Review Visit: October 21st, 2014 So much food. So many memories. El Mexicano is one of those places that was located in a weird spot. It was on the corner of a street away from a commercial district but not quite in a residential area. Tim, Matt, and I pulled up for an early dinner one evening and were greeted by some friendly workers. We placed our orders at the counter and took a seat at one of the few empty tables. There were a few others in the restaurant but due to the sheer small size, it felt packed with just the few of us in there. As with a lot of Mexican places, we had our food out in front of us before we even had time to really dig in to a random topic. Not only was it cooked exceptionally fast but the sheer amount of food was borderline nonsense for the price we paid. You gotta start somewhere, so I started by eating the extra goodies that came with my burrito. It was a combination of rice, refried beans (?) and some salad stuff topped with sour cream, I think. Scarfing down the sides was easy as the food was pretty good aside from the bean paste stuff. That was a bit dry. After priming my stomach for the main course by downing the side stuff, I used my fork and knife to cut in to the burrito. As is the norm at these places, the burritos are massive. Like, this is half the size of a loaf of bread. It's gut-busting sized. But, I was able to use my knife and fork to shovel down most of the burrito. I had to tap out at about 1/4 left as I just couldn't do it. The food was just too much. I think my meal was under $10 so to get full for that much is an incredible value in my book. The burrito was on par with the side stuff. It was good, if not borderline great. El Mexicano would've definitely been a place I would revisit if they were still open. It didn't help that we put down a ton of chips and salsa in between bites as well. I love chips and salsa. Matt was in the same boat as me. Unable to finish. Tim was the victor and put down all his stuff and then some more of the chips and salsa. The man is a beast when he wants to be. So, it was a sad day when I was doing some searching around on Google and discovered El Mexicano had closed. Here is a link to an article the local newspaper did on it closing, if you are interested. I was surprised to see it had been in the area for 16 years. At that point, it becomes a staple to the area. read more

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This is the grossest thing I have ever had. What authentic Mexican restaurant uses can cheese chemical crap? Disgusting do not waste your money read more

El Mexicano - Disgusting - Mexican Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

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Great food. Wonderful location. Good price. Nice people. Eat eat eat The best restaurant in Peoria. read more

Food is always amazing! Staff is always super friendly and accommodating. Not a very long wait time unless they're super busy but even then it's maybe 15 mins at the most. This place has been a favorite of mine for years!! read more

Everything was dry, flavorless and tasted wrong. My beans tasted sour and rotten. The tamale was dry and tasted rotten. There was no flavor on anything. I got nachos and those were even bad. How do you mess up nachos? The salsa wasn't even good. I wanted so much to like it. read more

Great food with lots of choices, both authentic Mexican and more American choices. They do not have much seating so consider take-away or outdoor seating at the picnic tables. They do take credit cards and have very good guacamole. read more

Ordered the enchiladas chicken with red sauce. First impression was that the enchiladas were dry. When you think of enchiladas it's all about the sauce. And my enchiladas were lacking that. Then as other people were ordering I could hear A microwave beeping a lot. So no wonder my food came out so fast and dry. It wasn't even fresh they microwaved it. read more

Most authentic Mexican food in the area! Everything is so fresh too! Prices are unbeatable! The dinning experience can differ depending on the other patrons. The location is extremely questionable however well worth going to for lunch or early evening. I'm a vegetarian and kind of a pain when I order, I have never had any problems here though. They are happy to make my complicated custom order. Try the sopes, to die for! read more

El Mexicano - Menu - Mexican Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

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I used to call this "Mexico in the Ghetto". Tiny little restaurant. Cheap food. Large portions. Chicken Burritos come with rice and beans. Free chips & salsa. This is some of the best salsa I have ever had. Make sure you order a Mexican Coke. Easily one of the best places to eat in Peoria! read more

Top notch Mexican food. Its not much to look at when you drive by the restaurant but the food is really good. I have tried several things so far and this is my favorite restaurant so far. I love the enchiladas with red sauce. I have them with chicken and on corn flour tortillas. They are so tender and flavorful. The chicken rajitas are tasty as well. I am open to try anything when the quality is top notch like this. The food is authentic and they don't go heavy on the pepper's which is awesome because my girlfriend doesn't like spicy food. If you need extra heat the hot sauce is a reach away. The menu is cheap so I can afford to come here twice a day! Definitely worth a try if you love Mexican. Get here early because of the lack of seating. The place seems to always be full. read more

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Tasty Mexican food in a sort of bare bones location. The gentleman who served us was very polite and wanted to make sure we enjoyed our meal, which we did! I tried the Sangria soda, which I didn't have high hopes for, but it was pretty good! Definitely not overly sugary like some fruity sodas. read more

Had a gordita and a tamale. Both were amazing. The tamale was absolutely perfect. Just like my Mexican auntie's. Completely authentic made from scratch. read more

This place makes me feel better when I'm homesick for serious Mexican tacos. If you want real, delicious tacos, you need to get yourself here with a few bucks and have some. I'd love to share with you how delicious their menu is but until the last time I went I'd only ever ordered their steak tacos with cilantro and onion because one you know how to hit a home run, why go changing up things? These are - hands down- the best tacos in the Peoria area. This is the typical little taco joint we used to haunt in Aurora. Order at the counter, they bring them to one of the 4-5 travels they have. You could easily show up and not get a table on a busy day but who cares. Sit in your car-the tacos are totally worth it. We eat here about once a month. read more

Love their tamales! Low price makes up for minimal seating area and aesthetics (might want to plan on take-out.) But oh. my. goodness. did I mention I LOVE their tamales?? read more

I am addicted... I try to tell myself I will only go in there once or twice a month but I can barely get through one week without stopping in. Their street tacos (with cilantro and onions) are so amazing and so affordable, and their small order of guacamole is the best deal in town. So many places you go to will only give you a small serving at a high price, but here you get a generous portion for a small price! And the ingredients are so fresh! I am addicted... I am not sure there is a support group for this type of thing, but if there is, I don't want it. I grew up in Chicago with the best of the best hole in the wall Mexican places, and El Mexicano is as good as any of these! read more

This is the best place to get mexican food in peoria, period. Quick, tasty, delicious, and inexpensive too. We get lunch from there all the time. Favorites are their steak tacos, burritos, chicken nachos, and enchiladas. Beware when ordering the burrito, it's enormous! And make sure to get the green super spicy salsa. Delicious. They only accept cash but we usually can order food for four adults for under $30. Great deal and great food. read more

This place is great! It's small, nothing fancy, affordable, with good food. I enjoy the pictures beside the menu items. :) Be sure to bring cash. Sometimes the hours that they're open seem a bit unpredictable, but I think that's fair enough from a place this small. read more

If you haven't try El Mexicano yet, why? Good food, cheap. It is out of the way and east to miss, but worth the trip. It is nice authentic food that feels home cooked. Small outside area to enjoy your tasty tacos and salsa. read more

I'm just updating my review, as this is still a great place to eat.I usually get a chorizo burrito with rice & beans and it's always very good.I get mine with guacamole & sour cream as well.complimentary homemade tortilla chips come with it.also the red sauce is mild, and the green sauce is hot.my lunch cost $8.80 total and well worth it. read more

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Absolutely amazing! The service is incredible, you can tell they care about each customer who walks through the door. We got the shrimp tacos, street corn with hot cheetos on top, guac, and a burrito and all of it was outstanding. My husband and I had it for lunch yesterday and went back again this afternoon with more friends! 12/10 Recommending to everyone I know! read more

Great food and great service. The place is a little warm do to AC not working. This is some of the most authentic Mexican food I have ever had. Must have cash and soda is by the can. read more

El Mexicano - Carne asada, chorizo taco - Mexican Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

While the atmosphere may not be great, this is perhaps the best Mexican food in Peoria. We ordered a variety of dishes -- fajitas, gorditas, and flautas -- and all were fantastic. Prices are incredibly reasonable as well. read more

Hours stated they were open 10am - 6pm on Sunday, but when we arrived at 1:30pm, thy were closed.

Good food, alright prices, but nothing to write home about. The tortas are great for pre-concert chowing.

Great food! I lived in Mexico for a few years, this place was very authentic. The food was fantastic, portion size was great, and the place seemed very clean. I'm headed back soon for another lunch very soon! The green sauce was excellent! read more

Food is definitely tasty, but they tend to lock the doors early and act like it is a pain in the butt if you want to order food after 6pm. +4 starts for taste, -2 stars for feeling like an inconvenience every time I come here (and I still do because the food is good). read more

El Mexicano is the best authentic Mexican restaurant in Peoria. The restaurant is small and easy to miss, but the food is great.

Food here was awesome. This place and 3 Raels ? On Knox are two of the best Mexican places I've had this far north both 110% authentic !!

Its hard to find vegetarian options in Peoria, that said, this place had some and they were good! Great value. Coke and pepsi in glass bottles made with real sugar, score. Quesadilla was average. Guacamole was delicious. fresh made tortilla chips. Tacos and burritos were above average. CASH ONLY! Small room for seating. read more

I miss this place so much! Used to eat here frequently when I worked downtown. Order the tacos al pastor you will not be disappointed! Prices can't be beat for a quality Mexican food fix. read more

Very authentic! Tiny place but great for carry out. Not the cleanest but food is great!

Great place. The food is pretty authentic, the hot sauce is not very hot. Ask for the green. Tortas are very good. El pastor and also the steak tacos. For Peoria worth the trip. read more

Simple, delicious food in giant portions. A no fuss, super friendly establishment where the servers are charming and the food is slammin'. Only complaint is that the chips were bland and the beans aren't vegetarian, but otherwise great and I'd go back any day! read more

Food was excellent! I had the enchiladas (steak) and they were perfect. Facility was clean, staff was very polite and fast. In & out in about 20 min. Great place for a fast and wallet friendly lunch. read more

Peoria has decent Mexican Restaurants but there is no competition to this place. The food is fresh, cheap and made to order fast. I don't get to go there enough! read more

I ate there the last weekend chicken enchilada and tacos. The server was pretty kind. The kitchen was not so clean. The food was bad. When I ate the food, I could feel some weird smell from the chicken. From that evening, my stomach got really bad and I got sick. I will not go there any more for my health. read more

Great Mexican for really cheap. Had tacos, watch out for the green sauce. Not much to look at on the outside but can't imagine anything not tasty on the menu. 5 star rating takes into consideration the food and price. read more

The best Mexican in Peoria.I'e always had great service. If they would fix the a/c I'd go tomorrow. Maybe I'll grab one at a garage sale and drop it off. read more

Cheap, great service, consistently tasty food. Hands down the best Mexican place in town.

Food was decent, nothing special. Kind of generic, far from the authentic experience we were expecting after reading reviews. Ordered enchiladas, they came dry, without sauce. Probably will not come back. read more