Food was okay. Chips and salsa weren't good, so I was a little worried. I got the chicken combo and it was fine - the chicken in the taco was dried and the quesadilla was a little burnt in places. The enchilada was fine. My friend got the maguey taco and it was more like a burrito, but they said it was good. I was just kind of underwhelmed. The waitress was very nice though. The restaurant gave an authentic vibe but some of the decor was questionable...I'll say, some wall decor was not family friendly. read more

El Maguey Cantina - Mexican Near Me - Pontiac, Michigan

See all

Had a fantastic meal at El Maguey Cantina! Everything I ordered was delicious and authentic. The staff and service were quick and friendly. I highly recommend stopping by for some great food! read more

See all

Icky. If you ask for cheese for chips it's cottage cheese. Sea food boil is icky. Service was ok. Overall I'm not coming back. read more

El Maguey Cantina - Icky - Mexican Near Me - Pontiac, Michigan

Best fish tacos in town, also their margaritas are out of the world Fast and friendly service read more

Absolutely love the food here. Never had a bad meal! The nopales are always so flavorful! I order taco loco every time! The staff are always friendly and service is excellent. read more

Food was sub par at best. Not entirely sure what meat was used in the steak quesadilla, but it wasn't beef. Watery beans, bland rice. Enchilada was ok. Drinks weren't good either. Received food extremely quick. Waitress seemed bothered to have to do her job. Definitely wasn't happy to be there. 1 table of 2 and 1 guy at the bar. So not busy. No air conditioning, it was extremely warm in there, and very dark. Wont be back. read more

The best birria tacos with consume. I've been from saginaw to Detroit and these are the best!!!

Bad food. Good service and environment. My mom and I stopped by after seeing Blue Beetle the other day. Were in the mood for some Mexican food and our usual Azteca in Madison Heights was closed at the time. As soon as we stepped in we felt like we were transported back to Mexico. Authentic music, vibe and we were the only non latinos. Sadly that's where the good experience ended. My mom got the trio fajita, I ordered nachos and 2 red Birria tacos. The tacos were plain and had no flavour. The nachos were stale, barely had any meat and the cheese they use tastes like Kraft as opposed to Azteca and most of southwest Detroit's Oaxaca cheese. It shows too. The nachos lack any real sense of taste and desperately needed something to spice them up. The birria tacos looked fresh, but just had no real taste to them. We ended up spending almost 60 bucks in there and needless to say my mom was very upset with having to pay for that quality of food at that price. Last time I'll be cheating on my usual Mexican spot lol. read more

See all

Moved to the area last year, and this has become our go to Mexican spot. Authentic flavors and atmosphere. Great drink specials. Tasty margs. The required Mexican beers. Plus 3 salsas put the gates! Homemade sopas and gorditas are awesome. My kids even love it. It may not look the greatest on the outside, but it's def worth it. read more

Why do all the Mexican Restaurants have to be in Pontiac? Anyways, I was hungry for Mexican food and wanted to try this place out. I was starving, and thought I would give it a try. Walking in, the place is colorful with plenty of seating. They have a spacious bar area, along with a dining room and some kind of party room in the back. I was seated and the server brought out chips and three different kinds of salsa. BUT, there was no plates provided for the chips, just the basket. (I'm okay with eating chips out of the basket, but what if I had company?) Also, only one small dipping cup was provided for the salsas. I ended up trying all three, and liked the spicy one the best! Eventually, the server came over and took my order. I noticed that the menu offers lots of options, but were pretty beat up. Also, I wanted a lunch plate and not a dinner plate of tacos. She said that the taco dinner plate is all that they have. Fine. I ordered it and waited. I watched TV on mute and eventually the food came out. HUGE portions considering the dinner plate was under $10. I was thrilled! The tacos were fabulous, and the rice and beans were excellent as well. I also ordered water and a sprite, both of which came out in huge glasses. Good thing, because I never got a refill! Ok then. Overall, I really liked it here. Food was really good, service was all right, but I docked a star for the lack of the A) container to try the 3 different salsas, B) no plates for chips (optional really) and C) not a single refill on my sprite. Overall, I liked it here and was satisfied with my food. read more

El Maguey Cantina - Mexican Near Me - Pontiac, Michigan

Affordable doesn't mean subpar quality. Don't miss your chance to enjoy some of the best authentic Mexican dishes you're going to find in the area. Definitely a treasure trove of deliciousness. read more

Located in a tired strip mall, this place doesn't look like much. The front door had a broken glass pane, and was missing the handles to push the door the door to exit. No matter. You're going here for the food. Friday night, about 7:00, we observed the sign to seat ourselves. The server was quick to bring chips and three different salsas. She got us our drinks, and then we perused the menu. It's extensive! Like, it's pages and pages long, with offerings beyond the typical white washed Mexican restaurant. It was hard to decide. Thank goodness our server was patient with us. I got a Jarrito tamarind pop, a glass of water, and pollo chipotle. My husband got two strong margaritas and the fajitas with steak, chicken, and shrimp. Bill came to $43. That is a great price for all that. The pollo was delicious. The sauce was so fantastic that I ate more than I should have. We both got a generous portion of tortillas that were blazing hot; corn for me, flour for my husband. The fajitas order was so big that my husband could only eat half. It was the biggest fajitas serving that I've ever seen, anywhere. And it was great. So much beef, chicken, and huge shrimp! We will go back. No, this is not a fancy place. It's a bit drab inside (and outside, the strip mall is a bit neglected), and it's not the cleanest place. But the food? Fantastic. Go for the food! And the prices are great. read more

A good quality Restaurant serving authentic mexican food! I had the fajita trio and the chicken enchilada. Very delish! The owner Santiago, has been open for 2 years but will remain open because of his quality and passion read more

See all

It's like dive bar meets tacos. If you're tired, hungry, and not terribly particular about having good food, it'll do. There are better Mexican places in a 7-minute radius. read more

Can't recommend enough. Perfect 3.5 star. The food was some of the best I ever had, we were the only people in the dining room, it was dirty, kids were running around, the waitress didn't speak English. Again the food was out of this world read more

Bad food, dirty, and they still have flies in the middle of winter. Food comes out fast but the restaurant as a whole is very low effort.

Great food. Service is a bit slow but pleasant. Good range of menu items and always a cold beer.

I've been here several times for lunch during the week. The food is delicious and well-priced. I especially enjoy the molé sauce on the chicken enchiladas. Great for lunch and some friends have gone for dinner and they were happy. read more

I like food Mexican flavor I think it had a lot of flavor and it is delicious and I like the flavor read more

El Maguey Cantina - Mexican Near Me - Pontiac, Michigan

El Maguey offers THE best $6.50 lunch in the area. The place is actually staffed and run by--gasp!---actual people of Mexican descent. And you know what? That makes a big difference. Want to watch Univision? Bandamax? Listen to real mariachi music? Yep, this is the place. The food is quite good, too. You can order flour or corn tortillas (gringo v authentic) and there are complimentary chips and salsa (two great varieties) if you dine in (which I do). I dare you to find a better lunch in the area for this price. read more

See all

Great service, food and portions for the price! Our first visit so I didn't go overboard in my order in case I wasn't happy. I had 1 shrimp taco and a small nacho. My guy had a beef burrito dinner and 2 jarritos, mandarin orange. OMG! My guy is a picky eater and loves authentic Mexican. This was it! I will be ordering more than one taco next time! During COVID they were clean, sanitizer was out for guests to use and social distancing was used. They ask that you place your order over the phone and then come in to purchase and pick up. We didn't have a menu because this was our first visit but we were allowed to come in and place our order. WE WILL BE BACK read more

El Maguey came highly recommended, so we had some expectations going in. The restaurant is very authentic. The atmosphere is very casual with pretty loud music. The waitress was super sweet, but spoke very little English. Together we worked out the order. They bring a basket of chips and 3 different large salsas, which was a nice touch. I ordered the Casina Maguey, which was a thin steak, guacamole, beans/rice with two small quesadillas. It was just OK. The steak was pretty bland, but the guac was very tasty. My husband had the chicken enchiladas mole and raved about it. Our kiddos had cheese quesadillas and liked those, too. read more

Ordered the supreme nachos with Chicken. No flavor, no seasoning and the nachos had carrots in them-- Yuck! Carrots in nachos?! It just wasn't tasty and I won't be going back to this location again. read more

Good. Authentic. I'd recommend. We had the tacos and they were really good. Waitress was super nice and super hot. Great place.

I ordered carry out and they said it would take about 20 minutes. When I arrived the wait staff ignored me for about 10 minutes. I had to repeat my order to two different waitstaff. In total it took about 40 minutes to get my food. They also got my order wrong and I found a hair in my food. The food is actually decent but I will not be returning after the service I received. read more

El Maguey, a hidden authentic Mexican gem. I'm surprised more reviews aren't here. First and foremost they have one of the best authentic menu choices . a huge menu, i love choice! Yes they have all the classic Mexican American stuff, but also Mexican dishes you don't see to often. The seafood dishes looked good but seemed a little expensive 12 to 18 bucks. 2 dollar margaritas. THE CHIP AND SALSA SITCH IS AMAZING. 3 salsa choices, warm chips. we filled up on it stupidly. Good timely service. We tried a taco variety thing, the carnitas, AL pastor, tripa, asada. All good! Overall really happy. Will come back to try the whole menu basically read more

See all

This gets a five-star for sure best Mexican restaurant I have eaten at in years. they bring out three types of salsa. each one better than the last. the horchata was amazing, the coffee was super, super good.the whole time I was drinking it I was hoping for a refill which I did receive. I got the chicken chilaquiles. Best I've ever had.my husband got the chicken enchiladas and said they were the only ones he ever had in America that were cooked like they were supposed to be. The portions were huge! $7.50 for each plate. For 3 people it was under $30 and that's with a huge specialty drink and coffee. I real IIly wish I could have conveyed to the staff how good it t actually was there.i was super impressed the whole time. The wait was a little long but it was a busy lunch hour and TOTALLY WORTH IT. You know what I give them 10 best authentic restaurant in Michigan. read more

See all

Where can I start off. The place isn't clean at all. Hairs everywhere on the floor even on the food. The owners kid was in the kitchen bugging the cooks and the waitress. A cook (girl) was without a hair net. She has really long black hair. DO NOT GO EAT HERE read more

This is my secret spot! I love the food here and the price is outstanding. The staff is super friendly and the food comes out very quickly. They bring you 3 different types of salsa and fresh made tortillas with every meal free of charge. The homemade flautas and chimichangas are delicious and their seafood dishes are very fresh. They are always blasting Spanish music in the bar area which has a very authentic feeling but there is a dining area in the back if that's not your thing. I try to eat here as often as I can, everyone I have brought here has loved it. read more

El Maguey Cantina - Mexican Near Me - Pontiac, Michigan

See all

This is hands down the best Mexican that we have found in the area. And it is very affordable even though the portions are very generous. Every time we have eaten there it has been great. The food is very consistent and fresh and delicious. Have not been in a while (we moved 30 minutes) away but because I want this place to survive the pandemic, we did a carry out tonight and it was just as good as eating there. The chimichanga is so good, especially with the red sauce. And fajitas were great too. Try this place, you will not be disappointed! read more

absolutely gross, found hair on my tacos and flavored water, how the hell does hair full on my food and drink. never buying in this place again. if i could give negative reviews it would get the highest. read more

I was so happy to find El Maguey near where I moved to since I no longer need to go to all the way down to Detroit on Vernor or Bagley for real Mexican food. The people are friendly, the atmosphere immerses you into Mexican experience ( Bandarama on TV), the food is as close to home made stuff I have had from Mexican people I know. Portions are great and they have big mugs of Negra Modelo beer on tap to wash down the chips with a choice of rojo or verde or some extra hot salsa. Prices are good and you can get things like Mexican or Ranchero Steak, Chimichangas, Green and red Enchiladas, Mexican Sandwiches, and recently Chiles Rellenos. The menu is extensive and includes stuff most of us Americans never heard of. Lots of Mexican Tradesmen come here after work and they are good natured and friendly if they feel comfortable with English - a good sign this place is the real deal! read more

Best Mexican food in Pontiac. Everyday every way I gotta have it. Clean great portions and strong drinks. read more

So far the best Mexican restaurant around Ferndale and Rochester ! The music there was loud but I am not sure because was Friday night

This place is a gem in the rough. Doesnt look like much but great salsa. 32oz beers for $2 on Fridays and big portions. Favorite place to go in college on a friday night before going out. read more

Great food. Pretty much five stars food. Regretfully two problems: first stop watering your coke down so much. I mean in that brown water you give as diet or regular coke there is none - down two stars. Second - clean the place, also clean the bathroom. Nice waitress and good food do not really make up for that filth and the place ain't crazy cheap to handle not going to the bathroom and drinking brown water as coke ... read more

Delicious and awesome. Great customer service, too. No idea why there are negative reviews, seems nuts to me. Being from CA/having lots of spanish/mexican friends and going to Mexico... This food is ~very authentic~ and unlike what most people think of in the states when we hear "mexican" food -- (and the only type of mexican food that I really like.) THIS IS NOT TEXMEX. Thankfully. Had the Enchiladas Rojas (Pollo) as did a friend, delicious awesome shredded chicken with GREAT red sauce (NOT spaghetti like the user below said, what the heck!!) Friends had: Carnitas Tacos / Carne Asada Tacos (both masa & flour) as well as Pork Skin...all delicious of course (mexican style with cilantro / onion , not lettuce/cheese) Had sides of 2 different sauces (verde and red) which were also excellent. Chips/Salsa great quality & came with 3 different salsas, each great. If you want GOOD, AUTHENTIC MEXICAN go here. read more

This is an authentic mexican restauant in ponti-crack. It took me a while to get up the courage to go here....at night the place is packed. It has a full bar, but I do not recommend the margaritas...no agave and heavy on the sour mix. OnTuesdays I think, they have really cheap drink specials. I tried the soft corn tacos and the nachos and have liked both. Prices are a little cheaper than jalapenos and a little more than Jesus maria. It's not my favorite but I would come back. read more

This place is a SCAM. I was charged 10x my tip amount because someone here decided to be a smart ass and put an extra "0" between my tip amount. Keep an account of your credit card transactions. Disappointed and will never go back. read more

Me and my girlfriend came in and seated ourselves. Then we waited for someone to wait on us for 10 min. Then we asked for more time becuz we had just got menu. We then waited another 10-15 min for them t come back. Now mind you at least 10 more people came in behind us. When we ordered people where getting their food already. It took 20 min or more t get our food. Everyone else had been served and where eating when we finally received ours. Our food was cold and chips were soggy. We ordered nacho. So that means our food sat there while everyone and I mean everyone else was served. I'm white my friend was black and I cant help but feel discriminated against as everyone who came in was Mexician. Truly sad with everything else going on in world. I paid for our drinks and still left tip but will never be back!! read more