A Hidden Gem at Smith Mountain Lake As residents of Smith Mountain Lake, we're always on the lookout for great local dining spots, and El Sinaloense Mexican Restaurant never disappoints. The food here is absolutely fantastic. We enjoyed their tacos and fajita salad, and both were bursting with flavor. The chicken and shrimp were especially delicious, cooked to perfection and seasoned just right. Beyond the food, the service was exceptional. The staff is friendly and attentive. If you're looking for an authentic Mexican dining experience with incredible food and top-notch service, this is the place to go. We love supporting our local restaurants, and El Sinaloense is definitely a favorite. Highly recommend it to anyone in the area or passing through. You won't be disappointed. read more

El Sinaloense - Great dinner with family at El Sinaloense. - Mexican Near Me - Moneta, Virginia

First of all this is obviously a new ownership group. Please call the previous owners immediately. Let's start with Parmesan cheese on top of enchiladas verdes. No! Then a cheese stick in the bottom of the tacos. No! An absence of flavor on both dishes was such a let down. Taking brisket nachos off the menu was an epic fail. Not to mention circling tables and basically grabbing your plate from beneath you. I will say the white sauce and chips were good but that can't save the meal that followed. read more

El Sinaloense - These are supposed to be tacos..and what is with the sliced radish and cucumbers?! - Mexican Near Me - Moneta, Virginia

Total fail on service. I ordered a tostada but received a chalupa. Then the server told me the kitchen confused the tamal I ordered with a chalupa, which he left on the table, so now there were two. When the tamal finally came, I told the server that I had ordered a tostada but received a chalupa. He offered to get a tostada but in the interest of not wasting more food I said never mind. However when the bill came I was charged for the tostada. He was surly and refused to change the ticket and told me the difference was only two dollars and if I didn't like it I could not come back. read more

El Sinaloense - Sales ticket for meal. - Mexican Near Me - Moneta, Virginia

This was our first time going here. We where in town seeing my wife's half brother and found this place close by. First of all the restaurant was very clean and the service was very good. We both ordered water to drink and it tasted like tap water straight out of the sink. They brought out chips and salsa with a regular salsa and something white in a bowl that looked like ranch dressing. It was pretty nasty in my opinion. The waitress said some people love it and some hate it. I'll Just say I'll never eat that again. We ordered our food and it was very tasty. It was plenty of it as well. We didn't walk away hungry. Nice place with good food and service. Avoid that white sauce at all costs. Just our opinion. read more

Food was greasy and bland. No spices or very little. Restaurant was very hot. They needed to have the air on. On the plus side, the server (Elder L), was great! Will not return due to the food quality. read more

We have been going every Friday night for at least 3 years. gone through several changes in staff Tonight was an all time low in service. Not sure what is going on but miss previous staff read more

Smith Mountain Lake has several great Mexican restaurants. This one isn't it. I'm not sure if the servers lack experience because the restaurant hasn't been open that long (as of Nov 2018) or if we saw the best this place can deliver. We visited during a weekday lunch. The place wasn't busy. When a family member asked if a dish included rice and beans, the server said, "I think so." That wasn't convincing. There was a mistake with my order. The server wasn't apologetic and he didn't have a sense of urgency to fix it. When I received the second dish, it wasn't as expected either. I didn't want to watch another plate taken away since my family was eating. I made due. At Cancun, the server would have checked on me quickly to make sure I had what I needed. That is why we will return to Cancun the next time we want Mexican food at the lake. The food was okay at this restaurant, without being extraordinary. If you want excellent service and food, go to Cancun. The atmosphere is more colorful and fun. They quickly correct any hiccups. The server gave us a coupon that we were able to apply to the visit. I think he sensed we were unhappy. Bonus points for ranch sauce and not just salsa, served with the chips. read more

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Fresh, hot chips brought immediately to the table with a very tasty salsa and an unusual southwestern ranch sauce. Add some cheese dip and fresh made guacamole from the appetizer menu and you may need no other foods BUT the menu is tempting! And don't forget to have an adult beverage; the Blue Motorcycle is enormous and the house margaritas are very good. Our group had a Chile Relleno from the build your own combo and they even halved the charge for one item instead of two; her plate was empty and I quote "best Relleno I've ever had". Another member had the Quesadilla Hawaiian and it looked amazing...so much food that half went home with her. And me, I had the Burrito Diablo...super meat filled and very tasty...I'm going back for something else on this menu very soon. read more

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First time visiting this restaurant. Service was very good. The food was outstanding. The flavors and seasoning was very well done. Best Mexican restaurant in the area. read more

El Sinaloense - Lunch Arroz con Pollo with zucchini - Mexican Near Me - Moneta, Virginia

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this place was delicious! i was confused why there was barely any business on a friday night, but if exceeded my expectations. 10/10 steak fajitas!!! read more

El Sinaloense - Mexican Near Me - Moneta, Virginia

Only got a jumbo mango frozen marg but that's all I need to know how good this place is. Made me feel so much better. Would come again. The people here were so nice too I wanted to cry (in a good way). :D read more

El Sinaloense - jumbo frozen mango marg 3 and chips n salsa :D - Mexican Near Me - Moneta, Virginia

I'm pretty sure we go here at least 3 times a month during the summer for $1 tacos! The chips and salsa they provide are delicious and I always eat way too many of them. The staff is super friendly, and all the food I've had here has been great. read more

Very good food. Great service. Love the chimi changas. Not bad pricing. Very lovely place

The service is first and foremost ... great. The food is top quality. Prices are mid range for this area. They feed the kids without lunch during the summer. Is my go to mex in Rocky Mount and Hardy. read more

They get 2 stars because we were seated and received drink and chips quickly. After we were seated we were forgotten - for over a 1/2 hour. I found another server and she took our order from the vegetarian menu. Told her we were vegan and she let me know the rice was made with chicken stock. When I asked why it was on the veg menu she explained it had veggies (not how that works but ok - hold the rice). 1/2 hour later no food - we flagged down the original server and asked for drink refills. When she can back with drink she apologized for forgetting us and asked to take our order. When we told her someone took our order she checked their system and said there was no order for our table. I watched as a family of 4 that was seated after us finish their meals and leave. Over an hour later we declined to place another order and went to our usual Mexican place near Westlake. This is the second time we have received poor service here and thought the first time was a possible fluke. As for the food - hubs said the chips and salsa were very good. The assistant manager (our original server) was apologetic and gave us the drinks on the house. read more

This place is awesome! I've eaten there a few times and every time I am pleased. The food is great and you get plenty. The fresh guacamole is something you should definitely order.The servers are super nice and attentive! read more

El Sinaloense - a plate of food on a table - Mexican Near Me - Moneta, Virginia

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We decided to grab El Rio for an early dinner (~4pm) on a Sunday afternoon the last time we were in town and we picked the perfect time to eat because we were the only ones in the restaurant for a little while. We were greeted with a warm basket of tortilla chips, salsa, and white dip. I have never had white dip at a Mexican restaurant in Michigan, and this was the second one that served it in Virginia. It kind of reminded me of a thin cream cheese/ranch dip, but I'm not entirely sure what is in it. I ordered a burrito fajita for my meal and my significant other ordered chicken croquetas. We also ordered three tacos (2 chicken for him and 1 beef for me) and they were good but had a little too much shredded cheese for us. Both of our dinner portions were flavorful and incredibly filling. We also both liked the rice & beans that came with our meals. No complaints on our experience and will likely be back again once we try all of the other restaurants out in town! read more

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Oh man, i dont like leaving bad reviews but....Cinco de Mayo was a train wreck. Food took almost an hour. And our server was very confused. She would disappear and could not explain food choices at all. Then our take out order (which we asked for when sit down order was put in) took another 30 minutes to come out. That was a disaster as it was burned or over cooked and had to be trashed. I will not be returning. read more

I've only been here a couple of times, but so far so good! On Tuesdays & Thursday's El Rio has 99 cent tacos (even though their sign says ".99¢" which is less than a penny! Haha) Anyway, the 99¢ tacos include cheese & lettuce. Any other toppings are 50¢ each extra. You have the option of beef or chicken. It's pretty good. The last two times I've gone they didn't have their liquor license yet, but I think they are going to get it eventually. read more

We popped in for lunch today and were extremely impressed with the food. They really have done a great job with variety quality and value - we loved the volcano fajitas and iced beer mugs. Chips and salsa very solid. Kids loved the Mexican cheesesteak. Waiter was friendly and attentive. Would come back for sure. read more

We decided to give this place a try despite the mixed reviews, since it was close to our home. Unfortunately nothing we ordered was any good...at all...including the salsa. Everything was bland and lacked flavor and toppings you would typically expect (see pics). Salt (or any other seasoning) was completely missing from every dish (I.e. not light on the salt/seasoning, literally no salt/seasoning), including the chicken and steak. It was highly disappointing. The only thing that was decent was the guacamole, after we added salt. read more

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Food was not bad and the staff was nice but the wait for the food was severely long, The server did not check our table for refills or if we needed anything. The restaurant appearance seemed good at first but it got worse the farther in you went. When we tried to ask questions about the wait for the food the hostess ignored us and played on her phone. If you are ok with waiting and hour and a half for your food then this is the place for you. I also believe that the mirror in the women's bathroom is a two sided mirror. There is a way to tell if a mirror is two sided and I believe it was. read more

Terrible service the woman who took my order over the phone never submitted it. What a total joke of a company. Better off going to Cancun's down the road read more

My boyfriend and I eat here often. The food is always delicious and the drinks are strong and priced fair. Friendly staff!

Great food, everything came fast and as ordered. Waiter was very good and responsive. Great value as well. Would highly recommended for anyone looking for good Mexican food in the area! read more

Not sure why there are some negative reviews about this place. It is simply awesome. Have an eaten at multiple Mexican places all over the country this is in my top three. Servers were extremely helpful and knowledgeable at the menu. Have eaten there several times and will continue to. read more

Thought we'd give the new place a try. The server was nice but obviously new and forgetful. He finally got our drinks after coming back 3 times to clarify what I wanted. I thought the food was average. The place looks nice and bar area was modern with fancy lighting but there were only a few people here. We'll probably stick to El Toreno. read more

This is a relatively newly opened mexican rstaurant. I got chicken and beef fajitas and my wife got pork enchilada with green sauce. The food tasted fresh and was quite good. The chips and dip were also fresh. The interior is all new so everything feels new. The service was above average with good wait times. They are a couple of weeks away from finalizing thier alcohol license approval so if thats important to you, you may wish to wait. If you enjoy good fresh food, go now! read more

Love this Restaurant. Best Mexican food and Margaritas are $1.99. Amazing staff. Homemade Margaritas and great Specials and being a past Restaurant owner... Best Mexican food in our area read more

Neither great nor terrible, there are better options. Service and price was decent, simply unremarkable beyond that.

10/10 would recommend great service, tasteful food, amazing people, and just a good energy overall. Amazing place and very clean. Nothing compared to what it was before read more