Bottom line: awesome food and service with fast, delicious food. It's pretty unusual to find authentic Mexican food this far North, but this place has it. Their Puebla-style (down in southern Mexico) is not Tex-Mex or Yucatan, it's uniquely delicioso. This also means their tacos al pastor are a bit sweeter because they use more pineapple than most places you might find north of Mexico City (or anywhere further north that I've tasted it) but it might be the tastiest marinated pork meat to many a Pennsylvanian. I preferred the Pollo tinga (seasoned chicken) which is definitely one of the BEST I've ever had. I appreciated they had spicy sauces, as well, with which you could adjust to your heat levels. The server brought any or all on request and described them nicely. I didn't try their tomatillo salsa, but my lovely wife assures me it was quite tasty. I can personally attest that their chili de arbol and their jalapeno salsas were excellent. I would have used jalepenos in the pico and guacamole, but they stayed true to their cuisine and you could really taste the lime juice in both...yum! The off street parking was awesome. It let all the little cars get off the street which allowed me to parallel park my biggo Texas-sized truck on the curb... hard to find parking in this tiny car town. It's a small place, but we got the last table at 7pm on a Friday night. They did a respectable take out business, simultaneously, and our food still came out quick and hot. Finally, the server was super friendly. She was equally fluent in English and Spanish. And, despite her work-load checked in with us 4-5 times to make sure we were taken care of. I don't know if I'll be back to Bethlehem PA in the future, but if I do, I think I have a go-to place! read more

Excellent taste, fully authentic Mexican cuisine. Pleasant atmosphere with friendly, timely service.

El Paisano is the little Mexican place of my dreams. Best tacos in Bethlehem! Go in on Friday with some friends, bring a six pack, order some Salty Beef tacos and welcome in the weekend. The place is casual and a little offbeat. Everyone is happy to help but if you don't get one of the younger girls as your waitress, there is going to be a small language barrier. Don't worry, just smile and point out your item on the menu when you're not sure how to pronounce something. Make sure to wash it all down with Horchata and everything will be fine. Despite what yelp says, I'm sure I've paid with my card here. read more

This place is EXCELLENT. I am Mexican and have been dying to find some great Mexican food. Not only is this place that for sure, they make the absolute best tamales I have ever had! They taste just like my abuelita's! Very nice family and true authenticity in their food. I recommend highly. read more

Favorite mexican food in lehigh valley (so far). Had the tacos and a chicken gordita. Love places where you can try several different items. Had the chicken tinga, carnitas, and chorizo in the tacos. Everything tasted fresh and excellent. Will be back. Very inexpensive so no reason to avoid giving this place a try. Love when you have a selection of sauces, in this case salsas. read more

Hey, when I can go in a Mexican place that is authentic and doesn't flinch at Vegan I'm all in!!! It's a little place but there are a few tables and you can get takeout too! We pass this place all the time so now we will have to stop more often!!!! read more

Great authentic food for a great price! The waitress was absolutely terrific and kind and the food was delicious and just the right portion. Chicken tostadas were super tasty! read more

Without a doubt this is the best Mexican restaurant in the area. I usually get the rice and beans which are always just the way I like them- the rice is nice and fluffy and yellow. I usually get the tinga tacos, they are incredible. They have a very strong and authentic chipotle flavor. They are served with chopped white onions and cilantro in a soft taco. My boyfriend usually gets the quesadilla and they are so good as well. The service is great here- it is a family owned place and the quality definitely reflects that. read more

If you blink, you'll miss it.... A small store front amongst a neighborhood of homes and other small businesses. The food is really good, made to order and for the most part, made in house from scratch. The Guacamole is really good, service is friendly and helpful and oh my goodness the made from scratch tortillas with cactus is scrumptious!! The tacos are great and I'm so thankful to give this place a try. We will be back, you can taste the care and love read more

Doesn't look like much from the outside (or the inside for that matter) but the food and service are excellent. My meal was $9 and came with chille relleno, salad, tortilla rice and beans in addition to free chips and salsa. The food was delicious and authentic and it came out in less than 5 minutes. The young woman working there was really nice and checked on me often. If I lived around here, this would be a regular spot. Definitely recommend! read more

El Paisano - Chille rellano with salad, beans and rice - Mexican Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Small no frills order at the counter family owned and run establishment. A legitimately authentic Mexican menu. It includes items relatively obscure in the northeast but are staples in the southwest. This includes taco choices like lengua (cow tongue) and tripitas (grilled cow small intestines). Sopes, a very thick corn tortilla served like a tostada. Salsa has 3 levels of heat. I tried the hottest and it is exactly what you'd find in Mexico or LA. It's a roasted red chili salsa and has a smokey flavor. I tried sopes, a tostada, guacamole, and rice. The tostada was excellent and they used Cotija cheese which is the Mexican standard. Guacamole is also great. They kept it simple. I'd skip the dope and try a taco instead. This is a very good option for fast, simple, and very authentic Mexican food in this geographic location. read more

Great authentic Mexican food. The pico with the chips was good. We had a taco and tostado kinda like an app to split. Both were great. I then had the enchiladas verdes. My goodness. How awesome they were. You could taste the fresh tomatillos. Also had the horchata. Very good. Will definitely make this a stopping point when back in the area. read more

El Paisano - Taco de pollo - Mexican Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

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Incredible, authentic food. Excellent portions and presentation. Great and quick service. Love this place!

Authentic Mexican food. Muy sabrosa!! Cash only Try the mole!!!! read more

Authentic Mexican cuisine that is better than any other place in the valley. Everything on their menu is great...but the tacos are always my go to, esp the chorizo and shredded pork. Enjoy! read more

Great tacos here. My son loves the cow tongue burrito. Small clean dining room and reasonable prices. BYOB

Its pretty authentic. The home made salsas are fabulous. I saw the mom or grandma cooking. The staff is very friendly. You can't beat the prices. It will keep you coming for more of their amazing food. There's a parking lot so that helps in this area. I haven't tried the desserts YET but I will one day. I like that they have candy and Mexican sweet bread if the mood strikes. read more

Someone's grandmother making your food....everything I've had here is amazing. Just left with gorditas (potato), flautas (chicken), and huaraches (pulled pork). Their hot sauce is super spicy but has tons of flavor. Always a great choice. It helps the family who runs the place are very friendly/helpful read more

Great value for your money. Authentic Mexican food. I love authentic Mexican food and this place has it. I order Chloe relleno and wasn't desapointed at all. Excellent rice and beans. Cheese's was also very fresh. Highly recommended. read more

If you're looking for authentic Mexican food in Bethlehem/the Lehigh Valley, look no further. El Paisano is a quant little family operated place. Friendly service and delicious, authentic food. My favorites are the burrito with chorizo, the enchiladas verdes and the homemade guacamole and chips. Also, if you'd like a nice treat, their flan is delicious. The mild green sauce is my favorite. read more

Went twice in one week:-) so glad to have found this gem! Love love love their chips /guac & fresh salsa! Love the pork tacos with onion & cilantro and husband enjoyed a sampling of tostadas/ taco/ gordita- good service decent parking- clean. Glad to have found some good local authentic Mexican at a good price! Left full & happy! read more

Great place! I live down Garrison Ave approximately half a mile and I used to always walk the half mile in super hot heat, below freezing temperature, rain, or snow just to get these tacos! I never complained once after I had my first bite of their tacos! Recently , I discovered a equivalently good taco place across the street so I don't walk here anymore... but I think I might start coming back if I keep my packing the pounds from NOT walking that mile round trip to el Paisano. read more

Mom & Pop shop, authentic Mexican food. The waitress is amazing she's so fast & tends do ever table like its the only one.

Probably one of my favorite Mexican spots in the LV Area. Very authentic and delicious. And can't beat the price!!!!!!!

Another great local place for tacos. Parking is convenient. I thought their homemade green sauce was fantastic. Clean place with good services. Next t8me I get your bethlehem I will stop by. Careful on the Yelp map..it is actually on opposite side of street. read more

This was our first experience with El Paisano, and it was fantastic!!!! The food is fresh, spot-on authentic, and absolutely delicious!!! The staff is friendly and welcoming- made me feel super comfortable, even though I've never been there before. We tried the tacos (marinated pork, chicken, steak), tostadas (same 3 ways), steak gordita, chicken quesadillas, and rice and beans (Wanted to try a little of everything- all that for only $32 bucks!!). All of the ingredients tasted so fresh and clean- I could tell that they use quality ingredients and they they really care about the food they make. The tortillas are all homemade- and you can tell bc they are AMAZING. The homemade guacamole and the sour cream (homemade as well?) were fantastic!! Oh, and this was takeout (we live about 5 mins away) and the quality of the food did NOT suffer one bit from being boxed up. We're going to eat in next time, bc the interior is adorable. (Note for takeout: If you live further away, I'd suggest eating in, bc I'd imagine that the crispiness of the tortillas could suffer, depending on what you get.). They are also BYOB, so I'm already looking forward to beers and tacos there in the near future. They have their own parking lot, so it was super convenient to stop in. (That spot on Union doesn't have the best parking options). They also have those delicious, refreshing Mexican sodas - pineapple, mandarin, etc. No high fructose corn syrup in those babies! Haha!! I regret that we haven't tried this place sooner, bc we've been missing out!!! Do yourself a favor and eat here STAT. Support this wonderful local business. This is the best, authentic Mexican food in the area!! You will not be disappointed. read more

Good authentic Mexican in a modest cramped setting. Wait staff was friendly. The chips were average, but what do you want for free. They have several mole choices, but I did not try any of them on this first visit. The tres leches and flan looked good, but we did not partake. This is more suitable for lunch, and the rating is actually 3 1/2, but I am giving them a 4 rating based upon the quality and taste of the food we ordered. Their tomatillo, burnt pepper flavored salsa, & verde were chilled and served out of plastic condiment containers, but they had excellent flavor. read more

Wonderful discovery - delicious, truly home-cooked Mexican food, everything really well executed, from house-made guacamole to a nicely complex mole sauce, to tacos with fantastic marinated pork. A small, modest place, run by lovely people charging almost scandalously low prices. I haven't been to a lot of Mexican places in the area, but if this place is not the best Mexican food in the Lehigh Valley, I would be shocked. As long as you're not looking for elegant decor, you really can't go wrong here. Loved it and will return whenever I'm anywhere near the area. read more

My go to takeout spot in the Valley! El Paisano checks every box for me. Small, unassuming building (not quite a hole in the wall, a little too nice for that, and I love holes in the wall). Cheap, fresh, authentic food made to order each and everytime. BYO. Mexican futbol on the television. I haven't found better Mexican anywhere in the LV. Tacos (try the salty beef), huaraches (I prefer mine with chorizo), burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, guacamole etc. Each and everything I've had has been great each and every time. And have I mentioned that everyone that I've encountered working there has been extremely friendly and helpful? It has to be a family operation. Lastly, when your checking out, look to your right. There is a fridge with flan and tres leches cake. When I asked if they were homemade, the answer was "everyday." Forget about your diet, do yourself a favor, and get one of each. read more

Best mexican food around. Always a pleasant experience. Love getting the chicken quesadilla when I go.

OMG! This place is AWESOME!! It has authentic Mexican food (and Coke!) that is delicious and served HOT (not the Coke). And you will hear Bob Barker in the background yelling 'The pice is right!' when you get the bill. It's hard to believe that food this good can be so cheap, they're practically giving it away! This is definetly a neighborhood gem that I want everyone to try but don't want to give away as a 'best kept secret'. read more

My favorite Mexican restaurant in the Lehigh valley. All fresh food. Friendly staff. Be sure to bring cash!

Nestled in a very unassuming locality in Bethlehem, El Paisano represents Mexican cuisine with authenticity, warmth and a good depth of flavors. They serve the usual Mexican fares, tacos, sopes, Burritos, Enchiladas etc along with a few additions of their own. Their meat is well cooked, but does lack in flavor. Unless the meat is extremely fresh, a little more seasoning is desirable. However, where they lack in flavor of meat, they make it up with their homemade sauces. Their home made hot sauce is absolutely sensational. I wish they would sell them! Very authentic food and good portion sizes. I love their pork cooked in a spicy red sauce (I apologize for forgetting the name). That with a splash of their sauce is just dynamite. Their gorditas are also delicious. Good depth of flavors and very fresh. Worth trying? Absolutely! read more

Authentic Mexican food priced very reasonable. Small family run business, very good customer service. Was pleased with everything and will def come back for takeout. read more

An authentic Mexican experience. The service was very attentive. Food was delicious and affordable. It is a humble and small place, but food made with love. read more

Love the tacos (had lengua and beef) and the tostados (has spicy and regular chicken). Very authentic food and will be coming back many times during my stay in Bethlehem read more

A Mexican gem! My BF and I love ordering takeout from here. He loves the chicken tacos and potato flautas.. Yum! I really enjoy the huaraches sin carnes with the nopales and their gorditas. Get the guacamole too.. Sooo tasty! Prices are very reasonable! Service is always friendly and they do offer a few small tables for dining in. We'll be back! read more

I grew up in Los Angeles where the Mexican food is awesome. I never thought I would find a place even close here in the Valley, but once again, I find that I am wrong. This place is soooo good! If you want real authentic Mexican food, go here. They keep it simple and delicious. I got enchiladas here and was not disappointed. Try something other than On the Border for once people! This place rocks! read more

Quick, easy, great Mexican! Driven by el Paisano so many times. What a waste not to have gone hear sooner. Very take out pizza atmosphere but the food has made it or new favorite Mexican place. Enchilada Verde great. Quesedilla also! Feel free to BYOB, they've got chilled pint glasses waiting for you. read more

Had a steak quesadilla, chips w/salsa. Vey blend, no flavor, and they give you a very small amount of chips. Food was okay but I will not go back there. read more