We went here last night and the service was fantastic! The food was incredible! This place was packed yet they still managed to seat us right away. Our waiter, Camden, greeted us immediately with glasses of water and chips & salsa in hand. He explained their menu. I asked for his recommendation. He recommended the Plato Matador or the Pollo Especial. I got the Plato matador. It was absolutely amazing. It was steak, chorizo, and chicken all perfectly cooked and juicy with caramelized onion, cheese, black beans (or retried), rice, and lettuce. We ordered queso for our chips so I added that on it as well. Yes! Just, Yes! My husband ordered a taco salad. He always orders the taco salad. When he saw how much I liked my he asked to try it and we ended up sharing mine. Even after sharing my plate we took over half of it home. He and I both got two meals from it. At home he ate it with the tortillas and I just ate it with chips. Omg! That was the best nachos I have ever had in my life!!!! read more

Ate lunch with my family today at El Centro in Old Town Winchester, VA. No wait. Great window seat to people watch in the pedestrian mall. Waitress super friendly. Queso with chorizo dip, chips and salsa were great! Ordered meal. When meal came out it had no refried beans and it DID have a tomato. Food made wrong. Easy enough fix. A side of refried beans arrived a second later and I took off tomato. The rice and beans sucked. Typical no flavor, out of the can taste to both. My faquita chicken chimis were so good! Camera died or I would have photographed my meal. 3 star restaurant. read more

El Centro - Mexican Near Me - Winchester, Virginia

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Not your average Mexican joint. Great menu. Great food. I ordered carryout and I could barely wait to get home to dive in..it smelled sooo good!! Do yourself a favor, and check them out if your ever in old town Winchester!!! read more

Call it early... but I was up early, so my schedule was a bit out of whack. As a result, I had my dinner earlier than usual today. I ordered the Chimichangas (Shrimp and Scallop flavored), since I like Mexican more than just a taco and burrito. First off, they give you the chips and salsa, the chips are very good; the salsa has just enough kick so it isn't all that bland. Only about 5-10 minutes after I ordered; my main course came. The rice is very tasty, the Chimichangas themselves were very good (a bit over-fried), but the guacamole is wonderful. It didn't taste out of a bottle. The black beans I had with it were average. I had better from other restaurants; so the beans were sub-par. I didn't get dessert considering the prices, my last bit. My dinner was EXPENSIVE. For one person it's like $12-$15 a person (without tip). I would go again, but next time maybe pick something like a burrito just to see what I am really getting. In ten words or less; I recommend, but bring a friend. read more

The margs here are delicious. I tried a pomegranate, elderflower, and passion fruit one. The elderflower was by far my fav and it was so refreshing and unique! The passion fruit was also delicious and didn't taste fake read more

Location is exactly how it's name described in "El Centro" of Old Town Winchester. Beautiful location with a great looking patio, my family and I were sat in a both by the window which was wonderful for nature light and people watching. To being we had margaritas and piña coladas and they were very well done, great bartender mix. The food however lacked in flavor, everyone of our entrees favor-less. I ask the server for some table salt (that help a lot). I was kind of surprised considering I've never been to a Mexican restaurant that served their food so bland. Something else to mention is their lack of vegetarian options, our only entree option was the veggie fajitas, kind of boring. Both my husband and I have "Mexican restaurant" on our eating out rotation because there is usually a variety of options for us but unfortunately El Centro in Winchester did not. Our server was pleasant and attentive she did her best to serve us. All in all a very underwhelming food which is the main reason I go to dine out but, I'll consider trying El Centro again. Maybe the chef had an off day, and if not I'll still enjoy the margaritas and piña colada one last time. read more

If you ever happen to stroll through Old Town Winchester one evening, you'll probably notice that this place is probably the busiest place on the street. From indoor to outdoor seating, this place is busy for good reasons. Service- seats you and your company quickly. Immediately brings out chips and salsa (might I add their salsa is one of my favorite salsas ever, and if you check in on yelp, you get free queso or guac!), takes your orders of drinks, and gives you enough time to decide on your meal before taking your order. The food- from a variety of soups/salsa, to their burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, tacos... everything was well seasoned and tasted pretty dang good. Pricing is about average so don't expect $1.50 tacos or $5 burritos. Regardless, all very delicious and a very pleasant sit down restaurant. They do happy hour (I think 2-5? 3-5?) and I already can't wait to come back! read more

I went to El Centro for lunch about two weeks ago (I work close by). I ordered the chicken burrito with homemade red sauce. I am not exaggerating at all when I say that it tasted like NOTHING. Absolutely nothing. The chicken inside was dry - the burritos were accompanied by tasteless rice, shredded iceberg lettuce, and a plop of sour cream. I was completely astounded - I don't know how food can turn out so tasteless, especially Mexican food. I felt like I couldn't leave without saying something, so I spoke with the young man at the host stand. I just wanted to pass it along. I didn't ask for a refund, but the nice young man refunded my money. That - and the fact that it was my first time there - is the reason why I give two stars instead of one. read more

Not sure how they call this place Mexican food, more like a fancy Taco Bell. There burritos shouldn't even be called burritos either...

This place is really good. Everything we ordered was on point and flavorful including the deserts! If we didn't live out of state we would definitely be regulars here. Nice atmosphere too! read more

I have eaten at el centro several times. There service can be a little slow but they usually serve you quickly. They always give you excellent chips and salsa as soon as you are seated. I have gotten the chimichangas and their pollo espacial. The chimichangas are top of the line. The corn tortilla is cooked nicely and choosing the steak for the protein makes it go to another level. The pollo espacial is well made but i think it is not my cup of tea. I love the ambiance the music and the architecture are perfect. All in all el centro is an excellent place to stop by when in Winchester. read more

Slow service, poorly seasoned food. I'm shocked at how many people go here. Tables were sticky.

Excellent Elderflower Margaritas. Nice and fresh. Highly recommend. Great location and friendly service.

In the area for a wedding, walking around Old Town area and saw this place yesterday. So decided to go to lunch there today. Arrived around 11:15 and we're about to go inside as the staff was putting out the menu board. They told us kindly that the website had their hours wrong and that they didn't open for lunch until 11:30. So we sat outside near the flower boxes and enjoyed the area. Shortly before 11:30 one of the employees came out and escorted us in and told us to pick whatever spot we wanted. I thought this was very nice of them to come out and get us!! We ordered our food and enjoyed the fresh made salsa and chips while we waited for our entrees. I ordered the Chicken Quesadilla with rice and beans. And my husband ordered the steak tacos (3). Our food came from the kitchen pipping hot and very well presented on the plates. My quesadilla was fabulous! The grilled chicken was seasoned and topped with a delicious cheese (almost sauce'ish) that was very tasty. The rice and beans were good too. My husbands steak tacos were served with ample pieces of grilled steak and also very tasty. When we finished we were offered dessert but had no room so maybe next time we will eat lighter and try a dessert. If certainly go back and have already recommended this place to others in our group. I did get pictures of his meal but mine even looks delicious in the picture!! read more

El Centro - Chicken Quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - Winchester, Virginia

Best frozen margaritas ever! My husband and I go to El Centro specifically for the margaritas. We also love the Chimi Rolls. The other food is good. I wouldn't say the best I've ever had, but good enough that we keep going back. Also, we always get great service. El Centro is the one restaurant in Winchester that we go to over and over. read more

This is the best mexican restaurant in the area. We lived in Dallas for 4 years and this rivals many of our favorite places there. I love the mole sauce. The dalda is fresh and delicious. The kids' meals come with a free drink, which is always nice. Quick service, nice atmosphere on the walking mall. We come back often! read more

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Driving south on I81 we wanted to stop for lunch and went to Old Town Winchester. We picked El Centro and sat outside. The food was good and our family had kids tacos (chicken and beef), and a taco salad with beef and an El Centro salad with shrimp. Everything was flavorful and prepared well. The chips and salsa that come at the start was great too. Warm chips and fresh salsa also was great on top of the salads. The outdoor seating was great right in the heart of Old Town Winchester. Menus were via QR code which was easy to navigate. Service was solid. read more

The best thing about this restaurant is sitting in the window seat to people watch. I've been there several times because I can walk there. The food is very bland & the drinks are REALLY WEAK! I now order beer instead of margaritas..plus the price of their drinks isn't worth it. read more

I love the location and the service was phenomenal. That being said, this really wasn't much better than an upscale taco bell. The dishes are thrown together with proteins such as beef and chicken being served as thin slices of toughness. The prepackaged chicken "patties' in the El Matador were something out of a frozen bag. And what is with no tomatoes except in the salsa? Winchester is the heart of the vegatable/fruit belt. Good lord...use fresh ingredients. Zero flavor in the fajitas and once again, a very tough "steak um" substitute. I didn't even like the chips. Thank God the beer was cold. i am sure there are better Mexican places in Winchester than this. Just need to go outside of the lovely old town in Winchester I guess. read more

There might be good stuff on the menu, but I didn't find it on my first visit. Steak fajitas were mostly grilled veg with maybe 2 or 3 oz of flavorless strings of beef. Guacamole was mostly sour cream. Received beans, rice, all meh. The homemade hot sauce was a bright spot I guess. Won't be returning. read more

Elvis ( if I spelled her name correctly) saved our visit. We were ready to leave. The hostess did not convey we were to follow her. She put the tableware down and walked away. When we stood there and asked about a menu she told us to use the square and pointed to a tiny square above the table. Our server ran over with menus and from there the visit was great. Loved the device and the enchiladas. The salsa was the best we have had in a long time. Chunky. Loved the tomatoes snd cilantro in the black beans. read more

Note: I placed an order for pick-up, so this review only speaks to the food, not the service. This is as far from "authentic" Mexican as you can. I ordered the tacos al carbon, and selected carnitas, steak, and shrimp/scallops. All three tacos came in slightly soggy flour tortillas with NOTHING other than the meat. No onions, cilantro, pico de gallo, cotija cheese, queso fresco, or any sauces. The carnitas and steak were very bland - they did not taste like they were seasoned at all, not even with salt. The shrimp tacos did not come with scallops as listed in the online menu and were also bland. The tacos came with a side of shredded iceberg lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and what looked like microwaved rice-a-roni. I assume these were suppose to be the "toppings," but they were completely unappetizing. I ordered the queso blanco based on the other Yelp reviews. I was expecting something similar to queso fundido - stringy, salty, mexican cheese like oaxaca, manchego, or asadero. Instead, I got melted white Velveeta that tasted like movie theater nacho cheese sauce. While the decor inside seemed nice and the cashier who handed my order was friendly, the food here was road-trip, rest stop quality. Seriously, Chili's has way better "Mexican" food. Obviously, Chili's is no where near "authentic" Mexican food, but I promise their food is at the very least much tastier than El Centro. read more

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Great & friendly service! We ate outside on their really nice patio area. The chimi rolls were literally one of the best things we've ever had! read more

El Centro - Chimi Rolls - Mexican Near Me - Winchester, Virginia

My husband and I (Philadelphians)are visiting our son/his wife in Winchester. Ordered takeouts from El Centro and were very pleased with everything. Quesadillas were excellent; Fajitas fresh and plentiful. Enchiladas excellent. Margaritas ready to go in a six-pack holder. Pleased with our orders in every way! read more

Quick service, delicious food and friendly staff. Seating outside on a nice day is a plus! Perfect for people watching. :)

We lived in Winchester and loved to go to El Centro. My husband and I moved to other city 3 years ago and today we decided drive 1 hour to go there again, after this COVID thing this was the first time that we were going out for lunch. Saturday, sunny and hot day, we waited about 1 hour to be seated (they sent us text msg). Even waiting so long we were still very excited...until the waitress that served us. Horrible service. Horrible!! We sat and they started to serve the people that arrived after us. I called her and very rude said "wait a moment". We ask for the Menu and she just shook her head in the direction of a square (QR code) that we should scan with our phone, but she didn't explain absolutely anything. We were lost and just order the same thing as usual. 5 min later we saw a couple in a table beside us reading the menu that other waiter brought to them. I'm giving "2 stars" because of the food that is still good but would give "0" for the service. For sure we won't come back too soon! read more

Ordered take out from here. Friendly staff and very fast service! We ordered the Mexican jambalaya and the flautas. The Mexican jambalaya was impressive! 70/30 meat to veggie ratio (by appearance), meat was tender, mixture perfectly moist. The chicken flautas, however, were dry and tasteless. We were expecting a Taquito, but it was basically a dry corn tortilla and dry chicken deep fried. Rice and beans were great for dipping the flautas in. read more

Hello I visited today . Bad bad service. A lot employees talking in the host stand. The server came and we need give it a lot instruction. He keep in the kitchen eating. We order 2 beer for lady's, he bring only one glass. Slow service. He didn't understand the order instructions. I need called for service couple times. The food was good. Margaritas just juice. He bring me the margarita with sugar ring and I order with salt. Prices and food is ok! This server need training! read more

Great place. Staff was kind and playful. Clean well lit amazing view of the down town area read more

El Centro - Shrimp and scallop fajitas are the best thing ever - Mexican Near Me - Winchester, Virginia

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Very nice service, we had Susan serve us and she was great. The enchiladas lunch special is great with black beans. Chips and salsa were a weak link... original basket had nothing but shards... but Susan hooked us up with better ones as well as free drinks. The environment here is nice. I'm pretty sure this used to be a coffee shop in the middle of the Winchester Pedestrian Mall, but now it is a Mexican restaurant. It is very busy as I am typing this up. Every seat is full and the patio outside is at max capacity. I would come back if I knew Susan was working! I recommend trying this place. read more

My wife had the fajita and commented that it lacked flavor. I had a chicken and vegetable meal that was ok. The salsa was good and the guacamole was ok. The chips lacked salt so they were pretty tasteless read more

El Centro - Mexican Near Me - Winchester, Virginia

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Pleasant place and great for large groups and families ... we enjoyed a pretty standard Tex-mex meal on a rainy January day. Aztec tortilla soup was solid but missed the classic cream and ancho topping ... the chimichanga was not deep-fried, but the steak salad was served in a deep-fried shell, which was tasty but not expected. Service was prompt and friendly and the restaurant is well-located on the pedestrian mall. read more

This place has the worst "Mexican" food I have ever tasted. The only decent thing about this place is that they serve alcohol, but even that is expensive for no reason. If you actually like Mexican food, do not eat here! read more

Not a big fan. I usually like more of an americanized mexican place but even this wasn't decent. The food wasn't really that great and the waiters could've been nicer. read more

I had the taco plate for dinner tonight and it was terrible. The shells were soggy. The ground beef was flavorless and dry. There was very little cheese and no tomatoes at all. Rice was dry and bland. I wouldnt return here again. read more

Enjoyed a quick bite on Tuesday evening before heading a play with my daughter. We sat outside, which we were lucky to able to be able, as we took the last outdoor table. It was 5 o'clock, many people having margaritas, music could be heard from a local musician who was playing right outside of patio. Was great atmosphere! I ordered their pick 3 appetizer sampler (can't remember the specific name) I chose: -cheese quesadilla -chicken flautas -queso & gaucamole Was huge portion of the dips. The finger foods were just the right amount My daughter opted for the $4.99 kids meal with a crunchy taco, ff, and Coke. She loves their tacos! Everything was great! The only disappointment is that we were unable to order a taco a la carte. Won't stop of from coming back though!! :) read more

Absolutely love El Centro! No matter the time or day, this food is fresh and delicious. Recently, I used the to-go service on Eat24 through Yelp, and I was so impressed with how quick my order was confirmed. I could track the entire order while I was waiting. The tortilla soup was warm and good for my soul especially from the impending snow we were receiving. Thank you El Centro for always going above and beyond! read more

I went there twice. The food was mediocre and the service even worse. They need to step up their game.

I love this place so much. I have been here probably 30 times and I can say that they have NEVER messed up my order. The servers are spectacular, the food is incredible. I LOVE YOU GUYS! They even remember to bring the house made hot sauce without my asking now. I usually get fajitas, but sometimes I change it up. Keep doin' what you do El Centro. read more

Some days it tastes better than others. Definitely not the best Mexican restaurant I've been too. Service is spotty.