Amazing spot, best service and food. I cannot stand Fish or Shrimp tacos, but decided to order them per recommendation of the server. Must say, it was delicious, and so was the chips/salsa. read more

Everyone was friendly and so welcoming. Definitely get the stuffed chilli peppers. One of the regulars taught us how to eat it properly: soy sauce, squeeze of lemon, and slather on the mayo. It was good. Chili Verde was tender and moist. Unlimited refills on horchata! Definitely coming back when I'm back in the area to enjoy all the foods and to finish it off with a michelada. read more

I can't believe I've never reviewed this place! I've been coming here for years... Best Mexican restaurant in the Desert, hands down! Right next to the train tracks, and when I mean right next to, I mean you feel that train pass by every time! The original spot is the best, family owned and run, I always feel like I'm being served by my aunts, they'll even hold your fussy baby while you eat! But seriously, great food, great service, the ceviche is fresh and delicious! Definitely recommend next time you're in the neighborhood! read more

What a disappointing experience after reading all of the reviews here. We arrived to find only one woman working the front, which shouldn't be a problem in and of itself, but in this case it was. The place was about half empty at 4:00pm. We weren't even greeted when we walked in the door, she didn't even look up from what she was doing. After a couple moments of awkward looking around, we guessed that we were able to seat ourselves. So we did. It was another 5-7 minutes after we sat ourselves that we were greeted with napkins and silverware. No drink orders were taken, we were given menus. After another wait, we ordered drinks and food. We proceeded to watch the server walk around, refilling other's drinks and talking to coworkers, and remembering to bring our drinks after about 10 more minutes. Meh. I've worked in the service industry, and something we ALWAY did was make sure a guest has at least a glass of water in front of them within a few minutes of arriving, especially since we had a six year old with us on a hot July afternoon. Wish it got better from there, but it really didn't. The food took another 20+ minutes, and was served one plate at a time (?? why??). Once we got down to the eating part, none of us were too impressed. It wasn't terrible, but was mediocre given the service and wait time we had already been dealt. Can't say I'll be back. My SO said that El Ranchito has better meat. Going to check out Rincon Norteno instead. read more

Kind staff but be prepared to wait a long time for your food. Perhaps they were understaffed tonight but food and service took longer than it should have. Food was decent but NOTE- if you get the nachos as an appetizer the cheese is sauce and not melted cheese. While the flavor was ok, it's cheese sauce which I would expect at a gas station nacho making station. read more

We go there for the shrimp stuffed chili's. They've always been great til today. The new method of ground up shrimp doesn't do the plate justice. They've lost customers with us read more

I spent a bit more than I wanted to but the food was very delicious and the staff was super friendly. Go here if you want very authentic good Mexican food. It was always full but that is a good sign and the service was fast. I didn't drink any alcohol but I did see them prepare some awesome looking margaritas for several other people. The salsa with chips they gave us when we were seated was great, tasted homemade. The guacamole also was very good. The flour tortillas for my chicken taco was freshly made too, not from a package like a lot of places I've been to. I'd go here again, they do have happy hour specials so I'd probably go at that time to save some money but it was well worth it. read more

This is a little golden nugget.. It's their chili gueritos that will bring you back time & time again. Shrimp stuffed roasted chili's served on a plate with lemons, soy sauce & a small bowl of mayonnaise. Wait, what? mayonnaise? soy sauce in a Mexican restaurant? It sounded weird to me too, but my friend assured me it all works together. He was right, just an amazing flavor. We got 2 orders, which came with 6 chili's on each. It is on the menu as an appetizer, but was enough to fill me up. It's not the cheapest Mexican food around, but I don't mind if the food is good & this is damn good food. Try it, you won't be disappointed. read more

El Mexicali Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Indio, California

Large portions and you get what you pay for. The guacamole was fantastic and so were the cajistas. Very filling and plenty of meat! Also had a beautiful harp player there. read more

The best place ! Great costumer service, I asked for a burrito to go lady sat me down, brought me a glass of water, chips and salsa.. ! The best. I rather come here I always leave satisfied compres to the rest of other mexican restaurants here! I love this place. read more

Nice, little place with some good food. I had the bean tostada and I really liked it. The beans were very tasty and authentic Mexican frijoles. My husband had a sampler platter with a quesadilla, enchilada and salad. My husband liked the taste of the quesadilla and I liked the enchilada. I am usually pretty picky of enchiladas but the beef one passed the test. We were greeted by the owner who was friendly but we were a little jealous of how much nicer she was to the locals. Salsa was very good and spicey hot but not too hot. If you do not favor the smaller, down-home type of restaurants, then this isn't the place for you. Overall a pleasant experience. We would definitely go back. read more

A friend and i stopped at this place while going on to Arizona to pretty much use the restroom, but decided to eat there as well. When we got our food it was the wrong orders but it already took 40 min to get our food so we didn't bother. Overall the food was quite horrible and made me a little sick. I tipped them $1 and got the hell out of there. The reason why they got 2 stars is if we hadn't stopped there me and friend would not have seen a 17 and 18 year old girls flash us. They were pretty hot when we met them in person. Other than that highlight, El Mexicali sucks and Indio is a crappy town. read more

The Chile guero's are fire!!!!! The drinks are the bomb! I really like the restaurant very clean bartenders great! My wife loves there food, we always go there, for date night. read more

Really yummy authentic Mexican food. The restaurant looks like a house and the service is top notch. I really enjoyed it here. Make sure you have the peppers! read more

This place was actually on Monroe Sve in Indio, the food was excellent so was service

Service was great, food was great, and the place was clean. Everyone was nice and even cleaned our table after the appetizers. The original location is small and packed but the atmosphere is live and loud around noon. read more

El Mexicali Cafe - Seriously so amazing !! - Mexican Near Me - Indio, California

What's not to love? The food, drinks, service are all great. Add on a train or two passing by and then you have the El Mexicali experience!

A unique experience, and worthwhile. Two visits under our belt: Talk about entrepreneurial! They've sold not only menu space for advertising, but specific dishes and named them after their advertising clients! OK, so the advertising menu schtick is tacky but this is a hole-in-the-wall beside railroad tracks with nothing else around that has to rely on those who know of it who make it a destination. So why the heck not?? #1 - RADIOACTIVES!! (Yep, after their 'sponsor', Radioactive audo-visual.) - Yellow peppers stuffed with a shrimp mixture, baked (not fried!!) and served with lemon and mayo. MMMMMM! They're on every single table at every time of day, available on an appy plate of 6 or individually. Chile Relleno - Fabulous!! So, so good! Chicken Enchilada - Kinda plain, but I'm no enchilada connoisseur. Carne Asada plate - not impressed. It seems they don't have a hard liquor license, so their margaritas are made with wine. I wasn't keen on the lime one on the rocks (my usual preference) but the blended strawberry one fit the bill. Very friendly bi-lingual staff. Be ready for that deep-earth freight-train rumble moving through your feet to your margarita, and enjoy! read more

One of the best Mexican restaurants I've been to. Not to be missed. Shrimp stuffed peppers are delicious and very original. The food is authentic and the staff is great. We love the train rattling the place, classic. The Chilaquillas are the best ever, better than my moms but please don't tell her I said that. read more

Cozy little spot that's perfect for a small group after Coachella adventures. Papas con Chorizo was pretty good, decent sized portion that hits the spot. Bummer they don't have Coke products or even Mountain Dew but the Arnold Palmer was on point. read more

El Mexicali Cafe - Don't mind if I do... - Mexican Near Me - Indio, California

This places is awesome. They start you with chips and a super delicious spicy salsa. I could just eat that all day! I ordered chilequiles and some jamaica for breakfast. Totally loved it. Everyone at the table loved the feast we had. Will eat there every time we drive by again. read more

Pros: Good food, decent food prices, helpful staff, great homemade salsa. Cons: Small place, very noisy, expensive margaritas that aren't very flavorful. read more

I don't live out here but every time I visit family I make them all come here to eat. It's just delicious and those Chile's Gueritos OMG!!!! My favorite Mexican restaurant. Their shrimp enchiladas are amazing as well and I love that they use Peruvian beans. Anyways... you should eat here. read more

My name is Jason and I'm a tortilla addict... no really. As an aficionado, I can say that the tortillas here are among the best I've ever eaten. It's a fun little restaurant with very friendly staff. We ordered 4 different items and each was exceptional. One standout was an appetizer consisting of shrimp stuffed yellow peppers. It was interesting, different and delicious. I highly recommend. read more

I've heard about this place a lot and decided we would stop for some chilaquiles and I'm glad we did. This place is really small, but everyone was really nice. I had the Mangoneada margarita and it was awesome. We will have to come back for lunch or dinner and try some of the other things that looked good on the menu. read more

El Mexicali Cafe - Yes please!!! - Mexican Near Me - Indio, California

See all

Good authentic mexican food at a decent price. Their homemade salsa is great, and the staff is attentive. The drawbacks are the noisy location on a train track and a busy road, and they margaritas aren't the best we've had in the valley. read more

One of our favorite locally owned places to go. Must have the shrimp stuffed chili's with plenty of mayo and soy sauce! read more

Great place. Excellent food, good service and fair prices. Breakfast is good and features some slightly out of the ordinary dishes like small chili rellenos. I like the original location best. Should be on DD&D. read more

My husband and I stopped here on our way home based off reviews. This was definitely the best decision as everything about here was great! We ordered the Combination de Mariscos which was so delicious and filling. The shrimp stuffed peppers were to die for. The restaurant was very clean and service was great- very tentative. We will be back during our travels. :) read more

Oh. My. Gosh. After reading the reviews and getting a recommendation from someone who works in the area, the hubs and I decided to give it a try. I ordered the Chiles Gueritos, or peppers stuffed with shrimp, served with lemons, soy sauce, and mayo to dip. Holy cow. Those were some spicy peppers. I had to stop after the 4th pepper (6 in an order), because my lips were numb. I took the other two home. Hubs had the Fajitas, and they were pretty darn tasty. We can't wait to go back out there, just so we can try other things on their menu. I wish they delivered to Orange County!!! There's nothing like that here. read more

This is the best restaurant for Mexican food. The service is beyond expectations and the food is awesome. The owner is hands on and friendly and beautiful inside and out. We love it here and come all the time. read more

I went to Mexicali restaurant w family and friends. I'm always looking for the ideal chile relleno. I found it here!!!!!!!!! But sadly it was the only time. Since returning several times the same cook must have called in sick. I wish they were more consistent. read more

My husband and I have a favorite here its the stuffed yellow Chile peppers w/ shrimp. Also very friendly staff as well as knowledgeable in the ingredients used which was extremely helpful when choosing something for my four year old son who has an egg allergy. Yay!!! Now we have a restaurant where we can go as a family and all enjoy. read more

This is a fave. It's quaint and family owned. Friendly service. You have to order their famous Chiles Gueritos appetizer. It's unique to this restaurant and they are amazing. They also have a great Chavela, which is tomato juice and beer in a margarita glass with salts on the rim and a lime, yummy! read more

Found this on Yelp on the way home from Joshua Tree. Delicious and filling and just what we needed. Good mix of people from locals to families to travelers. Slightly over priced but still worth it! Chile verde and stuffed peppers are great and overall recommend read more

Went with a group of 10 for a late lunch.. great service and it was happy hour! The house salsa served with complementary chips is outstanding. All the meals from carne asada to shrimp cocktail and fajitas are home made, generous and delicious. This is a small family business that has been at the same location for 35+ years. Go here, you won't be disappointed. read more

Honestly just left like ten minutes ago. Fish had no seasoning what's so ever rice was under cooked and it was very over priced for the quality. I didn't even finish the meal. read more

Food is fresh and full of authentic flavor. Great salsa and even better service. Don't let the location keep you from coming here. The train startled me at first, I thought it was an earthquake! The inside is quaint and clean..very busy during the lunch hour. I am always on the search for a perfect chili relleno and this one was in my top 10 read more

This has been a great place to dine for many years. We know that Covid Pandemic has brought many challenges for F&B Businesses. The outdoor dining is good. Evening is busy, there was two servers and one busperson and unfortunately one server was taking the load. Great job I admire your multi tasking service. Food order took longer than expected and seems that short on staff all around. love this place and hopefully they will make some serving experience changes To better enjoy on our next visit! read more

The refried beans tasted great! The enchilada with chicken and green sauce was good as well. The crispy tacos are worth a try as well. I would definitely go again. Good Mexican beer selection and friendly wait staff. The lack of a 5th star is because they are what they are....a small family style restaurant vs. A fancy establishment. read more