I've been going here for 10 years. After tonight, I won't be returning ever again. My experience sounds a lot like an earlier reviewer's... There's a middle-aged waiter who seats you, brings your drink... and then vanishes on you. Well, he did it again tonight. Finally, I had to ask the cashier to send him to take my order. *She took the order... then I sat another 15 minutes, empty soda glass, so I got up, found the frigin guy and say "So...?" "It's not ready yet". He replies. After asking why he never came back to take my order, or to refill my drink, I had enough and walked out & said "No Mas". - To which he (loudly) said "Bye". Twice. You got that part right pal, BYE. There are 2 or 3 long-time waiters in there that pull this s**t, I guess tonight was the last straw for me. Hacienda for me from now on. No manager in sight to complain to. Nothing great about the food anyway, just a comfortable neighborhood Mex joint to go to... Bottom line: The women waitresses are great, the guys, (w/ a couple exceptions) kinda suck, ignore you and vanish when you really need them. read more

Decent chips/salsa, and some good menu items if you stray from the run of the mill American/Mexican combo and lunch choices. Tried the Pollo Mexicana for lunch today, it was basically a more authentic Mexican fajitas, with chicken, fresh cilantro, jalepeno and pico de gallo. read more

My veggie burrito was filled with canned vegetables. And not just any canned vegetables: Veg-All, the unholy mix of carrots, peas, potatoes, green beans, corn, lima beans, and celery that your twice-divorced boozehound aunt uses to make her nasty casserole at Thanksgiving. Seriously, Aunt Carol, go back to the congealed salad. At least it wasn't uniformly brown. read more

Really good food and drinks and the servers were friendly. The food didn't take long and we enjoyed the overall evening.

This place is pretty good. Nothing special, but if you need your Mexican food fix this place will do. It's the best Mexican place I've found so far in Bham. The best dish is the steak a la Mexicano. good stuff. Margaritas are VERY good. Overall, it is good. Not great. read more

Wow!!! Authentic Mexican food indeed! Being from the southern part of Texas, we have the best Mexican / Tex-Mex foods and restaurants. El Cazador is right at the top among the best. It is probably... Burmingham's best kept secret. read more

Not even close to what I was expecting after reading the reviews. The cheese dip was good. But that's about it. If you want good Mexican food, eat at the iguana grill in Hoover. Excellent food. You will be glad you read this review. Trust me I know Mexican food. This is nowhere close to authentic read more

Why El Caz must you taunt me with pitchers of margaritas. Good chips, queso and food. The service is beyond friendly. This is my neighbors favorite place so when H wants Mexican Meli and Shan must drink a pitcher! read more

We love El Cazador ! The service is great! You can not sit down before the delicious basket of Mexican chips and salsa is on your table. Their margaritas are delicious, both frozen and on the rocks. The food is great. Quesidas, tamales, salads etc. it is not fancy, just good Mexican at a reasonable price. See you there! read more

Food is your typical Mexican found in the south. Service was garbage: they didn't have any alcohol in their Margaritas so we politely asked if they would take them back and we had Coronas instead but they still charged us for the Margaritas. read more

Very tasty Mexican. The service was awfully slow after we received our food. Everything up to that point was great, but the waiting for a to-go box and the check was a bit lethargic. We enjoyed the food very much though. read more

My new favorite mexican joint! The bean dip, queso, and margaritas are the best in town! I'm quite picky... so, very happy I found this place. They'll be seeing plenty of me. The burrito Maravilla was fantastic. Can't wait to come back. read more

Our family's favorite Mexican spot! As far as cheap, quick Mexican goes, this is it! The service is always prompt and the people there are always so kind and funny. They are always patient with my husband as he likes to practice his Spanish with them. :) We've never had a bad experience there. Even on cinco de mayo when there was not a parking spot anywhere close, we were seated and served in a very timely manner. We love to take our kids or just go on a little date. The margaritas are always good (and strong) and I've yet to find a dish that I didn't love. They usually have some sort of special going on. We always love to go on Thursday nights when their fajitas (chicken and steak) AND margaritas (pitcher and by the glass) are both on special. Thursdays are the new Friday in our household. read more

Decent Mexican. Ok service. Chili rellenos are not there specialty. Guac is ok. Salsa is ok. Very casual environment. Bathrooms are not the cleanest. I did enjoy my beef burrito. I like their ground beef. Taco salad is very basic but good as well. read more

The décor is definitely American Mexican look. My fave meal is definitely breakfast. Be sure to get the Chorizo con Heuvos (Mexican sausage with scrambled eggs). Very very tasty. Some of the best I've had in Alabama. I also enjoy lunch and dinner as well. The margarita specials on Thursdays are excellent. It's an expensive place to bring friends, especially if you want to pick up the check ;) The fajitas are very good, which are on special each Thursday as well. The service is fast, efficient, and friendly. Couldn't ask for more in a Mexican joint. read more

i have been going to el cazador for years. i literally would go every saturday. i mean every saturday! i only got one thing and that is the chicken fajitas cooked well with rice but no beans. i got an ice tea too. i never had to ask for a menu and some of the staff would come to the table and already know what i wanted. you could even smell the food from the parking lot and that would just make you all the more hungry. i just recently move to atlanta ga. and with all the many cultures here and diverse food items i can't for the life of me find a decent mexican joint. they may come as a surprise but it's true!!!! oh how i miss my chicken fajitas!!! i hope to get over to el cazador real soon and enjoy my regular saturday afternoon meal. read more

I don't think they gave AC. It is VERY hot on here. I asked if they had AC and he pointed at ceiling fan. SLOW service. Had to listen to crying baby. It is so rude of parents to let their babies cry excessively and allow kids to act out in a restaurant. If you can't control your kids, LEAVE!!! Food was good. read more

I love going to El Caz with friends. Their margaritas are pretty good and they have a very extensive menu. However, as other people have mentioned, the place is crawling with little kids. I am not a fan of little kids and they are always running around here. If you are easily annoyed by little ones, I would ask to be seated away from them if possible. Their food is amazing though. Make sure you have enough time to sit and enjoy because the service is slow! read more

For some reason I was nervous about trying El Caz for the first few years we lived in the neighborhood. We had several other nearby Mexican restaurants we liked and just stuck to those. But some of those aren't the same quality they used to be and after hearing others say positive things about El Caz lately, we decided to try it. We've been four times now, and I have to say it's pretty great! It's what you'd expect of a typical Mexican restaurant. It's very clean and has great prices, especially at lunch. I highly recommend the fajitas, but their combination plates are great too. They have outside seating and usually aren't super crowded, so it'd be a good place for groups or kids. I'm glad I finally tried it! read more

This used to be one of my all time favorite places in town. Great food, great service and inexpensive. For the last year it has gotten worse and worse. Initially, the service got bad (and I mean, really REALLY BAD).. but I thought, eh... who needs good service? The food is still great and the price is right! But then... the food got bad (and I mean, really REALLY BAD). Yet I continued to go thinking... their having an off night... or any other excuse I could think of to allow myself to think the next time I go, it will be like before. I give up. I'm done. I've had my last meal at El Caz and I feel like I am breaking up with a long time lover. read more

I love el caz. It's pretty much the perfect used-to-be-a-Quincy's Mexican joint. The tamales rule, and so do the poblanos. Try "Los compadres," that's my favorite thing on the menu. Also, go by on Thursdays for $8 fajitas and $5 pitchers. read more

Love this place! A step above other "cheap" Mexi spots with a huge, interesting menu. Love that they have black beans, fresh corn tortillas, and healthier seafood options. Favorite dishes are the shrimp with sautéed garlic and tacos el carbon with steak. read more

Cheap prices & delicious fajitas. I always have lots of leftovers because the serving size is very large. Margaritas are average. Service is very fast. Large parking lot so no problems finding a space. Usually there is little to no wait for a table. Overall the food is delicious for the price. read more

Tasty and affordable! Just watch out for Sundays because it can take a while for your food to arrive.

We have been coming here every week for 6 years. The Thursday night specials are awesome. Chicken and steak fajitas plus $2.50 margaritas. The grande chicken burrito is huge and yummy. My hubby's favorite. I love the plain steak burrito topped with cheese dip and a whole sliced avocado on the side. Very reasonable prices and the staff is always friendly and efficient. Our go to Mexican restaurant! read more

Cheap Mexican eats and the service to match. Ambivalence when you are serving up fungible food is an interesting business model.

i love this place. menu is full of different things you can't get anywhere else. chicken soup is superb. vegetable medley is 100.

I love, love, love love my El Cazador. I have been dining here for about four years now and the service is always GREAT! The entire staff is a pleasure; the food is really good; the drinks are wonderful; the background music is even quite enjoyable. The staff really makes my family and me welcomed and appreciated for our business. I recommend this place to ALL of my family, friends, coworkers, outoftowners, strangers, anyone. If you want a great place to enjoy food, drinks, music, and good people, try El Cazador. You won't be disappointed. read more

From Birmingham and this food was fantastic! really wonderful, great service and great food

If you want authentic Mexican food and the best margaritas, look no further than Chef Rick Bayless' flagship restaurant.

This Mexican restaurant is probably the best Mexican restaurant in Birmingham, and the most authentic. The chips & salsa were very authentic, and the spicy salsa was more flavorful than most spicy salsas I eat. There were many vegetarian options available, and I was pleased with the quality of the food. The beans and rice were extremely flavorful, and I look forward to trying the vegetarian fajitas on my next visit. The prices were also very reasonable, and the service was very prompt. Overall, this was a great Mexican restaurant that I will be returning too. read more

I came for dinner with a large group. Our waiter was very nice and accommodating. It took about an hour for us to get our food (from the time we were seated). The salsa is good with a medium heat. I ordered the carnitas platter (pork, beans, rice, salad). The carnitas were tough and did not have any color to them. They were just white chunks of pork. The beans, rice, and salad didn't have any flavor. Overall, mediocre Mexican food and I wouldn't come again. read more

All around perfect experience. Cozy, comfortable atmosphere, great prices, wonderful help, and delicious food! Who knew Birmingham had great Mexican food to offer? read more

Hands down...the best REAL Mexican food in Birmingham. great quality, clean and very friendly staff all at a reasonable price.

El Caz is a good spot for cheap mexican food. It will not blow your socks off, but it is about as good as it gets for greasy mexican cuisine. No surprises on the menu. read more

El Cazador is my FAVORITE Mexican restaurant in Birmingham. The service is always quick and friendly with very little wait after you place your order. They have proven over and over again that they are more than willing to make whatever it is you order how YOU want it. They have fabulous salsa, with chips that are always nice & hot. Atmosphere is nice & casual so you don't feel out of place in jeans & a T-shirt. Their prices are great, and the food is awesome!!! What more could you want in a dining experience. read more

After being a regular here for 12 years, no one has ever greeted me in a friendly way, not once. no hello, no welcome, come in. Nothing. We eat there as a neighborhood only because it is convenient. The service is slow and surly. The spinach they use is canned. The other evening, I was visiting with a neighbor while two of the servers sat in a booth where there was a boy in a high chair. He was about 3 and playing a video game on a cell phone. It was one of the obnoxious ones that has repetitive beeping sounds. I was two tables away and asked them to turn down the volume on the game. They refused. Fifteen minutes later, I asked again. Just turn down the volume. One of them called me a b**ch and told me to move to another table if I didn't like the noise. read more

My favorite Mexican restaurant in town. Great service for both take-out and eat-in. Always fast and consistent.

We were visiting Birmingham from Texas, and I would say this is about the best Mexican Food I have ever eaten. Highly recommend.

I love their shrimp soup for a healthier option! Huge serving that I can rarely finish... lots of shrimp, avocado, and rice. Its great if you're in the mood for something light, but filling! read more