Excellent food and service - strong margaritas - delicious carne asada. We loved the experience & we will be back soon.

I recently visited El Vaquero Mexican Restaurant and had an okay experience overall. Being from California, I'm used to really fresh, authentic Mexican food, so this felt more like a typical Americanized version. A lot of the dishes were covered in heavy sauces, which kind of took away from the freshness and simplicity that I personally love in Mexican cuisine. It wasn't bad by any means, just not quite what I'm used to. That said, I'm not complaining too much because the margaritas were great (as they usually are at places like this). If you're looking for a casual spot with good drinks, it still does the job. read more

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Service was amazing. Waiter greeted us very quickly and had our waters out almost immediately and he kept them refilled. The strawberry margarita was delicious. The food was decent but definitely missing that authentic Mexican spice. The guacamole was a little disappointing. It tasted ok but was more of a paste and I just prefer a chunkier guacamole. We have eaten here several times and never left disappointed. We wish we lived closer so we could visit more. read more

El Vaquero - Fajita steak - Mexican Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

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Delicious food. Fast and friendly service. What's not to like? Quick stop for a lunch between shopping. read more

El Vaquero - 2 chicken cheese quesadillas and rice - Mexican Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

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My family and I have been coming here for years and love it every time. We know many of the servers and hostesses from seeing them so much. I like how the place looks like it did years ago and that they stick to what they know. Simple booths, wood chairs, and big open rooms. I was sad to see their arcade machines go. As far as the service, this is by far the fastest Mexican place in town. They can have your food out in like 10-15 mins or less. For salsa and cheese, this place has the best version of it. I hate chunky salsa, and this is the only restaurant that serves it very thin so I can pour it on my food. Their cheese dip tastes like it was melted from actual cheese and not something with a lot of preservatives. They serve delicious margaritas, including virgin ones in HUGE glasses. For my meal, I usually just get rice and beans with a burrito. Their beans are okay, but they make my favorite Mexican rice. I truly love this place and view it as my all-time favorite Columbus Mexican food. read more

The food was excellent. I was so happy with the service, it was fast and attentive. The restaurant was clean and inviting. I'm definitely going again. read more

The ambiance was fine. The restaurant was clean. The server was nice. The food was bland and disappointing. read more

Restaurant was very busy when I went for take-out, so I figured they must have really good food. I figured wrong. Not that anything was bad, just wasn't that good. Everything was basically lacking flavor. Only took about 10 minutes for food to be ready. Staff was friendly. I got the chicken fajitas with rice and refried beans. The chicken was average from my experience. The flour tortillas actually overpowered the other ingredients, which included grilled onion and tomato, green bell pepper, lettuce and diced tomatoes. The refried beans, which were covered in cheese that had hardened, were bland. The rice had little flavor, which is honestly common at many Mexican restaurants. The salsa tasted mostly like tomato sauce; very little salsa flavor, heat or spices. Overall an utterly forgettable experience. If the dish had been a $6 lunch special I would have understood so-so food. But for a $13 dinner item it wasn't good. With all the Mexican restaurants in Columbus, you might try somewhere else. read more

El Vaquero - Entry and greeter station - Mexican Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

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Food is pretty decent. The nachos are my favorite. Rice and beans are seasoned good. (If you know, you know!) drinks are made GOOD! They actually put alcohol in them. LOL! My coworkers and I come here regularly and the staff are always pleasant. read more

El Vaquero - Coronarita - Mexican Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

0 stars if I could...I would not consider trying to eat here again. I can't say much for the food as we never got that far. We got to the restaurant right before 9 PM and we were seated in the very back corner in a dim room near a party of 6 or 8 people. We were given chips and menus and we waited around 30 minutes and not one server came to our table. We watched waiters visit other sections and the busboy cleaned up the party's table next to us by the time we decided to leave. No one even noticed us walk out and I have to say I never felt more unwelcome. read more

trash service! I do not recommend!! trash service! I do not recommend!! trash service! I do not recommend!! food taste bad

Food was the most disappointing thing about this place. Everything from portion size to taste. Majority a four orders was lettuce, tomato and refried beans. Most bland taste I think I might have ever had at a Mexican restaurant. And prices...absurd! Was not busy and server was out of sight the entire time. He didn't deserve the 15% tip I gave him. I for sure would not go back here. read more

If you have a sense of smell at all, you will not be able to eat inside of this establishment. We couldn't make it to the table before turning around and leaving. Strong smell of feet, mildew, and cleaning product was overwhelming. Cannot speak to the food as we did not eat read more

I give this place "0" stars, do not eat here, the food has no flavor, and it all tastes the same. The service sucked. Brought my wife there cause we like Mexican, we will never go back there again, plus she is diabetic. She asked for unsweetened tea and was served overly sweet tea. The atmosphere was peaceful. read more

The food here was excellent. It was all authentic Mexican food. The nachos I believe were homemade and they were brought out warm. The salsa was excellent, and I think it was homemade as well. The restaurant was clean and well organized. The server was very nice and attentive. She did a wonderful job. I highly recommend coming here if you ever find yourself in Columbus. read more

I am a big fan of the quesadilla and I have never had a bad quesadilla at any Mexican restaurant I've been to. It's a simple dish in my opinion and not very hard to mess up. The chicken and cheese quesadilla I asked for had 85% cheese and 15% chicken. I took one bite and just had a mouth full of lukewarm gooey cheese in my mouth. Gross. Also, the waiter must've had a bad day but he was very rude the entire time and had a nasty attitude, didn't refill drinks at all, and when I asked him to repeat what he had asked me because I couldn't hear him under his mask he rolled his eyes. :( I really wanted to like this place but I couldn't. read more

El Vaquero - Chicken and Cheese quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

Very large Mexican food establishment, who is outdated paying processes. Upon seating, we were given chips and salsa with the chips, needed more salt in them, and the salsa was lacking a little bit of spice. It was not hot at all, and we're sort of lacking flavor. Ordered the jalapeño margarita on the rocks. We watch them make it and there is maybe a half an ounce of alcohol and then it was filled with so much ice and then topped with more of the margarita mix and then some sliced jalapeños very disappointing drink did not taste anything but of basic margarita mix with some sliced jalapeños on it and 99% ice ordered the queso dip it was very good nothing exciting or unique about it taste like every other white queso dip you get somewhere else. Ordered number (38) Sospressa el vaquero. Dish game with quite a lot of different items which all tasted good themselves however, the Chile Riano was mushy and overall lacking flavor and the ground beef was very gritty. Also ordered (91) molcajete combo . It came out very exquisite looking however, it had so much cheese in it. That's all you tasted. You did not taste any of the meats or vegetables in it only cheese, and it was so much liquid in the bowl. It was very unpleasant. The tortillas were amazing and the race was good with it, however. Overall I believe due to the size of the establishment and the speedy process the restaurant loses flavor and authenticity.. to pay was hard to understand because we waited for our ticket, and it never came until a waiter brought us a paper ticket to go pay upfront with an older register. Our waiter was very short only said OK, and nothing else even when we asked him to describe dishes that he thought would be good. I think the restaurant is decent I would go back they just need to focus more on food and drinks being flavorful, and the proper proportions in the alcoholic drinks. read more

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I'm sorry but your Tamales taste like the soapy water you clean toilets with. Gross. Just off the taste of your tamales I know the rest of the food will taste bad. I do not recommend. I have been to many American - Mexican places and authentic places. These tamales should not be served here. Also I was told by my significant other that the service when he went to go pick up wasn't very good either. I guess a lady was being very odd and non social / friendly. read more

Leaving a review bc this place is better than the 3 stars it has! Typical (in a good way) Mexican food with yummy margs & good service

I got my order to-go and it was ready in 10 minutes. They give you Salsa and chips with your to-go order, too! I got the Quesadilla Supreme (one chicken and one beef) and the Shrimp Enchilada. The Shrimp Enchilada is really simple, small shrimp wrapped in a corn tortilla and smothered in queso. Omg the queso was so good and some of the best I've had in awhile. The Chicken Quesadilla was my favorite, it was just seasoned chicken and the yummy white cheese that Mexican restaurants use. The ground beef in the other one was good, but I think there wasn't as much cheese. Next time I would just get the chicken one. The rice is pretty good too. All very good! read more

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My wife and I have eaten here 3 times , the food , service and prices are all excellent in the spotless clean restaurant !

Salsa and food was wonderful. Found our new place!!!! Portions were great and prices reasonable. Didn't have a "drink" but the ones coming out looked amazing read more

Always a favorite of my family's! The food is always fast, hot, and delicious! Service is typically great, especially for how busy they are.

My burrito came out with bubble gum in it. The manager came out and lied to me saying it was packaging from cardboard boxes. It was straight up double bubble. Otherwise just crappy microwavable mexican food. Don't go here head over to Guadalajara. read more

Dinner: food is the same as any Mexican restaurant. Their portions are not big, quite smaller than most Mexican Food restaurants (outside the South). Lunch: portions are good, food seems just as flavorless. The burritos have excessive beans, their tacos have excessive lettuce, and the enchiladas are covered in tasteless red sauce. Their chimichangas are no bigger than a taquito for the price of a duble-sized burrito! Overall, the food is lower quality, smaller sized, and created with a lot of filler ingredients instead of flavor. Wednesdays are wicked-busy. Salsa wasn't chilled, chips were stale, queso was watery & coagulated (cold) with no flavor. Our server was non-existant, I never received a single beverage refill the entire hour we were there. We would have been gone sooner but we sat for about 30 minutes after our meal was complete without being checked on. They're close to home so they're convenient, and they seem decent when they're not busy. Once they get to capacity, their service is garbage and their food is even worse. read more

El Vaquero - Mexican Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

I went on a Wednesday night with a group of people and was satisfied. Ambiance - Extremely casual. If you are looking for a romantic dinner, this is not the place to go. The dining area is huge and sparsely decorated. However, since we were there for their Margarita night, the place was packed. Food - The food was solidly average. It was definitely tasty, but not complex. This is why I docked one of the stars: the dishes are much more like Tex-mex than the authentic Mexican food I was used to in Southern California. However, if you go in with the proper expectations, you won't be disappointed. Drinks - Wednesday nights are margarita night where they have $1.99 16oz lime margaritas. I have to say I was impressed by the margaritas. I absolutely hate overly sugary cocktails that taste like they were made with a mix. These were pleasantly tart, fairly strong with just the right about of sweetness! Service - We were seated immediately despite the place being overflowing. I think for parties over 4 you can expect a Wednesday night wait. That being said, our waiter did not speak much English (which is why I docked the second star). He couldn't really answer basic questions we had about the menu (like whether a dish was made with crunchy or soft tortillas). This was not a huge deal because the menu is pretty simple. Also, he and other waiters walked by frequently, so we were never waiting for service. All-in-all, this place was great for a fun casual night out with friends where you can have have some very good margaritas and decent food. read more

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Basic Mexican. Meh. I had the enchiladas. The chicken is better than the pork and they are generous with the meat but the flavor is lacking. I guess this place is popular due to the lack of competition but if you feel like Mexican I guess this will do. read more

El Vaquero - Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

Very slow service and un attentive. Marginal food at best. No reason at all to go out of your way for or wait in line. Go somewhere else.

I came here on a date after hearing him talk about how good the food is. He most definitely did not lie. I got the vegetarian meal with the cheese quesadilla and the enchiladas and it definitely lived up to the hype. Also the margaritas are A1! I'd say get the larger of the two and add the peach or mango flavor and you'll be walking out a happy human. You'll thank me later read more

El Vaquero - Mexican Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

This is probably the best Mexican restaurant in Columbus, GA. There are others but this one I recommend 100%. There's a very tall guy Grande... he can sing!! Staff are the best on que. Food is hot and taste. read more

i came in with some friends and Oscar was my server. I have never had a better server then him. he was very fast with the food and drinks and was also very nice and friendly. make sure you guys ask for oscar!! read more

There are several Mexican Restaurants in Columbus. I think they are all ran by the same company/owners. They have different names but the menus have the same items on them. They all have descent food with fast service. Their menus are meat (chicken or beef), in a tortilla, smothered in a sauce. Yes they have fajitas and fried ice cream. They are if anything, consistent. My family and I go about once every other month. Prices are reasonable and the service is always speedy. Use the lunch menu when you can, about $3 a plate cheaper for the same serving size. read more

The woman who answered the phone was incredibly rude and had a bad attitude the entire call. I asked about an item that was on the online menu. She said they didn't have the bean nachos, while trying to ask if I could add items to my nachos she interrupted me saying "ma'am what do you want I have other people trying to call in orders" so I hung up and ordered from another restaurant. I Will NOT GO BACK! read more

El Vaquero - Menu - Mexican Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

ehhhhh.....I mean...I am from AZ and I am Hispanic, so it was an uphill battle for them. It is not as terrible as many make it seem, and I do not see many options here in Columbus. For me, I always try to go to items I know it is hard to mess up, so I went with tacos and beans. The tacos were pretty much taco bell style, and I can even say I prefer Taco Bell's ground beef better. Far from true mexican tacos. The beans were good, but I think they use white american cheese on their food, which was odd to me. The tomato base salsa tasted good, and had flavor. I prefer non spicy salsa though. The tortillas were about as fake as you can get...but I do not know where you even find real tortillas around here. We have ours shipped from AZ. So...I would not return on my own, but I would not say it is terrible. read more

My wife and I were here on a Friday afternoon. I had the chicken, shrimp, and steak molcajete bowl served in a piping hot lava bowl. She had the tequila shrimp. The MB was enough for two people and was delicious. A perfect dish for lingering and drinking a margarita as the lava bowl keeps the food hot even after 30 minutes of good conversation. The shrimp were also delicious and had a great lime flavor and cooked just right. read more

El Vaquero - My wife and I had a molcajete bowl with chicken, steak, and shrimp and she had tequila shrimp. Both were excellent. - Mexican Near Me - Columbus, Georgia

Underwhelming. Nothing enthusiastic about the waitstaff or the food, and it was just plain tasting.

Was very clean. Service was prompt and polite. Food was prompt and warm. Refried Beans we're excellent. Just the way I remember them growing up in SoCal. Chicken enchiladas were simple, basic and full of chicken. Nothing over the top yet safe for a road trip read more

We reserved about 30 seats for my daughter daughter's birthday dinner. When we arrived it was almost ready which was great, they brought chips and sauce out right away, the waiter got our drinks. Everyone else started to arrive the wait staff was just phenomenal, if you needed anything they were right there and got it right there for you. We like the waiter so much we even gave him some birthday cake. The food was hot you can hear the fajitas Sizzlin like crazy, no one was complaining about the food at all we are all very pleased with the employees and the food and the whole atmosphere of the restaurant. But let me tell you this the drinks as in alcohol drinks are strong I got a Long Island Iced Tea and also a whiskey sour I was feeling it pretty good. read more

The stopped in hear tonight. Close to motel. Food was real fresh and lots of flavor. Staff was quick and friendly. Large Birthday party very loud, but having fun. I would definitely recommend this place for good Mexican and good experience. read more

Great food and great service! All you can ask for! Went on a whim and will definitely go again.