This was our second visit. My husband had a ground beef burrito and I had spinach enchiladas. Both were wonderful. Service was quick and our waitress checked on us several times. We'll be back. read more

We had dinner here Saturday night. Only our second time eating here Both times the food was excellent and service good They were very busy but we were seated quickly Our server was exceptional !! Management even come buy to make sure we were happy and all was good We will for sure come back when in the area again !! read more

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Didn't really like this place much it's close to the house but the gravy sauce was awful.

We went to El Potro last Saturday. We anticipated it being busy due to the game. We called ahead and put our name in. When we got to the restaurant, we only had to wait a couple of minutes to be seated. I was really glad we did call beforehand, otherwise it would have been a 20 minute wait. We love this place because they give you a free bowl of queso along with the chips and salsa! I have always had great service here! They are incredibly friendly and efficient! We both ordered the shredded beef burritos and had queso added on top, along with margaritas. This place is fairly priced. I highly recommend! read more

El Potro Mexican Cafe - Shredded beef burrito with queso on top - Mexican Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

This place is busy for lunch, happy hour, and dinner! I don't see how anyone gives this place a bad review! I came here twice for dinner while I was in Lawrence for work. Service here is top notch! The bartenders are great. I love the house margarita! I had the chicken fajitas for dinner and on another night I had the chicken chalupas. I liked both entrees. However, I liked the chicken fajitas a lot more. The chicken in the fajitas was moist, delicious, seasoned, and just yum! The fajitas came with plenty of onions, peppers, and your choice of beans and rice. I got refried with the fajitas. The refried beans are just ok. The rice is delicious! I liked the chips , salsa and complimentary queso. Yes, I said free queso! This place is awesome Tex mex style food for Lawrence. This place is liked by all KU students and locals too! The restaurant is right next to a holiday inn express, movie theater, and a hobby lobby. read more

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This is our favorite place in Lawrence. You can't go wrong with ordering anything on the menu. We love the chips and salsa. The atmosphere is really nice and there is a wait usually but it goes pretty quick. Everything I've had I've always enjoyed. Are usually get one of the combination plates and I have always like my meal. read more

The service was fast and pleasant but the food and drinks were consistently underwhelming. My wife's tea and my margarita were both incredibly sweet and packed with sugar to the point where neither of us could finish. We had a queso fundido appetizer but whatever cheese they used was horrible; it solidified almost immediately and we had to cut it with forks to eat any of it. The meats in both of our meals were bland although the chorizo in the app was decent. The rice had a great flavor and plenty of onions and it was nice to receive some queso by default with the chips. Overall a poor experience. It's unlikely we'll return; there are better options less than five minutes away. read more

I eat at El Porto all the time... for over 10 years. It is my go to authentic Mexican restaurant. I consider myself an experienced and accurate reporter of all types of Latin America food, especially Mexican food. They are solid and consistent with free con queso dip and salsa as soon as you sit down.... bam fast service. The queso is silky smooth with a perfect amount of peppers diced and blended in the cheese. And that was free! Easy decision!!! All items are wonderful. I love all the enchiladas,and they have several kinds. The tacos al carbon rock. The deep fried tacos are what I have dreams of! Chili Realaneo is super. I give their carnitas an average because I have a lot of experience with carnitas so for aficionados you know. A great value especially for lunch. You can get a whole belly full of authentic tasty fast friendly lunch for what you would pay for Macdonalds! We get carry out a lot now and they do a real good job of quickly and securely getting your food and it is hot when we get home and we have a 20 minute drive. read more

I will NOT be returning to EL POTRO in Lawrence. When I called to place my order this evening, I asked if they could do curbside. She said yes. So I went ahead and placed my order. She told me how much it was and that it was going to take 10 to 15 minutes. I called at 5:02p and got there at 5:26p. I called and said "I have a pick up for curbside, my name is ---- and I'm outside." A man asked "you coming inside?" I said "no, she said she would bring it out to the car," and he hung up. I waited until 5:44p.. no one came out. I just left. Freaking ridiculous. If you say you'll do curbside, and you tell me you will over the phone, you should honor it!! And they were NOT busy. read more

Sunday is our weekly dinner out night and we were again surprised when we pulled into the parking lot to find a sea of cars and a restaurant full of people. Sunday night dinner out in Lawrence is normally so quiet you could be heard whispering three tables away, but not at El Potro. The new restaurant is bigger than the old place, but everything else seems pretty much the same with a few exceptions. We were quickly seated with the waiter dropping by to take drink orders and the busboy dropping off chips, salsa and free chili con queso. Not only do they give you free cheese dip, it is in a decent size cup. My wife ordered orchata, a sweet rice-based drink from Mexico that tastes like liquid rice pudding with hints of cinnamon. I decided to go with the 22 ounce margarita (frozen with salt) and at $6, not a bad deal. It was fair, but with little alcohol. We also decided to try the guacamole (half order - $3.25), a good predictor of quality Mexican food. Not as good as mine or the best restaurant guac I have had, but plentiful and tasty with just a few chopped tomatoes on top to add color to the appetizer. It was a nice accompaniment to the cheese dip, chips, and salsa. For our entrees, my wife ordered the vegetable and cheese quesadilla appetizer which came with more guacamole and pico di gallo (which they forgot). Quesadillas are pretty boring and this was no exception ... a flour tortilla, some melted cheese, and a few veggies ... at $7, it seemed a bit expensive to me. I ordered the deep fried shredded beef tacos ($8.49 - ground beef or chicken also available) and a cheese and onion enchilada ala carte. The server brought three tacos in pre-fab shells (I hate pre-fab shells), so I asked them to bring the correct order. When they finally arrived, the tacos were crispy, the beef was well seasoned, and there was plenty of lettuce and cheese in addition to the standard rice and beans. The shells were pliable enough to add some guacamole, pico di gallo (from my wife's order - she hates tomatoes) and salsa, but the tortillas are thinner than I remember and fell apart on first bite. The enchilada came on a separate plate and was pleasing to the eye with a colorful accompaniment of sauce, cheese, lettuce and tomato. The enchilada ($2.50) was a tad small and the sauce spicy, but not overly so and the ratio of cheese to onion to sauce was good. They also had a guy with a guitar going from table to table singing Mexican mariachi songs. A nice touch, but he was not great and there were two small signs attached to his guitar reminding us that he works for tips. I understand that, but think it is a bit tacky to pressure customers into paying $1 or more for a single song which was all he stuck around to play. If you are going to provide music, pay the musician and if he gets a few tips, he can think of it as a bonus. The new El Potro was not quite as good as the old one. The chips and corn tortilla taco shells are thinner than I remember, breaking easily. The margarita was not as tasty as at the old place and there was much less tequila. After drinking a 22 ounce margarita, I barely had a buzz. They got a 7 out of 10 score two years ago, but I have to drop a bomb after a less than stellar return visit. CombatCritic Gives El Potro 6 out of 10 Bombs ... More Bombs Are Better! read more

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This is one of my favorite sit down Mexican places in NE Kansas. The menu is huge, so it can be a bit overwhelming, but anything I've ever ordered has been solid. They hook you up with complimentary queso blanco as soon as they seat you, and their salsa is pretty good too. The jalapeno cream sauce that they have on a few of their items is amazing, and so are their margaritas! read more

Love this place! Good food, attentive service. Love the fajita options. We love the authentic nature of many of their dishes.

I enjoy this locally owned Mexican restaurant. Their old location on 31st street was fine, but the their new location on South Iowa is even better. Lots of space, a nice little bar area (that has pretty decent drink specials), and good ambiance (not too kitschy, but you definitely know that Latin flavors are in your future). Not only do you get gratis queso dip when you arrive, the fresh salsa and thin chips are a delicious prequel to main event. And what a main event it is...the menu, like many Mexican restaurants is almost overwhelming in variety. They have daily food and drink specials and their set menus. They have a 10 item plus al a carte breakfast menu on the weekends (you can also order off the lunch menu at this time). The lunch menu has around 50 items,and the dinner has even more variety. I have been to el Potro for breakfast lunch and dinner--the food quality is always high and the service always friendly. Especially in the new location, the service is very prompt. On my last visit, for brunch, our waiter was on top of the drink and chip refills even before it registered that I was ready for a refill. Although I have never ordered anything I did not like (and believe the same to be true of my dining companions), some of my favorite dishes include the Chimi del Norte (chicken and mushroom chimi with a cream cheese sauce), the Verde Platter (delicious braised pork in a green chili sauce), and the fried tacos. The Burrito Colorado (ham, egg, cheese and bell pepper burrito in a creamy green chili sauce) is always a winner on the breakfast menu. I also always get the borracho beans (bacon and onion soupy beans)--they are delicious and round out the generous portions you receive for a reasonable price. read more

El Potro Mexican Cafe - Burrito Colorado (breakfast) - Mexican Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

This restaurant has moved to its new location at 3333 S. Iowa near the multiplex theater. The new dining room is far better than the former one, which was located in a much smaller building. While the menu has not changed, I did notice some improvements in some of the food, such as the chile rellenos. I asked the manager about this. He said there have been some changes in the kitchen. All for the better. While previous restaurants at that location have closed, the surrounding area in south Lawrence has improved. That should help. I hope this restaurant succeeds in its new location. While the restaurant has a full bar, it does not have wines by the bottle or carafe, only a few house wines by the glass. read more

Incredible food and even more incredible service. The staff treat us like family and we love going in there. Everyone is so friendly and no matter how busy they are they take excellent care of you. The food is incredible, probably the best Mexican food in town! I highly recommend this restaurant read more

The food at El Potro is almost always great. If you like chimichangas, this is your place! The samplers are generous and tasty. My husband loves the burritos. read more

El Potro Mexican Cafe - El Potro sampler - Mexican Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

I love El Potro. They hit all of the high-points that I want in a Mexican restaurant. Mrs. R and I visted El Potro this last weekend, and I was reminded of how much I like their food and overall service. Lawrence has a mixed-bag history with Mexican / Tex-Mex food, and I feel like El Potro is one of the restaurants that elevates the caliber of the cuisine for the town and makes other places lag behind. As has become routine for midwest Mexican places, the meal starts out with a complimentary bowl of chips and salsa. The salsa at El Potro is a little thin, but has a good flavor. El Potro ups the ante against other Mexican places and also brings a complimentary bowl of queso dip with spinach, something that is typically a premium or appetizer at other restaurants. The lunch menu at El Potro is remarkably reasonable, with meals hovering around $7 for a dish accompanied by rice and beans. On our most-recent visit, I ordered chicken flautas, which came out as nicely fried tortilla rolls stuffed with shredded chicken, topped with sour cream, pico de gallo, and guacamole. Mrs. R ordered a chicken chimichanga that came covered in a queso sauce, and she said it was rather good. Diners also have their choice of pinto beans, black beans, or barracho beans, which are pintos cooked with pork and and a little beer (for flavor). I always choose the barracho beans. Another menu favorite of El Potro is the deep-fried tacos. They're always a little oily by nature, but there is something magical about a corn tortilla that has been pinned around a scoop of ground beef, and the whole mess is deep fried until the corn tortilla becomes a hard shell, then topped with lettuce, tomato, and cheese. When the deep fried tacos come out hot and fresh, with that contrast between the hot beef and tortilla and the cold lettuce and tomato, it's a delicious temperature clash that I cannot get enough of. read more

El Potro Mexican Cafe - Combination #10 - Mexican Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

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I loved the chips, salsa and queso. The food was delicious with big portions. The staff wore face masks and every other table was marked off to allow social distancing. Any restaurant that does this for the safety of their staff and customers is a win-win in my book. Thank you! read more

Definitely a Fan! We have visited twice in less than a week, once for dinner and once for lunch. I am definitely a fan and would return today if it was closer to my home. On our first visit for dinner, we were delighted with the home made fresh, warm tortilla chips, salsa and a complimentary small bowl of queso made from white cheese and spinach. You had me at free queso! I ordered the Enchilidas las Glorias which is a large enchilada filled with sauted shrimp and Monterrey Jack cheese. My husband ordered carnitas dinner. Both entres came with Spanish rice and our choice of beans including refried, black or Borrachos beans. My husband choose the borrachos beans. I selected refried beans. The borrachos beans are the best I have ever had, so when we dined here for lunch, I ordered them instead of the refried. On our lunch visit, we both ordered 1 ground beef enchilada and one pan fried ground beef taco which were served with Spanish rice and we both choose borrachos beans. We ended lunch with one order of Mexican churros. O my, everything is so good. Service is prompt, friendly and attentive. We had the same waiter at both visits and he remembered us from our first visit. The menu is very large and diverse with many choices for entrees or al a carte. You can even enjoy breakfast served on Saturdays and Sundays. The location is easy to access with good off-street parking. I were certainly return and I have told my friends that this is a Lawrence restaurant that they should visit. read more

Simply great Mexican food for reasonable prices and with friendly staff. I've loved dining in and they've also been great whenever I've done curbside pickup during Covid. Burrito El Cazador is amazing! read more

Came for the free queso but not sure it's worth coming back just for that. I had the spinach chicken enchilada dinner with caucho beans & rice. I really liked the rice & its flavor as well as the beans. The enchiladas were not really anything exceptional. read more

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I've been frequenting El Potro since moving to Lawrence three years ago. I have yet to be disappointed. The food is plentiful and delicious, and the drinks are worth the cost. read more

Food is average, not great. Guacamole is horrible. Slimey mashed avocado with little to no spice, and no onion.overall dinner was okay. Nothing special read more

El Potro is the prime example of what folks in the U.S. think Mexican food is. Lots of sauce, fried chips, runny melted cheese on everything, few shreds of lettuce to top said cheese, 4-5 ingredients, tops. Nothing wrong with that kind of food and your average Tex-Mex joint is that very definition. But by golly they can put together a menu that is so overwhelming it defies logic. El Potro is no exception. There must be 150 different items to choose from. Mind numbing is a not-so-good way. Big basket of chips with white cheese and lots of hot sauce is set on the table as you arrive. Nice touch. Service on our visit was adequate and our waiter was attentive. The interior is what you might expect. Mix of sombreros, colored lights, miscellaneous Hispanic bric-a-brac and plenty of festive decorations to make you feel at home. I guess. Outside is an enclosed seating/dining area in case you'd like to quaff your meal and drinks to the background din of busy Iowa Street. The food here is decent, and I don't really have a complaint other than it's kind of ho-hum. It's like a dozen other Tex-Mex places in town. The unfortunate color of black for the interior carpet where we were sitting showed off every cleaning sin--not a good choice, and a few tables were not cleared. Being next to Hollywood Theater my guess is they get plenty of business from the 4:00 p.m. something movies, our excuse for being there. Sunday night place was 1/3 full at 7:30 p.m. and my guess is business is usually good. People that frequent these places aren't particularly the Yelp type to my mind, and that's fine. I'm going 3 stars and if there was a half option I'd go 3 1/2, which is what the rest of Yelp thinks of El Potro. Good, decent, might be the go-to joint for some of you. Not particularly my kind of place but that doesn't make it bad. Food is food, and while I prefer authentic Mex types, that has nothing to do with my review. Just nothing to get real excited about here, and that's good enough. I'm glad there are people that love this kind of experience. I'm just not one of them. read more

We LOVE this place! The staff are excellent and the food is great! I always have enough left over to take home for later. Best gold margarita in Lawrence! read more

Their queso is awesome, and the staff is always nice. Even when they are busy, the wait is never too long. The food is great for the most part, but the past few margaritas they have served me have been off. Too sour. But, aside from that, El Potro is definitely one of the best places to eat in Lawrence. read more

I love this restaurant. BIG plus - they give you free queso with your chips and salsa! They have great salads and tacos. I have never had bad service and though it is always busy they have plenty of seating. I have only ever had to wait for 5 minutes. I will be back time and time again. read more

The two additional times I've been here did not leave me that impressed. Tried the chicken fajitas and the chicken was pretty dry and flavorless. The service has not been the greatest. One of the times, we had to ask if we had a server because no one came to our table for 20 minutes. On another visit, we didn't receive any silverware and were left sitting as our meals got cold for 10 minutes. We didn't receive any sort of apology and a fellow diner had to give us her silverware to use because she saw we were extremely hangry and about to flip out! read more

We have enjoyed dinning at El Portro in Lawrence for several years. Service is great, the food temperature is Really hot, which is a issue that I have at many other restaurants. The staff here have implemented excellent COVID precautions which are just as stringent today as they were when indoor dinning was re-opened. Other restaurant managers could learn from visiting this store. By far, I feel that my health is better protected at this establishment than others I have dined at in Lawrence, KS. read more

I have been coming here for years but today they really dissapointed me. Lost my call in order, waited 1 hour, staff rude and could care less. Lawrence has lots of Mexican places, time to try the others read more

I've been coming Here for a long time back when there was a male manager who I loved I recently moved away from Lawrence but have returned so I decided to try my favorite restaurant again The food was great and the service was amazing by a young man with a hand tattoo but there was new manager who's name I will not say but her name is Diana or something like that she was giving dirty stairs and I could tell she made some of the servers very uncomfortable and annoyed I use to love this place but just like that one person can ruin a whole experience. read more

I have been here many times. We went last Friday with a larger group and our waiter Jorge was great. His manager not so much. She was very rude to him and us. Didn't bother to say hello and kept giving us rude stares the entire time. Don't remember her name but I do remember our waiter said it started with a "d". She was absolutely awful and will not be returning because of her. Hope she's gone soon because it was my favorite restaurant in lawrence. read more

We stopped here yesterday afternoon. We had driven by this restaurant several times before and decided to stop and give it a try. We live in Lenexa Kansas and visit Lawrence on a weekly basis. I was very impressed with their food. I had their crispy tacos and a chicken enchilada. It was excellent! My wife had a pork burrito. She really liked it. When they serve their chips they give you salsa and a cheese dip! We were very happy with the food and the service and the cleanliness of the restaurant itself. The staff was very accommodating and helpful. We look forward to visiting you're fine restaurant again soon. read more

Yesterday I attended a funeral in Baldwin. Family and friends decided to meet up here since we heard great things about this restaurant. A few family members arrived early and began to eat. They finished eating a little earlier and they were approached by the manager who rudely told them to leave if they were finished eating. I know that our group spent a lot of money here. I feel that the manager really needs some customer service training since it was his waiters who apologized for him. This is the reason I am only giving one star. read more

El Potro Mexican Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

The food was lukewarm today I had a taco salad 34 today it was Luke warm and I want it hotter next time. We were in there at 1:12 PM today

Do me a favor change the coupon that says buy one dinner get one free. went there on Saturday night with the coupon off of genesis health club rewards that says buy one dinner get one free and then you redeem it and it says max value 5 dollars off. show me a dinner on your menu that costs 5 dollars. that is misleading and insulting. won't be back because of being treated rudely by the manager for trying to talk to him. thank for nothing anybody reading this check the coupon before using it. read more

This was my first time going here and I ordered I side of rice a side of grill steak and I asked for queso on top and tortillas as a side. It was ridiculously expensive will never be going back. read more

El Potro Mexican Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Lawrence, Kansas

Food was very good. Service was decent. Would go again. Got the Chile verde burrito and it was very yummy.

Visiting town from Texas and it just can't compare to Tex-Mex. The food was bland, flavorless and looked effortless as well. The price point is decent but I'd rather pay a little bit more for quality. read more

Not into the food at all but the service at the bar was excellent and we enjoyed our from-scratch margs. Loud, fun atmosphere and a good stop for a quick drink after errands around that part of Iowa. read more