Situated on Thompson Lane in what used to be a Burger King, this location of El Cubilete did not come to play with y'all! I popped in one day after running errands around Murfreesboro and when I first saw that it was an old BK converted into Mexican restaurant, I thought to myself this is either going to be distrusting or delicious, and lucky for me it was the latter! El Cubilete serves up authentic Mexican food, and while you can still get the classics you are used to, they focus a lot on the true Mexican classics. Being the gringo I am, I went with my tried and true chicken, rice and cheese sided with some chori-queso. While the order was basic, the food itself was not. The queso, chips, chicken, tortillas and everything was fresh, hot and absolutely delicious. To with the food, they brought out their house red and green sauce. SPICY is an understatement, but I could handle in small dabs, and through that realized while the green was milder, the red had better flavor. But honestly it was lose-lose for me with those sauces. In addition to the food, they have a small drink menu with beers, frozen drinks and a solid selection of agua frescas. Service was stellar. The owner was super kind, welcoming me in, checking on me during my meal and ultimately ringing me out. All the servers were friendly and helpful. Overall, odd layout and set up, along with service being communal (everyone serves everyone together), which is a bit odd...but even with all that, the food and service speak up and stand alone. Great spot with good folks and tasty food! I would certainly swing back through when in Murfreesboro. read more

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They closed??! Why?! Where am I to get my Green Pozole now?! It was one of the best things I've ever put in my mouth.

Good food! There was plenty of parking so I really liked how I didn't have to deal with trying to find a parking spot. We got in during lunch hours on a Sunday. The place was pretty packed, but we got seated right away. The salsa was really good. I liked it a lot. I really don't have any complaints about any of the food. Everything I tried was good. I tried the whole tilapia and the tilapia was really huge! It was fried perfectly. It wasn't overcooked or undercooked. Their rice was also really good. I really loved the birria tacos here. I also tried their strawberries and cream and that was also pretty good. The people here were pretty nice. Our server dropped the food off and then we never saw her again, but it was understandable since they were pretty busy during lunch. In all, I had a really good experience and would be back. read more

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We did the drive thru one night. The food was amazing! The guy working was not friendly but also not exactly rude. The restaurant itself is low key but the tamales make it all worth it. read more

I recommend this place to any of my friends or family. Probably the closest you can get when it comes to authenticity here in the boro!

I love it when an old fast food place is transformed into a real local spot for great food. That's very much the case here--lots of parking and a roomy interior. Prompt gracious service. All of the basics covered. But the food easily separates this place from the city's many good Mexican restaurants. We started with an excellent choriqueso and homemade salsa--the chips better than most. The mole chicken was superb, rich, earthy but a bit of sweet in the sauce--the chicken was so tender too. The other dish was chicken smothered in peppers and mushrooms. Tasty and not overcooked. The fruit drinks were refreshing but not overly sweet. They also have beer and margaritas--a small bar, the only drawback to this casual reasonably price restaurant. read more

El Cubilete - Choriqueso - Mexican Near Me - Murfreesboro, Tennessee

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Service quick and easy to pick up. Jalapeño avocado dipping sauce my favorite here. Got the heat level to my taste. read more

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Great food, service, and ambiance. Family place, very nice folks. Pollo a la Playa and tamale were great, along with the Coke bottled in Mexico (cane sugar). read more

The BRC was my favorite. I've never seen a carnitas Taco that had cubed pork. It was super dry. Usually with carnitas the fat is almost the same texture as the meat, but this was not good. The meat was dry. Same with the tamale. It's was dry. Loved the man at the drive thru. He has such a positive personality. I will definitely try again. Maybe it was an off day. read more

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This was highly rated so my daughter and I tried it to confirm or deny.... We confirm the service and the food taste were both 5 stars. Not as Americanized as other "Mexican " restaurants. We chose the chicken enchiladas and the chicken was not shredded it was more cubed or diced. I thought that it was better than the shredded chicken at most Mexican restaurants. We really enjoyed the food and service. Great experience. read more

El Cubilete - Chicken Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Murfreesboro, Tennessee

I visited a second time. I ordered the shrimp and seafood soup. It wasn't very good. Shrimp were overcooked. The soup base wasn't very good. Other items were still good, but I can't keep the previous 5 star review. read more

Love this place. One of the only places you can find an authentic mole in Murfreesboro. Prices are fair and the food is delicious. Come give them a try read more

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So yummy!! Staff was friendly, the restaurant was clean, and the food was delicious!! I'll be back for sure!! read more

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True Mexican food. This is not a place for tex mex this is what you would get at a randon mexican home. You have to be adventurous because they mostly serve Mexican people and had to find a server that spoke English for us. read more

Craving some good Mexican food but was disappointed! Went to the old Burger King, this restaurant still seems like the same fast food restaurant. No Mexican flare which you expect.. Tried the tacos, tasteless chicken and when I ordered a soft taco you would think it would be a flour tortilla, nope! A raw corn one was served to me. Asked for a DR. Pepper, came in a bottle, no ice in cup until I requested it. Service was slow and the chips were awful and greasy! Salsa was decent though. Ordered a Tamale, it was still served in the husk! Who wants to unwrap those? On top of it, it was dry and hardly any pork in it. Sad to say but I was not impressed with this place. read more

El Cubilete - Soft chicken taco, where's the chicken? - Mexican Near Me - Murfreesboro, Tennessee

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Barbacoa Plate Food was flavorful! Place was very busy when we walked in but quick service and good food. The Restaurant was clean , staff was nice and attentive! Sorry no pic that day ‍ read more

Ordered 4 meals and two with 3x sour cream , no sour cream came with my order when it arrived. Will eat here again, but please remember to add sour cream. The two tamale's I ordered also were amazing!!!! I forgot to ask to shred the pork ;) Omfg the green and red sauce is hot but good. I put lime with my steak. Everything is good, just remember the sour cream. Tongue on fire xD but thats my own fault . The atmosphere is good but I ordered togo. Always go in because it is better to go in ! read more

Food had great flavor. Tasted like home cooked. Portions were excellent. Service was great, friendly and very attentive. I recommemd this restaurant. read more

This place was extremely busy at 1pm. There was only one person serving and bringing food out when I was there so it took a little while to get my order placed. The food was pretty good. I wouldn't say it was amazing but I got the taco salad. The place was clean and very accessible from the main road. There was lots of parking. All in all, I would come here again but I wouldn't get the same food I ordered last time. read more

Great food, service is amazing 3 or 4th time being here in the past 3 months and quality and flavor of food has been very consistent. Presentation is petty good as well. The atmosphere of the restaurant is comfortable and music is always playing. 10/10 restaurants would definitely recommend it. read more

El Cubilete - Carne Asada - Mexican Near Me - Murfreesboro, Tennessee

This is definitely the best Mexican in all of Murfreesboro! It is very authentically made with most items being hand made from scratch. I ordered something that wasn't on the menu and I was still accommodated very politely. The spice level was very good for what I got and there were plenty of sauce choices which is a must for great Mexican. The staff was very friendly and the decorations were nice. I had tried to come in a few times but was discouraged by the lack of cars in the parking lot but I was really glad I kept trying because it was a great experience! read more

Bottom Line: 5 stars is for tasty food, quick service, and bountiful portions. Be ready to take food home, unless you can waddle out in style. This is a local mini-chain in Middle TN with an El Cubilete in Nashville - Nolensville Pike (of course). There are others in this mini-chain, totaling about 4-5. Would appreciate help from other Yelpers in identifying them all. The first thing that strikes me every time at El Cubilete is the high number of Hispanic/Latinx patrons. If you go around lunch time during the week or weekend, you'll find hard working folks taking a break to sup here. That is key for me. I love Asian food, so when I go to an Asian resto, I'm looking at the ethnic makeup of the patrons. I go for a taste of home and if they are too, I suspect the food will be quite good. A few items that are tasty every time for my family at El Cubilete (this is b/c we can't be budged from our favorite dishes to try others!): Posole Verde: This is green posole. Served every day. The portion is huge, over 20 oz. Lots of chunks of chicken meat and hominy. Right there on the edge of too much salt and just enough to tie all the flavors together. This is served with fried rounds of corn tortillas, avocado, raw onion and cilantro. My guys love to throw all that in and scoop with the fried tortillas. This dish might feed you for three days. Huarache: My number two son cannot consider any other dish. This is the first dish he had there and he won't have another. The huarache can be served with meat al pastor, which is a nice change. The chicken huarache is quite tasty and super filling. You could probably order this for two people. Chilaquiles: This is a favorite for my husband and me. We often share it. This dish is a base of fried tortillas, made tender with a garlicky green sauce, topped with some crema, salty/savory thin, chewy crosscut ribs, topped with two fried eggs. I love the salty, savory chewiness of the crosscut ribs - that's where I start, then the tortillas softened and flavored with that delicious green sauce. Hard to finish it unless we share it. You can eat for three days on this dish. Tamales: These tamales are pretty moist, but still not moist enough for me, so when we get El Cubilete delivered, we pop tamales into the microwave with a couple of tablespoons of water and this moistens them up to our taste. The tamales come in chicken, pobalano & cheese, and pork. The pork and poblano tamales are the favorites in our house. They are fat and El Cubilete does not skimp on the stuffing. Eat them with the luscious green or red sauce on the table. These are naps in corn husk. I usually take a small bite or three and leave the rest to my ravenous number two son. Red and Green Sauces: Be warned: the red sauce kicks like a mule unless you really like hot pepper. Gauge your tolerance with whether you can eat hot food at a SE Asian resto (Lao or Thai). If you can, this sauce will taste great. The green sauce is NOT avocado. It's actually the easiest sauce you can imagine. If you like Lebanese taoum, which is a garlic sauce/mousse/emulsion made only of garlic, salt, lemon juice and oil, you'll appreciate the green sauce here. It is an emulsion made of jalapeños, cilantro, garlic, salt, oil. The green sauce is delicious. You'll think it's made of avocado or cream. Nope to both. Fruit Drinks: Oh my goodness. Starting with fresh fruit, El Cubilete blends up all manner of delicious drinks. Here, you can get a real pina colada - pineapple and coconut blended with ice. This is my summer time weakness. Watermelon is also a delicious drink. If you're having a fruit drink, be warned, that it'll be a challenge to finish it with the portions here at El Cubilete. Refried Beans: Don't overlook these delicious refried beans. They appear as a humble side dish, but don't judge these beans by their wan cover. They are made in house with chorizo. So delicious and creamy. Mexican Rice: Don't over look the rice! In Mexican restos, the rice is often dry, disappointing. But, not here. I love rice and this rice is fluffy, moist, flavorful. read more

I was in Murfreesboro for training and decided on Mexican food for dinner. I ordered the Barbacoa de Res and I wasn't disappointed. I made an online order and arrived prior to the pick up time. They instantly went to work on my order and within several minutes my food was brought out. Everything was packaged well and easily survived the trip back to my hotel room. The food quantity was sufficient to fill my ample size tummy and the taste was delicious! Best of all the price was very reasonable compared tie the quantity and quality of the food. I'll definitely be going back for another dinner. read more

Had chips and salsa, chips and cheese dip, chicken fajitas, and chicken burritos. The food was EXCELLENT; all the way around everyone in our family gave this restaurant an A++. If I were to give it any negative criticism, it would be the ambiance; it is a fast food restaurant turned into a sit down Mexican restaurant. This does change the mood and environment. That said, at the end of the day my #1 is how good the food is... this place is a winner. read more

Great authentic Mexican food. Especially recommend the barbacoa (sp?), but my grandson loved the quesadillas. They make their own chips and they are awesome. read more

Popped in for lunch. This was my 3rd business i tried because everywhere was packed with long waits. El Cubilete had seating ready for us. Menus show photos of almost every dish which was cool. Chicken fajitas were great. Guac was good. House salsa was very good. Hot sauce on the tables is a plus. read more

El Cubilete - Chicken fajitas were great. Guac was good. 4 tortillas per order. - Mexican Near Me - Murfreesboro, Tennessee

A great cross between a fast food and a traditional sit-down Mexican restaurant. Menu is large and among the best in the 'Boro. Service is also great. Atmosphere is more like sitting down at a fast food place but not loud. Very clean. read more

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You can tell this is authentic in taste!! This is right by Firestone tires so it is convenient to pop over during my wait for tires. The food looked and tasted so fresh! I normally nibble only on rice and beans but I cleaned my plate on this one! They also just started offering margaritas and they looked amazing too. Very pleased read more

El Cubilete - Yum. Fresh and good chicken chimichanga and they make flour ships instead of corn - Mexican Near Me - Murfreesboro, Tennessee

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Way too expensive. $65 for 3 people. Chicken cheesy rice, a taco plate, and carne asada. Food tasted fine. Service was pretty non existent.

The food is fantastic, and the service was impeccable! We look forward to many more visits.

Very tasty. Authentic Mexican food! One of my favorites. Good service in an adequate atmosphere, with good chips and sauces!

I ordered the fajita nachos as a call in to-go. Went through the drive thru and the guy was sitting at the window waiting for me with a blank, angry stare. No greeting or anything. I introduced myself and told him what I ordered. All I got was "ok". I had to ask what was my total for the order. He rudely took my money and returned with in retrospect was the type of food that depicted his attitude. The nachos were bland. Steak was dry. Chips taste like old grease. The guacamole was a 2/5 but couldn't really get a good taste because of the chips. I had a huge craving for Mexican food and went on a limb and tried this place. Horrible decision I will never be back. The 2 stars is because I'm kind hearted read more

The food and service was amazing!!!! Large portions and made from scratch chips and tortillas. read more

El Cubilete - Chicken Fajita - Mexican Near Me - Murfreesboro, Tennessee

We stopped in after a long day of driving. You walk thru the door and the aroma is wonderful. I judge Mexican restaurants by their chips and salsa. El Cubilete knocked it out of the park. I had the mole and it was delicious. All of the food was authentic. Will definitely stop there again while in town. read more

So this place is LEGIT! I'm from Texas and it reminded me of the good Mexican food there! I have it 3 stars for the fact took forever to order and took forever to get my check and there no fountain drinks only bottle so never get a refill.... But the FOOD WAS PHENOMENAL!!!!! read more

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Came to Murfreesboro on a business trip and stopped by El Cubilete based on the fact it shared a common parking lot with our hotel. Glad we did. My co-worker had the quesadilla which he enjoyed, but I had the Mole that was out of this world. Now it's a bit spicy. Not overwhelmingly so, but enough to creep up on you and make you sweat after you've taken a few bites. But you can't stop eating it. With their rice and beans it's a magical meal. The staff was warm and inviting, so nice. I hope I can make it back one day and try the Chilaquiles. read more

food was good service was good. they just need to stop putting paper at the bottom of the togo box. by the time you get to eat your leftovers the paper and food have merged into one read more

I'm from AZ so the Mexican Food Restaurants locally leave a lot to be desired. This place however is one of the best I've been able to find in the south. Great portions, salsa is on point, and they even have the hot stuff available at no charge on request. They offer things not on the menu like Micheladas! Locally owned & operated so the service is top notch. read more

From the outside, it looks like a fast food place and we ALMOST gave it a pass. I'm really happy we didn't. Go inside and check out their menu. It's really an interesting menu and the food was terrific! My wife ordered the Pozole and I ordered a steak dish. Absolutely wonderful and the server (a gal from Equador) was really nice and helped us make our choices. We'll definitely be back! read more

Out of all states I have traveled and ate Mexican food, this place is by far the best place to eat traditional and authentic Mexican food!