Met here with some friends for linner. Service was good. Food is okay - the one in Brunswick is better IMO. For food, my husband went with birria tacos. Our friend ordered Hawaiian fajitas which came in a fresh pineapple. My combo of chose was Nina's combo which included shredded chicken in mole sauce (too sweet for my taste buds), queso fresco, red onions, and a chile relleno. The chile relleno was the reason I got this dish. The chile relleno was decent. Our booth felt a bit cramped for two couples. Prices were moderate. Overall a nice experience. read more

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Been here a couple times and always had a blast! The fish and chips are my favorite and it's always fresh. I refer coming here at night for the lighting, but either are valid. Anyways good food good place read more

Consistently excellent food, service, and atmosphere. We have been eating at El Rodeo in South Portland and also in the Dunstan neighborhood of Scarborough for years. read more

We made a stop at El Rodeo recently to try it out after driving past it many times. We really enjoy Mexican food and El Rodeo didn't disappoint. The restaurant was built into a diner-stylr building but they ha e added a number of design elements to make it feel more loke a Mexican joint. The staff was very friendly and helpful without being bothersome. A big basket of fresh, hot tortilla chips arrived quickly while we looked thru the menu. There are so many choices. My partner went for the Veggie Trio which she enjoyed and was a huge portion. My carnitas were exactly how I like them. This is a good spot on Route One in Scarborough! read more

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Classic dishes at this local joint. Food is always good, albeit on the greasier side, but that's flavor baby. Also enjoy their shimp chimichangas and mole chicken. read more

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We have been here multiple times and this is a place you can just walk in and be guaranteed good service, great portions, and delicious food. They have great deals and we have yet to be disappointed. The place is nice and very spacious. We got the Birria tacos, a burrito, and a marg. Everything was delicious as usual. Burrito is huge and the tacos are so flavorful and juicy. The margs are also very large but tasty. And you get unlimited chips and salsa the entire time. If you're looking for cheap, quick, and delicious Mexican food definitely check this place out. After multiple visits we have yet to be disappointed. read more

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The "Barbie" margarita I ordered was delicious, though a bit overpriced for Maine. Most frustratingly, there were NO prices on the cocktail menu. One might say "Well why didn't you just ask??" But there were over a dozen, closer to 20, different margaritas all with only slight variations in ingredients and liquors--it was infeasible to ask about all of them. Thinking that if the house marg was $6 at Happy Hour, it was probably $10 otherwise, maybe $12 for a speciality one, I was surprised to see a $14 charge on my final bill. It was a good size, and rather large, but still felt overpriced for what it was and the location. The food was overall good, solid, though nothing particularly exciting or special. The queso fundido was tasty but greasy, and the enchiladas were good, but unmemorable. Didn't get a chance to try the desserts, but they sounded good. It was a bit difficult to get our server's attention and the menus were incredibly sticky, so I can't say the service was amazing, but it wasn't poor, either. read more

A staple for my friends and I. Tuesdays and Thursdays for cheap radios!! Their tall beers are huge.

I don't travel to the Portland area often for food, so when my father-in-law wanted Mexican, we just happen to come upon El Rodeo during our drive after other locations were not open or had 2 hour waits. There is plenty of parking in a private lot. Both the exterior and interior entrance was well kept and clean. It was not difficult to sit a party of 5 and they were quick to take our drink orders and deliver them. We all ordered a variety of food, but they start you off with homemade tortilla chips and their salsa. Needless to say, those didn't last long and a 2nd round of chips and salsa made its way to our table. I would take that home just by itself. I had the Fajitas Brava which comes with steak, carnitas, chorizo, chicken and shrimp. Everything had a street taco feel to them which has crispy edges from the sizzle plate. Quite honestly, I didn't mind it and the shrimp was well cooked. It came with all the usual fixings. It was large and plentiful, but I consumed the majority of it and would order it again. Everyone enjoyed their tacos, burritos, enchiladas and their fixings as well. Staff was very friendly, they do make homemade guacamole at your table (where they roll a cart to you), but we did not indulge but watched the table next to us. We enjoyed the food enough that the kids already want to visit grandpa again and indulge in some El Rodeo Mexican food. I agree and would come here again. read more

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We stopped here on an early late July Saturday night before we had to catch a flight at the Portland Jetport. Our server was great and really personable! We liked the free chips and salsa. The salsa does have a kick to it. We ordered 3 tacos with 1 chicken and 2 chorizo with rice and beans. We added an additional chicken taco. We really enjoyed the food. Next visit, we will definitely order the table side guacamole! read more

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My husband and I had lunch here about a week ago. The food was fantastic and our server was very friendly and attentive. The free chips and salsa were a nice touch, and much appreciated while we waited for our food. I had an outstanding chile relleno plate for lunch and my husband raved about his steak fajitas. We also enjoyed the dessert (churros with ice cream) that we split afterward. This place is great! I grabbed a takeout menu as we were leaving. We will be back soon! read more

Being from Texas I know what good Mexican food is and this place is the closest to what I know Mexican food should be in all of the north east. The food is cheap, the service is great, and the atmosphere is perfect (many tvs with all the relevant sports games on). I speak for all the people in this country when I saw this place is the only Mexican food establishment worth going to in Maine and if you disagree then you mine as well go eat at chipotle or spend 20 dollars for a white person taco with a mountain of pineapple in it. read more

If you're looking for classic Mex food, great portions, classic dishes, and huge margaritas, El Rodeo is THE place to go. Their enchiladas, chile rellenos, guac, and queso couldn't be yummier. They also seem to be one of the few places in the Portland area with frozen margaritas! Delicious!! read more

El Rodeo - Frozen strawberry margarita and guacamole - Mexican Near Me - South Portland, Maine

Excellent experience overall. The food was fresh tasting, coupled with good service and well situated south the border ambience! I had the taco Asada burrito plate, along side of jalapeño margarita and a side of hot salsa. Highly recommended! read more

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El Rodeo in South Portland is a go-to for tasty, satisfying Mexican food. The service can be a bit slow, but it's worth the wait. The complementary chips and salsa are solid, but if you're a fan of spicy food, be sure to ask for the extra hot salsa. It's made with habaneros. I highly recommend the table-side guacamole; it's always fresh and packed with flavor, plus it is a HUGE portion. I usually get the Mexican street tacos with shrimp, which come with red and green salsas--both are tasty. The shrimp are flavorful and a good size, not the tiny ones some places use. The rice and beans are also great--they taste fresh, not like they've been sitting around. read more

Food is consistently great with large portions. They have a large bar and large dining room. Even when I get take out the food is always just as good. Free chips and salsa to start! The drinks are large as well. Service is always great at the bar and the food comes out fast. I always get the super fajita quesadilla , it's my favorite. This is my got to Mexican place. read more

El Rodeo - Mexican Near Me - South Portland, Maine

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We visited El Rodeo for a late lunch. The restaurant was not too busy, but there were still many uncleared tables. It took a while for our waitress to get to our table, but once she did she was attentive and really gracious. The food was good, and the portions were generous. The ambiance was very Mexican cantina, with fitting music playing. Prices were quite reasonable. read more

El Rodeo - Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - South Portland, Maine

Amazing service and the food was absolutely delicious!!! Drinks were amazing!!! I would recommend this place to anyone who loves Mexican

We have eaten here a few times and really it has been good. Huge variety of food options, prices I think are really good (family of 4 can eat for under $70.00 is a victory in my book w/o beer or wine of course). I think out last meal was $68 and change plus my daughter even ordered dessert. I'm a burrito guy, all have been good. Service has always been strong. read more

Great spot for Mexican food. We had steak burrito, carnitas street taco and elote corn. First off was complementary chips and salsa. The salsa was not spicy, but add a little red sauce on the table, and it adds just the right amount of heat. The tacos came with both a red sauce and green sauce, which I liked that I could choose. This was a very good taco with tender meat. The elite corn is a new menu item. Lots of tajin and crema on a nice piece of corn. My husband had the steak burrito. Now, he is a steak burrito guy and feels all Mexican restaurants should be judged by their steak burrito. This one got 2 thumbs up from him. He liked the mole sauce on it and avocado. The filling had grilled onions and peppers in it which gave it great flavor. Really good food in a big, clean space. The waitstaff was attentive and the food arrived pretty fast as not that busy when we went. We will be back! read more

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We had two orders of Nachos to go and they were great! I was impressed by all the protein included with them! They were a great deal! I will definitely be back!! The service was adequate. The ambiance appeared to be adequate as well. read more

Very nice interior. Clean, spacious and cozy. The food was delish and the staff were very friendly and welcoming. Really enjoyed our lunch here. read more

El Rodeo - Mexican Near Me - South Portland, Maine

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Definitely been missing El Rodeo since the Covid quarantine. Tonight we finally got it to go. Cinco De Nueve ( I know May 9th is not a holiday). My husband and I got our fave fajitas. He got the Carnitas and I got the fajita Bravos (steak, chicken, carnita, shrimp, sausage crumbles)...I can't believe I'm saying this....it may have been better to go...the meat chunks were HUGE. Wish I had taken a photo but devoured it too quickly. We got a bag of chips and salsa included as you would at the table. Sides beans, rice, lettuce, guac packed separately. My only thing was I had the tiniest amount of sour cream but I was at home and had some and the large meat chunks made up for it. If you are missing Mexican give it a try. They are opening a location in Brunswick by the way this Summer. read more

El Rodeo - Chips and Salsa with appetizer queso dip. - Mexican Near Me - South Portland, Maine

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Fresh guacamole made at the table, amazing drinks and prices. Large margarita with Sauza Reposado fir $6.95. I had a chimichanga a burrito and an enchilada, all were small and not very tasty. read more

I've been wanting to try birria tacos for a long time, and I'm glad I chose El Rodeo to do it. I ordered my meal to go, and it was ready in 10 minutes. I received 4 different cups of sauces and salsa on the side, which was nice to be able to try different flavor. The tacos were good and I'm looking forward to trying other menu items. I don't have anything negative to say about my experience! read more

El Rodeo - Tacos de Birria - Mexican Near Me - South Portland, Maine

Food is awsome and the drinks suck, very weak drinks, go there for food but not for drinks

Decent place for Mexican food and margaritas. Extensive menu, reasonable prices and decent service, along with outdoor seating, has me coming back time and time again - oh, and the jumbo margaritas at happy hour! read more

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Great guacamole! Good service! Birria was good! Outside seating was nice! reasonably priced.

I love the tacos here. They are delicious and the pricing is decent. The guacamole is made fresh and is out of this world. The only reason I won't give it five stars is the waiter I've had a few times while dining in. He doesn't seem very pleasant. Now I just get take out and enjoy the food from the comfort of my home. read more

The food here is ok, I had been several times until i had one bad experience, sub par service. It's been a while since I've gone but the reason I give it such a low review is because we went there for happy hour. The jumbo margs were inexpensive and that's what we ordered along with some appetizers. We were seated a little more than 10 minutes before happy hour ended. We immediately put in our drink and appetizer order as soon as we sat down as we already knew what we wanted going in. The drinks weren't brought to us for almost 15 minutes, which is now, conveniently past happy hour time. There's no reason it should take that long to get a drink order. The server didn't speak English which was fine but we had to speak to the manager. He refused to give us the happy hour price for the drinks which really rubbed me the wrong way. He said the order wasn't put in until after 5. So we arrive at 4:45, we were seated within 2 minutes but they waited to put our drink and app order in until 5:01? Nah, not acceptable and I wont be going in there again. There was no compensation, no sorry for your trouble basically just deal with it. We did eat there that day but that's the last time I ever did. read more

This ain't "L ROW-DEE-OH", this is EL RRRRRRRO-DEH-OHHH. This was an awesome experience having our waiter from Mexico seeing our Texas & California ID's after placing our orders for some Corrrronitas (a mini Corona turned upside down in a Margarita). He asked us, "What are you doing here", we could ask the same for you buddy. He was awesome in knowing exactly how we wanted our tacos (& this was our first time having him). It's a regional thing, so he knew to bring a platter of hot sauces our way as well. We were pretty happy about our unlimited chips & salsa too, the salsa was exactly how it's supposed to be made-- sustenance from the tomatoes, salt to offset the acidity of the lime, and cilantro & onions for deliciousness. People who have never been to Texas or California don't understand how good it feels to come to a massive Mexican restaurant with not the best decor, but delicious salsa & margaritas. For my waist size's sake, I won't come here as much as I actually would. But for homesickness, I would definitely return to either here, or Guerrero Maya in the same vicinity. read more

El Rodeo - Our Coronitas (Mango & Strawberry) - Mexican Near Me - South Portland, Maine

Having lived in Oklahoma and North Carolina, this place is about Amexican as it gets. Way better food that the trash they serve up the road. Staff is great, food well seasoned and certainly plentiful. Unlike traditional Mexican food there is a lot of cheese, but that is typical of most Mexican restaurants in the US. They have staples of birria , chorizo, queso, salsa verde and traditional rice along with free chips and traditional style salsa. The joint is a renovated diner so it still has that look but the staff and decorating inside make it feel like a typical taqueria. Best Mexican place I've visited in southern Maine since moving back. read more

I will say that the food is consistently good. I always enjoy my meal and the barillo tacos are excellent. My problem is inconsistent service. The last 2 times I have visited I have had to go to the bar to get soda refills and had to search out someone for my check. I'm always sympathetic to the fact that it's hard to find servers during this time, but both times I have gone it hasn't been busy and servers are just not paying attention to the needs of the tables. I will still go back, but it is frustrating. read more

El Rodeo - a plate of quesadillas and salsa - Mexican Near Me - South Portland, Maine

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I went here yesterday and had the worst service and the food was even worse! I ordered the choose two dinner . One taco had dried up no flavor old meat in it , cheese enchilada the cheese wasn't even melted inside was still kinda cold. I asked for no rice only refried beans, got a lot of rice and maybe two tablespoons of beans ! My granddaughter got cold meat that was dry in her enchilada and her oranges never showed up . I will not go back! This is the second chance given. And the place is dark cold and dreary. read more

We hadn't been to El Rodeo since before the pandemic started when we had a bad experience with a server who was treating us really badly. We were back in Portland for the first time in more than six months and decided to give El Rodeo a try again. We got seated outside and immediately felt that something was off with the server who was treating us like we were an inconvenience. I got fajitas and my wife got tacos, which were quite nice- but the server kept doing weird stuff like repeating the things we were saying to him back at us in a mocking tone, or coming up and silently taking plates while glaring at us. Everything in his interactions with us made it clear he hated our guts. And then we got the check and we saw the name. It was Alfredo, same as the person we'd had a terrible experience with last time. We went and talked to the manager (who has always been really nice to us) and he apologized offered that we could ask to not be seated with Alfredo next time. I know that a server isn't going to be fired after one complaint. I understand that the manager we talked to may not be in a position to fire Alfredo. But I do know that it's not fair for us to have to ask for a different server just to be treated well. This puts us in a really awkward and difficult position. We should expect to be treated well by *everyone* at El Rodeo, and we shouldn't have to avoid one of their servers who makes it clear he hates LGBT people. If Alfredo feels comfortable treating us like that, how does he treat other people? We can't be the only ones. We'd been nothing but super nice to him. I love El Rodeo's food, and every single other person working there other than Alfredo has been really, really nice to us, but we really can't come back and feel good about it now. If there's one server who will insult us to our faces, are there other people there like that too? We were driving 150 miles to eat here and we decided we really don't want to have a big day out ruined at the end again by a bad time with a homophobic server. This makes me feel really sad, but it's what we have to do. read more

First time here. They have been opened a few years not sure why I haven't been before. Huge portions of delicious Mexican food. Can change items to be gluten free, they have corn tortillas. A page of vegetarian options. Pages of food options on the menu. Lots of tequilas and so many different margaritas choices. The waitstaff were fun and entertaining. read more

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Delicious casual dining with good prices! My favorite are their flavored margaritas! Also love their complementary chips and salsa.

Strawberry margaritas on point I want to go back & repeat, & repeat, & repeat. Did I mention that El Rodeo has fire fajitas ? every time I want some good, solid, savory Mexican fare in the area, El Rodeo is my top choice. They also have a good coconut frozen margarita, which I love even more than their strawberry one. (Follow my food diary on insta @aldienteeats) read more

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I have dined at this establishment once before when they first opened it was ok. Returned with my best friend today and it was terrific. Our waiter was great. Funny, helpful and even spied on another table for us because what they were served looked and smelled amazing. I ordered a fajita. Fajitas brava. Served on sizzling cast iron and was piled high with steak, carnitas, chicken, shrimp and chorizo. Was served with corn tortillas along with refried beans, pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream. The meats were perfectly cooked. Extremely flavorful. Sometimes you can order a fajita and the meat be dry this was not it was delicious. The best friend ordered Molcajete. It was brought to the table in a hot stone bowl. Served inside with ribeye steak, shrimp, chicken peppers. Served with a side of refried beans, guacamole, sour cream along with corn tortillas. She raved about how wonderful the steak was cooked! read more

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Qualifier, I have never been to Mexico and many have told me I have never had "authentic" Mexican food. With that being said, we really enjoy the food here. First, they share a lot with Harbor Freights across the lot, but every time we have been here, there is plenty of parking. So that automatically gets a start for me, parking lot :) Second, every time we have visited, we are greeted promptly at the door. Always with a smile. Sometimes I don't always "hear" the host/hostess, because I am too distracted by the many specials listed on the specials board next to the host stand. We have been here at dinner and lunch and have never had to wait. Not sure if that is a good or a bad thing, but for me, it's good, because when I am hungry, I am not very patient :) The complimentary chips and salsa arrive within seconds of sitting down. I love the chips, they are freshly made and are not too salty. The salsa is almost like a puree and I like it a lot, but if you are not a fan of cilantro, skip the salsa. We always order the cheese sauce to dip the chips. It is delicious cheese sauce, just a plain creamy sauce, as it cools, it thickens and becomes even more delicious! Drink orders are filled pretty quickly. Try the margarita, they are pretty delicious and pack a punch as well. Don't forget that you still have to order food! LOL It's easy to be distracted by the delicious chips and drinks. The menu is pretty extensive, I can always find something that I am craving. Sometimes it is just hard to narrow down my choice. I order something different every time. I like to sample many different types of dishes, but I have to say, one dish that I have ordered more than once is the pork carnitas! YUM!!! So good. Other items we have tried, their burritos, chimichangas and the quesadillas. All packed with filling and crispy and golden, with a buttery flavor....sooo good. If you order an appetizer, like their delicious table side guacamole, delay ordering your main entrees, because the food comes out fast...LIGHTNING FAST! There is only so much room on the tables :) When it gets busy, the servers can be a little slow to check back in for beverages, only because they are so busy. The beer selection is always disappointing, so I typically go with a margarita, although I did have a Dos Equis once. It was ok. This place is definitely the place we go to for sit down Mexican food. It's never too crowded and never too loud, like the other places in this general area. I recommend and I will also be back. Yum read more

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