This is a restaurant we used to like before we went in today. The cashier kept adding things to my order. I finally said to myself enough and accepted an extra dinner I did not order and he rang me up and quickly crumbled up the receipt and went to throw it in the trash when I stopped him and told him I wanted it. I then went To my table and looked at the receipt and i noticed the cashier billed me an additional 11.99 for another meal I tipped 20 percent on the whole total of the meal that I had absolutely 0 waiters for and I had to bus my own table and for the privilège of that i tipped 20 percent while there trying to steal almost 30 dollars from their customers imagine in a pandemic people nice enough to come to your restaurant and tip and be generous i wonder how many other customers got overcharged that didn't catch it???? read more

I love Cafe Mexicali for its delicious burritos and mango chicken salad. Unfortunately, the staff regularly omits or messes up my order, even when I'm physically present (as opposed to online ordering). Beware, as they will charge you for extra sauces/additions, however, may not include the paid for additions. I've addressed the errors with Mexicali staff in the past, and I typically receive an irritated or disinterested response. Be sure you check your order if you're taking it to-go as you might find items missing. read more

Two words: Food coma. The amount of food that you get at Cafe Mex is insane. Considering this, the prices are definitely fair. They make their tortillas to order right in front of you. And they are delicious! The burritos are huge and you can get them doused in queso. The creamy habanero queso is not spicy at all. My boyfriend is a little obsessed with it. I like the quesolle. Which is basically a quesadilla stuffed with all the toppings you want and rolled up. The creamy chicken tortilla soup is amazing. It comes with chips AND two cheesy tortillas. I cannot say enough good things about Cafe Mex. If you haven't tried it, you need to. But be prepared to feel like you can't walk for a few hours, or do what (normal?) people do and get a to-go box. read more

The food here is tasty, fast, and reasonably priced. It is not cheap like Taco Bell or other options but you get good value for your money. Personally I think their chicken tortilla soup is one of the best things on the menu even though most people will order salads, tacos, or burritos. I really like their creamy habanero dressing/sauce and their tortillas are freshly made and delicious! The food is very similar to Café Rio but I think it tastes more fresh in my opinion is more delicious. I wish they had any Quillivant loyalty program is that is a really great program with Café Rio.They also have delicious beverages and their key lime pie is really good! If you're looking for a fast Mexican food option I would definitely give them a try. read more

Wish I had taken a picture to post with this review. Tried both the pork with green chili breakfast burrito and the bacon burrito. Tried smothered with the habanero cream sauce, outstanding! And the green chili which was very good. Very different from Tex Mex and we loved it! read more

I usually love Cafe Mexicali, but my take out order today was wrong and did not realize it until I returned home. I realize people make honest mistakes, but I tried to call to re-order and could not get anyone to pick up the phone. read more

As a southern Californian, I love Mexican food. So when my boyfriend told me his favorite Mexican place was in Colorado I was skeptical. Let me tell you this place rocks. The tortillas are heaven and the sweet pork is like Christmas morning. This is a must try for sure in the Fort Collins area. read more

Always a gem when I go to Fort Collins. My brother introduced me to Cafe Mexicali about 15 years ago when I would visit him. My first meal? Chicken and Mango Salsa Salad. I mean... it dosnt get better. A salad, on top of a tortilla with cheese? Wowza! I also highly recommend the sweet pork quesole. I dont know what they do to the sweet pork, but its heavenly! Their white habanero sauce is so so so so good (and addicting). I even put it on my salad! Secret: If you like hot sauce, be sure to ask them for their house made hot sauce. Its fantastic! read more

this is the best yummiest food ever the tortillas are amazing i love it. used to go here once a week when i lived in fort collins. i would return to fort collins exclusively to eat cafe mexicali. read more

The place was clean and staff was very nice especially in spite of the dinner rush, very quick. However. One of our orders was wrong, it's subway style which means I said something and they did something else entirely. The flavors weren't great either. It's very bland and even their spiciest sauce barely tingled. Portion size was fine for the price. If you just need food and don't care what it tastes like it's an option. read more

I would rate it higher but 30 minutes standing in line to order a burrito and a fish taco which takes 7 minutes to make is crazy. Plus yes. They were busy but the place was dirty. No one wiping down tables or the floor. The food is good but there has to be a better way to order. read more

I love their burritos! They have the softest homemade tortillas. They have many sauces to pick from. I love it

I eat here at least twice if not three times a week. The white sauce (creamy habanero) is delicious, the staff is super nice and always welcoming, I love the outdoor seating, and the food is always fresh! read more

I like the food and it's worth waiting 20+ mins for especially since they offer an awesome CSU discount but I HATE it when they close 30 mins before the time on the door. I know it's a bad idea to hit up a place for food as the staff is trying to get outa there but if you wanna close earlier than close earlier but don't lock the door before the time on the door thereby wasting my drive over there. Normally I'd say this was a fluke but it's happened more than once. EDIT: Is it just me or has the service gone to shit and took the food with it? I went today and got two take out items. There were three people in front of me and all of us were just looking at each other with the occasional shrug and knowing laugh as we stood there waiting for one of there 20 employees to do anything other than flirt with the two hot blonds in the back. I just loved how they only dude to come over and finally help us all wasn't able to speak English and was more focused on getting us out of his hair so he could go back to flirting and assumed what salsa we all wanted. I'm an old school BBQer and know enough to cut out the veins in a pork shoulder/butt it takes a few minutes and isn't bad if you get one but it is worth doing just for the gross-out factor. I'm pretty sure Cafe Mexicali just permanently lost all three of us (total strangers) as customers. I revised my star rating to 1. read more

I used to be a die-hard Mexicali fan. I recommended it to people. I brought out of town guests there for lunch. I believed in it. I even withstood the TERRIBLE service from that awful counter-person who needs to learn to dye her hair a wee bit better. But, now the portion sizes have changed. The creamy habanero sauce feels heavier. The beans are tasteless. Adios, Cafe Mexicali. I think you've outdone yourself - in a bad way. read more

Oh, I've missed this place. I loved this place while in college and living in Ft. Collins. But, after moving to Denver and not getting my Mexicali fix every once in a while, I am always pumped to go see my little sister at CSU and take her out to dinner--at Cafe Mexicali. Some people compare this place to Chipotle or Qdoba, but really this place is something quite different. Everything--I mean, everything--is made from scratch here. From their salsas, to their tortillas to their amazing sauces. These sauces are what make Cafe Mexicali so amazing. The Creamy Habenero is by far my favorite, but the mild Tomatillo and the Spicy Red Pepper are both super good, too. Their sweet corn and onion (add beans) burrito is my favorite! When you've made your entree choice, it's prepared in front of you and then thrown in the oven to melt the sauces, cheeses and such, on top. Add some salsa, some gauc, and whatever else your belly may want and dig in! read more

This is a go to spot for a quick and tasty lunch when in town visiting my CSU student. They make their own tortillas, always good. The sweet pork burrito sounds strange, but is delicious. Don't forget to splash some of the hot sauce they provide on the table and sell all over whatever you get. read more

Let me start out this review stating there are FEW places I would stand in line 20 minutes to order a meal. Cafe Mexicali, on a good day, is one of them. On their good days, it's perfect. The way the line keeps moving, the speed, accuracy & service at the counter, the efficency of the person of the register. On the bad days, you want to kick yourself for waiting that long and not having gone somewhere else in the meantime. Sure, every place has their good and bad days, but bad service on a slow night would leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth -- no matter how good those smothered burritos are. I was letting the last girl on the line know that everything on the oven conveyor was backing up (including my burrito mashing up two quesadillas) and all she did was blow me off. Only after I paid for The Mrs' salad and after prompting from the cashier did she catch my burrito at the last minute. All the while the guy working the tortilla press and the griddle made several laps around the kitchen to catch up with coworkers on their plans for grad weekend. Seriously dude, slide in and lend a hand. Looking at their trends, I hope they can get back to what they're good at: getting 5-star reviews. read more

Me: no tortilla strips on the salad please Cafe Mexicali employee adds them anyways. Me: I'm sorry but I asked for no tortilla strips. Cafe Mexicali employee: pick them off I wish I could say this is the first time that the service was downright rude but it's more like the 4th time that I've walked away just annoyed. There never seems to be any management presence to even give feedback and so at this point all I can do is warn people via a review. Customer service is horrible and food is eh so either way not worth the usual 15-20 minute wait for fast food. read more

I've been here three times however only ate here once. The lines here are really really long. I went twice before today and stood in line for 10 min having it not move then giving up and going somewhere with faster service. For the way the ordering system is layed out (similar to Chipotle or Qdoba) I'd expect it to go a lot faster. But you can't blame a business for being too popular. Now what surprises my is... why is it so popular? We finally went there on a Sunday afternoon and managed to avoid a long line. I got a smothered burrito and my girlfriend got some fish tacos. The burrito was pretty good but there was a certain, metallic taste in it. At first i was thinking it was the way the tortilla was cooked however i tired some of my girlfriends rice she had on the side and it was the rice. Super metallic tasting. After you get past that flavor the rest of burrito was pretty good, the meat was decent and the green chilli they smothered it in was pretty good too. You can still taste the rice in every bite though, huge bummer. It ended up being over $10 for my burrito and a drink, which is a little more than i would want to spend for the quality. Overall though, i did like my Burrito, and it actually tasted great when i reheated it at home as leftovers. Now the fish tacos on the other hand, where just awful. My girlfriend took a few bites then stopped eating and asked me to try her food. I usually am weary when i taste her food because its usually not a good thing when she wants me to try it. The Fish in the taco was old, like, really old. I don't know if their buying frozen or fresh and letting it sit too long. It tasted like talapia that's marked down because a supermarket knows its about to turn. The tartar sauce and tortilla on it weren't bad but i couldn't really taste those flavors over the rotten or soon to be rotten fish. It was also dry, so i'm sure it wasn't fried recently. Unfortunately she only ate about 4 bites of her plate before we decided to toss it, after tasting her fish i lost my appetite too and decided to take my burrito home. Service wasn't exactly super great ether. Of the 3 staff members i talked with wile getting my food only one seemed to know both what he was doing and was friendly. The other two had one or the other. I might be back, my girlfriend definitely won't. read more

Always love the sweet pork nachos. Sometimes they mess up my order with sauce but that is never an issue because it still tastes great. I've been going there since 2017 and never had a real issue. read more

I go hear once a week for lunch. It is delicious! I've never had a bad experience at this restaurant. The food is made fresh every day and it's made to order similar to other burrito restaurants. Try the sweet pork and creamy habinero. That is what sets this place a part! read more

I consistently have to wait around 15 minutes on top of the time it takes me to place the order and drive to the restaurant. Then it takes an additional 10 minutes for the take out people to bag the items. THATS IF I CAN GET THEIR ATTENTION! Horrible! Every time! read more

This place reminds me of the Yogi Berra-ism "No one goes to that place anymore. It's too crowded." the food's good, the servers are excellent, but who has half an hour to wait in line for lunch? I'm not begrudging them their success -- I'm happy for anyone who runs a good biz and succeeds. But maybe it's time to invest in a second assembly line or even open another location. In the meantime, I'll settle for the occasional 3 pm lunch so I can eat here and still have time for the rest of my day :) read more

After our seamless and painless car buying experience, we realized that we hadn't had dinner yet. We drove down College on our way to pick up the kids from KidsTown with me naming every restaurant I knew of along the way seeing if anything struck our fancy. "How about Cafe Mexicali?" my husband excitedly asked. I was game for anything. So, Cafe Mexicali was on. We walked in ordering at the counter and watching our meals made before our eyes (much like Chipotle, Qdoba and the like). My husband encouraged me to have the sweet pork quesole - a rolled up quesadilla of sorts with melted cheese and meat served with guacamole, lettuce, sour cream, pico de gallo, and a side of sauce, which my husband recommended that I get the creamy habanero ($6.99). My husband got a quesole as well, but with shredded beef and tomatillo sauce. We ended up splitting them so we could share the goodness of each. The tin plate filled full of food was more than I've seen served in a while. These are hefty portion sizes fit for a CSU linebacker. There really is no valid reason to have this much food served to you unless you plan on making lunch leftovers of half of it. But, wow, for a casual chain-like place like this, the quality was very good and I really enjoyed our meal. read more

When I was in college, my roommates and I would come here at least once a week. Every time I'm in Fort Collins, I make it a point to get to Mexicali. If you're like me, you'll love the sweet pork. For some people, sweet isn't their thing; go with the chicken mole. "Sweet pork burrito, black beans, red and white sauce, lettuce." [Flashes student ID for student discount] *Nostalgia* read more

Killer food at a killer price. Chicken quesolle was great, their sauces are amazing. Everything made in house. Perfect fast weekend lunch. read more

Cafe Mexicali - Mexican Near Me - Fort Collins, Colorado

Fort Collins affords patrons the pleasure of humble Tex-Mex... as you can likely pick up on, on account of the name. With a word like Mexicali, you can be fairly certain that most individuals deciding to eat here know what they are getting into. With an American outlook in mind, I braved my way down College and dug into a huge pile of nachos. I'm seeing the light. Clear eyes. Queso, beans, and guacamole... atop tortilla chips. Once they slide down the hatch... Full hearts. Finding decent-quality, no-frills (what we might consider Mexican in Texas...they are a dime a dozen) Mexican grub in FoCo? Can't lose. read more

Worth the long line. Since everything is made in house, you cannot go wrong no matter what you order. I've only had the burritos, but they have also been the best burritos of my life. They make Chipotle and Q'Doba look like cheap fast food. The white sauce is the best. read more

I came in here for the first time the other day, not terribly hungry, but I figured I could go for some tacos. Next time, I'm getting a burrito. The fish tacos I ordered were ok, but the fish wasn't that great. Who knows how long those breaded fish pieces had been sitting there? If you get something like a burrito or two tacos, it is A LOT of food. I couldn't eat it all so I took some home, though some friends of mine decided to split a burrito (good plan). The creamy habanero sauce is great! I was intimidated by the name, but it's not spicy at all. Definitely order some on the side if your meal doesn't come with sauce. All in all, this was a nice little place. There is a student discount, which I am a big fan of! There's usually a line, but things run pretty smoothly. I'll be back, next time for a burrito! read more

Not bad but 3 Soft tacos and a water $12??? Extremely messy and hard to eat. Suggest hard shell tacos and look at pricing. I often go to matador as it's much better but this place has better atmosphere. read more

We love Cafe Mexicali! The food here is delicious. Always recommend anything with the creamy habanero sauce on anything! There is almost always a wait. If you are in a hurry, save Cafe Mexicali for a different day. If you have enough patience to realize that waiting isn't the end of your life, great! Make sure your order is correct, as with any busy restaurant every once in a while they may forget something. A little trick is to call in your order ahead of time, and you won't have to wait in line. The wait for picking up to go orders is usually 10-20 minutes. Keep calm and Cafe Mexicali on! read more

Best "assembled" burrito joint in colorado. Unfortunatly there's not one in denver, but while I was in school in Fort Collins, we ate here quite often. I love the sweet pork burrito smothered in both the red chili and the creamy habanero sauce (don't be deceived by the name, it's not that hot). However, sometimes this choice gets beat out by the ensalada mexicali. They dice up their homemade tortillas (which they literally press moments before you order) and smother them in my two favorite sauces (as mentioned above) then your choice of meat, I opt for chicken here, and fresh lettuce with some other delicious accouterments. It's less like a salad, and more like an inside-out burrito with an extra burst of "fresh." Will trek up to you soon Mexicali! read more

zIMy husband and I took our kids out for celebration meal. Our kids e joyed their meal. however my huzbsnd and I opted for chicken breast sandwich let me just say. how the restaurznt iz not embaressed to bring it out and suggest this is chi ken breast is beyond belief. never ever will we step in there read more

Café Mex is one of my go-tos anytime I'm in FoCo. I've been eating there since high school, and stop by every time I'm back in town. I always get the same thing: Chicken burrito, no rice, extra black beans, extra white sauce, extra cheese, with lettuce on the side. And it's phenomenal. Also it's definitely enough food to keep you fed for the next couple of days. On top of my standard meal, they home make their tortillas and they're so soft and fantastic tasting, you just want to buy a whole bunch of them (which you can). They're also famous for their pork. I usually prefer the chicken on my burritos myself, but the pork nachos are great if you're looking for something with some more crunch. One thing you always have to have on your food though is the creamy habanero sauce. It's just the best thing there is in the whole world. read more

The guac was great and they were super fast and friendly! But I found a huge bone in my chicken (after chomping down in it!) on the second bite and by the third bite I was out of guac. I honestly couldn't finish it and being raised in San Diego, I know Mexican food! I paid almost $13 for the chicken quesolle (which is a quesadilla wrapped up like a burrito, aka a small burrito with nothing in it) and a drink... not worth it and should have more than 1 dollar sign! read more

This place is AWESOME! Love the fresh tortillas! Love the meat selection! Love the sauces! Prices are good too. read more

Terrible Experience Just had lunch at a restaurant that had 3 types of music playing, cooks singing to themselves, and "fresh food" that was canned and frozen. Signs are broken and nobody looks you in the eye. Bad 1st impressions. Won't be back. Probably a great place to get yourself back after a night of partying. read more

Great food, and amazing prices. Didn't much care for the chip situation (JUST GIVE PEOPLE MORE CHIPS WHEN THEY GET CHEESE) Loved everything on the menu, keep kicking butt and maybe start serving tables (I'd pay more for it) :D read more

The line is always long but the food is good... I have to ask for less cheese because they put like a pound of it on your burrito if you don't ask them to skimp on the cheese.... Everything i have tried is pretty good... read more