Went in this weekend to see if my last visit was just a one-off bad experience or if it was a…read moretrend. Spoiler alert: It's a trend. The staff no longer seems to care about the customer. They are interested in getting you in and out. No conversation, no friendliness, just no interest at all. The food continues to be "meh" - okay, but heading towards Taco Bell quality. And don't try to customize anything to your preference. It won't happen right. Ownership really needs to get their act together to save this place.

Solid experience! Went with a group of girlfriends and had a great time…read more I really liked my pineapple boat. A fun way of presenting what's essentially a fajita. We had chips, queso, guacamole. Everyone loved their food and drinks. Place was super busy when we went so sometimes it was a little slow, but honestly we were having such a good time that we didn't mind at all. The folks that live in the area said this is their go to spot, so super glad I made it there!

Never again. The cashier asked me my order four times, and the wait was ridiculous. It was a solid…read moretwenty minutes.

My husband and I were in IL for work and stopped at this little taco shop. It's a cute small space…read morewith limited seating. The service was overall friendly and the food was fresh. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because the cheese on the nachos wasn't very flavorful. The rest of the food had good flavor.

I stopped in for a fast dinner and they really delivered. There are plenty of authentic Mexican…read morefoods and many (non- ground beef) meat choices. Great service, and everything came out fast and hot. They even have multiple choices of mexican mineral water and soda.

Best traditional Mexican food in Peoria. Don't let the somewhat run-down looks put you off, this…read moreis real Mexican food made from scratch. Their salsas are always fresh and slightly different with every batch. Tacos are served 'Mexican Style' with just meat, cilantro, and onion on double layered corn tortillas so they hold together.

We had a really great visit to this restaurant, Our server was just so good and nice. Cute and…read morefunny as well. The food was tasty, and I really enjoyed the rice and beans. We also had the vegetarian tacos. The food came quickly and the staff was very attentive. Highly recommend

Came here with my friends to celebrate end of the semester. The parking was pretty empty on a…read moreMonday afternoon. We came and we waited a while to be seated. No one was at the front desk. Finally someone saw us after we were walking around and a man told us to sit wherever. They may be understaffed because it looked like there was only one server and probably one staff. It was pretty empty, which most of the occupation being at the bar area. I like the decorations they had and plants all around. I ordered the enchiladas mole pablano under the lunch special. The waiter gave us the regular menu, and I had to get up to grab the lunch special menu. No worries though. The mole sauce is earthy, pepper, and nutty. Comes with rice and beans. Green habanero hot sauce in a bottle was very spicy and flavorful. Big portions. They also give free salsa and chips with free refills. Very affordable price, long wait time but it's understandable. Delicious food

After moving to Peoria, I've been trying to find authentic tripe tacos, and it's not easy to find…read morethem done right. The cashier confidently told me theirs were the best, and they were not wrong. The tripe was incredibly tender, fresh, and seasoned perfectly. Paired with their green salsa, it was honestly amazing. Definitely a 10/10. This is my new go-to taco spot!

Great Quesadillas and rice very good service and very clean and will be back again soonread more

My friend and I never been here before and I saw the review by sethboyer and wanted to try some…read moreauthentic mexican! It was close to my work so tried it out! We both had the birria tacos and they were amazing!! I would go back for those! They were moist, flavorful, fall of the bone tender. It came with consume. The consume which is like a meat broth you dip it in was okay. I wished it was alittle more flavorful and thicker but it was sorta watery but still vey good. The al paster taco was good but alittle dry but loved the seasoning! The horchata drink was great for the size and price! It was super affordable and I only waited like 10 mins for my food on a friday at 2pm!

Wow!! Don't let the hole in the wall status fool you! This was excellent food! It was like going to…read morea taco truck inside a building. The food was very reminiscent of a food truck. Service was quick and polite. Horchata was absolutely divine. Chicken tacos were not dry at all. My only complaint is that they make their own chips out of tortillas and they are a bit thick for my liking. Will absolutely be back!

Review Visit: October 21st, 2014…read more So much food. So many memories. El Mexicano is one of those places that was located in a weird spot. It was on the corner of a street away from a commercial district but not quite in a residential area. Tim, Matt, and I pulled up for an early dinner one evening and were greeted by some friendly workers. We placed our orders at the counter and took a seat at one of the few empty tables. There were a few others in the restaurant but due to the sheer small size, it felt packed with just the few of us in there. As with a lot of Mexican places, we had our food out in front of us before we even had time to really dig in to a random topic. Not only was it cooked exceptionally fast but the sheer amount of food was borderline nonsense for the price we paid. You gotta start somewhere, so I started by eating the extra goodies that came with my burrito. It was a combination of rice, refried beans (?) and some salad stuff topped with sour cream, I think. Scarfing down the sides was easy as the food was pretty good aside from the bean paste stuff. That was a bit dry. After priming my stomach for the main course by downing the side stuff, I used my fork and knife to cut in to the burrito. As is the norm at these places, the burritos are massive. Like, this is half the size of a loaf of bread. It's gut-busting sized. But, I was able to use my knife and fork to shovel down most of the burrito. I had to tap out at about 1/4 left as I just couldn't do it. The food was just too much. I think my meal was under $10 so to get full for that much is an incredible value in my book. The burrito was on par with the side stuff. It was good, if not borderline great. El Mexicano would've definitely been a place I would revisit if they were still open. It didn't help that we put down a ton of chips and salsa in between bites as well. I love chips and salsa. Matt was in the same boat as me. Unable to finish. Tim was the victor and put down all his stuff and then some more of the chips and salsa. The man is a beast when he wants to be. So, it was a sad day when I was doing some searching around on Google and discovered El Mexicano had closed. Here is a link to an article the local newspaper did on it closing, if you are interested. I was surprised to see it had been in the area for 16 years. At that point, it becomes a staple to the area.

This is the grossest thing I have ever had. What authentic Mexican restaurant uses can cheese…read morechemical crap? Disgusting do not waste your money

Visiting from out of state and wanted to compare Mexican food tastes. The chips and salsa were…read morefresh and super good. The chips were crunchy and the salsa was perfect for taste and spicy level. The quesadilla was smaller than I was thinking, buts it's good for a kids size. Half the quesadilla is considered 1 order. The #9 combination was a little disappointing in plating and the taco shells. Def not authentic tortilla shells, it's like crunchy taco shells from Taco Bell. The rice and beans were good though. The best item was the carne asada fries, sooooo good! Idk what the menu name is but that's how I ordered it. I love that it's queso sauce and not shredded cheese, made the fries hold together a lot better. Every bite had a good amount of toppings and sauce. Highly recommend ordering this! The server was nice but it was a little slow to get things. It looked like 1-2 servers for the whole restaurant. Also note that to pay, they give you the bill, you go to the counter to pay. I waited a bit before realizing you bring the bill to the counter. Inside is nicely decorated, lots of seatings.

I wish I could give this restaurant a positive review because they need it, BUT I CAN'T! The Queso…read moreFundido with Chorizo Sausage was like some sort of soup not melted cheese!!! In what life? The Guacamole Dip, Side of Pico and Salsa were excellent but they were not intended to be the stars--Queso and Sausage was supposed to fill that slot! The service was excellent but the venu was drab and disconnected from a vibrant restaurant ambiance. Took the food to go!!!!

Great food and a friendly staff, can't ask for more. No tv's, just good art hanging up. Nice change!read more

Food was delicious, and we really enjoyed the all tacos plus service was very friendly and fast…read more Toppings were your choice and included white onions, cilantro, lime, radish, jalapeños, spicy and mild salsa, etc. While we were waiting Casa De Arte had some art pieces to look at, which were available for purchase if interested. Outdoor seating is also available for when the weather is nice!

The food is absolutely fantastic here but the customer service is even better. Their credit card…read moremachine was down and I had left my cash in my car. Was told don't worry just pay next time you're in. Unfortunately I don't live in the area so I burned some calories and went out and grabbed my money. I wish I lived in the area just to support a business like this. This is why you come to your local business. Steak burrito was perfect with plenty of meat. Great flavor and the green and red sauce added the spice.

I think the lady that works at the register taking orders is incompetent or has something personal…read moreagainst me. I ordered a breakfast burrito with just cheese potato eggs and bacon. I get home and there is practically no bacon in this burrito, just a few tiny tiny pieces. I go back the next week and order the same burrito with extra bacon. I come home and the same exact thing. I can't see or taste any bacon. I opened the burrito and see pretty much zero bacon. How pathetic, I will never again go to Catrina's what a terrible restaurant. See photo, anything that looks brown like bacon is actually the skin side of the potato. This is supposed to be a breakfast burrito with extra bacon.