We have been eating here (and at the original El Tapatio) for over 20 years. There are no better enchiladas or fajitas in town. The margaritas are fabulous. The service is fantastic, and the staff know us well and remember what we like. We consider this our go-to place in town and will eat here until we die. read more

Love this restaurant. Service is great. They treat us like family every time we go in. Margarita's are on fire!

Gotta give 5 stars for some of the friendliest people I've met in the restaurant industry. Aside from the restaurant itself being a cozy, comfortable setting with great food and welcoming service, they helped me out in a pinch. My car battery died on me when I left and the owner (I presume) generously came out and gave me a jump start. I myself don't know much about cars and had no idea how to get home, so I really appreciated that kindness. If you're in Corvallis and want to go somewhere with a relaxed, friendly vibe that doesn't skip on quality, this is the place to go. read more

I once knew a girl named Jasmine. She introduced me to the wonders of pollo en mole, a complex Mexican dish that combines ingredients like peppers, exotic spices, chocolate, and crushed crackers--or so I have heard. That's pretty much all I eat here anymore. Having tasted mole from all over Mexico and California, I can say that El Sol's puts up a good fight. It's sweet and very palatable to American tastes. People that like darker, heavier varieties of mole might not appreciate it. Of course, comparing what some may consider "more authentic" mole to El Sol's, shall we say, corn-syrupy version may be like comparing food from Guangzhou to Panda Express orange chicken. But, what can I say? I like orange chicken--I can't reject chain-restaurant food on principle alone. Although I now usually order the dish described above, I have sampled a lot of the other items, and know El Sol pretty well. I am grateful that--unlike some Mexican restaurants of more recent vintage--El Sol clings to the tradition of offering free chips and salsa. The chips are usually fresh and not too salty. This kind of epitomizes the restaurant. All the food I've tried here is reliable and what you've come to expect from an established Mexican place: big burritos, good tacos, and a hamburger and fries for anyone whose tastes are too xenophobic to venture south of the border. read more

While the food may not compare with a Mexican restaurant located several hundred miles closer to the border, it's still pretty good. But what sets this place apart is the service. They really believe in taking care of the customer here. And whether it's accommodating a large party at the last minute, or modifying a dish to meet your crazy Aunt Edna's allergies, they do everything with a smile. They do well with the seafood dishes, and with the basics like cheese enchiladas. I was usually disappointed by the beef and pork dishes, but some might like them. All in all, I'd give the service a 5 and the food a 3. So four stars it is. read more

My girlfriend and I ordered dinner for take out during the COVID-19 pandemic. The food came hot and it was all fresh too. The fajitas were delicious and camarones a la diabla was delicious too. We will be eating at this Mexican restaurant in the future. read more

The service couldn't be better. Wish the food was just a little bit more. Warm chips and tasty salsa a great start. Beers on our table on the double. My green chili pork verde dish was old fashioned "mystery meat"--texture of meat but not much flavor, so skipped it and ate everything else that was good comfort food. Will admit to liking foods spicier border foods and more of the Tex-Mex style so maybe El Sol just not to my taste. This town is a hard place to find anything open on a Sunday night and we sure were hoping this could be another place to go. We may be back in summer when we can sit outside and sip margaritas on their patio. #CorvSMB read more

When we first tried their food it was mediocre at best, but they must have changed their recipe in the chicken enchiladas, the rice, and the salsa because it tastes much better than it used to. I really like that they have a section strictly for vegetarians. I have had the veggie enchilada with the black beans and I love it! The staff are very friendly, the atmosphere is nice when the fireplace is going and the salsa is yummy! read more

I've been here a few times now - everything from the service to the quality of food exceeds my expectations.

What do you do when you are in a strange town on a Monday evening and you crave a margarita because you just had the road trip from hell? You head to the nearest Mexican restaurant and hope for the best. In this case we lucked out big time. This place was packed for a Monday night, kinda surprised but we got seated promptly and ordered the biggest tequila beverages they offered and proceeded to suck them down. They were not only thirst quenching but deliciously relaxing. After unwinding a bit we ordered. Nothing special, just basic combination plates. I had the chili relleno and a beef chimichanga. Both were very good. I especially liked the relleno. The chili was tasty and filled with cheese and freshly fried in egg. The chimichanga was good but it could have used more shredded beef and less beans. The sauce was quite flavorful, tangy and fresh tasting. Loved it. Oh, and the service was great. It looked like they only had one server and one bus boy on for a Monday night. Those two handled at least 10 tables at once while we were there and I didn't hear anyone complaining about poor service or wrong orders. It was like watching an incredibly choreographed ballet, these guys were amazing! We'll be back next time we're in town! read more

Best Mexican food in town! They have a drink called "Cazuela" it's the best drink on the menu, hands down! And it's only $8 bucks! Salsa isn't the best, still tasty. Service is great! read more

Had a great Cinco de Mayo lunch at El Sol. As always the service was excellent (thanks Victor & Mauricio). Since it was Cinco De Mayo we got to see/hear a live Mariachi trio during lunch. Sizzling hot (fajitas not the band) made a very good dining experience. El Sol De Mexico has a pleasant atmosphere, treats there customers like family, gets the food out quick (so you won't be late going back to work) and the meal is always good. Locally owned and operated El Sol is always a good place for a meal, meeting or party. I've used their catering service too which are well priced and good. Also great for kids - kids menu, coloring contest and kid sized birthday sombrero for birthday pics. read more

I don't know about the food but when the person at the register says "I don't need your business" and receive you like you're a homeless asking for money I have nothing to look on this place. I placed an order over the phone and my wife went to pick up and ask if they have Apple Pay to use her cellphone, the guy at the register ask her "just give me your card" in a very rude manner, she tried to explain him about the payment method and this guy probably have no idea about how the technology work and keeped focused on to ask for a credit card or any method to pay for the food. Maybe he was thinking that my wife don't want to pay or whatever else but being rude and mind is not a way to deal with any customer. Of course we cancel the order and left this people with a food served. Apparience? we don't look like homeless, is no excuse to be treated in a bad way. Enjoy the food we left, and of course we will never come back to this place, but don't worry, you said that you don't need customers like us, right?! read more

For Oregon Mexican food, this place is good! The staff were all super vigilant about making sure we were always ok-always stopping to ask if we needed anything. I'd come again. read more

Can't beat the quisine here. Great taste and large portions. Staff is very friendly. Only suggestion is for them is to have a less acidic marquerita mix. read more

Really great food, and they have big portions. They have an entire section (okay, by entire I mean like, 5-10ish options) set aside for vegetarian entrees, which is pretty commendable. It's hard to find like, REALLY good Mexican food in Corvallis (or Oregon for that matter), but this isn't bad for Corvallis standards. I've always had really friendly waiters and the dining setting is nice. There's nothing specifically amazing or unique about the food, but it's good. A very good food spot for meeting up, as it isn't loud and is rarely packed, so even bigger groups can be accommodated. read more

I decided to try this restaurant because of the reviews, and because I was staying across the street at Comfort Suites... I WISH I lived in Corvallis because I want to go back!!! I had the molcajete, and have no idea what that means but it was a "stew" of sorts, with the most amazing combination of Mexican flavors/spices and wonderfully tender, juicy meats. The service was friendly and very accommodating, and the Margarita was one of the best I've had (in Boston we call them "Grand Gold" but here they call them "Cadillac"). I'm a huge fan of Mexican and while I'm from the east I can easily recommend El Sol de Mexico because it's some of the best Mexican food I've ever had. Try it and you won't be disappointed! read more

We enjoyed everything about El sol. We were welcomed in when we walked in the door and the staff was all very friendly. The food was delicious. We will definitely go back when in Corvallis. read more

Had the Spinach Enchilada, it had good flavor, and wasn't overcooked by any means. The green sauce didn't overpower the dish, and it was a very pleasant experience. The beans and rice were perfect. The service was good, and our waiter was helpful and accommodating. read more

As some one from the south, I find this restaurant appalling. You only get one bowl of chips and salsa before they start charging you and it's a SMALL personal sized bowl for the group. The drinks don't have free refills either. The food it's self was just tragic, my friends had the burritos (3) and I my self had the flauntas, all of out meals came with beans and rice. The beans had little to no flavor and they were watery, the rice was still crunchy and once again lacking in flaver. The burritos....well we can't say much for the burritos them selfs as the sauce that was drowning them was sugary sweet and nothing else could be tasted. The flauntas were soggy and like the beans and rice lacking in flaver. Once we left both my self and one other member of our group wound up sick with in hours of eating here. We will NEVER eat hear again. read more

Today I decided to eat at this restaurant and drive across town so I can be treated like a ghost. the minute we walked in the door the waitress was straight forward and a bit rude. She brought us our chips and salsa and then disappeared. I watched her sit a couple down and then a big group table. She brought them their chips and salsa and went back for their drinks and then took their main order, when she got done with all 6 guys' order then she went and sat down another couple. I stormed out. I believe I was discriminated against because we are Muslims. She could tell by my wife's vail and also because When I confronted her about it before I left, she said she was busy... I told her she took the other tables order first, when we were seated before the big group. And she didn't respond. It was so bad She didn't even ask what we wanted to drink. read more

I will readily admit that, having grown up in Texas, I have high standards for Mexican food. But I've also lived in small towns in New England, so I'm no stranger to dramatically lowering my expectations and settling for what's available. That being said, the 'salsa' I had tonight was just unacceptable by anyone's standards. It literally tasted like cheap canned "spaghetti sauce" with Italian seasoning. I wanted to believe this was an anomaly, and asked the server for some other kind of salsa, but was informed that it was the only thing they had except for a commercial hot sauce. The rest of my meal wasn't as offensively seasoned but was just greasy and bland. I was also shocked by the prices considering the quality of the food and service! Lastly, it's strange to me that they have a "vegetarian" section on their menu but don't offer a vegetarian rice. I'm totally used to places only having rice cooked with chicken stock, but those are not the sort of restaurants that have specially labeled vegetarian items. read more

Definitely overrated..... U know its bad when everybody talks about the chips that you get with your meal.... Which is over priced BTW. I had the chefs favorite which was shrimp with vegetables and chicken with an enchilada. The Enchilada was good...... However, the shrimp came with 3 shrimp and a can of carrots and peas. Absolutely horrible! Every shrimp was about half peeled so I was pulling skin out of mouth the whole time.... and the fresh veggies??? I didn't think restaurants even served canned veggies anymore. I wouldn't pay for those at a store let alone in a meal u just paid $15 for. The chicken... Dry, overdone no flavor.. The other star was for the service. read more

This location is much better than the El Sol De Mexico on Circle Blvd (Are they owned by the same people?). Either way, I have been here twice now and the margaritas and food are awesome. Yesterday everything came out a bit slower than usual, but it was cinco de mayo and we were at a Mexican restaurant so I understood. They have nice outdoor seating for these warm days and the staff is always very friendly even under pressure. read more

Food is good, but avoid their bar. It's obvious that they refill bottles with low quality alcohol and water. Pros: Food was actually pretty good. Cons: They water down their alcohol. Ordered top shelf tequilas and they tasted like water. read more

The Chile Verde plate is Amazing!!!! Definitely a spot I'd recommend to anyone. Glad we decided to stop here during our visit to Corvallis.

On my third visit I finally accepted that it was no fluke...the service really is amazing. Not too much and not too little. Not to mention the food was terrific! I'll be back a few more times to say the least. Don't forget, make local habit. read more

I don't know if the people who left reviews were family or friends but our experience was awful. The costumer service was ok... When they were there. A standard shredded beef burrito was just ok and their tortilla soup was absolutely disgusting. Don't get me started on the nasty chips and salsa... They took forever to get our payment so we ended up going to the front to pay. read more

Terrible service. Only got one bowl of salsa and the salsa is not even that good. Felt like I had to beg for more chips. I don't like how they nickel and dime you for all the extras for entrées. Your money is better spent at Baja Fresh just down the street. read more

El Sol De Mexico is one of my favorite places to eat in Corvallis. This restaurant fits in the food/dine-in restaurant category. I have always been a huge Mexican food lover so when I came here, I knew I had to find a place that I could go to for good Mexican food. Overall, I really like this restaurant because of the good customer service, good sanitation, good ambiance, and the welcoming, family feel that this restaurant has. Something that I also like about this place, in regards to customer service, is that they give you chips and salsa very soon after you sit down. It definitely annoys me when some places forget to give it to you, or they wait for you to ask for them to give you any, but the staff at El Sol is always on top of it! Also, with Mexican food, a lot of it spicy and rich, so having water available is nice. I had an experience where I asked for more water in my cup and they ended up giving our table an entire picture of water and I was very pleased. I thought that was very nice that they did that without me even asking. I feel like for Mexican food restaurants, I am pleased if there is good food and good sanitation. I also feel like the prices here are pretty reasonable. Something that I don't understand is why the enchiladas don't come with a small toping sour cream and guac but the taquitos and fajitas and other select dishes do not come with it. I thought about it and I'm guessing it's because all of the saucier dishes don't really need sour cream and guac and the dishes that don't have sauce need it more. Another really fun experience that I had here was on Cinco de Mayo. I love coming here for Cinco de Mayo because they decorate the place so festive and they make it so it is more of a party. One year when I came in with my family and they were giving out jello shots and that was a really nice treat! It made me and my family want to come back every Cinco de Mayo. Also, every year I have gone, they have a live Mariachi band that goes around playing fun, traditional songs that gets people in the fun mood of the holiday. I think one of the hardest situations for restaurants is to handle a busy crowd and big parties, and they do this very well. I have been to El Sol for many, many birthday parties and have never had a bad experience. I remember one time it was a party of about 35 and the place was pretty packed, and they did a good job getting our orders down quick and getting our food out to us as fast as they could. One thing that they messed up on with my order once is that for my enchiladas, I asked for flour tortillas instead of corn, and they forgot. I didn't mind it is just what I prefer, so I told them it was okay and I didn't care and they apologized. Moments later, they brought me another order of enchiladas and rice and beans to-go and made it with a flour tortilla. I was very thankful and I couldn't believe they did that for me! I think the fact the customer service here is very genuine really makes me enjoy it. I also think that the staff here thinks about how they would want to be treated constantly instead of just having a bad attitude if they have a small mess up. Another major part of Mexican food restaurants are the drinks. Right when you walk into the restaurant, there is a view of the bar with two televisions. This is really cool to me because I love sports games so not only does this place have good food, it is a place where I can come and watch a sports game and have good drinks! One experience I had with drinks was cool because they brought out a shot book of different kinds of shots they can make and they were specialty shots they were special like a lemon drop shot. Also, I have tried many of their house drinks and they are really good! Lastly, the patio area outside is one of my favorite parts of the restaurant because during the spring, it is so beautiful. They have beautiful flowers and cute little wooden planks about your head that block the sun but have some sun coming through to be satisfied. I feel like this restaurant belongs in a sunny place because if it didn't rain so much, I would sit outside more often! Overall, I really enjoy this restaurant and I highly recommend it to anyone who lives in Corvallis or who is just visiting this town! read more

Great service and the chimichunga costa azul was excellent.

Good service. Basic Mexican food. Nothing special, but it was close to our hotel. I'd eat there again out of convenience. Salsa was spicy. Chips were good. Rice was over baked and crispy on top from sitting under the heat lamp. The kids enjoyed their meals. read more

You can get better food for less money at Urapan and La Rockita. I suppose this fills more of a family american style restaraunt niche.

My meal was neither good nor bad, it was just calories. Shrimp w/ rice was the special. The tomato sauce based creation was fine but reminded me of a Midwestern "hotdish" in that it was pretty nondescript with little character. They are fantastic Folks who are very supportive of the community. read more

This is my favorite Mexican place in Oregon. The food is always hot and fresh. I've been here more then I can count. The staff is always so sweet and tentative. The drinks are good and the food tastes awesome! Love their salsa too! read more

While not awful, there's definitely better options if you're looking for good Mexican food in Corvallis.

Meh. Stale chips and bland salsa (reminiscent of ketchup). The meat was tender in both the chile verde and the macho burrito, but neither had much flavor (and again the sauce on the burrito had ketchup undertones). There are up-charges all over the menu; for instance you have to pay extra if you want a second round of chips & salsa, sour cream & guac, or beans & rice. The place was clean and our waiter was very nice, unfortunately the best part of our meal was the peppermint that came with the check. We won't be going back. read more

El Sol has two location in Corvallis. The location on 9th St. is very popular and can be very busy in the evenings and weekends. The food is good, as is the service. I was disappointed with their food and was expecting it to be better based on their popularity. The prices are a little high, but the environment is nice and the staff was friendly. read more

The service was great. Never wanted for water. The food was just so-so. Taco salad ground beef a little too greasy and it seemed small. Salsa wasn't so good either. My son had a burrito that he said was good. It really is a good place for a large group lunch and does the basics pretty well. I just wouldn't recommend the taco salad. read more

We are regular here. Their food in general is really good, especially grilled ones. Their carne asada is my favorite! They have happy hour everyday 3-6pm. read more