Chicken cheese and rice is good. Longggggg wait but we also had nine people so I expected this. Very Mexican with bright colors. Got to put down my food and eat some cheese dip now. read more

Service was okay. Not a lot of room for bigger parties and do not try to make room they just separate you into three tables. They had salsa and this other weird white sauce they brought to the table (it tasted like a sweet ranch?) Chips and Caso were good the rice was HORRIBLE like mush. I will not be back read more

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Date of visit: Dec 28, 2023 early afternoon. We were in town visiting the Ark Encounter and didn't want to wait the 1 hour to eat at their buffet. We decided to try out El Jalisco. Thank heavens we made that decision. We entered the restaurant and we're immediately seated. Some chips, salsa and a white dipping sauce were brought out. The star in this trio was the white sauce. I have no idea what it was made out of and the combo of flavors had me baffled because of how each flavor hits your taste buds. Once you get started dipping your chips, you can't stop. They seriously need to bottle this stuff and sell it all over the United States in stores. It would be a fabulous sauce over many things. I would put it's flavor in the top 4 sauces I have ever tried in my 52 years of life. Yes! It is that good. Even the wife who rarely likes anything outside of her choosy pool of foods, liked it quite a bit. The interior decor and furnishings of the restaurant, in my opinion, are absolutely stunning in its artistry. The entire restaurant has unique scenes of life in Mexico portrayed in vivid colors, and expression. The chairs, and benches do as well. None of these repeat and are all unique. The tile panels and pictures as well. I wish I had a few hours to go through the restaurant before it opened and take pictures of all of them. They are truly that beautiful and unique. The staff and servers were very nice and helpful. I ordered their non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiri. It had some whipped cream and a cherry on top. Superb flavor, consistency. I rarely order more than one of something like these drinks, if I even have one at all. I finished it super quickly and ordered another. While walking in going to our table, I looked to see what others already there are eating. While passing each table I immediately noticed one consistent pattern, each of the entrees had huge, and I mean absolutely huge portions of food on each plate. They all looked fantastic. I truly didn't realize how much I under estimated the portion size. One particular entree caught my attention on the way in. The server said it was called Parrillada. I ordered the single portion size. Let me stop here and clarify something. I am a big guy, 6'5 and can knock down a plate of food at 99% of restaurants like it's a tiny appetizer. I often order a couple entrees due to smaller portion sizes. They brought out the Parrillada and I then truly realized just how much was on the sizzling cast iron plate. I had 3 very large tortillas with meat and toppings and I had to call it quits. Now granted I had already had chips, the strawberry daiquiris, but I couldn't eat any more. I looked down at the plate and I hadn't even put a dent in the plate of meat and veggies. Not only did it look great, but it also tasted fantastic. I boxed up our leftovers and brought them back to our hotel. I truly wish I could transport this restaurant to our city or any major city. They were super busy already, but in a major city, I guarantee you this restaurant wood have a major wait time. Eventually you would need to reserve days ahead of time. Do yourself one of the best things you can do for yourself if you are visiting this area, and get your butt to El Jalisco and have a meal here. Thank you for a fantastic meal, great service, and some of the most unique and beautiful down to earth daily life art work I've viewed almost anywhere. read more

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Good service. The restaurant is actually quite nice. But the food is so lame and flavorless. The chips and salsa are not very tasty or good. Then I got steak fajitas and I just could not enjoy it. The steak seemed like roadkill and there was just no flavor. Sorry but I won't be back. read more

Absolutely delicious food, portions were huge , clean environment, the fast service was great. The California burrito was so tasty! They care about the customers a lot, thank you! definitely recommend this place. read more

You better go hungry the portion sizes are huge even for a big guy like me. The decor is festive and the service was great. We had fajitas for 2 and it was enough for a family of 4. Very good food. read more

The food was excellent service was quick. And the ambulance is not too loud to enjoy dinner. Dinner with our family down the street from the hotel. read more

El Jalisco - At our table - Mexican Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

We were staying at the Hampton Inn and Suites at the Ark Encounter in KY and El Jalisco is right down the street so we went there for dinner. The parking lot is rough for a wheelchair but when we got inside, the waiters and the manager were so nice to us. There is no handicap access so if you're in a wheelchair coming alone, getting in the door will be tough. But the place was bright with a Mexican motif, clean and not expensive. They had soft Mexican music playing in the background adding to the ambiance, which I like. The food was excellent, and you get a lot, so much so that we took leftovers back to our hotel room. I have to be gluten and dairy free and although I can't vouch that it is a safe environment for those with these sensitivities, I will say that they accommodated my requests and I didn't get sick. We had been to this restaurant before a couple of years ago and it is still a very good place to eat for individuals and for families. The place was packed and no wonder. The food is excellent, the service is great and the price of what you order is so reasonable. We will definitely come back to this restaurant the next time we visit the Ark Encounter. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for authentic Mexican food. read more

I would say they need some mats or something it was extremely slick in a crowded resturant. Food was pretty good, we got some shrimp fajitas and some fried ice cream afterwards. Can't complain much. Service was great, drinks were good. Overall good experience! read more

Wonderful food and lots of it! Don't miss it if you are visiting the Ark 8 different dishes ordered and all were delicious

Fantastic food! Served fresh and hot!!!! Very attentive staff even when very busy. Warm chips are served with salsa and a fabulous, slightly spicy white dipping sauce. Never tasted before in a Mex restaurant, it resembles ranch/jalapeno dressing with a sweet, spicy finish. YUM!! The strawberry frozen and house margs were freshly made but light on the tequila. Great taste, though. Chicken quesadilla is huge tortilla chocked full of shredded chicken and cheese then grilled. Def enough to share, took half home. My sis ordered grilled chicken and vegetables topped w cheese sauce. Absolutely fantastic!!! The building is garishly painted outside but don't let that deter you from enjoying the best Mexican food ever! Ellen read more

We stopped at El Jalisco after a day at the Ark. The carnitas were the best we ever had. We live in California and never thought we would find the best Mexican food we ever had in Williamstown Kentucky. Go figure. If you like spicy salsa ask the server for the hotter one. It's not for the faint of heart. read more

This place is always busy. They work hard. The food and service is always is good. Parking can be tricky. read more

Great place to dine near the Ark Encounter Food and prices are family friendly, location and decor are awesome. Worth the visit Try the Molcaje Especial or the carne asada Lots of room and easy parking read more

I has to put a star in order to write a review but not even one start worthy, Not authentic at ALL!! The place looks colorful but the food is so far off from Mexican cuisine, the lack of flavor is Indescribable. Not once were we asked or checked if the food was good ( I think I know why) save your money and look for something better. read more

To start the horchata is a joke its not even real authentic. My food was gross enchiladas were flavorless. We got guacamole and it was old and brown. This place has a lot of good reviews so we tried it but I can see now the reviews are not from Hispanic people :/ read more

El Jalisco - Gross and brown - Mexican Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

Wowzer. Excellent food. And plenty of it. Right next to ark Encounter. Go to the Ark then here.

I couldn't believe the portion of my dish with all the crab meat! It was a little slow getting our drinks but the place was PACKED. And this was on a Wednesday night. read more

El Jalisco - Seafood enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

Portions were HUGE! Food was amazing! Business was bit small and server seemed overwhelmed, but the manager was there to help! Over all a great experience! read more

Great food - I had the Azteca salad. Large serving sizes. Good prices. Excellent service. Thank you!!

Huge portions make up for adequate ingredient quality, and most everything was nicely flavored. The beautiful and vibrant interior decorations and painted furniture make for a great experience. I had the El Torito ribeye that was seasoned flavorfully with chorizo and surprisingly good shrimp. The salsa was also good with complimentary chips. The side of beans weren't to my liking as the hotdog added to that dish really dominated the flavors. read more

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It was a good amount of food so don't over order if you want to make sure not to have left overs. The good was good/ flavorful. The chicken soup is not from out of a bag! It had fresh veggies and greens and shredded chicken! We were not disappointed and would def recommend. The staff were super friendly and patient. read more

We loved this restaurant. The waiter was friendly and did a great job. The food and drinks were excellent! We started with guacamole and chorizo cheese dip. The cheese dip was very good!! The guacamole was good but needed jalapenos. We ordered enchiladas, shrimp and pasta and a fajita dish. Sorry, I don't remember the names of them. The portions were very large. It was all extremely good. I would definitely go again. read more

Delicious food, great ambiance, great service! Family-run authentic Mexican located right by the Ark Encounter. Top notch! read more

El Jalisco - Margaritas - Mexican Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

Good food, good service. Had a Dos Equis Amber with my meal. Served well in a frosted mug and with limes. Paired well with the food, ground beef burrito, chile rellano, and rice. read more

If you like Mexican good, this is the place to go, excellent food, service, nice atmosphere to have a tasty dinner! Love it!

Good food and service after visiting the Ark Experience. The decor was gaudy but fit the vibe.

Great Mexican food. Very tasty. Huge portions. First rate service. Stopped at El Jalisco on our way to Florida last year, and liked it so much that we deliberately planned the trip this year to have a meal there. They did not disappoint. read more

We had a very good and plentiful lunch after a long morning at the Ark Encounter. They brought chips, salsa and one other dip to the table when we arrived. The white dip was epic! read more

Excellent Tex-Mex dinner spot after a full day at the Ark Encounter. Only 2 mins from the Ark or 1 from the Hampton Inn & Suites! They bring complimentary chips, salsa, & ranch type dip. Quick to the table even with a very packed restaurant, great service & very fast food service. Portions are huge & tasty. Being from TX this is very hard to find but rivaled any small Tex-Mex place there. We had the Chicken Tortilla Soup & we didn't finish it! Kiddos had kids meals but they didn't finish all of those either! The tacos & enchiladas were just like at home! Staff speak Spanish & English but had excellent service! read more

We found this Mexican Restaurant on Yelp on our way back from the Lunar Eclipse & other than the language barrier (he went & got someone else to ensure our order was correct-point for him!) the food was good. I had the steak quesadilla & the meat was flavored well & the flour tortilla was crispy & good. My hubby had beef crunchy tacos & said they were good w/Mexican rice that was fluffy w/a good taste. The ambiance of the restaurant is very colorful w/a lot to look at. Recommend if you are passing through KY! read more

Great selection! More authentic Mexican food that most Mexican restaurants! Fast service once you're seated. Right by the Noah's Ark adventure! Authentic decor! I highly recommend! Oh, and if you prefer the hotter sauce, just ask for it. Large portions! read more

El Jalisco - Decor. - Mexican Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

My wife, Lynn and I both ordered Pico Tropical. This was not just a meal, but a wonderful experience. The red salsa for the chips is the perfect balance between heat and flavor: (not a fan of spicy hot food) read more

Authentic Mexican restaurant in KY! The service was excellent - and the food and margaritas were wonderful. We ordered the Williamstown fajitas for two (huge mistake because it was HUGE!) . We took 2/3rds of it home. Food and service were both excellent. The Margarita (we ordered it on the rocks) was spectacular. It was enough for two as well. The interior was extremely colorful and really set the mood. We know Mexican food (originally from Cali where good Mexican food is somewhat ubiquitous). This was served quickly and everything was absolutely delicious. read more

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Started with the cheese dip. It was very thin but tastes good. Ordered combo #1 with chili relleno and a chalupa. It was a real chili relleno! Stuffed with cheese and delicious! I did not make it to the chalupa but it looks good too and I took it home for later. Overall great service and great food! Recommend! read more

El Jalisco - Mexican Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

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Good food and portions. Service was great. Atmosphere feels genuine. So accommodating. Great location off 75 if passing through the area. Would go back. read more

Amazing service Amazing food Great atmosphere Great decor Was on a trip back to my hotel from the ARK and happened to notice this restaurant off the side of the road, they immediately sat us at our table and the food was out fast read more

El Jalisco - The Kentucky burrito - Mexican Near Me - Williamstown, Kentucky

Well, I took a chance to go see what this was all about. The reviews had good stars so we went and I ordered a Chile Riano. It wasn't very authentic to what I am used to my husband ordered the Carnita plate which was a lot of meat very little rice and beans.It was alright read more

Food is mediocre at best. "Shredded beef taco" was actually ground beef. Cheese in quesadilla was like canned cheese sauce. Wait staff was friendly. read more

This place just gets better over the years Love there food Everone always nice and friendly food always good read more