Worst place ever. The chicken smelled weeks old and the server was eating her dinner on one of the tables near the register while serving us. She never washed her hands. Then she charged her tip within our bill at 20%. Old food bad service! Never go here! read more

This establishment is a perfect candidate for an overhaul of the menu and re-jumpstart with the owners. Glimmers of greatness brought down by "are-you-kidding-me" dumbness, and over-priced all around. First time here, I ordered a house favorite Chile Verde Burrito - which was decidedly quite good, but $14.99 for a burrito? The traditional rice & bean accompaniment was just boring/bland/not suitable for taking more than a taste. This would be the 'glimmer' of solid reason to come here - but I also ordered the fish tacos, and let me tell you they really are bold to serve this - first thing you notice is that the "tilapia fish chunks' are really little cubes of breaded (fish?) which were obviously out of a box. So the mouth was already dropped open upon seeing little breaded fish cubelets in place of actual fish in the taco, and then second you notice they have placed these cubelets in a STORE-BOUGHT ORTEGA HARD TACO SHELL. I kid you not. I was flabbergasted. I tried to take a bite (hoping it wasn't really Ortega) but first crunch and the whole shell disintegrated and the insides tumbled down. So I just ate the cubelets with a fork, thinking I cannot believe I paid $12.99 for this. Again, one taste of the beans and first thought is "they taste like watered down refrieds out of a jumbo cafeteria can." Yuck. I didn't even try the rice, too busy choking down the breaded cubelets. Because I was hungry, and they weren't necessarily disgusting, and I paid good money for them - but just bizarre and not 'good' tasting at all. Solid 2.5 stars for the tacos. 3.5 for the burrito. 3.5 for the margarita. 4.0 for the nice guy who explained the menu to me and took my order. about 2.0 for the food preparer/bartender/'I think she was the owner' because she came out of the kitchen to make my margarita, never said hi or anything to me, just stared at me with this look of barely concealed irritation - and let me explain more about this also. I ordered the meals to go. Ordered a marg to drink while waiting. Nice guy said "can I get you some chips and salsa for while you wait, complementary." I said "No charge? Sure." then he brings the chips and the bill, and there is a $1.99 charge for the chips. I said, no thanks take them back, I thought you said they were no charge. He says they are free, so blah blah blah he figures out he charged me and was embarassed, and then asked the lady if he could take it off the bill. She just looks at me and says "there is a charge if you take them away, free is only if you eat them here." I said "I am eating them here, with my marg (which I was still waiting for 5 minutes later, BTW) so she tells the nice guy in spanish he has to pay for the chips out of his own pocket, she's not taking them off the bill. He gives me $2. More about this restaurant in a strip mall, and why it's a good candidate for a Chef Ramsay overhaul - upon entering the little foyer smells like old plastic plants, which have baked for years in that little foyer, and need to be tossed out. The restaurant is small, but appeared to be clean, with old decor such as the little plastic grapes and leaves on the little 4 seat bar area. They have been here 16 years. Must have been good once, and maybe locals know exactly which dishes are still good (chile verde burrito) and which to avoid (cubelets in ortega shells). But the fact that they are clearly trying to save money in some areas by making not good choices, compounded by the dour owner/food preparer/bartender and her making the nice guy give me $2 out of his own pocket just shows this is a place on the downhill. The chips were the highlight of the meal, perfectly crispy and warm, tasty - solid 5 star chips. Salsa was not salsa, but some thin sauce (another reviewer called it marinara) that was ok, but don't call it salsa. The final deciding factor of whether we will be back is the bill - it was just way overpriced. In addition to the above I ordered the flautas (solid 3 stars), good but not $10 good. So if we are looking to drop $50 or more for mediocre Mexican food for 2, we'll be back. I wish we could give half stars. 2.5 feels more like the right rating for this establishment. Hope they reclaim their mojo, and get the menu back on track. read more

I, John, have lived here for over 50 years and had never eaten in this restaurant before. That will now change. The food was delicious and the service was great! Not that many good Mexican restaurants in the area so if you are in the mood, this is definitely the place to come to! Good food, good service, good proportions. read more

Growing up in Los Angeles and having lived in San Diego, I can say with certainty I know good Mexican food. El Pueblo is pretty good. I'm not a fan of their hand-made tortillas as they are on the thick and tasteless side. But other than that, it's a place I go to locally when I need a Mexican food fix. Only down side is it's super crowded on the weekend/Friday nights. I'm not too crazy about their high prices either. But overall, it's a good, casual dining experience. read more

Terrible. Crap food, very high prices. I've eaten here several times since the restaurant first opened. The prices have never been reasonable, and the food is really bland and terrible. Seriously, Taco Bell is better. I've ordered margueritas here on occasion, all were completely watered down and devoid of alcohol. Just another terrible NoVA restaurant. Complete fail. read more

Really, good food? It is average food. They do not make anything authentic or in house, I can make this food at home. Service is always good, which is why it got 1 star.. But it lacks any Latin flare. I guess if you like bland commercialized food then go here. read more

Holy mole is this place ever bad. I would seriously prefer Taco Bell to this. The food was stunning in its blandness and the service spectacular in its unattentiveness. Between my wife, my son, and I, the only thing that was remotely edible was the chicken in my son's taco. Stay away, this is NOT Mexican food and it is a very poor example of good gringo Mexican as well. read more

Been looking for authentic Mexican this is the place. Great flavor incredible seafood. My issue with the place small portions. Loved the quality and nowhere in the area is nothing close to as good. Give it a try maybe they'll load up more read more

OMG their food is so delicious and fresh. I don't even like Mexican food. I would eat the salmon dish again. The service is good too. Usually when I think of refried been and rice, I think of the last time I deep cleaned my toilet. Now when you mention refried beans and rice, think of this place, any my mouth starts watering, instead of my butt hole clenching. read more

Such a disappointment! I am surprised at the amount of positive reviews. I was looking for a new place for our family to have a nice meal and what we got was what appears to be pre-plated yellow rice with retried beans and whatever main dish we ordered. The chicharron and yuca was mediocre, big disappointment since many reviews recommended it. My son had a burrito which he couldn't eat, I had a bite and the chili tasted like it came out of a can. All dishes overpriced for the quality. A review suggested Taco Bell was better and I thought that was pretty harsh until I went and tried it myself, my apologies to that reviewer, now I know I should have believed it. Sorry, not even the Margarita makes this place earn a second star. read more

If you like authentic ethnic spots in a busy place like Northern Virginia, then try this place out. I've taken various friends and work colleagues here and always have great feedback. The service is prompt without pushy, the food is well prepared without ridiculous proportions or prices. I favor the fajita salad for lunch or mexican bbq ribs for dinner. The prawns and seafood were great over Lent too. Oh- and the bartender makes the drinks fresh and heavy- worth it!! read more

Weird to find a restaurant like this in a shopping center I've been so many times. When I walked I thought maybe I finally found a decent Mexican restaurant that's been under my nose this whole time. This wasn't the place. Ordered steak tacos, quality of the steak was poor. If I'm paying $14 for tacos I expect good quality meat. I think taco bell has a better steak tacos than this place. Seasoning? I don't think there was any. Everything tasted bland. Save your 14 dollars and go to Taco Bell. read more

Shhhh.. don't tell anyone the food and service are excellent. I only wish they had draft beers and not bottles.

Great for dinner/drinks out with friends or a casual dinner with the kids. Food always pleases especially when I'm looking for something unhealthy (chimichangas). Also, the smoothies are great. read more

Good Food + bad service = 1 Honestly, their food is good. I come from California and we know Mexican food. Not as good as California but good enough. Unless, the service poor and the business is not responsive to customers reasonable needs and desires.. Three times El Pueblo messed up our take-out order. The first one I blew off but the second one I called them on. They forgot something in our order and by time I discovered it, I was already home. I called, they said we can have it replaced next visit. OK, not a problem. Last week was this next order. I explained over the phone what happened on the previous order and they said they'd take care of it. They did....but made another mistake. When I called to complain, they didnt seem interested. So, I asked if this is worth loosing a customer over and I was told that that was "just fine." I will never go back! read more

My husband and I stopped by on a Saturday evening for dinner. We lucked out and got the last open table in the restaurant. The decor was very quaint and made us feel like we were on vacation in Mexico. We LOVED the waitstaff! The ladies and gentleman were all very hospitable and genuinely friendly. We were greeted with a basket of chips and salsa which was great since we were starving. My husband had a margarita and I had a mudslide which were both delicious. My husband ordered a burrito and I had the crab quesadilla - both were great meals! No complaints! We will definitely be back! read more

By far one of the best, if not the best mexican restaurant. Dishes range from the traditional to less traditional dishes from Spain and Mexico. Guacamole is my barometer for guaging a Mexican restaurant and theirs rates 5 out of 5 avocados. Nice atmosphere except for the TV's with soccer playing constantly. Service is good although it was inconsistant a few times. Prices are good for better Mexican food. Nice size portions. read more

This is one of my favorite Spanish/Mexican restaurants out there. Alivia and I split Chicken Quesadillas and Beef Fajitas both of which were very good. The chicken had a very nice grilled flavor that was highlighted by a flavorful but not over powering cheese all on a grilled to perfection tortilla. The fajitas were a little heavier on the onions than peppers and beef but were also very well seasoned and the sides of beans, rice, guacamole, and fresh salsa were very good. The only downsides were that the "salsa" they supply with the chips is always terrible and the service on this visit was extremely lackluster. I drove past another much closer mexican restaurant (La Tolteca) to go to El Pueblo Spanish though so that says something. read more

Always my go-to place for Spanish cuisine. Virtually impossible to get a less-than-delicious meal.

Pretty good desert....but when checked bank statement the amount was more than what I left on the receipt. Please try to record the tip amount accurately. read more

Service is very slow. Had to wait so long just to get a refill for my ice tea. The fish tacos were awful. It was literally FRIED fish bits in a soft tortilla with some lettuce. Real fish tacos should never be fried and it's definitely more than a tortilla and lettuce. Taste was bland too. Hadn't eaten all day and really looked forward to these overpriced "fish tacos", but at least I know not to come here again. read more

This is a small place, but the food is excellent! The workers are super nice and helpful and the food always comes out quick. I personally love the salsa so much! read more

Our family of four went to this place tonight and don't plan to go back ever. They added a gratuity of about $12 for a meal of about $66 pre-tax (which was a 18% tip). When we confronted the waitress about why the gratuity was applied to a party of four, she told us that they'd typically do that for any amount over $50. I was so disgusted by this lie that I did not want to argue further. Worse, the credit card bill even included another line for tip, just in case you wanted to pay extra tip above the previous 18% tip (or, more likely because you did not pay attention !!). BEWARE !!! read more

We went to this place for the first time this Friday evening. We were every excited to have found a Latino restaurant in Burke not too far from home where we could have a nice dinner and a margarita. Found them on Yelp. Looked at their website before deciding to go. Yelp reviews not stellar, but not too bad, but many comments about bad service. We chose to overlook those comments because the food reviews were good. We printed a $5 off coupon from their "Celebrations and Specials" section of their website that says, "$5 off any food purchase of $25 or more. With this coupon. Dine in only. One per table. Not valid on holidays or other offers. Excludes alcohol and weekly specials. Limited time offer." The three other coupons on their website specify particular days of the week that they are valid (Mon-Thurs or Mon & Tues). We printed this particular coupon because it did not have such restrictions. Upon entering the restaurant, we commented among ourselves about the nice ambiance and agreed that this could become our go-to Latino restaurant, depending on the food. The food was good, but not as good as our regular place (Margarita's in Burke). The bill totaled $87. We showed the waitress the $5 coupon, and she commented that they don't take coupons on the weekend. We pointed out that this particular coupon did not specify which days of the week it was valid. She said she would have to ask her manager, but she was sure they would not honor the coupon. When she came back she said that they would NOT honor the coupon and that they could not even be sure that the coupon was for their restaurant. This was really upsetting, since we had printed the coupon from the restaurant's website just before leaving home. This really felt like we were being accused of lying. So we said to the waitress that we could pull the coupon up on our phones. She left to run our bill, and we did just that. When she returned with our credit cards, we showed her the coupon on the website, and we asked to talk to the manager. She left and got the manager, who came to our table and said that they don't honor coupons on the weekend. Again, we pointed out to her that the coupon did not specify days of the week for which it was valid. She said that she did not know why that was on the website and that it is not the same as the coupon on their menu. She then left to get the menu (a to-go menu that was different than the menu from which we ordered our dinner), and she showed us the coupon on the menu, which looked exactly like the coupon we had printed and the one we pulled up on our phones from their website. She said she had contacted the webmaster about that last week and that they should have taken it down. Normally we would not persist, but we were being accused of lying and trying to cheat this restaurant. We presented them with a coupon that they used to entice new customers. It worked. They got us there. But we won't go back. In the end the manager agreed to refund one of our credit cards $5 honoring the coupon. She went away to run the refund, and when she returned she said, "By the way, when did you print that coupon?" We replied that we printed it five minutes before leaving home to head to El Pueblo. Again, she was accusing us of being dishonest, even though we showed her the coupon on the restaurant's website in real time. Why should it matter when we printed the coupon if we could pull it up right then on our phones? She did refund us $5. But she was too late. Instead of having embraced new customers -- would be regular customers -- she turned us very sour on El Pueblo. We will never go back, and we recommend that others find another restaurant. That kind of nasty service need not be rewarded. read more

Best margaritas in the area! The pomegranate and raspberry margaritas are always my go-to. The food is a hit or miss for me.

Great food, good service. The yucca fries were awesome and so were the fajitas!

Back again for Daddy-Daughter date night on Friday and back on Saturday with my wife and daughter. Service is good and the girls always remember us. Food is still pretty decent, but the fish tacos still need some work as they come out in chunks. The salsa needs some more depth as it seems to be over pureed. I had the Carnedas (Pulled Pork) special on Saturday which was really good. I did have to ask for more corn tortillas. Also their House Margaritas are pretty good too. read more

Thought I'd give the place another try. The service is just really terrible and the food is decent but overpriced. I had the tortilla soup this time. It was pretty basic but I really liked it and it had no tomato products as far as I could see, which is good because I'm allergic. The portion was really small for the $5.75 price tag though! read more

The food here is absolutely delicious I usually get the chicken fajitas the bartender and the servers are so friendly. And the bathrooms are always clean read more

What a nice surprise! My daughter and I had a nice dinner and conversation. We spent two hours and never felt rush. I think we were almost the last to leave. I love the decor and food. It was nice not to go to a chain. We'll have to go back there again! read more

This place is awesome. I loved the family business feel. The staff is so friendly. Our server was polite and very attentive. I loved the broad menu - more interesting fare than at your typical Mexican restaurant - loved the pollo azteca! Crab quesadillas: delish! There are a number of things on the menu that I wanted to try and I can't wait to go back. The atmosphere is intimate and fun. The frozen margaritas were good. The only thing that was disappointing was the guacamole, which was the whole reason we were in the mood for Mexican! Overall, one of the best family Mexican restaurants I've been to!! Try El Pueblo!! read more

Came for a late lunch and really enjoyed it. The food was yummy and quickly served. Excellent Mexican pizza, which we shared for an appetizer. The enchiladas were delicious and the salsa and chips were the usual perfect starter. I liked the small feel but not so small that it's junky. Will definitely come again! read more

The service is fine - not super duper friendly but very efficient and helpful. The food is great!! You also get one free basket of chips with salsa when dining in. read more

Great food! All beef and steak products are beyond delicious. Steer clear of jalapeño poppers (frozen box food- ick!)- chicken products tasty, but not as good as beef. - margaritas are HUGE and delicious.- prices are VERY reasonable. read more

This place is awesome and a local, family oriented restaurant. Its not a huge place. Food is really very good! Don't get the fish tacos--you will be disappointed, but everything else rocks. You'll love the carnitas and chimichangas! read more

By far or favorite restaurant! The food is great as is the service. My husband left his wallet, with an unusual large sum of cash in it. We called, they found it, not a dime was missing! Integrity at its finest. We were already in love with this place, but that sealed the deal for us. read more

Waitress was pleasant and helpful and brought extra chips. Food was marginal at best. What bothered me was they added an additional charge after presenting the bill at the table. When I questioned the bill a different waitress told me it was an additional 3% tax. At home I noticed it was labeled "Convenience Fee". Apparently for the "convenience" of using a credit card. Won't be back. read more

The first time I went, I was set on Tapas since that's only "kind-of" a meal...and I already had dinner....and I had been drinking. They were pretty good. I only say "pretty good" because by the 2nd half of the BUCKET of fried plantains, I was kind of sick of them. That and the other thing I got was only OK...so "OK" that I forget what it was, even with the menu in front of me right now. BUT, I figured I'd give them a second chance, so I went again about a week ago and ordered a real meal item. The chile rellenos were excellent, so the menu seems like hit or miss...I'd stick with the traditional menu items and not venture out into the exotic sounding. read more

This place is near my house and I have always gotten carry-out during the several times I have eaten here. So, I cannot comment on the service. The seating area is quite small and there is a TV in every corner tuned to Univision (or Telemundo... I'm not sure I can tell the difference). Now the important part: the food. This is not Taco Bell or Anita's. If you want that kind of "Mexican" food, go there. This is the place I go to get pupusas, yuca, and chicharron. I have tried the enchiladas and burritos which were not bad. It's the pupusas and chcharron that keep me coming back. read more

We found this place just after it opened about 10 years ago. Have tried several other restaurants but keep coming back. The margaritas are good the guacamole excellent and you really can't go wrong on the menu. Many a birthday has been celebrated at El Pueblo. read more