To the reviewer who said 'best Carne Asada burrito ever', absolutely agree! It's yummy, and huge. The Carne Asada in general is excellent at this restaurant. Their shrimp is excellent and their tacos are good. Honestly I haven't had anything here that I didn't like. The food is really good and very authentic Mexican. Before taking your order they bring you chips and salsa. The chips are authentic themselves, which means they're not all salty as you would expect American chips to be. But you don't need them salty when there's salsa, plus they bring you limes which are an excellent addition if you squeeze them over the chips. The staff is very friendly and helpful but not in your face as at some restaurants. The building is nice, and it's a really pleasant atmosphere. Plus the food doesn't take very long to come. It's definitely not a fancy restaurant, so if you're looking for someplace for a special occasion you might want to look elsewhere. But it's clean, neat and extremely relaxing inside. So if you're looking for good Mexican food, this is definitely the place to go! read more

We eat here at least once a week, sometimes twice a week. Excellent service, incredible salsa, generous portions! I can't recommend it enough! If you go, you're going to want to order a soup, caldo de queso, or tortilla soup! YUM! read more

Entree's were very good, servers were friendly, and it was clean. 4 stars because the rice & beans could be a lot better.

Food was pretty good, but too many flies. Brought a coworker and nearly had to walk out

Lunch special on tuesday is enchiladas and it was delicious. My husband had milanesa said it was good. Kids had carne asade quesadillas and could not have been happier. read more

Yelp helped me find this place and the first tip they were on to something was that I was the only non-spanish person in the restaurant which was a great sign. I got the carne asada which was a huge steak with awesome baby spring onions and really nicely flavored rice and beans. Not your generic comes with everything dish, but really thoughtful, well flavored accompaniment. Definite thumbs up! read more

Had a Tucson layover and me and my crew decided to go out for dinner the shuttle driver at our hotel recommended this place! And im so glad he did! I ordered the shrimp enchiladas... And when i say it was goooodddd! I went back to my hotel and a few hours later i kept thinking i wish i had more of those enchiladas! I HIGHLY recommend coming here! Ill Defnietly be back! read more

This is my second time coming to this restaurant. The first time I had the shed beef taco and cheese enchilada and this time I had shed beef enchiladas. These both came with beans and rice. **Know that when you come in your are suppose to seat yourself and they will come and bring you a menu (unless they are super busy then it is of course seat yourself). Oh and if you get a side of sour cream know that it is going to be a HUGE side of sour cream, easily enough for 2-3 people. There is no kids menu, but I take my daughter and she kids a small quesadilla and that was perfect for her Positive: there is so much to choose from on the menu you are bound to find something to try, the staff is very polite, pico salsa seems like they make it fresh in the restaurant, beans are really good, enchilada sauce is yummy Negative: I DONT like capers and they put capers in the rice and I noticed today it was in the shed beef enchilada, the hot sauce salsa tastes like it is hot only because they put mounds of cayenne pepper in it, the chips they give you are a little boring (I had to add salt to them), Overall I would go there again, because my mom likes to way more than I do, but I wouldn't go out of my way to head to the other side of town to eat here. read more

After arriving in town from a long flight and picking up my rental car, I was absolutely ravenous. A few people mentioned El Merendero last time I was in Tucson, so I figured that this place would be first on my list for a quick meal before getting on with my day. Walking in, it was clear that most of their business is done with the local defense industry workers as patrons. Free chips and two kinds of salsa were offered to me after being seated, and after a quick gaze of the menu I settled on three assorted tacos: carne asada, chicken, and shredded beef. Though they came out a little slow and were not the most flavorful I've had in Tucson, they were fine by me since I was so hungry. Airline peanuts only go so far. My only complaint was the ingredients were not that high in quality, but then again the prices were somewhat low. Basically, what I'm saying, is go to El Guero Canelo instead of El Merendero for a better meal at a similar price. I'm not sure I'll be back any time soon, but I'll give it another shot eventually. read more

The chimichanga was dry and no sauce. It was not good. The rice and beans are good. Overpriced for bad chimis

Fantastic food and value. Karen was a wonderful waitress. Keep in mind, they do not have a full bar. Only beer and wine and wine margaritas.

Would have given five stars, the food was delicious, the waitress was slow. Obviously, our plates sat in the hot plate for awhile, beans had started to crust and rice was dry on top. Only about 6 tables occupied. I don't know why service was so slow. read more

Haven't been to this place for a while now. We decided to try once again and I'll say it did not disappointed! I will definitely go back!!

Delicious food! I practically drank the salsas they were so good. Friendly staff. Good service

Smack dab in the middle of South Tucson's ''Little Mexico'' is El Menendero, a small, family-owned Sonoran style Mexican eatery. The place is a bit cramped, but the service and food surely made up for that. I had grilled shrimp with refried beans, a little side salad and toasted bread. The shrimp was grilled just right, with the right amount of seasoning added to it. The meal, a lunch special was priced just right: $6.95. And if you want dessert, tres leches cake will only run you $3. The service was fast, and the wait staff was really attentive and willing to go the extra mile. Overall, in a city loaded with south-of-the-border restaurants, this place shines. read more

Their chile relleno plate is pretty good. Lots of cheese and big portions. My boyfriend didn't like the tacos though. He ordered chicken hard tacos and although they had good flavor, they were very greasy and had ground chicken instead of shredded. (At least we think it was ground chicken.) The waitress could tell he didn't like his meal and she was very apologetic and nice. She took off the cost of our drinks. All in all, an ok place for me, but I probably wouldn't return. He definitely wouldn't. read more

Visiting Tucson for the first time. We did not realize that everything closes early. Found this place and tried their carne azada as everyone mentioned it. I found the steak to be ok, but everything else was not great. The beans were too greasy for me. I expected more from this place based on the reviews :/ read more

Visiting Tucson and used Yelp to find good local Mexican food. The neighborhood looked a little dicey but the restaurant was clean and there were plenty of cars out front. I tried the Chili Rellenos. The whole plate was delicious! My hubby had a taco, enchilada combo and he cleaned the plate. My friend ordered ice tea and it looked and tasted awful! Her taco salad looked like it had a lot of watery soupy stuff at the bottom and very unappetizing but it tasted ok. read more

El Merendero - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Came here with a co-worker for lunch. It wasn't packed and the server got to us quickly and was quite attentive. I got the chicken enchilada lunch special. The taste was good and there was a good amount of food. I was quite satisfied by the end of it and it was all for a good price. I would definitely be back for their lunch specials. read more

Best Mexican food I have ever had. Hands down. I had the carne asada tacos two days in a row. Very friendly waitstaff. I highly recommend this place. read more

El Merendero - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Food and service was very nice. The tacos were especially good and just a nice friendly place for dinner.

Great food Had the stuffed chili relleno. Salsa were good too. Very nice waitress named Karen. They do not have a full bar. They only serve wine margaritas, wine and beer. read more

We stumbled upon this restaurant on trip to the Tucson VA clinic. The food was fantastic and the service just as good. Not only was food great there was plenty of it. I very highly recommend it. read more

El Merendero - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

My short time in Tucson included a visit El Merendero for a late lunch. The restaurant is small - nothing fancy but comfortable enough. There are lots of hot sauces on the table and you are served chips and salsa with limes when you first sit down. Now on to the food: - Shrimp quesadilla. Tiny but very tasty. Tortilla had a slight crispness to it, and overall a good flavor. - Red chile chimichanga - got it enchilada style (saucy). The big chunks of beef inside were tender, almost falling apart. No other fillers inside. - Tres leches cake - got this to go. Nice, not too sweet. If I lived in the area, I would likely come back to try more stuff. I saw someone's seafood soup and it looked great. The prices were also very reasonable. read more

Good food, weird billing system tho, if there is more than 2 of you. Best taco salad in long time, try it you'll like it. read more

Very nice place and friendly stuff! I've never tried Mexican food, so first time-great experience! read more

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Great Mexican food. Even better service. My only complaint was that the food wasn't very hot. Prices were very reasonable.

Stopped here for lunch on a day trip down to Tucson, my expectations were not high and I was still disappointed. Service was fast and friendly, salsas were very good. The chicken taco salad was more like a soup- the beans in the bottom filled up 70% of the bowl and they were runny. Fish tacos were decent, the corn tortillas were not great. Beef chimichangas were average. Chili rellinos were average. The chicken in the chicken flautas was dry and tasteless. Bean chimichanga was decent. Carne Assad burrito was good, didn't like the potatoes in it. Ordered churros for dessert and they tasted like nail polish- I took one bite and didn't finish it. No one else in my party enjoyed them either. read more

Stop by this place once a week for lunch. Large menu with many seafood dishes, daily lunch specials, daily seafood specials. The sweet tea is the way to go as far as drinks go here. Chips, 2 types of salsa and limes are placed on the table after you sit down. Each day they have a different special which comes with beans & rice: tacos (ground beef or chicken, the beef is very moist), enchiladas (cheese or chicken), flautas, red chili, there's one more I'm forgetting. The seafood specials are in Spanish, seafood cocktails, soups, fish. Usually I go with a lunch special (tacos or enchiladas), ceviche tostada, soup (cocido or menudo), or go all out and get the fried red snapper. The red snapper needs to be split between 2 to 3 people, it's huge! Comes with beans, rice, tortillas, lettuce, tomatoes, cukes and limes. Dining room can accommodate large groups, booths are more comfortable than tables. Large array of hot sauces are kept at the end of the table. When it gets busy, service can become slow. Just get the server's attention if you need something. Dining area and restrooms are kept clean. Parking lot is small but never had a problem getting a spot. read more

Friendly service. Food has always been great and the best tortilla soup I have ever eaten.

I was there recently within the past week and the service from our server was horrible. She disregarded everything we asked for and seemed annoyed. The food was ok. Nothing memorable and would not be my choice for Mexican food. read more

Great menudo!!! They always have it available, white or red for the picky eater. Great service. This place it pays to come often. The servers have long memories and it shows with their greetings. Good mariscos as well. read more

I visit Tucson yearly, and have been here 3 times. The food is delish! I recommend the choriso cheese crisp! The place has a family feel to it, but laid back enough to enjoy some beers! The staff is friendly enough. I rate this a 4 due to their service. The service for me has been a hit or miss, I've had great service both times I've visited during dinner, and sucky service during an early dinner, when it was empty! Still worth the risk though! read more

It was pretty good. Food came out fresh and delicious. Service was incredibly great very attentive to needs.

Chiliquiles were great! Enchiladas were excellent! They even made machaca for us, that wasn't on the menu.

Salsa tasted only of cayenne pepper, taco and tostada were extreme soppy. Chess enchilada was so thin, I questioned where the cheese was. Ceviche was sub-par. The flavors just weren't there. Skip this one. There are better Mexican restaurants out there. read more

I've eaten a lot of Mexican food growing up and this is easily my favorite Mexican restaurant. When I say I've eaten Mexican food growing up I don't mean places like Macayos or El Molinitos, I'm talking about actually traveling to Mexico and eating the local food and El Merendero is the closest to reach how good actual food in Mexico tastes. I eat here regularly because I love it so much. The waitresses are very personal and they treat you almost like a member of their own family without being too overbearing. The food itself is fantastic and the portions are great and reasonably priced. I recommend this place to everybody I know. read more

El Merendero - Carne asada combo plate. HUGE skirt steak with rice, beans, onions, a jalepeno, and guacamole served with a flour tortilla - Mexican Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Our plane was delayed to the next day and the concierge at our airport hotel recommended this place. Great family atmosphere and the food was fantastic. I had a combo plate with carne asada and my daughter had chicken taquitos. We both had empty plates! read more

This restaurant was ok, but nothing special. The tacos and enchiladas were pretty genetic, but you could really taste the chile in the enchilada sauce. We ordered a tiny cup of cheese for my daughter (wanted 1/2 the size of the tiny salsa cup) and they charged us $3 for 'queso.' That is technically correct, but that was a lot to pay for the amount of cheese given. All in all, is was 'meh.' read more

I have been there twice now and I have not been disappointed with the food. This last time I ordered the shrimp quesadilla and it was AMAZING!!! The have margaritas but it would be nice if they were on the rocks and to taste more alcohol. Chips and salsa were so good as well, overall this place is good and I will be going back again read more