Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    El Rodeo

    3.8 (102 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Order El Rodeo Takeout or Delivery

    El Rodeo Photos

    EL RODEO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Happy hour specials
    Good for kids

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - El Rodeo

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Hairy Salsa
    Nicholas F.

    In town for business and this place looked like it had good reviews. Walking in to pick up a take out, they were busy and also seemed very disorganized. I let one person know I was there for a pickup and they told me to wait in "line", which was anyone's guess as to where the line was. They also didn't ask for a name or any way to identify as to when my food was up. After I went back to find out about my food, turns out it had been sitting waiting for a few minutes. Half way through my first taco, I discovered the meat was still raw. Second taco had a lovely hair in it. By the time I got to the third, the shell was almost falling apart because it was so soggy. At least I still had my chips and salsa right? That was until my second dip in the salsa to find, yes, ANOTHER HAIR?!? This place is DISGUSTING!

    a menu for a mexican restaurant
    Joshua W.

    After visiting Artspace in downtown Raleigh, I wanted to grab some food before the Carolina Hurricanes played. Right next door is El Rodeo which is a Mexican restaurant. I've heard of this place and I always wanted to try it, so I made today that day. El Rodeo is a great spot if you wanna take someone out for good tacos and drinks, it's amazing for groups and even if you're alone and just wanna vibe, they have a bar as well. We were seated immediately after walking in and I knew what I wanted so I didn't waste time. I ordered the Texas ACP (Arroz Con Pollo) ($15.25). It comes with grilled chicken, steak strips, shrimp, onions, bell peppers and tomato over rice covered with cheese sauce. It's said to be served with flour tortillas on the menu, but I didn't get any when my dish was brought out. I wasn't concerned because I didn't want tortillas. I also had a 16 oz lime margarita pitcher ($8.25) as well. The margarita is smooth. One of the best margaritas I've had. It's not strong but you can also tell that there is alcohol in this drink. This one drink is enough for one or two people and it does the job. The Texas ACP is delightful. Very pleasant to the taste. The portion size of this entree is enough to fill you up and still have some to take to go. The ratio of meat to rice was in favor of the meat. So much chicken and steak strips with nice size shrimp covered the rice to the point that the rice looked nonexistent. Once you mix and stir to the meat in with the rice you can see the cheese, rice and vegetables too. The dish was very hot and flavorful. Everything cooked just right. The steak strips were tender, the chicken and shrimp was seasoned just right and the rice was just cooked. Nothing left over. I really enjoyed the Texas ACP a lot and the margarita. Id always go back for that and to try other things as well.

    Chicken Rolls and Fajita Tacos. I will go for Chicken Roll appetizer.
    Breee T.

    Beats any appetizer!!! Chicken rolls. Service is quick and food came out fresh and tasting amazing . This is now one of the reasons to come to downtown Raleigh. Well Done!!! We also ordered Fajita Taco which was also good. Will cone next time we are in downtown.

    QuesaBirria Tacos
    Samantha S.

    Wonderful service here! They do have a large menu with lots of options to choose from. I ordered their birria tacos, I thought they were okay a tad oily and not the right consistency. However, the fajitas and the quesadilla were great! Ordered their large house margarita and it was good and strong! Located downtown.

    El Rodeo in downtown Raleigh NC
    Bruce K.

    Arrived for a late lunch and the restaurant was a little busy. Still good service. I was greeted with the menu and the usual chips/salsa. Salsa is served in a small carafe which is nice. Less waste and easier to refresh. Chips were firm and did not break when scooping. A good plus. For lunch, I chose a chicken dish (can't remember the name) that is topped with chorizo and queso. Delicious, served with rice and beans that I ignored as my keto diet suggests. A good portion and very flavorful. I enjoyed my lunch at El Rodeo. I'd return! [Review 12488 overall, 2277 of 2019.]

    Natika G.

    Great spot! It's located downtown Raleigh so be prepared to pay for parking. The food is very good...you get a lot of food! Prices are very reasonable! The restaurant is clean and the staff is incredibly friendly and helpful.

    Enchiladas Blancas
    Maddi S.

    I've been here for lunch twice now and I love this place. It's a great spot if you want inexpensive Mexican food that's quick and delicious. Unsure about takeout, but when you dine-in you get chips and salsa for the table that they'll keep refilling. The salsa is the delicious and the chips and usually warm. I've gotten enchiladas both times but my boyfriend got their new queso birria tacos the more recent visit, which I tried. It was the first time we'd ever had those so we don't have anything to compare them to, but they tasted good with a nice portion of shredded beef. The enchiladas blancas with beef are delicious as well if you like queso, which is the sauce on top. The only thing I don't like about this place is that the meals come with rice OR beans -- I'd much prefer half and half! But luckily you can just get a side of beans/rice so it's not too big of a deal. The service is good and I always leave here stuffed!

    Shrimp Quesadilla- lunch menu
    Kathy G.

    Stopped in for lunch. This location is always busy for lunch. We were quickly seated, chips and salsa followed. They have a big lunch selection which is great. I decided to try the shrimp quesadilla from the lunch menu and ordered beans on the side. Considering it was busy, the food came out quick. The shrimp was lacking flavor, the rice was hard and the beans were my favorite- they topped the beans with cheese. The food was ok, filling and good price for downtown Raleigh lunch. The staff were attentive which was great.

    Smokin hot veggie fajitas
    Robbie C.

    I love that they have lots of veggie options. I went with the veggie fajita, minus the beans. They happily offered rice instead. The fajitas came out sizzling and smoking, and was a huge portion of broccoli, zucchini, onions and peppers in a very tasty marinade. With lettuce, tomato and rice, I couldn't finish it all. Server came back to make sure we had everything we needed. Prices very reasonable.

    See all

    6 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Rob C.
    0
    17
    14

    6 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Breee T.
    13
    55
    31

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 15
    Thanks 0
    Love this 15
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    My favorite mexican place!! The prices are very reasonable and the staff is super nice. Highly recommend.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of M M.
    0
    1
    0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jill S.
    39
    30
    5

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Excellent food and easily most affordable downtown Raleigh. Free chips and salsa and generous sized meal everytime. Totally worth it!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Food is always delicious and delicate a pleasure to have at every visit. We also get quick and fast service. Always a treat to eat here

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Anna L.
    6
    240
    79

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Neil B.
    478
    16
    0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 11
    Thanks 0
    Love this 11
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Connie M.
    82
    26
    31

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Vegetarian options are tasty as well as the margaritas! Perfect lunch spot would highly recommend

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - El Rodeo

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Mexican 13,315 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Carajillo's Mexican Kitchen - Tres leches

    Carajillo's Mexican Kitchen

    4.3(128 reviews)
    3.9 mi
    $$

    Happy Mango Strawberry Mojito Monday!! Karla provided…read moreexceptional service!! The restaurant was clean and the food was great. (As usual) They have daily specials Monday - Thursday so come in after work and grab yourself some good eats and drinks.

    I don't usually leave reviews, but this was an all-around frustrating experience from start to…read morefinish. Right off the bat, we asked for a highchair and were told it would be brought over. It never came. After waiting, we had to flag down a server walking by, who eventually brought one--only for it to be broken. It then took another 10 minutes before we finally got a functional highchair. Throughout the visit, the staff seemed far more interested in talking amongst themselves than actually paying attention to guests. The overall atmosphere felt disorganized, inattentive, and unprofessional. The worst part came after we left. I realized almost immediately that I had left my wallet behind and called right away. Instead of any sense of urgency or willingness to help, the host who answered was incredibly rude and dismissive. Before I could fully explain the situation, she cut me off and told me to "call back tomorrow." When I tried to quickly describe the wallet--color, contents, anything that might help--she hung up on me mid-sentence. Considering I called almost immediately after leaving and was brushed off so quickly, it raises serious concerns about whether any real effort was made to locate it. I would hope any establishment would take something like that seriously. Between the lack of attention, the disorganization, and the way a simple, time-sensitive situation was handled, this place clearly has serious issues with customer service. I won't be back.

    Photos
    Carajillo's Mexican Kitchen - Fresh Guacamole table side

    Fresh Guacamole table side

    Carajillo's Mexican Kitchen - Combo vegetarian

    Combo vegetarian

    Carajillo's Mexican Kitchen - La Mangonera Margarita

    See all

    La Mangonera Margarita

    Taqueria El Toro - @sujungchronicles

    Taqueria El Toro

    4.4(367 reviews)
    3.3 mi
    $

    Hands down the best tacos I've had in North Carolina. Just wow. The food is phenomenal and comes…read moreout really fast. They've expanded into a bigger space so there's a lot more seating available which is much needed because it's always packed. The line moves quickly and the staff works efficiently. They are pros. If you love tacos, try this place.

    Stopped by Taqueria El Toro last week after a few people had recommended this place. I'll admit my…read moreexpectations may be shaped by having a lot of Tex Mex style food in Texas, but I wanted to give this a try. When you arrive, there is plenty of parking around the building, and entrances in the front and on the right side. Once inside, you'll walk up to counter and place your order. Your then given a order number and it's open seating. Your number will be called out in Spanish when your food is ready and you'll pick it up at the counter. I ordered an al pastor taco which unfortunately was not good. It came out extremely cold and needed a lot of salsa for it to have any flavor. I also ordered a steak burrito which was much better and was served with melted cheese on the top. There were fatty pieces throughout the burrito but this was far better than the taco. Lastly, I ordered a horchata but it tasted like grainy and wasn't great. If I'm in the area again I may give this a try but I'd definitely stick with a burrito so your food is hot.

    Photos
    Taqueria El Toro - Best Sit Down Mexican Food! Authentic and made with love!

    Best Sit Down Mexican Food! Authentic and made with love!

    Taqueria El Toro - Pre-salsa bar

    Pre-salsa bar

    Taqueria El Toro

    See all

    El Rodeo - mexican - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...