Monday night in Prairie City. A metropolis rolling up the sidewalks about 6 pm in a county where 99.83 percent of meals are home cooked, at least on Monday night. A banner fluttering on the curb, cheerful paint colors, a golden light from the windows said to us,"Your dinner will not come from the snack bag in the car or the donettes and cold pop at Chevron. El Cocinero is home cooking. Cooked well, large portions, filling. We split #2; two enchiladas, beans, rice and a tostada. I sit in my cushy Prairie City Hotel room chair - I am filled up. Should have walked a mile or two, or not ordered the Tres Leches cake and coffee. This is a former town hangout. Ranch brands decorate the sidewalk , booths and carpentry. They can be looked up on Google Lens. Prairie City is a small, quiet town,on it's way back up with new generations. While other eateries are closed,El Cocinero will probably be open, warm and welcoming. read more

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The chicken enchilada was amazing! The staff was very friendly and service great! Will stop again next time we pass thru

Good food, good atmosphere portions are generous and well prepared friendly employees

3 years later we returned to go hiking up at Strawberry Lake, and we are still impressed by the food here. This trip we had the Arroz Con Pollo and the Chicken Fajitas. Both were well prepared, but seriously, a TON of food. We almost could have shared because we forgot they have generous proportions here. One guy was working by himself today, and it looked like we just missed a rush, but we were not in a hurry and knew the wait for him to finish a take out order would be well worth it. We were very appreciative of our meal after hiking all morning and hope to be back here next year! read more

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U lived in Mexico 8 years, so living in Eastern Oregon has its challenges finding good and authentic Mexican food. When I was told there was a really good Mexican restaurant in Prairie City I was skeptical. This place is a real gem. Feels like Im back in Puerto Peñasco from the moment you walk in. Nothing fancy. Just authentic. Same for the food. Excellent quality at a reasonable price. ¡Deliciosa! read more

Great food and atmosphere and the customer service was incredible! Highly recommend. Prairie city benefits from this small business. read more

Some of the best food you'll eat of this type. Great place and very easy and fast. This some of the best authentic Mexican food we have eaten. read more

Such nice to place to go to while in Prairie City! Great food and excellent service:)

I have been eating El Cocinero for 15+ years and must say, the food and service can't be beaten in a small town. He makes a great meal and an even better margarita. Worth a stop in! With my small appetite, I only get appetizers, usually; but when I order an entree, there's enough food for two more meals. read more

Food is very hit and miss. Most of the time it's a miss. The place is always dirty, you can be the only customer there and service will still take forever read more

Decent Mexican food in the middle of nowhere Oregon, I was so happy to sit down and eat food in a restaurant served to me hot! Being that everything was closed due to Covid-19 and only take out this sure was a treat. I chose a basic steak and shrimp fajita shouldn't be a dish to easily mess up right? Wrong, it had a weird ketchupy tomatoey sauce it was cooked it. I sure wasn't a fan, ate it anyway since I was hungry and 1st meal in a restaurant since quarantine. Everyone else's food looked good. Not the best and not the worst. read more

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So we had no idea what to expect as we headed to Prairie City, OR from Boise, ID. Upon recommendation of the Historic Hotel Prair we ate at El Cocinero. Darling place with yummy mexican food, nothing we ordered was too spicy. Also the owner was unbelievable!! He had 5 tables to wait on at one time, he took orders, prepared bar drinks, brought salsa, plated the food & served everyone with a smile. I even heard him singing in the kitchen. His help wasn't coming in for 45 more minutes! What a guy. Again the food was delish! Please be sure to eat here read more

Average food not spicy and no habaneros. Very expensive for the quality. They are friendly we just had to stop going because of cost.

Great local place in the middle of nowhere. The server was very nice and we had a great hot meal. I had a shredded beef burrito that was covered in cheese and sauce. And rice and beans on the side. My wife had a taco and chicken enchilada, also with beans and rice. Great place to eat ! read more

Great music, super accommodating staff, and AMAZING FOOD. This place was a great and much needed oasis on our journey through Oregon.

Great food and just what I was looking for when traveling through prairie. Yuuummmmmmmmmm

Great service, really good food, fabulous margaritas and all at a great price. Highly recommend.

Food was ok. Kitchen and wait staff were playing very loud music in addition to the television which was also turned up too loudly. Wasn't the best dining experience ever. read more

This was such a great find! On the road in the middle of nowhere, great food & a most accommodating host. Had no chardonnay, asked which kind we liked & ran across the street to get some at the market. Try their trio fajitas (chicken, steak, shrimp.) One order to split & we still have another meal or two. read more

Their homemade salsa, and molé are terrific-- one of my top favorite things about visiting the area. Great service, delicious food, and crazy speed! Definitely a gem. read more

Very good Mexican food. I had the Burrito Colorado. Goooood! And a bar in the back.

Staff, food and prices are amazing! I Would recommend this place to everyone. Totally worth a 2 hour drive for dinner for us!

Great little family style Mexican place. Excellent service, hot, tasty food served quickly. Frosted beer pints with salted rims, who does that?! It's awesome. Guac is excellent. Only item that needs some help is the margaritas...but don't pass this gem by. read more

Excellent little authentic Mexican place. Owner is very friendly and attentive. Salsa very simple and tasty not too spicy. Tacos were excellent. Cold frosty beer mugs rimmed with salt was a nice touch. read more

We were passing through town and stopped in for dinner. Friendly and attentive staff and food that was surprisingly great! Everything tasted very fresh and cooked perfectly. I'm used to sticky or semi-hard rice and watery beans - none of that here. I had enchiladas and my wife had chile rellenos. We both raved about the food. Prices were very reasonable. Salsa was midway between mild and medium, also fresh and tasty. We loved the whole meal! read more