Great food, and great service! Fajitas were excellent! Have folks nicely spaced for COVID social distancing.

The food was decent, but it's 100 degrees outside and the air conditioning is not working. The server said, that it's often hot and the air conditioner can't keep up. There have been 2 other tables near us ask/complain about the temperature. read more

I have eaten at Cafe Ole a few times now, though tit has been over a year since my last visit. When last I was here, I gave Cafe Ole passable rating. So when my parents drove up from Texas for a visit, and they asked for Mexican food, I decided to try this place again. In my party were myself, my 12 year old daughter, my wife, and my mom and dad from Texas. We arrived at 2:30 for a Lunch / dinner, which we call Linner. We arrived for Linner and was met at the door well enough and then guided to a booth. After a few minutes, a young man came to ask for our drink order. So far so good, right? After the had brought our drinks, next he took our order. I ordered a Chimichangas de Pollo. My wife had a Fajita salad. My daughter had Blue Corn Tacos, My dad had a combo of an enchiladas, and my mom had fajitas. We had a long wait for our food, which was quite surprising since there was only 1 other table full that we could see. While we waited I took the opportunity to look around. The light fixture right above our table was very dusty and dirty. I imagined the dust falling off the fixture and it looking like snow falling on our plates. Another thought that I had was that I could blow on it like one of those weeds that you pick with the white seeds that float. But then I thought better of this and decided not to. I also could not help but notice the painting on the wall that was crooked. This bugged my wife and I to no end. When I food finally arrived, it looked fine, but that nice feeling soon dissipated as we dug in. My Chimichangas were not bad, but lacked flavor. My moms Fajatis were piled high, but the pile was all veggies with very little chicken. What chicken there was was dry and flavorless. It was like eaten star foam. My daughters tacos were make from the same dry chicken, so there is not much else to say on this one. I have tasted better tacos from Taco Bell. My wife did not have mush to say about her salad, but it was also made from the very same chicken, so nuff said. My dad did say that his enchilada combo was good though. So out of 6 dishes, one was good. I think in most anyplace you go, including a ball game, 1 good one in 6 is going to mean a fail. Our waiter was not very attentive at all. Toward the end of the meal, he did come back and checked on us, but by this time, we were ready to go. At a few times during our meal, we could see him just hanging out up and the cooks area, while our drinks were left to die a slow dry death. So, it looks like Cafe Ole has gone down hill and may go have the same fate as the recently passed On the Border. All I will say to this is; "Vaya Con Dios Cafe Ole:" read more

Oh My Goodness! This place is so yummy!!! I had the fish tacos and the husband had a shredded beef burrito. Can you say yum!? The food came out fast,fresh, and hot. The refried beans that come with the chips are delish and don't even get me started on the perfect chips and salsa. We will def come back!!!!! Love love love David was our server. Ask for him because he is great! read more

What a fun atmosphere, with some really good eats included! I was surprised that a bean dip came with the chips & salsa. I dont know about you, but I rate a mexican food restaurant based on their beans & their salsa. The bean dip was flavorful with a desireable texture & the salsa was flavorfully spicy, just right! Now I ordered chimichingas, which were delicious & my daughter, chicken flautas, which she liked so much, she called in a to go order again tonight! Definately a must experience!! YUM!! read more

Just ok. We got the huge appetizer sampler. Tons of food. We went home with 4 boxes of left over. There were times my drink was empty for 5 minutes or more and times where I had to ask him for a refill. Service was mediocre as the food. Two big sides of sour cream and guacamole for our appetizer for only $.50 each. That was nice. Chips and salsa were good. A little better then the Meridian location. Nicer ambiance. read more

Cafe Ole - Big appetizer - Mexican Near Me - Boise, Idaho

A smile can go a long way guys... you should try it. You're in the business... I'm not sure if there was a bad business meeting before they opened up the day we went, but the whole staff was just tired and unhappy looking! Aside from the sad crew, the food is always amazing. My favorite Spanish food ever! I've been to authentic, I've been to the most non-authentic, and by far Café ole always has my vote for number one. Best flavor, best variety, best drinks (which they know they already hold that title)! I've always loved the environment and decor! Super enjoyable to be in. read more

Simply put, this was an awful meal. The food was cold, the chips were stale, salsa with no substance. The server was lovely and apologized for the poor food quality. The most glaring problem were the fish tacos. Suffice it to say a cat wouldn't have eaten this garbage. I have eaten here several times over the years, that being 6 months ago. The experience was night and day. Sorry Cafe Ole, it used to be good. I hope this was just a bad night, but the server said the fish tacos were normally served like what we got. read more

I try and ignore most 1 star reviews because I don't think MOST restaurants actually sacrifice kittens on an alter of bones where they prepare your food like most 1 star reviews would have you believe. However... The waitress was more interested in recalling drunken escapades with the bartender than refilling my water so she just left a carafe on the table. The first dish, carnitas street tacos, was SWIMMING in grease and the avocado slices were crunchy. She nicely offered to bring me something else so I got the quesadilla. Much tastier (I ate 2 of the 4) but still drowning in grease. The table next to me offered fajitas and seemed VERY happy with them so that might be worth trying read more

When my wife and I started coming here a few months ago, the food was good as was the service. Lately, the last two times we had dinner, the restaurant has been "skimping" on the dinners, less on the meat and more on the rice and beans. The food was still tasty, however, the amount of pork being service is now half of what it used to be, and now you get twice as much rice. Our favorite dinner, Carnitas (supposed to be pork chunks), is now a few ounces of pulled pork. This is very disappointing to us. I know of another Mexican restaurant that give you huge chunks of pork carnitas, enough for two plate fulls at the same dinner price at Cafe Ole. We shall now be having more of our Mexican meals at this other restaurant. Perhaps one day, we shall return to see if anything has changed. Adios! read more

Love the atmosphere friendly nice and real authentic Mexican food. Nice music beer is cold and waitress and waiters are nice. I lived in Mexico for 3 years and I can say that this is the closest I got to real Mexican food since living in Idaho I'll be coming back soon. read more

Cafe Ole - Mexican Near Me - Boise, Idaho

Was really excited for a patio with happy hour that claims all adult drinks are half off from 3-6pm. We ordered 2 cadillac margaritas that are listed as $9 on the menu. Received the bill and the drinks were $11 each. Approached our sever about this and he immediately brought the manager over. The manager explained they raise the price of drinks at happy hour in order to make money. He said they were considering taking patron drinks off the happy hour menu and that we still got our drinks for $5. I said this is a very deceptive practice and they need a specific happy hour menu or to let patrons know this. He said it is what it is and didn't offer to do anything. Sad to see as I look at past reviews that this has been going on for at least 5 months. read more

We went for a paint night during the afternoon. The sevice was better than the food. I was brought a warm corona with a frosty mug

Besides being noisy the service is perfect and the food is awesome!!!!!!!! I would highly recommend this place if you are in a mood for genuine Hispanic food. read more

Cafe Ole is definitely a place to go when you're craving delicious Mexican food! I typically get the same thing every time, their tamales, but they never get it wrong! Not to mention, their chips and salsa are always fresh and tasty! There's some really awesome people who work there, and can accommodate both English and Spanish speakers, which is convenient for everyone! read more

I grew up going to the old Bodo location and it was always tasty and a treat for my family but this Cafe Ole is a far cry from that great restaurant of my youth. Now this, this is where it went downhill. I sat down with my daughter as my stomach yearned for beans. I ordered the enchilada ranchero with chicken and dug in. I went straight for those beans..those damn beans. My tastebuds? Unimpressed! Was this a joke? So many questions ran through my mind. They were flavorless. Lifeless. Bland. Were they spiced by Satan himself? No...even he would have more flavor! The rice was no better. Beans. The backbone of any Mexican restaurant. Get those wrong and you've gotten everything wrong. Service was good. But the food... it's unjustifiable. It's a lovely restaurant. What a shame. read more

Had a early dinner, was not good at all. Waiter seemed uninterested in serving us and slow. We are from out of town and if this was in my town I would not return.., We had enchiladas , chicken , crab and shrimp. The chicken was over cooked and the seafood was fishy. The rice was dry and tasteles. read more

Nice atmosphere, just ok food and drinks. Had the steak fajitas which were plentiful but not that tasty. Cadillac margarita was a bit sub par, definitely weak also. Great service however. read more

I am yet to find a good Mexican restaurant in Boise. Steer clear from Cafe Ole. I had the carnitas fajitas. It is a perfect example of quantity vs quality. Just because you give me twelve pounds of food doesn't mean I'll overlook the fact that it consists of greasy meat, overcooked vegetables and stale tortillas. Sorry guys. Try fresher ingredients and smaller portions. read more

We had the flautas! Amazing! Exactly what we were hoping for! Just read a review that the street tacos are better in a food truck.... Give me a break. The side carnitas taco was awesome! Being from SoCal (45 min from the border) I'm a decent judge of Mexican food. Try this place! It's authentic! Ask for Jeni! She was friendly and attentive! We'll be back! read more

Last night I went here with a friend, ordered a blended margarita and got one on the rocks, I dont like to complain so I kept it and didn't say anything so the next ones we ordered came out warm and the ice melted in a minute. After that we did say this is really warm could you shake it next time (we should not have to tell a bartender this) then another friend showed up ordered one no salt and she brought one with salt! After all this she didn't even apologize or offer to take a charge off. I will never go here again, so disappointed with the quality and service read more

Tried this place since I heard pretty good things about it. Waitress was very kind and attentive. Menu prices were a little steep even though you get a good portion. Over $50 for a party of 2 I'd expect to pay that at matador or a more high end restaurant. Food was good.. I wasn't WOWed by it. I miss on the border on overland before they closed down. Overall good place to enjoy lunch or dinner with the family if you don't care for pricing. read more

This place is gross period. Taco Bell has way better food than this place, I wanted to throw up on the table before I left please if you want good Mexican food don't come here!! read more

Café Ole has been doing a pretty decent job in the valley for as long as I can remember. Great margaritas the house salsa is delicious. I always love the many chimichangas. read more

Cafe Ole is conveniently located in downtown Boise, and the menu options are plentiful and affordable. The service was somewhat slow, and the food was fine, but not better than any other Mexican restaurant in Boise. read more

Most taco trucks are better than this place. I stopped in for happy hour and was sorely disappointed. The only thing that they got right was the beer. We have so many great Mexican food restaurants in this area (El Tenampa - Meridian , El Galo Giro - Kuna). My nachos were soggy and covered with what I can only describe as government cheese. It wasn't authentic. It was lazy, lifeless, boring, uninspired, bland Mexican food. I didn't even think it was possible to make Mexican food so bland and flavorless. Taco Bell has better Mexican food. read more

This restaurant has awesome food and service. Their salsa is incredible too! A great place to eat.

Food wasn't too bad. It was a Saturday night and there was no wait. Which was nice, but Cafe Ole used to be full. Service was prompt and was good no complaints. I'm glad they still offer the free birthday treat. read more

Terrible teribble hostess! Never a smile...just a quick glance. When people can't smile then they need to get a new job! It makes for never wanting to go back regardless of the food. read more

My daughter and I stopped here last Saturday in an attempt to have lunch. We were promptly seated and that was about it. There were only about 5-6 tables occupied in the restaurant, but we sat there for over 15 minutes, in the main dining area, with waitstaff occasionally walking through, without so much as being asked if we wanted something to drink. There wasn't a single person on staff that seemed to care to take our order or anything. So we decided to go to another nearby restaurant. On the way out, two people in the greeting area said "Have a nice day!". I told the hostess that no one had bothered to wait on us, but she said nothing, no apologies, just kind of shrugged. They don't care about customer service, and when you mention it they don't care about that. There are too many great places to eat in this area, do yourself a favor and skip this one! read more

Excellent! Best mexican restraunt in boise. Good chips and salsa & great salsa bar. Love the Arroz Con Pollo!!! So good !!! Margaritas are great too! read more

Awesome happy hour, got two apps and three drinks for about $20. Solid margaritas. Pretty stereotypical Boise, Idaho Mexican joint.

I had high hopes that the food I ordered was going to be as good as I remember the old downtown location was from many years ago. The food had no flavor. The chicken fajitas were so bland and tasteless. The taco al pastor was ok but the shells just dripped grease and tore as soon as you picked them up. The salsa was so watery and had no consistency to it you couldn't get anything to stay on the chips. read more

Service and food are consistently good. Menu does t change much. They have a salsa bar. Service is quick. No frills, but a place we have come to for years. read more

Passing thru Boise. Asked hotel desk for nearby Mexican. Recommended Ole. Even tho they were short staffed the servers went out of their way to make us feel well cared for. The Sopa de Jefe is to die for - more than just a bowl of soup, it was a yummy meal. And the margaritas are excellent. read more

A Boise standard, this is still reliably good Mexican food. It's not dazzling TexMex, nor will you find exotic incarnations of Mexican standards. But it is solid and tasty with excellent service, food NOT swimming in grease. Family friendly. read more

They have the best salsa. The service was ok but the old was really good. You should go their.

We used to come here quite a bit and it was great. The happy hour was a great deal. However over the past year they have continued to raise the prices on the drinks. We went last night and it will unfortunately be our last. Happy hour boasts half price on all drinks. My margarita was $7.50. Seriously? Who would pay $15 full price for a margarita? We didn't sit in the bar because we wanted to a more quite experience. It really wasn't quite though because too many people brought their screaming children which is not Cafe Ole's fault. We never received any water, just our drinks. They quality of food here is starting to go downhill. It just isn't that tasty anymore. It seems like the prices have gone up unfortunately. It was really expensive for just two dinners and two drinks. We used to come here quite a bit and it is another restaurant that we will not be coming back to. Very sad to say. read more

Cafe Ole' has been around for a long time. It is the best Mexican restaurant in the Boise area. Some food is standard for those who like to don't like to try new things. Their tortilla soup is AMAZING, so fresh and served in a very unique way. They pride themselves on authentic recipes and update them periodically. You have many choices around here for Mexican, but Cafe Ole's is best! Try the Cabrito margarita. read more

Cafe Ole is always a favorite of mine because they serve beans with the chips and salsa and most places don't. I am a recent transplant to Boise, so I've gone here several times. The mall location seems to be a staff of eyecandy, both the men and women working there seem to all be great looking, which doesn't hurt. They seem to enjoy their jobs and be having a good time, which really helps especially during happy hour. Anyhow, back to the meat. It's great that they do nightly half off drinks in the bar. Not sure why the negative reviews on here complain it's not authentic, or it's a casual chainy like place. Duhh. And I dunno what the country bumpkin means by "brainless biz quiks and yup Duhs" ... sounds like he's got something against society. Of course it's not authentic, and of course it's like a chain. It's meant to be exactly that. If you go in with expectations of a home cooked mexican family dinner, you're out of line. It's decent food (I recommend the Mushroom Quesadilla!), for reasonable prices. If you want authentic mexican cuisine, go elsewhere. If you want americanized mexican, Cafe Ole is a great place! read more