After spending a few days in July/August we planned to come back and spend a few days at Christmas. One definite stop on our time in Bryson City, NC was to pop over to Cherokee and eat at El Cajelito. Of course walking in all staff greets you and you are seated right away. The atmosphere is amazing and everyone is enjoying time spent while eating. I got the same lunch special number as I did before #8 while hubby got lunch special #10. Prices are reasonable and food is delicious. I hands down recommend this place to everyone passing through Cherokee. read more

El Cajelito - #10 lunch special ~ steak fajita burrito with rice - Mexican Near Me - Cherokee, North Carolina

See all

Standard tex mex fare. Definitely needed hot sauce which they provided but the portions and the price were nice. I had the enchiladas verdes tradicionales and my dad had the fajitas. My food came out ok but my dad's order came with tortillas but they never arrived until we flagged down the waitress. They brought out the flour ones when he asked for the corn ones. read more

See all

Good food, service was quick and great ambience. I recommend this place for combos or individual orders of Enchiladas, Burritos and Quesadillas. Churros were good too. read more

See all

People say you can't get good authentic Mexican food in the south. They are WRONG! The carnitas was tender and juicy, my wife's chili relleno was exceptional, the margaritas were great. A five star experience for us. Thanks, El Cajelito, a great dinner! read more

The portions are generous for the price, but the flavors were so-so. My guacamole was too salty and had a weird aftertaste. My son got a cheese enchilada and was underwhelmed. They do have several vegetarian options, though, so that was a plus. read more

I was visiting Cherokee for the Labor Day weekend to enjoy the amazing weather. El Cajelito was within walking distance of my hotel, so I ventured out. The waitstaff provided friendly service. I ordered the El Rancho, consisting of steak, chicken, rice, and beans with tortillas on the side. My meal was very bland. The chips and salsa were also very bland and tasteless. I cannot say much else as Cherokee has limited dining options outside of the casino. read more

We were all hangry and desperately trying to decide where to eat and sort of just landed at El Cajelito by chance, but we left full and happy. The building isn't much to look at and the decor and colors are dated but charming in a nostalgic kind of way. We were seated very quickly and all the workers we encountered were friendly and helpful. The table ordered a queso and a guacamole dip to share, and I had the Pollo Loco, my sister had the Texas fajitas, our mother had steak fajitas. Our food came very quickly and everything was hot and flavorful. My pollo loco was grilled to perfection and there was an abundance of mushrooms, zucchini and spinach. Unfortunately there were also a lot of onions mixed into the spinach that wasn't listed on the menu. I wouldn't have ordered this if they had been, but I picked around them. The zucchini was so perfectly cooked and seasoned they ended up being my favorite part of the meal. The refried beans were pretty underwhelming to below average. The rice was fine, but nothing to write home about. 7.5/10 overall for my main meal. Both of the fajita dishes were really good too, my sister said it was the best shrimp fajitas she has ever had (and we are from Texas/live in Florida and eat a LOT of Mexican food!) My mother really enjoyed hers as well, with the standout being of all things, the grilled tomatoes. A minor detail but they really elevated the dish. They both did think there were too many onions in their food as well, but overall they would order them again. 8/10. Salsa was good and smooth which is how I prefer it, I can't stand a chunky salsa. Guacamole dip was my favorite thing as it was super smooth with absolutely no chunks and reminded me of my favorite place back in Kentucky. The cheese dip was good, thin and creamy. We will definitely be back! read more

El Cajelito - Pollo Loco - Mexican Near Me - Cherokee, North Carolina

See all

Wonderful lunch at El Cajelito! Driving in from Gatlinburg, it was refreshing to find a local business focused on hospitality and good food instead of all the kitschy tourist traps in the park. We had two parrilladas, a guacamole, and the Al pastor burrito which was enough for four plus leftovers to take home. Honestly really solid Mexican food by any standards. Special thanks to the staff for a warm welcome and exceptional service - I will be going out of my way to visit again next time I'm in the area :) read more

The food here is fantastic! All of the food appeared to be well priced and affordable and the service is superb. I ordered the Chile relleno plate and it is legit. Super tasty, perfect amount of spice. My husband ordered the chapo fajitas and from the few bites I had I would say that it was delicious. I also got a medium margarita on the rocks which was a good deal, even if a bit sweet for my tastes. 100% would recommend coming here after an intense day hike in GSMNP as we did, the food was perfect recovery food. Now off to take a nap. read more

El Cajelito - a plate of food on a table - Mexican Near Me - Cherokee, North Carolina

This restaurant adds a good diversity to your appetite on a Smokies trip! We were a group of a 8 at this restaurant. They served us very quick and understood our needs correctly. We loved the food overall, it was tasty and well crafted. However, the dessert disappointed us to some extent. Seating and ambiance was very good. Staff was friendly! Overall, good vibes and recommended. read more

See all

Very good Mexican food. Nice waiter. Quick service. I will recommend. I ordered the Los Alambres with rice and beans

Absolutely amazing and authentic!! Great service! Grear Food, this place is a keeper! If you're in Cherokee don't spend a ton of money eating Gordon Ramsey or Guy just come enjoy a huge meal for 1/3 the cost!!! read more

See all

Simple decor, quick service. Loved my tacos. I got traditional street tacos, one steak one carnitas and one sope with Al pastor. Steak was pretty standard, tasty lean meat nothing wow but also still delicious. Carnitas was great, not greasy, very good flavor, my favorite meat of the three. The sope base was perfection, crispy bottom but soft center, I could live without the Al pastor meat it was my least favorite of the three although my toddler loved it. Also got the Kids ACP which was fantastic and my little gobbled it up. Would recommend for a good meal post hikes. read more

See all

This easily should have received a 5-star rating. Unfortunately, growing up in California you come to "KNOW EXACTLY" how to judge exceptional Mexican food by something as simple as "The Enchilada". If you do not serve a good Enchilada, then you easily become a 3-4 star rating right off the bat by our family. They were skimpy, and maybe at most had 2 Tbsp of a watery red sauce spilled on them?? Enchilada's should be COVERED in a RICH traditional gravy TOPPED with cheese and HOT for the price. However, the small compact beef taco salad was delicious and the Carne Asada Steak with whole grilled Cactus leaves was outstanding. Fluffy rice and good refired beans. Ole~ read more

Maybe food wise I just hit them in a bad day. The steak was cold and you could tell the carnitas tasted "old". The salsa was a water concoction of tomato. I would have sent both of these items back but that leads me to the service. It was absolutely horrible. Drinks stayed empty and we were never asked about the meal. It is a really old building that could use some updating, the men's restroom did not have locks on the doors. The beer was the only redeemable quality about the place. read more

Clean restaurant with great food and services. Will definitely make this stop 1 for Mexican food.

Great food & even better service! We'll for sure be back. I got chimichangas and my husband had the grilled chicken nachos! Both were delicious!! Nice and clean restaurant. read more

El Cajelito - Steak Chimichangas - Mexican Near Me - Cherokee, North Carolina

Another great lunch at El Cajelito. Friendly, prompt service. Great menu choices. Had chicken fajitas which were delicious.

Fajita Burrito onions and bell peppers were raw. Waiter seemed uninterested in our table. Sat for 30 minutes to get our drinks and a total of 1 hour and 10 minutes to get meal that was not worth the money we paid read more

maybe it was a bad day or the lunch chef is no good.... but this was really bad.. Horchata was so sweet we couldn't drink it. Food was bland and undercooked read more

Popped in after a quick trip to Cheyenne. Fresh hot chips and salsa and super friendly service. Our food was up very fast. The inside is your standard little restaurant but well worth the stop! read more

El Cajelito - Bear in entrance - Mexican Near Me - Cherokee, North Carolina

See all

Excellent service. Spotless establishment. Fair prices. Food just okay (average): Salsa was more tomato sauce than anything else; however, when ordering a side of delicious pico de gallo and adding it to the salsa, the mixture became muy bueno. It's doubtful the chips were homemade, but our server brought a basket of warm ones to the table. The chicken in my two enchiladas could have been more tender, and the bland ranchero sauce poured on top was lukewarm, not piping hot. Yet the queso fundito with hamburger chunks and spices added a hint of good flavor. And the cook plated my meal pleasingly with a small scoop of refined beans and lettuce topped with sour cream and a half-slice of ripe, red tomato. My spouse ordered a lunch-portion chicken chimichanga, and although hamburger meat filled the inside, it arrived steaming hot with rice and beans. He topped everything with the queso fundito and slicked his plate clean. read more

See all

My carnitas plate was the most flavorful I've had in a very long time. The tortillas are excellent and thick. Staff was very nice and helpful. Food came out quickly and hot. read more

Food, service. Everything was so delicious! The tamales are amazinnnnnng. Margaritas are great!

I'm in town visiting from Miami and am so grateful to have found such amazing authentic Mexican food. Great service and all around great quality. Highly recommended. read more

Sat there for 20 minutes watching others seated after us get served and walked out Service was horrible Seating staff was horrible Wish we tried the food but couldn't even get service better then when Wi-Fi came out 20 years ago read more

very affordable mexican cuisine! i got the lunch carnitas and they were very delicious and great portion. chips and salsa were provided and were also delicious. servers were attentive and very courteous. the deep fried oreos were the only thing i got a picture of but definitely worth trying! read more

El Cajelito - deep fried oreos - Mexican Near Me - Cherokee, North Carolina

The food was fantastic and authentic, would highly recommend it. Pricing was very fair, and overall, we had a great experienc

The staff is first class, Polite and professional. The food is cooked to order with perfect portions for the price. There is a wide variety of food options and the restaurant is clean and well lit. read more

Good good. The salsa is to die for. Offered WiFi password since no service in the area. Had to wait a few minutes to be seen by server after being seated. Great will keeping on top of refills read more

Outstanding! We had the chicken enchiladas with green sauce. Everything here is homemade. Definitely worth a stop after your drive through the park. There were lots of other people here from the park, so this restaurant must be known locally. Highly recommended read more

BEST Mexican restaurant that I have ever had! Amazing food and service! We had it for dinner and it was so great that we went back the next day for lunch. read more

Amazing food, great service and not expensive. Couldn't have asked for anything better. 100% recommend.

This place is delicious, I've been here twice and it never fails. They opened just last year. They have handmade tortillas, made with a mental press. Reminds me of how my father use to make them. They also are one of the two only restaurants who can serve alcohol on the boundary because of it technically being split by part of the parkway. So margaritas for days haha jk but it is a family owned restaurant and very sincere. Will continue to come. read more

See all

Excellent Mexican restaurant with friendly staff and a strong menu, We ate here after we left the casino up the street because casino was so rude about giving us directions to the Ruths Chris. El Cajelito staff was a very pleasant contrast and were very friendly and even helped calm us down because of our bad, bad experience trying to find a restaurant in the casino. read more

SoOo AMAZING and delicious! For a buffet style mexican restaurant it was way beyond what we were expecting!! We definitely overate because it was so good and we wanted to try everything lol I highly recommend this place if you are in the area! read more

Good mexican food for a great price. The free chips and salsa were great, the service was great, not the fanciest restaurant, but not necessary. Definitely hit the spot for our mexican food craving for a great price! read more

It seems many places to eat in Cherokee have not survived or have such limited hours it is hard to find a meal. El Cajelito was open so we gave it a shot. We shared the steak and chicken fajitas for 2. A generous portion which we had a hard time finishing. There was plenty of both steak and chicken and the onions were caramelized to perfection. They are short staffed but those working that night were trying so hard to keep up and managed to stay both friendly and efficient. Way to go!!! read more

Based on my experience, for a Mexican restaurant on an Indian Reservation in NC, excellent. Good service, good food, overall outstanding. If you want amazing authentic Mexican food go to a part of the country where it's local. Highly recommend. read more

Amazing Menu, Amazing Food, and Excellent Staff!! As as native Texans, we seek out places who have authentic high quality Mexican food, and have found El Cajelito a refreshing surprise in North Carolina at the base of the Smokey Mountains! If you love good Mexican food with a large variety on the menu, this is worth coming to! read more