Visiting the husband's boyhood home and hit this place up for dinner. Dunes outside on the back patio. It's dog friendly and covered which was good since it was a hot day and night. We were greeted by our server and given water and drinks. Chips and salsa also came and chips were homemade. I had a margarita and husband sangria. Both were good. Dinner was a pineapple stuffed with fajita filling and Mexican cole slaw and rice. Cole slaw was yummy! I had a shrimp quesadilla and it was excellent. Plenty of food with leftovers for sure. Stop in and try this place. read more

E had it delivered and I was happy with the food and delivery service. I will order from here again

Yesterday, (a Saturday), we went here for the first time. The place we used to go made changes we did not fully appreciate, so we decided to try something new, and used Duck duck go to search for Mexican restaurants in our area. This place being near the Mall we most frequent looked promising. We were certainly not disappointed. We did the Tamale's appetizer, and they were the best, and most authentic tamale's we have ever had. All of the food we tried was perfect i every way, including very generous portions. The atmosphere is a little upscale compared to any other Mexican place we have been to, but the prices are still on par, so affordable to eat here fairly often. One thing we noticed that we liked a lot, one of the wait staff cleaning a table just vacated didn't use just a damp cloth, she used a disinfecting cleaner also. This place is an obvious cut above the rest. This will be our go to Mexican restaurant going forward. The El Jalapeno is located at: 5125 Youngstown Warren Rd Niles, OH 44446 (330) 544-6500 And they have three other locations. You can check out the menu and other locations here: https://eljalapenorestaurants.com/el-jalapeno-niles/ read more

El Jalapeno - Mexican Near Me - Niles, Ohio

This is the BEST Mexican food around. So fresh so clean and the service is excellent. I give it two thumbs up. read more

El Jalapeno - 41. Quesadilla de Fajitas with Chicken - Mexican Near Me - Niles, Ohio

Food service ambiance was amazing! First time in Niles, Ohio. Going to be hard to beat this place!

Much like an Mexican Restaurant in NE Ohio (or anywhere else I've been) the decor is on par with sombreros and Jaritos bottles lining the half walls. Waitstaff was quick to greet and seat us. Everyone we encountered from hostess to waitress to cashier were friendly and helpful. My go to is always the chicken fajita. It's one of my most favorite dishes that I just can't replicate at home. Very flavorful, cooked to perfection and plenty of rice and beans on the side to fill the shells with yummy goodness. The bathroom? Nice and clean!!! Yay! read more

El Jalapeno - Mexican Near Me - Niles, Ohio

Great atmosphere from the minute you walk in. Everyone is friendly and works with a purpose. Food is great to match. You can't beat this place. read more

Great customer service every time, super fast, outstanding food I get something new almost every time I go, can't beat the prices!!!! Highly recommended read more

Very good food. I did not bring a stopwatch but the wait time is like 7-8 minutes. The resteraunt is typically very clean.

This is by far the best mexican restauarant in the area. It is a pseudo-franchise with a few partner restaurants such as El Jalapeno II, Senior Jalapeno, and a few others. Their food is absolutely delicious and has by far the best bang for your buck. It is not gourmet or heavily authentic, but has just enough notes to nail everything. All of their salsas and sauces are impeccable and I havent had a meal I havent enjoyed yet. read more

Austintown location is better! Stopped by El Jala (I shorten it because I'm hip) in Niles. The setup is way similar to their place in A-town. Vivid colors on the walls, Jarritos pop bottles on the ledges between booths serve as decor. Staff is affable and on point; the food is where it trips up a tad. It isn't terrible by any means, but the flavors are inferior to the location on Mahoning Ave. My La Oaxaqueña entree (number 55 on the menu if you're keeping score) was good, but not great. Steak wasn't nearly as tender as it should be, and the seasoning was lacking. Also, the salsa served with the nachos sucks. The free table salsa in Ohio is nearly always bad. Why is this the case? I couldn't cook a dish as good tonight's (just pretty decent) entree La Oaxaqueña, yet I can whip up a salsa that kicks what I was just served down a flight of stairs. Still, El Jalapeño is a good choice if you're in the area and have a hankering for Mexican food. Just don't make the mistake of comparing it to the superior location in Austintown. read more

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It was pretty good, the place was packed and very loud, the waiters where slow to respond and it took 10 min for a refill that I wanted 8 min ago,nthe food was decent, it looked sloppy and loosely put together read more

The food is awesome service was great fast friendly. Atmosphere is great for a Mexican restaurant. read more

El Jalapeno - Burrito and enchilada combo on the bottom fajitas on the top chips regular salsa hot salsa. - Mexican Near Me - Niles, Ohio

Always find the food delicious and hot. Love the chips and salsa. Margaritas are massive

I always great food and always wonderful service. Happy hour from 2 to 7 is best in town. It can't be beat.

If you're not getting a eight-piece special and a margarita there's no need for you even to be there great atmosphere and food

Excellent, authentic food. Best in the area for sure. The service and food are always good. Clean, family restaurant style place with a bar. Free nachos and salsa too. read more

Good food! Everything is good no matter what we've had. Tacos are fantastic and even the drinks are great. The fajitas are completely awesome. read more

The food in this restaurant is absolutely wonderful authentic Mexican Cuisine with friendly staff great decorations and friendly service never disappointed always have a great food and service here highly recommend read more

Service was lousy and food was I guess okay.. run-of-the-mill Mexican with nothing to write home about. Refried beans rice white sauce all over everything and meat was not of any great quality. Cheap chop meat that you buy wholesale and frozen, steak was not good. We expected more from this place. A real let down. read more

The food was great, and the service was great. I'm gluten-free and I was able to eat there.

Food is not as authentic as Mexican as I would like it to have been you pretty much get the American version but they have some good food on their menu drinks were awesome staff was great read more

New Mexican restaurant in Niles. Having lived in Southern Cali for the last 5 years, I can tell you that this place is closer to authentic than any of the other local Mexican restaurants in the area. I had the #55 La Oaxaqueña (Tender slices of grilled steak with poblano peppers, bacon, ham and melted cheese on top, served with rice, refried or charro beans). Freaking delish. The chips and salsa is really good too, as well as the queso dip. The food at this place was really good and the service was spectacular.. UPDATE: Went again last night. Had #39 Popeye's Pollo (Grilled chicken breast with grilled spinach, topped with melted cheese, served with rice, beans and tortillas). It was AWESOME. Letter grade: A - PS - I've got a request for you, El Jalapeno, just in case you read these....how about making some Albondigas?? I miss having it, and NOT ONE of the Mexican restaurants in this area makes it. Hook a brother up, would ya? read more

Hell, when a place around here gets two reviews, it must be worth a try. I'm glad I made it. This place is so good, I was waiting to hear a Latina version of Meg Ryan screaming, Si, Si, Si...about the food. The chips and salsa were good. The salsa was a little thinner than I like and needed a little lime to liven it a bit, but it was good. The service was stellar, with a refill on the chips and salsa as we approached the bottom of both. The owner or manager was especially attentive. I had the #26, The Monterrey. Wow. A couple of flautas, a tamale and some chips covered in the finest guacamole you will eat in this area. The meat, pork and beef, was seasoned, moist and plentiful. The garnish of lettuce, tomato, sour cream and the above mentioned divine guac was fresh. It has a little rice and a little beans and a lot of taste. The only knock on the dish was that it was a little too salty. That beats the bland I've gotten at other local Mexi places. The wife had #47, I think. It was the super spicy shrimp. It was hot. The shrimp were medium-size and oh so crunchy. Pretty amazing for NE Ohio. Her rice was just as good as mine, if not better when dipped in that blazing hot sauce. Throw down a couple Dos Equis or Pacificos and it's allllllll good. Total price (including my b-day indulgence of 2 beers) was $37. We could easily have been out for mid-$20s. This place has been open a few weeks, but I can't imagine many of the local Mexican places being open much longer if this place is discovered. This is a solid recommendation. read more

El Jalapeno - #47 - Mexican Near Me - Niles, Ohio

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Excellent food, excellent service. Friendly staff. Highly recommend this place. Great happy hour specials on beer

This is become one of me and my husband's favorite spots for a good meal. We never have left disappointed!!! The stuff is so friendly and kind and always trying to make sure you have everything you need. The service is wonderful and everything you order is absolutely hot and delicious and the portion sizes are HUGE! I have never finished all of my food you always will have leftovers. We love to go there for lunch or dinner it always is consistent and great and it's in very reasonably priced. I definitely highly recommend going and having a meal there you won't be disappointed!!!! read more

El Jalapeno - Chicken Chimichanga,Rice,Beans, and of course they're wonderful white cheese all over!! - Mexican Near Me - Niles, Ohio

The absolute worst flan I've had in my life.. definitely not made there.. had to have been pre made/ frozen and shipped in.. absolutely disgusting. read more

This is a wonderful Americanized Mexican restaurant. It's great and so close to me. I stop there often. They'll put on the football game for me everytime I ask. The steak fajitas are wonderful. Make sure you also visit its sister restaurant named Sr. Jalapeños! read more

Very clean restaurant with friendly & helpful employees. Extensive menu with good food.

Used to be the best most affordable Mexican food in the area. Now, great food, but prices went up too high.

Best Mexican food to get in the area. I highly recommend this place and the seafood enchiladas were really good.

Im from New York while visiting family we decided to head out to el jalapeño... what a MISTAKE the food was bland and overall awful. Don't let these five star reviews get you. read more

Arrived about 6:30 pm. Service was not up to par. Chips were delivered to our table 10 mins later. Drink orders were taken 10 minutes after that. 10 minutes after that our food order was taken. Our food came out 30 minutes later. We were told they were super busy on a Tuesday evening with doordash orders. But we saw other tables getting their meals & were told they had ordered food that was "pre made". So don't order the enchiladas! On a good note, our food was delicious and the portions were large. The combination platter for only $11 was a great deal. The chicken on it was nicely seasoned and included small sized of very well cooked onions & peppers. The alambre meal was also a very large size and served piping hot which was very much appreciated. Happy hour 2-7 pm every day. A heads up for Spanish speakers - the Spanish radio station played was very offensive. The radio station playing in the kitchen had real Mexican music playing which you could hear in between songs in the restaurant area. Salsa was not overly spicy and the chips seem to be made in house. Our server was apologetic about our wait time and the friendliness of the staff & the great food taste convinced us to give it another chance next time we're in the area. read more

Finally some decent Mexican food in NE Ohio. Went tonight for the first time. Chips and salsa were fantastic. Chips were crispy and fresh. The salsa was the right blend of all the right ingredients - tomatoes, onions, garlic, salt, cilantro and peppers. It was flavorful! I had a shredded chicken quesadilla. The chicken was moist and seasoned with red peppers and onions. I wish my cheese were melted a bit more but it was still good. I dumped some of the yummy salsa all over it and made it even better. My friend got the grande burrito and loved it. Said the steak was well seasoned and juicy, the right balance of all ingredients. Gotta hate it when the sour cream and guac are only in one blob and you take a bite and that's all you get. I must admit some bias with this restaurant because they were from the same area of Mexico where I lived. So I was inclined to love it. The service was great. The restaurant was packed with lots of birthday people, drunk obnoxious people and our chips were never empty, drinks always full and they even had time to check and make sure we were happy. How can you not love that? read more

I hadn't planned on eating any Mexican food while we were visiting here from Southern California for obvious reasons, but the reviews were good so we gave it a shot. It was absolutely fantastic. I got the stuffed shrimp, the girlfriend got a huge platter with a bunch of different stuff, and the other two guests got huevos rancheros and the chipotle seafood. We all loved it. I'm used to bacon wrapped foods being wrapped in soggy, greasy bacon but this bacon was cooked perfectly and the stuffed shrimp inside was delicious. I threw some of the pineapples from the chipotle seafood in the tortilla with my shrimp and skillet veggies and it was even better. I don't usually like tamales much but they were great here as well. Even the salsa that we got with out chips was great. The only thing that disappointed me was the guacamole but I wouldn't expect to be impressed by guacamole after coming from a place where avocados grow in our back yards. The server was mostly attentive and even had our chips and salsa down before we finished sitting at the table. They were a little slow at the end of the meal but it was pretty busy in there. If this place were in California, it would absolutely go into my Mexican food rotation. read more

El Jalapeno - Camarones del Pacifico - Mexican Near Me - Niles, Ohio

This is the best Mexican restaurant we have in the area and we have had many. I lived in Southern CA and know good authentic Mexican food. Their extra hot salsa is sooooo good...you have to ask for it. Their margaritas are the bomb! They have a large comprehensive menu with a vegetarian section and full service bar. The staff is very friendly and the service is quick. I have never had to wait more than 1-2 minutes for my drink order to be taken. The restaurant is clean as are the restrooms. We go here a minimum of twice a month. read more

This is literally the best Mexican food I've ever had with the exception of living on the West coast for ten years. So many options, but who can complain about that. The hostess is not so friendly as I recall several times, but the servers are always super nice, quick, and very hard workers. The chips are always hot, greasy, fresh, crispy and never stale. Fresh salsa too, and that's just to start. Portions are huge and enough for a midnight snack or lunch next day. The top-shelf margarita will make you want to dance the whole way out of the restaurant with yummy Grand Mariner float, your drink never tastes cheap or watered down. Excellent date night...Love the patio too-I don't smoke but my partner does and he loves it for that on a nice Summer day. Probably are favorite place in town. Watch for weekday specials they have super cheap tacos and fajita specials etc...and it's not just lunch specials. I'm actually getting hungry now thinking about it. Yum, yum! read more

Nothing amazing to see here. Their queso is The service isn't the greatest but the food delivers.

If you are in the mood for great Mexican food this is your place. Happy hour mon-Friday. Daily specials. When you walk in the door they always make you feel welcome. We had a party of five and the food was great. Our table had a little problem tonight. We lost our waiter. The food as always was great. Pretty busy night here tonight. Not real sure what the problem was but our waiter just decided to leave. The other waiters took turns getting us what we needed because our waiter never came back to see if we needed drinks chips or anything. Thanks to the other guys who worked their butts off to take over we were able to still have a great time and enjoy our food. read more

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By far the best Mexican around. The food is great the service is over the top. The service is fast also no matter how busy they are. I am very picky and they accommodate my changes in what I want with out an issue. read more