For dinner, we ordered takeout. My girlfriend chose the Especial de Mexico, which featured tender grilled chopped steak with Mexican sausage and onions, served with rice, beans, and three tortillas. I went with the Birria Burrito--a large flour tortilla filled with tender braised beef and white rice, topped with a rich consommé sauce, cheese, and cilantro. For dessert, we had the Tres Leches Cake, an ultra-light cake soaked in a sweet milk mixture and topped with whipped cream. Everything was absolutely delicious. read more

El Rodeo - Mexican Near Me - Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

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Another delicious meal! A San Jose Burrito seasoned Chicken with Rice and Beans topped with a Cheese Sauce topped with Pico De Gallo and Enchilada Supreme 1-Shredded Chicken, 1- Ground Beef , 1-Bean & 1 Cheese Enchilada topped with Cheese, Lettuce, Tomatoes & Sour Cream! The wife washed it down with a Margarita on the rocks! I settled for Ice Tea! Great fast service and our server was wonderful! Of Course we'll return the menu still has a lot of food to try! read more

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The food is simply excellent. Fantastic flavor and very fresh. The service (atmosphere) was happy and welcoming. And the prices are pretty decent... My compliments! read more

What I like about El Rodeos is that the items on the menu seem consistent from location to location which is great. I stopped here today for lunch and to commiserate with a colleague over food - on a tight schedule, so I ordered the Speedy Gonzalez because it is ....speedy. As expected, the food came quite quickly & quality was above average. Always warned about the hot plate...which is great as the plates are usually just short of glowing red ;) Kidding aside - service here is great, food is always tasty, atmosphere is upbeat. I've always been happy with my experiences here & today was no exception. Recommended! read more

El Rodeo - the 'Speedy Gonzales' - Mexican Near Me - Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

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I had lunch on a Saturday. It wasn't too busy, just 2 other tables. The atmosphere was strongly Mexican as it should be. I am surprised to see lunch special was still available on a Saturday, but I order my favorite, Beef Fajitas. I like chunky meats. We just about finished the chips and salsa when the entre finally came, with a sizzling fanfare! Overall, it was good. But in the end I couldn't finish because it was very very greasy when I got to the bottom of the dish. That, and the fact our waitress didn't come check with us after the dish was served are the reason I am taking a star off. read more

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I really this Mexican restaurant,the best and the food service is very good and the enchiladas are so delicious

Absolutely delicious. Stopped by for lunch on a shopping trip. The service is good and the food is great. Seating is a little tight in the rear for the restaurant as it wasn't very crowded when we asked to be reseated. read more

El Rodeo - No Nachos Supremos - Mexican Near Me - Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

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Absolutely ridiculous. This is the dinner Steak Salad? Obnoxious. I definitely will not order or visit El Rodeo, moving forward. read more

El Rodeo - Dinner Steak salad - Mexican Near Me - Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

The service is good; crowded, but seated fast. Good spacing of tables. They didn't have Pollo de Arouya though, but that's ok because after the 3rd margarita, I was a a yo-yo! Steak burrito hit the spot; good sides & plenty hot. read more

It has a bright, colorful, festive interior, though a bit warn (needing some care and repair. Our waitress was friendly, helpful, and quick. We didn't wait long to be seated, to get our drinks, have our order taken, or to get our food. We did wait a little bit longer to get our bill however. The food was basic good Americano Mexican food and filling. The chips served before the meal were fresh, crunchy and whole. The salsa was very mild and much appreciated as such. I ordered #26 that included the crunchy taco and chimichanga (along with rice and beans). The pina cola da was refreshing but a little weak. We shall be back. read more

It was literally like they took the beans from the can and put them in a cup there is nothing in this soup no onions no garlic no veggies just beans ....maybe I was expecting more read more

El Rodeo - Black Bean Soup - Mexican Near Me - Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

The decors were deliberate and cute; I get it, I knew I was in a Mexican restaurant. Menu was bigger than I had expected but we stuck with the lunch menu. We ordered Lunch Specials #5 (Beef Enchilada, beans and rice), #6 (Beef Burrito and Enchilada), and #7 (Chicken Burrito and Enchilada). The food came quickly and looked "standard". However, they weren't piping hot. just lukewarm. Thumbs down. And the servings were smaller than we expected. Another thumb down. We ordered the Fried Ice Cream ($5.59) for dessert. It looked good, and tasted -- well all desserts taste good. But knowing what it could have been, I was honestly disappointed. It's as if (and may as well be) that it was pre-made and stored in the refrigerator. The crust was cold and stale, not hot and crunchy. So it was headed for a 2 star rating until when the bill came -- it was a lot lower than I had expected. Instead of $5.95 for #5, and $8.25 for #6 and #7, everything is at $5.25 lunch special price!! So I bumped up a star for qualifying a cheap eat! read more

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Vastly disappointing visit. This El Rodeo is usually consistent with their food and service, but something has changed recently and we doubt we will return to this location. The complementary chips and salsa were good, as usual, and my wife enjoyed her Carnitas burrito bowl, but that is where the positives stopped. I ordered the fajitas, which arrived 5 minutes after my wife's entrée. Upon arrival, the green peppers were very uncooked and laying on top, but the meat was over cooked, chewy and bland. Service was very spotty because I couldn't get a server to stop to fill my water glass, even though the place was not busy. There are many other places to get average Mexican food around central PA, so I recommend checking those establishments. read more

I had a dish here a couple of weeks ago, w/chorizo, chicken, beans and rice. I couldn't remember what it was called on the menu, but it sure was good. Had the spicy fajitas and I couldn't eat two bites. Too spicy for me, but it tasted good. Margarita was good too. The drink, not the waitress Alma was our waitress and she was very nice! read more

El Rodeo - Spicy, spicy, spicy, spicy fajitas! - Mexican Near Me - Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

Visited here for lunch on a Monday afternoon. Don't get me wrong...the food is decent. The complimentary chips and salsa they serve are really good. I ordered the lunch Burrito San Jose and I really enjoyed it. Serving sizes are small and service was just ok--reason for only 3 stars. I just feel you can go elsewhere and get more for your money. read more

El Rodeo - Burrito San Jose - Mexican Near Me - Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

We eat a A LOT of mexican. What i love most is a simple no frills authentic place - this be that. Food was more on authentic mex side than tex mex. Nicely seasoned , not slathered in sauce and cheese , lets the flavor do the talkin Beer cold people nice do stop in!! read more

Food was good but presentation was so so no green parsley or lemon peel on lunch special I ordered ! Taste was good rice and beans standard in most mex food places . They have some how become like franchise American franchise food outlets! This el Dorado tried to continue traditional With standard taste of 'old' authentic food outlets vs new Moe's -Chipotles .. Cost very reasonable and served on table hot... Salsa little liquidy with chips but still included in price of entree- free /can't beat it read more

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Over the past eight years I've truly fallen in love with El Rodeo's authentic feel and deliciously exquisite cuisine. I've eaten at both El Rodeo on the Carlisle Pike and in Lemoyne dozens of times. It's a great place to go for a lunch meeting or take your partner out for a relaxing and delicious dinner together. The ambiance is charming, with it's hit Mexican music soundtrack and clay tile roofs jutting into the building simulating an outdoor patio experience indoors. But best of all, El Rodeo's food is the best Mexican cuisine around. The homemade chips and salsa are a rare treat that will disappear fast and have you asking for more every time! Confession: sometimes I come here just because I'm in the mood for their chips and cilantro-rich salsa. And if you love the chips and salsa, you'll die for the guacamole bowl appetizer. It's a huge helping that pairs excellently with your chips, or any other dish you order TBH! But my favorite reason I love El Rodeo is the Molecajete: and absolute beast of a meal that arrives in a hot lava rock bowl (your choice of chicken or steak - I always prefer chicken), and will rock your belly like the after party at a show. It's delicious, and almost always leaves me with enough to enjoy the next day too. Highly recommend. read more

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OK amigos. This is typical Tex-Mex-ified food modified for the American palate (or shall we say the uneducated American palate). Lots of cheese, beans, and mild sauces. However, if you want the best of that type of food, this is the place to go. They have a great lunch carnitas that has smaller pieces of crispy pork mixed with a blend of salsa vegetables. When I order it I ask for it on the spicy side and I have to admit that you will sometimes pay for it the next day. They offer the typical combination dishes and some really good a la carte options as well. I love their a la carte tamales - not made with pork but the flavor is good. Their fajitas are also good. Even if you don't order the fajitas, chances are that you'll be hovering at the end of your booth seat, drooling over them as they pass by. They smell soooo good and the sizzling sound definitely grabs your attention. The other nice thing is that if you want a festive atmosphere you'll get it here; where tropical colors and themes flourish. Bright colors, and a little terra cotta goes a long way towards setting the mood. On certain nights you can even catch a mariachi band. Unlike many other Mexican restaurants in the Central PA area, they do have a liquor license and they do serve some nice drinks. An ice cold Negro Modelo along with a spicy plate of carnitas makes for a nice meal. You can usually taste the tequila in your margherita which is a nice change from the places that pour with such a light hand that you get to the bottom and wonder why you're not feeling anything. Of course, don't forget the chips and salsa that they serve. Their chips are very thin and crispy - always served warm and with a good dusting of salt. Their salsa is also good - not too chunky but with a good body and good flavor. I could eat the whole basket of chips and have been tempted to drink the salsa directly from the container. But I have to remember to leave space for the entree. I'm a salsa snob and this is one version I wish I could purchase in a bottle or jar. read more

El rodeo has never ceased to amaze me. Its menu is VERY extensive, with so many options that it seems impossible to try everything in one lifetime. The food is consistently delicious, it comes out REALLY fast, and comes at a great price. They also have great unlimited chips and salsa. My usual pick is the Grande Dinner ($10). I love the grande dinner because it offers a great sampling of what El Rodeo has to offer (beef taco, chile relleno, chalupa, beef burrito, beef enchilada, beans, and rice). Plus, i never finish it (as the name implies). If you're not feelin' the grande dinner (or if you're in the mood for seafood), i would suggest the shrimp enchiladas ($9) or the fish tacos ($9). El Rodeo always seems to have fresh and perfectly cooked seafood. Anyway, if you're looking for a great local mexican restaurant, this is the place to go. read more

El Rodeo - mui caliente. - Mexican Near Me - Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

Tucked next to my CVS and Ye Olde Ale House on Carlisle Pike, this El Rodeo (I believe there are 3 or so in the area) is the best one. They have an ass outside that I took a lovely picture with. The staff is friendly and helpful and the food - actually warm. Impressive. The Mole Poblano is EXCELLENT. Some of the best I've had. Yummy. Just don't fill up on the chips and the AMAZING salsa. read more

El Rodeo - CHIPS! - Mexican Near Me - Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

I liked the atmosphere. Food was very good.the service was well below average. The server did very little right .

For those that want good Mexican food, this restaurant is for you. We have been numerous times and the food, and service, has always been wonderful. The food menu is very robust and they offer a large assortment of drinks as well. Hard to find a restaurant that serves michelada, but this one does. Just for this drink alone, I increase a star. For those complaining about the language barrier, please try to get over it. If you want Mexican food, sometimes you will encounter Mexican people. All the servers my family has encountered have been overly friendly. I am happy to have found a favorite Mexican restaurant in Mechanicsburg. read more

Togo order was good. Except for the chips! Order for four people and with a large cheese dip and you give a customer an XS bag of chips. Just enough for one person! read more

El Rodeo - XS Chips - Mexican Near Me - Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

This is the El Rodeo I've frequented the most over the last few years, and I've truly never had a bad experience here. The staff are really helpful without hovering, the food is always authentic, and the atmosphere is festive! If you're looking to have a pretty authentic Latin food experience in Central PA, head to El Rodeo. read more

The chicken fajitas and chile rellenos are superb! The chips & salsa have enough cilantro to make it the best salsa ever. I picked up this order to reheat later for dinner in the oven. It was delicious! The only thing I wish is that the employees would be more attentive and a little pleasant to carry out customers. I waited and waited in the lobby and finally had to ask an employee to see if my order was ready and it was sitting there the whole time. read more

This chain location is my favorite among the Mechanicsburg / Camp Hill area. The food is great and I find that it is maintained better than the other locations. The service is fast! I ordered as our server was seating us. By the time I had my toddler situated the food came out. I'm talking 5 minutes! It was delicious. I ordered my son a quesadilla. It has been my experience that Mexican food is often served in a very hot plate. I asked the server for his to be served on a cold plate. She smiled and it came out on a cool plate. I appreciate their quick service and kid friendly atmosphere. read more

El Rodeo - Lunch chicken chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

The waitress seemed off the one night I went here with my family. We needed an extra chair but she kept forgetting to give it to us so we had to "steal" one from another table. She also forgot to give my sister and I our drinks. The food was good though, but the service was lacking. read more

I'm sad to say that this place went from a favorite in the area to pretty much wouldn't eat here except maybe for chips and salsa and a margarita. Service has slacked. Food is terribly inconsistent and even downright bad at times. This past summer sealed the deal for me. I am moving on! --------- My absolute favorite Mexican Restaraunt. The chips and salsa sooo yummy. The guac is great too. Try the Molcajete or Carnitas for your main course. Or the fajita served in a pineapple shell. And of course everything tastes even better when paired with a Margarita. They offer a number of flavors. read more

What a quick change. Eat the same 2 items all the time. This week both meals were horrible. Carnitas were dry and definitely not the same as I've been eating for the last several months. The shrimp enchiladas were also horrible. Cold and tortilla were old and hard. Again not what I'm used to. Told hostess about bad meal and she just said sorry and another hostess brought my bill. Will have to give this place a break for awhile. Go to the other one maybe. read more

Mexi-can or Mexi-can't? That is the question. They are, just OK. They are your standard, commercialized chain Mexican Restaurant in suburbia. We latin Americans seek something that tasted like our Mami or abuela (granny) made it. Rodeo doesn't do that for me. I have held out for awhile to review these folks. Pros, the food is tasty as far as getting a meal goes. Their rice is not the best nor their refried beans( they taste like the canned kind I get for taco night at my house) Their meats could use a bit more char and spice to it. Again, this is Americanized Mexican food. Would I come here for food? Why not. Their Carnitas is yummy, their steak is sizzling and their fajitas are tasty. They have a great drink menu as well. Their Aztec soup was amazing. Perfect for a cold day or to clear up your sinuses a bit. Authentic? They try, but it seems they play it safe for the "gringos". Still, their food sticks to the gut, and fulfills the mexican food craving for a reasonable price. read more

Menu is very extensive. I've been there several times, have ordered something different each time and have never been let down. Great Margeritas read more

This review will be based off my 2nd time here. I don't usually go places I don't like twice, but it really wasn't my decision - So, they're lucky they got business from me. Basically, if you live around here, it's like a low-quality Fiesta Mexico. There's no doubt in my mind that Fiesta Mexico is so much better. The food was alright, the menu's look so cheap, the people that work there are far from friendly - or that's probably because they don't speak any English. The lady that did speak English anyway - who was our waitress - was far from that as well. They only have one bathroom (for each gender) in this whole place. Are you people serious though? Do you know what Mexican food does to us Americans??? Apparently they don't know, or else they would have numerous stalls for us. And I would really love to know why they have two El Rodeo's not even 5 miles away from each other? Does one suck even more worse than the other? read more

The manager was rude and condescending . I ordered 2 margaritas . The first one was okay . The 2nd one tasted like cough syrup . I took one sip and Couldn't stomach it . I asked the Manager if I could just get the drink I had initially and he said there's nothing he can do . Service was terrible. Server barely knew English so most of what we ordered we never received . Won't be returning !!!!! read more

Is three stars a bad review? Some may think so... Never had soup in a Mexican restaurant before. The menu was quite extensive. At least 8 kinds of soup... but this is where the fairly tale ends. 98% certain that 6 of the eight were all the same: chicken broth, chicken (or no chicken), oinions (or no onions), tomatos (or none), and some rice/noodles (or not). All for 4.75. The descriptions varied mildly, but all described the above. What showed up? A mild chicken stock soup, with a bunch of diced onions, tomatoes, cilantro and something that resembled orzo. Tasty. Filling. Perfect to help ease cold/influenza symptoms. Mexican Chicken Soup for the Soul. read more

Ordered lunch on 1/13/2016. They usually do not deliver, but the order was big, so they offered to deliver. And they brought it hot, which is very nice. The vegetarian enchiladas were excellent. Everyone liked them and they were the first one to get over. Guacamole was average, I've eaten better ones. Salsa was not hot, maybe because the person ordering asked for mild. I would have preferred hot salsa. Refried beans were just ok. I found them pasty. Beef chimichanga were good - from others feedback. Chicken mole rancheros were ok, not the best. Potato enchiladas were very good. read more

We almost ate at a bar a few miles down the road that had 'Mexican' on the menu. I'm so glad that we didn't. The carnitas were the best I've had in years. Excellent service as well. The servers were very attentive. Más mejor que los otros. Gracias! read more

Generous portions, fairly inexpensive, cheery atmosphere, good service, quality food and drinks. Overall good experience. I was pleasantly surprised with my visit to El Rodeo. I'm a bit of a food snob, especially so for Mexican, and given the location (e.g., not near the Mexico border or close to a large Mexican/American population) they did a very nice job. read more

El Rodeo - Generous portions, fairly inexpensive, good quality food and drinks, cheery atmosphere, good service! - Mexican Near Me - Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

If one person eats here, they get a basket of chips and a small bowl of salsa. If two people come in, or three, or four, they only get the same one basket??? And only a couple tablespoons of salsa? When asking for more salsa to place on the tacos, we need to pay for it??? Ridiculous. read more

I have occasionally enjoyed El Rodeo, though I am perplexed at the reviews calling it "real" or "authentic" Mexican food...yikes...anyway, it was decent enough for what it is, but yesterday I ordered two Mexican pizzas to go and I do not know what was on them, but it absolutely was NOT ground beef. It was like meat substitute. Something vile with an oatmeal texture. I will never eat here again and you should find somewhere else too. I have no idea what that substance was. I'm not sure if they are cutting costs with covid-19 or what, but it definitely wasn't meat on my pizza. If it was meat, it came from the funny farm. read more