The real deal! Great food awesome outdoor dining area. We've been enjoying El Centenario for the past 5-6 years. When other Wolfboro establishments are modifying hours or just unannounced closings El Is open and ready to serve-Thank you! read more

The food is out of this world. With Amy at the helm everything came out hot. The fajitas were hot and fresh, the burrito was big and beefy. The drinks were great with our favorite being the skinny margarita. Ask to be seated in Amy's section, you will not be disappointed. read more

We're here on vacation and just a great experience @ El Centenario, the food is fantastic, fresh and authentic and the service is great!!! Also great atmosphere on the outside seating and patio. For sure will be back. read more

El Centenario - Mexican Near Me - Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

We checked in at 7:45 for a table and left at 10:15 without having one bite of food. We sat down at 8:15, waitress took our order, and it took about 20 minutes for drinks. We ordered an appetizer and two entrees. About 45 minutes go by (9 pm) without an appetizer, so I check in with the waitress and she assures me that it's coming. Then, she comes back to tell me she put the appetizer in to come out at the same time as the entrees. Not ideal, but not a problem; I'm patient and I'll give the waitress a break. Then, it's 9:45 and she comes to my table to say she never put our orders in at all. We had sat there for an hour and a half until she realized something wasn't right. I asked for some sort of discount and she had to call a manager as no manager was on site. We were offered free churros and declined as I really didn't want to stay longer than I needed to at that point. She then put our food orders in, but it was at the back of the list in the kitchen and we had to wait another 20-25 minutes to get our food. Orders identical to ours we're going out left and right, but not to our table, even after noticing we had been there for 1 hr+. People who came far after us had time to order, eat, and then leave while we were still sitting there. At that point, I just had our order made to go and took it home because I just wanted to leave and no other restaurants were open at 10pm. Each time I go, it's unorganized, but this last trip was by far the worst. There is no management or organization at this restaurant. I'm used to having to wait 20+ minutes to put a drink order in, but this was by far the worst experience I've had at a restaurant. Not to mention the food is overpriced ($20 for tacos, $15 margarita). The drinks and food are pretty decent for Mexican food in the northeast, but not worth the hassle. read more

We were driving through the town and wanted to get something to eat that wasn't your typical American lunch. We looked up restaurants on Yelp and decided to give it a try per the reviews. We walked in and it was bright and warm with all the colorful decorations but not overly done. We started off with warm chips and delicious salsa. A great start. Service was great and the waitstaff we had was nice and helpful with our questions. My son got the hot traditional wings. It was flavorful and not vinegary like many other places. My daughter order the salmon with veggies and fries. The salmon was well done and tasty. My husband got the pork with the tortillas per our waitstaff suggestion and it was fantastic. It was a cold raining day so I ordered the soup and it hit the spot. Although it had lots of flavor I love hot food so I asked for more hot sauce. Instead of bringing me your typical tabasco bottle the waitress brought me their homemade hot sauce. It had fire but most important, it had a burst of flavor. My husband loved it so much he put it in his meal too. It was a nice change for Mexican food because it wasn't all TexMex served with a block of cheese especially since I have a lactose intolerance. We will be making a dedicated stop next time we drive by. read more

Sat outside during the pandemic. Did a great job with outdoor heating. Service was a little slow but that didn't matter as perhaps the were short staffed. read more

Hey, Owner - guess what? We're locals that got ignored by your servers. Was it because they thought we were tourists? Good question. We were told twice we would be "with you in a moment" and a guy sat next us who was clearly a friend of the servers was served immediately and was gone before we even got chips, which we had to request. We also had to request silverware once we finally got our meals, btw. We support you year-around, yet we were given crap service behind one of their friends that sat next to us at the bar. Both my husband and I have spent many years in customer service. I've spent several in food service and know the cardinal rule is first come, first served. This, sir or madam, is something your servers could do well by learning themselves. Your saving grace, today, was the food and the only reason you received two stars instead of one. Usually an over-tipper, I hope your servers had the grace to give the pathetic 12% I left to the cooks, who actually earned it. read more

Best thing was the food. The Guacamole lacked almost any spice but a little salt helped a lot. We went late summer afternoon and very few people were there. It seemed well staffed but service was very slow. Worst part was the waitress constantly touching her face, her hair and obviously never washing her hands. Although I am sure she was doing this subconsciously, it definitely makes you a little grossed-out when they serve you your food. My suggestion to the management: Have someone sit people and immediately get them a drink. This does not have to be the waitress....there were 2 others floating around prepping future tables etc. Get the people next in line AFTER the people seated at least have a drink in their hand. Secondly...make the wait staff (and cooks) very aware of hygiene. It is imperative that the staff is AWARE not to be touching their skin and hair while waiting on people. Plain old Gross! Lastly, like many places I have been to....the food is the number one priority. It does not matter who serves it but it should be served immediately. I suggest you pool all tips and split them among the staff. This way when the food is ready....someone serves it while it is hot! Does not have to be the person that took the order!! Our food was good but not HOT! I agree with a friend who says I can eat almost anything if served hot but if Cold, a great ribeye is dog food! We will try again and hope for the best! read more

Let me give the positive first. The food was very good. So maybe stick with takeout. The bad. Boy where do I start. The service was HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE. 3 hours for a table of 4. 40 minutes just to get order taken. Food was cold when it arrived. Waitress never checked on us and didn't bring what was asked for when food was delivered. Drinks never refilled. Just terrible there is no other words. The fried ice cream was DISGUSTING tasted like burnt fuel. Skip it. Very short staffed always as another friend went prior to us and had the same terrible service. If you like good Mexican food and don't mind sitting for 3 hrs then you will be happy. If you care about decent service and don't want to sit all Night. STAY AWAY. 2 people working entire place and sharing bar tending. Not cool. read more

Place is just too overwhelmed, drabby and the margaritas very weak. Tiny parking lot, tiny restaurant. If its busy you'll wait 20+ minutes with no where to sit except next to a drafty, cold entrance or the bar for which half suffers the same condition. The interior is drabby and intimate (putting it mildly). The food was great if you're not accustomed to eating great Mexican food which most people from northern New England aren't. Pricy like most restaurants in this corner of New Hampshire for what is rendered. Only one server who was also overwhelmed. Gave what I thought was a generous tip for the amount of service and noticed they tacked on $5 to my credit card charge. WILL NEVER return and won't recommend to anyone. read more

Food is unquestionably a solid 5 stars. Authentic Mexican in New Hampshire sounds hard to believe, but even my friends from Southern California (where they have a lot of authentic Mexican restaurants) loved it. I recommend the Enchiladas Roja and the table side guacamole. The lost star is because they are ALWAYS understaffed. read more

Best Mexican food I've had! So amazing!! Must try!! Staff is awesome! Very friendly! Unbelievable food!! Highly recommend!

Impressive fajitas, and my wife enjoyed her tamales. We tried to get in on a Friday, but they were overflowing and it's not hard to see why. Sunday night worked better. Get something with the mole sauce, it's really good. If I'm in the area I will be back. read more

Great classic Mexican food and even better margaritas! My party enjoyed the fajitas with shrimp, one of the three taco combo platters, tamales, carnitas, and the chile gratinado. All were delicious. We also enjoyed the homemade complimentary salsa and chips as well as an order of the table side guacamole. Go for the skinny margarita, but it is strong. read more

Small restaurant. Small bar. Small staff. Small kitchen. In the summer, big crowds. That's a challenge. I wanted to love it, but I though it was just average food, slow service and a way above average bill. I don't see us returning. read more

Food is OK. Service leaves a lot to be desired. Have had several subpar experiences. Too many better options in the area -won't be back.

This is the second year in a row that I have come to this restaurant hoping for a pleasant experience and been severely disappointed. The food, while good, doesn't make up for the lousy service. This year, my family and I were tired and hungry after skiing all day, and we decided to call ahead to reserve a table with El Centenario. We were able to secure a table for eight for 6:00. We ended up getting there three or four minutes late and noticed that there were no free tables. Apparently, after waiting for a couple of minutes, they just let a group of 5 take our table for 8. When we decided not to wait, the staff-member talking to us simply dismissed their error and smiled as they waved us out. We won't be making this mistake again. read more

We heard great things about this restaurant so 4 of us decided to go on a Saturday evening. The food is excellent and you will get a delicious meal that will fill you up. Why not 5 stars? The reason being, the service is very slow. And when I mean slow, extremely slow. Yes, it was a Saturday evening, but there is one waitress and one bartender/waiter for all 12 tables. We started dinner at 6pm, or sat down at 6 and we left @ 8:30 that evening. Several times, we had to flag down the waitress to order another drink. She was so busy she did not have time to even ask how our food was or if we needed anything. I did ask for hot sauce, but that did not show up at the table. Again, the food was very good and you will not be disappointed with what you get or even with the portions. Order the burrito and you maybe taking some home. If you want a good meal, stop in but plan on staying for awhile as they need help in the service as they are too busy for 2 and 1/2 people serving food. read more

I'm used to food that just fills the belly in NH, not the soul, but El Centenario showed me much more. A small place on the outskirts of Wolfboro, it is set back from the main road a bit, so I think it gets overlooked. It shouldn't. While the chips and salsa didn't leave the best impression - the chips a little hard, the salsa a little sweet, the rest of the meal and the service more than made up from it. Our server, Julian, gave us great suggestions of drinks and dishes that were unique to El Centenario. He was friendly, attentive, and accommodating throughout. The main dishes were well spiced and flavorful. The more unique dishes definitely were the star of the show, though I got the trio enchiladas and I couldn't decide which of the 3 sauces I liked better because they were all great. While En Centenario is a little more of a drive from our place, now I know it is more than worth the drive. read more

We got here and the vibes seemed nice but quickly after we sat we looked at the menu and the food looked a little over priced. $18 a burrito is a lot. The chips and guacamole were $10which could be normal at some places but the chips came in an extremely small bowl which they then told us was $3 to refill everytime. That's ridiculous there was less then 20 chips in that bowl. The service took forever but when we finally got our food they gave my friends dish to me so as we were trying to switch the plates were so hot they burned my friend's hand and he dropped half his fries. We explained the situation to our server but she said she'd have to charge us for a whole new side. Our waitress was nice but that was the only nice thing about this place. Food was decent but very underwhelming for the prices. This place is cheap and way over priced and I would not recommend. read more

OMG this place! What a refreshing find in Wolfeboro. Authentic, friendly and delicious. We went back 3 times! Get the homemade guacamole, they usually prepare it at your table! Chips good and the fajitas were so tasty. Will go back again and again! read more

Food was delicious!!! We went there several times this summer. It would be even better if we could have drinks outside while waiting in the line read more

The absolutely worst Mexican food I've ever had in my life. Really. We were joking about the salsa (served with stale chips) being very close to marinara sauce, and remarkably they brought out enchiladas swimming in marinara. Canned marinara. I had unseasoned chicken in tortillas and burnt pork in burnt tortillas. It was miserable. Hey, don't mistake me for some guy who simply had some obscure regional Mexican and was taken back by the unfamiliarity. Thats not what this is. I couldn't tell you the difference between Yucatan and Baja regions, but I can tell the difference between North and South. I know Mexican food for what it is, richly different depending on region, full of wonderful complexitys and tastes. I grew up in San Diego and am happy to live in Maine, but do miss Mexican food. Any Mexican food, from any region. I'm happy with a chef getting over creative. I'd be happy with that chef's failures. Thats not what this is about. The food alternated between bland and canned. I would have been happier with a "Mexican" TV dinner. The owners seemed really nice, service was OK, the decor was very nice, seemed like a cozy little Mexican place. Food sucks. For all three of us having three different dishes. So much that I feel I was stolen from. Which is why this review has gone on for too long. read more

I remember when I lived in Manhattan I was surrounded by the best restaurants in the world. Once I traveled through Mexico by car stopping in these towns and experiencing little local restaurants. I remember being in this small town of Puebla in the middle of nowhere and experienced a Chicken Molé sauce like nothing I had ever tasted in all of the great Mexican restaurants in the City--until I moved to little town of Wolfeboro. I could not believe my tastebuds The Molé sauce brought back all of those incredible memories of the small town in Mexico--turns out I am told the owners are from the same little town so they bring ingredients and their local knowledge here. Then the added more like freshly made guacamole dip at your table and margiritas that you just need to appoint a designated driver. Every dish I have had perfect. There are a few more around in Moultonborough and I believe Conway owned by the same people Worth every forkful -- and a lot less expensive than driving to a little town in Mexico. read more

We weren't really expecting to find Mexican food this good in Wolfeboro. We were expecting average texmex type fare, but what we found were amazing dishes with the flavor and style of Puebla, Mexico, where the owner is from. The owner was really hospitable and fun to talk to and he makes a mean Margarita. I had a chicken in a ground walnut sauce entree that was incredible. They also make these fantastic wings, they simmer them in this hot sauce thats a mix of hot peppers, honey, orange juice, garlic and something else that for the life of me I can't figure out. read more

Just off the beaten path near town hall, El Centenario is a unique hidden gem that stands far and above many of Wolfeboro's other dining offerings! From the street it may not look like much, but inside you'll find a charming family-owned restaurant with a casual bar, and lots of ambiance and friendly service. The dishes are genuine Mexican cuisine, with recipes brought from the owner's home town of Puebla. The menu has more than enough choices to keep one coming back time and time again. Quite small, El Centenario is ideal for small groups of 2 to 4. I would imagine it can be quite busy on summer weekends. Prices are average for the area, which means $10-$20 a plate, but well worth it. It is difficult to find quality food at equal price elsewhere in Wolfeboro. Skip lunch and go for dinner to get your dollar's worth. ***UPDATE: Check out their NEW restaurant in Moultonboro NH, El Mariachi! read more

I would recommend this place to anyone who loves excellent Mexican food. So authentic and delicious . They had your standard fare but also Tamales ,several special Chile dishes and great margaritas. It's small so during a busy time it is best to make a reservation. I'm going to let friends know about this great little Wolfeboro read more

I'm no New Hampshire expert or anything, but I really don't think that you'll find the phrase: "Known for great Mexican food," listed along with other "The Granite State" or, "State Bird: The Purple Finch," kind of New Hampshire facts. This is the reason that I arched a highly-raised, "Really!?" eyebrow of skepticism to the idea of trying El Centenario for dinner. But it was my ole buddy's birthday and all up to him, so that's what we did. The restaurant was cute and very cozy. The service was quick and very friendly. The chips were really strange in texture and tasted baked? "Oooohh nooooo..." I thought, "well at least these margaritas are deliciously strong." Good margaritas are always a comfort, but weird chips might seem to predict a weird, possibly disastrous mealtime. Thankfully this was not at all the case. The chips and salsa were my only thumbs down. I would absolutely recommend the following dishes and I'd return to El Centenario for them any ole time: TACOS DE COCHINITA PIBIL: These tacos are stuffed with of juicy pork, slow-cooked in orange juice, achiote, and onions. DELICIOUS. ENCHILADAS SUIZAS: Rolled tortillas filled with tender shredded chicken, topped with cheese and smothered in an excellently tasty tomatillo salsa verde. Live free or die! Try the tacos or enchiladas! read more

Tucked behind a gas station, el centenario is small and compact. Inside looks like the opening scene of a low budget indie film confusing quirk with art. There is a bar with a number of classic bar stools for the drinkers. Adjacent, there are around 30 seats spread amongst 10 or so tables. The ambiance is what one may imagine a Mexican restaurant in a small New England town to be - artificial. Now I'm not going to bash a tiny local Mexican restaurant for mindlessly playing Mexican music through dying speakers in a desperate attempt to arouse authenticity. And the service was actually pretty solid. However, my date ordered one of the few nondairy things on the menu, an enchilada with no cheese, shredded pork, peppers, onions, and - at the tail end of the dish description - chocolate and nuts. Except it should have read: tortillas doused in Hersheys chocolate, microwaved to your desire. The dish was repulsive and the description misleading. It looked like the seductive green M&M lost control of her bowls on top of some tortillas. Though I won't give this place 1 star because I had an overpriced fajita that was actually fresh and tasty. The veggies were cooked well and the meat hearty. For a small town with limited options, I'd rather stay home and make tacos. read more

Let me preface this by thanking the blond, male busboy who ended up waiting on us. Thank YOU for your kindness, and for stepping up and providing good service when the waitstaff was unable to!! Two stars for YOU! That said, this place is a BUST and big dissapointment. We had the following and it ended up being almost 40 bucks - 1 diet coke, 1 (small) chicken burrito (didn't come with anything else, just a small burrito on the plate) and some chicken chimichangas. So WAY overpriced. Now onto the FOOD itself. SO BLAND, literally not a HINT of spice in my burrito. My burrito was literally a flour tortilla with about 5 quarter-sized pieces of chicken, then some rice, guac and lettuce, wrapped up. THAT'S IT. It literally had no taste and I had to slater it in salsa to make it edible. My hub had the chicken chimichangas, which at least came with a side of (clearly canned) refried beans and a pat of rice. They were very flavorless as well, and not memorable. This place strikes out - overpriced, bland food, and bad waitstaff (THANKS AGAIN BUSBOY for helping us after a long wait). Steer clear of this hole!!! MUCH bettter places to eat in Wolfeboro that are actually worth the money. read more

Overpriced and the food was just not at all good, even the rice was dry and hard rendering it completely inedible. Service made it take an hour and a half. read more

What a find! We were visiting Wolfeboro for the weekend and the restaurant we'd planned to eat at cancelled our reservation. Turns out that was great because otherwise we would never have eaten here. We started with delicious jalapeño margaritas -- good and spicy; not too sweet. My husband had Baja shrimp tacos and I had Chiles en Nogada, which is a poblano chili stuffed with ground beef and fruit in a creamy walnut sauce. Truly delicious! read more

My husband and I were craving other cuisines besides Traditional American, so we checked this place out. We came in a little after 5pm and by the time we left the entire restaurant was packed We were greeted by our server with hot chips and salsa. Awesome! I ordered the chicken tamales and my husband got the Al pastor and pollo tacos! We weren't expecting such large portions. It was nice to have food to bring home. This is where things got a little crazy. There were only two girls working and only 10 tables. I noticed they were having trouble keeping up so I gave them a few minutes to catch up before I asked to pack up our leftovers and the check. I asked the other server because ours was making guac for another table. Nothing. So after 15 minutes I asked again and she came over to the table dropped off the check with no pen. Asked the other waitress for a pen...Blah blah Food is really great here guys. Flow of tables and service needs a lot of work. I really wanted to buy a gift card for my hosts in NH, but I held off. Maybe next time. read more

See my other comments. Best Mexican in years, lots of food for lunch prices. Guacamole is unmatched! Understands Gluten-free issues; seems like chef made food special for the wife! read more

El Centenario - Behind the Sunoco on Union St. - Mexican Near Me - Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

Delicious Mexican food -- highly recommend that you get the chips and guacamole -- they make the guac for you right at your table!

Always great food. It has 10 tables so plan on making a reservation. Aria ( sp) was our waitress. Guacamole made at our table. Excellent

Bad service. Were not able/willing to give us a table even though there was one free that just needed an additional chair.

Excellent Mexican cuisine. Coming from Los Angeles with many superb Mexican restaurants, I had my doubts that there would be great Mexican food in New Hampshire, but I was very wrong. El Centenario's menu is extensive and filled with tasty treats. We had the table side guacamole, chicken enchiladas with salsa verde, carnitas tacos and Baja California fish tacos. All were up to par with Los Angeles preparations and the carnitas were particularly tasty. Thanks to the owners from Puebla Mexico and the friendly staff for a fun and enjoyable evening. Gracias. read more

We are convinced that we were on a hidden camera show. We ordered waters, right when we got there. We never got those, in 90 minutes. Asked two more times. Ordered additional drinks, after the first round. Asked if they were coming a couple more times. The waiter did tell us that they were ready, after we asked for the check. We declined and asked to pay. Waited 20 minutes for him to pick up the check and finally walked it to the register. Not trying to shit on anyone. I know times are hard. I hope they spend some time, working with the wait staff. I'm giving it two stars because the food was good. But that was a half star dining experience. read more

We were going to get some food from the grocery store to cook out home, but we decided to have an early dinner so as to beat the rush. Our friends here are part time locals and showed us El Centenario, an authentic Mexican restaurant. We had seven people and the place was pretty busy, so we had to wait a little while as expected. They told us the wait would be 15-20 minutes, but it ended up being about 30 because another large party showed up at the same time we were told to come back. We got a table in the corner. This was probably the best place we could get one since it was getting pretty busy and it's always annoying to have to be careful about waitstaff going by, etc., so we were pleased with our seats. The waitresses that helped us were very nice and patient when we ordered in Spanish, some better than others (I actually accidentally ordered in Portuñol), but their English was obviously just as good. There were some enchiladas, some tacos, and some other dishes as well. Everyone seemed satisfied at the end. My brother's order did have some trouble because he asked for three different sauces on it and they only put one originally. However, everyone involved handled it very well. The serving sizes were perfect for most of us. Some got a little more than they could eat in one sitting, but that's to be expected. There were no notable problems with anything other than the one order. Definitely would go back! read more

El Centenario - Tacos de Pollo (Chicken Tacos) - Mexican Near Me - Wolfeboro, New Hampshire