There aren't a ton of places to eat in the small town of Williamstown, so we decided to give this spot a try since it's just down the block from the Ark Encounter. First off, I've never seen a Mexican restaurant this packed. The place is super colorful with all the traditional décor, murals, and fun wall art. We were seated right away, and the staff was hustling the entire time. Even with how busy they were, our food came out pretty quickly. The portions were huge, and everything had great flavor. My only complaint was the mango margarita, it tasted more like mango juice than a margarita, they were skimping on their tequila apparently. They also have out several different hot sauces, which was a nice touch if you like a little extra heat. If you're visiting the Ark Encounter and craving Mexican food, I'd definitely recommend stopping here. Great food and fast service, plenty of parking too. read more

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We chose El Jalisco because it was close to our hotel and my mom was craving Mexican food. I'll start by saying that I live in California and eat Mexican food pretty regularly, so I may have higher expectations than some. The restaurant itself is bright and colorful, with vibrant tables, chairs, and decorations throughout. It definitely has a fun atmosphere. I ordered the chicken fajitas with corn tortillas, and my mom ordered what she thought was a simple cheese enchilada with a side of rice and beans. Somehow there was a communication mix-up because she ended up with three large plates: one piled with rice, one piled with beans, and a third with the enchilada. It gave us a good laugh. My fajitas looked great when they arrived, but unfortunately they were missing the one thing I was hoping for: flavor. The chicken and vegetables were cooked properly, but there didn't seem to be much seasoning at all. Not even enough salt to bring everything together. The corn tortillas were also torn apart when they arrived, so they weren't very usable. I hate leaving negative reviews, but the food simply didn't live up to expectations. The service was fine and the atmosphere was fun, but the meal itself fell flat for me. Maybe I just ordered the wrong thing, but based on this visit, I wouldn't choose to return. read more

El Jalisco - Corn tortilla - Mexican Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

El Jalisco is a great place for Mexican if you are in Williamstown, Kentucky and craving Mexican food. The service was friendly and the ambiance was pleasant enough. I went with a burrito and was pretty impressed. If you are in the area, I would definitely recommend here. read more

This might be the best Mexican I've ever eaten- and I've been all over Mexico and California- where there is a lot of fabulous Mexican food. Service was very speedy - wait staff was kind. The veggie chile relleno was phenom. read more

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This is the most amazing authentic Mexican restaurant I have ever been to. The food was fantastic. The large portions give you ample for another meal. The owner is incredible and he imported all the decorations for their home town. I've never been to a place as impressive as this one. read more

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Coming back to this review having given it 5 stars whilst drinking on the outside patio with not enough will to write a review. I come back months later and will honor my 5 stars for the following reasons: They have tamarindo (while I thought I was ordering a tamarind margarita, I got tamarind soda inside a drink)! A star for effort. They also allow dogs on the patio... plus two stars. As for the food slightly above average than some "authentic" Mexican restaurants. read more

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The food was good and the portions were huge! The berria tacos were great as was the carnitas dinner.

Mid meal, you will forget that your in America. The food was incredible and the portion sizes were MASSIVE, our server was very nice and helpful. read more

The food was good, I have had better and worse. Quick service, especially being crazy busy! Very creative decor read more

El Jalisco - Mexican Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

Awesome authentic refreshing Mexican restaurant.. staff was attentive it was Clean and the decor was amazing . The food did not disappoint. It was fresh and tasted awesome. read more

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horrible service i asked for ketchup on my burger and he said "no on the table" as rude as possible and food is horrendously disgusting and burger buns are burnt and smells like dookie when you walk in read more

(From my Google Review) I love the place. Great great food. Highly recommend. And they really give you plenty. The service is very focused and professional. You're definitely here for the food though, and you won't be disappointed. I'll be back regularly! read more

Hands down the best Mexican food ever. We went there the last day at the Ark! Best seafood and chicken fajita ever! Seafood fajita Jalisco fajita was delicious. Great service. We had cheese dip and they provided chips and salsa. Each plate came with Guacamole, rice, beans, lettuce. Next time we come to KY again we will come here again. Restaurant is very colorful and cute. I'm a great cook so hard to find a place that wows me is rare. This place was simply delicious!. read more

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Says it closes at 10PM and we were there at 7;40 and they were closed liars. I can't do anything about it but still we were there before the closing time and they weren't open read more

I didn't expect much. Not a lot of genuine Mexican food around here, and it's so close to a tourist location (the Ark). I was pleasantly surprised. Service was excellent as was the food. I would recommend. read more

Food is great we there a lot. But we went last Friday and came in a little later. The waiter sucked. We will wait on two more people instead it'll be about five minutes before you can take the order. He came back four times in five minutes. we finally ordered food came really quick, but we were rushed out of this damn place other people had walked behind us and were rushed out of there because they wanted to close at 10 PM . Don't let nobody in at 9:40 if you wanna close at 10 PM on the dot. read more

They would have had 5 stars , the food was excellent and the portions were over the top but they brought my food out but didn't bring my wife's out for 5 minutes after that, not good eating while the wife sits and waits but she didn't want me to wait and let mine get cold. read more

Great authentic Mexican food at a very reasonable price. I'd come back and would recommend it to anyone in the area. read more

El Jalisco - Restaurant seating - Mexican Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

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Fast service and delicious food. The Carnitas were the most flavorful carnitas I've had in a LONG time! The beef enchiladas were really really good! The Fajitas smelled fantastic as they walked past us to deliver them to their table. If you are in the area, especially at the Ark Encounter, it's worth eating dinner here. read more

The food was authentic and the portions were huge. The service was excellent and always a few steps ahead of our needs

Their food was descent and they give a huge amount. Beware the cheese...it isnt always shredded cheese but a white liquid queso - not what one is used to in CA. It's helpful to speak Spanish. read more

THIS PLACE IS ABSOLUTELY NASTY! Do NOT believe the other reviews. All 4 orders were WRONG. 1. THE SHRIMP SMELLED LIKE DEAD FISH. 2. The tortillas were old, tough and stuck together. Inedible! 3. Tacos were so salty they were inedible. 4. Green enchiladas were messed up. Asked for a grilled jalapeño and then dumped canned sliced peppers all over the plate. 5. The canned "scallops " were tough and tasted like they were spoiled. For God sakes, DO NOT EAT HERE! read more

Came here after our visit to the Ark. The michelada hit the spot since it was hot! Carnitas were good and the molcajete was also good. Overall good flavor. Service was fast and waiters are polite. read more

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Great Mexican food! The food and the service was amazing! We came to visit the Ark Encounter and found this little gem within walking distance of our hotel! read more

Huge portions for a great price. Food tasted really great, and the service was A1. The ambiance, decorations, and artwork was a nice touch. Thank you all the way from Illinois read more

I ordered shrimp cocktail and it was delicious they gave me so much and I couldn't eat it all, service was great

My husband I have been traveling around the United States for about 5 months now. When we want to go out for a meal we look on YELP for places to consider. Well we were in Williamstown, KY. and wanted some ideas for places to eat. El Jalisco was suggested on Trip Advisor and also received great reviews on YELP. Being from Southern California we really miss having delicious Mexican food so we were really excited about dining there. We arrived at the restaurant around 3:00pm. The restaurant had only a few tables that we could see. When we walked in, there wasn't anyone to greet us. A few minutes went by and someone came through the host/hostess area. Didn't acknowledge us. A couple minutes later someone finally came to seat us. Not much interaction. Just seated us and gave us menus. A few minutes later we get chips, salsa, and some other dip for the chips. Not good at all. The chips may as well been thin card board. Then the server finally comes over and asks "drinks?" The menu has a lot to offer but it all sounds so gross. After going over their very large menu I finally ordered a Steak burrito. It came with lots of steak, some beans and onions and if I remember correctly, cheese. Sounds good, right? It was gross. The steak was flavorless and rubbery and barely any of the other ingredients I mentioned. It was overkill on the rubbery steak. My husband ordered enchiladas rancheras. He didn't finish them. They topped them with pork which is not the norm for enchiladas rancheras. Most importantly, the food just isn't good and the service was cold and very rushed. Afterwards we went down town Williamstown to walk through some of the small businesses there. While talking with a local, she said that the locals don't eat at El Jalisco because it's the training restaurant for another restaurant the owners have in the next town over. Needless to say, I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS RESTAURANT! read more

Fabulous food and massive portions! Fresh ingredients. We loved it! We got the fajitas for 2 and had enough for 8 meals. The chargrilling on the meat was tasty, lots of good sauteed veggies and refried beans and sour cream. We came here after visiting the Ark. The outside (and even the inside) look kind of dumpy. We are from California where there are tons of Mexican restaurants, but this is probably the best we've eaten in. read more

GREAT food! Tables make it a bit crowded but the food made you forget. Had a yummy margarita also! Eat here for sure!!

Everything on menu is on point !! Large portions and awesome atmosphere!! Service is great!! Busy business means they are doing something right!! read more

We stopped at this restaurant near the Ark Encounter after a morning at the Ark. The exterior of the restaurant is not much to look at. It is located by a shady hotel and has a small parking lot but the 99 out of 100 health department score posted on the door helped alleviate my worries. The interior is brightly decorated with an assortment of booth and tables, some of the tables are big enough to accommodate groups of 10. Our server was prompt and provided us with drinks, chips, salsa and some sort of creamy ranch for dipping. Service got a little slow after initial contact with the server as we had to repeatedly ask for refills but he took our orders in a timely manner. I ordered the Jalisco Chicken, my wife ordered the burritos camarone, my daughter got a kids meal with a soft taco and rice and beans, my oldest son got a steak burrito covered with cheese, and my youngest son ordered nachos supreme. My father ordered arroz con pollo. Both the arroz con pollo and chicken Jalisco came with veggies, rice and tortillas. I think I was more excited for broccoli after a week of vacation eating junk than anything else. My youngest son's nacho supreme was huge but they forgot to take the tomatoes off, so he had to pick them off. No one else had any complaints as all the food was well prepared and the portions were large. There are no lunch options on the weekend only dinner portions. For example, my Jalisco Chicken was a chicken breast covered with shrimp, ham, pineapple, onions and cheese. The plate also had sautéed veggies and rice. When we were done, we had to track down our server to pay but the manager was super helpful and got us checked out. read more

El Jalisco - Nachos Supreme (it was loaded with ground beef) - Mexican Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

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Sooo full!! We stayed next door at Hampton Inn and the gal recommended She said great food, large portions and good prices. She was right. Who knew you could find amazing Mexican in Kentucky read more

El Jalisco - More art work - Mexican Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

This place is vibrant and has great music playing. The fajitas for two are huge. Prices are great. Their server is very friendly. read more

El Jalisco - Fajitas for two! - Mexican Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

Best Mexican food in Grant County! Service is always spectacular and they are always so welcoming! T read more

Food was hot and delicious. Two thumbs up for their Chorri Pollo & Arroz con Pollo. The service was attentive and courteous. Very busy, but everyone was on their A game. Ambiance was festive, yet inviting. Was visiting from out of town, and enjoyed our choice of dining here. read more

8 of us stopped in in a busy Friday night. Parking lot is snug and a bit challenging! Only had to wait about 20 minutes for a table. Small bar, but quite a bit of table seating. Food was flavorful and HUGE servings at a reasonable price. Chips were good; salsa was pretty tame. Decent service and quick food delivery. Like that they have a Skinny Margarita and I do recommend it! read more

Good customer service Fresh food and very affordable. We ended here after a full day at the Ark encounter. read more

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The food was pretty good, the place was packed so I feel it could be expanded and could've gotten more seating, and it was well decorated.

Chicken cheese and rice is good. Longggggg wait but we also had nine people so I expected this. Very Mexican with bright colors. Got to put down my food and eat some cheese dip now. read more

Service was okay. Not a lot of room for bigger parties and do not try to make room they just separate you into three tables. They had salsa and this other weird white sauce they brought to the table (it tasted like a sweet ranch?) Chips and Caso were good the rice was HORRIBLE like mush. I will not be back read more

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