Definitely worth checking out! This is a great place to eat, and we had a very positive experience from start to finish. The staff were excellent, friendly, and attentive, which always makes a big difference. Everyone we interacted with was welcoming and happy to help with any questions. I also really appreciated how clear and easy the menu is to read. Everything is well organized and straightforward, which makes ordering simple even if it's your first time there. There are plenty of great options to choose from, and it's obvious they put thought into making the menu user friendly. Overall, Ma Lupe's Mexican Food is a solid choice if you're looking for good food and great service. We will definitely be back and would recommend this place to anyone looking for a reliable and enjoyable meal. read more

The shrimp cocktails are very good and generous. Have had them several times. Haven't tried other items on the menu.

Excellent food and service.Highly recommend when in the Imperial Valley and looking for the best Mexican food. read more

See all

Our first time ordering from here it was amazing. We ordered fish &shrimp tacos. Todays menudo was disgusting I thought if their food was good their menudo would be good as well and no it wasn't we even tried making it better with spices at home and still couldn't get it to taste good. IF YOU LIKE FLAVORLESS MENUDO THEN THIS IS YOUR PLACE read more

Ma Lupe's - Menudo - Mexican Near Me - Imperial, California

Best place for seafood in the valley by far. Their prices are reasonable as well. If you like mariscos this is the place to go. read more

Ma Lupe's - Mini shrimp cocktail and seafood medley. - Mexican Near Me - Imperial, California

Ma Lupe's is the kind of Mexican restaurant that I want every other mom-and-pop Mexican restaurant in America to aspire to be. These days, I eye-roll at "authenticity" as a culinary concept, but I'm all for getting closer to the originally envisioned recipe without feeling as if someone wants me to nod my head and acknowledge it. Ma Lupe's just wants to serve me a good meal. The quality of the food and service during my visit was indeed on the higher-end (despite the menu being affordable), beginning with an amuse bouche of "Filete Relleno de Mariscos," which consisted of a delicate filet of fish, grilled octopus, and shrimp, all wrapped in cheese. It was, by far, the best bite of food I've had in this desert region of Southern California, and I kicked myself for not knowing to order the full entrée. You, dear readers, now have no such excuse. The "Mexicali Flauta" (a large taquito, essentially) was a miss. While I enjoyed its piquant red tomato sauce, it made the flauta soggy, undoing the frying. Also, the beef inside was difficult to taste. The "Gobernador Taco," on the other hand, was awesome. The crunchy corn tortilla is grilled until it blisters and the cheese has been melted into a salty, stretchy web that keeps the shrimp snugly inside. The chipotle cream sauce on the side is exceptional and should be used unsparingly. Additionally, the complimentary chips are served with a spicy salsa roja with heavy garlic and onion flavor that also could be applied to this taco. Earlier this summer, I wrote about the "Special Quesadilla" invented at El Centro's Camacho's Place and how imitations have popped up at Mexican restaurants nearby. Its appearance at Ma Lupe's is a head-scratcher, because this restaurant's menu otherwise veers towards 100% Mexican dishes. I coyly interrogated my waitress (who was excellent, by the way) about the "Special Quesadilla," asking her if she's ever seen such a thing in her native Mexico, and she shook her head and laughed, "No way, this is American." Ma Lupe's "Special Quesadilla" is heavy, rich, and crispy. Unlike at Camacho's Place, it is more of a meal here than an antojito. Also, whereas Camacho's Place's (R.I.P.) rendition was made in a dough similar to puff pastry, the cooked dough in Ma Lupe's version wants to crumble when pinched, almost like a pie crust. Regardless, both versions are good and unique to the Imperial Valley region. Ma Lupe's is perhaps the restaurant I have most enjoyed dining at in Imperial Valley and a "must-stop" for me on future road-trips between San Diego and Arizona destinations. Food/Décor/Service: 4.3/3.0/4.2 Taco Score: Gobernador Taco (91/100), Mexicali Flauta (60/100) What to Order: Filete Relleno de Mariscos, Gobernador Taco read more

We usually stop by when we're craving a good shrimp cocktail. Their shrimp cocktails are as good as across the border. Their service is attentive. It's not a big place but there's room for big groups with plenty of parking. read more

Ma Lupe's - The large shrimp cocktail with avocado, cucumbers and special seasonings. It's delicious! It's about $20.00 - Mexican Near Me - Imperial, California

Yecch! The huevos rancheros were watery and bland. And despite being nearly empty at 10 a.m. (maybe because everyone knows the food is bad) the service was painfully slow, bordering on indifferent. In a city with so many good Mexican food options, you can definitely do better than this place. read more

One of the things I look forward to is our annual road trip to Scottsdale and a quick stop in El Centro to visit Ma Lupe's.  The colorful decor is cheerful and food excellent.  Sadly this year we had to eat in our HR-V. Windows were decorated for Christmas.  Currently they are only open for takeout.  I ordered 3 street tacos.  Carnitas had some crispy bits and were full of fried pork flavor.  Went great with the corn tortilla.  Carne asada tacos were made with tender, juicy beef and I loved the flavor. The 3 tacos were smaller than I remembered and next time I'll order 4 for a good sized lunch. El Centro reminds me of the old days when you could buy fresh fruit from the side of the road.  Now those fruit stands have but disappeared from San Diego. read more

See all

Don't expect your food to be ready if you called it in for pick up, they won't put the order in until you show up which completely defeats the purpose of calling it in for pick up. read more

Service was amazing overall. Unfortunately the food can not relate. Ordered ceviche and the shrimp was still grey, gave it a chance. Continued with my meal until I realized the shrimp was not cleaned or deveined. Three hours later, got sick and I'll spare the details. Such lovely service for such horrible food. read more

Waited over an hour for my food while they served other tables which arrived even after i ordered. Never seen a restaurant with more blatant favouritism for other customers. Food wasn't even worth the wait, wish i had gone somewhere else. read more

There is BO when you walk in. The waitress does not comprehend. I ordered a carne asada plate which she never brought. It wasn't after about10 minutes when approached her about my food. She said they did not have carne asada. She never told me that when I ordered My food. Plus the place looks dirty. Never again read more

Great service very clean delicious, Alejandra was very professional and very pretty would recommend this restaurant to anyone who is hungry and wants great tasting food read more

3.75/5stars This was my first time at Ma Lupe's but it definitely won't be my last! I went with a group of friends most who had been here and had their favorite foods. We had a group of 8 but 3 of us, got there a bit early. We were greeted and shown to our table(really nice since our whole group wasn't there) They had two that would fit our large group so we even got to pick one. They gave menus, took our drink order and brought chips and salsa. The chips were not too thick or thin and had a good flavor or & crunch. There were two salsas-one that was quite spicy. The other was less spicy and had a wonderful flavor that we couldn't quite decide what it is, but we really liked. Our group ordered a variety of entrees-Chile Rellenos, Caldo de Res, Special Quesadilla, and Chimichanga. Everyone said they enjoyed their selection. The Chile Relleno were very good. They seemed like they picked the smaller chiles which was perfect for lunch. The chiles were tender and the relleno fried nicely. The sauce was very tasty-my only small complaint was there wasn't more so next time I would ask for more. It wasn't spectacular but it was very good-a solid 4/5 You need to pay at the register (or maybe we did because of our large group). Service was good. They were busy and the one server was running. She was able to get food to our table quickly. I had to wait a couple of minutes for a box but it was certainly not a big deal. It was a small room and there was little in the way of decor. 3.5/5 I will definitely return to Ma Lupe's. I saw someone with the Coctel de Camarones and it looked so good, I would want to try that. My dilemma is the Caldo de Res also looked delicious so I want to try that. I guess the solution is to come back a couple of times! read more

See all

I bought a coffee afterwards decided to eat at this restaurant. I went In With my coffee I'm told at the door I'm Not allowed to take outside drinks in. I asked if I could just take my coffee in since I had just bought it and didn't want to throw it away. Nope I wasn't able to. I left never to return to that restaurant. I live in la Quinta. I've never been told I can't take my drink into their restaurants. This is not the first incident I've had at this restaurant. It seems to me money comes first to them before kindness and consideration for the customer.. the owner and the employees are horrible along with their manners read more

I called for a Special Chorizo Burrito, I guess it has to be the most special burrito in the universe because the amount of time it took for that shit to even began prep I firmly believe the fucking cook didnt even look at the goddamn ticket because for an hour no burrito came out however I was assured multiple times "Its almost out! :)" goddamn be ready to allocate have 3 eternities of your lifetime to wait for you food its ridiculous read more

Food muy bien pero no hay salsa picosa. Servicio muy bien. Te ponen botellas de salsa. Eso no es bueno. Creo pueden hacer mejor

I would not recommend this place if your hungry and expect to fill your belly. First time there & ordered to go. I didn't look at the food until I got home. What a surprise or more shocked by the serving size. I ordered a chimichanga plate, the chimi looked huge but when I began cutting into it I noted it was huge because the tortilla was ginormous wrapped in about 1/4 cup of meat. I had asked to have the guacamole served on the aside and it was served in those tiny 1 ounce plastic containers but it was watery & only half the container was filled. Now for the rice & bean portion. Don't expect to get filled by the portion on these either. Also, the horchata was mediocre. Not sure if the takeouts are always that portion controlled, but if so; expect to eat something soon thereafter as these are I would say appetizer portions. read more

I've never been happy with the food, sorry. But honestly nothing is good, Chile Colorado, the soups, I mean the carne asada, down the line it's sucks ... I've eaten here on multiple occasions and every time it's a huge let down. People seem to like it, I honestly don't know why. Waiting staff is nice, but when given feedback on check out they just laugh it off as if I'm the first person to say this. Strongly don't recommend it... read more

Total rip-off! I asked for a chorizo con papas burrito. I got burnt chorizo with frozen fries. read more

Ma Lupe's - Chorizo con papas Ma Lupa's Burritos - Mexican Near Me - Imperial, California

First time eating from here and we loved it! The botana was absolutely amazing the toastadas were a perfect touch! The tacos de mantarraya were so good! Full of rich flavor! read more

Ma Lupe's - Tacos de mantarraya - Mexican Near Me - Imperial, California

See all

Very good Mexican food and very friendly service. Fantastic shrimp concteles. One of the few good Mexican restaurants in the Imperial Valley. read more

Mostly all tortilla. Tortillas 6 layers. I had to cut with a steak knife because tortillas were so thick. Could hardly find the meat. I am clueless why so many people going to this place. It was terrible! I got maybe four bites after I peeled layers of tortilla off. I will Not be going back. I Highly Recommend you don't waste your money. $25 for two meals and definitely not even worth $5! I eat out every day. ...well it's pretty much to go every day now. I would rather drive through Taco Bell and I hardly ever eat at Taco Bell. At messy there I can see I have more meat than this place and only one tortilla! Not six layers! Bad! Bad! Bad! Don't waste your money! read more

See all

Little hole in the wall type of place. The MaLupe tostada is delicious. The Aguachile- anywhere you go when eating aguachile it's very hard to get a fresh taste since it's raw sometimes it has a warm or old taste. At Malupes, the Aguachile is FRESH! it's so Delicious. Very good. Definitely recommend and definitely will be going back. read more

Updating my review, We finally got a chance to dine in yesterday and it did not disappoint. We came during dinner time and we were seated immediately. There were a good amount of people there but our waitress was very attentive. Once again, I ordered my favorite dish- fried red snapper fish and my boyfriend ordered a burrito. My snapper fish was fresh and crispy, it had so much meat on it I didn't even finish it. I had to take it to go. The burrito was very fresh and it was HUGE! those two drinks along with the food we ordered was less than 30$. The restaurant was Mexico themed and it was very clean, yet homey. Our take out experiences weren't super great but the dine in experience was exceptional. This has got to be my favorite restaurant in the valley. We just got back from Mexico and we almost died from food poisoning, the food we got in the Mexico resort was good, but this restaurant has better and fresher food. Would come back! read more

See all

picked up 2 large shrimp cocktails 1week ago for my mother in-law and myself after she asked me to get her the best cocktail in the valley, after reading reviews I ordered and asked how many shrimp in a large cocktail ($20) the lady Said don't worry there good! The worst shrimpless cocktail with no flavor. That's all I can say don't waste your $. My experience and opinion read more

Ceviche Ma'Lupe is delicious. It's sorta like aguachile. Even though they're always busy they are also fast.

Horrible service with but the food is delicious but I recommend to order pick up and not eat in there cause there service sucks and it wasn't even busy read more

They have some really good food! This spot was highly recommended and noted as authentic Mexican food. It's bigger on the inside and you can get beer. The shrimp ceviche is the real deal - fresh and delicious. Chips come with mild and hot salsa and spoons so you can mix them if you want. The barbacoa meal was money. The barbacoa (accompanied with onions, lemons , tortillas and cilantro), beans and rice felt like a meal I'd eat at someone's house, especially the meat. Good tacos. Service was friendly and attentive. The customers appeared to enjoy their food and seems like "the spot" in town. As a business traveler, I'd highly recommend! read more

See all

I have to say the food was pretty good. You get what you pay for. Compared to other places the prices are pretty cheap. Payed 16$ for a special quesadilla, carne Asada fries and a drink. Only reason for the three is because of the slow service. I asked for the check and didn't receive until 15 minutes later. Overall, I'd go again. read more

Ma Lupe's - Mexican Near Me - Imperial, California

See all

I give this place 4 stars because portion size. We ordered two orders of aguachiles to go and the size they give was for about two small tostadas for $17 each order. However the aguachiles have really good flavor and are spicy. We also ordered two chabelas while we waited for our order and they were also very good!!! I will come back again just cause they were that good! read more

This place has excellent selection of seafood and Mexican food. My favorite plate is the fish ceviche and the 7 mares ceviche! Also try their horachata its freshly made here! Even just writting about it makes me crave it. read more

Very good Mexican food, nice decor, nice and attentive waitresses. I would recommend this place. read more

Ma Lupe's - Front of Ma Lupes- where Quiznos used to be at. - Mexican Near Me - Imperial, California

See all

FOOD: If you want good, delicious seafood this is the place to go! My wife had a shrimp cocktail that was awesome! My daughter had shrimp wrapped in bacon and ham. AWESOME! I had The carne asada. It was okay. SERVICE: friendly and for the valley, fast. We will be returning especially for the seafood! read more

Excellent food! Excellent Service! Food is always warm and delicious, love going to Ma Lupes!

Nothing special. Food was pricey for quality. Good service and clean. Staff were very friendly and cordial. Food looked amazing but was bland. It would be ok as a last resort but not a first choice. read more

I'm Pretty un-impressed, but have only been there once. If I ever go back I will Definitely try something different. I had a Carnitas burrito for $7.50 + tax. Kind of steep in my book for no drink and an average sized burrito. On the other hand at least it had rice and beans in it as opposed to some places in the valley where burrito means meat in tortilla. The bad part was that the meat was about half fat. I understand when you get a piece or two but this was too much. I did like the salsa though, and the customer service. Very friendly. read more

GOOD FOOD! Its a nice hidden spot that you'll only find if you're searching or if you're pumping gas at Aten express. 5 stars for this hidden gem! read more

Second time I've been here and I love their Chiles rellenos. They come in a tomato sauce, so they're not dry accompanied by rice and beans. It has a home made flavor read more

Ma Lupe's - Chiles rellenos - Mexican Near Me - Imperial, California