This place has been here for a long time, El Mezcal is a good stop for former Jayhawks, the patio was nice, server was kind and paid attention to us on the patio. The burrito was pretty good, she didn't love the sauce. Chips were fresh. My pollo Suizo was the best dish of the group. The booths and chairs are very colorful. read more

See all

ONE OF THE BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANTS IN LAWRENCE! This is one of my fiancé and I's favorite places to eat. The food is fantastic! I would suggest getting the Pollo Loco, Pollo Suizo, and of course a side of cheese dip! I think they have some of the best cheese dip in town! The wait staff is very nice and welcoming, however, sometimes they get super busy and you might have to remind them you are there. It is a great place for a nice day as their patio is amazing! Overall so so good!! read more

El Mezcal is the best Mexican in Lawrence. The service is always amazing, the prices are low, and the food is always correct and really good. We come here almost every week and it never gets old. The last time we went, we forgot our to go boxes and the server ran out to our car to give them to us. This place is the best. Please never change El Mezcal!!! read more

I struggled with whether I should give 3 stars or 4. The great service deserved the 4 stars but a few things I didn't like about this place. 1: there is an extremely strong smell of cleaning product. As I appreciate a clean restaurant, this was nearly unbearable. 2: the queso was bland and basic. Some positives: our meals were delicious and very reasonable price wise. read more

See all

Was skeptical after reading the hot/cold reviews, even more skeptical when we pulled up at prime lunchtime and the front parking lot was empty. BUT when we walked in the place was 3/4 full (there is much more parking available). We were greeted with a smile, seated immediately in a comfortable, reasonably quiet booth. Our waitress was prompt, pleasant, courteous and got our high-maintenance orders perfectly. The Carnitas plate was DELICIOUS, I seriously had Carnitas dreams last night. My friend raved about her Polo la crema dish. The negative reviews all look years old, so it appears this place has made some positive changes. You might want to give it another try next time you're in Lawrence & looking for Mexican (on Mass) read more

I'm always so satisfied when I leave El Mez. Absolutely my go to restaurant anytime I'm in town. Great food, great service, great ambience.

Might be the best Mexican food/ restaurant i have been to! The service and ambience is second to none here! Me and my party got our food FAST!!!! Every time I come here , I WILL ALWAYS find the time and the appetite to go here! read more

The take out order of 6 beef tacos were stone cold by the time I arrived home (a 10 minute trip) so I suspect little care was taken to ensure a decent order. Nevertheless the taste was good. read more

at this restaurant, the food is bland. It has no Mexican authentic taste to it at all. The Queso cheese was lukewarm. very disappointed . will probably not go back. read more

My server (in November '21) was very attentive. The food I had was excellent. The interior is magnificent! I give it 4 stars only because I've not been there many times. read more

Seated for a table of 4. Our service was very poor. I asked for more water and never received it. In fact we hardly ever saw our server. I had to wave down another guy and ask for more chips for our queso. On top of the bad service my burrito wasn't that great. There are other Mexican spots around that I would much rather go to. read more

Friday night, decided we'd catch some dinner out, a bit of shopping and a movie. Asked the missus where she'd like to have dinner. "Surprise me," she said, and I did. The surprise? How bland and sub-par the food here is. Last here 20 years ago--we remember because our daughter was 2 years old--let's just get the puns out of the way and then dispense with the pain. Upon leaving my wife said, "Gee, that was really good. Let's come back again in 20 years." Lets start with my dish. A combination of one hard shell beef taco, one enchilada, rice and beans. The beef was plain hamburger that had been fried and I can only guess had sat for a long time because it had a distinct unpleasant edge we both noticed. Where was any hint of spices, maybe some cumin, chili pepper, onion, anything? My taco had but maybe two tablespoons of meat, a couple of shreds of lettuce and cheese with a good 1/2" of open air space in the top of the sad little fried pre-made shell that came off some Sysco truck. Should have sent it back. The enchilada was of the same beef with its unpleasant taste, wrapped in a shell that had barely been warmed and covered with an enchilada sauce that had little taste, was not seasoned properly and, well, just looked bad. This was just utterly unpleasant. Rice and beans: Mexican grandmothers are turning in their grave. How hard is it, really, to add a bit of cumin to the rice, a bit of chicken stock to the water, and some salt to season it? Utterly bland. The beans lacked enough salt to impart any flavor. The requisite five strands of melted cheese did not make up for the lack of taste. 90% of the complaints about most restaurants is too much salt. Not here. Sadly, the best thing about the meal was the chips and salsa, the sure sign you're eating Tex-Mex made for Americans. Service was adequate. Total bill (we only had water) a few cents below $20, $24 with tip. Next time I'll take that money and the missus to La Estrella a few blocks away and have a proper feast and throw in two Jarritos for half the price. This was food that would be utterly forgettable were it not so sub-par. Half empty on a Friday night, apparently others know something about the food here we did not take the time to investigate. read more

See all

Cheeeeap margaritas. That's instantly what comes to mind when I think of El Mezcal. It was never a fancy place, never that tasty of a place, and really just allowed people to get a little sauced before heading out. There queso is relatively flavorless but I have to say it was fun to get back in the day with margaritas. All the other stuff here reminded me of a TV dinner. While it had a cult following back in my Lawrence days, I get the feeling that's shifted to more places closer to downtown than on the outskirts like this. read more

We have not been here for years because food was not good. We decided to try it again. It has Improved a lot. Food and service was great. Will go back now. read more

This is my favorite Mexican restaurant in Lawrence! I was first introduced to El Mezcal while living in Topeka and was thrilled to find one in Lawrence once I moved. This location has been recently redone and is very clean and nicely decorated in the inside. The food is fantastic and I highly recommend the queso. The queso is also good on top of pretty much any entree. Can't go wrong with queso! Margaritas are also good if a little pricey. Hoping to spend more time here when the weather warms up this spring. There's a patio with my name on it. The servers are also great! Everyone is very friendly and they'll remember you if you come regularly. read more

I ordered a shrimp and lobster chimichanga from El Mezcal last night late. The delivery driver was very nice, however the food was horrendous! It was dry and tasted "fishy" like it may have been off. It tasted nasty and when I called the restaurant they refused a refund. I was so disappointed as this was once a good restaurant. It's gone way down in quality since the remodel. They seem to be cutting corners at the expense of their previous quality of food and at the expense of the customers. Stay away!!! read more

El Mez is a must if you want Mexican food in Lawrence. The service is great, very efficient and quick. I sometimes have to ask for a water refill, but the chip refills roll in one after the other. Their cheese dip always beckons me back. It's creamy and dippable. The chimichangas are always crispy, coated in white cheese and stuffed with shredded chicken. The vegetarian quesadillas are crispy but the veggies are little greasy ($6.99). Beans can be subbed in to the taco salads ($6.99), which combined with the white cheese dip that is added to the salad, makes for a delicious, deep-fried bowl of salad deliciousness. While their offerings are pretty typical of most Mexican places as are the prices, the consistency of food quality and service keeps me coming back. I've never had a bad experience and they often have good margarita and beer specials. The bar is up front, so while there if typically no wait, if you come in a on a busy Saturday night, you can get a lime margaritas on the rocks while you wait. Festively painted walls and ornately carved tables and booths make for a welcoming atmosphere. It is often quite loud inside, making the patio a very welcome option on warm nights. read more

El Mezcal - Mexican Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

I don't normally give one star reviews but I am pretty disappointed in this place. I have eaten at the El Mezcal restaurants for over 20 years in Topeka and have had mostly good experiences. Good enough that I am a return customer. I ordered carry out yesterday from this location. Pretty simple, beef fajitas and a side of guacamole. My order was ready when they said it would be and the facility is nice and clean...so far so good. I had a feeling I should check my order but I always feel awkward opening everything up right there in the restaurant so I took everything home which is quite a drive back. When I got home and opened everything, there were no tortillas. I am not sure how you forget that but, whatever. So I called the restaurant and they said they were sorry and I could come back and get them. I asked if they would be remaking everything since it would essentially mean that everything else in my order would be cold by the time I returned. They refused saying that it was "just the tortillas" they forgot. This is pathetic and horrible customer service. When you screw it up, it is your job to make it right to the satisfaction of the customer which means everything together, at the same time delivered, nice and hot. Their consolation was to offer a free bean dip for my troubles. I hung up the phone. But that is not the worst part of it. When I ordered, they asked If I wanted the lunch portion or dinner portion. I was very hungry and so wanted the full portion, for which I was charged. I have eaten El Mezcal beef fajitas quite literally at least 50 times and I know the difference. The portion I received was less than half of what I paid for. I consider that theft and a lack of integrity by the restaurant. Needless to say, I will not be back. read more

EL MEZCAL IS OPEN AGAIN - SAME LOCATION, SIMILAR MENU, UPSCALE DECOR, NO MARGARITA SPECIALS Old information and reviews do not apply to "new and improved(?)" El Mezcal. There is a new menu and no great margarita specials like they had before they closed ... "We're still deciding" I was told ... Well, I am still deciding whether or not I want to come back! We used to eat at El Mezcal 3-4 times a month, now we eat there 1-2 times max. Deep fried tacos (3 - $9.99) with shredded beef new on the menu, are a welcome addition, although they are much smaller and skimpier on meat than Mi Ranchito down the street. Unlike Mi Ranchito's deep fried tacos, El Mezcal's fall apart by the time you get to taco #2 and #3 and I do not like having to eat my tacos with a knife and fork. Otherwise, the food is pretty much the same and the decor more upscale after the infamous Italian/Mexican fiasco and expensive building renovation. KU students cannot afford $6+ margaritas, so they should add some margarita specials soon or we and many others will be eating at Mi Ranchito where the food is better. If El Mezcal is trying to make up losses for the expensive renovation, they are going about it the wrong way. I have heard from many friends that the lack of reasonably priced margaritas (like before) is one thing keeping them away and I am sure that is the case with KU students. Cheap, strong margaritas was one of the few things that made the "old" El Mezcal stand out from the other mediocre Mexican restaurants in Lawrence, so they are losing customers and revenue by trying to recuperate losses by charging more for drinks. They could also offer daily specials like $1 tacos (e.g. El Potro) on Monday night ... their place is packed, El Mezcal is not. CombatCritic Gives The "New And Improved" El Mezcal 4 Bombs Out Of 10 With A 2 Bomb Deduction For Expensive Margaritas ... More Bombs Are Better! read more

See all

This will go into the pretty damn good category. The second day in Lawrence, my group of ladies recommended we eat at El Mezcal. Much better choice than On The Border the day before. On the menu is a true vegetarian section. I think I had a cheese enchilada, and quasidila. The enchilada had cheese filling with a tomato based sauce. There was no meat whatsoever. No sauce that tasted like Ragu. Infact, I used the salsa, which was mild, on the quasidila. The quasidila had cheese and jalapenos, and was lunch size, which was half a regular size. It came with refried beans, but I chose black beans. I can always do without the refried beans, they are my least favorite. I didn't see rice on the menu, which I like, alot. The restaurant is colorful and delightful. I liked the copper marachi band over looking the main dining area. The service was top notch. No complaints. Locally owned. read more

A giant burrito pretty good but I do wish it had lettuce and more beans. Other than that excellent Mexican flavors and good service although knowing Spanish will help some. read more

El Mezcal - Mexican Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

This is our favorite Mexican restaurant in Lawrence! As a native Californian, I am very picky about Mexican food and when I first moved to Kansas (seven years ago to Wichita), I was sorely disappointed in the options there but have been very happy to be introduced to El Mez to turn my thoughts around! When it comes to authentic Mexican food, you can't beat it - especially the beans and rice! Great tacos, tamales and enchiladas! Also great for an inexpensive margarita. Service can sometimes be slow, but everyone is very friendly! Would definitely recommend for anyone looking a quick bite of great Mexican food! read more

Very excited about getting Mexican with my sister, second restaurant we hit during my visit to see her (first time in Lawrence). Over all this was a great meal, few things that they could consider tho. Summarized pros & cons: Queso blanco was excellent. I love places that use fresh queso fresco or goat cheese. Enchiladas were spot on Margarita was tasty and a great deal (we shared an on the rocks big size). Was a little sweet for my taste, awesome for $5ish but I like how places are considering making lower cal options such as a skinny margarita with lime instead of sweet n sour. Healthier and tastes better. Fish tacos were overall good but odd taste just a touch fishy. Veggies all fresh and I still enjoyed them tho. Excellent salsa, and I LOVE when it comes in the carafe so you can refill at your ease. I'd be happy to eat here again, great conversation place and bright entertaining decor that wasn't cheesy. Perfect college town Mexican. read more

See all

Pumps out great food like there's no tomorrow, even during the pandemic. Respectable, professional. Really appreciate that!

Look im from texas...and i crave the beef fajitas here..... I think its a nostalgia thing cause every time im back in Lawrence i have to have them! The drinks are nice here too but honestly the fajitas are by far my absolute fav. read more

This is my go-to place for Mexican in Lawrence--although crowded for dinners, you never have to wait for service or your food, once you are seated (note, avoid this place like the plague on Cinco de Mayo and Kansas Relay weekend, because everyone likes it and this can result in 1+ hour waits for tables). The meal cannot start with out a piping hot bowl of their delicious white cheese dip, paired with their house salsa and their chips, it is a great beginning (if you like it hot, request their hot salsa). I have never ordered anything that I did not enjoy here, but my true favorites are the chimichanga--a two-meal behemoth covered in their delicious cheese sauce--and their bean taco salad (no longer on the menu, but you can request it--just like a regular TS, but filled with refried beans instead of meat. The service is always great, and the patio is nice as well---now that it is covered, less sun, but the fans make a nice addition in the heat of summer. read more

Visited this El mezcal restaurant at 1819, w 23rd st, lawrence, ks on 1/22/20 between 1:15-2pm. It was bitter cold outside, and slippery. Got in and was seated immediately. Interior was fine with mexican decor and the place was divided into multiple rooms. Some of the booths have sitting cushion seats with surfaces broken. This is the only place i have seen with so many of such. Rest room is spacious enough to move around and might need constant keepup. Customer seating area is plenty, taking all rooms into account. There is also protruding nice outside porch for summer time. Seating table tops and the floor almost appear ok clean. There were a dozen customers with some babies as well during our time, braving bitter cold outside. Chips were brought in medium size container along with sauce. When habanero hot sauce was requested, was brought but extra charged in the bill later, to our dismay. I ordered chicken tauquitos from lunch menu and wife ordered some vegetarian stuff. The waitress was helpful, with good customer service, checking on us often. Our ordered items were good. Overall, plus points are good food, decent customer service and reasonably priced lunch menu. Negative points are higher priced other entrees which were higher than they should be, complicated menu, broken cushion seating and extra charge for sauce which we encountered first time. Overall, i will give a rating of 3.5 out of 5*. read more

My best friend and I left class one Friday afternoon and ended up at El Mezcal for just one margarita--6 hours later(not joking) we were both wearing sombreros and almost ready to eat our second meal. El Mezcal is that kind of place. The perfect little Mexican locale that takes polaroids on your birthday and serves potent margaritas. I discovered a shrimp quesadilla that is absolutely delicious. I was at first leary about ordering seafood, but the shrimp were giant and perfectly cooked, sanwiched between a crisp tortilla, beans cheese, lettuce and sour cream. Muey Bien! Like previous yelpers contended, service is average, but I contend that that is not why one dines at ElMezcal. It is the perfect B-day location and pre-party margarita destination. Everytime I am in Lawrence, I crave me a little "ElMezzy". read more

If we're craving Mexican food in Lawrence, El Mez is our only destination. It has even become the traditional birthday dinner spot in our circle of friends, so there are plenty of photos floating around of us all wearing their gigantic sequined birthday sombrero (whether or not it's our birthday at the time... tequila does that sort of thing). The food is always delicious, and it comes out FAST. It's not uncommon for us to order and have our dinner out in less than ten minutes if we go when it's not too packed. The servers are friendly and don't balk at substitutions or alterations to your order (and I used to do that to them on MANY occasions--Mexican food is easy to veganize). And they keep the salsa and chips--which are always delightfully warm and fresh--refilled constantly throughout the meal. As for the drinks, I highly recommend the jumbo margaritas, on the rocks and with salt. (We pronounce it "humbo" for extra authenticity.) This place is definitely not chintzy on the tequila, either, so take it slow! They have specials on them and their regular margaritas several times a week, so there are a few days where you can get comfortably buzzed on a minimal budget. My only disappointment in this place is their queso dip. It's very, very runny. I want my cheese to stick to my chips, not slide off of them like water off the back of a duck. If I'm in the mood for more than salsa, I typically choose guacamole instead, and fortunately theirs is good enough that it *almost* makes up for the queso. Almost. read more

Can't get an order right, food is mediocre. The steak tacos are next to nothing. Don't recommend go to ark Pueblo or El Potro

The food is good and the service is satisfactory. I've never had to wait very long to get seated despite the fact they are always packed. The food is prepared as they advertise in the menu. The only complaint I have about this restaurant is that they treat you as if you were on a cattle call. Very little small talk, quite impersonal service, you get your food fast and leave. The vibe is always like you have stayed too long. Maybe it's just me. Otherwise, everything is up to standard. I recommend this place but do not expect warmth from the staff. read more

I would never recommend to eat here but sometimes you have no choice when you are in desperate need for cheap but fairly strong margaritas. Margaritas I give 4-5 stars without a doubt because they are always cheap and strong. chips and salsa are great, and the food is what you would expect for a cheap Mexican restaurant in Kansas. read more

Margaritas? Check Cheese dip? Check Salsa? Check Hot tortillia chips? Check Sexy mexican waiters that flirt with you? Double Check What more can you ask for? Okay, so my girls and I come here all the time. Especially on the night that jumbo margaritas are on special (wednesdays). We always order their cheese dip which is soooo good. A large bowl is $5 and a table of 4 can just barely finish it before the food comes. The margaritas are cheap and strong, the food is hot and the waiters are fun. read more

We came here for a dinner with friends and arrived just a few minutes later than most of our party. I had to ask the server 3 times for additional salsa and bowls. Then he eventually brought salsa but not bowls. He came to our table so infrequently that I had to wait at least 10 minutes to get his attention and ask for the bowls. Same issue with refilling chips, getting us silverware and napkins and they didn't bring an extra plate with our dinner even though it was clear we were sharing. That brings me to the food. The chips were stale and unsalted, the salsa was unimpressive and the cheese dip came out in a very tiny bowl and was already cool and thick. The burrito I shared with my husband looked clumsily assembled and microwaved, with cheese sauce haphazardly dumped on it. It tasted like cafeteria food. I managed to "enjoy" about half of the cheese dip before we ran out of chips. By the time we saw our server again to ask for more it was time to leave but I wasn't going to waste the mediocre dip we paid for so I insisted on new chips. I still had to ASK AGAIN for the chips when the server came back with our check. If it wasn't for the company of good friends, it would have been a completely devastating dinner experience. read more

I went here with a few friends to get 99 cent margaritas and while the margaritas were pretty good, the food was incredibly bland. I ordered a vegetarian plate with a bean enchilada, cheese quesadilla, a bean tostada and a side of black beans. The bean enchilada was covered in the salsa from the chips and salsa. Which was fine, but the refried beans inside the enchilada were tasteless and cold. There was no trace of any kind of seasoning, not even salt and pepper. The cheese quesadilla was standard and probably the best thing on the plate. It was filled with colby jack cheese, I think, and grilled in a pan so it had crispy edges. The bean tostada had the same, tasteless refried beans that were in the enchilada, shredded lettuce, a few leaves of cilantro, a huge heap of guacamole and some shredded cheese. The crispy tortilla on the bottom of all this was soggy with moisture from the beans and the lettuce. The only good thing I had to eat were the chips and salsa. The chips were crisp and warm and the salsa was smooth and flavorful of cilantro. I'd maybe come here again for the margaritas, but not for their food. If you want good, tasty Tex-Mex food in Lawrence, try Mi Ranchito or El Potro. read more

I was in Lawrence for my first KU basketball game and my girlfriend suggested we come here prior to grab some dinner. I was a little nervous that it would be packed with Big Monday being in town, but we were seated immediately. The Carne Asada was pretty good and filling for a modest price (most of the entrees seemed around the ($9-$10 range). The service was also speedy with quick refills on drinks and especially chips&salsa, which is key for me when I dine south of the border. My biggest takeaway however might have been the fact that I didn't feel the usual post-Mexican food effects on the body and was able to enjoy the game with a calm, satisfied stomach. read more

Literally trash. Their chips aren't even cooked entirely & the queso is soupy. They also tried to keep my change until I asked to speak to a manager. Definitely recommend Mi Ranchito over this place. read more

We've been coming to El Mez for years, always fantastic! My husband loves the carnitas, tons of food for the price. We are both big fans of their queso (just get the large, it's worth it). They have over a dozen types of margaritas on their menu if that's your thing. The servers are helpful and super prompt, and the food is consistent and tasty every gd time. They have a patio out front which is super cozy in the spring and fall. Quick and always correct delivery both times we've ordered online which is extra awesome. If you haven't been to El Mez you're really missing out!! read more

The food at this place is very good, authentic mexican. Probably the best place in Lawrence...for the food. I take no issue with that, however the service is usually quite bad. The servers don't talk to you because most of them don't speak English. I have tried to modify one of my orders on several occasions and have hit a language barrier many times. My recommendation is if you want good Mexican food, go here. If you want friendly, happy-go-lucky banter with your server stay away from this place at all costs. Overall worth it for me, I go most times I want Mexican food, I just expect the bad service. read more

Food was decent. Price for what I got was acceptable. Waiter was having a conversation with another employee so was slow to take my order even though there were hardly any other customers present. Food was delivered quickly after I ordered, but then the waiter disappeared until he brought the check. He never asked if I needed more water, desert or anything. I used to eat here years ago and remember it being much better in the past. read more