never been impressed, third time is a charm!

Please don’t go here if you expect anything other than bland food. I had the Macho Chimichanga that was more of a «lets fry some wet-​dog flavored beef and throw some lettuce and olives on top» plate. No discernible Mexican flavor, even with chips and salsa. When we asked for spicy salsa we were told «there’s jalapeño in it». Typical non-​answer.
About me-​I travel 70% for work around the US and grew up in SoCal.

My entire family is a fan.
El Bees is all about two things. Amazing nachos and stellar margaritas.
Never mind the fact that they are in Waterloo, Nebraska, and there is a picture of a bee dressed as a Mexican cowboy. Never mind the fact that you are not sure were you are once you’ve finished one of the margaritas.
Just go, eat, drink and enjoy.