El Cajelito

Stopped in for lunch while on vacation. Food was great. I had a special that had grilled chicken…read moreand shrimp. Hubs had beef fajitas. Both meals were delicious. Service was great. Loved the salsa!!!

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!

Tacos!

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Chips and salsa

4 Queens Mexican Grill

4.6(99 reviews)

8.4 mi

My wife and I enjoyed four queens while we were staying in Bryson City dropping our daughter off at…read moreWCU. Port Queens was ranked in the top five in the Bryson city area and I knew we'd get filled up and have a good meal when we saw they had salsa bar. I had read the reviews and heard some good things about their quesadillas so decided to give them a try. We started out sampling each one of their salsa from the salsa bar with the tortilla chips before dinner. The food was great and the service was excellent. The quesadilla was stuffed full and was a huge portion size with the beans. We both ate about half and finished off the rest for breakfast at the Airbnb. I will definitely keep the four queens on my radar for my next trip to Sylva or Bryson City.

Bryson City is another one of the mountain communities that we love to visit but unfortunately it's…read morehard to find a decent restaurant. I did a quick Yelp search and this Mexican restaurant at the house reviews and we are thankful that we visited it. It was situated right on the tuckaseegee River and even though it was about 378° f outside we still decided to sit outside just to be by the river. Started off with the basket of chips and salsa and both were freshly prepared and our meals were very good and very authentic and the wait staff again here was very friendly checked on you often and again even outside they were coming out there every couple of minutes to check and make sure we had everything that we needed. This restaurant is just a mile or two outside of the downtown so it's well worth a car ride over there to get some really good authentic Mexican and if you like margaritas or draft beer you're not going to find a better prices anywhere in North Carolina.

Dining room on a Thursday evening.

La jarocha!!

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Tukasegee river view

Guy Fieri's Cherokee Kitchen + Bar

3.1(196 reviews)

2.1 mi

We tried this chef-inspired place for dinner during our stay at the hotel-casino…read more.. The place itself had more of a vibe of a hotel lobby than that of a restaurant....a bit too spread out as well? Also, it was too quiet for such a spacious layout. Definitely needed to crank up the music. That can be said of this entire hotel-casino. Possibly catering to senior's finicky sensibilities, but overhead music is very subdued throughout the hotel-casino...and for me personally, it made the place feel a lot less festive. We also had this wonky table, but our waitress tried her best to fix it. In any case, we ordered the Lobster Lollipop for appetizer, a Caesar Salad, and a BBQ Rack with sides...all to share. Well, I can't complain...all the foods were delish. The flavors were rich and buttery. I would have liked to try one of their entrees, but I just wasn't hungry, so we just ordered 1 entree, 1 salad and 1 app to share. It turned out to be good call...as all the dishes had generous portions. Overall, we liked the restaurant. Frankly, the vibe just wasn't that great. Again, the place felt like a hotel lobby. Still, the food and the service was good, and think we'd both be willing to revisit in the future.

We came to Harrah's Cherokee for an overnight stay. We chose Gut Fieri's for dinner and my friend…read moreused her Diamond $100 dinner perk, so I covered the tip. Let's start with the positive. The service was very good. Our server was attentive and friendly. The food: Oh my - I'm glad this was basically free because wow, not good. Chili - we both ordered. It was cool not even luke warm, like the cheese on top was put under a broiler to melt but everything else was cool. I LOVE chili and I could only eat a couple bites. I did not try the cornbread muffin, I'm a cracker girl, so can't review it. The wings were edible but just ho-hum. Wish they were crispier and the sauce had more flavor. Buffalo wild wings are much better and cheaper. The chocolate cake was HUGE! They must keep this in the fridge, because it was cold and the waitress even mentioned it tastes better the longer it "sits out" so... I took two bites, just so disappointing. It tasted old, definitely not a tender, fresh cake. We left a lot of uneaten food - Guy Fieri - if this is representative of your food, shame, shame, shame...

Guy Fieri's Cherokee Kitchen + Bar - Best Bloody Mary! The Bourbon Bacon is like crack and really takes this over the top! You'll be dreaming of this thing after you leave!

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Best Bloody Mary! The Bourbon Bacon is like crack and really takes this over the top! You'll be dreaming of this thing after you leave!

La Poblana

4.5(149 reviews)

8.2 mi

There are a lot of good Mexican restaurants in this area but this one is different. It's like they…read morecare more about their food. I had the pork burrito, the Burrito Calentano. (I heard they are kinda known for the pork). It was very good! The pork is fried but it's still moist, which adds a special crunch. The burrito was 2 meals so that tells you how big it was. The wait staff are very attentive and friendly and brought drink refills without asking, a nice thing. I liked it because it was quiet. The booths have high backs on them so you don't hear the tables around you. It's a very good restaurant and we will be back.

The real deal! Amazing food. Who would have thought in this little town…read more As good or better than most of the places in California.

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Catrinas Cantina

4.3(33 reviews)

15.7 mi

Absolutely amazing! This is one of the most authentic Mexican restaurants I've been to. The food is…read moreincredibly fresh, flavorful, and tastes like it's made from scratch. The portions are generous, the service is friendly, and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. If you're looking for real, authentic Mexican food, this place is a must-try. I'll definitely be coming back!

Location 4/5 (thanks to road work currently) Atmosphere 5/5…read moreFood 5/5 Service 5/5 Delicious! Our favorite place to stop thanks to the delicious food & friendly faces!

Churros

Acp

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Fajita side plate

Peter's Pancakes and Waffles

4.3(397 reviews)

0.4 mi

Food was really good I had a pancake and an omelette everything was cooked well. I would try and…read moreget here as early as possible the place packs up quickly. Waitress was awesome and very kind despite being very busy. For glueing free options only thing that is available is the gluten free bread everything else is regular just an fyi

Ambiance: casual, Waffle House like, lively Service: prompt,…read moreresponsive and efficient Food: only that many choices for vegetarians but they tried to accommodate the unique requests of holding off ham and bacon. Three egg omelette came piping hot and cooked to perfection. Well seasoned diced potatoes elevated the side of potatoes to a level of an entree. A tidy and modest place for breakfast! Will go back again!!!

Tables overlooking pigeon river.

Short stack ( 3) blueberry pancakes and side of corn beef hash cooked to perfection!

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El Patron Mexican restaurant

4.1(137 reviews)

10.0 mi

I have been coming to Sylva since 1970, and to be completely honest, I have never found a single…read morerestaurant here that I fell in love with or felt was worthy of a return visit--until now. Don't let the outside fool you; the exterior is deceiving and doesn't draw you in, but once you step inside, El Patron is absolutely amazing and incredibly clean. The food is the real star. I had the fried burrito, which was perfectly crisp and flavorful, smothered in cheese and mole and my husband ordered the Texas Steak. The chips were warm, fresh, and their incredible salsa bar is a massive bonus with so many great authentic flavors. I can't believe I haven't been here before today. After decades of searching for a go-to spot in town, we've finally found it. We will absolutely be back!

Dropped in for lunch and we were immediately seated. The waitress dropped off a bowl of salsa and a…read morebasket of chips. We chose meals from the lunch menu that were served fairly quickly. Everything was delicious and authentic tasting. The restaurant was fairly quiet and clean. We will definitely be making this our regular Mexican restaurant.

Dining area

Texas Steak

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Waiting area

Guayabito's Mexican Restaurant

3.3(114 reviews)

9.6 mi

My partner and I had taco loco and loved it, wish our Mexican restaurant had this, delicious!…read moreService was fantastic, got me a sample of beer, no problem. Ordered said beer was great. Dos Equis. Ambiance was good, does not effect the experience at all. Our waiter was great, didn't catch his name but his brother works there also. Thanks for a great job and experience. Would visit visit this establishment over and over. Don't understand the negative reviews but of course this is all subjective and someone may be in a bad mood. Lol

Only got as far as the front door. Many of the photos are years old. Sketch mini strip mall. Their…read moresign is fading and yellowed. No one in the parking lot at 11:30 on a Labor Day? Open the door. The smell hit. You know why. Goodbye. Fix this place up! It's not like you don't have competition in town. Hey Robert Irvine: Restaurant Impossible future location?

Building

Chicken Chimichanga covered in Mole sauce

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Store front

El Mercadito Taqueria

4.0(15 reviews)

10.0 mi

Super tasty, good service, nice employees. Their sodas can be a bit pricey but for imports they're…read moregood.

I thought the 2 beef tacos I bought were excellent. The bed…read morewas marinated just right. And adding their green salsa made them great. Very nice service! And the prices were very reasonable. Thanks you guys for the great meal and service.

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Taco regulares, chips and salsa, green burrito, and chicken quesadilla.

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April D.

3

1

0

3 years ago

Amazingly delicious! My go to Mexican restaurant in Cherokee has always been Rancho Viejo. But since I ate lunch there I thought I would try a different restaurant at dinner. The service was great and food even better! I had an asada sope and tamale and both were excellent. I will definitely be back next time I visit Cherokee! read more

Rebecca P.

0

2

0

28 days ago

After an awful experience at another restaurant nearby, we decided to try El Cajelito and I'm actually glad it happened! Dinner was fast, delicious and the staff was very friendly and efficient! Definitely will come back next time we are in Cherokee! read more

Dylan F.

0

1

0

4 years ago

We're from out of town. This place is really good. asada tacos were amazing. the corn tortillas are the best I've ever had. prices were reasonable also. attentive service. read more

Kelton A.

0

8

15

2 years ago

Ate here yesterday the service was very fast and very friendly the food was very good I had the beer battered fish tacos some of the best I have had anywhere. read more

Angela L.

0

5

0

4 years ago

Went to have a nice evening with the family and rested very rude. Wouldn't recommend this place to nobody!

El Cajelito - mexican - Updated October 2026

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Vallarta Mexican Restaurant

4.1

(21 reviews)

It was my daughter's birthday, and all she wanted was Mexican food, so we stopped in for a quick…read morevisit. She ordered the taquitos and churros, and we had a few drinks since we had already eaten earlier. The food was good, and my daughter enjoyed her meal. The restaurant has a friendly, family atmosphere and is very convenient if you're visiting the town and looking for a casual place to eat. Overall, a nice stop for a relaxed meal. The service could improve a little but other than that, it was great.

We got into town and was hungry and found this place. Was able to be seated right away. Restaurant…read morewas busy but not crowded which was nice. Food was excellent and service was excellent as well. Definitely would recommend and come back!

Guayabito's Mexican Restaurant

3.3

(114 reviews)

My partner and I had taco loco and loved it, wish our Mexican restaurant had this, delicious!…read moreService was fantastic, got me a sample of beer, no problem. Ordered said beer was great. Dos Equis. Ambiance was good, does not effect the experience at all. Our waiter was great, didn't catch his name but his brother works there also. Thanks for a great job and experience. Would visit visit this establishment over and over. Don't understand the negative reviews but of course this is all subjective and someone may be in a bad mood. Lol

Only got as far as the front door. Many of the photos are years old. Sketch mini strip mall. Their…read moresign is fading and yellowed. No one in the parking lot at 11:30 on a Labor Day? Open the door. The smell hit. You know why. Goodbye. Fix this place up! It's not like you don't have competition in town. Hey Robert Irvine: Restaurant Impossible future location?

Catrinas Cantina

4.3

(33 reviews)

Absolutely amazing! This is one of the most authentic Mexican restaurants I've been to. The food is…read moreincredibly fresh, flavorful, and tastes like it's made from scratch. The portions are generous, the service is friendly, and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. If you're looking for real, authentic Mexican food, this place is a must-try. I'll definitely be coming back!

Location 4/5 (thanks to road work currently) Atmosphere 5/5…read moreFood 5/5 Service 5/5 Delicious! Our favorite place to stop thanks to the delicious food & friendly faces!

Los Amigos

4.2

(94 reviews)

I suppose I should have written this review a year ago, but after what happened this week, I knew I…read morehad to finally share it. The first time I visited this restaurant last year, I was immediately impressed. The salsa was fantastic, and the quality and freshness of the ingredients in the spinach and mushroom quesadilla and chili rellenos really stood out to me. I went home and talked about the food so much that I was determined to bring my then-fiancé here so he could experience it for himself. We got married two months ago and for his birthday this week, the timing finally worked out--and, of course, everything was just as delicious as I remembered. The food was wonderful, but what really stood out was the service. Our waitress was fantastic, and the other staff members continuously checked on us, chatted with us, and made us feel genuinely welcome. There is a warmth and friendliness to this restaurant that you can feel almost immediately. It feels less like you are simply eating at a restaurant and more like you are being welcomed into a community. Then, in the middle of dinner, I realized I couldn't find my wedding ring. Because apparently, I enjoy adding a little excitement to an otherwise perfectly pleasant birthday dinner. At first, I assumed I had left it at home or perhaps accidentally dropped it down the drain. It had been a little loose, so I was worried but figured there had to be a reasonable explanation. I still couldn't find it and even called the restaurant back to see if someone had found it. The next morning, however, I suddenly remembered exactly what had happened: I had dropped some salsa on my wedding ring during dinner. When I wiped it off with a napkin, the ring must have slipped off and gone into the napkins. At this point, I had one thought, "Oh no, I know exactly where my wedding ring is and what I'm going to have to do to find it." I called the restaurant, and they had already looked for it the night before. When I came in that morning, they let me search the restaurant myself. When I couldn't find it, I asked if I could look through the trash. I came prepared--with gloves, waterproof shoes, a mask, and extra trash bags--because I was fully prepared to dig through it myself. Basically, I looked like I was preparing for a very low-budget episode of Dirty Jobs: Wedding Edition. (If you're wondering where my husband is in all this, I'm super stubborn and left him while he was in the middle of getting ready to come with me because I didn't want him to dig through trash on his birthday.) But George, the owner, and his daughter, Hilda, absolutely insisted that George would look for it instead. So we went out to the dumpster, and George climbed in and began going through massive bags of trash filled with everyone's discarded food, napkins, and everything else from the night's dinner service. He went through one bag. Then another. Then a third. By the third bag, we were getting close to accepting that the ring was simply gone. And then we saw it. MY WEDDING RING! After three enormous bags of restaurant garbage, my tiny wedding band was sitting there like it had been on a bender and was finally ready to come home. I was obviously thrilled to have my ring back, but honestly, that isn't even the part of this story that means the most to me. What I am most excited about is being able to tell people about the kind of people who own and work at this restaurant. This is what genuine customer service looks like. More than that, it is genuine kindness. There aren't many people who would willingly climb into a dumpster and dig through three enormous bags of garbage for someone else's tiny wedding band, especially when there was no guarantee we would ever find it. George and Hilda didn't have to do that. They could have simply let me look through the trash myself and wished me luck. Instead, they went completely out of their way to help me. In a world where it can sometimes feel like the internet is determined to convince us that people are terrible, experiences like this remind me that there are still so many good people who will help someone simply because they can. So yes, I am grateful to have my wedding ring back. But I am even more grateful to have a story about a restaurant owner who was willing to climb into a dumpster to help a customer find hers. I am incredibly grateful to George, Hilda, and everyone at this restaurant--not just for helping me find my ring, but for reminding me what a welcoming, caring community can look like. That is the kind of place this is. The food is delicious. The service is wonderful. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. And apparently, if you accidentally throw your wedding ring away with your napkin, they will literally help you retrieve it from the depths of the dumpster. I will absolutely continue coming here, and I will continue telling everyone I know to come here, too. I just may be a little more careful with my wedding ring next time.

The prices have gone up and the quality has gone down. Taco was stale and very little meat. Usually…read morethey are full. Hardly any cheese. The enchilada was ok. For the first time I did not feel we got our moneys worth.

Papa's & Beer

3.7

(104 reviews)

Back again each year and STILL HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! Smaller group this time (only 6 made the trip)…read more It seems that typically after a couple of years a restaurant could start to cut back on portion sizes or quality of service and food... That is not at all the case here! Though it was crowded we were seated right away inside near the salsa bar... Probably will request the porch again next time. Our server was great, which is typical each time we have come! He kept our drinks full, it was always quick to refill our basket of chips or anything else we ask for. We started with a bowl of queso to share -- LARGE, and enough to take some home even after 6 of us ate from it -- and the table side guacamole. Let me tell you that I'm not a "guacamole guy", but I dug into this!! It was DELICIOUS, and will be the standard I compare all other guacs to now!!! My wife and I both ordered the steak fajitas, knowing they would be a large portions and that we could bring extra home to our cabin. She made it through about a third of hers, I made it through only half. Plenty to bring back, and we were given fresh tortillas to bring home as well. Delicious! My BIL got fajitas as well, SIL got the chimichangas, and one nephew got chicken tenders while the other got enchiladas. Everything was delicious and no complaints! Keep up the great service, delicious food, and large portion sizes at a decent price -- and we will keep coming back!

Enjoyed our 2nd visit here. My favorite is their sauce bar…read more This time I got something different - combo. Taco, tamale, and enchilada. This was much better than the salad I previously have gotten. The taco was delicious. I would definitely get tacos again. The tamale was good. The enchilada was tasty.

El Mercadito Taqueria

4.0

(15 reviews)

Super tasty, good service, nice employees. Their sodas can be a bit pricey but for imports they're…read moregood.

I thought the 2 beef tacos I bought were excellent. The bed…read morewas marinated just right. And adding their green salsa made them great. Very nice service! And the prices were very reasonable. Thanks you guys for the great meal and service.

Centenario Mexican Restaurant

4.4

(14 reviews)

Great food and exceptional service! 1000% recommend. My boys and I loved our dinner. Our sever made…read morethe night great.

The food was delicious we had 3 meals Corripollo... chicken…read morebreast covered in chorizo and cheese amazing. Torta classica with steak-- honestly the best sandwich in this area kicked up version of cheesesteak And my wife has 3 taco platter with steak cilantro and onions she devoured it .. never knew it existed until we drove by the other day Must try it...

Colima Mexican Restaurant

3.9

(42 reviews)

The food here is really good and nicely priced. The fajitas here taste great and are cheaper than…read moreother mexican restaurants around, even for them being 3 meat fajitas. Although we did not eat from it, there is a buffet that looks to have many delicious options for a really good price. At the table they serve your chips and salsa with a pitcher, which is great for refilling it yourself! The servers were friendly and quick. The inside was nicely decorated and the lights were not too bright. It was a little cold inside but other than that it was great.

My daughter lives in Cullowhee and this is her favorite Mexican restaurant in Sylva. We visited…read morearound 3:30 on a Sunday, unfortunately too late for the buffet and too early for the salsa bar which my daughter says is very good. However the salsa they brought to the table was delicious, not spicy, and I loved that they brought a big amount of it in a syrup dispenser. My daughter ordered a combo and I ordered the Veggie P which was essentially an ACP with veggies instead of chicken, so not sure why it wasn't called the ACV. Food came out promptly and was hot. Service as far as drinks, bringing checks, etc. was a tad slow. Prices were on par with other places. I was super hungry so forgot to take a pic of my plate!

4 Queens Mexican Grill

3.9

(11 reviews)

I was disappointed. The streak fajitas were bland and tough. The tamales were not good: very dry…read moreand not flavorful. The tortillas and chips were stale. The beans were seemingly from a can. This was a large carryout order, so maybe the food is better at the restaurant. Either way, I don't have a lot of confidence that trying again will change my mind, but I would try again.

Service and food were great. What struck me most was how clean it was!…read moreBathroom, windows, everything was spotless. Great job with the ambiance

Foragers Canteen

4.4

(346 reviews)