We came back ... of course we did!! Our Red Bird Mission Team was back in Kentucky in early July and we kept talking about Mexican night. We had a couple of new comers in our group who noticed the pure joy in our voices as we talked about El Mariachi's food especially the Chicken Soup! Once again an absolute five star experience beginning with top notch service (I know a few of our group are picky when they eat out and quick to complain but they loved the service here!)! The dining area is attractive and fun plus spotlessly clean! Chips and a really good salsa were delivered immediately! I asked for some salsa verde and that was even better. Our group ordered a wide variety of menu items ... one guy ordered the incredibly large sampler platter. I went for the tamale, burrito and chicken soup! Ahhh all you need is the chicken soup (I actually went home to NJ determined to do my best to hack the soup it's sooo good and we live 10 hours away from El Mariachi's so it's hard to just stop by )! Once again it was a soup prepared by the angels!! We were all in agreement... incredibly delicious food, large portions and amazing prices. oh I almost forgot the needed margaritas!! We had had a hard day at work and we're thrilled with the huge drinks perfectly mixed and very inexpensive!! I am hoping we are going back to this mission next year ... if not I just might have to drive 10 hours for dinner at El Mariachi ... it's that good ... toss out the negative reviews ... these folks know what they are doing!! read more

See all

Mixed review. Skip the guac and sour cream. Do order anything with the shredded chicken. Service is wonderful. Very attentive. Atmosphere. There is a very persistent cleaner smell. If you are sensitive to cleaner smells, it will interfere with your eating experience. So the great. Enchilada sauce is subtle and perfect. Best I've had in a while. Best chips in the area. Solid salsa- lil' kick and smooth. The shredded chicken is juicy, well seasoned and has been shredded with care. Haven't had a bad bite yet. The guacamole is some kind of slush that has the consistency of mushed peas. So watered down with something else, it ceases to taste anything like avocados. Same problem with the sour cream. It's either the quality or it's been cut with something to make it thinner. There is no tang that sour cream should have. All other sides so far, tomatoes, lettuce, beans and rice have been of the best quality. Best Mexican I have had in KY and TN so far. (40 mile area, tried 5 other establishments.) read more

See all

Surrounded by fast food chain and large corporations. I figure why not support a local mom and pop shop. I Was traveling with a group of people who decided that they would like to eat some Mexican food. We entered their establishment with smiles abound, excited to eat some carne asada and salsa. They accommodated us quickly, and gave everyone on our table chips and salsa. The menu is very large. They have a plethora of items to choose from, and if you don't know what to order; don't even bother asking the server. My server was abysmal, half the staff gave us weird looks, and the other half was normal. Everything went smoothly until our server came by to take our orders. He was absolutely horrible. I kindly asked him for some recommendations, and he curtly responded with "I don't know". I was taken aback, so I tried again. This time I asked him "what's good?" He rolled his eyes and said "everything". Had I not been sitting with a large group, I would have up and left. Everyone in Kentucky has been very accommodating during my travels and this guy was just the absolute worst. He even cursed under his breath when I told him I would need more time to look over the menu. Food was mediocre, and the service just ruined my entire evening. Final detail to note, we were a large group of asians. read more

Service has been bad lately,, when the server led us to the table he just threw the menu on table. and what ever they clean tables with will choke you to death, cleaner is not very appetizing when you are eating. read more

First off, the service was terrible. The staff had ripped the menu out of my friends hands and yelled at her. The staff didnt take me and my friends order and we had to call over the waiter so we could get our food. After, the waiter kept harassing our table constantly asking if we had gotten a certain order, despite us saying no several times. The staff was terrible and charged me for a water or he gave me the wrong check. Afterwards, the server who was paying made me tip. I didn't get the option. Second off, the food itself was not good quality. The beef tasted uncooked and unseasoned, the cheese tasted spoiled and was crunchy, tortillas were stale, the chicken was chewy, the rice and beans tasted unflavored, and my friends food was cold. The food is also overpriced. I do not recommend. I get this restaurant may have been understaffed, but I do not understand why our experience had to be so severely affected by that. read more

Food is great! Service depends what server you get. They're all great but every time we get this one server, we're there all night. We stopped by on my husbands lunch hour and we were finished eating after 30. He gave us to go boxes and then 18 minutes passed before we saw our server again. We had to wait for the check and ended up being late getting back to work. If you're in a hurry, I'd probably avoid here. Food and ambience is great otherwise read more

Food was great would be 5 star if service was better the guy was rude and never brought us a refill.

Yummy good best Mexican food I ever had no cap. The service is amazing. The food is amazing. Everything's amazing. I love this place. I recommend going through to hear. read more

Quick lunch in Middlesboro. Quick service and great selection of food. Ordered carnitas, tamale, and fajitas. Great tasting food!

My husband and I Came here last night with our two nieces - a small party of four - to be honest the service was lousy - everyone received there food at different times and Me being served last got my meal 15 minutes later - my husbands order was not complete and he literally had to remind them to bring the rest of his order - The only reason I'm giving two stars is because our waiter was good -- I probably would not come back and I do not recommend this place - read more

first off my elderly grandmother has to take her time deciding on what she eats due to food sensitivities, and our waiter was this short larger bodied man and he kept huffing and puffing as well as rolling his eyes and cursing at us in Spanish. we had only been asked were we ready to order once. i wonder if he knew i understand Spanish. he probably should remember that next time he is cursing someone thinking i'm just a dumb american who only understands english. next off the chips tasted stale and like they were full of grease but old grease. we asked for fresh chips and 20 minutes later there was nothing there on our table. no fresh chips had arrived and i was over it. finally, the table was sticky, my server being hostile and rude, waiting 20+ mins for chips, and being cussed at. i got up and looked at him and said "keep my food im outta here". my little cousin told him he was rude and the poor kids 10. in all honesty if i could give zero stars i would. this place is god awful and i refuse to give them anymore business. read more

If I could give a 1/2 star that is what they would get. After a 12 hour day and out of town with my work partner were starving. We were craving some good Mexican food and cold beer we got a cold beer in the worst Mexican food possible. I had a chicken steak and shrimp fajitas. It was extremely burnt, the steak was like beef jerky And they must have put the shrimp in at the same time as the steak it was like chewing A piece of shoe leather. The chips and salsa was mediocre. The only reason why they would even get A half a star is because the Corona was cold. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY. Go to Taco Bell and liquor store. read more

El Mariachi Mexican Grill - Mexican Near Me - Middlesboro, Kentucky

We stopped here for lunch with our grandkids on our way to take them back to Chicago after their summer vacation. We were looking for a place with vegetarian options and were not disappointed. They have a fairly large selection of vegetarian entrees. The table chips and salsa were okay. The chips were fresh but I didn't really care for the salsa. It was pretty plain and mainly just a tomato sauce. The food was pretty good and the service was fine. The kids each got bean burritos covered in cheese sauce and they seemed to enjoy their meals. They were fairly large portions but they didn't come with anything. The plates should have come with lettuce and pico de gallo at the very least. Not a big deal, but it would have made it feel like a more complete meal. I got the chicken chimichangas and they were okay. They were a bit bland and dry but not bad. The rice and bean sides were fine as well. My hubs got the ground beef taco salad and that was the best dish on the table. One bite of his and I wished that I had ordered differently. They kept our drinks full and the prices were reasonable. Overall, I would eat there again when we're passing through. read more

The culinary heart of every small Kentucky town is the Mexican restaurant. This is one of my favorites. Strange as it may sound, I simply can't find a Mexican restaurant with this kind of quality in Lexington. The chips were freshly made, and the salsa was good and spicy. Not too spicy, but flavorful spicy. The meal took longer than normal to get, but it was worth the wait. I went with the Chorizo Loco, which was $1 off the day I was there. Fantastic dish. The chicken was cooked to perfection. Tender, juicy, and, when mixed with the chorizo, was one of the best Mexican dishes I've ever eaten. I'd drive the two hours from Lexington just for this dish. If you're looking for something to complain about, the refried beans are not the best. They have a strange aftertaste. But, I didn't care. The Chorizo Loco is all I want. No sides needed! read more

The chips and salsa were OK and my compatriots gave similar reviews of their basic tacos... but I ordered the Pollo De Jefes Special (chicken) and it may possibly be one of the best things I've ever eaten. Maybe a little salty, but so much flavor, so much goodness. If I could compare the flavor to anything it would be the "golden" sauce that you can order at some Hibachi restaurants. If you are here give this thing a try. I'm almost ready to drive 800 miles back to get it again. Our service was attentive and pretty prompt. They were able to accommodate a large group and give us our own section - both for the other guest's sake and ours. Chips and salsa were free and refilled as needed. The bathroom was clean and taken care of. Parking is ample. read more

See all

I'm from Chicago and believe folks the food at this restaurant is the worst ..... I order a guacamole and it wasn't fresh in fact look like was already made by machine-coming from walmart next door // the chips were shining loaded with oil /// I order their famous enchiladas it seems like they put the tortillas into microwave and rolled ....and put the tomatoes and lettuce on top of the enchiladas........ And the service was terrible I usually tip more than 20% for good service but not this time....... How do they stay in business I don't know but u never see me again at this place Perhaps I might consider bringing my team and open a real Mexican restaurant ! read more

Given its town, this restaurant deserves 4 stars. Note that you won't have many choices here. Of course, we can't compare its quality with Mexican restaurants in our hometown in orange county, CA. Coming from Harrogate in the dry county, having a frozen margarita here is a bliss. Chip and salsa is good but we had to ask for extra hot sauce. We had different entrees: enchilada, taco, burito, bean, rice...They're fine. The service is also OK. We'll come back. read more

Before the meal began my fiancé reminisced about how this restaurant used to be a Captain D's. You can tell by the set up that it used to be a fast food restaurant. The chips and salsa are mediocre and the food is served swimming in red sauce that almost tastes like spaghetti sauce. I ordered two enchiladas, one chicken, one cheese. The cheese enchilada was better than the chicken. The refried beans were tasty, but the Mexican rice was on the bland side. read more

El Mariachi Mexican Grill - The enchilada combination dinner. - Mexican Near Me - Middlesboro, Kentucky

Curbside delivery available as well as to-go Margaritas. Very fast generous servings with all trimmings included. grilled shrimp arroz Cameron and El Knox speci'al! read more

These folks are amazing. We routinely bring large groups here for our business and they have never failed us. We've tried other Mexican in town, but this is the best by FAR. I recommend the tamales (amazing) pina loca, and chicken soup (yes, really!). read more

We enjoyed our meal. The restaurant was clean and colorful. I really enjoyed the salsa which was smooth and had a little bite. The chips were fresh. I had the Pollo de Jefes with grilled vegetables, which was really good. My husband had a combo and his taco was really fresh and crispy. Service was good and refills were plentiful. read more

We thought the food was really good. Would have given 5 stars except we had a small bug in one of our Margaritas which was quickly replaced.

Absolutely delicious! We love Mexican food and this place hit the spot!! Staff was friendly and quick! Would highly recommend.

My go to Mexican place in rural America. It's decent food considering the location. They give you chips and salsa and replenish you the whole time if you want. You can never go wrong with fajitas and carne asada. If you like fish the pescado fundido is good too. I don't really have the same expectations as I do in California for Mexican food and this is one of the few Mexican places in the area. My friends really like the tosta guac as well. Overall a decent place and better than the other places in town. read more

This is my first time there. The food was really tasty but also very salty, probably the way they are supposed to be. Service was good. Staff members are very friendly. I will go back again. read more

I don't know what these other reviewer's were thinking about. There were nine of us that came to the restaurant and all of us had excellent service and we all truly enjoyed the food that we ordered. I ordered the Tres Hermanos (seafood platter with a serving large enough for two). Considering the size of our group, the service was prompt and continuing attention was appreciated. read more

Food was yummy but service was lacking. They were very polite though! Would stop again if we were in the area.

The chips and the Diet Coke were the only thing worth the trip. The mole sauce that was on my dinner tasted and smelled like spaghetti sauce. The salsa for the chips was ok, I've had worse. Seemed like every one of the workers could be live someone was there! Everyone of them came around the corner where we were, looked and turned around. Don't wast your time, money or calories. Go to Taco Bell! read more

Disgusting. Service was terrible as well. I can't speak for everyone, but server known as #3 per my receipt ought to go find a job more fitting. She seemed miserable. Glad I won't ever have to go back there again. read more

Food is average. Service is ok, seemed like servers were a little too serious maybe due to owner or management? We'll try other Mexican restaurant next time.. read more