El Potro Mexican Restaurant

Whoever is making the quesabirria deserves a raise. I've tried telling myself I'd order something…read moredifferent every visit... it hasn't happened yet. The meat is always tender, the cheese is perfectly crispy, and the consommé is packed with flavor. Pair it with a Lime Jarritos and you'll understand why. The staff is always friendly, the service is fast, and the restaurant is clean with plenty of seating. Every meal I've had here has been consistently amazing. Easily the best Mexican restaurant in Brainerd, if you haven't been yet, you're seriously missing out.

Cuesa Birria Tacos. Really good. You get three tacos. Too delicious and ate one and forgot to take…read morea picture. Great service too.

Seating

Shrimp burrito bowl

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Burritos California

El Tequila Mexican Restaurant

3.9(137 reviews)

3.1 mi

Apple Maps did not bring us to the correct location. We figured it out ourselves, but the location…read morewas about a mile off. Standard huge menu Mexican. We enjoyed the big modestly priced margaritas. As usual with Mexican, I should have tried to order less. That's on me. My enchiladas were ok. I should have had the carnitas, based on what I saw on my companion's plate.

After a long drive from the Cities up to Grand View Lodge, we were absolutely hungry and we were…read morelooking for someplace that was still open around 9:00pm for dinner. We were pleasantly surprised to stumble across this place in Baxter on our way to Nisswa. We were sat right away, and our server was kind enough to bring chips and salsa to our table with our waters. The menu is extensive, so it was a little challenging figuring out what to eat at first. I picked the Chihuas tacos, just so I wouldn't have to transport leftovers to our hotel room. The steak in the tacos was delicious, and the rice was nice and fluffy. I appreciated the freshness of the guacamole, too! Our server was attentive, and we were so grateful to be able to stop on the road to grab some great food to kick off our staycation!

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Poncho & Lefty's

2.7(65 reviews)

2.2 mi

Well stop in with a bunch of us for a bday dinner Had a lot…read moreof different orders I had the fish tacos they were really good had a crunch to them the I really liked wife had a taco bowl look great Enchiladas and chimichanga that look great and they all liked Almost every one took a box to go home Was surprised by the low stars Had great decor Will be back Great job

Yuck! The worst mexican food I've ever had. The cooks should try tasting the food before it gets…read moreserved. They put pickled onions on everything!! I'll never go back and 3 out of 4 of us got sick!

Sign out front

Mexican Street Corn Bowl and margarita

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Poncho and Lefty's version of a Fajita Salad...lots of food but not much of a Mexican flair.

Chipotle Mexican Grill

2.0(34 reviews)

2.2 mi

Food was cold and the steak is fatty. And the place is filthy. The food all over the floor and on…read morethe tables actually 12 o'clock noon. The area where they prepare food was also filthy. The top of my food container was full of just nasty it was just smeared with whatever was on the countertop as they're scooting your bowl across the counter why they're preparing it. I would say for $12 bowl or more. It's not worth it. I took about two or three bites and decided it wasn't worth the risk of getting sick threw it away. So sad I'd have to say I used to really like chipotle but it's not the same restaurant anymore. At least not this one.

The place is DIRTY! After I paid for my food and received the bag, I asked why it was so dirty in…read morehere. The checkout representative replied, excuse me. I said, never mind. The first person who started to help me with my 3 Tacos was smiling and greeted me, but there was no sense of proper service. I understand why the last time I went to this same Chipotle I said I wouldn't ever go back. It's been since March 2025. Things haven't gotten any better. I still paid my $17 for my Tacos, Guacamole, and Chips. I just wish they had better management because I love Chipotle. Now that I am eating it. The rice is over cooked

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Dock 77

3.8(25 reviews)

10.1 mi

Stopped by to see the Christmas pop up bar! Saturday night was busy, the lights were amazing, and…read morethe live band was great. Dinner was quick and delicious! 10/10 would recommend

I think this is actually called The Quarterdeck Grill. Ate here a couple times while staying at the…read moreresort. The cocktails were decent, as was the lunch/dinner food. Pros - Friendly service - Views and atmosphere are great. - Cocktails were decent. - The lunch and dinner menus were good (not great though). Cons - Breakfast was trash (and I say this as someone who is NOT a picky eater). - Also, you can only order your eggs scrambled. Why though. - Overpriced for the quality. Overall it's a decent option if you are staying at the resort but I wouldn't expect to be blown away.

Steak special

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Taco Bell

2.3(27 reviews)

2.2 mi

This was my first experience at Taco Bell, as my cousin really likes it and wanted me to try it…read moreout: When we walked in the lobby looked clean, the kiosks and lack of humans at the counter was sad, and there seemed to be quite a few people waiting. Like other reviews have said, the wait was quite long. My cousin got a drink and we had to wait to ask for a cup for quite a while until the next order came out and there was actually an employee there. Others also frantically asked for cups as the guy seemed in a hurry to get back to the kitchen and quite depressed and bored. This is a downside of having everyone in the kitchen and no one at the counter. I ordered a Cheese Gordita taco and cinnamon twists. (They seemed to be out of tomatoes as none of our food had them when they were supposed to.) But overall the food was delicious. I love the concept of the soft shell wrapping the hard shell because it helps prevent it from shattering and makes it easier to eat. So as the destination for sampling at fourth meal, it was delicious and the wait wasn't a huge issue. But if you're really hungry or need food in a hurry, that is a big drawback for a "fast food" place.

Slow as hell and still messed up the order massively and lokey food made me shit myselfread more

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Slice On Oak

4.6(39 reviews)

0.1 mi

We make a point of going here whenever we want pizza in Brainerd. We've even made the 40 minute…read moredrive from home just to pick pizzas up to go! The pizzas are made with quality ingredients and consistently GOOD and never greasy. I can't have pork, and they have a nice variety of options for me and are very accommodating when I've needed to modify an order. My last order was their Greek pizza and it was sooo good!

This place is legit. Best pizza in the Brainerd Lakes area, hands down. I'm originally from New…read moreJersey, so I know good New York pizza. We ordered and brought the pizza home. Service was friendly. It's not fancy - just an old school pizzeria, but it was everything we wanted. We'll be back.

Exterior

The "Meat-za"

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Bbq pizza

Taco John's

2.9(11 reviews)

0.8 mi

Got ripped off our food didn't get 2 o lays only got 1 o lays and the guy took our order was being…read moresnotty

This might be the best Taco John's I've ever been to. The food tastes incredibly fresh for fast…read morefood. They have individual cups of a really good salsa verde and the dining room is nice and clean. Great, friendly service too.

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Boulder Tap House

3.6(136 reviews)

3.1 mi

We really enjoyed our experience at Boulder Tap House. It's a fun, lively sports bar with a great…read moreatmosphere. Our service was overall okay, although there was a bit of confusion regarding our seating. We had requested a lower table because one member of our party of five adults has a disability. We were initially seated in a booth in one server's section, and when we explained that we needed a table instead, we were told it would take a long time. Thankfully, another server stepped in and quickly took care of the situation and found an appropriate table for us. We appreciated the quick assistance from the second server and enjoyed our time at Boulder Tap House overall.

The food was absolutely delicious and I highly recommend a visit to this well know establishment…read more Pricing is not bad and the service is really good also. Will not have to bring ear buds because it is also very calm with a light noise in there.

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Specials

Menu

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Chicken lettuce wraps

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25 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Dino F.

0

8

1

8 years ago

Not good. We sat in the booths in the other room. It felt very dirty and old back there. There was dried salsa and food on the pages of our menu. Too many combo's and items on the menu. Way too many. The waitress was awful. Every time she came to our table she would ask if we were doing ok but would walk away so fast we never got a chance to answer! We got our food and again she basically dropped the plates and left. Never asked if there was anything else we needed or anything. Two out of three meals didn't have a dollop of sour cream on it like normal Mexican restaurants. She came back and got me water and left so quick we couldn't ask for sour cream. My enchilada had hamburger in it. It didn't say beef enchilada on the menu so I thought it was cheese. Taco only had beef cheese and older shredded lettuce. I am sure the rice was instant. The chili relleno was fine. It was the only item with flavor. She came back and we asked for sour cream. She brought two full side dishes of sour cream. WAY too much. She never cleared our plates. They were still there when we left. We wanted to look at vacation pictures but not with dirty plates in front of us. She came back with our bills and of course left fast. She charged us $1.50 each for sour cream! What Mexican restaurant does that! She comes back and I asked her about it. She said "Oh yea we do charge for sour cream if it's not specified on the menu. She should have told us it was an extra charge when we ordered it! We thought they just forgot it! Way to rack up the bill plan. The menu is so big and there is so much to read there is no way we would have noticed that! She disappeared and never cleared our plates or anything. Another waitress saw us as we were leaving and told us to have a good night. We would have told the waitress we weren't impressed but she never stood at the table long enough!!! We won't be back. Not very good at all. Terrible service. UPDATE from 1 month ago. The restaurant has removed all of their negative reviews on FB since we read them after we left the day we ate there. Since the review on FB a man named Randy has been harassing me about my review. He just removed his first comment towards me which was extremely offensive. read more

Jane D.

0

6

0

8 years ago

I really liked the food here at Senor Patron! Give me a sizzling plate of beef and onions and I'm loving my fajitas every time. All four of us at our table really enjoyed the food, and we had really fast, friendly, and helpful service from our server. They are new and still in the changeover mode, so there may have been a few places for improvement. I'm sure they are working on making it better as they go! It's a huge restaurant with three different sections and that must make it hard on the wait staff. The seating is meant to have kind of an aged or distressed look and I'm not sure they hit the high mark on that, so the atmosphere is still a little meh. They could have used more staff on hand - there was no one to bus the tables, and all empty tables were left untouched during the time we were there. The menu. I hope someone from the restaurant reads this review. They menu was HUGE and had WAY TOO MANY CHOICES! If I was a cook there, I'd be confused. The menu covered every possible combination and listed them all - I think a smaller amount of really good stuff should be showcased, with all of the other things listed as available instead of writing down each possible combo in the world. It made it hard to read. I finally just asked for beef fajitas instead of trying to figure out which name they had been assigned. Beer, wine, cocktails, and Margaritas available! Good luck to the owners of this new place - I hope you are here for many, many years! read more

Kate W.

0

2

0

8 years ago

My husband and I ordered two of their lunch specials. The taco meat wasn't greasy or "too" salty, in fact it tasted very fresh and flavorful. We were impressed that they used authentic queso fresco on the taco instead of the typical shredded cheddar everyone uses. The meal was very reasonably priced, you get a lot of food, it was delicious and fresh. My only slightly less than stellar vote goes to their salsa. I prefer chunky, and there's is pureed. The atmosphere was charming and the staff friendly and attentive. We'll frequent this place, I'm sure. We're anxious to try their dinner menu which looks fabulous and a wonderful departure from typical "Mexican" food on the average menu elsewhere. read more

Pd W.

0

1

0

8 years ago

A "must visit" restaurant! Very good, authentic tasty Mex food. Just what Brainerd has needed for a long time. You get heated crunchy home made chips with wonderful salsa just for starters. A lot of different selections on the menu. We intend to try them all over the next year or so. read more

Vicki F.

0

4

11

8 years ago

Fast, friendly service. Delicious food. Contrary to other reviews, I love all the combination platter choices! I have eaten here several times and just now randomly pick a number off the list -- have NEVER had a bad meal! Good beer on tap. Great salsa and chips. Staff is wonderful! read more

Linda C.

9

11

1

8 years ago

This is now my favorite place to eat. The food was wonderful. I felt like I was at home in Mexico. The waitress was so caring and the food came out very fast. They have drink specials 2 For 1 cocktails If I had my way I would eat there everyday. There lunch prices were very good. read more

Matthew R.

1

2

7 years ago

My wife and I love Senor Patron! The food is fantastic with exceptional value for your $$. The service personable and crazy fast. If you need to escape the "Up North" and get some diversity in your cuisine, this is the place. read more

Jason B.

41

1

0

8 years ago

Great food. Friendly staff. If you are in the Brainerd area this is a stop you must make for food. Beef and chicken were both moist and not at all greasy or dried out like find in other Mexican restaurants. read more

Joyful B.

21

6

0

8 years ago

Today was a great day for this restaurant. We had a great waitress and all the food was made how we asked. No issues with anything, and really a great buy with lunch prices! Keep up the goof work! read more

Dea e.

0

9

0

8 years ago

The food was delicious. The service was great. They have an amazing selection. The desserts are unbelievable. The prices are better than the other similar restaurants in the area. read more

Ace G.

0

2

8 years ago

I love this place authentic food staff is nice and friendly the owners are amazing. The food comes out quick always hot and so good. Best Mexican food in town. Everything is good. read more

Tara C.

0

6

0

8 years ago

Wow, what a great place to eat. The food is great and so is the service! We've eaten here twice so far this week but the week is not over yet! LOL Thanks for coming to Brainerd!! read more

Melanie B.

0

1

0

7 years ago

The best place to eat in Brainerd. The food is wonderful and the Margaritas are the best. The wait staff is very friendly and professional. Savannah and Toby are great servers! read more

Jay H.

14

1

0

8 years ago

The food here is freshly made for every order and you don't wait long for food I would eat there everyday if I could I highly recommend this place to anyone and everyone read more

Sandy D.

0

7

0

8 years ago

This was our first time here. Service was really great and attentive. Food was excellent! Finished off with some phenomenal fried ice cream. Will definitely be back! read more

Andrew R.

0

3

0

7 years ago

Great service the enviroment was friendly warm and inviting the food i tried was amazing the guacomoly sauce was fresh the seasonings were on point will definatly return read more

Anita S.

15

1

0

7 years ago

Really enjoyed the food salsa was good the waiter was very nice and Garrett and Glen had a steak with the enchilada it was very recommend to many people thank you read more

Marianne K.

0

2

0

7 years ago

Delicious, authentic mexican food! I would not hesitate to send friends and family here. Much tastier than the other Mexican restaurants that I've gone to. read more

Dave S.

0

1

0

8 years ago

Great place to eat good food very personable staff margaritas are great food was good and frozen ice cream's are outstanding Friday explain my wife read more

Richard G.

0

1

0

20 days ago

Super nice people in charge. Great food and lots of it. Very reasonable prices. The Texas margarita is excellent!

El Potro Mexican Restaurant - mexican - Updated September 2026

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El Tequila Mexican Restaurant

3.9

(137 reviews)

Apple Maps did not bring us to the correct location. We figured it out ourselves, but the location…read morewas about a mile off. Standard huge menu Mexican. We enjoyed the big modestly priced margaritas. As usual with Mexican, I should have tried to order less. That's on me. My enchiladas were ok. I should have had the carnitas, based on what I saw on my companion's plate.

After a long drive from the Cities up to Grand View Lodge, we were absolutely hungry and we were…read morelooking for someplace that was still open around 9:00pm for dinner. We were pleasantly surprised to stumble across this place in Baxter on our way to Nisswa. We were sat right away, and our server was kind enough to bring chips and salsa to our table with our waters. The menu is extensive, so it was a little challenging figuring out what to eat at first. I picked the Chihuas tacos, just so I wouldn't have to transport leftovers to our hotel room. The steak in the tacos was delicious, and the rice was nice and fluffy. I appreciated the freshness of the guacamole, too! Our server was attentive, and we were so grateful to be able to stop on the road to grab some great food to kick off our staycation!

Zorbaz

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What a fun Zorbaz!! Easily one of my favorite locations with 3 bars (upper, lower, and outside)!…read moreThere's soo much space here & always the great options for food. Our large group was able to find a spot EASILY on a friday night. It turns into a PARTY after 10, many of them being bachelorettes. I loved the vibe in here & always with the amazing staff! Cant wait to come back.

We went for lunch on a Wednesday by boat and were able to get a spot on the dock without issue. We…read morelove that they have dock attendants that can help you dock if needed. We had a bigger group and got a mix of pizza, chips and salsa/guacamole, tacos, burritos, and chicken bowls. Overall the food tasted good, well spiced and balanced. The bartenders were helpful and mostly friendly. We have been coming to this location for years and feel like it is becoming rundown. A few things we noticed: -limes and lemons at the outdoor bar were brown and either had been out for days or the heat was making them go bad -the bathrooms smell like puke/other potty smells and the floor is consistently sticky everywhere -we all had belly aches after we ate, with some people having more issues than others -we sat at the composite picnic tables and they almost burned our skin Overall this is a fun place to stop for drinks and entertainment, but be warned about food quality and potential other sanitary concerns. This place could overall use a good thorough clean and benefit from more umbrellas to shade the composite tables to avoid burning skin.

Block North Brew Pub

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Fantastic food up in Aitkin!! I got the gluten free bun with elk burger and it was fantastic. The…read moresteaks my friends ordered were perfectly cooked and tasty. I love that you can get a good steak for $25-$30!! Will definitely be back.

I came here with a group while I was up north for a bachelorette party. There was plenty of street…read moreparking and fun shops near by that I would definitely stop at if I had more time. Our server Maddie was great! I ordered a Moscow mule and it was delicious! We also got the chips and queso appetizer and it was a hit with the entire group! My main meal was the lobster ravioli and I would order it again if I ever stopped at Block North again!

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Came in last week for lunch and was pleasantly surprised. Food was really good! Nice atmosphere. My…read morefriend and I split the Adult Grilled Cheese and the Reuben. Both were excellent. The other two at our table had a Philadelphia Cheesesteak and the Walleye Sandwich and everyone was super happy with their meals. Service is attentive. The waitress brought me a new drink before I even finished the last one. One of the best meals around! Looking forward to coming back for drinks and dinner.

Looking for a spot in the Brainerd area and this came recommended from a friend. We ventured over…read morefor a semi early midweek dinner. We got there before the crowd arrived, but it definitely filled up closer to 530 or 6 o'clock. Upon entering, we were surprised at how open the space was. Like they could fit multiple extra tables in there if they potentially wanted to. There's a great bar space also that had a few people at it when we entered. We sat in a booth and our waitress came to us right away. She was super friendly and helpful. All of the food that we ordered was delicious. We got bruschetta, French onion soup, Grilled cheese and tomato soup, pasta carbonara. There wasn't a bad meal in the bunch! So glad that we took the recommendation and tried this place out. It's going to be on our list when we're up north next time. Definitely check out the bathrooms!

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0/5 stars. If you cannot accommodate a large group when they called ahead then say so. Could not…read morerecommend this place less. Service was awful and everything felt like an afterthought. Spencer the waiter was rude and clueless. I'm not sure if he's new or just that dumb. When asked about the appetizer he responded, "They are different colors, figure it out." Waited over an hour and a half for our food and when it arrived it was cold. Portion sizes were small for the price and inconsistent. The only positive was that the salad bar was good and fresh.

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We really enjoyed our experience at Boulder Tap House. It's a fun, lively sports bar with a great…read moreatmosphere. Our service was overall okay, although there was a bit of confusion regarding our seating. We had requested a lower table because one member of our party of five adults has a disability. We were initially seated in a booth in one server's section, and when we explained that we needed a table instead, we were told it would take a long time. Thankfully, another server stepped in and quickly took care of the situation and found an appropriate table for us. We appreciated the quick assistance from the second server and enjoyed our time at Boulder Tap House overall.

The food was absolutely delicious and I highly recommend a visit to this well know establishment…read more Pricing is not bad and the service is really good also. Will not have to bring ear buds because it is also very calm with a light noise in there.

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