I will rate this 5 stars. The dine-in was very simple. Did not take a long time to be seated. The service was really good. Waited for the drinks for only about 20 seconds. When I ordered food I started a timer to depend on how long the food would take and be placed on the table. The food arrived in 5 minutes. The food tasted really good. I got three refills of the same drink thanks to the waiter. The place was not too loud. This is what I expected. Thanks El Rodeo! read more

See all

It was just ok. Entrees were decent but not that flavorful. Chips and salsa pretty good. Service polite but a bit slow.

Super yummy!! Good Mexican food with excellent portion sizes and prices! Free chips and salsa to start. Ordered the steak fajitas for my entree which were delicious. Service was good! I'd return for a local small town Mexican joint. read more

See all

Uber eats order. I just received my usual order of. Chori pullo. It came saturated in liquid. I assumed at first it was cheese but no. The chicken was seasoned to perfection a the chorizo was ok. But it's sitting in a pool of liquid. The pico lettuce was drowned. Lettuce was soggy. I hate most of the veggies at home to make my own pico, but I ended up scooping out at vast majority of it...... in this pic THIS IS NOT CHEESE read more

El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I have been eating at El Rodeo restaurants for over 30 years. Currently there are only two locations; downtown and Wake Forest Rd. There used to be one on Hillsborough St and one in Chapel Hill. My current favorite location is the little building on Wake Forest Rd. El Rodeo offers your basic Mexican/American menu but the food is always good and the service is always fast. Reasonable prices, especially on drinks, and they have different drink specials every day of the week. read more

El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant - Enchiladas Yolanda - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I have been waiting for an hour now for ACP. The wait gets longer and longer each time I come here to eat. This is definitely the last time for me now. Do not recommend. read more

El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant - All I have been given during the wait. - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

They have the best salsa and guac. It was very fast and fun. It's a very recommended Mexican place to go to!

The food here is always delicious, the atmosphere is fantastic and the staff are wonderful. They know our daughter by name and are always excited to greet her. I can't recommend this place highly enough if you want a quick and easy Mexican lunch or dinner 10/10 every time read more

Came here for lunch because I was craving Mexican food. Always drove by here but never stop to eat in. Got seated right away. The house margaritas were on special so I got one of those and I picked the combo 2 or 3 items and 1 side special. Got the chicken enchilada , chicken burrito and beef Chile rellanos (probably spelled it wrong) and refried beans. The service was quick and friendly and the food came out quick. Overall is was a good lunch and I left happy . read more

See all

Good basic am-mex food Good service, Bar drinks are nothing special but you are there for the food not for cocktails. read more

El Rodeo is in an unassuming building off of Wake Forest Road. If you aren't looking for it, you'd probably drive right by. I live right by here, but for some reason I always tend to forget about them. My go to dish at Mexican spots like this is chori pollo and while theirs is good, I always wish they put more queso on it. The menu is pretty standard, everything you'd expect to see at a Mexican restaurant. My husband loves the quesadillas stuffed with pretty much every protein they offer. Wait staff is friendly and you can be in and out of there fairly quickly. read more

Yummy. Love the atmosphere inside. Salsa is spicy. Chips were fresh. Food was great. Loved the taquitos. Shrimp quesadilla my husband at had huge shrimp. read more

So freaking good!! They even season the rice and beans. give you chips n salsa. May seem overpriced but it's totally worth it! They have some loyal customers now! Me and my family love it!! read more

El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant - a plate of food - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Hands down our favorite Mexican place in Raleigh. The service is always friendly and the food is fresh and delicious. We have had very bad experiences at other Mexican restaurants (especially the El Rodeo downtown) and will only come here from now on read more

Absolutely amazing!! Food was delicious and the service was impeccable. I would recommend this place 1000 times. Loved it so much. Thank you for restoring my faith in North Carolina. I almost Lost my taste for this state after my last restaurant encounter. Kudos read more

The best in Raleigh for old fashioned Mexican combo dinners. Not hip or terribly authentic, just really fresh food, cold margaritas and good for kids. read more

There is nothing like enjoying a good cheap Mexican lunch on a Saturday. This was my second time at El Rodeo and I remember this meal being better than it was during my first visit. I got the enchilada lunch special without the tortilla (I don't like how soggy the tortilla gets) with rice and beans. Their homemade hot sauce was really tasty and our waitress was great! read more

See all

We dined here with another couple who had coupons. It is definitely an older looking restaurant and we were seated right away on a late Tuesday evening. Restaurant is clean and servers are friendly and very attentive. Portions are huge. I had to take it to go box for my shredded chicken dish. Chicken was tender and flavorful and they did not skimp on the sauce. They continued bringing chips and salsa to the table. They have daily specials. The night we were there on a Tuesday, they had $1.95 domestic beer bottles. Overall, a very good experience and a comfortable restaurant for reasonably priced large meals. read more

See all

Great food! Fast service and a good value compared to similar restaurants these days. My wife and my favorite pick up spot for our enchilada/burrito fix! read more

The best Mexican food that I've had in a long time.. The ACP and the tacos was the best!!!

Best Mexican food in Raleigh. I was sad when the Hillsborough Street location changed its look/menu/name/vibe/whatever, as it was close enough for me to walk to (and therefore I wouldn't feel too bad about having a couple of those monster 36-oz beers WOOO), but the Wake Forest Road location is close too. The chips are always hot and fresh, and the free salsa is good and spicy, although slightly watery - not that there's anything wrong with that. I highly recommend the guacamole - it is a creamy and delicious way to start off your meal. The cheese dip is very good, as well. As far as entrees go, they have a good selection of vegetarian stuff, which is good. I consider myself to be a "flexitarian," meaning I eat whatever the hell I want, but I tend to gravitate toward the vegetarian lifestyle. With that in mind, the Vegetarian Sincronizada is a great choice. They call it a "Mexican grilled cheese" - it's two tortillas sandwiching cheese, mushrooms, sauteed spinach, and jalapenos. It's topped with a few avocado slices and served with some of the best rice in the world. Delish! The Veggie Quesadilla is great too - very big and stuffed full of zucchini, squash, tomatoes, mushrooms, and more! As for the meats, I like the Shrimp Fajita Quesadilla A LOT. It's served with either black or refried beans, a big dollop of sour cream, and a guacamole salad. This is my favorite item on the menu, and it's what I usually get when I'm feeling like some seafood. My fiance is more of a carnivore than myself, and she really loves the Chile Rellenos. Can't go wrong here! read more

El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant - Never a worry about "Montezuma's Revenge" - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

This is my second time at this location . I'm not a huge fan but it's convenient and the Mr seems to like it. The salsa has a weird pizza sauce flavor to it but the chips are good . I ordered the fish fajita quesadilla. It didn't come sliced like normal quesadillas and it was so big because it was stuffed . It barely stuck together like a normal quesadilla would, making it hard to eat . Last time I had the spicy chicken tacos and they was super hot . Maybe I'm just not trying the right stuff here. Our waiter was very nice and checked on us often. read more

The Wake Forest Road location of El Rodeo is pretty solid. Fare was standard for these sorts of places, but the service was excellent and they accommodated our slightly customized order with a smile and no extra charges on our tab. It's a bit of a sketchy section of town, but I'd go back. read more

Pretty standard Mexican food here.. We really like the El Rodeo downtown (we go there all the time) so I was hoping to have a similar experience at this one since we happened to be right around the corner. The chips and salsa were fine, nothing special. I ordered the chimichanga.. They skimped me a little bit with the queso on top so it was a bit dry. My girlfriend ordered the steak, chicken, & shrimp fajitas without the tortillas and that had some pretty good flavor to it, but was a lot more expensive than mine. If you are close enough, I would recommend checking out the one downtown over this one. read more

El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant - Chimichangas fried with beef - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I did a roll by to El Rodeo on Wake Forest for lunch when I was out shopping in the area. I called in my order (used my trusty Yelp app to look up the menu) and picked it up. Upon entering the restaurant, it was pretty busy for a Saturday afternoon lunch crowd. The walls had several paintings of Frida Kahlo on display. I think they have a "thing" for her, right? I ordered the Texas ACP (arroz con pollo for the uninitiated). A plate of heaven. Grilled chicken, steak strips,shrimp, peppers, onions and tomatoes over rice with cheese sauce and tortillas. So. Good. My friend had an enchilada. For the record, that is the only thing she ever orders at a Mexican restaurant but she thought the El Rodeo version was better than most. Really liked this location and will be back soon. Never been to any of the other locations but this one has its act together. read more

El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

They have the best Torta sandwich with fries, it's a big sandwich and I can't never finish it all. They packed it with a lot of meat and veggies and they make homemade seasoning steak fries. My loves going here with her coworkers on a weekly basics. Great food, fast lunch service. They have the best strawberry pina colada drink and I get them to mixed different flavors for me. My uncle loves the steak fajitas. They give you a lot of nachos and salsa and they have amazing guacamole. Everything is fresh ingredients and house-made. They have the best customer service and they always telling you the new specials. Look on the blackboard for the daily specials. They still serve the el diablo burrito! Awesome, not on the menu but you can still order it! You can even get it vegan or vegetarian style. They pack the food so you can have even for 2 meals. They always have live music. They parking lot is always crowded and the place is always clean. Best tacos al Pastor which my mommy always order. read more

Average Mexican. I do not like the salsa they bring to the table. The fajitas are ok but not the best. Rice is very good. Service is quick and efficient. Friendly establishment to grab a quick meal. read more

Wanted to give 4.5 stars, This place is the perfect causal Mexican restaurant, love the complimentary salsa, it's just a bit spicy, I always get the guacamole with the chips too! Both the Vegetarian fajitas and the shrimp dishes are delicious and are definitely generously portioned. Friendly and prompt service with reasonable prices it's hard to stay away read more

Alright..... First time to write up a review. Parking was meh. Rather small spaces for my large 4 door truck with large tires. Building looks shabby from the outside. Walked in... Normal Hispanic restaurant feel. It all feels kind of cheaply thrown together. Sat down and took awhile to place our order. Waiter didn't know the price of margaritas at all. After finally placing drink orders he scampered away. Several minutes later finally received drinks....( Friday night and literally 7 other tables of people....that's pretty slow). Ordered food, had to reorder my food multiple times, I'm not sure how hard it is to understand I wanted a shredded beef burrito with queso on top of it.... I received 1 drink refill finally upon the return of the server who was bringing my food.... Over 30 minutes after ordering. Queso had good flavor, I received the wrong burrito.... It was ground beef instead of shredded. I took a bite and was appaled at the complete lack of seasoning. My beans...which was a blob of refried hell also somehow had no flavor other than overcooked, burnt ass flavor. I never received another drink refill even when my glass was COMPLETELY empty. I wasn't asked how my meal was, basically ignored the entire time I was in the restaurant. Overall this was a dismal and very dissapointing trip and I shall not return for any reason. read more

I eat here constantly, so much that I'm a bit embarrassed to disclose specifically how often. I love this place. They have a really laid back atmosphere, great food, and are super fast for those that are on lunch break. If I ever have a heart attack, this place will be partially responsible. read more

So the food here is actually really good. Gives me a tummy ache each time but totally worth it. The one star is for this: we order pick up here and they often mess up our sides. We kept not getting the beans we ordered for our toddler so finally I decided to drive back. Yes I drove back and explained we didn't get our beans and... (drumroll) they didn't believe me. First they challenged what we ordered on the phone and I said "I was with him he said beans and rice with his burrito" so she checks the computer and they even entered beans and rice so she said they entered our order correctly through the computer and no one would have messed it up. So, I had to send them a picture. The picture (posted) shows the burrito with guac salad and rice instead of beans and rice. I tell her "look I wouldn't drive back to this restaurant with an elaborate story to steal beans". Well, finally, they gave us a side of beans. I drive all the way home to realize there's no guac on the salads (take a closer look). I mean you can order food at this place and it's good but just don't expect to get what you paid for. read more

El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant - Burrito with rice and "guac salad" where they forgot guac. We ordered a burrito with beans and rice. Fish tacos with no guac salad - Mexican Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

I had gotten tired of Subway and Snoopy's for Lunch and though I love Mama Nora's, i wanted to try something new so I went over to El Rodeo on Wake Forest Road....The food was your typical Mexican dish, and it was prepared alright but it didn't blow me away....the servers and the conversation they gave was good, though not great.......I think the folks across the street are kicking their backside during Lunch....but that doesn't mean I won't give them another shot on another day...... read more

I'm not big on chain restaurants, but I tend to make a special exception for El Rodeo, especially since I'll only eat at the one on Wake Forest road. For starters, although I tend to order my food to-go, the service is consistently stellar. The guys in here are super friendly and are awesome about fulfilling your requests. The atmosphere is your typical Mexican restaurant but the food always hits the spot! In particular, I'm obsessed with the ACP (arroz con pollo) which is tender chicken served over seasoned Mexican rice and topped with queso. I always have them add in peppers and onions and it really tops off the dish. It's always more than enough food for 2 meals! read more

It was honestly super tasty. They even hve some vegetarian options and were helpful with allergy issues. Reasonable prices and quick service. read more

Being from San Diego I am always trying to find some good mexican food. This was not. I tried a combo plate with a shredded beef taco and two enchiladas. First, the beef was cubed and not shredded. It was bland and looked like it was boiled. It was crammed into a taco shell with some shredded lettuce and that was it. WTH is that? Same with the enchiladas except they were covered with a salty cheese and some ketchup type sauce. I expected rice with the combo but it was missing. Probably not a big loss. The enchilada tortilla was doughy and thick. Not sure what happened there. I'm not sure why nobody (so far) uses real salsa fresca, cilantro, and decently seasons and grills (to give it some crisp texture) the meat for tacos, burritos or anything. So this place is a disappointment and I won't be back. Also the service was terrible so that doesn't make up for anything. read more

I liked it! First time here. Had Fajitas and it was flavorful. Finished off with fried ice cream which was very good (I have an addiction and very picky). Some have complained about salsa but I thought it tasted good and had a little kick. No problems with service at all. I will come back. read more

I feel like Mexican is like pizza... even when it's not great, it is still good. I used to go to El Rodeo a good bit for a lower priced steak taco. Having not been in a while, I had a craving last week, so I stopped in. My first impression was the rather low sanitation rating. Not allowing that to sour my impression, I was seated in a nearly empty restaurant (it was around 6pm, so a bit early) and proceeded to order my steak tacos. Instead of cheese, they now come with a cheese sauce. Not a good change, because it made the tacos soggy and very messy to eat. Service was SLOW. For being one of three tables, I expected a little more attention (which typically goes without saying in a Mexican place). Also, the salsa had no spice at all. Regardless, the meal was fine, but just fine. I probably won't be back unless someone else wants to go. read more

I've been here a few times. Usually I get the steak fajitas and it's not bad. Seems pretty fresh. Last time I went though I brought a friend and her daughter who were staying with me. Came home, went to bed... stomach kinda hurt. Then somewhere in the night I heard the horrifying noises of partially digested food evacuation...both mom and daughter were defiling my pristine bathroom in between groans of displeasure... by then I was probably lookin a little green too, but I decided not to join the party in the bathroom, and deal with the nightmare that awaited me in the morning. Suffice to say I haven't been back...even though everything seemed pretty good until then even for a California girl who knows good Mexican food. Bummer. read more

best mexican food in raleigh hands down!! service is impeccable!! skinny margaritas!!

Not bad, but not the best I've ever had. It's a cheap mexican type of place. The salsa is a bit better than some, but not as good as the place behind Best Buy at Crabtree. Food is as expected. A notch above other standard mexican restaurants, but also not as tasty as my favorites. I would recommend going here-it's good. I will definitely return, and I've been here a few times already. read more