El Sol Mexican Restaurant is a solid, dependable option in downtown Harrisburg. It has the polished, franchise-style atmosphere you'd expect from a higher-end chain Mexican restaurant--comfortable, clean, and consistent, though not particularly distinctive. I tend to sit at the bar, where the service is friendly, attentive, and quick even on busy nights. The bartenders mix a good jalapeño margarita, and drinks in general are reliably well-made. The food is about what you'd expect for the price point and location: decent portions, fresh enough, and served promptly. It's a good place for happy hour, small groups, or casual work gatherings, though it can get crowded with business folks and local professionals during the week. When the weather's nice, the small outdoor seating area adds a nice touch. I rate it four stars mainly because, having grown up out West, my expectations for Mexican food lean toward more authentic regional flavors. El Sol offers the standard Tex-Mex fare you'll find in much of the East, tasty but not distinctive. Still, it's friendly, clean, and consistent, which makes it a dependable choice for this area. read more

My first visit to El Sol lined up with 3rd in the Burg, so I wisely made a reservation for 5:30. Turns out we arrived early and were seated immediately (maybe my "I'm starving" comment helped). Inside, the vibe is warm and festive: colorful artwork, low-top tables, a lively bar stocked with tequilas, and gorgeous Moravian star lights glowing overhead. The menu is extensive -- everything from tacos and burritos to rice bowls, full entrées, and massive multi-person feasts served in lava rock molcajetes. Most dishes land around $20, or you can snag tacos individually for $5.50. We started with the Mexican Seafood Dip and wow... game changer. Shrimp, bay scallops, crab, and mushrooms all swimming in a red tomatillo sauce, baked under a gooey blanket of cheese, and served with chips. Unlike so many "seafood" dips that are 90% cheese, El Sol delivers with generous amounts of actual seafood. It was piping hot, hearty, and plentiful -- enough that we happily took leftovers home. For mains, I went with a Birria Taco (plus a trusty Diet Coke). Juicy, cheesy, crispy perfection -- I could've polished off three more but restrained myself. Adventure Buddy chose Camarones A La Diabla -- jumbo Gulf shrimp and mushrooms in a three-chile sauce. Bright red, spicy but not overpowering, and loaded with shrimp that were actually jumbo. He was a happy camper. Our total came to $62 with tip, which felt fair for the quality and portions. Service was attentive and friendly, and the noise level low enough for both conversation and even a quick phone call. Parking is the usual downtown Harrisburg scene -- no on-site lot, but free street parking after 5 and garages nearby make it easy enough. Bottom line: great food, colorful atmosphere, and a menu that's begging us to come back. Next time, I'm eyeing one of those lava rock molcajetes. read more

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Nicely decorated Mexican restaurant. Service was friendly. Food was well portioned. Lpved the art inside. read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Bar area - Mexican Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

We love the Mexican food at El Sol. Their seafood dip is our favorite. We also like the quesadilla chicken nachos, taco and entrees. Their drink menu is also very good. Love the ambience and the servers are always very nice. One of our most favorite Mexican restaurant in town. We had our first date in Harrisburg at El Sol so this will always be special to us. read more

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El sol on third street is honestly my favorite el sol in the area. They somehow manage to make the space cozy and intimate without making it ever feel congested. When you walk in you are always greeted by a host with a smile, and honestly all the staff is super attentive and friendly. All the drinks are made with fresh ingredients such as fresh lime, lemon, strawberries, etc. so make sure to treat yourself to a well made cocktail on your visit. My go to are the fajitas always, they are served sizzling hot ( you truly hear the cast iron sizzling when they bring it to the table) and are delish! you can also add cheese all over if you'd like, you can also ask for mild or hot sauce to cover the fajitas or on the side. They will make accommodations for you which is always a nice bonus when visiting a new place. Can't wait for my next visit. read more

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I went to this restaurant on Friday evening, and we were seated immediately! They have a delicious menu, but you honestly cannot go wrong with their mixed taco platter: three different types of tacos with rice and beans for $20! I personally had the chorizo, fried fish, and birria tacos.....I was in taco heaven! The restaurant is beautiful but a bit tighter for space and our waiter literally visited our table 2 times in an hours time and was not attentive to our table but everyone else's, which I didn't appreciate. Other than that, delicious and great bang for your buck! Quality: 4/5 Customer service: 3/5 Value for cost: 4.5/5 read more

I don't know if El Sol will be a place I feel the need to go to ever again. We did go on a Friday night, so we expected it to be busy, but it was pretty packed and seemed a bit understaffed. Our waiter was friendly but very overwhelmed. The worst part was that the food took an extremely long time, and they were out of multiple things for drinks (like horchata, etc). When the food finally came, it was not great and it was a little cold for some of the plates. read more

Again! I'm Updating my post! Went with the 5 of us. We all loved everything we ate and drank!! Stop here for a full experience My favorite place. Wish I lived closer read more

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Had a wonderful dinner here with my sister and brother. We ordered a pitcher of Margaritas and they were delicious. Thought there was a bit too much ice in the pitcher as we only had enough for one full round. second round was short, but still very tasty. We were sat quickly. The chips and salsa sampler was yummy. Guacamole was chunky and fresh. We shared the fajitas and pick three tacos. Staff was great with recommendations. Would definitely eat there again. read more

Ordered a shrimp salad off their lunch menu. Two issues: -4pieces of small shrimp (which was an up charge of 3.00 more) - the salad was served on a hot plate - when asked about it as to why and the waiter explained it was because the plates are sitting underneath a hot light . The salad was wilted the plate was so hit to the touch I couldn't even hold it . The waiter seen nothing wrong and only answered the question ??? read more

Get the chips and salsa! Literally the best salsa I've ever had and I eat out a lot. If I'm in the area I will now have to stop just for the fresh homemade chips and salsa. The ambiance was great. Beautifully decorated. The bartender Randall was such a vibe! The birria burrito was mid. A large size but it's just meat and rice. I thought there would be more ingredients. No cheese or beans... but the rice had green peas in it. Not gandules but sweet peas. The flavor was good and the consume was flavorful as well. But the salsa and margarita was my favorite read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Birria Burrito Small Side Salsa for Chips and a Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

I had take out chilie rellelno that was terrible. It was cold, there was very little if any sauce, it appeared the cheese was not melted, all in all the worst dish I have ever had there. Worst dish ever! read more

Food and service was great! The menu was extensive and everything looked amazing! Ambiance was nice and comfy i definitely will be back to try more things! read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Enchiladas Mex Cheese - Mexican Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

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So one random night we decided to come here for what was to be good but what we really ended up with was some mediocre Mexican food. So for starters for me it's a huge strike against how my perception of my meal will be when I see that they are charging for chips and salsa as that should come with your meal as that's just how it's done I say this as that's how we do it in California at every sit down Mexican restaurant I've been to from the lower end ones to the fancy ones you find in Newport Coast, had we had chips and salsa we definitely would have ordered more drinks before our meal but without them it just made us wanna order our food. The price of ordering them was not an issue it's just a fact of the matter of how it should be. So I ordered a margarita it was the one with fresh juice in it and I must say it was very minimal and kinda underwhelming as I didn't really get much of the refreshing part of a margarita I look for just a few sips of tequila and yeah. So for dinner I ordered Chilies Mixtos it was alright it had two different chilis one stuffed with ground beef and one stuffed with chicken along with a side of beans and rice and some tortillas which i was kinda surprised to see as it was an interesting thing to make tacos out of but it actually made something that was average a bit better. Our server was awesome and very friendly so that was definitely something that I found here to be cool but that's how it should be. Overall it was decent would I come back probably not as there's a much better place I frequent in this city with that said you might enjoy it here but the flavors definitely weren't bold enough for me. read more

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El Sol is my favorite Mexican Restaurant in the area! I got takeout for dinner, and it was amazing! I got an appetizer, I forget what it was, but I got tacos for my entre. I would definitely go back again! I don't know what the service was like because I was at someone else's house and they picked it up, but I am sure that it is great, that's the only reason that this review is 4 Stars, not 5. My parents go there a lot, so the service MUST be good. Don't know what the Ambiance is like, another reason why it is 4 Stars, not 5. I hope I get to go there in person soon!!! read more

Stopped in for a quick bit with the wife before seeing a show. I have been here a number of times and always been served a great meal. This time was no different. Started off with some chips and salsa which was just the level of heat. My burrito was very good and filled with all the goods. The atmosphere is always upbeat and colorful. Service was good with the exception of being a little bit slow. read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

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Cute place, great food. We enjoyed the nachos and tacos. Great flavors. The service was fine. We would go back if we ever find ourselves in Harrisburg again. read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Festa Chicken Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Food in the Pennsylvania capital comes in lots of options and flavors, but one that stands clearly above the rest is El Sol. It's hard to find anything bipartisan sometimes, but everyone agrees - El Sol is one of the best places for lunch, dinner, or carry out in Harrisburg. Knowing it was so highly recommended by so many people, I was thrilled to finally have the chance to try it out. The staff are fantastic - they were very attentive and it didn't take much time at all for our food to come out (and this was a Friday night too). We had great chips and salsa to hold us over while we waited, but the timeliness was top notch. I ordered the Empanadas Mexicanas with steak, and let me tell you what - they were out of this world! It was a full plate of food too, complete with rice, beans, and even a salad. The atmosphere was busy, but it didn't feel cramped at all. I could easily see myself stopping in for carry out, bringing my wife here for a date night, and even bringing my small army of children here for a nice dinner sometime. For a place to hit that many options is pretty special. Visita pronto - ¡no te arrepentirás! read more

Decided to give El Sol a try. The host greeted us very warmly and we were seated immediately. It was a Tuesday night at 9pm and it was kinda empty. It was dimly lit and both restaurant and restrooms were clean. I ordered the chorizo queso fundido as the appetizer and the fajita quesadilla for my entree. The appetizer was meh. I don't know what could have been done to make it better but I just wasn't feeling it. The quesadilla had potential but it wasn't hot when it came out. It was warm so there was no cheese pull and I didn't like that. It consisted of peppers, steak and chicken. The flavor was decent but the temp of the food was not right. The service was good I just don't think El Sol was the place for me read more

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Our dinner here was so good and we had so much fun!! I loved my sizzling Parrilladas Don Juan grill. It was chock full of carnitas, chicken, chorizo, steak and shrimp. There were a ton on veggies too...nopales, scallion, peppers and onions. Everyone at the table was envious. Perfect pitchers of margaritas to wash it down. Great service and plenary of room for big groups. read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Parrilladas Don Juan - Mexican Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Delicious food. Great atmosphere and amazing customer service. Our server Cassidy was very helpful for the visit.

I've been to El Sol a couple of time now and it never disappoints. They have pretty good drinks and decent food. It is definitely not the best Mexican food I've had but it's good for the area. I will say I was very dissapointed by the chips and guac. The portion was super small and it was no better than chipotle guac. My Birria burrito was great though and the service was quick and friendly! If you're in Harrisburg definitely consider El Sol! read more

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I just can't get excited about this place. I've eaten there many, many times and I've never been impressed with this neuvo-Tex-Mex amalgamation. I do like the chips and salsa. For me, it's the best thing I've eaten at the restaurant. Lots of things on the menu are ok. Some are meh. Nothing is outstanding. Other than a few unique offerings, they are no different than the other big "Mexican" restaurants in the area. (Note: if you want good Mexican, head to the hole in the wall joints and get some lengua tacos with house-made hot sauce.) The red, white, and green appetizer is lacking flavor. I didn't really like any of the salsas on the salsa sampler appetizer. The tacos are fine, but not remarkable. The grilled romaine and salmon salad is boring (sounds great but isn't overly flavorful). I love ceviche. All types. Mexica, Peruvian, etc. I tried their three ceviche sampler and I didn't like any of them. The scallop one was chewy. The shrimp one was fishy tasting. The fish one was the best of the three but wasn't good enough to make up for the other two. The Chile Relleno was a mushy mess. If you are there for lunch, the burritos are probably your best bet. They're . . . well . . . burrito-y. The grilled honey habanero chicken is also pretty good. I've heard good things about the fajitas, but I've never tried them myself. I will say this. They do a much better job of plating their food. I think this is a major component when people say this is better than other large local Tex-Mex places. I just think it looks a lot better. The décor also feels more upscale than others (aka El Rodeo). Service varies. Street parking stinks. read more

My fiance's friend flew in from Europe and boy was it a surprise. He's not a big fan of crowds so we celebrated Cinco de Mayo a day early. We decided on El Sol. I made reservations for 6 which was a breeze. We arrived and found parking right out front. We were greeted by a friendly host that seated us immediately. I did have to flag down a waiter to start us off but I think they were trying to wait for the rest of our party to arrive. We ordered the perfect margarita picture with tequila made by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson called Teremana, it was smooth. The night went well with Jamie as our waiter. The drinks were flowing, the food was amazing as always and the conversation was nonstop. We had a nice intimate evening. It was almost perfect if that's such a thing lol read more

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Came for dinner on Saturday night while in town for a work. We arrived around 7:10 and the place was pretty full. Clearly popular in the area, so that was a good sign. The margarita pitcher was $28, it was definitely worth it! We got the mix appetizer, and some items were better tasting than others. As for entrees, I got the mixe fajita which was also good. In the end we got the tres leches dessert which was different from other places we've had it, but still good. Overall a good choice for dinner if in the area. read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Mix appetizer and margarita pitcher - Mexican Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

My wife and I went to El Sol in Dec 22024 for the first time since the start of the pandemic and we were bitterly disappointed. It used to be "the" upscale Mexican restaurant in the area and we enjoyed many nice meals there over the years. Now it's quite possibly the worst Mexican restaurant we've visited in the past 30-plus years. It was one cockroach away from realizing that distinction. The reason? The food sucks. Absolutely SUCKS! The Chorizo Queso Fundido was the best thing we tried but it was not worth finishing. My wife ate three bites of her Chimi (which was bigger than her head) and declared it inedible. My Mixed Taco Platter looked like it had been thrown onto the plate by a blind cook and then microwaved. I ate about half of a Mahi taco, half of a Chorizo taco and left the rest of my plate untouched. The margaritas were good but were way, way overpriced. We skipped dessert. read more

Very nice place in the middle of Harrisburg. Went on a Saturday night. We could have made reservations but decided to just walk in. We were seated quickly. It is not a huge place. We got the Mega fajita in this cool Mexican bowl. They were very helpful in our requests. Food was very good and would order again. My Manhattan was a bit pricey like 14 bucks. That is what I get for not getting a Mexican drink at Mexican restaurants da. Do go and enjoy read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

I will preface this review by stating that this restaurant is located in downtown Harrisburg and my understanding is that it is much more intimate than the Mechanicsburg location. You will need to find street parking as there is no dedicated parking lot. My good friend from boarding school wanted to have a get together to celebrate her upcoming birthday. She selected this El Sol location for the occasion. I offered to call the restaurant and coordinate the reservation. I called about two weeks in advance and set up a reservation for 11 people on March 4th at 7:30pm. I checked the reservation details multiple times leading up to the date to make sure everything was set. I also confirmed our reservation via an automated text message on March 3rd. Fast forward to March 4th, a few people dropped out, and I called to update the restaurant about these changes five hours before our reservation. A few of us arrived 10 minutes before our reservation time to get to our table and have everything ready for the birthday girl. We were told that it would be a 10 minute wait, and then 10 minutes turned to 30 minutes. We ended up pushing some high top tables together at the suggestion of some regulars, so we could finally sit and get our dinner started. We did not end up eating until close to 9pm. I went with a sprite, the fajitas mixtas with cheese, and asked for salsa ranchero on the side. I also had some of my friend's tres leches cake. The chicken, shrimp, and steak were marinated just right and the tres leches was pretty good. I did not take off a bunch of stars for poor service because the servers were in a tough position with a table of patrons who ordered more drinks and well overstayed their approximated dining time. Overall, I would return again, but I will never attempt to have a large gathering at this location again, as it seems to be too small to truly accommodate it. The total for my portion of the meal was a little over $30.00. The restaurant includes an automatic gratuity fee. read more

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The food was great, however the service was sub-par. Another waitress was nearby yelling across the restaurant and hacking her lungs out. Okay- you don't feel good that's fine, but maybe don't be the one rolling silverware and delivering food when you're clearly sick and announcing it to the entire restaurant. Our server didn't come back unless flagged down. Was super excited to try this place as we are on a 10 hour drive home. Very disappointing. read more

Oh man - authentic Mexican cuisine. What a great gem in Harrisburg! Try the molcajete and the ceviches. For dessert I'd recommend the chocolate tres leche cake and flan. Great service - bartender Randall is a cool cat, made the evening and the restaurant has great atmosphere. Get reservations if you're coming on the weekend read more

I feel I owe this place at least a half star for an incident that occurred here a couple years ago, so I'm rounding up to 5 because it was my fault and I'm a terrible person. After my self-imposed banishment from this fine establishment expired, I've been back twice now for happy hour and a dinner last Friday. Both times, the food was excellent, service was good, and the price was somewhat reasonable, except for dinner. I love Mexican food, but this isn't philly or DC, so why so expensive? Maybe I'm just cheap? Yes. The chicken molé was a wonderful and spicy dish. Tacos are always spot on. Chips and salsa are standard. Guacamole is awesome!!! Quality food, nice decor and a pleasant dining experience make this a great spot for happy hour, lunch, dinner and brunch. read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

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Everything is fresh and flavorful. Our go to for years. Try the organic/skinny margaritas.

They have a great selection of great cocktails. I would recommend trying everything on the drink menu! read more

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This is my go-to place for ceviche. The shrimp ceviche is so good for a light lunch. Heavy on the onions though, so if you're not a fan of red onions, skip the ceviche. This Mexican restaurant does charge for chips and salsa, but you can also get a personal size for half price. The ceviche comes with a side of chips too! I would suggest making reservations for lunch, as this place is frequented by state employees. read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Shrimp ceviche - Mexican Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

My roommate got violently ill from their food. We have ordered from there since. It was door dashed but..... stilllll

Clean, festive looking. Someone put some effort into making this place. Spanish music playing in the background. I ordered the fajitas mixas spicy. (They gave me the option). I elected to add the extra veggies offered for an additional $3.00. The waiter maybe didn't hear me. But I was not charged. Came out pretty quickly, the mix, rice and beans, and corn tortillas. The beans were excellent, rice was bland.food was good, but not spicy. I asked for some sour cream, and they brought some, no charge. A salad plate of pico and lettuce and whatnot was not included. Overall a good experience. read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Fajitas Mixtas. - Mexican Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

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Definitely recommend the pulled pork enchiladas! Beautiful decor, and rather cheap for the amount of food with your meal! read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Pulled pork enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

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Food was good and the Margaritas just right. Fish tacos/veggoe tacos and chips were fresh and tasty, Nice decor and good service, It was open on a Monday which is a plus as many closed on that day. Salsa was tangy and tasty. Go there! read more

Food was ok. Staff was running back and forth. Unfortunately I had to get my own change. This place needs more waiters and can't depend on being short staffed. To the Owner: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HIRE MORE PEOPLE TO SERVE ORDERS. I Came with my partner to enjoy a meal. We came for the Dog boarding expo in Hershey. Thought let's check out this place. Just not the experience I wanted to leave with. If anything just take this review like what was on my table before ordering... a grain of salt. Not going back nor recommend. For $60 dinner for two & where I had to get my own change ($100) from the bar - not the business. read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Food was ok - not worth it - Mexican Near Me - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Go for the homemade salsa and chips. Forget the rest. Service is not great... mostly because it is slow. It's a family spot more than for couples. Overall disappointing. read more