Although the restaurant is a little outdated, there's still good food, drinks, and great service. I recommend any of their enchiladas and fajitas! read more

El Centinela Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Winder, Georgia

Ambiance is a little out dated but service is pretty good. Food is great and very tasty. Overall I am a little biased since I grew up on this food. I say it's a good quick eat! read more

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From the outside this restaurant looks nice then you go in and it's really old looking with small booths and wagon wheels. The menu is old and the pictures are dark and not very appetizing to look at. The server didn't speak English very well because I said this was our first time and I asked if they had any specials and she didn't respond. The chips were hot and the salsa tasted good. We also shared a coke and that was good. We wanted to share two cheese enchiladas and a cheese quesadilla with rice and beans but the server was like no we can't do substitutions so we paid $4.00 for the soda ($3 + tax) and left. We'll never return here. Instead we went and had great tasting bbq lunch at Smokin PO Boys bbq right down the Street. read more

Good Food, Great Service, and a nice setting away from other restaurants. Fajitas and three way burrito highly recommended.

Go for the lunch specials! I visited my daughter for a few days and we visited here twice it was so good. When visiting new cities I live to check out news places but this local spot was so good we came twice. We picked up carry out both times. It was ready in minutes. The food was so yummy, huge portions and a great value too! I'm a bargain girl and when you have a whole family to feed good food at a bargain is a plus. This place was packed on the weekend evening. Very large open spaces restaurant. read more

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Ate here today with my two daughters. We have been here several times before. But today, was a little off. We actually tried to go to El Camino first, and they seated us without menus and the ac didn't seem to be working, so we left there and came here. We got the chips really fast. About 10 minutes passed after that and finally out drink order was taken. We also ordered our food at the same time. The ground beef in the burritos was like dog food quality meat. other than that the food was ok. Not good. Not bad. Just kinda...food. read more

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Was seated fairly quickly, but went downhill from there ... After being seated for an extended period decided to leave. Service is poor, so I wo Der how the food is? read more

Six years ago I rated 5 stars, that's no longer the case. During our last 3 visits our orders were wrong and came out cold. At some point they switched from freshly made entrées to the same pre-made "Mc Mexican" stuff the other 30 Mexican restaurants in this town serve. Needless to say we don't go here anymore. read more

They answer the phone but make me wait more that 10 min in line and then hung up. service is not so good read more

If you are I. Winder and looking for some Mexican this is your place! No current menus online is the only down side!

We decided to give it another try after several years. OMG, it's even worse than before. After an hour we gave up and walked out. Terrible drinks, terrible service. Can't tell you how the food is, because we didn't get any. Never again. read more

A petty typical neighborhood mexican resturant. The menu is a bit more creative than average. Service was just OK. Took a while longer than it should have given that they weren't very busy. Our server wasn't that attentive - we saw him when he took our order and when the food was delivered. Food was just OK. Two of our party that had dishes with shrimp in them commented that the shrimp were overcooked - making them tough. One dish with scallops had an unusual flavor. The teenager who ordered this dish can be a picky eater so I tried one - and I wouldn't have eaten them either. I suspect they were cooked on the same flattop as fajita's or something and picked up some spices that just didn't 'go' with scallops. read more

It's the best Mexican Restaurant around & that saying something. There are a lot of choices here in Winder. It's family owned & operated. Prices are reasonable. The service is friendly & attentive, they kept my drink filled. There's plenty of seating & parking. They have a full bar with authentic Mexican Tequila choices. read more

El Centinela Mexican Restaurant - El Texano Lunch - Mexican Near Me - Winder, Georgia

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We have enjoyed this restaurant for years. Tonight was a bummer. Tacos were soggy. Rice was very dry, chip's were stale. The churros were like eating shredded wheat... what has happened? The restaurant was not even busy like normal. What's going on? read more

Food was just okay. Not the worst I've ever had but it was close. Service was just about non existent. The only reason I gave the extra star was because the salsa was really, really good. read more

Been here previously, for a nephew's birthday party. Unfortunately, they continue to miss the mark. Salsa is decent. Opting for a salad thinking it was a safer choice, was surprised to receive a cheese dip, sour cream, bean "soup" in a tortilla bowl. Not one of their finer efforts, and since my wife chose the same "safe" choice, and it was executed the same way, I suspect that it was intentional. read more

Went there last month with my wife. On a friday night. It was packed & there was a wait, which we expected. Wait staff seemed overwhelmed. It was very noisy. Food was so-so (La Luna is better). My wife found a long strand of hair in her food, which killed her appetite for this restaurant. The waiter had the manager come over to verify the hair & the entree was removed from our bill. My wife had me stop by La Luna on the way home to pick her up some much better mexican, minus the hair. :) read more

I'm not sure why the reviews here are so good. My husband and I recently moved from California and were craving authentic Mexican. We were seated right away by a friendly server. Unfortunately, our table was sticky and not wiped down from the previous diners. My husband ordered a taco, tamale and enchilada plate. I ordered the chile relleno. When our food arrived I tried to send mine back as it wasn't even recognizable as a relleno. It was almost like a meat gravy topped with a slice of pepper and smothered in cheese sauce. My husbands enchilada was cold and the tamale tasted like it came from a can. We were seriously disappointed. I guess we will be back at El Real where at least it is clean and the food is decent for not being authentic. read more

Okay... While the food has not improved in fact the opposite, the prices have risen dramatically. There are now lots of Mexican restaurants in Winder from which to chose, so I'll take my business elsewhere. Price drives my expectations. read more

The food here is great. The taste is authentic and flavorful. I really enjoy the Molcajete (chicken, beef, chorizo, peppers, green onions, cheeses, etc) in a mortar. It's really good. And the Carnitas (pork cooked to perfection melt In your mouth awesomeness). The only bad thing I have to say is that their bar/drinks have gone downhill BIG time! No knowledgeable bartender?!! Which bartender does NOT KNOW HOW TO MAKE A DIRTY MARTINI? How dare they ask me what flavor? The bartender thought a Dirty Martini had a fruit flavor (cranberry? Strawberry? Mango? Peach? Raspberry?). So after telling them the simple ingredients in a SIMPLE Dirty Martini, instead I got a glass filled with olive juice (brine). Disgusting!!! I returned it and asked for a water and lemon. Will never return here for a drink, EVER!!!! But I Will return here for the Carnitas and Molcajete though. :) read more

My husband and I just moved to the area so we are trying out new places. This restaurant was a little farther from home but had better reviews so we went. We were seated immediately and served chips and salsa. The chips were stale. Our server was very friendly. I ordered the chimichanga and my husband ordered a huge burrito, not sure what the name on the menu was. We waited 45 minutes before we received our food. I didn't think they were that busy. Our drinks were always filled and we went through two baskets of chips before our meals came out. Even though they were stale, we were starving! We did enjoy our food, but hated waiting so long on a night where it definitely did not seem busy. It was a Wednesday night, in case anyone is wondering. A couple of things that bothered us was on the television, they were showing someone get liposuction. I don't know about you, but that is not something I want to see while eating. It was also fairly loud in there. We sort of had to yell to hear each other, and my husband was uncomfortable yelling in public so we didn't get to talk much. El Centinela is also pricier than the Mexican restaurant that is right down the street from us. The food is comparable with each other, so I'm not sure why they are pricier. We will not likely come back here unless we are driving by and have a desperate need for food. It just isn't that great. Another thing, our server mentioned that she was the only person in the entire place that spoke English. I would have hated to have a different server that night if that is true! read more

A Texas friend recommended this place to me and honestly it was just average fare on my first visit. My friend comes here for the chips & salsa. They were good but not great. The chips were average thickness and the salsa is heavy on the garlic powder. I ordered the Quesadilla Pastor. The meat was a little gristley and tough without much flavor. I wouldn't get it again. Would I drive out of my way to eat here...no. My first experience was just average fare. read more

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I love this place. It's the normally Friday night routine for my family. I highly recommend the tacos el pastor and chile relleno. Great service. The only negative I'd give it is, since the addition of the patio seating at the front entrance, it's often crowded at the door at the dinner rush. read more

Service - very attentive (really good) Chips/salsa - good, but never got refill on salsa Food - ok Ambiance- good Drinks - really good Price - good read more

Food was fair but the service was not. Also wanted to know if the rice or beans had any animal products as my daughter and granddaughter are vegetarian. Our waitress left. Came back, and aside she wasn't sure. So food was fair not great and with that service I'll go elsewhere read more

The best Mexican lunch I have had in Winder. Bright and roomy with excellent lunch specials at a good price. The wait staff was literally running when I was there (short staffed?) and getting a drink refill was difficult but once I got their attention it was quite fast. I asked for a soft taco instead of the normal crispy variety and it cale very well presented and delicious. I will be back. read more

The food was ehh, dry rice, but the service sucked!! The waitress had an attitude, probably because we were her last table of the night. Felt rushed, had people staring at us to leave and the server dropped cheese dip all over my mother's purse and did not say a thing. We walked out of there and no one offered to help clean or bring a rag. I will NOT be coming back. Terrible first experience. read more

We have been customers for years but after the service we received today we will not be back. We finished a round of margaritas before a 2nd waiter stopped by to take our order. Horrible service & the food is not as good as it once was. read more

My friend and I were back last night. Really good food, great service as usual. Very nice and friendly waiters. The Mexican guacamole dip was excellent. Will be back soon. read more

This is our family's new Go-To when we have a taste for Mexican food. The service was top notch and extremely fast. My wife ordered chicken fajitas and absolutely loved them. I opted for the Juanita's special and couldn't have been happier. Our children enjoyed both the cheeseburger and the chicken tender meals. Portion size was plentiful and everything came out hot. The only two things I would add were that they forgot to bring our queso dip out first as an appetizer and they brought the adults food out prior to the children's by several minutes. Neither of these were bad enough in our eyes to warrant anything less then a 5 star review though! We will be back in very soon! read more

This place used to be really good it's gone down hill since I've had so many teenagers that don't wanna do their jobs. I'm going to the bathroom this toilet paper all over the place. the restrooms are completely smells like Fabulosa which is a good thing but they don't want to clean it up. The managers and the waiters are all sitting together on the phone not care one thing about anybody. Also the waiter that we had she was upset for some reason before we walk through the door but then when I ask her for something she had a nasty attitude. I would never recommend this place to get a Use to be real good. read more

Love the drinks....they are STRONG and good. That Juanita Special is my favorite. I think we will actually visit here tomorrow since it popped up for me to review it!!! And maybe even a Girls Night would be in order?? read more

The locals really love this place but I found it to be pretty bad. The sweet tea was so sweet the locals we went with didn't order it and laughed when we took our first drink. I ordered the #16 the menu said a chalupa, a chili relano, and an enchilada. I received a bean tostada, some cheese and hamburger mix with a small piece of a chili about the size of half my thumb, and an enchilada. The tostada and hamburger mixture was covered in lettuce so I hunted for my food then confirmed with the waiter as to what was supposed to be what. Maybe because I'm from the west coast I thought it was horrible. The place was packed. The locals we were with ordered mexican pizza. I don't believe they have the same type of mexican food we do. read more

I ate here last night hoping for something very authentic. I was disappointed at the sight of green peas and carrots in my Spanish rice. I ordered the Poblano plate. Everything was covered in red sauce,too much and a cheesy sauce. I also ordered a tamale on the side. Same smothering of red sauce and cheese sauce trimmed in ground beef(?). Odd accompaniment with a pork tamale. Not horrible but not great either. Chips and salsa okay,asked for a side of Pico de Gallo to add to lackluster salsa,it helped. Server was courteous, checked back frequently. Overall was okay but will limit my visits. read more

We have been several times and with 1 exception had good service. The food is consistently good, well seasoned and prepared and generous portions. My hubby and son love the El Trunko special. I have like everything I have gotten. read more

One of the worst dining experiences ever! All of the staff was very rude to my mother and two elderly aunts. We asked the manager for assistance and he completely ignored us and called for the waiter...who was also dismissive and rude. The guacamole was very a mix....they over -charge for everything...we asked for extra salsa and they charged us for it. DO NOT GO HERE. read more

DO NOT GO TO THIS RESTAURANT!!!! EXTREMELY RUDE STAFF, LONG WAIT. My friend had a birthday dinner here and the wait was over an hour our and the server was very rude. When our food finally arrived, my friend's food had a fly on it!!! Instead of apologizing for it the server was extremely rude and said "it's out of my control". Yes I understand it's out of your control but be more sympathetic. When the manager came he said that we had put the fly on her plate or it fell from my friend's hair!!!. read more

I would give a zero star if I could. We told the server we needed an extra minute to decide on an order. The server rolled his eyes and walked away. Horrible service. read more

El Centinela is a good restaurant if you are looking for reasonably priced Mexican food. Unfortunately, the food is not of the highest quality so don't come expecting a lavish meal for the cheap price. The dining area is spacious and comfortable for all families and individuals eating. However, the shining light of the restaurant is its service and atmosphere. Generally speaking, the restaurant is good based on its pricing, atmosphere, service, and space. Prices at El Centinela are pretty reasonable for being a private, family business. I've gone out with friends and never had to spend over fifth teen dollars. Even including tip, I have never left feeling as if I wasted my money. The prices reflect the food which is nothing special in quality, although the food comes in large quantities so when leaving you will always be full and satisfied. Coming to eat at a restaurant and having a rude, annoying server is usually not fun to deal with. Well having a meal at El Centinela you will never have that issue because the servers are always cheerful and happy that you are dining there. In my experiences, I have never had to ask for a refill, which says a lot for a restaurant. This usually means its workers are dedicated to their craft and care about their jobs. The workers even suggest which foods to eat and not to eat, and in doing this they show honesty for their character. Honestly, the best thing about the staff is you can see that they are real people too and are not just trying to get you to buy the product. As a side note, they crack jokes with you which makes the whole staff feel relatively friendly. The space, in my opinion, is great; no one likes eating elbows to shoulders with someone. This does not apply to me though however, I will see families come with at least six to eight people eat comfortably as well. You have three places to eat at El Centinela, which include the booths, main long tables, and the patio area. My favorite spot is the booths solely because I usually come with friends, so around four people. Like I said before if you have more than four people I strongly suggest the main long tables. Although, the patio area is great as well at dusk because the sun is setting and the temperatures outside have significantly dropped. The overall atmosphere in El Centinela is great as well. When you walk in, you are not greeted by an angry mob of ungrateful people who are terrible at waiting for a table but you are greeted by a polite hostess who takes you to an open table of your choosing. Once you sit, you soon hear the light sound of Latina and Hispanic music playing in the background causing an almost immersion effect with the culture. It is never chaotic or loud which makes this a perfect atmosphere for families with small or young children. The servers seem to pride themselves on the cleanliness of the restaurant because never had I have a sticky table or a wet seat upon arrival. The interior of the place is rustic and authentic of a true Mexican restaurant which I find endearing to the family who owns the business; this suggests they care to remain true to their roots. In conclusion, El Centinela is a good Mexican restaurant for families and individuals looking for reasonably priced food. The service is wonderful and you will not feel forced to leave a tip. Although the food is not of the highest standard, you will not be dissatisfied due to the large quantities. El Centinela is worth a visit if you are passing through Winder. read more

I sent my sister to pick up take out. They had the back of the dining room blocked off and everyone crammed into the front. I guess they don't care about their customers during a Pandemic. They will not deliver to your car because I ask. My sister had to wait 15 min for our food when they said it would be done. The food was cold and over cooked. I will not go there again. They seem to not care about their customers. Bad Bad experience. read more