This was our first time at El Merendero Mexican Restaurant, and we came on a weekend to celebrate my grandma's birthday, so we were excited to finally try it after hearing about it for a while. We entered from the side of the restaurant and were greeted right away, though we were a little unsure of the seating process and ended up grabbing a table ourselves. The table did need to be cleaned, but once we got someone's attention and waited to sit, things started to settle. Even though it was fairly busy, the place had a good ambiance and that classic anticipation you get when you're about to have a traditional Mexican breakfast. The menu is pretty large, which can be a bit overwhelming if you're just looking for something simple. We originally planned on enchiladas, which my grandma ordered, but most of us ended up going with the menudo. The portion was on the smaller side, but you can order pig's foot on the side for an extra charge, which a lot of Latinos appreciate and it definitely adds to the experience. Flavor wise, it was good and it hit the spot, especially for a morning craving. I also took it as a really good sign that many people were picking up menudo to go in their own pots, which tells you this place clearly has a loyal following and a reputation for that dish. Once we ordered, the food came out fairly quickly. Service was the main area where things felt a little disorganized, and it did affect the overall flow of the visit. We did have to flag someone down to place our order, and checking out at the end took longer than expected because we weren't sure if we were supposed to go to the cashier or wait at the table. That said, I can tell the staff works hard, and the place stays busy for a reason. Parking was easy for us since we found street parking right in front, though there are paid options nearby. Overall, it was a solid experience, the reviews seem pretty accurate, and while it may not have completely blown me away, I would still recommend it and come back again, especially for menudo and a casual family meal. read more

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Love this place since we first moved to SD 20 years ago. Alway consistently tastes great. Their breakfast rock. One the best traditional family Mexican food places in the area. read more

El Merendero is a long-time favorite restaurant of mine; it's been a tradition to stop here when in the area since I was a child. Staff is always friendly and welcoming. Service is very quick, and food arrives hot. There is a good amount of both indoor and covered outdoor seating available. They have two clean, single-stall restrooms. Small private parking lot. Noise levels stays mild to moderate depending on how busy they are. The food here is seriously underrated. They have so many options (from tacos and burritos to soups and hamburgers), even my pickiest family member found something and enjoyed themselves. Everything I've ever tried has been full of flavor, generous in size, and not too oily. My recent fixation is their #21 Super Combo Burrito Enchilada Style - an absolute must-try if you want something delicious, filling, and overall satisfying to eat. They also carry a variety of drinks and desserts, including alcohol. Prices are more than fair, with my pictured meal being less than $30 total for two people to get full meals and an appetizer. As must as I want to gatekeep, this place deserves all the love. Definitely give them a try! read more

El Merendero - Super Combo Enchilada Style, Chips & Salsa - Mexican Near Me - La Verne, California

Very bad service at the window. I went to the window to pick up my order , we haven't EXCHANGED any type of words yet and the Lady rolled her eyes at me several times and then closed the window and kept just making eye contact. And then Acted like she couldnt understand the 3 words I said I asked for the manager and she said no. read more

We've been coming here for decades! Great food, staff is always nice & the place is so clean! read more

El Merendero - Mexican Near Me - La Verne, California

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Always good food here. Big portions as well. Servers are always great polite and check on you pretty often. Food usually takes what I feel a lil longer than it should but hey, I'm not complaining read more

El Merendero - Mexican Near Me - La Verne, California

Solid, always good. We get this to go a lot to feed many. Really can't go wrong with anything on the menu that I've tried.

The food is great been coming for years but don't come at noon and to go. I ordered a machaca burrito Togo Two before ordered the same behind me and more they got their burritos before me I ask the lady she said it takes a while ‍ I told her the two before me ordered the same my number was before theirs. Oh sorry I'll upgrade your drink best to eat there read more

Food was delicious! Meat in the taco was so soft. Everything was so flavorful & big portions! read more

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Nice spot that's been around for years and right next to the Fairgrounds. I like their burritos, salsa and great chips!

This past Wednesday was My first time at this location. I've passed it for years and finally STOPPED in. The taco enchiladas chalupa rice and beans plate was GREAT . The waitress was very attentive and the price for the food was well worth it read more

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I grew up coming to El Merendero and now I bring my family here. They just celebrated their 50 anniversary so that should tell you they're doing something right. The staff is always very nice and polite. Everything on the menu is very tasty and consistently good. Their chile verde is delicious and tastes great over a burrito. The restaurant is a decent size and they're able to accommodate large parties. Sometimes it gets pretty warm and loud inside, but it's bearable. There's additional seating outside under a covered patio that's nice to sit at as well. The restaurant does have a window to order to-go, and you can call your order in for take out as well. read more

El Merendero - California Burrito - Mexican Near Me - La Verne, California

Really great spot! The food is tasty and the menudo is amazing -- rich broth, tender meat, and just the right amount of spice. The staff was friendly and the place felt welcoming. Highly recommend if you're craving good menudo! read more

Ambiance and service: Hole in the wall Mexican food with order at the window lady who might roll her eyes at you because she wishes she was done, but has 2 more hours to go. Expensive for what it is and where it is. Food is tasty. Tried the torta and it was good. Carne asada had good flavor. Beans and rice were really good. This place has a patio outside and indoor seating. It's festive with Christmas all-year- long lights outside and modelo beer banners strung along the patio. Nice concrete patio seating. Got take out and it was annoying to get home and discover they screwed up the cheese enchiladas and put beef in them. I even checked the order before I left. I would have had to cut into the enchilada to confirm it was only cheese like it was ordered. My bad for not taking that extra step! No just no. Read the ticket. Funny thing was I saw confusion on the three guys prepping my order. Why ? It says Two cheese enchilada combos that means no meat in them !! Focus my peeps focus so there won't be any hocus pocus. Anyways last thingto mention; the time it took was way too long long like 20 minutes. Like hungry people at home waiting for me and their food were ready to file a missing persons report with the po po. Like picture on the side of a milk carton taking tooo E-Frain long ! Enjoy this place for what it is and find your favorite number on the menu board. Don't expect too much and be read more

El Merendero - Yup I was there ... - Mexican Near Me - La Verne, California

Been around for years and always busy! My go to is the all meat burrito (asada). It's huge and delicious! they have inside dining with a server or a patio. Highly recommend! read more

First of all I have been going to El Merendero in Pomona since the 1980s and always the food have been awesome and also the sweet bread. Came to the one on Fairplex a couple days ago with my grandson. I wanted some soup and asked the waiter when the albondigas were made. He stated "today" which was Monday. I said ok, and ordered them. When he brought the bowl I notice the soup was very thick and the vegetables and albondigas kind of disintegrating falling apart, which happens when it's made 3-4 days before. I called the waiter and told him, also that it had a strange flavor. All he said "nobody's complained, and there's nothing I can do" and took off. I didn't want to make a fuzz with my grandson there so I didn't eat the albindigas just left the food there. I paid the check and as we were walking out of the restaurant I also told the manager about the food, and she stated basically the same thing "we haven't had any complains, on the contrary, people like the soup" then she left us there standing. So we just left and may not come back for a long time. read more

My husband and I had dinner at El Merendero last night. I ordered the grilled fish off of the Senior Meals menu. It was absolutely delicious! I couldn't believe what a great value this was. It was only $8.99 and came with grilled fish, a huge portion of rice, and a beautiful salad. It also came with a large soda. My husband ordered a combination burrito with steak picado, beans, and rice. It was huge! He could only eat about half of it. He normally gets the chile verde burrito, but he said the steak picado was way better. He raved about this burrito, and he doesn't rave often. We both enjoyed our dinner and will visit again soon! read more

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I've been coming here for 35 years and it looks like I'm done with this place. Quality and service has gone down hill. Not worth the price. Ordered a Carne Asada burrito and it looked like there were 6 pieces of meat. My wife ordered a burrito with cheese and no cheese. Don't waste your money here. read more

I have been a loyal customer here for over 20 years until last night. Not sure why they have hired unqualified,rude wait staff or changed some reliable recipe, but this is the case. Ordered a carnitas sope that looked like a mexican pizza and I requested cilantro and pico de gallo on it . The meat tasted bad/sour and there was no pico. I told the waitress and she said that I couldn't get my money back but could order something else! I didn't want anything else and wasn't going to pay for the sope. I also ordered a chile relleno which was not made as usual. This time way too much egg. The waitress was rude and wrong. She eventually took the sope iff the menu but then hawked over us as we started separating our respective orders. She hawked herself out if a tip! read more

As always, Great food, fast service, great price, clean restaurant. Can't wait to go back again. read more

El Merendero - Mexican Near Me - La Verne, California

Incredible authentic Mexican food that I've been eating since 1978 and it is as great as I remember.

We really enjoy going to El Merendero! Food is good and the service is great! The Tostada's ate really good and we love the Chili Relleno's.

My daughter and I were heading home from school and work a couple days ago. Freeway traffic was not the greatest. I decided to get off the freeway and take surface street. As I was driving along Fairplex Drive, I recall there being a Mexican restaurant that one of my friends and I ate at. It was really good. I wondered at the time if we would bump into it. Sure enough... we did. All things happen for a reason. We were meant to get off the freeway and be on our way to El Merendero. They have a reasonable size parking lot. There's outside patio seating with indoor dining as well. We ordered to-go from the order window outside. Staff was nice. However, I thought the order window was too tiny. I had to duck down to see the person taking my order LOL. Anyway, I got the shrimp ceviche that was very tasty... lots of shrimp and lime... I would get it again. Got the hard shelled carne asada and chicken tacos... I didn't eat the carne asada, but my daughter said it was better than the chicken. Chicken was a tad dry IMHO. Also got the shrimp ranchero plate with rice and beans... the shrimps were small, but plentiful... there's a nice spicy kick to it... rice was tough and beans were a bit fluid. I normally don't get agua frescas, but thought I try them here. I went with the jamaica and pina colada no ice. Get the large... it's only 25 cents more compared to medium. Jamaica was fantastic! Unfortunately, pina colada was way too sweet for my taste. We didn't dine here. We ate in the car since it was chilly outside and also to wait out the traffic. Overall, great tasting Mexican foods despite of a few things. We'll be back for more!!! read more

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This place is so tasty. And they are always so nice. I always choose this taco place over the others in the area.

The best breakfast burritos around. Full of meat, potatoes and cheese. Red and green salsa is excellent. And, they open at 5:30 am!!

been coming here for years and love the food! service was quick and efficient, my menudo was delicious as always :) read more

El Merendero - updated menu 2026 :) - Mexican Near Me - La Verne, California

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1 Star Review: Absolutely Terrible Customer Service I have been a loyal customer of El Merendero Restaurant for nearly 40 years and have always had great service. So imagine my dismay when I recently encountered the worst customer service experience in the history of going there. I almost always order the same meal: Mojo de Ajo, refried beans, jalapeño potatoes with extra jalapeño, and a side of pico de gallo. When I stood at the counter to give my order, I asked for the #94 Mojo de Ajo. The employee, Vicky, had no idea what I was talking about. I explained that it was the #94, but I did not want salad and wished to have the aforementioned sides. When my order came out, I seldom check because they always get it right. However, I noticed my side of pico was missing. When I asked about it, I discovered that Vicky had not included it in the order. I had to have it rung up separately. I took my order home, happy with anticipation, only to open my food and discover the order was completely wrong--no potatoes, no beans. It was extremely upsetting, made worse by Vicky's demeanor--non-smiling and mean-spirited. I should have verified my order given her attitude. This review is strictly about the absolutely terrible customer service I received from Vicky. I understand that customer service is hard--I did it for years myself--so I am always aware that it costs nothing to be nice. I am absolutely disappointed that El Merendero would allow such a person to represent them. On a positive note, I must give Ashley 5 stars. When she found out what happened, she asked me to come back and had a new meal made for me. Kudos to her for salvaging some of the experience. read more

The food is 10 out of 10 The food is always on point. BUT the service is pretty bad. Some are friendly and some aren't. More than that the are bad at taking orders and forgetting things. Asked for napkins, FOGOT. Not a big deal but every time we go (weekly) it's something. Forgot to bring the tortillas or forgot to bring salsa. It's to the point we don't eat there anymore. Instead we take the food Togo. read more

Delicious food, my go to place when im in the area. I will order tamales tacos and burritos. Its always good.

I'm conflicted and disappointed about writing this review. Read my other reviews and you will see I'm fair. I was really looking forward to eating here. My wife and I drive by frequently and it's always busy. So maybe it's just me or a fluke. We finished ordering just before 5 PM. I had the chicken fajitas and she had the enchilada style burrito. My wife was quite satisfied with her burrito. It was quite large, but reflected the $12.49 price tag. I found my $17.99 chicken fajitas to be lacking. The chicken was overcooked and dry. The chunks were large rather than cut to a semi edible size. A knife is required for this meal. The refried beans were soupy. The rice and beans barely made it halfway up the small sections of the to go box. The fajitas didn't make it halfway up the entree part of the container. Overall the chicken fajitas were a disappointment. I have a breakfast burrito to try in the morning, but I can buy one double the size a couple miles away for the same $10. The chips look to be tortilla strips that are fried. I will probably give them another try on a Tuesday to try out their street tacos. Sitting out on the patio was nice. It was cool out and comfortable enough. read more

Food is good. Service is horrible. Ordered chips and salsa. After 15 minutes I was the only one still waiting for my order. I went back to the window to see if they forgot about me. As I'm waiting at the window for 5 minutes without anyone acknowledging me, 3 employees were standing there talking, not about work. I finally got someone's attention and my order. read more

My husband is allergic to dairy and they gave him a burrito drenched in dairy and when I called to correct the order they told me there was nothing they could do and hung up on me .. I had ordered a burrito that was gross ... I would not recommend at all read more

Paid $15 a bowl for menudo that tasted like it came out of a can. And one of our bowls even had a hair in it! Even the tortillas tasted stale. Sorry but I'm just being honest. Service was good but wouldn't come back here. read more

This has become a regular spot for us the last few years. Great food, the service is good. You are not coming here the for ambience, you are here for the food and great vale read more

We used to love eating at El Merendero, but we will never go there again. We ordered some takeout and we were given chips and salsa as well as our vegan burrito. We had to throw the chips away because they were beyond stale. The salsa was good, as per usual, but that was the only thing that was good. The burrito was filled with potatoes! What? It was just tasteless and gross. We appreciate that they attempt to offer a vegan dish, but that was just terrible. Also, when we paid with our credit card it forced us to tip! That was really strange. So, a terrible experience after going there for many years sadly. read more

Food is usually very good! But people working there need to Pay more attention to orders! Twice wrong tortillas! I can live with that but today two orders and everything was packed badly and beans were all over bag and chili they need to pay attention to what they are doing read more

This food is incredible!!! I had a wet bean & cheese burrito with both red & green salsa and it was the best I've ever had. I believe my son has tried nearly everything! OUTSTANDING & DELICIOUS read more

11/16/25 , after coming here since appx 1978 it was the worst breakfast, service. Ordered ham and egg, potatoes, toast. A joke han looked like lunch meat, 3 slices of ham, potatoes looked like mashed potatoes, asked fir scrambled eggs, got over easy. When I declined plate, cause was Not what I ordered they wanted to charge me 10% for wasting food...although they had forgot about us and came to ask what we had ordered after 20 mins. Our first cup of coffee was all we got, they never came to asking we wanted more.. I Don't Think we'll go back, we live in Chino and it was always special to go their. We even recently bought their 50 year anniversary T-shirts. I left without breakfast only my husband ate, he had ordered chorizo and eggs. No Mas !! We're your own Raza that have supported your business thru it all.... read more

They're Chili Rellano Burrito is not what I expected, it's basically chopped Chilis added to a bean and cheese burrito

We've enjoyed the food and service at this little treasure since 1980. The food is always delicious, the staff and the owner,Victoria, always care for customers with their great service. An enormous amount of food is served, everyday, to guests , loyal "family" diners and new customers. This place is a staple in this community. Winter Nationals wouldn't be the same without the wonderful food from El Merendero. Best Mexican food, period. Mexican food and Mexican bakery treats. Years ago a "Mexican" restaurant chain had an ad campaign using a phrase I found amusing. Slogan was " Mexican food is more than just beans to us..." Well, my family believes that if you can't get the beans right, then nothing else in that kitchen matters. Beans ARE IMPORTANT, get that right, El Merendero gets that right, every time. That's part of their wonderful success. Best salsa, too. Best chile relleno. Best chile verde. Best rice. Very clean. read more