The service was good, friendly waitress and restaurant seemed clean. Place was dead for a Friday night which was a sign. The food looked good, but was very bland from the tamales, enchiladas, tacos to the carne asada. The carne asada and chorizo were also way over cooked and very dry. Was hoping to like it, but sadly it missed the mark. None of us enjoyed our meals unfortunately. read more

El Amanecer - Carne Asada - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, South Carolina

See all

Very good food my husband love it!! Ama las chips La sopa de entrada que te dan muy rica Y la atención es de primera Me gusta mucho !! Los tacos ahí read more

Service 5 stars. Hostess sat me quickly, and menus delivered promptly. Ambiance was authentic mexican style with TVs and what looked like a bar area and party hall. I had breakfast of huevos rancheros. If you dont know, that basically corn tortillas, beans, eggs. Stacked. It was very good and presented nicely. However, I could have eaten about 4 of them, so the portion was a bit lite for me. I will go back and try other meals as well. The red sauce was not chile- as I now it- red chile paste and broth- but was still good. read more

El Amanecer - Huevos rancheros and red sauce. Coffee and sweet bread - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, South Carolina

We ate there yesterday. We wished we'd brought home leftovers. We have been craving this food all day today. It is so good. It is the only authentic Mexican in Lexington. As some of the other reviewers have said, this is not the typical South Carolina Mexican restaurant. If you want stale chips and salsa, this is not the restaurant for you. They provide a homemade soup instead of chips. The menu options are authentic recipes not the standard American Mexican options. Everything is freshly prepared. It is good quality, a rare find in Lexington. read more

See all

Absolutely perfect experience! We had a birthday party for about 35, Half kids and half adults. They have a back private dining room that can also be opened to the bar. Food was amazing and the bartender was even better. The food is truly authentic Mexican. This was many of the guest first time there, and everyone could not wait to come back. Even more importantly, the children ate everything. We were there pretty late into Friday evening and actually got to watch them clean up. I have never seen a restaurant do such a deep clean of the dining room. It was honestly impressive. Great job all around!!!! read more

Nice people but this place is bizarre! Looks like an old medical facility. Very limited menu. We tried the Guacamole, which was rather bland and decided to dine elsewhere. I don't recommend this place read more

See all

Good food and fast service. Atmosphere is really open and fun. A lot of parking, but is really rocky and has holes.

I love this place. The food and stuff are all amazing. I highly recommend it! My favorite thing is the nachos. Their queso was also very good. If you're lucky enough to be there when they have watermelon agua fresca, don't miss it. read more

Very friendly people. Food is AUTHENTIC, do not expect the typical Americanized Mexican food. It is delicious, with hand made tortillas, sopes and gorditas. Very clean and definitely worth a try. read more

El Amanecer - Outside of the restaurant/seating area. - Mexican Near Me - Lexington, South Carolina

Came here for dinner. No chips and salsa like every other Mexican restaurant. Food was decent, not great. Prices were $$. Decent margaritas although very light on the tequila. Somewhat disappointed. read more

Legit Mexican cuisine. The best I've had in this state by far. If you want Mexican food in a minute or a giant basket of corn chips then this may not the place for you. If you want a real Mexican cuisine experience, this is the best there is for about 1,300 miles. read more

Excelente servicio! I was missing my mom's cooking for a very long time and I heard about this place that used real tortillas, and legit Mexican food flavors. I went there this week and it was delicious. I ordered costillas en salsa verde and that's already a dish that's home made Mexican food and it was a 10/10. I also had the agua de mango and it was absolutely delicious. If you want to try real Mexican food without flying to Mexico you should definitely try this place! read more

Worst food ever Went in for lunch and the food we got was salty and no flavor Spend your money somewhere else not worth it read more

Great first experience. Family owned and operated. Stopped in yesterday. Beautiful decor inside and out. Brand new everything. Now the food: clean fresh eating here. No chips and salsa instead complimentary lentil soup which was outstanding. Dinners come with two sides. Got grilled potatoes which were dressed with yummy herbs and mexican spaghetti made extra hot . The corn tortillas come with the meal and are cooked to order not sitting around under a heat lamp. This is definitely a hidden gem. Wait staff very friendly and attentive. Can't wait to go back and try breakfast!!! read more

We loved the variety on the menu . Everything was delicious. We'll be back to taste many other dishes! Friendly staff

Food is ok. However, when I got my bill there was a 1.50 processing fee. This fee is usually 1 to 2% of the total bill so they are ripping off the customers here. Also, I ordered a margaritas - was charged 8.50 for the drink - at the end of my bill I was charged an extra 2.17 for liquor. Customers are being overcharged at this place. read more

I never leave reviews but this place has completely surprised me! The food is handmade and absolutely terrific. I ended up talking with the owner and she was very passionate about her quality of food and her excitement to try different menu items. She definitely has perfected her craft to create great meals to share with the Lexington community! I definitely was highly impressed with the authenticity of the food. One big bonus is they have legitimate agua fresca and horchata that I have been searching for on the east coast. I highly recommend El Almanecer to anyone looking for a delicious meal and super friendly environment. I will become a very familiar face inside their establishment! read more

This restaurant is A-MAZ-ING, amazing! So fresh, SOOOOO TASTY! There is nothing like this Mexican restaurant around here. It's family run and the staff is amazing and take such pride in their restaurant. They were very knowledgeable about the food! Everything was delicious from the calabacitas to the Bistec a la Mexicana and quesadillas! The watermelon and lime water were refreshing and tasty! My kids tried cactus for the first time, and went back for more!!! The flan was super and the Limon Pie was melt...in...your...mouth! The whole family agreed it was awesome- which never happens! I will be back and I cannot wait. *oh and they serve breakfast all day (we didn't try it this visit but maybe this weekend) read more

This place is amazing! The food was fresh, delicious and reasonably priced. Staff was extremely friendly and kind. Has a more home made feel then most Mexican restaurants and the quality was much higher in my opinion. Highly recommend the taquitos and the plantain dessert! We are thrilled to have found authentic Mexican food with a enjoyable atmosphere. read more

Great authentic food. And wonderful staff. The Mexican coffee is the best. We will be coming back.

I guess our biggest clue was that we were just the second customer vehicle in the lot at 5:30 but we had talked of trying the food here for some time We understand that inflation is tough but cutting back on meat in portions is not the way to go so food was bland and skimpy. I also felt that the building was not well repurposed for restaurant use as atmosphere seemed cold. read more

Finally an authentic Mexican restaurant with freshly made entrees. As other posters stated "if you are looking for the routine stale chips and store bought salsa type of restaurant, don't come here". Instead, you will get real Mexican food, hot, fresh, delivered from attentive and friendly staff. Very clean, nice decor, reasonably priced. Margaritas freshly made as well, not from a store bought mix. We left satisfied without the overfull, heavy feeling one often gets from chain Mexican restaurants. Again, if you are looking for the chain style Mexican restaurant serving the typical chain food, don't come here. Leave it for those of us who found a hidden gem. If you are looking for an authentic, amazing, made from scratch-come here! You will NOT be disappointed. We will come back, and often. Thank you to the owners and staff for an amazing dinner. read more

I have been eating at different Mexican Restaurants in South Carolina for almost 50 years. El Amanecer is by far the worst Mexican Restaurant I have experienced to date. I placed a takeout order, then drove 10 miles to pick up my order and returned home. When I opened my 2 entrées, I could not believe the portion size of the fajitas and the lack of meat on my soft Tacos. It was so bad, I turned around and drove back another 10 miles for a refund of my $28. The manager agreed my entrees did not meet his standards and he said he should have checked my order before I left. He accused me of raising my voice at him and appearing to be angry. He seemed very unapologetic and did not seem to understand the philosophy of " The Customer is always Right". He wanted to correct the problem, and all I wanted at this point was my $28 back, so I could go the San Jose. He offered me no compensation for my time and my 2 round trips (40 miles) to return these subpar entrees. Needless to say, I'll never set foot in this place ever again and to not expect this business to survive. read more

Hard to find location but well worth it. Excellent service and unque tasty authentic mexican. When you are tired of the same-old repetitive mexican all over town, try this! read more

We have tried them for breakfast and dinner. The food is very authentic and fresh. They will cook dishes to order and are very accommodating at adding or deleting ingredients. The service is friendly and the tables are spaced apart nicely so that you don't have people sitting on top of you. They do have televisions with a variety of choices including kids programming. They have a nice bar set up although we have not been in there. The food is very good and the flan is amazing. Nothing like I've ever had before and I am told that it is the real deal. It is family friendly and they also have outdoor seating and water bowls for doggies. The prices are average, the portions are good and we will definitely be back. read more

This is the real deal if you want fresh authentic mexican food. Not tex-mex. I had the carne De Puerco (pork rib meat) . Very tender and tasty. My girlfriend had chicken enchiladas which were excellent and were also great leftover for the next day. The mango margaritas were also excellent. Also be sure and try the freshly made corn tortillas hot out of the kitchen. Please give them a try. My only minor beef is they could add a little more heat to the spices. I like it spicy and find that difficult to find in South Carolina read more

Very friendly staff and nicely decorated authentic Mexican restaurant. Food was excellent!

Amazing food , drinks and service!!! This was the best Mexican I have had in our area. Restaurant was very clean as well. Will definitely return soon. read more

My boyfriend and I came here excited to try their breakfast options, to which they had 1 dish offered with scrambled eggs. My boyfriend ordered the fajitas elvira and he was given not even a full full of meat, with the holes filled in with peppers that he asked to not receive on his plate. He then received maybe a kitchen size laddle full of rice. The food was just not flavorful and we are now heading to Arby's so he can grab a sandwich to get full. read more