My favorite local Mexican spot! Great food! Nice staff! Great value! I love the happy hour margaritas!

Very disappointing experience at El Cerro. Unfortunately, this wasn't just a bad visit. The quality and service have been slipping for a while now, and I've continued coming back hoping things would improve. This visit was the final straw. The problems started before the food even arrived. We were seated in what felt like the loudest and most crowded section of the restaurant, despite there being plenty of open tables elsewhere. I asked if it would be possible to move to a different area and was told someone would check. After waiting quite a while and never hearing anything back, I finally had to ask again. At that point, we were told we could move to one of the open tables, but the interaction felt dismissive, as though we were causing an inconvenience by asking. Unfortunately, the experience only went downhill from there. I ordered the Arroz con Pollo, and when it arrived, it had very little cheese on it (see photo). For a $17 plate, it needs to have at least a fraction of cheese on it that you can see. I asked for cheese on my meal because it did not come out the way it normally does. I was not asking for an extra side order. I was simply asking for the dish to be corrected. When the bill came, I was charged for the additional cheese. I explained that I should not have to pay extra for cheese when my meal had come out with little to none on it in the first place. I even offered to show the photo of the original plate, but that was ignored. Instead, I was told that charging for a bowl of cheese is their standard policy. What frustrated me most was that the server had never even seen the original plate because someone else delivered the food. Yet when I explained that this was not how the dish is normally served, I was told it was normal. As a longtime customer who orders this meal regularly, I can confidently say otherwise. There was no apology and no effort to understand the concern. The issue was never really about the charge itself. It was the attitude and lack of customer service throughout the entire visit. It's disappointing because this used to be one of my favorite local restaurants. Unfortunately, the food, service, and overall experience have steadily declined. After this experience, I don't plan on returning. read more

El Cerro Grande - Mexican Near Me - Independence, Kentucky

Great atmosphere great food great service perhaps the best Mexican restaurant in Independence. Our food always comes out hot and fresh.

Ambiance is nice, the food is always good AND consistent as well as their margaritas. The service has always been quick and friendly.

Great Mexican place to eat at. I love their guacamole dip. Great happy hour! Prices are reasonable as well read more

Today we came back from a 3 week vacation. We had to leave our dog behind for the 3 weeks and thought we will go to El Cerro Grande as usual. We went there already many times with our pup and set on the outside because the food is amazing. Not today, they did not let us sit outside. Now we are eating at the crewitts creek kitchen and bar. Your team lost a long time customer. read more

We call this place "The Mexican Library" because the building used to be an old library. It's a pretty cool vibe. El Cerro Grande is a great little Mexican restaurant, hands down. It has become the go-to for our group after some of the other local Mexican joints have seen a decline in their quality of food and service. The food there has been some of the freshest I've had out here in the NKY area, and although I usually don't partake, their top-shelf margaritas are killer! My personal favorite dish so far has been the chilaquiles, but my wife won't stop going on about the beef tongue and how delicious it is. The management/ownership is always around and always shows up to chat when we are there. The only reason I pulled off a star is that it can get a little pricey, but I tend to subscribe to the adage "You get what you pay for" and that rings very true here. read more

The food has changed tremendously since they opened! The last several times. It has been inedible because it has a taste of whatever cleaning product they use . I am assuming they use Fabulosa considering the place smells like it when you enter the restaurant. read more

I tried this place out as my friend lives nearby and it was convenient. I think all Mexican food is delicious and it's pretty hard to mess up. The food was good, no better than any other Mexican restaurant I've been to though. The only thing that really stood out was the loaded fries. They were great enough to give this place a 4 star if it weren't for the terrible service. After our food was brought to us, the waitress disappeared. We didn't get more chips and salsa and I went most of my meal without a drink. Instead of it being a good time getting out of the house, we sat there being annoyed most of the time. There wasn't even any staff at the front desk to ask for help. I won't be trying this place again any time soon, if ever. read more

The staff was super kind and friendly, very personable and quick with a joke or a refill :-) the art on the walls was beautiful, so stunning that I was tempted to ask them if they knew the artist or sold the pieces. The food was so delicious. I ordered the sopa del Mar. I was expecting a little cup of seafood chowder, but what I got was a full fillet of tilapia, multiple shrimp and a beautiful array of fresh vegetables in the most delicious broth. But wait there's more! It came with tortillas, freshly chopped cilantro, a fresh avocado with chilies and chopped onions so that I could have the soup and also a side of fish tacos as well. I don't normally post reviews, but this was simply delicious. I made my husband taste multiple bites so that he could experience the yummy. Goodness that I got with this meal. Super great place we will definitely be back! read more

El Cerro Grande - Sopa Del Mar with fresh accompaniments - Mexican Near Me - Independence, Kentucky

Give this place a try. Food is very good and wonderful flavors. Service is great for a neighborhood restaurant. Portions are large and plentiful. Menu is large and can be intimidating, but ask the manager what he recommends. Have not had a bad meal yet. Drinks are strong and big. Always a good time. Definitely will keep going back read more

Still our fav Mexican place. Authentic tacos remain outstanding - in resturant or take out. (Today = take out & some pics from 2 yrs ago dining in). Inside the authentic tacos; the seasoning is always spot on, steak is always tender compared to other places; carnitas are mouth-watering. Only negative is some days we don't order because the price changes depending on the day. Some variation across chefs - 1x overcooked. read more

El Cerro Grande - "Authentic tacos" top-bottom: carnitas (perfection), al pastor (too seasoned for me), steak (very tender), chicken (fajita style) - Mexican Near Me - Independence, Kentucky

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This is the third visit and authentic tacos were so tasty! The service was outstanding a very attentive server food was piping hot and tasted like it had been made with care! Time to try some flan! read more

El Cerro Grande - Quick bite to eat! - Mexican Near Me - Independence, Kentucky

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We love this restaurant! The outside seating is great and the service is always amazing. On our last trip I got the shrimp enchiladas that were incredible but any food I have had here has been so good! We definitely recommend!! read more

El Cerro Grande - Shrimp enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Independence, Kentucky

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Food and drinks are delicious and service is always nice. I just docked a star because it can get a little pricey if you're not careful.

The service was pretty good, that's the most positive thing I can say. Now the negatives. Prices on menu aren't what we were charged. A child's soggy burrito with beans was $9. That's ground beef mixed with potatoes and it was both greasy and somehow wet. Had to request a second tortilla and napkins to actually make it into a burrito. Menu price said $5.25, but I was charged $8.99 and told menu prices weren't accurate. I ordered carnitas. What I received was flavorless chunks of pork with 2 whole jalapeños statued in. Nothing roasted, literally tasted of jalapeño only. Menu price was at least closer, only $1 off. Salsa provided helped a ton, but this was incredibly bland. Ultimately I would not order either menu item again and the lack of menu pricing means I recommend you skip this altogether. read more

I am not a fan of having green beans, peas, carrots, and corn in mexican rice. Wild. Chile Relleno is basically a chile in an omelet, another shocker. Never coming back. read more

El Cerro Grande - Said omlet with chile inside. - Mexican Near Me - Independence, Kentucky

I found it to be your typical mexican restaurant in the area. Staff was friendly, service was good. Hubs got the chimichangas and I got the enchilada plate. Everything was "good" just not "wow." The guacamole was probably the shining star of the night. But I did not care for the chips at all. read more

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BEWARE of what they CHARGE You!!! This is a restaurant that I frequent often because it's very close to home. I like the food. It's flavorful and good. The employees are polite and helpful. I usually do a takeout order when my husband is out of town because he doesn't care for Mexican, usually once a week. Here lately, in the last 6 to 8 weeks, every time I go to pick up, the price is different I order the same exact thing every single time!!! I asked if prices had increased, and yes they did in April. This is Aug 1. Sometimes it's $11 something, sometimes $12 something, sometimes $13 something and tonight $14 something!! For the same exact thing!! I've had enough. I won't be back. Geez no one likes to be overcharged. read more

It's soooooo expensive to not even be good food. It all was dry and pretty bland tbh. service was also terrible. it was us and 1 other table in the restaurant and we waited 20 minutes before my husband went to find someone to pay. Would go to literally any other Mexican restaurant. read more

I get the same thing and am never disappointed. The service is awesome very friendly and prompt.

What a Diamond in the rough! Not that independence is a rough spot but it's kinda deep into the farm country kinda! Any way the service is phenomenal! The food was fantastic and it's in a very clean and fun atmosphere! Even the bathrooms were super clean and had a good smell to them lol. Loved the chips and salsa! And my our dinners were great! We loved chatting with our server and he was very cool and friendly and helpful with the menu when we told him it was our first time there! We loved our other Mexican restaurant but we will switch to this place for as long as they keep up the excellent work! read more

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A lot of Mexican restaurants around here are about the same. Average food and average margaritas. This one is no different. Although, probably some of the worst margaritas that I've had. Definitely wouldn't come here if you're looking for margaritas. Carnitas were super flavorful and cheese dip is something you can never go wrong with. The portions are nice sized (seeing tacos and taco salads and a couple of entree plates). Service was nice. We didn't feel rushed and they took time to answer any questions we had. We did have a wait on Friday night, I shouldn't have been surprised but just wasn't expecting a Mexican restaurant in Independence, KY to ever have a wait. Oh, you pay up at the front too! It does say so on the ticket but in case you're not paying attention, FYI! read more

It's clean, the service is pretty quick, the service has been good. It's your typical Mexican restaurant to me, which is great! AND it's a bit more expensive than the others. You will have a solid, filling, what you need meal by going here. read more

The service was great, we had the app plate and chicken quesadillas; both plentiful and delicious! Asked our lovely server for a surprise on margarita flavor...strawberry mango! My new favorite! Their margaritas are amazing, by the way...not overpoweringly sweet like a lot of places. There have been other Mexican restaurants in this spot...but third time is the charm! read more

I came here recently after wanting g to try this restaurant for some time. My wife ordered a cheese quesadilla and I ordered fajitas. The fajitas were bland. I could have made something better at home with packets from Kroger. The quesadilla was what you would expect... nothing amazing, not bad, just serviceable. I likely will not be back with Rio Grande as the clearly superior gig in town. read more

The margaritas were excellent, the restaurant Clean and had lots of great atmosphere. The food was a very good and a nice portion. The experience was very nice and the service and staff were outstanding! read more

Brand new restaurant, only found it because we live nearby and decided to check it out. Typical decor, but everything is nice and new. I had the Pollo San Antonio which was grilled chicken with mushrooms, onions and cheese sauce served with rice and tortillas. The rice was sub par but the chicken was mucho delicious!! My husband had the enchilada plate with a variety of meat fillings. He liked some of them more than others but overall thought it was decent. read more

El Cerro Grande - Chicken San Antonio - Mexican Near Me - Independence, Kentucky

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I love this place! It's a gem in our town. The happy hour is terrific. The authentic steak tacos are some of the best I have ever had. The steak is tender and well seasoned. I've never had anything that wasn't delicious. The service is always impeccable. read more

The food is pretty good, and the restaurant is beautiful inside; however, we have gotten take-out many times and they always seem to forget something in our order :( read more

Amazing food and service! 100% recommended. The food is fresh and they are fast and they are so friendly

Nice looking place, hope to get to stop in and dine in soon. Did a carry out and food was tasty! They were very friendly, and reasonably priced! May change to 5 star once I get to dine in! read more

We are from out of state on a vacation and couldn't resist our craving for tacos. We saw this place wasn't too far from where we were and of course, we had to check it out. Immediately when we walked in, we were greeted by a very friendly hostess. A staff member brought us chips and salsa once we were seated, while our server, Damien, was quick to attend to us to get our drink order. They had Coca-Cola de Mexico, our favorite, so of course we had to each get a bottle! The food came out hot and fast, which is also always a plus. We both ordered the 'Authentic tacos supreme' with steak, chorizo & al pastor... amazing!! This place did not disappoint: our server was kind, attentive, helpful and very pleasant! The service was fast and flawless & the food, WOW. Amazing. The chefs knew exactly what we needed to satisfy our craving! If you find yourself in the area, give this place a try. We were not disappointed one bit! read more

El Cerro Grande - Authentic tacos supreme - Mexican Near Me - Independence, Kentucky

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Great meal! food was cooked well and prepared well, very nice atmosphere. The staff were very kind and attentive. clean restaurant. overall great experience! Will return again read more

Great service and fantastic food ! They never disappoint always a Solid choice when looking for a good quick dinner.

EXCELLENT FOOD, EXCELLENT SERVICE, EXCELLENT VALUE! What a wonderful addition to our neighborhood. Delicious from start to finish! The salsa is wonderful, the entree was AMAZING! So much food for such a small price. We're already looking forward to our next visit! read more

I've personally tried all the Mexican Restaurants in the area. By far this Restaurant has the best tasting food! Service is the best, they are always making sure everything is ok. They also have the best Margaritas and Happy Hour! One key thing about this restaurant is it's very clean! That says a lot about a business! They have a very nice patio. Give this local business a try! You will not be disappointed read more

El Cerro Grande - Combo plate with a Chile Relleno, Chalupa and a Burrito. Very filling! - Mexican Near Me - Independence, Kentucky

We love the food and friendly personnel. Their Southwest chimichangas are our favorite. The owner always walks around to make sure everyone is doing well with their food!! We've tried a"lot" of Mexican restaurants and love this place!! read more

Excellent warm chips and salsa, meals were great as was the staff. Our party of seven all loved the place and the food, it was a big hit following a tiring day at the Ark Encounter. read more

This place is super close for us so we were excited when it opened. The food was very good, typical of most area Mexican places. The service was friendly and quick. The decor is simple but fine. I can only give three stars though because of the prices. Every meal was about $2 more expensive than every other Mexican spot around. When you're feeding the whole family this really adds up. And when we can spend 5 more minutes on the road and get to two other, equally tasty but less expensive places, it's hard to choose to come here. Bring down the prices a bit and we will be frequenters. read more