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Celia's Restaurant

4.1 (171 reviews)
ModerateMexican
Closed • 9:00 am - 2:30 pm
Updated over 3 months ago

Celia's Restaurant Photos

CELIA'S RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Dogs allowed
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Celia's Restaurant

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Celia
Linda T.

Great ambiance and wonderful food; excellent service. Nice beer options, too! Hard to find someplace as good as this!

Combination 2 (enchilada, taco, and tostada w/rice and beans)
Derrick V.

I went to Celia's today with a friend because he highly recommended them. He was definitely NOT wrong. Celia's provides an authentic Mexican flavor with just the right amount of individuality. Don't miss out on this gem in El Centro! Upon my friends request, I ordered a "special quesadilla". That's what he called it, and that's how he ordered it. I didn't see it on the menu (although it may have been there). Anyway, it was so incredible! It's basically a unique flour tortilla blend with has cheese inside and is deep fried. Deep fried anything is usually pretty rewarding, even if it takes years off our lives. I'm honestly just glad I don't live in El Centro, because I'd eat enough of these to see an early grave! The Combination 2 was also very good. The tostada was my favorite, then taco, followed by the enchilada. The beans were also very flavorful. Don't miss out on this gem in El Centro, have your next meal at Celia's!

Margarita
Sachiko E.

first time visit. Moved from other state. I was looking for authentic Mexican restaurants.Good food and cost of performance is great. Love special Quesadilla is my favorite.

Guacamole and chips with salsa as our appetizer. So good
Dona M.

It was delicious. We go early on the busiest days. We always get their guacamole and chips with salsa before the meal. You're served quickly, and I just like this place when there's not a full house much better. It's also a good place to run into old friends like we did this evening.

a pink table and blue walls

Since 1994. I know why! Husband and I were driving through on our way to Arizona. Warm welcome, polite staff. All the customers knew each other. Owner gives warm hugs to her regulars. Food was really good, salsa was perfect! The staff was very accommodating. Old pictures on the wall, full of memories. Unsure when I will be back but I will definitely remember this experience. My chilaquiles and husband's "special" quesadilla were good! He asked for two! Loved to see great customer service, kindness.

Lakshmi M.

I've been to Celia's a handful of times over the years mainly for the wonderous creation known as the special quesadilla. Aka a fried quesadilla which exemplifies the greatness of carby goodness and cheese all in one bite. The menu offers a good spread of options including tacos, burritos, enchiladas, etc and is pretty accomodating for vegetarians *aka me* I recently tried the chile relleno and it was decent, but not amazing. I can confidently say the enchiladas are better. Drop in if you're in the area and want to experience a true El Centro institution. Definitely try the special quesadilla if you haven't had it before! *You pay at the front register once you're done eating!*

the front of the restaurant

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5 months ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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10 months ago

The best restaurant in el Centro, the staff are amazing and the food is authentic as you would expect,

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8 months ago

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10 months ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Delicious authentic food! I ordered the combo #2; Taco, Enchilada, Tostada and rice and beans. So good! Great service too!

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2 years ago

The food has been consistently good over the years. The issue is the pricing. WOW! It looks like a 50% increase over the past 3-4 years.

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1 year ago

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4 years ago

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1 year ago

Wonderful food served by cheerful wait staff with the owner (Celia) & her son lovingly greeting patrons as they pay & leave in the evening.

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

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8 years ago

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5 years ago

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

Portions are just ok, but the food is the best Mexican in the area along with Virginias.

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3 years ago

My wife Rosa and I have been going to this place for years and have always loved it! Consistently good service!

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

great service and great food ! We love the Tacos dorados and refried beans. Their special quesadilla is awesome!

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6 years ago

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4 years ago

Best food , best service in town. We missed Oscars smiling face. Love the special quesadilla

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6 years ago

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5 years ago

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15 years ago

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5 years ago

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7 years ago

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4 years ago

Love Celia's special quesadillas and refried beans. My #1 restaurant when I'm visiting my dad in the IV.

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8 years ago

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4 years ago

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7 years ago

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13 years ago

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Antojito Como En Casa - Chips & Salsa

Antojito Como En Casa

(398 reviews)

$$

This was my first time visiting this establishment, and unfortunately it was a very disappointing…read moreexperience. When we arrived, the restaurant was nearly empty with only about two tables of customers. Despite that, we were not greeted at the door and no one acknowledged us. We were left standing there trying to figure out if we were supposed to wait to be seated or seat ourselves, which already set a negative tone for the visit. That lack of attention ended up foreshadowing the rest of the service. After we were seated, everyone else at our table eventually received their food except me. When we were finally able to get the waitress's attention to ask about my order, she realized that my plate had been given to another table. By that point, I had already been waiting around 25 minutes, and I was on a limited lunch break, so the delay was extremely frustrating. To make matters worse, when it came time to pay, I was charged more than what I had actually ordered. At that point, I was so disappointed and pressed for time that I did not even bother disputing it and just wanted to leave. I want to note that this experience occurred at the Antojitos on Main Street location, not the Desert Gardens location. I truly hope management can address these issues, because first impressions matter, and this visit left a lot to be desired.

Quaint and off the beaten path. DELICIOUS home made old school classics. Reasonable priced.read more

D'Poly Taco Grill & Beer

D'Poly Taco Grill & Beer

(302 reviews)

$$

Today I returned to the wonderful D'Poly Taco Grill and Beer in El Centro where my epic hiking…read moreexpedition ended in failure, disappointment, and embarrassment a few weeks ago. I intended to travel the entire 2,600-mile length of the Pacific Crest Trail, but my adventure unceremoniously ended in El Centro under a tree about 60 miles east of my starting point. The paramedics told me that hiking is not for everyone. After a desperate two weeks of hiking with little food and water through BLM land tracks, old service roads, and desert washes, as best I can recall, I finally set up camp in El Centro under a farmer's tree near his washing line. Soon after the farmer called the police about my campfire, the authorities and my ex-wife found me in a state of delerium hosting a tea party under a large avocado tree wearing the farmer's wife's plus size nightgown while serving "cups of chai tea" to a sizable pile of rotten avocados and a rusty shovel that I thought was "Jan" from those Toyota commercials. My first real meal after being found by the authorities and my ex-wife was at D'Poly Taco Grill and Beer. D'Poly was the perfect welcome back to civilization as it has a spectacular menu full of delicious Mexican cuisine like street tacos, flautas, sopes and empanadas. The Lineman burrito is my absolute favorite. And they have a wonderful breakfast menu! It's fast casual dining, but it has a sort of classic and moody vibe that gives off a more upscale feel. Love it! A wonderful place to break free of your delusions. My ex-wife tried to tell me that hiking is not for everyone. Thankfully, the paramedics found my emergency contact list and phoned my ex-wife who showed up and broke me out of my stupor by making me drop my emotional support avocado, taking me by the shoulders and shaking me vigorously while yelling "it's over, it's over!" Ironically, that was the same way she told me we were getting divorced. I'm not a quitter, so it takes a while for me to give up. I've since tried many items on the D'Poly menu and everything is exceptional, though I do avoid adding avocado. It's just too soon. Thank you D'Poly Taco Grill and Beer! Five stars.

Came here for a big family dinner on a Friday night - didn't expect the wait to be this long, but…read morewaited over an hour for a table. We came into town for an event and this restaurant was recommended to us for the "vibes" lol. The food was pretty good, but you can definitely tell that people come more for the vibes. We got different smattering of tacos/Tex-Mex food. MAKE IT A PLATE because the rice and beans and fun veggies. Impromptu belated birthday celebration - cake came with a sparkler! Cake was moist and not too sweet, yummy lemon flavor!

Perlita's Mexican Food - Carne asada tacos

Perlita's Mexican Food

(9 reviews)

I will begin this review rating their food. Everything we ate was great and had good flavors (the…read morebirria needed some salt but no big deal). The food took about 15 minutes to come out (we visited on a Friday evening). Everything was hot, tasted freshly made and were a good portion. They didn't have a few items on the menu including beans. The reason for the lower rating was related to their service. This is a big factor in whether someone will come back and should be a high priority for any establishment. The waitress staff didn't give off a welcoming feeling that you would expect from a restaurant wanting to build their clients. They were not rude or inattentive, but rather made you feel they were annoyed by having customers present. I don't believe it was intentional or that they realized it but if this were improved, I would definitely have rated this higher. The restaurant is small but I felt it was the right size with nice decor. Music was playing, for background, at the right level. I'll end my review by mentioning that their prices were very reasonable. Our bill came out to just over $40 for a party of four. We liked the food and will probably eat it again; however, we may consider takeout.

Ordene un menudo y la verdad no sabía bueno y la carne dura. Mi acompañante ordenó una limonada que…read moretardaron en traer por qué no estaba preparada. (Había pedido horchata primero pero no estaba preparada). La comida en general muy mala. El servicio de la mesera ME ENCANTÓ muy amable y cortés. Igual no recomiendo el lugar.

Celia's Restaurant - mexican - Updated May 2026

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