I had a terrible experience. I should've listened to previous reviews: this place has gone downhill and is now not worthwhile. First of all, the service was atrocious. We waited so long to be asked for our order. Besides asking for our order and bringing us the food and check, the waitress didn't come back. No refills or anything. She could hardly speak English, which I truly don't blame her for, but it doesn't excuse not serving us. The price was terrible. Entirely too expensive for food that lacks quality. The chips and salsa were not good. The only reason I'm giving it 2 stars and not 1 is because the food was good enough. It was not quality but I had no major problems with it. We will not be back. read more

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Went to El Canelo for lunch on a Sunday and we were seated immediately as a party of 7. Everything appeared to be very clean and our waiter was so nice, even joking with the kids. I ordered the shrimp fajitas off the lunch menu and my daughter order the quesadilla with rice off the kids menu. Everything was good and came out quickly. I would definitely come back again! read more

El-Canelo - 58. Shrimp fajitas LUNCH ONLY - Mexican Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

This was the worst food I have had in a long time. The ground beef was like grey dog food. The waitress said that was how people like it. Do not waste your time or money at this disgusting place. read more

Used to be my go to for Mexican food but my recent visit was disappointing. The menu has quite the selection still but many options didn't have "sides" like beans, rice, pico, guacamole, etc. You have to add them for a charge. There were 3 in our party and 2 of us got our order wrong. I ordered a chicken burrito and a beef taco but received both beef. The chilies rellenos is no longer breaded. The complimentary salsa and chips were fresh and very tasty. read more

Idk what happened to this place! They used to be amazing and my ultimate favorite place to eat... Now the staff is rude, the orders are messed up, and the prices were hacked higher. I paid 7.99 for 3 basic chicken tacos and might have had 1 bite of meat in them. Not to mention they were soggy. Unreal. What happened to good local business? Smh read more

Hace unos días tuve el placer de visitar el restaurante "El Canelo" y me quedé gratamente sorprendido por la calidad del servicio y la deliciosa comida que ofrecen. Desde el momento en que entré, me sentí bienvenido por el ambiente acogedor y la amabilidad del personal. Quisiera destacar especialmente el excelente trato que recibí por parte del mesero Leonardo. Su profesionalismo y cortesía hicieron que mi visita fuera aún más placentera. Leonardo estuvo atento a todas nuestras necesidades, brindándonos recomendaciones acertadas sobre los platillos y asegurándose de que nuestra experiencia fuera perfecta de principio a fin. read more

Good food , average priced and typically quick service. Good margaritas. Free chips and salsa too.

The food is not Mexican. Lacks traditional Mexican flavors. They also keep all of the food on a steam table so none of it is actually made to order. Skip this place at all costs, unless you like bland food, which most of the local people love. read more

Once I week I work in Erie so I've been doing my best to try what this city has to offer. Last week I used the Yelp app to order from El-Canelo! From both the outside and the inside this looks like a fairly standard Mexican style restaurant offering everything you could possibly think of wanting from this kind of restaurant (basically, this place has a decent size menu with plenty of lunch/dinner combinations). I placed my order and the food was ready when I was told it would be which is always a plus as well. I ended up ordering a lunch combo featuring a beef burrito which comes with a small chicken taco and some Mexican rice underneath it (you also get chips and salsa but sadly I did not have any room left after finishing my meal). The food itself was pretty good. The burrito was a decent size and had some solid flavour to it. The chicken taco didn't have much flavour but it was by no means a bad taco, and the rice was flavourful and went well with the burrito and taco. Overall, I was not blown away by El-Canelo but I also don't have anything negative to say about them. The food was all pretty okay and the people I dealt with were friendly enough. If you are looking for some Mexican food in the Erie area this place can do you just fine. read more

El-Canelo - Little taco, big burrito, lotta rice. - Mexican Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

Service was quick! Our drinks and food came right away. Our waiter made some good recommendations. The food was good. To me, El Canelos is just consistent (and tasty!). read more

Sorry excuse for chili con queso and ground beef. Chips on bottom turned into a soggy tortilla. read more

El-Canelo - Garbage - Mexican Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

I went to El Canelo in Erie a couple weeks back, with my BF, his dad, and a family friend. This place was really quite impressive for the unassuming looks on the outside. There was plenty of parking, and friendly hostesses/waitstaff to help us settle in. Like at any good Mexican restaurant, we were promptly greeted with hot tortilla chips and salsa while we read through the menu and sipped our water. Lucky us - there were great specials for Dos XX and margaritas on Sunday afternoons! YUM. Very reasonable and quite tasty. All of our orders were quickly served, and I enjoyed my entree and the bites I took from everyone else's plate too. When I return to Erie, I wouldn't think twice about not going to El Canelo. Great service, good specials, tasty entrees... and speedy turnaround. They really do a great job here! read more

El-Canelo - Specials?! - Mexican Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

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The crummiest food all soft and watery and when the manager asked what we thought of the food and told her how lousy it was she quipped you are most of it. The reason was because the waiter never came back to the table. read more

It should be called El Canoli, and serve delicious Canolis. But it's not, and it doesn't. So. Decent Tex Mex-ish food - not real Mexican, but there's not much of that in these parts. First hand experience: I've been to the one in Buffalo about 15 times... but only once to the one in Erie. It was actually a little better than the one in Buffalo, which has tried to rip me off on numerous occasions. So I'll increase the rating to a 4 accordingly. My gf got the special with an enchilada, a quesadilla, etc... one of those dirt cheap multi-item specials at lunch time. I got the Fajitas and loved them, as usual. I got tortillas with them and lots of salsa to mix with them. I have to say though, this is "Tex Mex" food. So please don't come here expecting actual Mexican food - you won't find any. For that, go to La Plaza Supermarket in Lakewood OH, or go to Las Palmas on Brookline in Pittsburgh, PA, or go to Valle Of Mexico in Buffalo, NY, or even to Lorenzo's in Albion, NY which has amaaaaaazing Chihuahua tacos. Then make out with me. Getting good Mexican food in these parts is like trying to get good wings outside Buffalo. It's not going to happen. Trust me. I've eaten at the best in the country, and living in the Buffalo area I miss them. If you're in these parts, El Canelo is one of the best you're going to get. Their dishes are good and cheap and their Fajitas are excellent. However, compared to some of the Mexican around the country, this is going to be a let down. Still, 3/5 could easily have been 4 on a good day. read more

Delicious food and friendly service. Amazingly quick and fresh. I could eat it daily. read more

El-Canelo - Chicken Fajitas Lunch Special - Mexican Near Me - Erie, Pennsylvania

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I popped into El Canelo for lunch on a Sunday afternoon with my parents and had a surprising and much appreciated experience. I've never been offered recommendations at this style of restaurant before, but I'm glad we were and glad we took them. The menu is many pages long, so I typically limit myself to choose from the 5 or so vegetarian options, just to avoid being overwhelmed by options, but also likely missing the dishes that are the best. They recommended a few dishes and recommended that we all share. We took all recommendations, ended up with dishes none of us would have chosen but all ended up enjoying and we all had a great time! The space has also been renovated since my last visit (haven't lived in Erie for many years), which was also a great surprise! read more

My husband & I always order to go, "Chimichangas~ Two flour tortillas, soft or fried & filled w/ beef tips & refried beans. Topped w/ lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, nacho cheese & guacamole. "MELTS IN YOUR MOUTH!" JUST HEAVEN! 5 STARS BABY! read more

Stopped for lunch today. We are always looking for good Mexican restaurants. First time here and wasn't disappointed. We were greeted as we entered and seated immediately. Our server was there with chips and dip and took our drink order. The menu has a lot of offerings so If you know what you want, ordering will be quick otherwise if may take you a little time to look over the menu. The food was served promptly and was presented well. Go hungry, even the lunch portions are plentiful. Price is a little high but worth it. Overall it was a good experience. read more

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If you want Mexican food just go anywhere else. The Peach Street location is 10x better. The staff here does not give a shit about you. The food and service is as bad as it gets. read more

I have been here numerous times and in all my visits, I've only ordered two items off their menu. The first one was terrible and the second one was pretty unexciting, too, BUT they import their "white cheese" from Mexico, and it is PHENOMENAL. My usual order is a combination meal #13 that has a beef enchilada, a cheese enchilada, and a side of rice. The sauce they use on top is sort of bland as is their rice... and I guess their beef enchilada... and pretty much everything there EXCEPT their cheese. Unfortunate. read more

I ordered my meal 3 times, waited an hour and a half and she still got my order wrong. Btw don't check the left sink the men's bathroom read more

As always, FABULOUS! Had the Huevos Rancheros w/green sauce....great! Service super pleasant. Definitely a place to eat good, reasonably-priced food. (Sorry, no pics. Was hungry; inhaled food upon being served. lol) read more

This Mexican restaurant is a 10/10. Excellent queso, amazing vegetarian options (which is rare for erie) and great margs. Something to eat for the whole family at a low cost! They are currently doing renovations which are looking great and prices are superb. read more

Best Mexican in Erie, come on your in friggin Erie PA, what were you expecting? Pancho Villa serving you a modelo? All jokes aside, when I lived in Erie and whenever I pass through, I make it a point to stop in. Good stuff. read more

If you're looking for authentic Mexican food, you probably won't be happy (and let's be real: there is no authentic Mexican food in Erie), but it's BY FAR the best in town. The service is friendly, the food comes out pretty quickly, the menu is extensive, and and the food is good and cheap. It's a good place for a casual date, family dinner, or meeting friends. read more

Really enjoy El Canelo. The food is great. The staff is always so friendly. My wife & I eat here for lunch quite often. The service is always fast, food is great. read more

My sister and I's favorite spot to eat together! A la cart is my favorite! Queso is to die for!! recommend this place to many!!

Very disappointed.. we were served unseasoned ground beef in a soggy taco shells and unseasoned ground beef in a tortilla/burrito there wasn't even any cheese in the burrito.. that's not authentic anything ~ no flavor!! The guacamole doesn't even taste like guacamole, full of mayo!.. since when does guacamole not have onions or lime juice? I asked for pico de gallo to give some flavor to our food ~ and even it was tasteless!!! Rude server on top of subpar food.. save your money! read more

No matter the location El Canelo always provides good service with authentic Mexican cuisine at a fair price. Never disappointed. The Charizo is off the reservation good. Not too hot just enough kick read more

One of my favorite restaurants. Food is really good and super fast. I love all the friendly people who work here too. My go to meal is chicken chimichanga (fried).So good! read more

Wonderful. The food here is very good. Reasonably priced. The service is excellent. I want to shout it from the rooftops what great service we received because you hardly see it anymore. Friendly, fast, attentive. These guys should train the whole service industry how to take care of customers! Will definitely come back here every time we visit Erie. This place is a hidden gem. read more

I Was in Erie for business and stopped in for a quick lunch and was pleasantly surprised. I ordered the fajitas and everything was good and cheap! The service was friendly and fast. The building on the outside is run down and needs an update,the dining room could use a good cleaning but overall the food and service was good. read more

This specific el canelo Mexican restaurant would be where I eat my last meal on earth. The hospitality and the food (let's not even talk Texas margaritas made for gods) are what I look forward to every time I'm in town. Been my #1 circa 2003 read more

Back again today to celebrate a successful race in Erie.....wow. This suggestion is for the ADVENTUROUS Mexican food enthusiasts ONLY....,I spotted the "Special Dinner For Two" tucked into a corner of the menu...for $13.50, we got two ENORMOUS plates of food- including two chicken tacos, a chile relleno (not what I've been accustomed to, but quite yummy just the same) a huge-ass beef burrito, cheese enchilada, a tamale, and I swear, also a guacamole tostada that I don't think was even offered with the dish but delightfully showed up as well, along with those yummy refried beans. $13.50, folks! Don't get this with a casual date.....it's a sensual experience that has you scooping up the brown/green/reddish goo leftovers with whatever chips may have survived Round One. A big ol' sloppy mess . Boyfriend had a DOSXX dark that was HUGE for $3.50 & I continued with my tumbler-sized stiff Bacardi & Diets. Another terrific meal ! read more

Just an average rating when compared to other Mexican restaurants. Salsa was very watery. People were friendly.

Just ate the langostinos fajitas and my family had rellonos and burritos and everyone was extremely please with their meals. The salsa is very tasty, as is the queso. We had great service and the entire staff was friendly. read more

This used to be my favorite Mexican restaurant in Erie but I was ripped off on a tip that I had left. I paid at the register which is typical and recorded a tip and totaled the bill. When I checked my bank account, I discovered that the tip had been changed from $5.09 to $50.09. Although I disputed the charge, it was turned down. I would also like to point out that the dinner came to $28 and change. I try to be fair with tipping but there is no way I would have left a $50 tip. read more

After eating here a few times trying to get a Mexican food fix I was unexcited about it as I was finding it pretty average. After a trip to Denver, where I had the most delicious green enchiladas I had ever had, I asked for green enchiladas here and suddenly I found myself eating food I never thought I would find in Erie. They are quite a bit spicier than the red enchiladas, but for me that is a really good thing. read more

Smallest 9$ burrito I've ever ordered. Like the size of a hot dog bun, not kidding. Also, my glass had lipstick on it. Never again.

Love this place. Great food. Super friendly staff. Mixed fajitas are incredible. Fast service reasonable prices.