This place is small, cozy and casual. The floors needed cleaning, but I understand they were too busy during the lunch rush. The standout out dish for us was their Shrimp Quesadilla appetizer. So satisfying and flavorful. We also loved their chips and salsa. My husband said his carnitas burrito was dry and bland. I'm surprised he still ate the whole thing! But he didn't want it to go to waste. I saved my Carne Asada burrito for dinner and it was still delicious after microwaving it 7 hrs later. We also shared a slice of chocolate cake topped with raspberry (or maybe strawberry) sauce. Whatever berry it was, it went perfectly with the rich, dense chocolate. Service was fast and friendly. read more

El Maguey - Mexican Near Me - Lodi, California

Food, especially service is always fantastic and I highly recommended! Even though this place does get busy since it a small restaurant, it is worth the wait!!! read more

Loved the bean & cheese burrito and my dad loved the smothered shrimp burrito! staff was sweet too and the food was made super fast. would recommend! read more

This restaurant has been here for a long time and we had never tried it before so last week we decided to give it a whirl. When we arrived, we didn't see any outside seating and we had our dog with us so we had to get our food to go. We made an order on their website but got no confirmation that it went through so we had to go in to order and they confirmed their website does not work. We tried some crunchy tacos and a wet burrito and it ended up costing more than we expected. When we arrived home, the tacos were soggy and bland, the burrito was cold and tasted like the meat had been frozen and heated up, I mean it was bad. The rice was barely flavored and the beans tased strange. Almost like cleaner or something. The salsa was like tomato soup or something. We did not have a good experience here. I added a star for the loyal clientele because they must be really good at service to have stated in business this long. read more

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Simply the best!!! Authentic !! Their service is excellent !! And you definitely can't go wrong with their ambience. read more

I continually return to this restaurant for excellent food and warm friendly service. When I eat out I want the best food, good service and I want it to not be crazy noisy. I like to hear my friends talk. I like to feel at home and savor every bite. I choose El Maguey to provide the food for my next gathering at my family and friends BD celebration at the clubhouse. read more

Thank you for creating the delicious lunch for our teachers today. It was wonderful to be able to pick it up at 10:35 so I could have it set up for the teachers by 11:00 for their lunch. Everyone loved the tacos, enchiladas and sides. read more

El Maguey - Condiments for tacos - Mexican Near Me - Lodi, California

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The atmosphere is unassuming, cozy, and clean. I've never had to wait, which is a nice thing. The staff is very friendly and attentive. Their food is some of the best I've had in town. Takeout is available, and the prices are very reasonable. Bring your family and give it a try. read more

Today (01-04-26), we called the restaurant and placed an order. We picked it up, brought it home and found the order was only partially correct. Instead of the enchilada lunch all my wife got was one tortilla with a little bit of cheese on it no sauce nothing we called the restaurant they were unapologetic and offer to fix their mishap at all. They just kept saying oh we always all our orders. This is not the first time we've been to this restaurant we have been restaurant on and off for probably the last five years. We've been there at least 15 to 20 times. Let's just say this is the last time ever. Again, they made no effort to try and make it right and made us feel like we were the ones fault. read more

Food is great. Had chicken combos at a good price. However would be nice if establishment told customers who ordered Hot Water in a mug had a charge of 1.00 added to their bill. What restaurant does that. They don't charge for ice water. Come on guys really? read more

El Maguey in Lodi, CA, is a gem! Authentic Mexican flavors, fresh ingredients, and top-notch service. The food and salsa are divine, and the cozy vibe makes it a 5-star must-visit! Highly recommend! read more

Food is okay... but portion sizes are small for a grown man. There is NO EXCUSE for gouging customers with tiny rice and bean portions; they are almost a 100% profit items even if they doubled the servings. STOCKTON is comida Mexicana heaven for ME. read more

Ok. Returned to this gem with my bride and grandaughter. Ordered the MOLCAJETÉ (for two persons) and my grandaughter ordered Chicken Taco Salad. Once again, no disappointment. Service was great and like being greeted by family. Ambience was nice and clean. Small place but you don't even notice kitchen activity. Prices are on point. read more

Great food and service we always enjoy the food. You get large portions . Definitely a must visit

Me and my wife eat here at El Maguey in Lodi at least once a week. My personal favorite is their steak rancheros and it's the best in Lodi. My wife loves everything here and her favorites are Diablo shrimp, la casuals and fajitas. Their rice and beans are really good too ! I don't normally post reviews, but I finally decided to express how good the food is here. The restaurant is clean and peaceful. Customer service is excellent. The prices are very reasonable. Trust me I've tried all the Mexican restaurants in Lodi and the food at El Maguey in my opinion is the best. I highly recommend read more

Very small and personable location has about around 12 tables for seating. But the hospitality here from the young ladies working this particular afternoon that we visited here were very nice and polite. This but all made our visit here much more enjoyable and I would definitely revisit here just because of the service that we received from the two young ladies. The food was also fairly good the salsa you have an option between hot or spicy we chose spicy and it definitely lived up to the temperature. we had the fried ice cream dessert which was really good! They only had chocolate ice cream or not vanilla but we went ahead with the order anyways the presentation was cute also. And enjoyable to eat. Give their menu a try and their location. read more

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I decided to give this place a try since I was craving a burrito and this was the closest mexican restaurant. I always thought this was a "taqueria style" place but it is actually a restaurant with carpeting and a small amount of dining tables. The place was not busy when I walked in. It was lunch time. They do not ask you to wait for a table, you just grab one. I had to wait a few minutes to get a menu but the server was friendly. I chose the super, carne asada burrito. It arrived at my table pretty fast. I wish I had known that they serve it with refried beans inside since I prefer whole beans. You must request it. The burrito was a decent size with rice, beans, a little cheese and carne asada. The meat was flavorful enough. I prefer my sour cream and guac inside the burrito but they automatically put it on the side. I decided not to get a wet burrito which is another thing you must tell them you do not want. This place charges $.45 if you use a credit card for payment. I wish that they would play some sort of music in the place since the ambience is sort of nice but too quiet when it's slow. Maybe some spanish guitar, relaxing sounds? All in all, I would try this place again for a different entree next time. Like I mentioned, the servers were friendly. That is always nice. read more

Food is so good and so much no skimping from the kitchen. Very friendly service nice strip mall restaurant read more

El Maguey - Big Burrito with green chili sauce to die for - Mexican Near Me - Lodi, California

My way of judging a mexican restaurant is by how their beans taste like, something so basic but can tell so much about the restaurant. First of all, you cant call yourself a mexican restaurant when you cant even cook your own damn beans, something so basic but so important, they were canned beans, as soon as you taste them you can taste the conservatives, neither the red salsa in their enchiladas. You might fool other peeps from other nationalities but us mexicans know what made fresh taste like. That ain't it. Dont get me wrong it does not taste bad but not great (the food, the beans did taste bad). Thats the reason behind my 3 star review. read more

It was my first time trying this place and I'm absolutely satisfied. The food tends to be a little pricy, but it is a restaurant so it is expected. The customer service was outstanding, the employees were very understanding and polite. The atmosphere of the place felt very welcoming. Although there isn't much space, they are willing to help accommodate to your needs by adding chairs to your table if necessary. I really loved how the music added to the feel of the place, I just wish they had speakers around the dining area. Overall, the experience was great. You should definitely try this place if you are seeking authentic Mexican food for your cravings. I tried the Fajita Burrito and the man serving my table was very lenient and let me try all three sauces on my burrito! The horchata that I ordered complemented my meal nicely. At restaurants, this drink is usually a hit or miss, but this was delicious! read more

El Maguey - Steak Fajita Burrito with all three sauces! - Mexican Near Me - Lodi, California

I'm really torn right now with how I'm feeling. One of my thoughts is about the fact that I do like the food. I've always enjoyed eating here because the food is good and it's not over spicy . Most Mexican restaurants end up having food that's too spicy for my taste. I usually can't even eat the mild level of spice at Mexican restaurants and I hate that. It's embarrassing to a point because you have no idea how much I wish I could still handle eating spicy food. There was a time I could eat mild tasting food no problem. My taste buds changed after having Gastric Bypass. (For example I can't even handle the mild wax peppers that are put in sub sandwiches. And those were a favorite of mine before.) Anyways besides liking the food here at this restaurant I also respect the fact that they truly have mild food and salsa that my mouth can handle. So I'm able to truly enjoy the food here. Now here is the problem I'm having today. I ordered 2 dinners, 1 taco on the side, 1 small coke. While ordering I asked for some extra sauce on my enchiladas, I requested to have a crispy steak taco, on the Chile Colorado dinner I asked for extra tortillas, and when asked if jalapeños were wanted I said, "ummm sure, but can you please make sure they're on the side incase it's too spicy for the person eating this." The waiter told me ok that was fine and asked how many extra tortillas I wanted, that the four tortillas come 3 to each order. So I asked for 1 additional order of flour tortillas besides the ones that come with the meal. The waiter said ok that was fine again. Ok so the bill is handed to me to pay at my convenience while the food was being prepared. The total wasn't really high in my opinion, however I'm just a bit confused as to what all the charges are for I'm being charged for. (See the pictures) 2 meals 1 side of tortillas 1 taco 1 soda Is how I was expecting to see the bill. That's 5 items. Instead I'm seeing 7 things. Again it's really not that big of deal. It's just the way I felt after asking what the charges were for and the way I felt after the fact, it left me wondering if this is a situation that happens to many customers. I mean it can honestly happen to each and every customer and we may not even know it because most of the time we just pay the bill after seeing numbers getting punched into the register, 1 after another and another. Addl amounts for extra things like cheese or sour cream, etc. He went down the list and said the crispy taco had an addl charge for the steak I asked for, there was a charge for extra sauce on my enchiladas, I already knew about the tortillas (however I wasn't given the tortillas that I paid extra for), oh and finally i was charged extra for the jalapeños that I was asked if I wanted and didn't know it was an addle charge. I don't mind paying for the food but I just feel like the way it was done like tonight is a way I'm not comfortable with. I prefer things to be transparent. Charges out in the open, or the restaurant can make the dinners a couple dollars more if it means giving the customer jalapeños or extra sauce. Maybe I'm being too opinionated tonight, and I'm sorry if I am. I just know my gut feeling wasn't good after I paid and left with my food. We are always supposed to trust our gut, right? So in conclusion, yes the food is good and I enjoy that I can order food without worrying that it's too spicy. However I'd prefer if the owner of the restaurant would make sure all employees are charging customers correctly across the bored and see that prices are transparent so we aren't left feeling like we're paying a bunch of addl charges, possibly extra money that's not supposed to be being charged to us. In the past I never noticed this kind of addl fees and I know I would have. So hopefully tonight's order was just an unfortunate situation where I accidentally didn't get everything I paid for. I know accidents happen. I hope I leave this restaurant with a better feeling in my gut next time. The feeling of being satisfied after eating yummy comfort food and feeling happy to leave a good tip because I will hopefully be feeling well taken care of and like I wanted to reward their great customer service skills they showed to me. I will have positive thoughts because I do believe this restaurant is one of the better choices available in our area. read more

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Amazing customer service, fresh delicious food and great pricing. The ambiance is just right, not too loud, and the waiters are humble and kind. I am going to sorely miss this place, since I am moving away. read more

The food was good. I ordered the shredded beef taco and enchilada with white sauce. Next time I'll try the ground beef with green sauce. Different flavoring than I'm used to but good. The waitress was knowledgeable and very quick. I say give them a chance. Pricing is extremely reasonable. read more

It's a 40 year birthday miracle! 40 DELICIOUS crunchy tacos made in less than 20 minutes. After our party bus broke down wine tasting, cheese and crackers weren't going to cut it. This team put together a fantastic feast with all the accoutrements- guacamole, beans, and delicious salsas. I ordered, picked up, and had the food at the winery in 20 minutes. These people were amazing and helped keep the party vibes going after what could have been a real downer. Thank you to the team at El Maguey. People honestly said they were the best crunchy tacos they ever had- crispy, tasty salsa, and the right ratio of meat and toppings. Normally you don't want the word to get out too much for gems like this however I'm not in Lodi ever, so if I come back I hope their business is booming and they're still turning out amazing food. Great people, great service, great food. read more

El Maguey - The gracious team at El Maguey letting me capture this 40th bday miracle. Thank you everyone! - Mexican Near Me - Lodi, California

The food was very tasty. Service is good. I will come back. I don't know why other people complained. Lots of folks in here.

Just ordered takeout from them and was so happy! Customer service was great and so was my food! I got the super burrito with beef and red sauce on the side. Great ratio of bean rice and meat (not skimpy) side of sour cream and actually fresh guacamole. Chips and salsa were good too! Will be returning read more

I've been to all Mexican food places in Lodi, Stockton, Sacramento and this is the only place is worth it. I highly recommend it and the food is well made and delicious. I want to thank the waitresses for an excellent service every time we come. The ambiance is great. Thank you! read more

This is our go to for Mexican restaurant in Lodi. We don't eat pork products, so Mexican restaurants that avoid lard in refried beans are gems for us. We love love and love their fire roasted chili salsa! We always get a big cup of it. Food is fresh and customer service is great too. read more

My Mom and I just had lunch here, today She had the chicken enchilada and I had the chicken California. My mom gives the enchilada an 8 out of 10- only because she believes, nothing is perfect. The chicken California was really delicious. I have not eaten anything like it before. The cheese was very creamy/not grainy. The waitress was very attentive and friendly. This was our first time here. We will definitely be back! read more

Once again El Maguey did not disappoint! Today we both loved each of the pictured meals, they were perfectly prepared along with their amazing chips and salsas! We will always be back, there is no other Mexican food that compares to this! read more

El Maguey - Combination plate with Chile relleno and chicken ranchero enchilada, all refried beans and sides of sour cream and guacamole - Mexican Near Me - Lodi, California

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Food was great. Street taco plate was amazing. Asada bowl was fresh and fulfilling. Chips were nice and warm and the salsa was tasty.

Great good and excellent friendly service. I eat here regularly, and occasionally order meals to go.

Really good food enjoyed very much. I will be coming back. They don't service beer and alcohol yet still working on getting that.Nice clean space. Good service. read more

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Always delicious, clean restaurant, excellent salsa, and great service! My favorite dish is the Chile verde.

Great food and service. It's close to home and good enough. Not the best but it's still good. Portions are a big small... rice and beans are cheap and filling. They could increase the portion size a tad. read more

El Maguey - Mexican Near Me - Lodi, California

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9/19/2020 This was our first time here, my husband loves Mexican food and we try to test as many different places as we can. We both absolutely loved the food. COVID has greatly affected many restaurants and this is one of them although they are still able to provide a nice dinning experience. It's family owned and run. The ships were delicious and it was the perfect amount of food for us. The white cheese sauce is super good. My husband enjoyed his super carna asada burrito with red sauce and I loved the heavos rancheros. We loved there red sauce I definitely recommend ordering that. We will be back for sure! The only complaint I could have is I wanted just a little bit more food on my plate. But it was fine for me it just tasted good I wanted a little more. read more

Great food and service every time we come. It's been years of our family eating here when we are in Lodi. Just be aware the hours have changed so I recommend to call ahead to make sure they are open read more

Love this little place. The food has lots of flavor, is fresh, and not greasy. The service is always good as well. This is our go to for Mexican food read more

Came here one day with my husband for the menudo and pozole. We really liked it. Have tried other dishes and have also enjoyed them. I would recommend this restaurant because the food is good, consistently good and because the staff is friendly, attentive, and the prices are also good. I should also add this place is always clean! read more

El Maguey - Menudo - Mexican Near Me - Lodi, California

The food is very flavorful and consistently good. Alhambres with chicken is my favorite. Our family loves it :)