I have driven past this restaurant so many times but never got around to checking it out until this last weekend after being recommended by a friend. At first I was hesitant due to the low ratings here but I don't quite understand why they are as low as they are. The atmosphere at El Paraiso is awesome! If you are looking for a party with karaoke and loud music, go towards the right when you go in. If you are looking for a chill time, go towards the left. You can still have a conversation in the karaoke room but there may be some yelling involved. It's a good time either way. There is a lot of mention regarding bad service here but that was not my experience. Our servers were very attentive and we received great service overall. The food was pretty good. It definitely was not the best Mexican food I have ever had but I think most people go there for the atmosphere. Everyone in my party enjoyed the entrees they ordered. Prices were average to slightly on the higher side. read more

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Worst Mexican food ever, no flavor and very expensive. Service is worst, has to wait even for tortillas and drinks for a while. Also there's a photographer there bothering all the tables, 0 privacy! Don't waste your money in this place ! read more

Bad service if you don't speak Spanish. Which is upsetting because I've visited here many times throughout the years with my family who do speak Spanish and the service was nothing like what I experienced. Waited an hour for our food, didn't check on the table once, had to ask to get our drinks twice. Mind you there's people who got seated after us that had their chips and drinks before us. Having to wave the waitresses down just to get a to go box and the check. Just beware if you are not bilingual. read more

I had a former student who worked here who'd told me to check it out and finally did despite all of the negative reviews. The ambiance is on point- very colorful and lots to look at. I liked the painted chairs and tables. I thought the service was fine, while not fantastic, it was adequate. We were greeted pretty quickly and our orders made it out at a decent pace. The chips were kind of stale but the salsa was tasty. My michelada was excellent. They used ALOT of Tajin and it came out in a goblet big enough for a fish. Yum. I got the chile rellanos and they were pretty good. Not the best I've ever had but good. My husband got the tequila shrimp fajitas and liked them a lot. We made a bean, rice, and rellano burrito for our shrimp hating 4 year old and he thought it was the best ever. read more

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Spot is absolutely the worst spit if youre not bilingual! Waited over an hour for one drink & the place was not even close to being busy it was me & two familys & i still had the most horrible service. ALL THE WAITRESSES were too busy talking to each other & drinking at the bar then actually helping anyone!! After an hour of being there i had to wait another hour & 30 mins just too even get my food, i left instantly once i got my food because i had one sprite the whole two hours i been there left no tip, had NO good customer service & also felt so disrespected bc nobody checked up once ! read more

I can definitely say this is the worst place I have been in my life. I ordered a 7 mares soup and was completely spicy. Unfortunately all the sea food soups were spicy which is sad since I wanted to enjoy a normal sea food. And the service terrible!! Since the moment we arrive until wait 15min for pay the check. They didn't even pick up the plates after finish. La peor experiencia posible en comida mexicana. read more

El Paraiso - Mexican Near Me - Lakeside, Colorado

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What a great restaurant. Huge menu, almost overwhelming. We ordered a couple of the large platters and everything on them was great. Also enjoyed the mariachi band. Our family had a great time here! read more

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Good food and vibes were cool. The service, however, could've been better. Waitress was off in her own world and didn't check up on us.

Food was a$$ Service was a$$ Atmosphere was also a$$ All the servers do here is talk to the men and ignore you. Was only checked on 3 times. Bathrooms stink sooo bad. DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE!! read more

You know what.. hell yeah. This place will show you a good time. Once you enter the building it's like you've left the state of Colorado. They have a full bar and the drinks are pretty strong. The food was fine but I was there more for the ambiance. We sat at the bar and enjoyed ourselves for what it was. Don't come here if you're in a hurry but do come if you want to escape reality for a bit. They have karaoke certain nights of the week and they are open pretty late.. I think I'll come back to check it out!! read more

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I liked quesadilla , my husband ate the tacos. Very tasty and it was a lot of fun, they had karaoke on Friday read more

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The service was bad the food was mid. The music was too loud for the workers to even hear you. We ordered a molcajete it was good but they didn't have any spicy sauce, also they forgot the tortillas for about 15 minutes. They don't check on you and the vibes are not there. We went to celebrate a birthday and we told the waitress and she didn't even acknowledge what we said. No dessert bought as we wanted to leave I don't recommend this spot. read more

El Paraiso - Mexican Near Me - Lakeside, Colorado

Really Bad Service! Bad food,and very loud disrespectful music and extremely expensive Definitely not coming back read more

Service was the worst. The lemonade tasted like a toddler made it and smelled like they didn't wash their dishes. How do you mess up a lemonade that bad. We waited about 2 hours for our food and got checked up on 3 times. I felt like they dont even care about you, and only care about looking good. I wouldn't recommend coming to this place. read more

If you're looking for authentic Mexican, El Paraiso is your place! It may sound odd, but the seafood options are endless and the shrimp is excellent. Have your ever heard of cheese stuffed shrimp wrapped in bacon? Me neither, but my friend claims it's delicious! We came on a Sunday evening and much to our surprise, and delight, there was a mariachi band playing which consisted of two guitars, a tuba, and endless entertainment! Not up for mariachi? You can ask to get seated on the other side of the restaurant and participate in the entertainment via karaoke! Overall this is a great atmosphere, good food with an endless menu (think Mexican version of Cheesecake Factory), and loads of entertainment. If you're in the area, be sure to give this a try. read more

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Ah, late night Mexican food. You really can't complain THAT much when something is open past 11:30pm. The vibe felt a little cheesy and obnoxious, kinda like going to a downtown bar in my college days. Service was good, though. I had some of my partner's enchiladas, which destroyed my stomach. He insists on coming back here, so maybe I'll give it another try. read more

Great food delivered quickly! Consistently great Mexican food with incredible flavor.

The absolute worst restaurant I have ever been too. Arrived at 5:45 pm. Seated at 6 pm no food came out until 9:30 pm. Explained to waitress we wanted to cancel our order at 8:45 since we had no food and humongous spiders began to invade the entire patio. The waitress stated we could not cancel our order and we had to pay for food we never received. I told her that I would pay for my drinks that also took two hours to get. Most of us wanted to leave about an hour in. But we were there for a birthday party and did not want to be rude to the birthday boy. I tried to go pay for our drinks so we could leave and they tried to get me to pay the entire bill. 45 minutes after me being very patient and trying to explain to our waitress and the manager that I was not paying for food we did not receive and half the party had already left. I paid for my drinks and left. I was then told by the rest of the party the waitress went outside to the party and turned on the waterworks and was crying saying she would have to pay for our food since the kitchen had already started it. I have alot of empathy for people but I refuse to pay for bad customer service and food I did not eat plain and simple. read more

¡El mejor servicio! Nuestra mesera Daniela fue muy atenta y una dulzura. La comida tambien es bastante variada junto con las bebidas que ofrecen. Deben de definitivamente tratar este restaurante maravilloso. Best service! Our waitress Daniela was very attentive and such a sweetheart. The food had an amazing variety along with the drinks. Definitely recommend this place to any one seeking a abundant meal or drinking time. read more

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Great service. Dj super nice food is good bathroom are clean and the place is amazing. I visit when I when there on my vacation from Los Angeles read more

Slow service, mediocre food. Don't think I'll be heading back anytime soon. Took over an hour to serve a party of 1

Food is good, got this order togo, despite all the negative reviews, the front receptionist was very friendly. read more

El Paraiso - Birria tacos! - Mexican Near Me - Lakeside, Colorado

Service was terrible, waitresses drinking on the job. Music is to loud, can't hear the waitresses that are actually working. Came here to enjoy a late Mother's Day and you can't hear what any one is saying. Drinking waitresses are so loud, other people are moving tables to get away. read more

Our food was tasty. I enjoyed my chili rellenos. It was a holiday, so we expected busy. Our friends had been waiting a half hour when we got there. They had arrived early in hopes of getting a table before we arrived. We purposely met at 1 in hopes of catching the tail end of lunch rush. We were wrong. A half hour after that we were seated underneath a TV. My friend had to climb into her seat so as not to hit her head on the shelf that stuck out next to the table. Then we waited. Later, someone came by to get our drink order. Much later the drinks arrived and we were able to order our food. We noted that folks seated after us were able to get drinks, order and receive their food before we were able to ever order our food. Conversation was good and all our drinks were empty and we looked for our server to refill them before our food arrived. It took more time. The food did eventually arrive and when we asked for new drinks the check was requested. We were given the wrong check (3x the amount of our table). We had to flag down someone again to get the correct check. The food was good, however I would try to go at a really off time or build in lots of extra time if you plan to go. read more

This place wasn't just a restaurant, it was an experience! It was karaoke night, which was rather entertaining! (Super LOUD though... couldn't even have a conversation, it was so loud!!! That is why it dropped a star!) The margaritas were super strong and the food was outstanding! The prices were not too shabby since we had more than adequate food for two more meals! (Leftovers are always a perk!) Our servers were so polite and sweet! This place is a must experience kind of place! read more

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First time here, loved the salsa and I got the tampequenia dish (idk if I spelled it right) the menu said it came with fried potatoes which I never received, reason for knocking off a star . Rice is not very flavorful, but everything else was delish. Menu said $22 for my dish and I was charged $24. Might wanna update your menu or at least let people know there will be an increase in stated price. Absolutely love their green chile (verde) I agree with others it is a loud environment, I think it was karaoke night and the service isn't the best, my son had to ask twice for a horchata and had to ask for my check after waiting 10+ minutes of being done eating and there was only 6 other tables around so not incredibly busy, but my tip reflects the service. My review reflects the food. I'll be back to give it another shot, would love to try their breakfast. read more

El Paraiso - Steak Asada Torta - Mexican Near Me - Lakeside, Colorado

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Hace 2 semanas fui a comer a este restaurante, y fue una experiencia muy desagradable, primero nos recibió una mujer muy extravagante paresia hombre vestida de mujer, mi hijo de 6 años estaba sorprendido, y nos sentaron en una mesa donde se escuchaba exajeradamente el ruido de un grupo que estaba tocando y luego andaban unas meseras dando un espectáculo muy desagradable en medio restaurante!! Fue una experiencia muy mala, No volvemos a ir nunca más!!! read more

Like everyone else has stated...the service is NOT GOOD!! The food is good but doesn't make up for the lack of service. I wasn't given my rice that came with my meal and by time I realized it, it was too late and my husband just said forget it . As I sat at my table I notice the other tables weren't being tended to either. They were steady but not crazy busy...nothing that the waiter was falling over himself to handle. I ordered the chicken fajitas...came out very simple. Other places have the skillet sizzlin with red and green peppers and onions. This was loaded with green peppers and onions and some chicken....no sizzle though. My husband ordered the tostadas, no tomato, came out with tomato . Not sure I would visit again, unless they read these comments and get their nonsense together read more

The pork meat on our "parrillada" was bad, it smelled rotten and like it had been rotten for a while. Rotten pork meat is one of the most dangerous to consume, so be careful going to el Paraiso. They didn't have any solutions and even the woman at the front desk told us they're never accommodating. This place is no longer what it used to be, go support another business that's far more worth it. read more

Service was horrible. The staff was not attentive. The food came super late and we were missing so many items. At the end of the night they had charge so many items that we didn't order when we ask them to fix or to explain what these charges were they were unwilling to help. The staff was so unprofessional. read more

Yikes...I should have read the Yelp reviews before we went here for dinner last night! At the beginning of our experience, we requested a separate check for 1 person in our party of 5 (1 of us on 1 check, & 4 of us on the other check). I ordered a Dos Equis Amber with lime, then had to ask again for the lime. 2 of us ordered the "Burrito Acapulco: Large flour tortilla filled with breaded fish fillet, white rice, charro beans, molcajete sauce, cheese, avocado slices and sour cream," which was ok, but I discovered some weird, fatty blobs inside of it (definitely not fish!) along with the breaded fish, which was pretty off-putting. The place was not busy/only a few other diners, but I had to hunt down wait staff to bring the missing avocado slices & sour cream. Another staff member brought 1 plate with avocado slices & sour cream for us to split for our 2 orders. No drink refills were offered. After waiting for the waitstaff to return, I finally had to ask the hostess if we could get our check. The hostess brought the 1 check (not 2 separate checks, as we had initially requested), which included an automatic 21% gratuity/tip. Wow. We will not be making this mistake again! read more

Every time I'm convinced to come back to this establishment I regret going. The service and food continues to get worse. Waiting 30 minutes for drinks is wild and the food coming out 30 minutes apart so you can't even enjoy it with the people you came with sucks. In the past at least the food was good but last night it was awful. All around bad experience and waste of money. Oh yeah they add gratuity too so they can still be paid for poor service and we were a small party of 2 adults and 2 children....one who is a toddler who we didn't order a plate for. read more

Their Birria is some of the best I've tried yet, and their ambiance is charming. Good salsa. All the sides you expect. Rice and beans aren't crusty or bland. It's an older place, but it seems fairly authentic. read more

One extra small salsa and chips were $4.75. The first round of chips wasn't even full. Food is mediocre. Will never return.

Es la primera vez que visito este restaurante y la verdad no vuelvo jamás. Solo tienen a 2 meseras en turno, pasaron 30 minutos para que pudieran tomarnos las bebidas, quisimos ordenar la comida al instante y la respuesta de la mesera fue: ahorita que venga su mesera se lo ordenan. Pues pasaron otros 30 minutos y la mesera JAMÁS se apareció por la mesa, decidimos ir a la entrada a pedir la cuenta para retirarnos y todavía tuvimos que esperar que se desocuparan para poder dárnosla. Si pueden evitar este lugar, háganlo, agregando que sus meseras son groseras, ni siquiera las buenas tardes dan para recibir a los clientes, por lo poco que estuve parada en la entrada esperando mi cuenta, veía el trato a los clientes que llegaban. read more

Service was absolutely terrible. We had to flag down staff that couldn't be bothered to stop scrolling on their phones to get us more than a water. Also, in my entire life have never had fraudulent charges on a card until visiting this restaurant. Go literally anywhere else. read more

Amazing wow I can't believe we found this place Really tasty flavorful wow I got the carne asada Yummmmmy. read more

terrible food and service. I wouldn't recommend to anyone. The host and waitress had an attitude since we got there. We didn't get checked on regularly by our waitress . Another waitress had to call her over multiple times so that we would get any service at all. Im not the type to leave any reviews but I should have trusted the reviews this time. read more

The food was sooo good. The best beans around! The only thing was the service could have been better!

Service was overall not that great with a long waiting time, watching a few tables get their order taken before us. Menu prices are not accurate. Food portions are fairly undersized. Our dishes were overcooked a bit and did not taste the best in general. read more