This place was our go to Mexican for over a decade. In the last year, i have had several bad experiences, but kept giving them a chance. This last experience started with sending two teenagers in to get a table for 4, while waiting on my wife. It was around 7pm maybe three other families eating. When me-and wife came in they had sat the two teenagers in the bar area? Then when we got our fajita nachos that we order every single time, it had hardly any cheese on it. Me and wife split a order since they will not do half orders, and when i took half the order and slid to my plate there was zero cheese to half to wipe off the edge of the plate. My half was almost all dry chips and meat. The original plate had in the very center about the size of silver dollar a puddle of watery cheese. We asked for more cheese just to put on nachos and they wanted to charge us. As the waitress didn't add the cheese not necessarily her fault but she chose to serve three plates that clearly was unacceptable. Then refused to offer any assistance to make it right! Oh i will add we had to locate her to begin with, again restaurant not busy. Not sure if this place has changed hands or leadership but as i told the waitress, we will not be back! 4 other Mexican restaurants in the bluff. Former loyal customer read more

Would honestly rate the restaurant as a five if it wasn't for the argumentative waitress they have working. I've been going to this restaurant for years it has always been my favorite but this waitress is always forgetting what we asked for and ordered. She will then choose to argue with you over it making it seem like it's your fault when you were very clear from the start. Will never go back nor recommend this place. read more

I have moved to KC, but every time I come back home I have to get El Acapulco. I get a ranchero special every time I come and it is always just as good as the last one. The food is always great and consistent. I love the queso and it's probably my favorite one in town. The staff is also always kind. read more

What a pleasant surprise to find good Mexican food! Server was pleasant and very attentive. Nice atmosphere. Will definitely be a regular here! read more

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Food isn't great and service is terrible. If you work in the public and you upset them...dont eat there.

It's nice, better than most restaurants. Expensive, and chips are not good. Salsa is like red runny sauce. Could use more flavor. Like that it's apart from other diners. The staff didn't understand me too well. read more

Active restaurant with plenty of indoor space to social distance. Courteous staff with quick take out. Food pretty good but forgot our tortillas with our fajitas. read more

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Food is always good and comes out quickly. Service is always great too. They are always friendly.

Portion sizes has noticeably shrank comparable to other Mexican restaurants in the Poplar Bluff area with vegetable to meat ratio being very lopsided toward the green bell peppers. Beware of the seafood nachos as crab is listed as an ingredient. It is imitation crab read more

Three stars for the food. Zero stars for the COVID protocols and cleanliness. First impression was how dirty this place was. My menu and the table salt shaker were both splatter in salsa so things obviously are not getting cleaned between seatings. Staff was not wearing masks or gloves and there was no hand sanitizer I could see. The salsa that came with the chips was bland. We had to add salt. We asked if they had a spicier house salsa, which they did and that was good but they charged for it. WTH? We eat Mexican several times a week and always ask for the secret house salsa and have never been charged before. I had the Ranchero Special mixed which was good. My boyfriend had Combo 21 and he liked his as well. Food was good but not the cleanest place we've been and we probably would have left if we knew our server wasn't going to be properly masked or gloved. read more

El Acapulco - Food splattered salt shaker. Menu looked the same. Obviously not cleaning between guests. - Mexican Near Me - Poplar Bluff, Missouri

I love this place. The El Ranchero Special is wonderful. Grilled Chicken and shrimp on sautéed bell peppers onions and tomatoes on a bed of rice with their special cheese sauce. Also like other Mex places all the Chips and salsa u can eat read more

El Acapulco - The Poplar Bluff El Acapulco's - Mexican Near Me - Poplar Bluff, Missouri

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Service. More than once our church group has gone there. Not sure if they don't like church or just groups. They tell us wait will be up to an hour when we can see empty tables. We offer to sit at different tables. They act irritated and won't seat us. Today we left and will not be back. read more

Terribly slow service and when the food finally arrived it had zero flavor. Our waitress was argumentative about the food- never apologized for the 40 plus minute wait even though they were not busy. We saw her 2 times. We left and had to ask the lady who cleans the table to get us a box for the one of our 2 meals that was ok. We've eaten at Mexican restaurants all over and this was the worst! Don't waste your money or time! read more

A very clean little local Mexican restaurant Mrs. M and I visited today while traveling across southern Missouri. The service during our lunch time stop was good and our selections from the lunch menu quickly arrived. I enjoyed my Heuvos con Chrorizo and Mrs. M had a Chicken Chimichanga. She rated her meal at 3, but I like my sausage & egg so we agreed on a 4. Gotta keep Mrs. M happy too! read more

Disclaimer: Mexican restaurants get an automatic star for good chips and salsa which they have. Everything else was just not good from start to finish. Beers served in glasses with lipstick stains and were ordered and charged as 16oz but were served in glasses clearly marked 33cL (=11.15 oz). Chicken fajitas were luke warm but also seemed to be over cooked and grainy. Server mumbled at us while standing 5 feet from the table and didn't write any orders down, but every time he came to the table asked us what we had ordered. From the time our plates were cleared to having the server take our check was 45 minutes. He, at most, had four other average sized tables of guests. There was no difference in the smoking and non-smoking section - I still left the place smelling like an ash tray. read more

Very good, great service and great price. More than enough food for one person to eat. Depending on what day you go, the food may be perfectly seasoned or bland. The salsa is the best of all the other places in town. read more

El Acapulco - Chicken fajita quesadilla rellena - Mexican Near Me - Poplar Bluff, Missouri

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My husband and I randomly found this place on our way to Branson from Nashville. The food was so good that on our way back to Nashville we intentionally made a plan to stop by again for dinner. In both times of our visit, this place was super busy. The parking lot was packed with cars and people kept coming in! My husband had lived in Texas and Arizona for many years and said this place has the best Mexican food he ever had. We had Pozole (pork and hominy soup)- pork was super tender and soup base was spicy and flavorful. It was my first time to try this soup. We loved it so much that I had it both times of our visit. We also tried chicken and veggie soup, beef fajita, taco salad with fajita. Everything was so fresh and tasty. Quite surprised to see the low ratings on yelp. So glad I didn't check the ratings before coming in, otherwise we would have missed the chance to eat at this fantastic place. We are 100 miles away at this point (still on the road trip) and my husband is still crying over how good it is. read more

If I wasn't so sick a day later I wouldn't even bother to review. The menu is a repetitive mix of the same boring foods just added together differently. The food was bland. The chips and salsa was ok. The beer was cold but the food was tasteless. The disgusting part of the food was that smoking is allowed there and food non smokers, we can taste it. The service was ridiculous. The server was irritated that we bothered her by coming in and then checked on us every minute or so to see if we were ready to order like she was in a hurry at a very slow time. She never came back to check on us after that and a manager dropped the check. He seemed equally add irritated when no one came back to take our money and we had to ask him how to pay. I'm really sick from eating my only meal yesterday but no stars is not an option. read more

Started off the chips were stale. The food was decent priced, with reasonable portions. The flavor was pretty bland. I definitely have eaten better Mexican. I have said, it's hard to screw up Mexican food, but I was proved wrong. Even the rice was sub par. Also, the whole place smells like an ash tray. read more

This is an "old-school" Mexican American restaurant. The food is reasonably priced, but the portions are small. The chips were a bit stale, but the salsa dip was pretty decent. I had the chile rellenos and they were OK. The waitress kept my water full, which is important to me and is a huge factor when I determine my tip. It would have saved me some time, had the waitress explained that I would need to take my tab to the register to pay. read more

This was my first visit to El Acapulco. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The chips were fresh and the salsa was very tasty with just a small hint of heat. I ordered the Pollo Tapatio. This is a grilled chicken breast served with diced mushrooms, bacon and creamy cheese on a hot cast iron skillet. It tasted fantastic. Great flavor and the chicken was moist and flavorful. The meal also came with a full setup of rice, beans, sour cream and guacamole. I had a minimum wait time even though it was near the dinner rush. My meal was terrific. The price was moderate for the amount of food. Overall good atmosphere. read more

I have been a regular costumer here for years. My family loves this restaurant. My kids will often choose this place when they get to pick where we go eat. Always friendly, quick service. The food is always great and their prices are really good. We love this place. read more

The food was rather bland. Authentic mexican food should have more flavor and spice. Even after I specifically asked for it to be cooked spicy - I got bland food. I may try it again, but I was rather put off by my first experience. read more

First time dining at this restaurant. I ordered the steak Mexicano and it was ok. The meat quesadilla tasted like devil meat in a can. The prices are reasonable. However, I would rather pay more for tastier food. read more

2nd time here in about a year and a half. Passing through for business. Just as good as the 1st time! Very good food at more than affordable prices. No seriously, this place is pretty cheap for what you get. And the quality is top notch. Drink specials are awesome, and the staff is very nice. They are so nice, I imagine they would probably let you sleep in the back if you were hard up and needed a spot. I'll be back again for sure. read more

OK I posted another review here that was not so good because my first time walking and I had a bad experience with an employee who clearly was not connected to ownership. I went back and had an absolutely excellent experience so much so, that I deleted my other review. The chips were perfect and fresh and crisp. The bartender made me a delicious margarita that was very strong. I ordered A couple menu items and they were all absolutely delicious and fresh tasting. I looked around the very large restaurant and it was extremely clean compared to other restaurants in the area. The staff is extremely polite and friendly compared to other restaurants in the area. I ordered a dessert that was absolutely delicious, One of the best Mexican desserts I have ever had and one of my top five deserts of all time. read more

Lots of cars here so we gave it a shot. Bango, winner. I had the #26 for lunch. Never better. My wife had a chicken Brest with ham. Also very good. Clean, friendly, quiet. read more

My carne asada left a lot to be desired, including guacamole and all of the extras listed in the menu. Instead of pico, I got one slice of tomato. No guacamole, instead bruised avocado. No sour cream and the rice and beans were "off". Never again. read more

So far my favorite Mexican restaurant in PB. Cheese dip is good. Drinks are good. Food is good but lacking quantity.

Really good food at a great price. The service is poor at times but my top Mexican restaurant pick for Poplar Bluff.

I love this place. Friendly service, great food at a wonderful price. We are regular costumers and will continue eating here as long as they are there. read more

Unless you like the smell of old cigarette smoke, don't go here to eat! My husband and I have gone to El Acapulco for many years as we drove through Poplar Bluff to the south. This year, for the first time, we were smoked out. The restaurant reeked of old cigarette smoke. When we commented to the person at the cash register about the unpleasant smell, he commented they have always been a restaurant with a smoking section and there was nothing they can do about the smell. We will not be going back to El Acapulco for dinner but will have to find another restaurant in Poplar Bluff. read more

To sum up the experience, horrible. My wife had a shredded chicken quesadilla with the ingredients listed on the menu. The description did not list onion or green peppers. The quesadilla came out as chicken, onion and green peppers. When she told the server, she said that it was the correct dish and that is how they fix it. Well, that is not what the menu said. The server returned and said they would fix one the way she wanted it. By that time she had picked out the onions and peppers, so she said it was OK but they should correct the menu. I had two bites of a chicken burrito and encountered something that I could not chew. The next bite a pulled a 2" piece of something that looked like plastic. I could not stand to put anymore in my mouth. After 10 to 15 minutes the server returned and I told her to take the plate that I could not eat anymore. She took my practically full plate of food back. She returned and said the manager said it was onion skin, not plastic. I said whatever, it was not edible. She returned, left the check and ran. We went to the front and I told the server that I was not paying for food that I could not eat. The Manager finally came out of the kitchen and said that was not plastic, we don't serve plastic. I stated that whatever it was I could not chew it. Ready for this, he walked back in the kitchen and got a dirty plate with onion scraps on it and told me to pick it up to see that it was not plastic. I said, you have to be kidding I am not touching the dirty dishes. Once again, I told him that I was not paying for something I could not and did not eat. He said OK, I'll take it off the bill but we don't serve plastic. Wow, terrible food AND horrible customer service. Would not go near this place. read more

During a recent trip to El Acapulco in Poplar Bluff I had an experience that will keep me from setting foot in their doors ever again! First off the waiter didn't write down our order and ended up bring me the wrong thing. (I ordered chicken and was brought steak) When I politely told him that I ordered chicken, not steak he took it back to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with the dish. Much to my dismay when I looked inside it was the same plate of food with some chicken thrown on top of the steak, as if I wouldn't notice. Instead of causing a scene, I simply ate around the steak and decided to take it home to my dog. It took over 20 minutes after my party was done eating to get the waiter to come back over to offer boxes and I had to ask him twice for the check. When I got to the register to pay the woman at the counter asked how everything was and I told her that I thought maybe the waiters should start physically writing down the customers' orders because mine was wrong. She asked me what I ordered versus what I got and when I told her she said that it was the kitchen's fault, not the waiter's. I started to tell her that it didn't matter whose fault it was when she cut me off and said with a snotty attitude, "Look I can take 10% off but that's all." Acting as if I was out for a free meal or something! I was appalled and simply paid my bill and left. As I drove home I realized how upset I still was about the incident so I called back asking for the manager. I was transferred to the assistant manager, who ended up being Tonya, the same woman with the attitude who was running the cash register. When I told her that I wanted to speak with the manager she got an attitude and told me that she would not give me the manager's name nor would she tell me when I would be able to speak with them. I refuse to give any more of my hard earned money to an establishment that treats me that way. I am never stepping foot back in that restaurant again and I strong urge all of you to do the same. read more