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    El-Canelo

    3.6 (53 reviews)
    ModerateMexican, Bars, Seafood
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Order El-Canelo Takeout or Delivery

    El-Canelo Photos

    Business Info

    EL-CANELO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Loud
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - El-Canelo

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    Reviews With Photos

    Little taco, big burrito, lotta rice.
    Steven M.

    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.

    Garbage

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

    Specials?!
    Marissa R.

    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!

    Chicken Fajitas Lunch Special
    Danielle K.

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

    a sign for an authentic mexican food restaurant

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    10 months ago

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    2 years ago

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

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    7 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    8 years ago

    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!!

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    9 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    7 years ago

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

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    12 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    10 years ago

    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.

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    7 years ago

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

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - El-Canelo

    Review Highlights - El-Canelo

    Just ate the langostinos fajitas and my family had rellonos and burritos and everyone was extremely please with their meals.

    $18.25 72. Fajitas

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    La Chona Movil

    La Chona Movil

    5.0(1 review)
    2.5 mi

    We ate lunch here yesterday afternoon, around 3:00. For the most part, they are only open on…read moreSundays. Check their page on FB if you want to see about new special menu items from time to time. I also saw on there that they were open a few times on Saturdays last summer, in addition to Sunday. Plenty of outdoor seating, tables were clean and well maintained. The food was very good!! We tried several different menu items, but it would take at least 3 or 4 visits to try everything available. My favorite item is their tamales (if you haven't tried these, they are well worth it, in my opinion). They had two kinds of tamales: green salsa with corn/cheese or brown mole sauce with pork. Personally, I would order at least two tamales. Also, we had steak tacos that came with red sauce on top. The red or green salsas (sauce toppings) were the only spicy components. Everything else was very flavorful, but not off-putting at all -- for those people who aren't sure about trying spicy food. I'm sure you could just ask them to leave off the salsa on top of the tacos, if you prefer not to risk it, although if you like spice then it's great! The tacos are also served with grilled onions on the side, fresh lime wedge and sliced radishes to decorate the plates. They come with fresh cilantro in the tacos, as well, which I really liked. If you aren't familiar with the Mexican-style roasted green jalapeño peppers on your plate, just skip them --or-- for the adventurous, be aware that all of the heat is in the seeds. Personally, I love them but I don't eat too many of the seeds. As an appetizer item, I ordered a tostada. If you're not familiar with tostadas, think open-faced cracker with lots of toppings. It's actually a corn tortilla that's been deep fried so it's very crispy and thin -- that's the part I think of as a cracker. Then on top, you have fresh pico de gallo (chopped tomato, probably onion, probably cilantro) and the meat topping of your choice (chicken, beef, etc.) I had chicken on mine. It's a little messy to eat, but entirely delicious. They give you plenty of napkins and don't be afraid to use your hands (or ask for a plastic fork which they have available). If you get thirsty, there's a list of cold drinks (authentic Mexican soft drinks called Jarritos and American soda pop, plus bottled water for sale). I've heard sometimes La Chona Movil makes soup (Menudo or Pozole). I'd love to try either one of these, next time the cooks in the kitchen have the inspiration. Overall, the atmosphere was comfortable although you are eating next to the side of the house in a quiet, residential neighborhood. There is a large park nearby, so you could take food over there to eat or just get everything to-go and eat at home. The food was worth the price, especially since a lot of restaurants are super expensive these days. I ordered extra pork tamales and ate them again for breakfast the next day with my coffee. We will definitely return again soon. We drove in all the way from Edinboro, but while we were in town we also went to the Peninsula -- so that's another idea for a Sunday afternoon... Chona Movil and Presque Isle beach sunset, all in one afternoon!! Erie at it's best!

    El-Canelo - mexican - Updated May 2026

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