Food was tasty, I had the mole poblano with rice and beans, came out hot! My waitress Jackie was polite and efficient. read more

El Jacalito - Seafood Near Me - Sterling, Illinois

I've been here a few time but now that I tried the FISH tacos no turning back. Delicious delicious fish tacos. And I order saute onions and yummy!!!! read more

We met friends for a midweek dinner at El Jacalito the parking is plentiful however there was no handicap parking that I saw. The restaurant was handicap accessible from the door to the restrooms. There was a whole row of slot machines that appeared to be covid safe with plenty of space and plexiglass between the machines. The tables were all spaced pretty far apart to also be covid safe. The service was outstanding she was very friendly and efficient, however it did take a pretty long time to get our bill and carryout order. The food was served hot fresh and very tasty. They are about to cut the hours down for the next 2 months so they are only open until 3pm for the months of July and August of 2021. read more

El Jacalito - 3 beef tacos - Seafood Near Me - Sterling, Illinois

Slow service I guess only one person cooking and my tamale was hard as a rock on bottom- could not cut with knife. Cheese enchiladas were ok. read more

The first time we stopped in on a Saturday afternoon for a quick lunch.... we ordered the steak burritos. They arrived and we were surprised at how good they were, they Reminded me of a good Chicago burrito from a taqueria. Everything was fresh and flavorful. We tried it a second time at night a week or so later.... it was not the same product. It was awful. I got two steak burrito dinners stuffed full of beans with some kind of beef cut into cubes that clearly wasn't steak.... the grey beef was sparse throughout the burrito but man were there beans. Yuck yuck yuck. I will try the place again because I'm hoping it was just off the one time read more

How has this place not received any reviews yet? I can truly appreciate how good this food is now that I have lived in AZ for years and have eaten at, at least 100 mexican restaurants out here. I love mexican food and usually try at least one new place each week. You would think AZ would have some good mexican food being so close to Mexico, but sadly I haven't found anything that comes close to the authentic mexican food in Sterling. Just starting with the chips and salsa which are both fresh and extremely flavorful. I haven't even been able to find a place out here that can compete with their chips and salsa, let alone the entree items and basics. I pretty much always older one of their combos where you can choose 4 different items, and sometimes I add more because I can eat a ton of mexican food if it is good. I usually get a taco, carne guisada burrito (which are non-existent in AZ, in fact no one has even heard of them), enchilada, and tostada. This also comes with beans and rice, which needless to say is absolute perfection, simple but so flavorful and is a great compliment to the meal. Most places in AZ basically serve some version of burritos, with either under seasoned chicken or steak, swamped in red or green sauce, then piled with cheddar cheese, or tacos with bland meat that has been deep fried and once again piled on with a pound of cheddar. The beans and rice at practically all the mexican restaurants in AZ are inedible, because they are so horrible tasting. The chips are usually store bought and heat lamped and its rare for a place to even have a good tortilla, let alone a meal. I don't even bother to write reviews for the mexican restaurants out here because it would be a waste of time, they are all the same and are basically as I just described. El Jacalito is what I think of as real authentic mexican food. Prices are also extremely reasonable, which is to be expected in a smaller town like Sterling, but in a larger city these guys could be charging at least 50% more and it would still be a bargain. Also, they serve Jarritos (mexican soda), which is something you may take for granted, because surprisingly next to no one in AZ offers Jarritos. This and Willys (also in Sterling) are amazing mexican restaurants and I wish they would open a location in AZ to offer their version of authentic mexican. read more

Living in a small town, choices are always limited. To expand our horizons, we used Yelp to find this place. Reading the one (1) previous review, we decided to try it. Knowing the area of town where this place is located, we weren't expecting a 5-star atmosphere. Upon arrival, we noticed there were only a few patrons and two waitresses for a Friday night at 7 pm. They have a Friday night buffet which is always enticing, but did not look very appetizing. After a few minutes, a less-than-personable waitress (but not mean or annoyed) brought us chips and menus. After a long day of work, I was pretty hungry and parched. I needed something to drink, but it took twenty minutes for the waitress to come back to get our drink and entree orders. I almost got up and walked over to the beverage cooler to get my own drink! Our food finally arrived (Carnitas and Chicken Enchiladas Verde). The Enchiladas LOOKED FANTASTIC! I am a big fan of cheese, and this dish was a winner if judged by the amount of cheese. Not being a huge fan of beans and rice, I would say they were just OK, I have had better and worse. For the Carnitas, we were expecting chunks of pork, but instead we were served small slices that were a bit over cooked. The waitress failed to bring us our corn tortilla shells, so we had to get her attention from across the room to go back to the window to get them. We could see the serving window and they were placed right next to our plates. In the end the place was clean, the food was not better or worse than the others, the wait staff was less than desirable. With a few other choices for Mexican food in the area, I doubt we will return when we can get the same or better quality food from other places with a much more lively atmosphere. read more

It took me forever to try this place but everything is so good!!! My favorite items are the steak tacos and the enchiladas verdes. I like them so much that I always order one of those items. Their chips and salsa are great too, which is the real mark of excellence at any Mexican restaurant. read more

Overall, I was very impressed with my experience at El Jacalito. Coming in, I was pretty skeptical - I'm loyal to El Tapatio in Rock Falls. As I walked through the door, I felt immediately calmed. The atmosphere of the restaurant is pleasant and upbeat. The first dilemma was wondering whether or not our group should seat ourselves, but we made the decision to take a booth as the restaurant wasn't busy. We were greeted by a cheery waitress and were provided chips and salsa, which, I must say, were average at best. I ordered 4 steak tacos, a pretty conservative choice at a new restaurant, and was provided the food within 10 minutes. The first bite was an explosion of flavor: the steak was juicy, the cheese was plentiful, and the salsa I added was a great finishing touch. It took no more than 5 seconds to realize that these were the best steak tacos I've ever had, without a doubt. It was an excellent trip overall, and with the food being such a surprise, I'll definitely be returning the next chance I get. read more

Well here for cinco de mayo. There is only one drink special and that's lime margaritas on the rocks. Wow! I wish I had just gone to el tapito. Came here last year and they at least had a buffet. Good chips and salsa. I'm headed to el tap to finish my celebration. The owner didn't want to have any big specials for the day.. at least I had a good server. read more

This is my favorite place in Sterling for Mexican food. Menu offers something for everyone. Bathrooms can use an upgrade but the food is the star! One of my favorite items is the tostada pancho- beans, onion, tomato and tons of melted cheese. The all important complimentary chips and salsa are addicting! read more

Amazing food! Overall favorite Mexican restaurant in the area. Every new dish I order is great and filled with flavor friendly waitresses and good service! read more

My wife and I and two of our dear friends had lunch today at El Jacalito.Both the food and service were excellent and we were very pleased. One of our friends is in a wheelchair and the restaurant was easily accessable and spacious, parking was also a plus. Would highly recommended and will return. read more