After ordering, we waited over 20 minutes for our food to be served. All of our dishes arrived cold. The food itself--hot or cold-- was mediocre at best. read more

Visiting Estes Park & some locals told us to eat here. Ugh. Not worth it. Cheese dip is like Nacho cheese, salsa is awful & mixed drinks were awful. Waiting on our fajitas now..... I'd like to just leave. Fajitas were horrible. read more

OK, for Estes Park this is a decent Mexican restaurant. I had the quesadillas, decent. We also had fajitas, they were actually very very good. Pretty good chips and salsa. Even though it was very busy the staff was very friendly. As an honest review, we will visit this spot again next year. read more

I would give 5 stars, but I ate SO much of the delicious chips & salsas with my meal, I felt kinda sick the next day. Seriously. Both salsas were excellent. Rest of the food was ok - tasty, not necessarily blow your mind exceptional though. Service was prompt and excellent! read more

Overall, pretty good food and good service. The menu was a little misleading on what was included in the dishes, like mushrooms in the fajita! read more

Vegetable burrito made with frozen vegetables. Yuck! Salsa and chips were good. Vegetarian enchiladas made the same way with frozen vegetables. Why offer these dishes? Will not go back. read more

No frills, but quality Mexican food with decent prices! More of a local feel rather then a flashy, new, tourist destination. Great food overall with great service, very traditional Mexican food! The chicken chimi was very simple and authentic. The 3 plate combo was enough food for 2 people, definitely a good find! Overall great dinner, great prices, great service! read more

Really good food. Flavorful . Much better than I would expect in a mountain town. Went back second day and was equally wonderful both times. No atmosphere. But food is great . read more

We ate here on our vacation. Typical moderate priced Mexican place, which is exactly what we wanted for our family. Menu is varied, margaritas were great, and chips and salsa plentiful. It's a little off the main drag, but that's good, lots of available parking and easy in and out. read more

The best chicken tortilla soup that I have ever had and I have tried many! Even though they were clearly short staffed, the service was great. Good choice of specialty margaritas. Even the salsa was authentic Mexican and delicious. My entree was excellent and the portion was more than enough. I would recommend this as a stop while in Estes Park. I know I will return if I am in the area again! read more

When we ordered our food, there were about 4 other tables seated at the restaurant. We then waited 45-50 minutes for our food to be delivered to our table and my husband's carnitas were burnt. My food was okay, nothing special. My toddler enjoyed her food okay as well. The servers were fast and friendly, but that kitchen needs to get in the game. read more

I so wanted my visit to El Mex-Kal to be a good one. I specifically searched online reviews to find a good Mexican restaurant in Estes Park and thought this would be it. I was wrong. Considering it took an hour and a half to get 2 cheese enchiladas and a taco for lunch service you'd hope they were worth the wait. I was wrong again. The bottom of the taco actually fell out from the shell being so soggy with meat grease. On top of that the taco was cold, not room temperature but cold as if put on a cold plate or kept in the fridge. The shredded beef was substandard and had an unpleasant seasoning. Cheese enchiladas were mediocre and the cheese on top was a bit burnt. Wait staff was nearly non-existent. Waited 20 min before waiter actually came to my table and another 10 to get a drink. This should have been my clue to get out. I honestly believe this restaurant would not be in business in a decent size town. I cannot reconcile the excellent reviews posted here with my experience but I would never eat here again. read more

Sooooo Good! Asked the local tram conductor for a great Mexican restaurant, and they sent us here. Hidden jewel. No outdoor seating but you can sit by a window and eat. Super fast service so you won't miss much. Salsa yum. Everything was authentic and delicious. They made authentic tacos with cilantro and onions at my request. Very nice service too! read more

I love this restaurant. We live in the mountain area and always eat here when we visit Estes Park. Believe it or not, we had a hard time finding a restaurant in town that we liked and had reasonable prices. We were very happy to find El Mex-Kal. We have been eating here every month or two since they opened and have always had excellent meals. Everything is good, but I especially like the enchiladas. Saucy, cheesy and yummy and a generous serving. My husband likes they shrimp burrito. The shrimp are deliciously marinated. And absolutely do not miss the mexican candy - fried whole jalepenos with a light sweet and salty glaze. Even the margaritas are good. We really enjoy this place. read more

Nice quaint place that apparently tourists don't know about, except us. Great food, great service and good prices.

This place is super underrated! We just ate here and paid about $27 and we're both happily stuffed! Burritos and enchiladas were fantastic. Their salsa tastes really fresh and so good! Would definitely recommend this one. read more

Heard about this place from several "Locals." None were posted and the reviews were "Average." We decided to try it for lunch anyway. Well they were right!! We had the Chile Rellenos. While I am a local I'm from SoCal and partial to Mexican Food from The LA area and the food here is a different style. That being said I will try not to let that get in the way. Since I can make my own Spanish Rice and Refried Beans, I usually judge a place by this seeing that it's the easiest to make and screw up. The rice and beans were very good as was the Salsa. The Corn Tortillas and Chips were not homemade as posted on some reviews. As for the Chile Relleno, again, I'm partial to the egg batter that my Mom and Aunt made with the Relleno, not the doughy batter that was served, but I will have to say that it was made with a fresh Anaheim Chile. The Anaheim Chile however could have been cooked a bit more as it was a little tuff. My suggestion would be to us smaller chiles. The Cheese stuffing however was very tastey. Overall, for the price you get a lot and what you pay for but I only give this place a C+. read more

Notice how there are no check-in regulars? Yeah, there's a reason for that. The food was decent but the service was terrible. We got there and it took them about five minutes to send a server over. Finally one came over and took our drink order. He then disappeared into whatever void servers go hide at this place because we didn't see him for another ten minutes. In the interim, this bus girl came over and brought one bowl of chips...for a table of six. We set the bowl in the center of the table, which was fine for me but not so much for my 8 year old who then proceeded to knock over his water all over the table. I immediately scrambled to find something to clean up the water. I went to the same bus girl who had brought us the chips. She was sitting on her ass in the back. I told her what happened and she just stared at me because not working is hard. Finally I asked for something to clean up the mess and she gave me a handful of napkins. Thanks. You're helpful. So we clean up the water. The server comes out of hiding to take our order but doesn't assist in any way. I'm not expecting him to clean up the mess but an offer of at least a rag would've been nice. He takes our order and then goes back in to the Server protection program. We drain our margaritas down and set them on the edge of the table. Where they sit for the duration of our stay. I guess they don't need the money that our over priced drinks bring in. We sit there and sit there and sit there. The couple that came in 20 minutes after us get their food and depart while we wait. Finally we get our food. It's palatable but nothing to write home about. Server never asks if we want more margaritas. We leave after an hour and a half (almost on the nose). Definitely won't be a return visit. read more

We have spent years living in Colorado missing great Mexican food. I grew up on Arizona Mexican food and my husband grew up on the real deal in southern CA. Everything people in CO rave about to us ends up being tex-mex or a Midwest version of Mexican food, but we continue to search. This is the real deal!! We have tried every Mexican restaurant that exists in Estes Park over the years and been disappointed every time. Eating here is like being back home in Arizona or southern CA. Wish it was located in the south end of Denver!!! read more

We are Tucson natives of several generations who have also lived in several regions of Mexico. We not only are familiar with various regional cuisine styles but are also fairly accomplished in preparing Sonoran style meals in our own kitchens. For those who may not know, Sonoran style food is Tucson's most commonly eaten Mexican food. That said, we were visiting Estes Park for the first time over the weekend of September 16, 2011 and asked for a Mexcian food restaurant recommendation. We were told that El Mex-Kal was quite new and good. We decided to just look over the menu before requesting a table. When we saw Chili Rellenos andChili Colorado (favorites of ours) on the menu, we decided to try the restaurant. We ordered the shredded beef burro with a guacamole side, chimichanga, chicken enchilada, and chili relleno. Chips and salsa were complimentary and were very good. The burro was a generous portion and although only served warm, not steaming hot, it was good. The relleno, however, was very disappointing. It appeared to have been deep fried earlier and then placed under a warming lamp. When served, it was lukewarm and the cheese was unmelted. The chicken enchilada looked appetizing, was nicely filled with white shredded meat and lightly sauced. I was looking forward to trying the sauce as the menu noted the use of peanuts as an ingredient. Sadly, the sauce was very bland. Just a bit more piquancy in the sauce would have enhanced the enchilada. As with the rellleno, the enchilada was barely warm, despite the server mentioning that the plate was very hot. It was only a short time before the sauce started to congeal and develop a film on the top. This restaurant has the potential to be very good but needs to ensure that food is attractively presented and served temperature appropriate. Perhaps a further refinement in flavor development would elevate the dishes that use the peanut based sauce. The service was polite, friendly, and efficient. The restaurant appeared to be clean. Tables were quickly cleared after diners finished. Estes Park is quite a lovely town nestled in a stunning setting. With the beauty of the area coupled with a such a welcoming enviornment, it is a shame that the food offered in the local restaurants that we experienced seems to be generally mediocre. Estes Park has much to offer and a very good meal should be among the offerings. read more

My boyfriend and I get Mexican food almost every week and have tried places all over Colorado. This is probably the best I've had. We were in town for 24 hours and came here twice -- it was that good. Prompt, friendly service; varied menu; AMAZING fajitas; the best free salsa; good (and BIG) margaritas, good tortilla soup. Don't waste your time elsewhere. read more

Just ok. Some locals said it was the best Mexican in town but we were not overly impressed. Not great but not bad. Very friendly service though. read more

Tough to find decent Mexican in Estes. This place is frequented by locals and off the beaten path. TexMex style food. Decent fare. Friendly staff. It fit the bill for us. We'd do it again if Mexican was the choice for food and we were in the area. read more

I've always gone to Ed's but this place was recommended by a local. Food was good and service was great. I had the chicken carnitas - Yum! Grilled chicken, green peppers and sweet onion. My husband had the chicken and cheese enchiladas. He said it was better than our favorite place back home. We'd come back. read more

Average Mexican food but the service was really good. Staff was very friendly and fast. Chicken fajitas had a very tasty sauce on it and shredded beef used in burritos were good. Tamales were a bit bland. read more

We shared chicken fajitas. It was good and more than enough for two. The salsa was excellent! We had a Bartender Margarita. It was extremely sweet and not what I like. We used more lime and water to make it tolerable. I may try this again, but order a different drink. read more

Food was okay. Service was a little poor. I was mostly disappointed that my burrito was lukewarm. Their homemade salsa was great.

So excited that this excellent restaurant has come to Estes Park. The food is delicious, the "Original Margarita" is absolutely fantastic. It's the best I've had in a long time AND it's huge! The staff is friendly too. The BEST Mexican restaurant in Estes Park for sure!! read more

Best Mexican in Estes Park, I originally from Los Angeles and was use to getting good Mexican but nothing was good in Estes until El Mex-Kal opened. My family and I eat here all the time and always enjoy the food and good service. read more

Finally!!!!!! Good Mexican food in Estes Park!!! Love the shop owners, the service is always great, and just about everything on the menu is yummy. I especially love the shrimp burrito..... emmmmm Oh, and Ana's flan is incredible!!! read more

Food was COLD and had no flavor. Ordered queso and it was so watered down it ran right off the chips. Again no flavor. Would not recommend this restaurant. read more

OMG so good!! A family owned restaurant and the food is phenomenal (and lots of it!). No problems with service as other person mentioned.

I got carryout and was sorely disappointed. They forgot an item in the order, the enchilada was literally microwaved into the styrofoam container, the burrito was a sloppy mess with wilted lettuce. It was just really not great. Dining in may have been a better experience, but I can't really see it given the quality of what I received. Avoid. read more

Great food at a competitive price. Quick and eager to please service. The Camarones a la Diabla were delicious. The tortilla soup was very tasty. And the chiles toriados were cooked with a bit of salt, which a lot of places don't do. I fish the Big Thompson River a lot and go to Rocky Mountain National Park often - this is probably my new favorite place in Estes! read more

I'm a local. We really enjoy the food, especially the chicken carnitas. Grew up in Texas and lived there for twenty years and became familiar with more Mexico City-style food, which this is. Not your hot, hot Tex-Mex; but heat doesn't necessarily equal good. If you want them to spice it up for you, just ask. Since we are a tourist town, the restaurants have to make food that people from all over the country/world can eat, and most of them do it well. read more

I have only eaten here twice, and I have received the same thing both times. So as far as their Chimichonga goes, two thumbs up! I also liked how they included a full chips and salsa order with my Chimichonga, something that I haven't seen many places do for a to-go order. read more