There are two Mexican spots to eat in New Castle PA. El Canelo on Wilmington rd., and the place on 224 going to Poland OH. i've eaten at both several times each. El Canelo is just better. the other one is always packed. i'm guessing because it's nice and safe and tastes just like what your Mom who really isn't crazy about all that flavor would like. Hey, I get it! I grew up eating pirogies fried in butter and served with more butter and a big glop of sour cream. It's definitely a filling meal. and then there is El Canelo, i had been just getting to go. they had some good street tacos (only took 40 years, but i get to eat street tacos in the Midwest!) and they cook the most tender (tenderest?) pork i've ever had anywhere. in fact, if you like carnitas on a taco, in a burrito, as part of an adobo, this is it. El Canelo has better carnitas than any other joint and that includes the new place in Boardman! (look it up) Wife got the chimichanga. which she gets literally every single time at every single amex Resaurant we've been too. This time, i tried hers. shredded beef and chicken in the other one. It was thoroughly enjoyable. seriously so. she had one of my soft (not flour tortilla, CORN heated on the flat grill, like was intended!) tacos. AL PASTOR TACOS that i finished. and THAT is the upshot. we both finished our meals completely. even the refritos (refrigerated fritos, look it up) for the first time pretty much ever. i can't remember the last time either of us didn't haul home a styrofoam container full of shredded lettuce and beans and guacamole, just so i could throw it out two days later. now, just one thing, they use some spice in the salsa and guacamole here. the mild salsa is great! the guacamole is great too, but probably spiced up past what you ever tasted in guacamole. the interior is just fine. the food is killer, and the salsa is really great, or really hot. depending on what you get. the pics. sorry, i usually do a better job. but i was hungry. and the wife's chimichangas, bet it's the first time you saw chimis that weren't the size of a large stuffed cabbage. these chimichangas were great. the seasoned beef and the chicken was just so darn goood! read more

El Canelo - chimichangas. good? more like great! - Mexican Near Me - New Castle, Pennsylvania

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When we tried this, the first time was vaguely okay. The 2nd and last time, it was NOT good. The refried beans were watery and tasteless. And in general they had some things that did not seem authentic. It just wasn't really good. If you want a great pork carnitas burrito, go to Los Amigos on State st in New Castle. read more

Great atmosphere Food is delicious Service is amazing People are very friendly Pricey are comparable to most Mexican restaurants read more

Based on other reviews I had high hopes that I would finally find good Mexican food in PA. Sadly it was not to be. The enhiladas were made with some sort of mexican flavored beige gravy, not enchilada sauce. Not visually appealing and not good tasting, I know CA Mexican has got me spoiled, but I make enchilada sauce at home, it's really not that hard. And the mushrooms they put on top were terrible- tasted like bitter dirt, mushrooms do not go with Mexican food, what a horrible idea. My husband's burrito was ok and the chips and salsa were pretty good. But if you can't make an enchilada, I'm done. Update* My husband has been having bad gut issues all day today, so the burrito was NOT ok. read more

Best Mexican food I've ever had. Pittsburgh where I live does not have any Mexican places like this. Service is very quick and efficient, you can't beat the prices, and the authentic taste of real Mexican food is second to none. My go to is the chicken fajitas!! read more

The decor consists of tables laminated with local businesses business cards. The walls are fake brick. With that said, I wasn't expecting much so I was pleasantly surprised to see shrimp, crab and lobster on the menu. Chips and a mild salsa arrived as I was seated. The menu lacks a house salad so I ordered a taco salad with intentions of only eating a portion. Iceberg lettuce with ground meat smothered in a white cheese sauce ... it was described as dinner size ... not ... and it didn't have salsa or guac... I did not enjoy it. I was curious about the lobster options. I ordered the lobster fajitas. Langstino lobsters were plentiful and well seasoned. It's obvious that fresh ingredients were used ... but the guac was pureed thin and very bland. The waiter was very attentive. For a community with few Mexican options, it was ok. Coming from restaurant options including various spice levels and thick chunky guac ... it didn't meet my needs. read more

I get takeout now, and love Mexican food, so highly recommend this restaurant. You can call ahead, but it doesn't take long to prepare an order of nachos, chicken and cheese, so just drive up to the takeout window, and get your order in about ten minutes. Yum! read more

Went to westminny so taco tuesday was always a treat for us. the beef tacos are fire. the service was always great and the family is super cool and work unbelievably hard from what i can tell. great establishment! read more

I cannot leave zero stars. So El Canelo receives one star. 1) Tamales are pork, not beef. They should not be a wad of masa with shredded skirt steak in the center. 2) Chile con carne sauce should be dark red and more chile than carne. The beef used was greasy and the sauce nearly water. I've had more kick from a can of Hormel tamales and, believe it or not, those tasted better.. 3) Refried beans should not have an identifiable bean anywhere in them. They also should not be runny. If you want to make borracho beans, then do so. This was some unhappy marriage between the two. Again, this and watery. 4) Rice should not come from a mix. Nor should rice be crunchy. 5) An adult lime slushie is the correct description because that was nothing like a margarita. 6) Tacos were ordered hard shell but came out waterlogged and tasteless. 7) Ketchup is more flavorful than the salsa and the chips were greasy. 8) The only positive was that the 2 soft drinks ordered were the right size and the right drink. The Two State Rule has been confirmed beyond a reasonable doubt. Beware Montezuma and his revenge. read more

Never a bad meal here. Great pricing. Friendly staff. Excellent margaritas. Decent beer selection. 13/10

We visited this location post balloon festival. Along with my father and Jennifer. We walk in to no air conditioning, it's hot and nasty and flies are buzzing around. I from research found out this is a former Wendy's, it's small and cramped. We only have one male on the flood, two younger girls who are wandering around unhappy and not wanting to be at work and have zero personality. The kitchen with a guy in a tank top and shorts, it looks like a broom closet. He has to be dying if we are this hot eating. Our cheese dip is like water consistency by far inedible our salsa is empty along with our drinks just see the pics I posted. Stay away I can't believe they have four of these places locally and are allowed to have a food license and Charge for this food. My food was unedible after one bite. This has never happened to me. Sad epic fail of a location. read more

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I drive half an hour to come here and I have never said it wasn't worth it. I love this place. I think their food is amazing, portions are always perfect and you will most likely get to leave with leftovers. Very nice people working here and the drive thru pickup window is so convenient. Love it! read more

Should you find yourself in New Castle, let El Canelo be the oasis your stomach so desires. Once seated, you will be greeted with homemade chips and salsa. They chips aren't salted, and they compliment the salsa perfectly. El Canelo also has the largest beverage cups in a 50 mile radius. Really though, in the 10+ years I've eaten here I've never had something I wouldn't eat again. Must Haves: Homemade bottled soda Special La Casa Camarones a la Diablo Dinner for 2 Nachos Fajitas Queso Fundidos The servers are friendly, the food comes fast, and overall it's looking like.... El Canelo : Flawless Victory read more

You know how Chappy know's this is authentic Mexican? Because I asked the waitress for no beef and she said in broken English "Okay no beans!" If you want real Mexican this is place, trust old Chappy he's been to Mexico. It's the absolute best thing to happen to New Castle since... well nothing really good has happened to New Castle so this is the best. I order the quesadilla's just about every time, only problem is I love sour Crème and I don't get enough and extra sour cream cost Chappy 85 cents. I drink a lot of water. The waitress refilled my cup six times! Do you know what kind of Mexican Zen Waitress focus it takes to refill a cup six times during service? RECOMMENDATION: Go for lunch, the portions are just as big but its much cheaper. read more

This was an old Wendy's many years ago and has been converted into this Mexican restaurant. The service is very good as you are greeted quickly and chips and salsa our on your table practically before you sit down. Huge menu with many options. The fajitas are really good but found the tacos to be somewhat bland. Overall if you want something quick for lunch this place is just fine. read more

We just moved here from So. Cal. I had been craving good Mexican food, tried a few places, only to be disappointed. Sunday afternoon drive, came upon Canela. Nice authentic Tex/Mex, we knew it would be good because the salsa was fresh and tasty. We had the Chimichanga with rice and beans. DELICIOUS!! Highly recommend read more

I really wanted to like this place. I came here based on a recommendation of a family friend. The outside temperature was quite hot, you would think they would have air running but I guess not. The mexican food was ok, nothing great at all. I got the fajitas and they tasted so bland. The waitress was nice I guess, but the food just wasn't that great. Maybe it's just not a place for me, but thats my opinion on this place! read more

We were in the area and we're not familiar with any restaurant. We ended up at the El Canelo. They had a wonderful buffet lunch that was excellent. From the freshness to the flavor it was most excellent. The seasoning level was delicious. We were told that the dinner buffet has even more delicious selections. We would gladly travel from Butler to dine there again. read more

We stopped in after seeing this restaurant on Yelp. There wasn't a wait at 2:30pm on a Sunday. There were a couple of guys working that were friendly and attentive. We liked the chips and salsa (mild). We had the burrito and taco lunch meal which was prepared quickly. It had a good flavor. If in the area again, I'd stop by. read more

Okay, we kinda like eating at El Canelo. If you're old enough to remember that it used to be a Wendy's, they've made some changes. It is a rather dated remodel though. Don't go for the ambiance! After the PSU game was over on Saturday and won, we made our way to eat. At 7:30 pm, we only had several tables to choose from. Waiters are always friendly, promptly bringing chips and really good fresh salsa while taking your drink order. We love their Mexican cheese and chorizo sausage appetizer, so that's how we began. We ordered two dinners from their long list of entrees, beef/cheese enchilada and chicken burrito, with refried beans, tomato slice, sour cream, lettuce, and guacamole. Neither of us could quite finish our meals, but we did manage to ask for more chips and salsa! Total cost for two with ice tea; $21.00. read more

I love El Canelo -- tasty rice and fresh chips. The last time I was there, the food came out fast -- didn't even have time to demolish the chips and salsa and ask for seconds. The inside is small and not much ambiance, but I don't like every meal to feel like an event. Sometimes I just want to munch on chips, inhale my food and get on with my day. read more

I really wanted to like this restaurant. It is the only game in town so I was praying it was good because I didn't want to go cold turkey on Mexican food. Alas, I'm look for a support group to get me through this. Ok, the scoop. I've seen the El Canelo delivery van cruising around the town so I'm thinking "cool beans, simplified dinner on one of the crazy days". So needless to say, we had one of those all day when you're outside all day then dinner time rolls around. I mention the delivery option to my DH and then give them a call. The delivery person didn't show up to work so no delivery. Sigh. Ok, I'll get it to go. Place my order which I'm told will be 20 mins. I arrive at exactly 20 mins and am told it'll be right out. So I wait and wait and waited some more. My 20 minute pick up taco salad and carne tacos took an additional 23 minutes after my arrival time. Double sigh. Get it home and find that the carne in the carne tacos is fairly dry and the taco salad is topped with what looks like beef stroganoff (definitely not taco seasoned ground beef), there is also a huge dollop of sour cream on top which asked for none of. The chips are ok, not freshly made as you would expect from a restaurant. The salsa is comparable to a local supermarket's version you can get in a plastic container, like lumpy dull ketchup. The salsa may be this regions idea of salsa though because I see this type everywhere. Not the fresh veggie and herb version (like the texture of pico de gallo) I'm used to. The dining room was very diner-ish in setup with some Mexican theme posters and signs. It was live music night which was way too loud. It also gets very crowded for pick up if there is more than two people waiting to pick up. The removal of the take out beer cooler would probably help that. I don't think this will be a do over for us. read more

We live 2 blocks away and come here at least once a week. Authentic Mexican food and super fast service. The alcoholic drinks are big and inexpensive. Salsa and chips as soon as you sit down. It does get crowded, but we've never had to wait for a table. They have several other locations and we've been to all of them as well. They are all good. I always get the pollo salad and my husband usually gets the tacos de carne asada. We've NEVER had bad food here or bad service. And we've been eating here for years. read more

By far my favorite place to eat in NC. There have been instances where I have gone to Canelo for both lunch and dinner. Sometimes two days in a row. It's that good! Service is great and you will be shocked at how fast your food hits the table. Prices are great for such good food. Go out and support this local business! read more

Some of the best Mexican food I've had. The menu is overwhelming with the number of choices that they have, and unless you're familiar with Mexican food it's difficult to know what everything is. That being said, you probably won't end up with a bad selection with whatever you get. I recommend their fajitas meal as a good choice if you're unsure of what to get. On this most recent visit they forgot to include the rice and beans with my tacos, but it was still more than I could finish on my own. There are complimentary chips and salsa and the cheese sauce is a must. read more

This is a standard Mexican restaurant with all the varieties of tortilla-based items that you think of, plus a list of entree offerings. The atmosphere is festive with constant background music, the place is clean and colorful, and the waitress is nice and attentive. The menu itself is actually really large, with the lunch menu (again with all the combinations of burritos, tacos, chilaquiles, quesadillas, etc.) taking up a full page of probably 30 or 40 items. Most things on that menu were less than $8 and easily sound like full meals; outside of the lunch offerings, items were still mostly less than $10 or $11. We ordered a dinner-portion fajitas tejanas, which was essentially a combo with chicken, steak, shrimp, and chorizo. It came out sizzling hot and was tasty all around, along with the standard sides of salad, guac, rice, baked beans, and flour tortillas. We got a lunch-portion crabmeat quesadilla as well, which also came with some of those sides. Finally, I'd have to mention that the tortilla chips provided at the beginning were fried just right and were crispy and warm. read more

El Canelo - Fajitas tejanas - Mexican Near Me - New Castle, Pennsylvania

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a consistent favorite, and a staple for anytime i come through the area. some of the best and most authentic mexican around. +1 for authentic mexican. +1 for great service. it's not uncommon for the owner to wait on your table. +1 for wide menu. +1 for cheap prices. highly recommended. read more

Better Mexican food than any place I've been to in the Pittsburgh area. Flavor, smells and textures similar to what I found in Texas. Definitely worth checking out. read more

I unexpectedly enjoyed this restaurant. The place is a little bare bones and cheap looking, but the food is superior to any other Mexican restaurant within a 30 mile radius. Prices are cheap and the service was excellent. I highly recommend the tacos de carne asada as the, meat was excellent and cooked to perfection, which a lot of other Mexican restaurants seems to screw up. This is now my favorite restaurant in the area. read more

As usual the food was excellent. The only complaint is the wait staff are slow and unprofessional. The whole place is freezing, so bring a jacket to wear read more

My husband and I eat here constantly. The food is excellent and service is super fast. Everything I've tried has been amazing and you can't beat the price. Its simply delicious and reliable and anyone who says otherwise does not know what they are talking about. The servers may not be 5 star caliber but really when the food is that good, you don't want to talk to anyone anyways. read more

A little small and cramped for seating since it used to be a fast food place, but the cherry margaritas are amazing and the food is always great! read more

We Lived in Tucson Az. for a number of years. El Canelo has the BEST Mexican food even over our favorite place in Tucson. Over all the years we have enjoyed the friendly atmosphere, and look forward for our next visit. read more

The only place to go in New Castle for Mexican food. I am Italian, as are most other NC natives. That being said, I am always in the mood for macaroni when I come home from school. The only other cuisine I crave is Canelo! Great service and quality every time. read more

Total poop show. Pre-made Bacteria SLUDGE food makes you sick, bad customers service, and even worse attitudes from the employees(and owner) makes this the worse place to eat. The five times I went; there has been an issue. I assure this: you WILL BE WRONG and the customer is never right. read more

This places has been a staple in our town for over 10 year. Authentic Mexican food for a great price.

Always a great choice for authentic Mexican. I have been going here since they opened years ago, and have NEVER received poor service of any kind. The food is fantastic and consistent each time you go, the service is the fastest in the county, and above all it's all priced for those on a budget. Do yourself a favor and eat here as much as you can, you won't be disappointed. read more

Great food and great service!! They are attentive to taking your order quickly and making sure you always have a full basket of chips and salsa. read more

Amazing authentic Mexican food. Friendly, knowledgeable, helpful staff. Fast service.

One of the best Mexican restaurants I've ever been to! The food is amazing and the service is awesome! Love it!