Walking into El Mexicano felt like stepping into a little time machine for me. There used to be a sister restaurant in Noyo Harbor and eating here brought back a lot of those memories. First thing I had to test was the rice because if you know, you know. It was always the best I'd had at any Mexican restaurant anywhere, and I'm happy to report nothing has changed. Still fluffy, still flavorful, still exactly what I remembered. My son ordered enchiladas with their green sauce and that sauce deserves its own paragraph. Tangy, bright, and full of flavor without being overwhelming. Definitely something I would order myself next time. I went with the El Mexicano burrito and the poblano peppers inside absolutely made it. Deep flavor, and just full of cheese, and one of those meals where you slow down a second just to appreciate it. I also tried the birria and the flavor alone already has me planning what I'm ordering next visit. Service was excellent. Attentive without hovering and genuinely helpful. One thing I really appreciated is how flexible they are. They'll adjust dishes for taste or dietary needs and pretty much anything can be made vegetarian, which makes it easy when you're dining with different preferences. There's also plenty of seating, which makes it great whether you're coming in solo, with family, or with a group. For me this wasn't just a meal, it was a reminder of a place I used to enjoy back on the coast, and it was nice to find that same quality and consistency still alive here. I'll definitely be back. read more

See all

We were hungry and on our to a camping adventure. We spotted Restaurant El Mexicano on Yelp and pulled up to the parking lot. We were greeted at the door and seated immediately. The restaurant has a semi-open kitchen and it's always fun to see your food being made. Agua frescas were ordered, I had the horchata and it was refreshing. The menu has all of your favorites and then some. The table gobbled up all of the chips mostly because of the epic salsa bar. The salsa verde was a hit! Food came out fast, fresh, and portions were hefty. We left happy and recharged for our road trip. We'll be back again. read more

See all

We loved this place!! The ambiance is great- so pretty, peaceful, clean, mello mexican music, love the mexican look mixed w the charming little american flags! The food is so delicious!!!! And the service is great, the owners seem like such sweet people! The best prices, and generous w the chips! :) read more

I come from Sacramento and my Mom comes from Eureka and we meet here at least once a year for a WONDERFUL and authentic Mexican meal. Family owned, great prices and have never been disappointed. If you love Mex as much as we do GO! The service is fast, and the inside is very cute too. read more

Oh ya. Always enjoy going here. Ranch Gals. Family + more. Coffee . Been here a long time1980 I believe. Yummy

Favorite go to place in town. Customer service quality and convenience are 5 stars. The staff there are friendly and very welcoming. Has a nice hometown feel to it. My favorite Mexican restaurant in town. The food is great and always consistent. read more

The couple (my guess are the owners), are the friendliest and the food was Amazing! Everything was great, so glad I stopped to break up my drive. read more

Always a great meal when I order from El Mexicano. In my opinion they have the best salsa in willits. I've been eating here for over 20 years and I'm never disappointed. read more

We stopped for lunch, the guacamole was fresh and delicious. The best guacamole I have ever had in a restaurant, to be honest. I enjoyed the mahi mahi tacos with a mango salsa and a chili relleno . The food is very fresh and delicious. read more

I've been coming here for seven years now to Willits and it still blows me away that there are six Mexican restaurants in this small little town. I decided to give this one a try today as I've tried all the other ones and I must say this definitely is the best. I should've known that when I saw the fire department there. the staff is great. The food is amazing and the shop gives real authentic Mexican feel! No doubt my mind I'll be coming back here. Thank you. read more

I love going to this Mexican Restaurant! The owners and staff are lovely, the food is always a total delight, and I highly recommend it. My favorites are the chicken or pork enchiladas and the mahi mahi tacos. I've never left this restaurant hungry... so very satisfying! read more

Restaurant El Mexicano - Restaurant El Mexicano's Mahi Mahi Tacos are as delicious as they are colorful! - Mexican Near Me - Willits, California

I love this restaurant! I've been eating here for over thirty years, it's quick reliable and always consistent! The family who runs it are the friendliest kindest people you will ever have the pleasure to meet. There are comfy booths and tables usually accompanied by traditional Mexican music. And most importantly the food is delicious, thank you ElMex for being my home away from home. read more

Tonight we were served a wonderful Mexican meal by two upbeat sister in-laws. The service wasv very attentive and the recommendations hit the spot. We ordered tonight's special of two Mahi, Mahi tacos with mango salsa and an order of two Achiote,(pork) tacos. Both entrees were served with large portions of beans and rice. Normally I would provide a review of each entree alone. Tonight that would be redundant as both were outstanding. With fresh and tasty ingredients. Now for cherry on top for this meal. I asked if they served any desserts and the third option caught our eye. Our dessert was, Bunuelo. Which has a flan centered on a crispy tortilla covered with carmel, cinnamon and lots of whip cream. All I need to tell you about this wonderfully decadent dessert is what started out as my wife planning on having a bite to a fight for the last bite. We loved it all but I'd come back just for the dessert. read more

Restaurant El Mexicano - BUNUELO, this is a wow dessert! Don't go home without feeding your sweet teeth. - Mexican Near Me - Willits, California

See all

This restaurant is great. I have been coming here every few years since I was a kid and it is still great. I haven't been there in years and I was worried that it wouldn't live up to my memory but it definitely did! The food was delicious and fresh. The rice and beans were amazing. Most restaurants they are just filler but here they were super tasty. I can't wait to go back next time I'm in Willits! read more

About four years ago I had a dinner and a lunch here. Both times my meal was buried in so much mild cheddar cheese, to the point that it covered the whole plate. Nothing I ordered was visible through all the cheese. Lacking in flavor and creativity. I never went back. I read all these glowing reviews that sound like they are from a different restaurant entirely. The appeal is lost on me. It's possible that different people are managing the kitchen. Quest Fresco anyone? read more

The food was delicious. Large portions. Reasonable prices. Very good wait staff. Friendly. I'd come here again.

The food is amazing and huge amounts of food ! You will walk away stuffed !! The staff is great as well

I popped into this place to break up a long drive for work. Spotted it on the main drag and decided to grab an early dinner. Great decision! I had the taco special. Two pork tacos in a wonderful red sauce with grilled onions and cilantro. On what appeared to be homemade tortillas. If not, they were the best non-homemade I've ever had. But they looked homemade. The chips and salsa were good. The best thing about this place was the people. You could tell it was family-run. Everyone chips in to provide amazing service. Several people checked in to make sure I didn't need anything. It was friendly, but not annoying. Just good people providing good service. My one recommendation - The beans and rice could have been hotter. The tacos were super-hot, but the sides were not. Small thing and an easy fix. I will definitely hit this spot next time I head to Eureka. read more

Restaurant El Mexicano - Tacos - Salsa - Beer - Mexican Near Me - Willits, California

See all

We were there last Tuesday and we came back again today around 6:30pm. Bf got the Mahi Mahi tacos (He was impressed!) I just had 2 Carne asada tacos added cheese and it was great We're not from there but we will be back!!! read more

They're real sweet here and the beans are great served with the chips and salsa. Try the fish tacos or the red enchiladas are simply wonderful. read more

Restaurant El Mexicano - Fish tacos with a delicious mango salsa .!!! Their beans are fresh and served with chips and salsa as an appetizer. Absolutely worth it. - Mexican Near Me - Willits, California

Amazing food and amazing owners everything I've ever gotten there was made soo beautifully and I will always come here when I'm in town

Best Mexican food in Willits. My husband and I base a Mexican restaurant on their salsa, and it is fresh, flavorful and delicious. Fish tacos are to die for. Crispy fish cooked to perfection. Tacos are not drowning in lettuce or cabbage....perfect amounts of fish, mango salsa, veggies and sauce. Dog friendly table outside too. Very friendly staff. read more

I liked this restaurant. Our servers were really nice and friendly, and the food was excellent. We had cheese enchiladas with tomatillo sauce and cheese quesadillas -- both were delicious. And like another reviewer noted, the salsa is spicy, so wait for the water before diving in with the chips. I'd return if in the area again. read more

See all

This place is outstanding. Modelo on draft, delicious spicy salsa and excellent food. The service is great as well. I had the taco and Chile rellano plate. I will be back for sure!! read more

This place is pretty good, they are more of a sit down Mexican restaurant than a taqueria, my favorite is chicken al pastor tacos, salsa is good and unique but honestly I don't go here that much because it is a little more expensive and not as satisfying as Bravo across the street . Nice plants inside read more

Restaurant El Mexicano - Chicken al pastor taco - Mexican Near Me - Willits, California

See all

Super sweet family owned business! Always consistent always delicious always good customer service! I have never been anywhere to eat where I got my food as fast as they serve! You order it and boom next thing you know they're walking it to the table. We love to eat here especially if we are in a hurry even though it's fast it's still so delicious and always hot and super inexpensive read more

Stopped to have dinner here at the recommendation of a friend. Had the Mahi Mahi fish tacos. AMAZING! The service was great and the owner so kind! This place ROCKS! read more

Restaurant El Mexicano - Mahi Mahi fish tacos - Mexican Near Me - Willits, California

My favorite restaurant in the World. Such good people and food. Never disappointed. Not once in 25 years.

The enchiladas is all I ever order. This place by far has the best enchiladas, beans, rice, and salsa around for miles!

Was craving a michilada and popped into this place! We loved it! The food was great, michiladas were bomb, and we were treated like family! All around great place! Thank you! read more

Stopped by here on a little road trip up 101. Great vegetarian options, the servers were SO nice and loving. Definitely recommend stopping by for some warm food :) read more

Restaurant El Mexicano - Part of the menu - Mexican Near Me - Willits, California

Was planning on having a sandwich at the loose caboose, however; they had a no debit/credit card sign posted. So we wondered around the corner and stumbled I to bet. The service was friendly, food was flavorful, hot and served quickly. Great location! Thank you. read more

This place is so good it's been in this town for a long time their spicy pork is amazing Chile Riano's are delicious tacos are so good rice and beans are amazing. The staffing is so sweet I love going to this place read more

If I could give a minus 10 I would! Food was terrible service also was bad. The waitress took our order. Served us and Never came back! Didn't check if all was ok or if we needed anything! Owner dropped check in passing - never stopped. Have not experienced such poor service ever! read more

It's a great old style Mexican restaurant, good quality. Great ambiance. Recommend it highly

While in Willits, CA for my sister's wedding, we took over El Mexicano for the Rehearsal Dinner. We had the longest table & a couple booths filled up. I had two pork tamales with beans and rice. I love tamales, and I was glad they were serving 'em. They were decent. Have to commend this establishment on handling a huge crowd like ours. read more

I travel quite a bit in the west from Texas to Washington. If we cannot find a restaurant that appeals we take a chance on a Mexican restaurant. Sometimes the smallest towns with 2 restaurants have a Mexican restaurant. Rarely are we impressed. El Mexicano impressed me. Friendly quick service and excellent food. I would rate this in my top 5 liftime bests and I'm over 60. read more

I have to say I am really surprised with all the nice reviews this place has. I came in with a group of 4 guys, all of us of latin origin. The host, which also seemed to be the manager, seated us promptly and greeted us in Spanish. After we sat down we had several people come by and we didn't really have a server, the appetizer came in at the same time as our food. They seemed rushed and barely asked how everything was. There was a large party next to us but the restaurant wasn't very busy, there were a lot of empty tables. I honestly felt a little discriminated by our own ethical group because of the way we were treated. The food came out quickly, but it wasn't very good, it was ok, I've had better food at cheaper places. Eventually one of the guys brought us the check which we didn't ask for. We had a $64 bill which was reasonable but I would have happily paid more for better services. read more

We stopped in here because of the pretty good yelp reviews on a long drive and it is probably the most bland Mexican food I have ever had. Nothing tasted very good or had much taste to it. I've lived in Central America for years and have a fair bit of experience with latino cuisine and I think you would be better off at Taco Bell than here. read more

El Mex is a hometown favorite for sure! Great Mexican food and friendly staff. Emilio likes to interact with his customers and be funny. I LOVE their nachos and and their CHIPS are ahhh-mazzzing! Great for families and parties read more