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El Unico

4.6 (216 reviews)
InexpensiveMexican
Open 9:00 am - 7:00 pm

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Business Info

EL UNICO ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for groups
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - El Unico

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Reviews With Photos

Mom enjoying her Machaca on the lovely patio.
Chris W.

Wow! Now this place is a true "hidden gem" but once you know about it, I can guarantee you will be back! I had El Unico bookmarked for places I wanted to try while visiting Lake Elsinore, I loved the idea of it being in the park. And now I LOVE it for the food! I ordered crispy shredded beef tacos (one of my faves) and it had to be one of the best I have ever had! The shell was light and crispy, the beef - so amazingly flavorful... mmmm, just thinking about them makes me hungry! Each bite was bursting with flavor!!! The beans were tasty and the rice light and fluffy. The ambiance of eating outdoors in the cute patio, was so peaceful and serene... I loved hearing the birds tweeting in the bushes. The service was friendly and our waitress brought our order to us and offered suggestions about the menu and salsas... I loved the hot one! All in all... I will definitely be back! Do yourself a favor and go enjoy this place with this gorgeous spring weather in Elsinore. Thank you - you are truly a unique dining experience.

Chips and salsa
Andrea M.

Food and drinks are freshly made in the kitchen w all fresh ingredients. Presentation is beautiful and the taste is even better. Maybe some of the best food and drinks in the whole area. Try the horchata!!! Your welcome

Get the chips and salsa..
Donny S.

Ok so I've been here a handful of times and even recommended this place to friends and family. The food has so far been consistently great and the service is spot on. It's a bit of a hidden gem. But just know once you get off the 15 freeway and head into Old Town Elsinore it's all the way at the end of the road connected to Main Street Park. No inside seating but the outside area to eat is private and nice. I will keep going back when in the area! Thumbs up for me!

Menudo!
Eliza B.

Most authentic Mexican food in the Area. Everything was so tasty and reminded me of moms cooking Patio ambiance by the park is so cute and relaxing for a Sunday morning outing with the fam. Plus they're puppy friendly with a pup menu and offered our pup water. Overall 100/10 for taste, authenticity, friendly service and outdoorsy ambiance.

Taquitos plate...
Jessie A.

portions are just right..tried the taquitos plate this time.. a must try are their burritos also.. ( the hubby gets them every time)..lol

Chicken Hard Shell Taco
Clara G.

Well this is a bummer. I have ordered the menudo to go before and it was good. I wanted q tqco and enchilada plate , which they said they couldn't do so I ordered one cheese enchilada and one beef enchilada plate. I then ordered a chicken hard shell taco on the side. When I got home realized I was given two beef enchiladas instead. The beans and rice were good but my enchiladas were dry definitely not enough sauce. The hard shell taco was in a seperate container and was sitting in water. So when I went to eat it, it was soggy.

Shrimp salad
Trang H.

I got the shrimp salad and it was sooo tasty. The ingredients were fresh and they did not skimp out. The service was fantastic and food came out within a reasonable time. The ambiance is the best part. It's all outdoors which creates a peaceful and tranquil environment when it's not busy.

Menu
Alma M.

Came for the first time. I highly recommend the chili verde burrito with no onion. This place is attached to a park and seating is outside but there is a patio heater. My uncle had the shrimp cocktail and said it was one of the best he had ever had. I highly recommend this place.

Menudo
Jacqueline C.

Ordered menudo to go and totally blew me away. Quick service, friendly employees. Cute outdoor area to eat. Very very good. I'm happy I found this place

Saydee B.

First time here and Gloria was an angel, her customer service was impeccable! So kind. The food was also DELECTABLE! I only took a picture of the green Chilequiles but we also tried the chorizo breakfast burrito and yuuuuuuummmmmmmmmm!! My new favorite breakfast spot. Thank you so much for the wonderful experience.

Patio
Kyle S.

Pleasant surprise. Lake Elsinore has a few gems and this is one of them. Best kept secret if you don't know about it. Food was savory, burritos were filling, and customer service was A+. Restaurant sits on a park and has beautiful views of the lake and surrounding downtown area. Check it out for a nice meal and some bomb a** Mexican food you won't regret it.

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5 months ago

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1 year ago

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7 months ago

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3 months ago

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5 months ago

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7 months ago

This place is amazing quality food and presentation clean and good ambience. I drive about 1/2 hour for this place..

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1 year ago

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6 months ago

Really good service are Great the tacos, the burritos, their dessert The food is a good temperature.

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7 months ago

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1 year ago

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5 months ago

Delicious $5 tacos, what' more can one ask for? Friendly service? ! Yes! Great place!

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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9 months ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

Great food, tried for the first time and loved it. Must try for breakfast. Good size menu for a small restaurant.

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3 years ago

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8 months ago

Great food with nice outdoor seating. Many food options reasonably price and they are dog friendly.

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

Best tacos in a park! They have wonderful tortas de lomo and burritos with a variety of cool drinks. Beautiful patio sitting.

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

Outside garden seating. I ordered my food to go. Nachos was average . Tacos are good and big serving. A little pricey than street style .

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4 years ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

Hidden gem in Elsinore!!! Great Mexican food. I highly recommend. Mendoza, chilaquiles, Chile Verde. All was great!

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El Unico Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - El Unico

When is this place going to re open best lil hole in the wall compared to all these so called Mexican food restaurants?

We opened back up in February! We are closed Tuesday and Wednesday due to short staff sorry for the late response!

Are they open again?

Yes! Thursday-Monday from 9 A.M.- 7 P.M. Sorry for the late response!

Can anyone confirm if El Unico is open or closed?

They were suppose to open this past Monday but unfortunately over the weekend they had an electrical fire and had to push back their reopening date.

Is so el unico open for business , our family misses their food and kind service?

Just heard in What's up Lake Elsinore FB Group that they will be opening this Monday 10/19/2020. You can also following them in instagram @elunicomexicangrill

Is el unico closed down for good ! Please say no!!?? Their phone has been disconnected for quite some time now, gate is closed with no sign !

It's been closed for a while, not sure why...I'm hoping it reopens! I've also tried calling and their phone was disconnected

Anyone know what kind of chilies they use in the chicken tortilla soup to give it such a wonderful flavor?

Chipotle ancho chili's I believe

What bakery do they get their cakes from?

The Cheesecake House

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Miches De La Baja - Fish and Shrimp Tacos

Miches De La Baja

4.4(186 reviews)
1.9 mi
$$
Family-owned & operated
Casual dining

Amazing food, the staff are very friendly and helpful Price…read moreperformance is very good I highly recommend this restaurant

I came here with my family and we ordered the Beach Box, which comes with 12 fish tacos and fries…read more They also offer shrimp tacos with fries, and their Wednesday special was $28.99 (before tax). Another Wednesday deal is their OG fish tacos for $2.59 each, also before tax. We split the Beach Box, so each of us had about three tacos with fries. I do want to be honest though--I have celiac disease, which means I cannot have gluten. I haven't had gluten since I was diagnosed about a year ago, but this time I gave in. Seeing everyone else eating made it really hard to resist. I know it wasn't the best decision, but I ended up having some anyway. That said, if you're celiac like me, I wouldn't recommend this place. They do offer some options like mariscos, and you can replace flour tortillas with corn, but keep in mind there is always a chance of cross-contamination. It's definitely an "at your own risk" situation. I will say, when I came before and told them I have celiac disease while ordering their tacos, they did try to accommodate me as best as they could. It wasn't busy at the time, and they offered to clean the area and take extra precautions to avoid cross-contamination, which I found very thoughtful. But like I said, there's always a chance, so it's still at your own risk. As for the food itself, everything was very flavorful. The fish was crispy, well-seasoned, and tasted fresh. The fries were good, and the portions were solid. The salsa bar is self-serve and has bold, spicy flavors. If you like a lot of salsa with your tacos, you'll enjoy it. Customer service was great. We were greeted right away and given helpful recommendations. The restaurant is clean and has a nice vibe, with a really pretty mural inside. It does get busy, so expect a bit of a wait, but the food is worth it. They also have specials throughout the week, like potato tacos on Thursdays and Tijuana-style tacos on Tuesdays, which I've had before and really liked. Those are made with corn tortillas, but again, if you're celiac, just be mindful of cross-contamination. Overall, the food and experience were great. Just be cautious if you have dietary restrictions like I do.

Photos
Miches De La Baja - Dining room

Dining room

Miches De La Baja - OG Taco Box

OG Taco Box

Miches De La Baja

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El Comal Cocina y Cantina - Posole

El Comal Cocina y Cantina

4.2(498 reviews)
2.7 mi
$$

Been coming here since their previous location and realized I never left a review…read more The best place for pupusas and tamales. Honestly? Everything I've tried from here is great- from drinks to soups, everything is phenomenal. Staff is extremely friendly and the ambience is always top tier. My favorite local spot ever.

I have a confession to make. The last time I ate here was when El Comal was on Mission Trail in…read morethat tiny little building with just a few table for diners before the disastrous fire destroyed El Comal 1.0. Since re-opening in their new location several years ago, I never ate there again (work schedule) though my wife and sons would take our out of town family to eat here often. This past Saturday, I was craving some really tasty pupusas and suggested to my wife we have an early dinner here before heading to Balboa Park-San Diego for an evening concert. We arrived around 1530 hours and honestly I was expecting that El Comal would be in that quiet period from just finishing their lunch service and prepping for their Saturday night dinner service. I was so wrong. The parking lot was full and when we walked in the place was full of happy customers. We were warmly greeted by a friendly hostess at the entrance desk who advised us there would be an approximate 10 minute wait for a table. We agreed and waited hungrily. We were soon seated and our server Brandon quickly took our beverage order: a frozen strawberry margarita ($11.00) and a soda (4.00) for me. We looked over all of the tempting items El Comal's menu offered but we finally settled on: 1-Taco Salad w/meat ($16.00); 1-#12 Combo (1-Chicken Enchilada & 1-Chile Relleno) $17.00; 2-Spinach & Cheese Pupusas $6.00 each ($12.00) Pre-Tax/Tip Sub-Total: $60.00 My wife tried her margarita: just by her initial expression, I could tell that El Comal's bartender was not stingy with the booze. Her cocktail was very tempting, and I will definitely have to order one the next time I'm here and not driving. One thing I observed is soda refills were never offered. A complimentary small basket of fried tortilla chips and a kinda watery, mild salsa was brought to our table. Despite the watery salsa, it still had nice flavor to it. Just wish it had a little more body to it. Soon our entrees arrived excep tfor the pupusas. I'm thinking to myself,"That's ok, I'll polish off my combo plate and then scarf down one of the pupusas, because that combo plate won't fill me up. My wife's taco salad was huge and very generous with all the fixings that went inside the salad. My cheese enchilada and chile relleno were very tasty. The accompanying refried beans and rice were equally good and I joined the clean plate club that afternoon. While the amount of food of the combo plate looks kind of small, it wasn't. Once I finished the combo plate, I was pretty full by tiem the pupusas arrived from the kitchen. I wanted to have a small taste so I ended up cutting one of the pupusas into quarters and my wife and I each savored one quarter. My wife has a cousin who dated a Salvadorean. She told us the pupusas and cabbage slaw here reminded her of her exe's grandmother who would offer "J" homemade pupusas with slaw which she always greatly enjoyed. We really appreciated Brandon's attention to detail whe he brought us a couple of to-go containers: he thoughtfully provided a small bag of that wonderful cabbage slaw and a small container of the sauce, both used for eating with the pupusas. I'm glad to see El Comal rose from the ashes and continue to present great service, hospitality coupled with great tastng food and cocktails in their present location. I promise to eat here more often moving forward.

Photos
El Comal Cocina y Cantina - Back Bar

Back Bar

El Comal Cocina y Cantina - Menu

Menu

El Comal Cocina y Cantina

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Guadalajara Mexican Food & Cantina

Guadalajara Mexican Food & Cantina

3.7(350 reviews)
0.2 mi
$$

New owners served up the best chicken suizas enchilada's and beans and rice and the free tortilla…read morechips and salsa are fresh and just the best in town. The Cadillac margaritas are the best! The server was amazing! Been there 25 years! I've been going there for over 25 years and is my go to place for Mexican food! Better than my local temecula Guadalajara's restaurant.

Edit: dropping it from the two stars down to one given the business manager's response. This…read morebusiness has no idea how to treat people and should not be in business. My Mom never asked for anything. She's 80 years old and should not have been treated this way. Came to this location for the first time today. It's a cute place and the food and drinks were generally good. It's very noisy in the restaurant, which is fine, but it makes communication more difficult. I believe it's partially for this reason there was a miscommunication about our order. My Mom ordered a grilled chicken and cheese quesadilla and when she cut into it the chicken didn't appear to be grilled. But she continued to eat it. When the waitress came back to check to see if everything was OK my Mom said yes but she had ordered grilled chicken, not shredded chicken and they said they would go speak to someone. The waitress came back and in a very aggressive manner told my Mom she did mimic the order back to her and she could have told her when she came by the first time. My Mom tried to explain she wasn't asking for anything but the lady wasn't having it. She repeated she had repeated the order when she placed it. My Mom asked what I thought and I said in my line of business the customer is always right but this wasn't my line of business. The lady then said yes well this is food service. My issue with this is they were argumentative and defensive. And you pay a lot of money for food service these days. For that you expect both food and service. They didn't manage to get either right. I would not recommend this restaurant.

Photos
Guadalajara Mexican Food & Cantina
Guadalajara Mexican Food & Cantina - Shrimp Taco plate , 4 of them!!! So good

Shrimp Taco plate , 4 of them!!! So good

Guadalajara Mexican Food & Cantina

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El Unico - mexican - Updated May 2026

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