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    El Camino

    3.9 (350 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Closed 5:30 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

    El Camino Photos

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    EL CAMINO ATMOSPHERE

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    Hipster
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    Recommended Reviews - El Camino

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    Kitchen
    Dawn M.

    Noticed my original review was old and out of date, so here goes for a refresh. This location of this business is one of my favorite eat in and take out joints in Ottawa. First of all, the food is reliably delicious. I am partial to their fish tacos, pig head tacos, and ox tongue tacos. All are all standouts. But you really can't go wrong with any tacos on the menu. Service is typically good. Be forewarned though, it's not fast-food. If you order take out at the window plan on a good 10 min wait. Pop around the next corner south and you'll end up on their patio. Order from the truck. Grab a beer and a table. Eating inside also good, but can get loud, hard to have a conversation at times. The space is interesting and easy to enjoy. If you're into it, try one of their cocktails. Great place to go with friends.

    Vincent S.

    This is my favorite mexican place in the city. It is really enjoyable that there are two locations right beside each other. There is an area that is more of a food truck area with picnic tables you can pay at the food truck and it comes out of the restaurant kitchen. Great option if you want to spend time with a chill vibe outside. It is a better choice if you have something planned or in a rush since the turn over time is better. The inside is similar to Toronto style restaurants and bars such as El Carnita if you have been there. Both locations have the same menu. Every single item is remarkable and has a great selection of meats, flavors, and styles of tacos. The only downside is that the tacos do not list all the ingredients, it is only listed by meat type and that can make it difficult to choose the flavors you enjoy

    Audrey T.

    Honestly the best place for tacos in Ottawa. I normally go to the Elgin St location and get consistently good tacos. They're a little pricy but worth it for a nice night out. I normally get three tacos - the pig head ($7), Japanese eggplant ($6.50) and the ox tongue ($7). The tequila sours ($14.50) are amazing.

    Jenn S.

    Pretty much ordered their entire taco menu x2. A mixed bag of hits and misses but we were very satiated regardless. Fave tacos were the El Norte: something about the sweet and savory combo happening here was perfect for this, the tongue was braised to an excellent super tenderness, fish tacos were lightly battered and fried beautifully, the eggplant was soft but not mushy, the pig head had crunchy bits of perfectly rendered chicharron mixed into it and made you wanting more. A great place to people watch during the day and nurse some of their tasty coctail concoctions too. Staff was super nice and helpful as well. Will definitely be back when I'm back in town.

    Tuna tartar taco
    Hadia G.

    So last day before our 3rd lock down we decided to grab a quick bite here. There was a lineup but they take your number and text you when your table is ready so we conveniently waited in our car . Everyone was very friendly from the hostess to the waitress. Food is always fresh, fast and super yummy! It was our first time we try the papaya salad.. super crunchy and lots of flavour. We also tried the tempura shrimp.. it was ok but a bit salty. Tacos are amazing as usual! I also ordered a virgin mojito which was very refreshing and full of flavour. Wishing those businesses the best of luck in these difficult times!

    Tacos
    Ying L.

    Got tacos at their take out window. It was a bit of a wait for the m to make but it was super fresh. The soft tacos were delicious. The ox tongue taco was my favorite. We also got the chorizo taco but it came in a crispy shell so I felt like I was eating from taco bell

    Ox tongue and beef
    Lena D.

    Service 5/5 Cleanliness 5/5 Food 5/5 Drinks 5/5 Ambiance is amazing , check in and menus are touch free and done on your phone! Super friendly and helpful staffs- I've been here twice and both times the service was amazing. They're very attentive and know when I need a refill. The tacos are honestly the best tacos I've ever had- don't be intimidated by the word pig head it I was the best one. Meats aren't dry, plain or too salty just perfect. I don't know what to say honestly you have to try this place out I've been here twice in a row and maybe a third time soon..

    Ox tongue! My favorite taco!
    Anna C.

    Excellent tacos and drinks, fun Atmosphere, I will certainly be back next time I'm in Ottawa! We waited 45 min on a Tuesday night, so call ahead ! It was worth the wait though, we ordered the guacamole and I found it to be a generous portion for the price. We ordered 2 tacos each but I could have eaten another one. I'd suggest ordered 3-4 per person. My favorite taco was the ox tongue, it was perfectly cooked and seasoned. We couldn't resist ordering churros for dessert, they came with this tasty caramel sauce, would definitely order again !

    chorizo taco
    Hetal M.

    by far one of the BEST Mexican restaurants I have been too, and I live in the city of Toronto!!! We were seated at the bar until a table was ready for us, but decided to stay at the bar because of how great the service was and how friendly people were. Every single item we got was delicious, that my mouth is watering as I think about it as i write this review. The salsa was a little spicy for me, but it didn't stop me from eating it. My favourite taco was the lamb one, followed by the pork one. as we were leaving i didnt realize i had dropped my wallet after paying the bill, and i had quite a bit of money in there. I freaked out and checked everywhere outside and inside the restaurant and then finally asked the bartender if anything had been returned. to my surprise my wallet was returned to the bartender, untouched with every last penny inside - i wanted to buy a drink for the individual who returned it but they had already left after me! Super thankful for good people that are still out there!

    Mia W.

    Perfect place for hanging out with friends or grabbing a bite to eat alone. The staff is super friendly and not overly attentive which is great Very causal relaxed atmosphere. I had the cripsy fish tacos, Mexican street corn and the El Fuego to drink. First of all those tacos!!! Wow!! I am from the states and these fish tacos are out of this world and they are not your standard street taco these are legit tacos no small pieces of fish you get a real piece of fish which was cooked to perfection!! The street corn was absolutely perfect just needed a bit more spice for my taste buds but my drink El Fuego took yo for that lol that drink was spicy as hell lol but was good but too spicy for me. I would definitely go back if ever in Canada again

    Shrimp tostada
    Jazz L.

    El Camino is my favourite taco restaurant ever - both in Ottawa and Toronto. I LOVE this place (though, I love the Elgin location, not the Market location). I don't love EVERY taco - I have my favourites that I get every time, which are: EGGPLANT TACO - I'm a big meat-eater, so it's still a surprise to me that a vegetarian taco is my ultimate favourite. It's just SO GOOD. The eggplant texture is (almost always) the perfect texture (somehow it is firm yet soft). It is deep fried in a yummy batter and served on their soft shells. TUNA TARTAR TACO - This used to be my number one, but it's slipping down the ranks because the price keeps going up and the tuna quality keeps going down. It's still on my top 3 list though because it is so unique. The cheese on top adds a really nice flavour to it as well. FISH TACO - this one is hit and miss as well, but when they get it right it is SO RIGHT. I think what sets it apart from the fish tacos at other Mexican restaurants is that it is never a soggy taco. The fish is always fried to perfection and the sauce they put on the taco is fantastic! The rotation specials are almost always really good too - in my photo I have the SHRIMP TOSTADA and it was amazing. Didn't look super appetizing, but the shrimp were sooooo tasty! I also really like the BETEL LEAF SHRIMP - super tasty and nice and crispy.

    Middle: fish tacos  Outside: beef?

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    7 months ago

    Prices have gone up a bit the last few years! I still like to go none the less. The food is tasty so it's worth it from time to time

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    3 years ago

    The food is good, and tasty. $8-$9 for tacos is just ludicrously expensive, and they're the same size as street tacos.

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    Page 1 of 9

    El Camino Reviews in Other Languages

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    Burrito Gringo

    Burrito Gringo

    2.9(18 reviews)
    8.4 km
    $$

    I had lunch at Burrito Gringo recently and it was ok…read more For the longest time I had been avoiding Burrito Gringo because many years ago I had a burrito at the Burrito Gringo on St. Laurent (which is now called "John Juan Burrito Mexican Grill") and I broke out in hives. However, I ate at countless Tex-Mex places prior to that experience and also since that time and it never happened again. So I decided to live a life of danger and go back to a Burrito Gringo without an Epi Pen, haha! I am happy to report that I had 3 tacos and no reactions :) I like how you can choose between hard and soft tacos, and with soft tacos you can choose between corn or wheat. I got 3 soft corn tacos ($10.75). You can get different meats on each taco, so I got chicken, steak, and pulled beef. At most places the taco toppings are just the protein, salsa, cheese, lettuce and sour cream, but here I was also able to add rice, beans, and sauteed vegetables, hurray! There was just 1 type of rice (lime rice), and sauteed vegetables (onions and peppers), but there were 3 types of beans: refried, black, and pinto. I got the pinto beans. I loved how the tacos were full of toppings. They were super messy to eat as a result, but I didn't mind, I just used a fork. The tacos tasted ok. I didn't get any real strong flavours, it's like the flavours were muted. The food wasn't bland as they used adequate salt, it just lacked oomph in the flavour department. Staff were nice and service was quick. This location is in a strip mall. Same strip mall as Metro and next to Alterna Bank. Lots of free parking.

    Really disapointed. Not what it was several years ago!!…read more$75 for 2 adults and 2 kids cold food flies all over the place The place was empty and really dirty at 4:50pm Never going back

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    Burrito Gringo
    Burrito Gringo
    Burrito Gringo

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    Margarita Restaurant - Authentic and Amazing Mexican food

    Margarita Restaurant

    3.4(17 reviews)
    1.6 km

    I made a reservation and was pleasantly surprised by the ambiance here. It was a wonderful summer…read moreevening to start the weekend. I came in a party of two and sat at the patio. Our server was extremely nice and checked in on us a few times. We ordered a few margaritas, chips and guac and tacos. All were very delicious! I especially loved the shrimp tacos. Huge shrimp that were cooked in batter and tasted delicious with the toppings. I'm looking forward to more evenings there. Thank you to the team at Margarita!

    When I saw they had a chapulin taco here, I had to have it! It's a soft corn tortilla with pasilla…read moresauce, queso fresco, onions, cilantro, guacamole, and the star of the show, spiced GRASSHOPPERS!! And lemme tell you, they did not hold back on the grasshoppers. I thought that they would sort of be sprinkled on top or something, but nope, they really went for it! It honestly tasted more roasted than anything, and they were whole, so they were crunchy, but other than that, the lime plus the medium and extra spicy hot sauces I got on the side added the most flavour. The hot sauces were vinegar-based, not burn your mouth kind of hot, and had good flavour. The extra spicy was spicy but not overly so. I also tried the carnitas taco and it was delicious. The pork was very tender and juicy. It came with radish, guacamole, fresh salsa verde, and it was supposed to also have homemade pickled onions, but I didn't see or taste any. I believe they make their tortillas in-house, so that added to the flavour of the tacos for sure. I was excited about the tamales (one order comes with two). Every time I order tamales they sort of just come on their own, wrapped. These came served in the banana leaf, but unwrapped and topped with sour cream, queso fresco, and cilantro. They were vegetarian, stuffed with chipil, which I've never had before. It's a leafy green vegetable and Google says it's like a cross between watercress and spinach, and I'd say that's pretty accurate. To my surprise, there was also a big piece of cheese in the middle (lengthwise). As a big cheese lover, I approve haha! The tamales were so, so good. Nice change from what I normally have. My husband had the nachos with chicken - protein was an extra $6.50 but guac (two scoops!) was included. They were also topped with beans, cheese, pico de Gallo, pickled jalapeños, and sour cream. They were the most expensive item (already $20 without the chicken), but they were tasty. My husband's not into guac, so I ate both scoops and I can't complain lol. He got the Mexican Coca-Cola and I got the cafe de olla (Mexican coffee). The Coke is different because it's made with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup and it comes in a bottle. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I did enjoy this one because of the different spices in it. I also wanted to try the Mexican hot chocolate but they ran out. Next time!

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    Margarita Restaurant
    Margarita Restaurant
    Margarita Restaurant

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    El Camino - mexican - Updated May 2026

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