Tucked just outside Brevard, Los Vaqueros absolutely lives up to the local hype. I kept hearing…read moreabout it from people around town and made sure to stop in before heading out--and I'm glad I did. From the moment you sit down, everything hits. The chips and salsa are fresh and addictive, and the quality carries all the way through the meal. I went with the carne asada, and it was cooked perfectly--tender, flavorful, and easily one of the better plates I've had. On top of that, the portion was huge, so you definitely get your money's worth. The atmosphere stood out too. The decor has a really polished, comfortable feel--not over the top, just done right. If you're anywhere near Brevard, this is a must-stop. It more than delivered on the buzz.

Definitely worth stopping here! View of the falls while dining on some pretty great MEX food was…read morejust perfect!

We don't usually write restaurant reviews, but we had such a great lunch at Los Vaqueros that this…read moreone deserved it. Everything was spot on from the start. The salsa, queso and guacamole were all excellent. The ceviche was outstanding: incredibly fresh, bright and perfectly seasoned. The fajitas were equally good, arriving sizzling hot with beautifully cooked meat and vegetables. Generous portions, great margaritas and warm, friendly service. We actually tried to come the day before and couldn't get in, so we came back the next day. Very glad we did. One of our favorite meals of the trip.

Lunch, $10-14 in 2026. Far above average food quality with generous servings. Dinner from…read more$15-25. Nice atmosphere with a mix of locals and visitors. Salsa and chips complimentary, drink refills, I will be back. Yum

Really beautiful restaurant with authentic decorations but very upscale. Service was polite and…read moreattentive. We were served a little portion of carrot soup that was gratis. Very delicious. We ordered chili en nogada and it was perfect. Walnut sauce was excellent and the fresh strawberries used to garnish was a novel touch and delicious. My husband had enchiladas suizas, also delicious. His Margarita was also very well made. I highly recommend this restaurant for gourmet Mex.

I ordered the Burnt Tips. most people refer to them as Burnt Ends. That is the tip of a brisket. It…read moreis a heavily marbled meat. Very tender and flavorful. I received a Round steak. Chopped. No marbling no flavor. I asked the waited if this was Burnt ends and he said yes. No way. My wife ordered the salmon with roasted vegetables. The salmon was over cooked (steamed) and the vegetables were steamed as well. We wont go back

This is a hidden gem! Absolutely AMAZING authentic Mexican food. My go to are the flautas de…read morepollo and my wife's is the caldo de Cameron (shrimp stew). The ambiance is authentic Mexican, come by during lunch and customers are 90% hispanic. My wife and I drive more than one hour one way just to get here. A wonderful day to begin a trip to the waterfalls or end the day here. The service is great and you can practice your Spanish with the staff, they speak English at the ordering counter. If you want a hotter sauce you can buy it at the Hispanic store that is part of the restaurant, they have a great selection if you like it HOT!

Absolutely amazing food here! We just moved here from Arizona and I personally grew up in Southern…read moreCalifornia so am used to really good Mexican food and have been very disappointed since moving here until we found this place. Tacos are so good, rice too and can't wait to try their other items soon. Staff is very friendly as well. We drive 45 minutes just to come here because it's so good, highly recommend!

Good food and service. Interesting menu with some items you don't find at the average restaurant…read more I stuck with the familiar burrito type of dish with green or red sauce. The other people in my group ordered quesadillas. We were happy with our meals. We were traveling from Gatlinburg to Atlanta and passed through Clayton.

Vacationing in Clayton Ga and found this place on Yelp. Glad we did. It had some of the best food…read morein town. I had the burrito with chicken and it was delicious. My wife had the street tacos and her food was also delicious. Everything tasted clean and fresh. We did have a bit of a wait. More than usual for some Mexican restaurants. However, many restaurants have food partially prepared and then warm it when ordered. It's fast but not fresh. Not the case here. I have no trouble waiting for good, fresh, and clean food! This was some of the best Mexican food we've had in years. The waiter was very friendly and polite. I would highly recommend Manrique's for dinner.

Place was packed with people when we came in, something I wasn't expecting for the off season. Food…read morewas fresh and delicious. It took a little time, but well worth the wait. Since there are a lot of people, it's loud, but you can still easily hear the people at your own table. Really great food and we will definitely be back.

I've seen this restaurant in the Ingles shopping center for so many years and have eaten at 3 other…read morearea Mexican restaurants but not here. I figured it's been here for so long, it's got to be fairly good because it's still here. We walked in for lunch and it was probably 80% Mexican customers, so wouldn't that be a prime indication of good Mexican fare? Chips and salsa was served promptly and they were warm but the salsa was mild. They had a good Lunch menu, average lunch $8.95. We ordered a beef Chili Relleno and Beef Enchilada with rice, and a Burrito with rice. For such a large Mexican clientele, I would have thought the food would have been spicy, but far from it. I would consider it very bland. The ground beef was super fine, like a meat sauce, and I prefer chunky. The meals were priced very affordable, but it needs kicking up a lot.

We vacation in Cashiers every year and stopped by as a party of 4 to to check this place out. The…read moreatmosphere is nice, indoor and outdoor seating with a view of the pond. Friendly staff greeted us as we walked in. The waiter promptly arrived and brought chips and the house salsa to our table, and most of them were broken and looks like they took from the bottom of the barrel. The salsa bar was a nice addition so you could have various flavors. We ordered a regular and watermelon margaritas and they were not good, no taste of tequila at all. I was surprised at this since other reviews said great drinks. So far two strikes against them. I was starting to regret coming here since there are many good Mexican places in town, but things changed quickly. Our second basket of chips was much better, and once we received our food orders I was very pleased. I ordered Chili Rellenos and they were fantastic, much better than I've had in many other places. My wife ordered the 4 enchiladas platter and it was beautiful, plenty of chicken and fillings, with tasty sauces on each type. It was so big the rice and beans had to come on a separate plate. I normally prefer refried beans over the rice for side dishes, but that rice was very flavorful which was surprising to me since most are bland. My son had the seafood burrito and he said it was very good with a lot of seafood. It filled him up, which is an accomplishment in itself. All the portions were large and prices were very reasonable. Our waiter provided great service. He didn't speak English very well but no points were taken off for that. He knew enough to do his job. Their health scores were also very high, which was why we chose this place over others in the area we normally chose in the past. I would rank this place up there against any of the other local Mexican restaurants and hope they do well. At the time of our visit, the Ingles in Cashiers had coupons on the back of the receipt, so you can save a few bucks on the already very reasonable prices there.

Pretty much everything needs improvement here - from the bland salsas (even the guacs and quesos),…read moreto the unspiced entrees, to the bathrooms (big face palm), decaying wood benches and even the pond had plastic bags right up to the restaurant property. Margarita in tower was a fun idea, but not a sipper. Wait staff was kind and fun... not enough to salvage the experience.

Delicious food. Was traveling the newfound gap and came across this wonderful surprise. This is…read moregoing to be our go to every single time!

I am so glad i accidentally stumbled upon this place on my way to gatlinburg! The margarita i had…read morewas so delicious and strong! The carne asada tacos with the fresh made tortilla were some of the BEST tacos I've in so long! Whenever I'm up here again you best believe i will be swinging by here again !

I came about 3:30 in the afternoon with my dog. It took a while for me to be waited on outside. I…read moreinquired about the dinner plates and what was available was enchiladas mole. Perfect. I didn't order chips and salsa since that is an up charge. Besides, I don't eat very many. They have a choice of black beans or refried. I chose the refried. The enchiladas were very good and the mole sauce a little spicy! I loved it. While the service was spotty, the food was very good. I'll be back here during my trip.

Excellent service from Becka at the bar and delicious, authentic food. Pleasant ambiance.read more

food was absolutely disgusting in my opinion. Nachos tasted old and stale and after a bite of a…read moredish thought I'd get food poisoning. I say try at your own risk , ate at multiple places and food trucks. I have never left a negative review. If it was optional I would not leave 1 star.

We stopped by whistle hop for a couple of beers and we were excited to see a new food truck…read more Unfortunately it was a little underwhelming. The Carne Asada Quesadillas needed seasoning desperately and the nachos were a miss. For the price paid, I expected more than store-bought chips and nacho cheese from a #10 can. The pork on the nachos was good, though scarce. Maybe it was an off day; I'd give them a second chance.