We used to love this place , however the last 2 visits have not been anything to rave about! Most recent visit 1/21/26. We were greeted and seated. About 10 mins passed no waiter , no chips & salsa , no water. Hostess finally dropped chips & salsa ! Another 7 mins a waitress comes by she took drink order and food order ( she always has black latex gloves on , and i never noticed her changed them , handled food , money , cash register ) I had carne asada it was paper thing , cold as all heck and knife barely cut it, wasted my money! Daughter ordered mini Quesadilla , and she only ate 1 piece ! The place was freezing and they have a portable heater sitting on a table! Really suggest the board of health check this place out . It has gone down hill! Not impressed over all. read more

El Sarape - Mexican Near Me - Kenosha, Wisconsin

want to start off by saying this is the worst tasting food ive ever tasted.went there for mothers day yesterday and the service was good but the food and drinks was horrible.i dont want a refund or anything just wanted to make everyone aware. read more

The food at El Sarape is delicious. Much better than other Mexican restaurants in the area. Their portions are very generous and cost alot less than the others charge. The restaurant in very clean and the staff very friendly. My Mexican restaurant of choice in Kenosha. read more

First time coming to el Sarape and the food was delicious! Service was attentive enough and she kept our drinks full without us asking which is always something I keep my eyes open for when rating service. Ambiance was interesting as they brought the outside to the inside with huts and an outdoorsy feel. read more

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I ordered a bowl of tortilla soup for lunch. It was luke warm and tasteless. They served the bowl of soup with the tiniest spoon. It was literally baby size. I had to ask the waitress to heat up my soup and bring me an adult sized spoon. She brought a teaspoon and a tablespoon, which was fine. All 3 of us at our table ordered the same thing and we all received these tiny spoons. It was probably the worst tortilla soup I've ever tried. I didn't even eat 1/4 of it. Also, this place is overpriced and has no a la cart. If you want one taco. You can't get that. You have to order the whole $16 plate of 3 tacos rice beans. Yuck. read more

El Sarape - Luke warm tasteless tortilla soup served with a baby spoon. - Mexican Near Me - Kenosha, Wisconsin

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Great service and an extensive menu that hasn't disappointed. Even the grilled fish I had was delicious. When I requested a less sweet house margarita, it was delivered with grace. read more

I gave this place a 3 when I came here 9 years ago because it was just "eh." Gave it another try tonight and I can confidently say I'll never be back. Ambiance: C (no music, no modern updates) Cleanliness: C (floor was sticky, kid seats crusted with food) Service: D (inattentive, not concerned with customer experience) Food: D (Texas fajitas had 5 tiny shrimp mixed in with steak and chicken that was way over cooked and chewy, 80% veggies. Kid's meals were as expected.) Drink: F (Margaritas taste gross and have no alcohol). I cannot find a single reason to recommend this place. read more

Fast and friendly service paired with great food. This was my first time at El Sarape and my waitress was super nice. I ordered and ate in about 30 minutes. There was no rush to leave but if you are on a time crunch I think this would be a great option. The steak had a nice flavor and will definitely be back. read more

El Sarape - Steak taco dinner with no cheese or sour cream - Mexican Near Me - Kenosha, Wisconsin

The food was good. Nothing super about it. Just good. I would return but in all honesty the food is just good. I guess when I eat Mexican there is usually way more flavor. There wasn't, it was ... just good. The restaurant is clean and the servers were attentive. read more

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Disgusting food. The torta was greasy and tasteless, with stale bread, rotten tomato, and moldy cheese. This place serves unsafe, low-quality food -- avoid it at all costs. read more

Good stuff here. Service very good. $5 margaritas the night I was there worth the visit. I had a real good carne asade, chips and salsa good also. Will go back. read more

El Sarape - Chips and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Kenosha, Wisconsin

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Food: Fabulous! Fresh! Delicious! Service: Outstanding! Delightful! Comfy! Ambiance: Clean! A little dark, but most of the time, that's OK. There is a TV tuned to cable, but it's not loud. Why wouldn't you want to go here? Best barbacoa in the region! read more

Best Mexican Food In Kenosha! Without a doubt. My family and I moved from Los Angeles to Kenosha so our Mexican Food criteria is pretty spoiled and this is the only place in Kenosha so far that holds up to that socal Mexican food quality. After eating at the dissapointing and wildly over rated La Fogata and leaving with the most "meh" feeling I've had in a restaurant in Kenosha so far this place was a blast. Excellent margaritas. Their steak is sensational. The vibe is awesome. Nice and big with lots of seating. Highly recommens read more

El Sarape - Margarita time - Mexican Near Me - Kenosha, Wisconsin

Decent food. Definitely not authentic, but gets the job done. Price point is okay. Customer service is great! read more

Ordered for the first time today, on Cinco de Mayo. It was so extremely busy. For good reason too! The service was so nice and the food was delicious!! Nachos and Nacho burrito were so good! Will definitely be returning to try their birria. read more

This BY FAR the best Mexican Food in Wisconsin and Northern Illinois...We will not go anywhere else for Mexican Food. There servicemis stellar too! read more

Food is always very good! We have been going here for years and always very happy with food and service! Our go to Mexican date night! read more

El Sarape - Al Pastor tacos yummm - Mexican Near Me - Kenosha, Wisconsin

We have been coming here for years. The food is very good and you can get American style or Mexican style. As soon as you are seated you are served with a warm basket of chips and salsa. The staff is always helpful on recommendations and plenty of smiles. We always get so much food that we bring enough home for another full meal. The restaurant has a Mexican flair to it which makes us feel welcome . They treat us like family! read more

Ordered to go and my nacho burrito had NO nacho sauce at all. The steak was very bland with no flavor and they packed it in. There's was a pinch of lettuce and a tsp of sour cream. Terrible. Rice had no flavor and beans were cold. My husband got a fajita burrito and it was better than mine, that's why I'm giving it 2 stars. Just disappointing to spend over $15 on a burrito meal and it's all bland. read more

Exactly as the star rating goes it's ok. Very Americanized Mexican food, nothing is authentic. I stick to the tacos because that is the closest to Mexican food there is at this restaurant, and surprisingly those are pretty good. The servers are very nice but just slow. You will be there for some time before you get a server even though there are usually 5-8 hanging out in the front. Once you do, wait some more for food and drinks to come out and they will come out in any random order. We got our food before the appetizer and the drinks last. I wouldn't recommend to anyone but it's good in a pinch or late night since everything else closes early. read more

I enjoyed a late night dinner with friends. The food and margaritas were really good. The casual strip mall style restaurant offered a comfy atmosphere in a colorful setting. We liked the look of the place with fun decor, a lot of wood and big windows. Our server was very helpful and remained attentive. She was upbeat and knew the menu very well. With easy parking and decent prices, I would stop back in for a HUGE margarita the next time I'm in town. read more

El Sarape - Giant Margarita!!! - Mexican Near Me - Kenosha, Wisconsin

Really good best on Kenosha. Great servers. Alcohol fairly priced. My favorite restaurant in the Kenosha area.

The food was absolutely amazing! Even though we called in to pick up our service was great. The portions were huge and well worth the price. It's a hidden gem in Kenosha with a beautiful interior. read more

One of the worst meals of any type that I ever had. It was lunch hour, emphasis on "hour." It took 45 minutes from the time we placed our order to be served our food. The service was nothing short of abominable. The food was cold and undercooked. This might have been the worst restaurant experience in my entire life. I cannot recall a much worse experience than the one I had today at El Sarape. read more

El Sarape - Steak Taco Platter - served late, cold, and under-cooked - Mexican Near Me - Kenosha, Wisconsin

Stopped in for an impromptu lunch. Had the taco salad. Amazing value for the price. My wife had the enchilada burrito. Interesting, but she wished she had ordered something else. The verde sauce though was super delicious. Good chips and salsa brought to the table. Glad that we stopped in. Will definitely keep them in mind next time we are in the area. read more

Really 3 1/2. Service was excellent, got seated right away, every little need met. Food was good but not raving good, as it usually is. Cocktails very reasonable and very good. Gripes: Why are they sticking a small container each of guacamole and crema directly in the rice and beans? Even after wiping them off with my napkin, the containers were still a sippery nuisance, to remove the lids and access the condiments. Why did I have to pay $3 extra for cheese with an order of fajitas? I understand inflation, but really, cheese needs to accompany the rest of the fajita meal. Why were the corn tortillas water logged? Why couldn't I have a knife included in my napkin-rolled utensils? Why only one napkin? Why was the table so sticky, even after being wiped? read more

Was visiting from out of town when a friend suggested El Sarape for lunch. We did the buffet at $8.99 a person you can't beat it. The selection was great & flavorful. Options consisted of mini chimichangas, tostada shells, enchiladas, & more. Next time I'm in town this is definitely one of my places to come back to. read more

The salsa and chips were okay. The deal breaker was the food. I ordered the Shrimp and Cheese Quesadilla which came with beans and rice. The portion size was enough for two. The presentation was eye pleasing and you could see the time put in. The taste was even better. The food was fresh and just the right temperature to begin eating. Our waitress was attentive but not overbearing. My husband ordered a side of guacamole and that was a nice amount too. Definitely going back for the atmosphere, service and most of all the food. read more

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The restaurant looks like chain restaurant. Their food is Tex-Mex. Over all it was a bad experience as I was looking for authentic Mexican food. If your looking for a margarita and guacamole with chips this place is fine. But that is all I would order. read more

ABSOLUTELY NO FLAVOR! which sucks because the atmosphere is welcoming and relaxed! but the food literally taste like nothing! I felt like I was just eating to pass time and because it's sitting in my face! decent drinks, but I wouldn't waste the money! I've never had to put salt and pepper on a burrito before! but it's happening! also for safety, I feel like I should carry my own seasoning from now on! **Update... There was plastic in my food! Not enough to cause an uproar, but definitely enough to choke a small child if it was unnoticed! read more

A very cute restaurant. The service and the food were excellent. Small and easy to miss, but worth going!

very welcoming and the food was good and good service and I loved what I ordered and I'm well full and fed good

The food was disgusting! I ordered something with shredded chicken....it was chicken MUSH! It looked and had the consistency of something that was put through a blender. BABY FOOD! I was very disappointed. Total waste of money. read more

Ignore the 5-star reviews, they've got to be paid reviewers bc this place is terrible. We decided to try it bc it happened to be more convenient to our location than our usual Waukegan places, and never again. It was so bland, I thought I had COVID for a hot second because I literally couldn't taste anything. The salsa is just tomatoes and dried parsley they threw in a blender with some hot sauce (not kidding - it was watery mush). The queso dip was clearly just melted pepper Jack Velveeta. The verde sauce on our chicken enchiladas was sweet and had no flavor or kick. My sopes were clearly from a bag, and hard and chewy to where I needed a steak knife to cut them (the steak that they came with was also hard and chewy, so I suppose that pairing was a happy accident). The cinnamon chips were okay, basically a throwback to Chi Chi's circa 1989. I have happy childhood memories from Chi Chi's though, so that might not be the most reliable comparison. If you are from Wisconsin (like me, go Pack) and like the mostly bland American food we grew up with, this is the place for you. If you want *good* Mexican food, take a short trip across the border to IL and try basically any place south of Winthrop Harbor that isn't Taco Bell. read more

Don't walk run to El Sarape. The best Mexican in Kenosha. The pork tacos are the best I've ever had. 11/10.

A lot of people I know have recommended this restaurant and it didn't disappoint. We ordered flautitas and a steak/chicken combo. My husband is super picky aboit how his steak is cooked and he said it was perfect. Everything was excellent- we will return. read more

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If you try El Sarape make sure you eat the best chicken mole enchiladas in town. I never liked mole sauce until I tried theirs. The prices are also very reasonable and they have a good kids menu for the picky eaters. read more

El Sarape - Best mole around - Mexican Near Me - Kenosha, Wisconsin

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Decent place. Burritos were a good size, to where we were able to take some home for leftovers. The burrito I had was one that had sauce on it. Which was the red. Sadly the sauce tasted like it was taken right from the can of a Campbells tomato soup which also didn't seem to be to warm. read more

If you are like most of us on the Westside, and you have had enough of those places trying to be upscale and missing the mark by a mile in everything but price. I would strongly suggest El Sarape. This place has a very fine selection with generous portions. Delicious food without being pretentious. Flavors you would expect; it will make you satisfied and looking forward to your next visit to give another selection a try. Quite affordable, with an attentive staff and timely service. Great Job! read more

We all are suffering with inflation, so when we spend money on food, we want it right. My boyfriend and I went to check out El Sarape. They served salsa and chips. The salsa was just tomato sauce with a pinch of red pepper. We didn't like it. We asked for Verde sauce. The waitress gave us a ketchup bottle of Verde sauce. The Verde tasted terrible. It tasted like paint thinner with pepper. We asked for a red pepper sauce. Again, provided a trashy ketchup bottle with pepper sauce. Tasted terrible. Our meal came. I ordered 3 taco dinner. Steak. The meat was so chewy, I could not enjoy it. The beans were canned beans without doctoring up. The rice had no taste. The entire meal for both of us was terrible. Will never eat there. read more