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    El Don Cocina & Cantina

    3.9 (498 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Closed 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, 4:00 PM - 11:00 PM
    Updated 2 months ago

    Order El Don Cocina & Cantina Takeout or Delivery

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    Hai N.

    Everyone is extremely nice but service is a bit slow. You have to constantly flag some down to follow up on drinks, food or check. There is a 2 hour limit which is very good time frame to enjoy your time here. Prices felt like I was in the Sf drinking scene to come prepared for that. The shrimp tacos were good and big. The tropical ceviche was okay but way better when we added their spicer red dressing. Shrimp was soft and large. The enchiladas were a good proportion and tasted very well. The chips they served seemed a little burnt or maybe used old oil.... All in all there's ample parking in what seemed to be a small spot but it goes further deep inside the on the bar side. A nice addition for this the area for sure.

    A delicious Mango Margarita!
    Seretha G.

    Service, ambience, drinks and food were fabulous! Our family was visiting the area and was blessed to find El Don... we will be back!

    Menu as of 6.21.26
    Jo C.

    We came here on a weekend right as they opened, we were the first customer. But we didn't get our food until 40 minutes after. The customers who came in after us got their meal first. We would like to have flagged down our server but she was gone most of the time or preoccupied with other tables. We finally got our food but it didn't come out all at once plus we were missing the sauce that it should have come with. Presentation for the churro de canela was good and the streak and huevos was chewy. The guava margarita was ok. The bar was unable to make mocktails, which was surprising. I understand if it's a busy time but we were the first customers. The restroom is located outside the restaurant past the elevators. I don't know who manages the restrooms but it should have been more maintained. It was missing toilet seat covers in both stalls in the women's restroom. The menu was also minimal for breakfast. We'll probably try this place again for lunch or dinner service. The interior is aesthetically pleasing. The two hour dining is redundant when service takes a long time.

    Nicole M.

    I went to El Don specifically to try their Enchiladas Suisa. Eating those brings back a favorite childhood memory. A restaurant my family used to go to had them, and I always wanted to order them. My enchilada dish was excellent, but it wasn't suiza. It was enchiladas in green sauce. I was mildly disappointed. However, the portion size was huge, the enchiladas were chock full of chicken, and tle flavors were good. Irounded out my meal with a mocktail and chips and salsa. Their salsa is thin, slightly spicy, and slightly smokey. I liked the flavor. Since I eat chips with my salsa, I wish it had been thicker so it had more cling. I ordered the appetizer sampler (yes, I planned on leftovers), but the y were out of the shrimp. Since that was one of the main reasons I chose it, I decided to forgoe it altogether. Maybe next time. The mocktail was fine, but not quite complex enough to be interesting. They had some appetizing seafood options, so I will probably give them a try again. Service was fine and the space itself is nice. They have their own parking lot so parking is not an issue.

    Greg S.

    It's cool, it's sexy and vibrant, and it's in Lathrop? Well, that threw me off... Located in an office building next to the freeway and tucked in next to two fast food joints. I was a bit skeptical, but the other reviews and photos had us interested. We made Sunday reservations on Open Table which I highly suggest doing. When we arrived at noon the place was packed, and people were in the hallway (remember it's in an office building) waiting for their tables. We only had to wait about 6-8 minutes before they had our booth ready for us. The staff here are excellent, super upbeat friendly and well/cleanly dressed. The decor is sexy and inviting with tables, booths and high tables too. Plus the bar where you can imbibe and or dine. It was clearly hopping on this Sunday afternoon. The only true negative, and I will state here that it may have just been on this particular day, it was EXTREMELY loud due to a very large party of about 20 plus that were pretty out of control loud the entire time we were there. We noticed that other tables were super annoyed and I way one family come in, and then left because they were visibly disturbed by the extreme noise level. We could not hear our servers at all and so we were pretty much guessing and pointing at our menus to get our orders in. The servers were very apologetic so I will assume this was not a normal situation. On to the food - we ordered the traditional plate which comes with eggs, potatoes and a meat of choice. I ordered the chilaquiles. The chilaquiles were exceptional! Probably some of the best I have ever had, and I am a chilaquiles "whore"..? Highly recommend them here. I think we will come back another time to see if the noise level is less than ear shattering. The atmosphere, food and service are worth it.

    Flauta bites
    Michelle W.

    Our first time at El Don for dinner and WOW... so good! Everything was fresh, flavorful, and absolutely delicious, and the drinks were just as amazing They offer a breakfast menu from 10am-2pm, then reopen at 4pm with a different dinner menu, which we're already excited to come back and try! Big shoutout to our waitress, Heidi, for the fantastic service and great recommendations. She made the experience even better. We'll definitely be back!

    Horchata
    Monique M.

    Came here during the week. Put our names on the waitlist and provided our phone number. They told us wait would be about 45 minutes. We waited in our car. We could see that the people that came after us ended up getting seated before us. So we went back in (our car was parked facing the entrance), the lady said she called us, but we never got a call. She seated us right after because there were a LOT of seats available. Pretty disappointed but whatever. The restaurant definitely had a vibe, but we were disappointed. Music was so loud we couldn't hear each other having a conversation sitting right across from each other. Its more like a lounge that serves food. Not a restaurant. Food was good. Prices were a bit high. But it was worth trying. Probably wont be coming back though.

    Shrimp Taco
    Briana Nadine V.

    Absolutely loved our experience at El Don Cocina & Cantina! The service was excellent, the food was delicious, and the ambience was amazing. The decor and greenery throughout the restaurant are beautiful and really make the whole place feel special. Everything from start to finish was top notch. Definitely a five-star experience -- we'll be back!

    Sofia B.

    I have been wanting to go for some time. It was busy but we were able to sit at the bar. The bartenders were extremely busy but still very attentive. The drinks were well made and delicious. The food also was amazing. The tortillas are freshly made and to die for. Now I just need to go back for brunch! Highly recommend.

    This food is disgusting don't waste your time go nextdoor to Taco Bell and the service is just as bad as the food!!!!
    Vincent G.

    I should give no stars just bad all the way around service isn't even good loud music can't even think

    Black beans & Rice
    Veronica J.

    Service: If I rated on the service alone this place would receive a 1 star rating. You wait too long to be seated, even if you have a reservation. The waitstaff timing is terrible so you find yourself waiving to people to get someone to help you. Food: The mole is not a traditional recipe and lacks the smoothe velvety texture the chocolate brings to the dish. I actually didn't taste any chocolate at all in the mole. The dish was ok but didn't taste like mole. The bacon wrapped prawns were the star of the show. They were delicious. The shrimp on the shrimp tacos was very overcooked. It was almost shrimp Jerky. The birria tacos were good but a bit dry for my taste and the consume tasted a bit watered down. The flautas were good but as a suggestion, don't cut them in half just serve the 2 flautas whole, it just make sense. Black beans were bland. I had to add salsa and salt to give them some flavor and the rice was mediocre at best. The salsa and chips were DELICIOUS. Ambiance: Loud, crowded, not kid friendly, but the decor is nice and the mural on the wall when you first walk in was absolutely stunning. Based on the service and food quality alone, I would say their price point is inflated. I would be willing to try them again if the food and service improved.

    Sofia C.

    A group of us came in for dinner before a team outing. We were warmly welcomed at the front door by the hostess. We were expecting a larger group so we were seated at a large booth that can comfortably fit 8 people. We were greeted by our server Julian who was on top of it all evening. He did such a great job. The drinks were ok. The portions of the food were huge that most of us took a to go box home. The only disappointment for the evening was the esquites. There was no cheese, no crema and there was so much lime juice in it. We ended our meal with the chocoflan and the tres leches cake. Both were great just wished the chocoflan was a little bigger.

    El Don Infusions
    Alejandra R.

    We came to El Don Cocina & Cantina for what we hoped would be an elevated Mexican dining experience, and while some things impressed, others missed the mark. I ordered the Arrachera, which had a nice flavor and was cooked to order, but the meat was a bit tough. My friends enjoyed their Enchiladas Suizas and the El Don Molcajete, but the Fajitas de la Casa were a letdown--overly charred to the point where the smokiness overpowered the dish. Specialty drinks like the El Don Infusion, El Corazon, and El Pistolero were definitely a highlight--balanced and flavorful. The biggest and most memorable aspect of the night, unfortunately, was the heat. For a restaurant with an upscale vibe, the sweltering temperature was not the vibe we were hoping for. Thin, see-through sun shades let in a lot of light, and the AC just didn't seem able to keep up. It was so warm we ended up rushing through the end of our meal. Service from Julian was friendly and attentive considering how busy he seemed--he did what he could, but clearly had a lot on his plate. Overall, it's a nice-looking restaurant with good drinks and some tasty dishes, but the hot ambience, high prices, and a couple of disappointing plates make me unsure if I'd return.

    Watermelon Candy Shot  and El Pistolero!!

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    Ask the Community - El Don Cocina & Cantina

    Las Casuelas Mexican Restaurant & Bar

    Las Casuelas Mexican Restaurant & Bar

    3.0
    (750 reviews)
    3.0 mi
    $$

    I've been a regular at Las Casuelas in Manteca for a long time, so this isn't coming from someone…read morelooking for a reason to complain. The food and the spot are why I keep coming back. But the recent changes to the Monday/Wednesday happy hour tacos caught me off guard. The deal now requires everyone at the table to buy alcohol, not just one person -- and the tacos themselves have gotten smaller, too. I don't really have a problem with the alcohol policy itself; that's pretty standard for happy hour. What got me was the service. I sat at the bar for nearly 20 minutes and the bartender ignored me the whole time -- no greeting, no heads-up about the new policy, nothing. Had someone just told me, I would've sat in the dining room from the start. No signage, no note on the menu, no acknowledgment at the bar. All around, a disappointing experience. I'll probably still be back -- back to my usual fajita salad -- but good things can't last forever, I guess.

    Therm service at the bar has always been pretty good. Sometimes it does get busy and you might have…read moreto wait a moment or two but mostly it's really good. The restaurant itself is dated and the menus look a good twenty years old. The kitchen is very dated. The bench seating is old-looking and uncomfortable. The food though is pretty decent. The bartenders make good drinks. The happy hour goes till 8pm.

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    Y que siga el mariachi
    Y que siga el mariachi
    Las Casuelas Mexican Restaurant & Bar
    Pink lemonade

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    Pink lemonade

    El Don Cocina & Cantina - mexican - Updated July 2026

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