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El Mexicano By La Parilla

3.6 (19 reviews)
Closed • 9:00 am - 10:00 pm

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Outdoor seating
Dogs allowed

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a table full of mexican food
Nan S.

The place is cutely decorated & the waitress was friendly. The food was good and the portions were good for the pricing. :) However, I was a little surprised to be charged when asking for water. They also charged for extra chips (which is understandable, but I feel water is generally a free item given).

Gorditas del Pastor--not on the menu, but they hooked me up.
Rich W.

I've been here several times now. El Mexicano is a straightforward Mexican joint that serves traditional style, not Tex-Mex style, food. The menu isn't huge (a couple of my fave Mex standards like Chilies Rellenos and Sopes are sadly missing), but what's there is varied enough to fill any needs, and the family platters are sights to behold. My first trip was to try out their gorditas, which were well stuffed in a thick corn masa shell. It wasn't deep fried, as I've had in some places, but nice and tasty. My wife got the Mojarra, a whole fried snapper (may have been tilapia, but Mojarra is traditionally snapper). It was well cooked, but not overcooked as we've experienced in other places. The tortillas that accompanied it were freshly made, and perfect for clawing out pieces of the fish. All in all, a good experience. My second trip there was less thrilling. My chicken enchiladas in salsa verde were so salty that I could barely eat them. It wasn't the salsa that was salty, but the chicken inside the enchiladas. Unfortunately, it was a takeout order, and I wasn't willing to drive back to the restaurant to return them. In retrospect, I wish that I had. My wife got the mojarra again, and her fish was also heavy on the salt side. Whomever was cooking that day had a very heavy hand for the salt, and if not for the positive result of the first visit, I'd likely not have returned again. It was that bad. I almost didn't go back for a third trip, but I gave them another chance, and I'm glad I did. I went in for breakfast and ordered Chilaquilles verde, and they were very good, and the plate was big enough for me to get two meals out of it. The over easy eggs were over medium, but I let it slide. That meal got them out of the hole they'd dug, and my Tacos de Tripa (ordered crunchy) were a diet cheat delight, and my Rancheros breakfast was very good, and very filling. It wasn't the typical Huevos Rancheros presentation, but all the constituent elements were there, and the taste was on board too. Again, my eggs were more medium than easy, but it wasn't a world ending crisis. The thin slice of beef was also overcooked, but from similar experiences in many other Mexican places, I've come to wonder if that's just the way they do it? Next time I'll ask for it to be cooked just a couple of minutes. The excellent hot chocolate more than made up for it. I'd stop in there just for the chocolate. in the end, this will be a regular stop for me. They can improve on their four star award by getting my eggs right, serve the beef sides less than extremely well done, and by keeping the salt shaker lid secured in the future, but it's much better than the three star I would have given had I not made additional visits after my second. Unless a restaurant does something God awful (usually service related) to me, I'll not slam a place after just one visit, and I now try for at least a few visits before even reviewing. Also, please be patient with the servers. English is not a strong suit for some of them, but they're nice, and it's a good opportunity for you to practice your Spanish.

Chicken tostadas (very good)
Vince S.

This Mex spot has slowly become my favorite in my immediate neighborhood. My original 4 star review was conservative and after many visits I realized I needed to update it. The language barrier I encountered during my first few trips has been improved, and a few eat in meals proved to be very good, as my guests also attested to. I was told to try a platter months ago, and was so satisfied when I actually did. Coming in at around $20 these are way more than 1 meal, I really like the grilled chicken pork and steak. I'm not a fan of the refried beans here, but the rice is excellent and you can sub cactus for the beans. I think one of my favorite items here are the gorditas, I thought this was a made up Bell item, but no, they are thick corn discs sliced open and stuffed with chicken and lettuce, tomato and avocado. The salsas are very good too. The flautas are great too, 5 large flutes stuffed with pulled chicken in a light red sauce. And a huge salad right on top. The last reason for the upgrade is the ambiance/ decor. This is a large restaurant with plenty of seating. They keep it very clean and the Mexican themed decor with bright colors and parrots hanging from the ceiling is fun.

Tacos de trompo con pina
Rob C.

First time here for the Birria tacos but the Trompo stole the show. No alcohol, but the menu is quite large. Disappointed they do not serve fish or shrimp tacos. Al Pastor De Trompo de pina - excellent Tacos de birria - very good Ricos tacos Tacos de carne asada - good grilled steak flavor, but overall slightly dry but worth a chance. Needed some lime and alot of sauce Tacos de charos de res - least favorite. Dry and needed alot of sauces or something So many items on this menu to try. Winter is coming so its soup season. I will be back

Love the decor!

Outstanding food, very authentic and friendly service, prices are very fair. Excellent atmosphere and colorful decor and they were very happy celebrate a special occasion! Highly recommend trying their sampler platters which makes ordering easy. Also another hit was their shrimp and steak dish!

Gerald S.

El Mexicano on Hamilton Avenue, Trenton, NJ (actually, Hamilton) is a new South of the Border restaurant from the folks who brought us La Parrilla Steak House. It looks like many others with tables and chairs brightly painted/shellacked, but unlike most it offers three meals a day, seven days a week, for primarily Spanish speaking families. The menu is diverse, offering everything from traditional street food through large plate multi side dinners. While I was there late on a weekday afternoon, most other customers were couples and families enjoying themselves. I ordered Flautas and a Batida Fresa. The five chicken flutes were buried under shredded lettuce, tomato, crema fresca, avocado, and stuffed with chicken and more cheese. They were crisp and very tasty. The strawberry milkshake was cool and very refreshing. They played well together and left me full enough until the next morning. I really didn't have room for the chips and salsa and left them behind. Really liked the food and the experience of the house, although I admit the appointments reminded of so many other places with the same furniture. Still, it draws the locals who seem to be totally into it, so who am I to question? Will be back for their desayuno. Props to Vince for this find!

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2 years ago

One of the best local food spots in the area. Prices are great, portions are even greater. What more is there to say about the spot.

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2 years ago

Food is a amazing with many different options to fill all your cravings. One of the best spots with the best prices .

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3 years ago

Food was very good and it was decorated very nice but the customer service was not it

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El Potrillo Mexican Restaurant

El Potrillo Mexican Restaurant

(10 reviews)

$$

Wow do not miss this absolutely delicious small restaurant in a nice neat little block in Trenton…read more This was once Marsilio's & now serves the most delicious fresh Mexican food with salsa & chips that made me sing every bite! My friend and I ordered tacos. I order Al pastor, carnitas & an enchilada taco. My friend ordered a chicken taco & an enchilada taco. We actually thought we were ordering enchiladas.. Rolled cheese with a sauce. Instead they were soft steak tacos. Delicious! I'll be coming back often. So good & my friend and I are from Texas! We know Mexican food!

Another of the growing cadre of very good Mexican restaurants in and around Trenton. This one, El…read morePotrillo (The Colt) has taken over Marsilio's Kitchen on Roebling Avenue in the Burg. It is amazing how Mexican rugs thrown over tables change the look and mood of one of the classic Italian houses. One can only hope they can do something that is the Mexican equivalent of the great Chicken Cacciatore that its predecessor was known for. The space is casual, but also clean and well organized. The bar is no longer servicing alcohol, but in its place are fresh squeezed fruit/vegetable juices. My large snifter of Carrot Juice was sweet and coolly refreshing. The menu is diverse and provides just enough English to hint at what you will get. My Torta Carnitas (slow cooked pork) was huge and enough for 2 meals. The Roll was thin and nicely crunchy. There was plenty of meat at the bottom and it was the base for the Lettuce, Avocado, Onion, Jalapeno, Fresh Cheese, Tomato and Spicy Mayo that all came wrapped neatly in paper. I needed knife and fork to work my way through the half torta, taking the other piece home for another lunch. The combination of fresh veggie juice ($4) and the torta ($8), may seem steep for this type of shop, but when you realize they are preparing two meals for you, the value proposition becomes outstanding. El Portrillo asks if "You have tried the best Mexican food around?" They are certainly entitled to their hyperbole, because it is among the best I have sampled in Trenton.

Totopos - Milanesa de Pollo

Totopos

(8 reviews)

There are alot of great Mexican joints around Trenton these days, and Totopos up on Brunswick…read moreAvenue is one of them. True, it is tiny (2 tables inside and 2 more out front), and it is a dive (in the best sense of the word), but the skilled hands in la cocina tell a different tale. When I parked on the street in front and walked in, a telenovela was playing on the HDTV high on the wall, and several people were working behind the counter. I approached to check their trifold menu and engaged the man who appeared to be the owner or manager. He was fluently bilingual making it easy to explain what was available and then how I wanted my Torta Milanesa de Pollo prepared. I took a chair at one of the tables, and moments later my lunch was placed before me. It was an enormous sandwich on an oversized oblong roll, dressed in heavy foil at its waist and showing its internals at its edges. Just take a look at the photos. It was an amazing piece of working peoples culinary art. I maneuvered my jaws for a first bite and attempted to compress the width of this monster to fit more in my mouth. I clamped down full force and cut through its many layers. The flavor of the breaded cutlet, spicy mayo, avocado, tomato, onion, queso and lettuce burst out and had a fiesta in my mouth complete with pinata. It was just an excellent sandwich. Eating half would have been enough for a satisfying meal, but I indulged and ate the whole thing right there. Totopos has been in business for about three years. The family running it is from Oaxaca in southern Mexico. They give this corner of North Trenton another reason to visit along with some of the other great hidden kitchens in the neighborhood. .

We ventured to this little hole in the wall restaurant one night in search of tacos, and boy did we…read morehit the jackpot! At first glance the place is tiny, but with some outdoor and indoor seating. We chose to do takeout and get our tacos to go. We ordered the chicken, steak, and carne enchilada tacos. Each taco comes in a soft corn tortilla with cilantro, onions, and side of green salsa. The steak and carne enchilada (marinated beef) are by far the best and beat the other tacos out of the water! Everythint from the sauce to the onion and cilantro was absolutely delicious! We also decided to order the horchata and we were both pleasantly surprised. The horchata was so good! This place has now become my go-to place for take out tacos. Last time we tried the chicken quesadilla and were not disappointed! I can't wait to go back again and look forward to my next taco craving!

El Mexicano By La Parilla - mexican - Updated May 2026

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