We love to eat here. The Shrimp Tacos and the Mexican steak are our favorites. The portions are great, and the chips and salsa are really good. read more

My fiancee and I live less than half a mile from El Jimador and it has become our favorite local Mexican place when we want good Mexican food. The Carne Asada is amazing and the salsa is always just the right level of heat. I also love the cabbage relish they serve with the salsa too. My fiancee and I love taking our friends here and showing them good food. read more

I have been going here for many years for consistently great food and friendly staff. Try the "new" burrito, chicharon burrito, or tacos albanil and don't forget a house margarita. The bar area is well-decorated and welcoming. read more

Tell you how I really feel?... I believe if I am excited to write a good review when I'm so inspired, I also feel obligated to write just as honest of a review when I am disappointed enough. We all work hard for our money and have a limited time on this earth so know that I don't enjoy wasting either and don't expect you to. I thought I time traveled back into the pandemic days because it seemed the food items were made out of other ingredients. The sopapillas, for example, were more of a wheat bread roll which I'm not sure if it was overly deep fried or still doughy, but definitely had zero airy space in the middle. See pic. Wouldn't be able to tell you what it was by looking at it if I didn't order it myself. The churros. SMH. Sighhh. Not at all even worth the calories. To somewhat compensate, the fried ice cream got eaten. How do you mess up dessert?? My boyfriend choked... because there was no water at the table. The queso con chorizo was.. unpalatable, sadly. For a staple I order at every Mexican restaurant, this should just not be served or even listed on the menu. For posterity we ordered a "cheese crispy" as this is a must have in any Arizonan Mexican establishment. Even though the menu described this item as a fried flour tortilla with melted cheese, it was actually a deep fried dough, sort of like a fry bread you get at the fair, and not what we were anticipating. The house marg as well as skinny marg both tasted like they had Sprite in them. Whaaat?? We went home and made our own margs. The carne asada burrito was filled with rice and beans (along with the plate combo portion of rice and beans), which other burritos explained explicitly yet the carne asada one did not so we were expected a lot more meat in the hefty burrito. The rice and beans weren't bad, though. Chips and salsa were good. Still can't bring myself to scoot from 2 to 3 stars. 2 because they were open, we were hungry, and we were served. Needless to say, yet I will anyway, I do not see us ever returning and will continue the search of a decent Mexican spot in Green Mountain- considering Chipotle to be #1 at this point. Help. read more

El Jimador - What's supposed to be Sopapillas - Mexican Near Me - Lakewood, Colorado

I will dream of the smokey margarita and mole sauce. The staff is super friendly and accommodating. We started with cheese dip, salsa and the cabbage - everything had great flavor. Service is quick, the place is clean. If you want tasty Mexican food this is the spot. Stand alone building with parking, might have been a pizza hut in a former life. Enjoy read more

El Jimador - a gummy machine in a store - Mexican Near Me - Lakewood, Colorado

I've tried quesa birria tacos at dozens of places. My favorite. None hold a candle to what I experienced tonight. Next level.

We had lunch there the other day. I took my entire lunch home because it was horrible. Not cooked, cold enchiladas. I am not picky but they were not good. I warmed them up with extra cheese on top and they tasted like they came from a different restaurant. The service was horrible too. The other thing that bothered me is when paying there is a line of bullett casings from large to small lined up behind the cash register. We will never go there again. read more

This place wins the price for the most disgusting food for which I have ever paid money. Exhausted, starving and nearly brain dead, I found myself walking back and forth on the sidewalk on Union Street reading reviews for El Jimador, El Torito, and Hana Matusari Sushi. I was leaning towards the last option but ironically it was the food poisoning concerns that dissuaded me. Ultimately, I selected El Jimador, home of the "best margarita in town." I was craving a breakfast burrito but didn't read the description very well. Not sure if it was sausage or hamburger, or something else inside or why it was served with rice and beans. The service was very quick, as I think they dug all of the ingredientes out of the dumpster, threw 'em in the microwave for thirty seconds and assembled them on my plate. Upon delivery, even though the plate smelled like an outhouse I took a bite to give it the benefit of the doubt. The chopped tomato garnish on the side of the plate was slimy and smelled like fish and the eggs were sulfurous. I think when I revisited the menu it said there was ground beef in there but when I checked the grub hub menu it said sausage. Not sure what it was. I moved the food around on my plate a bit before asking for the check. I was sick to my stomach for the rest of the weekend and sadly disappointed by another Mexican restaurant in Colorado. I'm so curious about the hit or miss reviews. Not sure my experience is reflective of the overall situation at El Jimador, but I'm definitely in no hurry to return. read more

wow just wow I used to love this place and returned a few ago and thought yeah not bad. A friend just came back into the country and was craving Mexican food so we went to El Jimador. we each ordered our food, she ordered a couple of glasses of wine. I ordered soda water with lemon. Most restaurants treat it as water or will sometimes charge like a soft drink at most. Imagine my shock when I received the check and saw a $9 charge for soda water! I told the server I had been in a few weeks ago and it had been treated like water. She talked to her Manager who said whoever had waited on me then obviously did not do their job. She gave us a dirty look in the process. Some little children of staff were running all over the restaurant in their pajamas screaming and yelling. The place was pretty busy and most customers just seemed to stare at them wondering who they belonged to. At 6:30 another sever started vacuuming the entire restaurant while people were eating. The background music was loud and sounded like circus music. We are done and won't return. Hard to believe any of this really happened and all in one hour of time. The workers clearly don't care as we asked if the music could be turned down a bit. Overall not a great night out. Just saying. read more

Post day hike eats. Although I've never noticed this spot before. How? The dull outside painting? Anyways close friends recommended that we stop after our Chief Mountain Trail hike. I ordered the Carne Asada Plate and their Cantarrito. Both are really good. The carne asada was tender and well seasoned. The rice was seasoned as well. The decor is on point. Service a bit slow but Im ignoring this for now. The rest is awesome! Yes there's parking and when we walked in it was nearly empty for lunch. But customers started trickling in. But don't let this deter you. It means nothing! Oh their flan is legit! It's smooth! I'll be back! read more

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Blink and you'll miss this place while driving down Union, though their sign does proclaim the best margaritas in town - which TBH is what caught my eye! Since that initial visit a couple years ago, this has become our go-to Mexican restaurant in Lakewood. There is parking, there has never been a wait, and the food is fantastic. The service timeliness can be hit or miss depending on their staffing levels and who is on and what day of the week it is, but everyone has always been friendly. And I like that it's very family oriented and doesn't play up any kitschy-ness (why do places do that?) The menu is ginormous, which does make it somewhat difficult to make a selection. It's all delicious. We usually do not get any appetizers since the offered chips and salsa/cabbage are plentiful. I do tend to gravitate towards the enchiladas (the mole! the suiza! the espinacas!) but we have tried any number of burritos, tacos and combo plates over the years and truly nothing has disappointed. The meats are always tender, the seasonings are spot on and sauces not so rich you feel ugh after, and portions are generous but not obscene. Sometimes my eyes are bigger than my stomach, but if you come hungry you will be satisfied. Finally, can't forget to mention that margarita. While I will stay neutral on whether it is truly "the best" (I'm not a fan of superlatives, generally), I will say that it is indeed great. I will also say stick to the original and don't add any extra flavors, and you'll get a well balanced and very enjoyable beverage. Don't miss this place! read more

Service was good, but the food was mediocre. It wasn't bad, but for the price there are much better options. The best thing I had was the carnitas taco. The salsa was awful and the pazole needed the menudo flavoring to make it tasty. read more

Best pozole around! I love their food! Even the mole chicken and chipotle enchiladas are fantastic!

Great service and the chips/salsa are excellent. We had a large group but the drinks and food was very timely and the servers were very attentive. Everyone was happy with their food and the environment was very nice. read more

The complementary chips and salsa were tasty I got the three cheese enchiladas. It looked like a lot of food but I could eat it in one sitting. It was aiight. I added a ton of green chile cholula which made it tasty. This place has lots of seating and slightly more parking than its neighboring restaurants. Nice server. read more

Excellent service, great menu choices. Food is tasty. The whole family got great food, super marks. Ambiance is authentic, and so is the food. read more

Great Mexican food, excellent service. Handled a large group of 12 people beautifully. Fun Mexican decor with painted, decorated chairs around our long table. I highly recommend! read more

Authentic and delicious Mexican food is served here! I'm giving four out of five stars because the food was just delicious! There are vegetarians options as well! The salsa and chips are fresh made, zesty and spicy (not too too hot!). Leaving off a star just because the interior needs an update and the menus were a little sticky. But overall my experience here was fun, festive and tasty! Customer service was on point! They were fast, courteous and friendly! There's lots of seating and a nice bar! There's a small private parking lot. I truly enjoyed this spot! My fellow dinner mates did as well! It's great for groups. Try the piña colada! ;-) read more

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Great family restaurant! The food was great and the drinks were even better! The plates are huge! Tons of food. You get chips and salsa that is delicious w a serving of the house slaw that is divine. Absolutely loved this place and will be back!! read more

Stumbled across this restaurant and ate here while I was on vacation. Food was great up until I got food poisoning so unfortunately I don't think will be returning. Bright side is the service was great and our waiter was attentive. The ambience was great as well, it was definitely family vibes which I appreciated. read more

Food is delicious, especially the queso. I had the Cali burrito which was amazing but it doesn't come with any side of rice and beans. The chicken burrito smothered in green chili is delish too. Highly recommend the Micheladas. read more

I've eaten here a few times recently... both inside and for take-out. The food is great. Service is also great. This place is a gem hidden in plain sight. I'm sad that I didn't go there sooner. read more

This place is everything you would want authentic Mexican food. Absolutely delicious, great service, fun place to eat.

This is a Lakewood GEM! Wonderful food and the staff is amazing. I recommend this to anyone whose appetite is for delicious Mexican Food!!!! read more

The waiter was awesome, wish I would have gotten his name. The guy who brought us chips and checked on us was friendly. However the manager I believe was kinda rude. When we asked when we were seated about happy hour they let us know, we ordered happy our drinks, when it came time for the second one, the manager I believe came over and interrupted saying it was over, even though we ordered the first one before hand, not knowing what time it ended, she didn't want to honor the second. If it weren't for the kind gentleman that had served us the chips and salsa she would have lost us as returning customers. We will return for the wait staff- not necessarily for management. read more

Very authentic Mexican food! There's a small staff, but boy do they work hard! My cup was never empty and the salsa and chips were fresh and plentiful. I ordered the Colorado shrimp fajitas and the serving was huge (leftovers will make for a nice snack later!) and their seasoning and selection of veggies were great-loved the mushrooms! The service was very friendly, too! If you want a good authentic Mexican restaurant where you are welcomed and your business is so appreciated and the food is excellent, El Jimador is a great place! read more

This place is an amazing hole in the wall. From the outside you wouldn't expect much, but the inside has a great ambiance. Food was good and service was quick! I got the skinny margarita and enjoyed it. I definitely will be going back. Apparently this place has been open for 17 years! read more

Amazing Mexican food , great burritos, great enchiladas . The food is really good. The outside of the restaurant looks closed on the outside and not a whole going on the outside but inside the food and the service is awesome. pour new place to have great authentic Mexican food. read more

Excellent food and great service. The mole is soooo good! It is family owned so you always have the same friendly faces taking care of you.

It smelled really bad when we walked in that we almost walked out. Assuming it was something just off in the air, we went on in. The service was good but the food was lackluster. It was ok but nothing great. The drinks were also so so. I had looked forward to trying this place so it was disappointing. It was Friday night and they only had about 5 tables filled. That should have been our first sign. It's not the worst food ever but I'm not going back. read more

AMAZING family Mexican restaurant that went out of their way to serve us. 1) Apologized profusely for "taking so long" to get us our drinks (it was maybe 7-8 min) because they ran out of milk and literally sent someone to the store to buy some. 2) The chips were delicious and clearly freshly made 3) The mole sauce was maybe the best I have ever had. I try that at almost every restaurant we try so I've had many versions, this was sooo good. 4) My 13-year-old wasn't quite prepared for the spice in the mole enchilada he ordered so we asked to order him something else not realizing they had already closed their kitchen. They still made it for him and didn't charge us for the enchiladas he didn't like. 5) Margarita was perfect. Seriously, you have to eat here! read more

I needed to get new tires two blocks away and was starving so walked down the street and found this place. Ambiance is nothing to write home about but the food was amazing and I had the nicest server ever (Victor). The smothered, fried chili rellano was legit the BEST one I have ever had in my life. I got a second one to go and accidentally ate half of that one before I walked out the door. Will definitely be back! read more

El Jimador - a meal in a styrofoam container - Mexican Near Me - Lakewood, Colorado

Great place. We go once a week for Taco Tuesday. The staff is very nice and friendly and the food is tasty. The restaurant is always clean and comfortable. read more

Small family run place with great food and service. Happy hour jumbo margs are a must have.

First time here. Great and fast service. Food was good and serving sizes are huge. Good salsa. read more

El Jimador - Beef Enchilada - Mexican Near Me - Lakewood, Colorado

I eat Mexican in the golden, Lakewood area on a weekly basis, this place is slightly outside my usual haunt but i was in the area and it had the look i go for: slightly rundown location, traditional Mexican name, and a full parking lot. I have to say this general area has a ridiculous amount of very good Mexican food, Golden is lousy with them, so it's not hard to get average or sub par food. These guys are ahead of the curve, i had a carnitas burrito and crispy relano(this is my baseline for comparison at any New Mexican joint) and I'd give it a solid 7 or a light 8 out of 10. Food was very tasty, I'd say in the 80th percentile of what's around here. The service was awesome, i usually try to eat at the bar, my man Ramiro, was super attentive even though he was busy helping the rest of the lunch crew on the floor. I'll be back. read more

El Jimador - Mexican Near Me - Lakewood, Colorado

I went here for lunch with some friends. This restaurant looks empty and closed when we pulled up, but they were open. We were greeted and seated right away. Chips, "slaw" and salsa followed. Our waiter did a good job of taking our orders and attending to our needs. My biggest complaint is the lack of vegetarian options. Besides chips and salsa, they literally have 4 (four) vegetarian options. Everything, including their chili relleno lunch option, is smothered in green chili (pork). I ordered the spinach enchilada which was "OK", but the spinach was undercooked and tough. Can't say this would be my top choice for Mexican food I Lakewood. Cute interior. Large interior. Small parking lot. No street parking. read more

A 3.5 star Mexican Restaurant that is much better than its franchise neighbor, Jose O'Shea's. The frijoles refritos were appropriately saturated with lard. The thinly sliced and grilled churrasco-like steak was authentically Mexican in preparation, as were the freshly made flour tortillas. Liked the chile, and all in all, the tastes were very good. The main problem for me, however, was the over-salting of all the dishes. Made my body cry out for water over the next couple of hours. If they could fix that issue, they'd have a legitimate 4 star Mexican restaurant. Would go back when in the area. read more

Great Mexican food! The chips and salsa are awesome, I really like the cabbage slaw stuff they serve too, its sooo tasty and the salsa is perfectly spicy! You will not leave this place hungry, the portions are huge! Just see the pic of the sopapilla I added, Its the size of my head and very delicious. By the way this was the first time we actually made it to dessert, we usually stuff ourselves and can barely walk out. We paced ourselves this time and took half our meals home so we could try their desserts. Service is the best on this side of town. Everyone you come in contact with has a smile, greets you and is willing to help service you. They dont just go get your server like most other restuarants. Everyone works together to create a great dining experience. They tote themselves as the 'Best Margarita in Town', and I would have to agree! Its muy delicioso! read more

El Jimador - Wow! The amazing $3 sopapilla, the size of a football! AMAZING - Mexican Near Me - Lakewood, Colorado

After living in Texas for the past 20 years I judge Tex-Mex harshly. The Margarita was good and had a kick, wish I could say the same for the salsa. It was closer to tomato paste than anything else. It makes it even harder is the chips are really good. I had a burrito which was also very tasty. Over all things tasted great except the solsa. read more