El Centenario is pretty decent Mexican food in Topeka…read more I've been to El Centenario a half-dozen times. It helps that it is just a couple blocks away from work, it's easy to get a consensus among co-workers as a place to go for lunch, and it has had good and consistent food that comes out pretty speedy. I know that the menu is filled with diverse items, but I keep gravitating to the same lunch item over and over -- 1 taco, 1 burrito, and refried beans. It's not an exciting lunch, but it's remarkably affordable (~$6!) and it is very filling. El Centenario also plys you with heaping baskets of tortilla chips and salsa. My recommendation -- request the salsa picante. It's a spicy ranchera-style sauce, it has a rather spicy pepper bite, but I've gotten to the point that I will eat chips with it spooned over the top, while one of my coworkers mixes some of the spicy salsa into her bowl of regular salsa. I won't say that El Centenario is the most authentic Mexican restaurant, but it does fit solidly into the current concepts for TexMex / Mexican that is run and staffed by Latin-Americans. Considering some of the other "Mexican" food in Topeka, it's about as authentic as you are going to get without heading over to the taquerias on the east side.

Dropped in for lunch. Service was fast and they checked several times to ensure everything was ok…read more I had the lunch special Speedy Gonzales with an extra taco. Chips were hot n fresh. The deco is very culture centric and very well done and very clean. I'll be back

Small local place with good service. Often busy and understaffed. Small parking lot and street…read moreparking near college. Most choices very good. Free chips and salsa. Coke, Margaritas and Beer.

I want to go back and try this but the last time was a bust. The only other two guys there were…read morevery very loud and made no effort to reduce their obnoxious activity. The lady who was working there took my order at first and then went back to the kitchen to prepare it. In the face of the disturbing noise by the two, I decided not to stay and wait for my food. I did not want to stiff the waitress/cook so I put a $20 bill on the table to pay for probably 4 chips and 2 drinks out of my diet cola and left. I never did see the waitress/cook again. Topeka is blessed with several good mexican food places so I would think this place would be more accommodating. I urge you to try this place only if the many others are closed.

Woooow! Jorge & his team really put together a fantastic catering spread for my family for our…read moregrandma's 90th surprise party. I love supporting local & Jorge really went above & beyond to provide a wonderful meal for our family! Joey & I picked it up right when we arrived in Topeka after an 8hr drive from Denver, and Jorge was just the sweetest, thanking us for choosing his business & sharing his excitement for our upcoming meal. Soooo sweet!! We had 25 people & still had so many leftovers, and it was all packaged perfectly. We had a crunchy taco & burrito bar with 4 huge pans with chicken/veggies, ground beef taco meat, rice & beans. It came with 2 huge pans of chips, as well as half pans of queso, salsa, cilantro, onions, smoked jalapeños, shredded cheese, lettuce & sour cream. The chicken & veggies were phenomenal, the taco meat was perfectly seasoned, and everything was piping hot! And most importantly, none of it was too salty. Too bad i didn't get any pics, everyone just dug right in! Just wow.. many thanks Jorge & team for the most incredible meal for my family. From mine to yours, gracias! We can't wait to come back- you're now our fav Mexican spot in KS :)

Where have I've been? A hidden Topeka gem for great Mexican food. Looks small but seats over 50…read morefolks. Inexpensive lunch specials and full dinner menu. Outstanding tasting Coke products. Great fast service with hot plates. As I enjoyed lunch every plate out from kitchen I wanted to try. Locals eat here! Save room for great deserts, in fact have desert first so you don't fill up!!! Parking a bit difficult in small strip center on West side of Fairlawn. Great pastry and coffee shop shop next door too! Failed to take picture of my plate since it looked so good I just dug in - my Chimichuga was so good. My new go to mexican place.

Went to the Tacos El Mexicano and ate 3 tacos for lunch. I had also called ahead and ordered a…read moredozen Tamales to go. You can order them cold if your not going to eat them immediately or freeze them, or you can order hot to eat soon. The lady that runs this small but has great food makes the place feel like family. You can get discounts between 2 pm and 8 pm on Tuesdays for Taco Tuesday.

A small, order at the counter, Mexican restaurant that delivers authentic taste and expertly…read moreprepared meals. During the Christmas holidays you can order tamales to take home (they are unbelievable)! The enchiladas are perfectly seasoned and the white cheese queso will swear you off melted velveeta with salsa forever. Pay attention where you sit. If you are under the air conditioner you might get a little condensation on your table. It's all good though as the food is worth a little water. I highly recommend this family owned business!

I'm in the middle of eating the Carne Asada burrito as I write this and it is absolutely delicious!…read moreIt's a massive burrito with a fantastic tortilla and no gristle. They have good reviews, but the place is empty. The ambience is lousy, but it's pretty clean. If you're going to some chain for your Mexican food, you're doing it wrong. This place is doing it right.

Taking a cross country trip and rolled into town late on a Sunday. Gerardo's with its late night…read moredrive thru was perfect. Fellow taking and delivering our order was pleasant and helpful. We had queso & chips, chicken taco, and carne asada burrito with hot sauce on the side. It was prepared pronto and delicious when we got to our motel a couple exits away. Portions were generous.

Wanted a quick bite and decided to try! My order consisted of Mole Enchilada w Chicken. The service…read morewas quick and the ambiance was family oriented. I would try again .

Came here on a referral from a friend of ours who lives in the area. Authentic Mexican cuisine…read more Came in for lunch and I was actually able to get Huevos Con Chorizo on the lunch menu. House salsa is great, but they do have a much spicier option which we opted for and it was delicious. Chips are definitely made in house. The value for the food was excellent. Will definitely come back when I'm back in Topeka for business.

Excellent food and service. Was only able to taste the beef and pork street tacos due to a…read moreValentines Day promo, hence not hitting five stars. Will definitely be back to try the birria tacos.

The best barria tacos in town!! The chicken has so much flavor and the grilled jalapeños are…read moreamazing!

My family and I went to dinner around 5:00pm on a Sunday evening. The restaurant was not too busy…read moreand we were told to pick a table. The restaurant was decorated nice for the FIFA games-which several customers were sitting up at the bar top eating/drinking watching the games. Our server came to the table with chips and salsa, the chips did not taste fresh and were cold. Getting hot fresh chips is always a plus so they missed it on that. I ordered a Mango Tango Alcohol drink, I didn't really taste any alcohol in it. I had been craving Nopales so my mom and I decided to share the molcajete dinner which has steak, chicken, chorizo, shrimp, nopales and grilled onions. It definitely was enough for us to share-I even had leftovers. This dish is a little pricey but so worth it! I wish it had more nopales in it-either you like them or you don't! Everyone enjoyed their meal and our server was friendly.

I like the El Ranchito and also the one on the northeast corner of the White Lakes. I am told that…read morethey both are operated by the same leadership. El Ranchito decor is more like a diner and the White Lakes one has retained the old "Carlos O'Kelley's building they took over. Both have great food. Can't go wrong.

Very yummy , we wanted menudo but it's so popular they ran out these are all really good optionsread more