Food was great, we were seated quickly and the service was friendly, fast and efficient. We'll be back!

This is my favorite Mexican place in the area! All of the entrees I've tried have been delicious and full of flavor-- and we're usually seated pretty quickly. My favorite thing is the burrito al carbon or the rice with steak, peppers, onions, and cheese. Good for kids and groups as well! They usually always have sports on tvs all around the restaurant. And we've never had a bad server in the 15+ times we've visited. read more

I was craving Mexican! So the husband agreed and we decided to try out El centinela in flowery branch since our favorite one is in Braselton. It was pretty mid. Food was bland, not a lot of seasoning to none. The chips and salsa were okay. The service was okay, nothing out of the normal or over the top. Overall it's a little outdated and seems to be like any other Tex mex restaurant in Georgia. This one can definitely go in the "nothing extraordinary but scratch an itch" pile. read more

El Centinela - Quesadilla Texana with veggies - Mexican Near Me - Flowery Branch, Georgia

Great food and great service reasonable price and not a long wait. I recommend this restaurant to anybody. Doubly so if you like Mexican food. read more

We love this restaurant! I go here with my friends and we always request Pepe. He's always the best and very friendly and attentive. We go here weekly! Enjoy read more

Service was OK when placing a to-go order. I'm pretty pciky about my Mexican food, so I haven't found my true go-to place. Not sure this place would be it. I did like the combo #2 which was a a 2 meal dish. read more

Three stars is pretty generous for the experience we had. No issues with our server at all. The issue is the food being super bland. Started off with chips and salsa, pretty standard. Appreciated the warmth of the chips and the salsa was decent. I also ordered bean dip. This is one of those that should be pretty standard, I mean it's only beans. But for whatever reason it tasted like it had some type of burnt unpleasant taste to it. I am taking all of it home with me to see if it's something that could be doctored up, but to be determined. I also ordered the veggie fajitas, minus the cheese and sour cream. The serving size was pretty big which excited me. The vegetables include onions, bell peppers, mushrooms and broccoli. The vegetables lacked a great deal of flavor. It only tasted like it was smoked, but not seasoned. I'm not sure if it's one of those places that relies on the meats and cheeses to provide the flavors for the dishes that they have, but as a vegan it was quite disappointing as the food was very bland. We were in the area and decided to grab some lunch after a business meeting, but I can't say that I would visit them again. read more

See all

Dinner was great again. Service was not so good. Our waiter took our order, brought our food and disappeared not to be seen again until he had the check. I had Combination #17 which is a chulpa, a taco and a chille rellano. All were delicious! There was a lot of guacamole on my chalupa and lots of cheese on the taco and that's the way I like them! Thanks again for another yummy meal and Merry Christmas! read more

Absolutely fantastic food and exceptional service make this spot a must-visit for the entire family! And don't miss out on their legendary margaritas--they're an absolute game-changer! read more

BEST TACOS EVER!!! They can get pretty busy especially on weekends, but they still try to get to you as fast as possible. I always get their tacos al pastor which is just simply one of the best tacos I've ever had. Their enchiladas and fajitas are also pretty good. So when you're craving Mexican or if it's a girls night out, try this place out!! read more

Our favorite place for Taco Tuesday. Eli is the best waitress and we always request her section.

The food was good. Did it have shredded beef or pork. The wait staff was cordial and asking if everything was ok or did I Ned anything. No internet so it was a cash only meal. The atmosphere as good. Music a little loud. read more

Ordered the enchiladas alacart (2 chicken & 1 cheese) for $10. It tasted like they used Velveeta cheese. I've never had anything like it. The sauces was like a ru gravy which didn't taste right. I didn't like any of it. read more

Great food and great service. Always prompt with the beverages when you walk in the door.

Was a little frustrated because I felt like the server was not listening. There were only 3 of us at the table. Placed our drink orders and put the wrong drinks down in front of us (I normally wouldn't complain about something this small but I've had stomach surgery and can't have any carbonation). We asked for cheese dip without jalapeños, got jalapeños in it. The reason I gave my review 4 stars though was because my quesadilla was PACKED full of steak. Went to the bathroom and it cracked me up. Instead of removing the broken locks, they just went up the door adding more locks. read more

See all

As far as Mexican restaurants go this one is ok but my problem with them is the food took way to long to come out and they don't know what a Chile Relleno is. I spoke with the manager and he was adamant that their recipe was correct regardless of how many pictures of chili rellenos I showed him from a simple google search. He said they called what I showed him a Poblano pepper but that is the name of the pepper not a recipe. read more

El Centinela - Their "Chile Relleno" - Mexican Near Me - Flowery Branch, Georgia

Super great food and service. Great attitude and atmosphere. Well running restaurants

Great food! Great margs! Great service!! I'd recommend the fajitas, Texas Margs, and good company! All of the waiters are wonderful. 10/10 read more

This is not authentic Mexican food. It's pre-made not from scratch Mexican American food. I can't stand when they give you that soggy ass lettuce salad with your tacos. True Mexican tacos come with seasoned meats, onion, and cilantro. The tacos I had were big, that earned 1 star. Rice was boring and the beans were lacking any sign of them being refried. Chips were greasy and the salsa was spicy, I didn't care for it. If you like creamy cheese dip, do not order it here. It's more of a runny liquid. The 2nd star comes from the margaritas. They are pretty potent. Service is slow, the decor is eh, and there was no life or Spanish music playing. I guess it's okay for Georgians, but for this Chicago man, it failed me! I won't be back. Tacos, tacos had better tacos! read more

I've eaten here on a number of occasions, and I think the only complaint we've ever had is that the entryway is smooshed and cramped if you're trying to get in and then wait for a table. You feel like you're spilling over on top of the folks either eating at the adjacent booth or table, or that you're in the way of other people waiting to pay at the front desk. I've never had any major concerns with the service; some staff is more friendly than others, but overall dining experiences at this El Centinela have always been positive. I've tried to eat as many different dishes off of the rather large menu as I've been able to try, and none have disappointed me. For the other Mexican restaurant options in the surrounding area, this one makes my belly smile the most! read more

El Centinela - "Vegetable Salad" a colorful treat. Sauteed veggies (add chicken or meat.) - Mexican Near Me - Flowery Branch, Georgia

I have never entered any establishment where you are not greeted. Totally ignored trying to pick up an order. Never again

Ok, food is good. I ordered the enchiladas "suizas" that are really enchiladas de mole. I mean it's like calling a cheeseburger a hotdog on the menu. They should probably correct that on the menu. Didn't ding them on it, but seriously get it fixed. Enchiladas were good. I got the spinach and cheese in all three. Rice was fresh, you could tell it was cooked that day. I hate getting served leftover rice. Service was good, waitress was friendly and responsive. Good place for Mexican food, recommend. read more

See all

Used to love this place, but lunch today, fajitas - little stringy strings of chicken wasn't even sure it was, pieces of onions root ends and tomatoe ends, refried beans were beyond too salty and one of the staff 'on break' I assume had his phone on speaker wide open and proceeded to have a 20 minute loud conversation. Won't be back. read more

This Rating could have been better, If the Staff would have worn MASK. We went there on a Friday night, about 3-4 weeks ago, doing which time the Delta variance was still pretty high, wanting to get out of the house on a Friday / Saturday evening, this place was packed, and NONE of the STAFF wore mask, at all: The wateriest acted of if he had no ideal that there was a pandemic going on . he attempted to get directing in our faces, bending over the table, etc. The food looked good but we decided to just finish our drinks and leave. Which is too bad, we are great customers and like to tip well, we are also very loyal, But No Place, No Good Food is worth getting sick behind. Sorry we won't be back, unless we find out that the STAFF, are wearing mask. read more

The margaritas! That's all I need to say. I have been here many times and the drinks are always amazing. read more

El Centinela - Mexican Near Me - Flowery Branch, Georgia

This place is extremely busy on weekends. No mask, social distancing in place, tables all spaced closely together.

This is our go to spot for Mexican food in the area! Everyone is always so friendly and the food is great. JR is also the best server around, and knows my order by heart now which is pretty amazing. Can't say enough good things about the place. read more

El Centinela - Skinny Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Flowery Branch, Georgia

Fabulous service! The staff is always friendly. I always order Tacos El Centinela and the portions are always great. The salsa can sometimes be a little on the spicy side, but it's still good. The restaurant is always clean. No mask required to enter the restaurant. read more

Excellent food and great service! We had a party of 7. We did have to wait for a table but that's to be expected with 7 people in a Saturday night. They loaded us with chips and salsa. The food was really tasty and had so much flavor. I can't wait to go back! read more

I don't like writing bad reviews.....but my visit here was pretty ridiculous. The salsa is not even on par with many places like Cabo's; it's super tomatoey. We ordered guac and queso with jalapeños to start and this is where it really sucked. The guac looked low grade but tasted ok, but what got to me was the queso. The queso had no jalapeños in it so we asked the waiter to give us jalapeños for it. He literally gave us a plate of slices jalapeños the size is pickle chips........for our queso........... Their silverware is also below quality. Our waiter gave my friend a bent form without even noticing at all........wtf.... Aside from the terrible beginning, the entrees were good! Nothing to see there. Just be aware of shitty salsa and other dips. read more

El Centinela - Asked for cheese dip with jalepenos...didn't get them so we asked, they literally gave us a plate of jalepenos???? - Mexican Near Me - Flowery Branch, Georgia

Decided to give this spot a stop on one of our frequent trips through the area. + Server was nice + Salsa was okay - Dead flies all over the window sill (nasty). Lots of flies in the dining room area (I know this can be tough to manage, but still...) - Chips were typical low-end mass-produced bagged chips many mexican joints in the area use. - Steak in fajita meat was cheap/gristly (didn't finish them) - Fajita chicken meat was stringy - Beans watery and mediocre - Guac also seemed watered-down to about the consistency of hot sauce Don't think we'll be back. read more

I'm not sure how it is on the weekends but this specific location is nothing compared to the one on HWY 53. The service was slow and the waitress seemed not capable of taking our food order and drink order at the same time. The food was good and as expected but I will not be returning to this location. read more

Never got to the food. Walked in to place a carry out order. Stood at the bar for five minutes, never saw a soul that worked there. Walked to back, could only see hallway to kitchen, no staff. Walked out. read more

Love this place. Food is great and a large menu... something for everyone. Usually a long wait on Friday nights but worth the wait.

Well these folks certainly run the gamut in review extremes. I was nervous about coming here, but my daughter wanted Mexican food, so we decided to jump in. It's a great place to stop for dinner after our weekly Kroger & BlocknBlade Butcher shop trip, so we were hoping the 1* review was not going to be the norm. I have to say, we were quite pleased with just about everything. My daughter ordered the kids nacho plate so she could fit in dessert as well (adult entrees are overwhelming to her, despite her voracious appetite). We munched on the house tortilla chips and salsa - nothing to write home about, but decent. I added salt & pepper to give it a flavor other than cilantro. I did like that it had just a little bit of heat without being overwhelming. The chips are thicker than I like for fresh baked, but they'll do. I had my mind sent on ordering one of two things, but thought to ask the waitress what she recommended. She asked a couple of questions to get an angle on my taste leanings, then recommended a dish (I can't remember the name - I'll try to come back and update once I remember) that had grilled chicken & shrimp topped with cheese and served with rice & salad. Oh, my was it delicious! I was a bit nervous, as I don't typically like shredded cheese, but it was served with cheese SAUCE on top of the meat (and onion) mixture. That meant that once I started moving the meat around, that charred goodness - all those flavor bits - were mixed into the cheese sauce. It was so delicious, even my daughter ate a few bites - after she'd finished her plate! The sweet tea wasn't great, but it'll do in a pinch. The service was disappointing. The young lady helping us was kind and polite and pleasant, but she'd disappear far longer than necessary. And she brought the ticket without asking if we wanted dessert - after I'd been sitting with my plate off to the side for at least 15 minutes. She also didn't give me a single refill on my drink. That garnered her a mere 15% tip - which is a shame. That food was so good I was ready to tip far more. Prices are also very reasonable - I didn't see a single thing on the menu that had a price I was concerned about. This is definitely going to fit right into our normal rotation! On the downside: this is NOT authentic Mexican food, y'all! IT says right on their description, "Tex Mex." The food is full-on flavor, cooked well, bright and colorful. It is absolutely delicious. But it is not 'authentic.' You want authentic, find a carnicería & eat at their in-house eatery. It won't be a place you'll love to go sit & eat, but the food & flavors will be authentic. However, if you want a casual dining restaurant with table service and pretty darn good food, this place is definitely for you. read more

These guys are awesome, I called ahead with a to go order and it was ready in ten minutes with all the sides, sauces in the bag. These guys are rock stars. read more

El Centinela - Good hearted, humorous staff. Kevin and his crew always aim to please the customer. - Mexican Near Me - Flowery Branch, Georgia

We've been visiting this restaurant for some while and felt it was amongst the best in the area. With that said one of the most important things about a Mexican restaurant to us is the salsa and this place has always had excellent salsa. However, recently they changed the recipe using different tomatoes and is suddenly a very thin salsa versus the chunkier style before. In any case, the salsa along with poor service, reduced quality of food has really changed my opinion. Look elsewhere. read more

I used Ubereats to deliver my food. The food tasted old, like yesterda's food. It is not the type of restaurant Uber should have as a clinic. read more

Found this place on help and like others the 32oz beer for $3.99 can't be beat! Food was good and salsa too. Chips were great. Service was ok but we came in between lunch and dinner so they were busy getting things ready for next shift. Definitely worth the visit, I will be back. Oh and the freshest juiciest limes I have ever had, made my sis Equis that much better. read more

El Centinela - Yummy tongue tacos - Mexican Near Me - Flowery Branch, Georgia

This is my favorite place for Mexican takeout during pandemic :) Reasonable price and good food.