This is our favorite Mexican restaurant. The food is always good, and the staff are very friendly and attentive. Everything tastes fresh and the portions are sufficient. read more

The only Mexican buffet we've ever seen! Went on a Sunday and enjoyed the brunch buffet. Lots of fresh options. Excellent flan! Service was fast and friendly. My husband was thrilled to find this! I appreciated that we could bring our little boy. The other restaurants in town have a Day of the Dead theme, which is a bit much for a little kid. This restaurant was very family friendly, comfortable, and clean. Will come again! read more

The Texas Rice is amazing!! I ordered take out. It was ready in just 10 minutes. When I got there, the lady asked if I wanted chips and salsa. Such a great experience! read more

This was a favorite restaurant. Now, it's an overpriced restaurant with a sad weekend buffet. The buffet used to be awesome with quality foods. Now, the buffet is quite expensive considering that the food is cold and appears to have been out for hours. There's an unfriendly guy who stands in the back of the restaurant and walks around stirring the food so it looks fresh, but it's not. The older guy who used to walk around the restaurant to greet customers is never in the restaurant anymore, and maybe that's why the quality has suffered. We won't return. The place is dark and never has live music. read more

El Potro Mexican Restaurant - Buffet - Mexican Near Me - Lake City, Florida

Good as ever. It's been a while since we've been up in North Florida and we have fond memories of this Mexican restaurant. The chips are fresh and the salsa has the right amount of bite. My husband had a combination plate - enchilada and tamale, the best enchilada ever. I had the chicken fajitas with flour tortillas. Elmer our server was so helpful and knowledgeable about the menu. When next in Lake City, we'll return read more

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The food was amazing, customer service was great everyone was so friendly and nice ! We were on our way back home to GA & stop by and it was great I would go again ! read more

Got sick after eating the bandera chicken. I stopped here on a road trip for lunch-- by midnight, I was committed to a truck stop bathroom stall hundreds of miles away. Spare yourself the same read more

Got the fajitas, why the flavor was good, the amount of meat you got was barely enough to make three fajitas. The price for steak is 18.95 and not worth it if you can only put 3-4 small pieces of meat on each one. Service was good. read more

Excellent food the real deal. Delicious authentic happiness!!! One of the greats!! The service here was terrific, fast and friendly!! read more

El Potro Mexican Restaurant - What a great place - Mexican Near Me - Lake City, Florida

My husband and I ate here for the first time today. Our Server was very polite, and attentive. She checked on us several times. And brought me refills without asking. The food was very good and we will definitely be returning. read more

Food was great it wasn't white-washed something very important in a Mexican restaurant, could tell it was real. The restrooms were clean, the music reminded my of old memories, the chairs and table were clean, the staff was friendly and did their job. I'd recommend this to any Mexicans looking for a good meal, the Jamaica, don't even get me started on it, it was just that good. and now for the MOST important part of this review, the Flan one of my favorite desserts in the world, it wasn't burnt, wasn't too eggy, it was sweet, milky, and kind of spongey, the perfect consistency for flan 20/20 read more

My boyfriend and I were passing through lake city and stopped by El Potro and we were very pleasantly surprised by how wonderful it was! He got the polo vallantra (chicken and cream sauce) and I asked for veggie fajitas (which weren't on the menu but they were happy to accommodate for my vegan diet). Both came out super quickly after enjoying delicious chips and salsa. The waitress was extremely friendly and accommodating. The food was super flavorful and fresh. We both ate every last bite of our food. I will be recommending El Potro to anyone passing through (on your way to the springs from Jacksonville), or visiting lake city! read more

I had the grilled carne asada steak in a shell. It turned into a goopy mess. There are way to many soft ingredients in it. It has sour cream, guacomole, & beans. Well I was told it has beans but I didn't see a single bean. It was more like they opened a can of beans & poured the liquid into my salad & kept the beans. I ended up just eating most of the shell & throwing out the salad. I was very dissappointed. read more

El Potro Mexican Restaurant - Steak in a taco bowl. - Mexican Near Me - Lake City, Florida

We took a chance on the place because the reviews were so so, I am so glad we ignored them. Service is extremely fast, food is always blazing hot and their homemade hot sauce is to die for. I would recommend you ignore the older negative reviews, this place is great. read more

The food was semi-tasty, for American tacos. When you walk in, everybody is very kind and courteous You seem to get a half basket of chips and a very small bowl of salsa. What do you expect for free, if you consider them free. When the food arrives, the tacos are adequate size I had the beef tacos. They came ground beef, which were flavorful, definitely taste like a mix and not a authentic taco. The refried beans were basically runny. The rice was OK. I won't really complain about the rice . Three tacos, rice, and refried beans along with a Coke. Came to a total of $15. Not the worst price I have experience for tacos. The atmosphere and the setting along with the food delivery, seemed a bit pricey. This reminds me more of some little stand that you would buy tacos from, and not a real sit down restaurant. A three is definitely generous for what you get read more

This was the worst restaurant we,vê been to in a long time. The food was cold, the margarita warm and watered down. The refried beans were inedible. We were the only patrons and now we know why. read more

Customer service is great; food is okay. They are fun for parties. They sing, give a free ice cream dessert and also have a nice poster and sombrero for birthday photos! It was a fun experience and I think the birthday girl enjoyed. Prices are very reasonable and location is spacious. It's a 3-3.5 star place food-wise. read more

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This place has been here for along time. Came back through to visit and it's still so good. So much food, not insane prices.. fresh and delicious. read more

I have not been to this restaurant in many,many years. I think this may be the oldest Mexican restaurant in Lake City. It's ok. We did the buffet. I'm sure the made to order meals must be better. Started with the 3.50 special margaritas. Weak mix. Just ok. Standard chips and salsa. Nothing special. On to the buffet...... I liked the pork, my wife did not. The beef just tasted weird. The rice was pretty good. Refried beans just ok. The quesadillas were very good. The taco rollups were just ok. The cinnamon crisps were very good. All in all, three stars and a little pricey to boot. Service was fast and friendly. Will not be rushing back. read more

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I always love going to an authentic Mexican restaurant. The atmosphere is nice and not overdone with mariachi music playing in the background. The prices weren't too expensive and the food was very very good! The waitstaff are as authentic as the food and sometimes it's hard to understand but in the end everyone is happy! Very happy that they offer a military discount as that goes pretty far with me having served 25 years. If you haven't been, what are you waiting for? read more

Great food and excellent service. I stop here every chance I get. Keep up the good work !!!

Firstly, I'd like to say that the restaurant itself is neat and clean. The environment is nice and cosy. The front of house was well put together and very inviting. Our server did her job well. On the other side of things, the food was mediocre. I took my family out hoping for a nice meal, but we were disappointed. The food on the buffet line was warm at best, bland, and seemed as if it had been there for hours. Other members of my family ordered off the menu, and that was decent. Perhaps I'm just picky, but being a foody, this was not up to standard. read more

We were a bit hesitant about coming here because of the reviews BUT, so happy we did. 4 starts because the asada tacos weren't great, but pastor tacos fajitas and the shrimp michelada were GREAT!!!! NO regrets! Definitely recommend this place. read more

Stopped here for the lunch buffet on a Sunday afternoon. We didn't think it was good quality. Kids got cheeseburgers and the cheese wasn't even melted. We ended up hitting a drive thru before getting back on the road read more

1st time here had the lunch chicken fajitas they were great!!! Smoking hot plate of grilled chicken onions and peppers with a great seasoning included salad,rice and beans flour tortillas!!! read more

El Potro Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Lake City, Florida

Great queso, great enchiladas. Restaurant was kind of dirty, but food was good

Great food, excellent service, great atmosphere. I come here every time I return to Lake City.

This place was a pleasant surprise. The wire advertisement signs they planted around town didn't make me a fan. Those things turn into eyesores and ultimately trash. So I was hesitant to eat there. The restaurant looked and smelled clean. An attendant was always keeping the buffet area clean. The food was fresh and seasoned to my taste. The prices were fair and the service was wonderful and friendly. My wife suggested a Mexican meal and this place was recommended to us by a member of the Lake City Chamber of Commerce. I'm now recommending it to you. Lake City has many restaurants and many of them lack in the basics of cleanliness, hot and fresh food, and friendly service. Today we experienced all of these in one place. If they continue to supply these basics I expect them to continue to be successful. read more

While the building is plain, non-descript, I am so glad I came in. The building used to be an Italian joint, I think. The little stained glasses in the booths had cheese, sausage, garlic, gelato, etc on them. Haha Lunch buffet looked awesome but I chose to order off the menu. Yummy chips and dynamite salsa. Coming from a Texas girl, that's a good thing! The lunch fajitas were pretty good. The guacamole was a little acidic, but I can deal with that. All in all, I would definitely come back. read more

We did Door Dash. I ordered the Enchiladas Verdes and a side of tamale. Everything was superb except for one boo-boo on both dishes: they must've been running low on the accompaniment sauces on both dishes. A very scant amount of red sauce on top of the tamale, and only a droplet of a sign of the verde sauce on my enchilada. Quite different than what was described on the menu. Even the sides of refried beans and spanish rice were good. I think the spot-on cooking and seasoning of all is what saved myself from calling and complaining to mgmnt. This is an oversight that I can forgive as rare. read more

We've been here before whenever we are on the area, and happily, it's still on a very short list of Mexican restaurants in Florida. I often get Pollo Rico, which is a flattened, nicely seasoned chicken breast, grilled, withgrilled veggies and a yummy white cheese sauce. It's very good, flavorful, and I usually take some home to use in a breakfast burrito. Today I just wanted something light since it was mid-afternoon, so I tried the quesidilla fajita. It was loaded with fajita veggies, chicken, and cheese in a folded tortilla. And in spite of being folded in half, I still took some home. One of the best quesidillas I've ever had. Our server was a delightful young man - friendly and knowledgeable, and added to our enjoyment. read more

It's been quiet a few years since we had food from this restaurant. It was good back then so I was expecting the same quality as before. Boy was I wrong.... We both ordered the 3 item combo plates. Shredded beef enchiladas, guacamole tostada, chimichanga and beans & Rice. The shredded beef in the enchilada was very tasty, But the enchilada sauce and tortilla was horrible. As far as the Tostaguac the guacamole was tasty, but the rest of the tostada was mushy, ice cold and the tortilla was so soggy it wasn't just a nasty but mushy mess in in the bottom of the container that didn't even resemble a fried corn tortilla. The chimichanga was by far the worst, if that's even possible to top the tostada in that category. A true chimichanga is supposed to be a Crispy fried burrito covered in a flavorful sauce. What we got was nothing like chimichangas that I've had from this restaurant in the past. For one thing that ever it was rolled up in was Not a flour tortilla and it certainly had never fried. The side of beans were very salty and watery, the rice was actually tasty and was the tortilla chips and salsa we received. Taco Bell would have been 100 times better quality than this disastrous meals and this is coming from someone who doesn't consider Taco Bell as Mexican food. It pains me to give any restaurant a bad review but it pains me more to shell out almost 30.00 for inedible garbage that should have Never been served. read more

I got sick on the taco salad. The meat was not typical ground beef and the beans made it soupy.

Hello I just ate there and it's was pretty cheap 49$ for a lot of food this place is very underrated I came here dying of hunger and got access to cheap yet good food will be coming back again for sure the waiters are nice and respectful to children too this restaurant is unbelievably stomach filling. Would rare more stars if there we're more thanks for the wonderful experience. read more

I eat here all the time. love it. My latino friend said this is Mexican American food read more

El Potro Mexican Restaurant - Love the warm chips and salsa whilt waiting on my meal - Mexican Near Me - Lake City, Florida

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I'm in Lake City, FL on business, on an expense account, and need to find places for dinners. Now I'm not adventurous, born without a sense of direction so if it's not on the same highway as is my hotel, I'm not even attempting it. I used Yelp! and came up with El Potro Mexican Restaurant. To start with it's not much to look at from the outside, rather dark and unassuming, on the inside, rather dark and unassuming. This would turn off my wife from trying it a second time, maybe even the first time. Me, I'm different, I'm there for the food and you can't eat ambiance, llI'm very glad I went here. It was a Monday evening so it wasn't crowded at all and I was seated immediately. Now my company will allow two drinks to be put on their card for dinner, I'm not shy and I ordered a Margarita. The waitress said that their 16 and 24 ounce Margaritas were on a buy one get one free special for that night. As stated I'm not shy so I order a 24 ounce Margarita. Good drink, not the best I've ever had but good and a nice basket of chips with salsa were also served. For the curious amongst you, yes I had four that evening. I ordered the Nachos Grande with steak for appetizer and the Burro Supreme for my dinner. I knew I was in trouble when the nachos appeared, the portion was huge. The chips were large which was good as the steak was in strips and they required a larger chip. Cheese, shredded lettuce, jalapeños, sour cream and guacamole topped the chips and meat. Good choice,I liked the nachos. I thought that portion was big? Not in comparison to the burro, this was the largest Mexican meal I've ever seen! Extra large corn tortilla with Angus beef, Mexican rice and beans inside and an unusual white cheese sauce over the outside. This was the best burro I've ever had, for that matter the Burro Supreme was the best Mexican meal I've ever had, period! No desert, about to burst, but in closing may I add that both dishes came out of the kitchen hot which is all too often not the case while dining out. Would I eat here again, without a doubt, if and when I'm back in Lake City, El Potro is on the must visit list. read more

Literally the best Mexican place around, if not the best place in lake city all around. We literally have to come here Atleast once a week and it's amazing everytime. If you are going anywhere else in town I'm sorry. The Asada tacos are amazing and I've had them all around California and these are the only ones that are on the same level! EL PORTO is a must read more

First Mexican buffet for me. Good eating. Nice to make your own tacos. All the cheese dip you can eat. read more

El Potro Mexican Restaurant - Buffet! - Mexican Near Me - Lake City, Florida

We had lunch here driving from K C to our home in Fl. My husband had the buffet for 10$. So many selections to choose from. Everything fresh and homemade. Margaritas were also delish. We ate too much but.....other than that.... Great waitress. Felt like being in Mexico without having to go over the WALL! read more

I was heading to a different restaurant when I saw this one and decided to stop in. I was seated immediately and the server was right there. There's an extensive menu with various price points. I found the Texas Rice which has steak, chicken and shrimp served over the rice, in their words smothered in cheese sauce. Priced at only 11.95. Absolutely delicious. I actually downloaded Yelp on this phone, just so I could post this review. It was that good. read more