Just do it. You can't go wrong with this place. I live in Sourhern California where Mexican food can be found on every corner. I am going to say that this place beats more than half of them. Understandably so, this place has evolved to satisfy a Mexican cuisine with an American taste. I highly recommend the #16 or the shrimp cocktail. What I find most interesting is the decor. I love it. So many places are boring and plain but this place is so unique that it is refreshing to know that some places still have style. I had to know the history behind the building and I was pleasantly surprised. More importantly, this place is deeply rooted with family traditions that places like Dairy Queen and McDonald's lack: great service, friendly atmosphere, and FRESH food. read more

A cute log cabin with colorful accents! We were fortunate to stop here on Taco Tuesday with a selection of four different meats to choose from. I particularly liked the carnitas with their tenderness and crunchy bits. Free chips were included with two different watery salsas. But the spicy one was quite flavorful! Service was fast and friendly. We really enjoyed our time here. read more

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This place is great! Food was delish. We had the queso, chicken fajitas (amazing) and pork chimichanga. My daughter has a tomato allergy and it can be tricky, but our server pointed out several options. Also had a margarita and it was tasty. Will definitely be back! read more

El Paraiso - Chicken fajitas - Mexican Near Me - Cozad, Nebraska

Excellent!, food, service and clean. A nice variety of entrees. Atmosphere is very festive.

Love this place! Very friendly staff and great food. Truly unique building. I eat here at least once a week. My favorite is their smothered chicken burrito! read more

What a delight! The flautas and tacos were superb! The refried beans, rice, queso, salsa, and tortilla chips were excellent too. My jumbo Margarita was tasty but not overpowering. Fun decor! read more

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We come to Cozad from time to time and I always want to come to El Paraiso. Best Mexican food in town. The place is oddly decorated but it draws interest and gives you something to look at while waiting for Food. I have always chosen the Chili Rellenos so cannot speak for the other menu items. The Rellenos are always full of flavor , lightly. Breaded and pairs well with corn tortillas. A family member always gets a shrimp dish that I am always envious of as it looks delicious. Prices are reasonable and although it does take time for them to make the food you know its fresh. The building is not fat off the interstate , if travelers were to venture a bit farther out they can find it easily. I definitely recommend. read more

Such good service and food , I'll make to come back when passing though. They were kind enough to seat and serve us with just minutes before closing. read more

El Paraiso - a table of mexican food - Mexican Near Me - Cozad, Nebraska

Great little Mexican restaurant houses in a log cabin. The service was quick and the food delicious. My family had the shrimp fajitas and a chicken chimichanga. Nothing was overly spicy so if that's your thing, this might not be your place. read more

Came here after a long day of road tripping and El Paraiso did not disappoint. Speedy, friendly service (although on this particular Sunday night there were only a few folks inside), unique decor, and a tasty meal make it a solid choice if you are stopping through Cozad. I ordered the fajitas supreme-- a trio of beef, chicken, and shrimp, and it was quite hearty and flavorful. Definitely recommend! read more

Highly recommend. Love the food. I usually order the wet burrito or a torta. You can not go wrong with either choice. Also, love the story behind the restaurant. The building was originally used as an animal museum and then converted into a restaurant. That explains the half animal half Mexican theme. read more

No matter what the sign says, THIS IS NOT AUTHENTIC MEXICAN!!! Service left something to be desired, my meal was not fresh: MICROWAVED. Had the coffee, but never was asked for a refill. In fact, hardly saw a server much after the meal arrived. Frankly, if you want REAL Mexican food, go to Lexington instead. read more

Service was good. Food came out supper quick!! But then the wheels fell off ordered a beef enchilada I had maybe 12 pieces of meat in two enchiladas serving size very small and no flavor other than enchilada sauce I won't be going back read more

Hospitality was great! The waitress was pleasant and very knowledgeable with the menu. In fact she made several suggestions of items that were not included in the menu. I will have to agree with the other reviews with regards to the decor. The decor was somewhat interesting, however, the food and customer service made up for it! read more

Interesting decor and good service. Pretty good food. Restrooms definitely need a little upgrade.

It may be because we are from Southern California but this Mexican food is not anything to rave about. Unheated cold tortillas dried out tasteless meat possibly microwaved enchiladas. I know you're hungry but I would find another spot if I were you. read more

Delicious food and lovely service! Worth a quick stop on your way to Denver or Lincoln

Beth and myself here now almost closing time after busy travels days different directions for us both. Nice place. Beth had actually eaten prior so only dabbled in some of mine. I had Chile Relino Burrito and was the largest poblano I've ever had. Really nice. We also shared a large shrimp cocktail and was really good, though the shrimp were smaller size. And we were in/out in about 20 minutes. Just right here and I will certainly be back. read more

Upon reflection, this was a total disaster: 1. Entry way smelled like it was sprayed by bathroom disinfectant. 2. Coffee was not ready for lunch service. 3. Complimentary chips were served, but it was up to the customer to get their own salsa from a iced service bar. Only place I've seen this is fast food joints. Salsa was old, quite possibly jarred. 4. Waitress was hovering a bit much. Freaked me out. 5. Menu was too extensive. Pricing was irregular for similar items. 6. The entire order was microwaved. Mexican is easy to cook per order, FRESH. Rice was clumpy and dated. Refried beans were canned. 7.Waitress presented totaled check halfway through the meal. She just killed any chance of extra sales and a possible tip off of a lousy 10.17 bill. To tell the truth, I've had better getting a gas station burrito. read more

Was excited about this place when I saw reviews but it's weird with pretty subpar food. Avoid.

Staff is not very welcoming and the food is bland. I got a beer with my plate and my beer was awful! It was expired! When I told the waitress she was shocked that I asked for the beer to be removed from my ticket. The decor is very weird. It's very dark and dusty in here. Won't be back. read more

We stopped in during a visit to the Robert Henri Museum. (The elephant outside caught our eye!) It was past normal lunch hours, about 2:30, and they were cleaning up after their lunch rush, but they cheerfully greeted us and sat us in a clean booth. What I thought was a vegetarian entree came with meat inside, and the waitress insisted that the kitchen remake it without meat, though it was my fault for not reading the menu. We have a large Hispanic population in Omaha, and some really great Mexican restaurants, and we thought the food here was comparable. We would definitely go back if we are ever in the area. read more

I had an overnight stay in Cozad while on a golfing/sightseeing tour of Nebraska. It was Sunday evening, and I ran across this restaurant while looking for a non-fast food place to eat. The interior was spacious, but a bit dark. I was very pleased with the taco dinner. The tacos were not ground beef, but rather finely shredded beef. The rice and beans were both flavorful. One of the highlights was the help yourself salsa bar with excellent pico de gallo. This place was a pleasant surprise! read more

El Paraiso - a plate of mexican food on a table - Mexican Near Me - Cozad, Nebraska

I had a list of places from which to choose upon my visit to Cozad this year and this place was not on it. Of the ones that were, one was closed, one was entirely absent and the other I couldn't find. Much like the town itself, this place is a bit of an oddity, from the menagerie of animal statues out front (none of which have anything to do with either Mexico or Mexican foods, unless elephants are suddenly gaining traction in population there) to the sort of old lodge logpole type of building that it is. The decor inside is strange, almost as if it was an old hunting lodge and the trophy game fish and deer heads and so on is on its way to being phased out as soon as someone collects enough Mexican type stuff to replace it with. Despite the owner being Mexican, it's almost decorated as "Mexican by way of stereotype." Pinatas in Mexico? Put one up near the ceiling. Check. Lots of Catholics, so have a painted scene of the Last Supper. Check. Beer ads with Spanish words and hot models? Sure, why not. Mexican flags under glass for table tops? Yep. Sleeves of garlic. What? Yep, that too. Maracas? What is a Mexican restaurant without those? Get them up there. I don't think this is necessarily intentional, but the effect is definitely unmistakable. Unusual wall and exterior decoration aside, this place is probably pretty good for the area, but going to any town of a larger size and this is going to be on the lower end of things. Sopapillas with cinnamon and powdered sugar coating a folded over tortilla with jelly in the bottom, like some sort of demented and perverse taco just won't cut it. Likewise having a red enchilada sauce that tastes more or less like a liquified chili powder. Likewise serving chips and salsa sans salsa and then a shrimp quesadilla with a semi-burnt tortilla, plain shrimp and plain cheese. The chile relleno burrito was slightly better. The combo plate my wife had was a non-starter, with exceedingly bland rice and whatever they gave her in place of salsa. The margaritas are also served as a liquid and service here is exceedingly slow, agonizingly so, even if you're the only people there. While the food wasn't inedible and this is basically the only choice we saw even remotely close to Mexican, this place has a long way to go to compete with even average Mexican places in larger cities, let alone hitting the marks for authenticity. read more

We stopped by here on a road trip and were really pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and how nice the staff were. We had beef and chicken tacos - the meat was really good, I was expecting ground beef but it was real marinated beef and the taco shells were outstanding! Tasted like they were freshly fried. We also had the beef quesadilla and that was really good - the tortilla was so good! If you can overlook the bad decor, this is definitely a great meal! read more

Best Mexican food in town. Generous portions, excellent flavor. Friendly, competant service. Highly recommend for a family meal, or a place to catch up with friends. read more

We stopped in Cozad on a cross country road trip and went to El Paraiso for lunch on suggestion from the only other yelp reviewer. We tried for vegetarian meals, choosing huevos rancheros and cheese enchiladas and margaritas. Not so sure the drinks actually had tequila in them. The food was good, definitely a solid choice over chain restaurants in town. read more

I love eating here!!! One of my favorite mex food places. The service is always soooo good. I love the tacos and smothered burrito. Wish they made a cheese sauce that's the only thing they are missing. Margertias are so good also. Love going here. read more

Horrible service. My mom, sister and I decided to go to lunch. when we arrived a waitress came out and we sat at a booth and as we were being seated I asked for a high chair for my daughter. the waitress said yes we have them by the bathroom. thinking ok we waited she asked us for drinks and again I asked about the high chair and she told me I could go get it my self by the bathroom. ive never gone to a place that tells you to go grab your own high chair while trying to hold your baby. she was rude the drinks were horrible. I hade horchata (rice milk) which was very watered down. we payed for our drinks and walked out. we then went across the st to pizza hut and had a very pleasant lunch. read more

I'm actually from Cozad, but I've ate at many Mexican food restaurants. And I would have to say, the fact that they use pre-ground beef ( not hamburger ) is the reason why I keep going there. However I did notice comments referring to the decor, mainly the giant elephant and other animals out front. And I thought I would leave this review as some reference and history to the "out of place" elephant. Before it was El Paraiso, it was actually a sports store which catered to hunters named " Jumbo Country ". This store also sold liquor and beer, but the large elephant in front of the store, I believe, served as a marketing gimmick to attract their favored clientele. Inside there were also various heads mounted to further accentuate that it was, in fact, a store for game hunter's. I can only assume that the large elephant may have been fairly expensive to dispose of . But for us, here in Cozad, it is a little bit of nostalgia that has become a bit of a fixture to our community. As a kid growing up in town, I do like to see this large animal every time I go by. In a way, it reminds me of what it was like when I was younger. And I am happy they decided to leave it up. So, the next time you come to Cozad, NE. And you see the huge elephant outside of a Mexican restaurant, just remember, it's not only there for looks ;) read more