First visit. Won't be the last! Food was great, but the service was the best. A lot of restaurants in my neck of the woods often have just one person trying to take care of large area by themselves. There were no less than six people who passed by our table, all of them busy and interacting with customers. Once a party left the restaurant, someone immediately came to thoroughly clean the table and another person jumped in to set it up for the next customers. read more

We eat on a regular basis. Solid food. Good atmosphere, the staff are all pretty nice and good on waiting on us.

Probably the worst Mexican food I have ever had in my life. The flavor was absolutely terrible. It had the most odd seasoning covering the chicken in a very thick layer. Also was charged $7 for one plain grilled chicken taco ala cart. Our drinks were served in carafes, assuming so they didn't have to get any refills. The order came out with shredded cheese when ordered without and the waitress stood at our table for a solid 5 min trying to correct it and reorder it on her hand held computer. Overall just an awful experience. Save your money and go somewhere else. Definitely would not go back. read more

Food was not so good. Three in our party got street tacos, all of different varieties. All three were noted as being bland in taste. I myself ordered the lime steak street tacos. It was, as I said, bland. There wasn't even a hint of lime taste and it is not served with limes? We drove about 25 miles to try the restaurant out at the recommendation of a friend. We will still be friends but will take his recommendations with a grain of salt in the future. read more

used to here 5 days week and loved it atmosphere was always good food great. But the last few months it's going down hill. The new bart is terrible no personality not friendly always standing around on her phone. Stopped going so much because of her Went last night food was hot server was great she went above and beyond to make sure I got what I wanted. But at 9:45 other servers started cleaning moving booths/tables to sweep like they were closing I was still eating! I was told by 3servers don't worry about it take time my time. By 10:20 they stacking chairs I still had my drink I felt so rushed and not welcome I didn't finis my dinner and left. Will not be going back if this is how it's going to be. read more

The service was just ok but I was 100% shocked at how small my chimichanga was. it honestly wasn't much larger than a deck of cards. Originally I thought it was $12 but I was looking at the lunch menu. For that price it was a decent enough meal but when I got my check and it was over $20 I was livid. Never again. read more

The atmosphere was fun, wait staff attentive. We were seated in the middle booth section. The wood planked wall was covered in ants. They kept crawling onto my arm. The ice water did not have a fresh, clean taste to it. The food itself came out hot but was mediocre at best. Not very flavorful. Guacamole was good though. read more

Took a scenic drive to downtown Salem. Place was pretty full and we were seated immediately. Served brought chips and salsa right away in a big bottle. It was very good! I ordered a margarita and my husband got a Modelo. We also ordered the Maguey queso as an appetizer. It was good, reminded me of a rotel cheese dip my mom makes! I got the shrimp street tacos which were delicious! Tangy sauce with jalapeño. My husband enjoyed his fajita burrito. Will be back with friends when it's warm enough to enjoy the outdoor patio! read more

El Maguey Mexican Restaurant - Fajita Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Salem, Indiana

Food is good, service can be hit or miss, ambiance is typically on the louder side and the space is kind of cramped.

Easily one of the best Mexican restaurants in southern Indiana! Food and service are fantastic. Very nice facility and the rooftop seating is amazing! Highly recommend! read more

This is the absolute best Mexican restaurant in southern indiana! We drive from New Albany just to eat here. Service is amazing and the food is excellent. read more

I have been to El Maguey several times over the last couple of years. It sits on the square in Salem. It is the best Mexican food around. The vegetables always taste fresh and the chicken is so tender. The service is usually good too. My favorite dish is the Arroz Pollo. I have had other things. The queso is good so is the salsa. The only issue with the salsa is the mild is really mild. The hot salsa is SO hot. I usually mix just a little hot in to the mild to get it where I want it. Drinks are served in huge glasses which is nice. The beer is cold and served in canning glasses. I don't drink the margaritas but was told they are good, maybe not quite as strong as some other places. There is outside seating on the roof which is pretty cool and is busy on nice days. We sat outside on the latest visit. The food was good but the server was not. He was extremely slow at everything. Going to El Mageuy's is worth the trip to Salem. There's a fair about of outside activities to do and shops on the square. read more

El Maguey Mexican Restaurant - Arroz Pollo - Mexican Near Me - Salem, Indiana

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Lunch at El Maguey. Things started a little unusual as our server spoke very little English. I tried to use my limited Spanish but we still had trouble communicating. Finally another server saw us struggling to put our drink order in and came to our rescue. Chips and salsa are served and are free of charge. El Maguey's salsa is the best we've had in this area. No other salsa we've had in the general area is even close. El Maguey's salsa has onions, garlic and cilantro added to the tomato base. We loved it. My wife had the lunch Chimichanga ($9.99) with ground beef. She stated it's not the best she's had but it was good enough. I had the Pollo con Chorizo ($15.99) which is supposed to come with rice and Borracho Beans. Remember the communication problem? I said I didn't want the rice and would just like some extra beans if possible. I even tried to explain what I wanted in my limited Spanish. Our server acted as if he understood. When our food arrived my meal had no rice and no beans. Nothing but chicken topped with chorizo. I thought our server would be returning with my bowl of beans. Unfortunately I was wrong. I finally was able to wave him down and ask for my beans. He returned with my beans and now everything was fine. My chicken breast was extremely thin and grilled hard to the point it was dry and tough. It was topped with a generous serving of chorizo. The chorizo itself was very good. There was a small scoop of guacamole on my plate and it too was very good. I would order the guacamole on its own. Finally, we received our check and had another problem. My meal came with Borracho Beans, it was clearly printed on the menu. Our server treated the beans as an extra side and I was charged an extra $3.99. I tried to explain it to our server and he just didn't understand. Once again the young lady that had helped us communicate previously got involved. I showed her my check and explained the problem. She went and got a menu and asked me to point to what I ordered? I showed her then pointed out the menu showed my meal comes with Borracho Beans. She agreed and went to the manager. I saw her explaining it to him and it seemed to be a big deal. I just didn't understand what was going on. So now we're just sitting there and nobody comes to us or says anything. We wait and wait. Finally our original server comes to the table and I ask ( in Spanish) for a new check. He finally returns with a corrected check. Whew, what an ordeal. read more

Ridiculous small portions . Maybe they got my order wrong . SEE PHOTO ! Asked for mgr . He confirmed it was INDY Quesadillas. read more

El Maguey Mexican Restaurant - Chicken quesadillas $12.99 - Mexican Near Me - Salem, Indiana

Stopped by here to grab a quick lunch while in town checking on rental houses. This place has the best salsa! I despise cilantro--like won't order food if the cilantro can't be removed & they made me salsa specifically for me because I hate it so much! They server was sweet as can be & the food was delicious. Adding this to the list of places to visit in Salem! read more

My family has been coming to this restaurant for at least 10 years now, and it is always delicious! They have the best salsa of any Mexican restaurant that I've ever been to! read more

I was passing through Salem and stopped at El Maguey for a late lunch / early dinner. The service was fast. Soda served in a decanter. A Great choice! The food was great, veggies fresh, and best of all - the chicken was hot and served well. Someone there has an eye toward presentation of the dinner too. Inside, the look and feel of the place is different than that of other Mexican restaurants I've been in. It has a unique look and vibe. Prices ? Good . Will I be back? Absolutely! read more

Seafood choices are plentiful, shrimp are a decent size and tasty. Queso is great, burritos are exceptional plus they have street corn. Drinks are made perfectly, staff still masked and extra friendly. Chips and salsa are deliciously crunchy, with the right amount of cilantro. Really good food! Can not wait to come and try out the roof top sitting. Yummy spot on the town square, plus afterwards you can waddle to the corner bakery for later time treat. Love this place. read more

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For years we frequented El Maguey at least since 2005. And the service was impeccable. But here the last few years, atleast since the owners daughter has taken over it has seemed service has gone down hill. 2 times now we have went in and sat down. Had our drink orders taken. Drink brought to us. Then we don't see anyone. We sat there for 20 minutes tonight and didn't see our server. We just asked for our bill for our drinks and left. The other time no one even showed up to take our drink order. And this isn't the only issues we've had. But it is the most frustrating. Other issues I won't mention. But it made big talk in Salem. We won't be going back. And that sucks. Because for years this was our goto restraunt in Salem. I won't sit here and say to not go. The food is great. But the frequency of bad service seems to be going up. read more

Has always been a good place in Salem to eat. Not anymore. Waited 15 minutes and no one came to wait on us. Won't be back. read more

The restaurant it self is beautiful clean . Prices about normal. It was the worst lime margarita in l have ever had any where. The booze was there, but the flavor was not there at all, more like limeaid or a cheap mix. Asked for frozen and got on the rocks. Caso was good, chips were good salsa could have used some more flavor. The other drinks came out in what appears to be plastic o j bottles. My husbands fajita was burnt, and no sizzle so it must have set on the hot pan for to long, considering the rice and beans were just luke warm it makes sense. I had the l lime steak street tacos they were good but would have been better one crispy shells like I asked for. My sons bbq shrimp tacos were good I assumed at the prices some rice and beans would have came with them they dont. Our friend had a steak taco salad no complaints but the steak was cold. Someone else got us another basket of chips since we only saw the waiter at the drink phase and taking our order and then cashing out he seemd to be struggling with the pos system. I m not sure I would go back. read more

The food is pretty standard for a typical Mexican restaurant, but the atmosphere is the best. The rooftop is beautiful in the evenings, and they usually have live music! Check out the margarita flights you can get for $9.99! Taco Tuesdays are nice for cheap, standard tacos. House margaritas used to be cheap on Tuesdays as well, but I think they're a normal price again. read more

El Maguey Mexican Restaurant - Margarita flight - Mexican Near Me - Salem, Indiana

Working in Salem this week and I passed by three Mexican restaurants. I chose this one due to the many cars parked all around the restaurant and the number of people I observed walking in the door. Popular place, food must be good, I thought. I walked in and placed an order to go. I was told by the employee who took my order that it would be ready in 15-20 minutes so I sat down on the bench to wait. I observed that it appeared to be rather disorganized. Two employees seemed to be overlapping duties, rushed, and not very efficient. The other employee (not the one who took my order) approached me and asked if I had been helped. I told her I had placed a carry out order and she went back and brought my food. She asked if I needed silverware. She dug through a couple of stacks of papers on top of a shelf and found one package of disposable silverware that had been buried under the papers. I was disappointed in the food. It was bland, and my chimichanga soggy from sitting in water, probably from the lettuce and tomato. The sour cream was watery too. Beans and rice weren't hot, were barely warm. The beans tasted like they were straight out of a can and the rice was totally unremarkable. No spice, no flavor. Atmosphere was nice but food was bland and disappointing. I don't know why this restaurant is so popular except that people in Salem must like bland Mexican food. read more

El Maguey Mexican Restaurant - Veggie chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - Salem, Indiana

Probably my favorite restaurant in the area...always great food and service. The upstairs deck is fantastic in warmer months...beautiful overlook of the Salem Square! read more

They have delicious salsa. I recommend the Arroz Con Pollo or any of the street tacos. If the weather is nice, ask to sit at the roof top dining and admire the Salem Courthouse. read more

Good food but the music was a bit loud for a family place. Latino dance music at 1pm on a Sunday is just kinda weird with seniors in there. Friendly service. Just, it was too loud to talk. read more

El Maguey is the best Mexican restaurant. My boyfriend is from northern KY and every time he comes up to visit, we end up going because he loves their food so much. The staff are always attentive and kind, the atmosphere is upbeat, and it's just a really wonderful place to have a meal at. Their chips and salsa cannot be beat. My boyfriend recommends the tacos; I recommend the chicken cheesy rice. Love this place! read more

Prepare to wait for-ev-er when you walk in for a table. Regardless of the time, day of the week, a full house, or no one else in the building. The staff will attempt to act like they are concerned but turn around and walk the other way instead of completing the task to help others out. They are the slowest, slowest, slowest group of workers I've ever seen. It's an average place for food. Same as any other Mexican restaurant. Unfortunately the picking is slim in this city. It's priced average for the cuisine. They did win best queso/salsa in Washington County, however that's not hard when you have one other competitor. If you can, order to go, take it home, ignore yourself for a while, give a little attitude in there, and then eat and you're about at the same experience... but comfortable at home. read more

The shrimp tacos were the most bizarre thing I've ever seen. There was a pink, runny sauce drenched on the tacos. It didn't look appetizing and it definitely wasn't. The server was very nice about it and brought me something else, but it took a while to get so others at the table we're done eating before I got my food. While very friendly, the service was slow and the food was not great. The soda was also very flat. This is not the first or second time we've had a bad experience here so we won't be back, which is a shame because it's a cool environment (rooftop seating). read more

We moved to Salem a year and a half ago, and really wanted tasty Mexican food. El Maguey has the best salsa! They unfortunately went through some menu changes, as well as prices, several months ago, like some other restaurants. The cost went up while the portion went down, in many cases. Also, we have recently experienced a very lengthy stay, due to our waiter having little knowledge of English. It made ordering a challenge, and caused my daughter and hubby not to speak up about a couple details with their plates. Sadly, we probably won't go there very often anymore, as it's a bit too costly for what is on some of the plates. read more

Safety is good here, lots of outside seating. Great salsa. The tacos were ok. The place was clean and the staff was friendly

What a pleasant surprise. Nicely done Mexican place right on the square in Salem. Cheap drinks, reasonably priced food, and big portions. Service was great, too. Wife had the seafood chimichangas, and I had a enchiladas suizas. Both were freshly cooked, and excellent. Chimis had generous portion of shrimp fresh off the grill in a creamy sauce. Enchiladas had chicken and beef (I ordered them that way), and meat was freshly grilled, not scooped out of a warming tray like so many places. Rice, pico, and guac were fresh and well done. 30 minutes from home, but we will be making the trip again just to come here. read more

El Maguey Mexican Restaurant - Carnitas tacos - Mexican Near Me - Salem, Indiana

I have been here twice since my last review. The one before this was almost a year ago. It has went down hill in terms of quality. When the last time I came it was busy and I tried a new dish they had. I did not think much about it other then my stepfather and I was not impressed. But today they were slow. The menu had changed and what I had last time was not on the menu. So I had the Mexicama enchilada plate. One it was shredded beef in red sauce, shredded chicken in queso and ground beef with verda. The chicken was so dry that I had to drink alot of my drink. The shredded beef was also dry with no flavor at all. The hamburger was alright. My wife took one bite from hers and realized it was not what she wanted or it was wrong. She asked for a menu and in her opinion it wasn't what she expected per the menu. They did take it off the menu. My daughter's liked what they got but felt it blah. We also got the crab queso dip. It was loaded with crab meat. It was very obvious it was the Krab meat not Crab meat. My wife loved it. She was the only one. It sad when a place you really liked starts on a downward trend. I would have thought last year would be an anomaly and this time would prove that I was right. Sadly I will not come back here. There are just to many Mexican places that are better. read more

First And last time here I ordered the ribeye and ribs Nasty ribs tasted like they were boiled and ribeye was way to fatty and greasy and the wait wasnt worth it read more

Elizabeth was our waitress and she went above & beyond making sure everything was good. It was a busy night but her service was great!

This Mexican restaurant has the BEST grilled chicken i've ever had and i've been to a ton. Chicken cheese and rice is what i got. And Brian Houston is a great worker and made sure we got our togo order when it was ready. Definitely recommend this place and any meal the has their grilled chicken in it. read more

Excellent food for an excellent price. We were seated quickly and food ordered in a timely fashion. Our food was brought out quick and fresh. Highly recommend the wet burrito. read more

Food was excellent and the service was great! Definitely worth a stop!I recommend the street corn. read more

El Maguey Mexican Restaurant - Yummy! The food was excellent and the service was great. Look at how big the drinks are. - Mexican Near Me - Salem, Indiana

The burrito was filled with tomato. Onion and a minimal amount of meat. Once and never again. read more

Best Mexican in Salem (in all fairness, there's only 2 Mexican places) We come here pretty often. About 7-10 times a year. They have amazing specialty "maguey fries" and I love the fajita quesadilla. read more