We came in on a very busy Sunday night for dinner and got the last table available. I'm not sure if…read morethey take reservations, but you might want to check before heading there as they're very popular. Service was decent. Menu is nice. The back page of the menu has the "street style" food. I got a few tacos; a carnitas, a chorizo, and a pollo. The tacos come with corn tortillas and those tortillas were very fresh and tasty, though they ripped easily. The meats inside were pretty flavorful, with the chorizo being my favorite. They also make a house jalapeno cream sauce, which was really good and they make a habanero sauce, which was very spicy, but not too flavorful. Overall... Dinner was really good. I can see why this place is so popular and why the reviews are so good. Definitely worth stopping in!

This is our go to Mexican restaurant in Roanoke. The food is fantastic. The service is great. The…read moreatmosphere is welcoming and everyone has fun. Mexican food at its finest!

Los Arcos Mexican Restaurant is located in a nicely designed but older restaurant building with…read morecolorful furniture off Peters Creek Road in Roanoke, Virginia. Many times my friend and I had driven by this restaurant wondering how it would look inside and how the food would be. From past experience Mexican restaurants were either amazingly good or unfortunately poor. So today we decided to go and try it out. No longer would it be a mystery to us. We had no idea of how the ambiance would be inside, nor the customer service, nor the quality of the food. We arrived around 4:45pm for an early dinner on a Tuesday late afternoon. The outside architectural design of the building was full of arches, hence the restaurant's name of "Los Arcos." It had a nice outdoor patio dining area surrounded by a low wall full of upside-down arches. Since it was a record high temperature day, there was no one dining outside, but the area looked nice with each round iron table having a large red umbrella to protect customers from the sun. When we entered the restaurant, we were greeted and immediately taken to our table and given copies of the menu. The menu was very well organized with subject tabs and color photographs of their most popular items. When our server came by to take our order, we both ordered iced water to drink and as our main meal my friend ordered the Enchiladas Mixtas and I ordered the Burrito Jalisco with grilled steak rirfrom the Specialties of the House page of the menu. As we waited for our server to arrive with our meals, we munched on the complimentary Chips and Salsa. The chips tasted good although they didn't look that fresh and the salsa looked nice but tended to be on the hot side, with no mild available. When our food arrived, my friend enjoyed his. Mine had missing the pico de gallo side. The chorizo was very tasty as it should be, but I question the steak quality. Not that it was hard or brittle, on the contrary, I felt that it was too soft and spongy. It was seasoned right with lots of lemon juice, but it's texture left a lot to be desired, especially to me who am a steak connoisseur and afictionado. The side of rice was a bit dry and lacked freshness. The dessert menu selection was a very good one, and their photographs made them look so good, yet they were the greatest disappointment of our meal and dining experience. We both ordered Churro Cups. By now the restaurant was almost half full, but this was no reason for the time to prepare and serve our dessert to have taken longer than to serve our food. Then the crust of the Churro Cup was overcooked and hard. By hard I mean I was not able to cut it nor eat it. Yet it looked so good that you would have never imagined that it was inedible. I even asked for a knife to cut it and was unsuccessful. I asked one of the servers for the manager and he told me there was no manager, that he was out until 6:00pm. So I was not able to complain about the dessert or have it comped. The menu of this Mexican restaurant is amazing but I find that the quality of the food and execution of cooking them is lacking from the part of the cooks there. And the absence of a manager on the premises is questionable. For this reason and for the problems I encountered with my meal there, I don't think I will return, especially with so many good Mexican restaurants around. It's a pity because otherwise this restaurant has the potential of being a great one.

Food: The best Tex-Mex in the Valley with great margaritas…read more Service: Good Ambiance: crowded, but worth the hassle Parking: Its bad. Small parking lot which fills up quickly.

This El Rodeo on Electric Road is part of the Arellano family's local chain of Mexican restaurants,…read morewhich introduced Tex-Mex to the Roanoke Valley in the late 1980s. The original El Rodeo opened on Williamson Road around that time and due to community demand, the family expanded and operated additional locations across Roanoke and Salem. Their newest and most beautiful of them all, Rodeo Chico, is located at the Daleville Town Center, in Daleville, Virginia. I've had an opportunity of dining and reviewing almost all of them except this one. Today I decided I would go and try this one out. Located at the Brambleton Center, an elevated development in Cave Spring, Virginia, that also includes the Virginia Co-Op Extension, a Recreation Center, and The Bridge Church Roanoke, it is by far their largest restaurant in this area if one includes its extensive outdoor dining area with a solid beautiful gazebo with an amazing view of the surrounding mountains. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place, its creative architectural design, its amazing views, and its high-quality food. After driving in my pearl white Lexus up the hill, I parked in their parking lot in the back and walked around the wraparound porch of their building until I found the entrance. But before I went inside I walked around their extensive outdoor dining area with beautiful views. Once inside a friendly gentleman at the Host's station greeted me and showed me to a comfortable booth next to a window in the bar dining area of the restaurant. The perfect location to be able to capture photographs of their food in natural light. Afterwards I visited their main dining room which was already almost full in the late afternoon / early evening. After I was seated, Freddy who had served as my host, would also be my server. I ordered a large Virgin Mango Margarita to drink, which looked wonderful and tasted marvelous. I enjoyed munching on their basket of Tortilla Chips after dipping them in their red and white salsa as well. Few Mexican restaurants serve the white salsa. For my main meal I ordered the Carnitas, which contained tender chunks of pork and their photo in the menu made them look so good. They came with rice, beans, guacamole salad, pico de gallo and flour tortillas. I drank my Mango Margarita and enjoyed my chips with salsas while I waited and it didn't take long for my main entrée to come out. It looked delicious: both in quality, quantity, the way they were cook and presentation. All of a sudden, after just taking a taste of these carnitas, this restaurant had become one of my favorites Mexican restaurants. My server did an excellent job checking on me to see if everything was all right and check if I needed anything. The amount of food was so generous that I asked for a container to take some home with me. For dessert I had a Flan and it was also large and delicious. The prices were so reasonable and the amount of food so generous and good, not to talk about the exceptional service, that I made sure to leave a good tip when I paid with my Harvard Alumni World Mastercard. In conclusion, I highly recommend this Mexican restaurant for such an extraordinary dining experience that I had today and look forward to returning many times more.

The food and the service is always excellent here! If you ask for it they bring it with a smile…read more We love coming here!

Tacos Rojas is one of the major family-owned chain Mexican Restaurants here in Roanoke, Virginia. I…read morehave visited several of them, and they have gotten mixed reviews. Today while I was driving down 13th Street looking for a place to have lunch, I drove by this tiny Mexican restaurant that at first seemed like a run down shack, or a hole in the wall eatery, with only two cars parked in its small parking lot. I missed seeing the restaurant's sign with its name. But for one reason or another, I decided I had to turn back to try it out. After being awarded the NC Triad Yelp Squad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last year, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, celebrating their contributions and accomplishments throughout the year, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and businesses, and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And this what I first thought was a no name Mexican Restaurant in Roanoke, Virginia, is a perfect example. When I turned around and drove back, as I got closer and closer to the restaurant's sign, I saw it was pretty new, and had a Mexican Hat, a Guitar, and some maracas, and read: "Tacos Rojas Mexican Grill Authentic Mexican Cuisine." Little did I imagine that this place was where it all started. Afterwards, after doing my research I found out the whole story about this place. Primary, that it was that it was the first Taco Rojas Restaurant, and where it all started. How appropriate that to conclude Hispanic Heritage Month, I ended up eating and reviewing this Hispanic Historic Restaurant in the history of Taco Rojas. Tacos Rojas was founded by Octavio Rojas, who moved to America from Pueblo, Mexico, 20 years ago. He opened this first restaurant on 13th Street, 12 years ago which had been a convenience store, and has since then expanded to six locations in the Roanoke Valley, including a location in Salem, which features a party room.The family-run business serves authentic Mexican food and has seen growth, including during the pandemic, partly due to its popularity for takeout. The business is family operated, with Octavio's wife, daughter, brother, and other relatives all involved in the restaurants. As I went inside, even though you can tell the place was once a convenience store because it still contained a wide display refrigerator with bottles of bottled drinks, it was clean and well-maintained, painted with lively colors, and different posters on the wall.The small dining area contained a combination of tables and chairs and some booths.The ambiance was warm and relaxed. One that made you feel at home. A young lady came out to greet me and gave me a warm welcome. I took a seat in the first booth and she handed me the menu and took my drink order. I ordered an Horchata. Afterwards I ordered a Carnitas Burrito as my main entrée. While I waited my server brought a basket of Chips and Salsa. Even though in the menu it was listed as an appetizer, it seemed like the first one was complementary. When the food arrived it was amazingly delicious. The shredded pork inside the burrito was seasoned and cooked to perfection, it was nice and hot, and the sauces on top were very tasty without being too spicy. Now I better understood how the humble beginning of Taco Rojas in this place had taken off and grown so quickly. Octavio's mother's recipes for the food were not only authentic Mexican food but delicious. They gave the cuisine here that special magical touch of satisfaction the first time you came, that made you want to come back and tell your family and friends about it. Sometimes it is in places like these that one can have the most extraordinary dining experiences.

Food is delicious. Ambiance is nice as you can sit inside or out. Weather was great so we choose…read moreoutside. Service was great and food came out quick and hot.

My husband loved his food, mine was meh. To each his own At…read morefirst the server wasn't sure about our service dogs- which is never a good sign. But our waiter set her straight- and was a consummate professional. Overall, I'm not sure I would return.

The Carnitas and black beans were bland . The chicken was tasty and the Carne Asada was…read moredelicious.We had Orlandi as our server and he was excellent. The outdoor patio was great because although it was a bit of a hot day, they have umbrellas and they gave us enough shelter. The Flan is one of the best i've ever had! They serve a delicious house margarita .

Horrid customer service refusing to remake food that's been sitting in a window for over 30 mins…read moredue to doordash not sending a driver after we tried to just come pick it up ourselves. Greedy horrible people who only think about their pockets maybe if they learn to get an order right as well for once in their lives they would get higher then 3 stars but that ain't happening

Good food good Service good Dr Pepper should give the place a try rating 3/5 me made bean sauce…read moreyummy :-)

I ordered online. For some reason, the order for my beverage didn't convey to them, but I showed…read morethem the email receipt and they got it for me quickly. I came seeking pupusas, and theirs were deliciously grilled and delivered satisfaction. The price was a bit high for lunch, but I could not accuse them of shorting me, either with respect to the abundant flower buds embedded inside the pupusa, or the pleasantly pickled sides. I took a chance on a tropical fruit I'd never heard of, and I got a ton of it that took me two days to drink, with a fascinating flavor and enough pulp to make it clear this was real fruit (although I'm guessing they add sugar to these things). I wish their menu made it clear whether the beans were vegetarian and I could have done with the ability to mix and match pupusa flavors rather than getting three of the same one, but my basic craving was fulfilled.

One of my wife and my favorite places. Friendly, inviting staff. Locally owned. Clean, well…read moremaintained dinning room. Great flavors! Honduran and other Latin dishes

Gorditas Al pastor and steak Mulitas were both very good. I really enjoyed the corn flavor of the…read moreMulitas. The green sauce was also tasty and the hot sauce was very hot. Rice and beans were fine but nothing special. Service was very friendly. I enjoyed the small seating area and simple design.

In a little house on a short street in Salem, Virginia, one that if it were not painted a bright…read moreorange color, would simply go unnoticed, is housed one of the smallest restaurants that I have ever seen. Yet we must not let its size deceive us, just as we should not judge a gift by its size nor a book by its cover. After being awarded the Triad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last year, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And Tacos Coronados in Salem, Virginia, is the perfect example. After driving by this Mexican little restaurant the other day on my way to Gusto Pizza for dinner, I thought to myself, "It is in small hole in the wall places like this one that one finds amazing food. I definitely need to return soon to try it out." And today is that day. I set my Lexus GPS to their address and started driving their way, encountering a torrential rain along the way, only being able to see a bright orange spot when I arrived. I decided to wait in my car for a while listening to music. As the rain resided and I was able too see the Mexican restaurant, the first thing I did was take a photograph of it from inside my car, since small drops of rain were still falling from the sky. Once inside, I noticed the place was also painted the same bright orange color, had a counter were To Go orders were taken and picked up, and a modern computer cashier where orders were paid. But what impressed me the most was the cleanliness of the place, and how very organized it was, with well use of space for five booths that each could seat four persons comfortably. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and its food. A friendly gentleman came out from the back to greet me and gave me a warm welcome. He appreciated very much that I spoke Spanish and talked to me about the restaurant and its menu. Most of their business is for Take Out orders, but on some days and times it can get full with dine-in customers. One thing that caught my attention was that Chips and Salsa were listed in the menu under Appetizers for $4.50. Afterwards I did my research and found out that Chips and Salsa is not a traditional complimentary offering in Mexico. It is considered an American Tradition. And that some restaurants make it a point to serve high-quality chips and salsa, justifying a charge for them. I ordered a bottle of Orange Fanta to drink and a Gorditas al Pastor (with Pork) Special to eat. Their appetizers in the menu were limited to Chips and Salsa, and Chips and Guacamole. And they had no dessert items. However, they did have Taco Tuesdays, when Pork or Chicken Tacos are $2 each. This was the first time ever that I have had gorditas but my server explained that they were a traditional Mexican street food consisting of a thick masa (corn dough) cake that is fried, then slit open to create a pocket and stuffed with various fillings like cheese, shredded meats like carnitas (pork), beans, and vegetables. Their picture sure looked good on the menu. The name "gordita" means "little fat one" in Spanish, referring to its plump, thick shape. They were crunchy and tasty, full of flavor. I definitely enjoyed my meal of genuine Mexican street food, highly recommend the restaurant for a very unique dining experience with genuine Mexican cuisine and an extraordinary customer service.

I found myself in Roanoke, VA for Cinco de Mayo, and found this joint somewhat close to my hotel…read more(Springhill Suites which was awesome). I pulled up and I'm 99 percent sure this used to be a Pizza Hut. The 1% skeptic in me didn't see a table top Pac Man machine, so I could have been wrong. Back to the Mexican cuisine, I kept it simple with tacos, and loved that I could order 3 different tacos. I went with the Al Pastor (good), Chicken (great), and Steak (dry and meh) tacos and was in and out pretty quickly. It was already later in the evening so it wasn't too crowded. I'd probably hit something else in Roanoke if I was here, but it wasn't bad for what I was looking for on May 5th!

I can't believe this place isn't more popular…read more Went here for my birthday and everything was SO fresh and delicious. It was a Friday night at 5:30 and no one was eating in the restaurant! This is a SHAME as this place should be hopping! We will definitely be back! Yum yum!!!