Great tacos! My mom was in town and I wanted to make sure we were eating authentic Mexican so we walked to El Sarape. Since we ordered takeout, the service was super quick and friendly. I could see myself coming for lunch and enjoying eating in. I love how colorful it is. We tried the chicken , Al Pastor, and steak tacos. My favorite was the Al Pastor because of the subtle sweetness. I feel like there's usually a struggle between these flavors and this taco was perfectly balanced. The steak was tender, but I think more lime would've helped Since the taco was a bit dry. The chicken was delicious. I asked for extra lime and they only gave me one. I do think the tacos are a bit dry so I would recommend asking for extra extra lime. read more

El Sarape Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

See all

Restaurant hidden in inner-city Hartford with a large menu of great Mexican food, a staff of very friendly people, and a bunch of different flavors of huge margaritas! I came here for dinner with my parents and GF. The place is a little disheveled/run down, but we didn't come for the vibe and we were happy with all of the food and drinks (see huge margaritas above) that we had. We also really liked our servers. Complimentary chips & salsa read more

El Sarape Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

I came here with my oriental wife because she misses that Mexican feel. The food was good but the drinks were better. My wait staff was attentive and food came out on time. Let's just say I was stumbling back home.... read more

See all

Went here with some friends and they were quick to move some tables to accommodate us. The wait staff were so friendly while serving us and we had amazing spicy margaritas! All of the plates are HUGE and I had nearly filled up on the amazing chips and salsa. Definitely a place to visit if you're in Hartford! read more

My absolute go- to for authentic Mexican food. Every item I've tried is amazing. My tried and true menu item is the chicken tacos- they are small, street style served with limes and radish. I like to swap out the lettuce and cheese for cilantro and onions. 10/10. So far I've only done pickup or delivery. read more

VERY GOOD! We have ordered delivery from here at work a few times and it is delicious. I've only had their chicken burrito but both times it was delicious and filling. The chicken and rice are well seasoned and the portion size is great. Others have ordered the birria tacos and have raved about them. One of my coworkers thought they were the best she had ever had. This is now our go-to spot when craving Mexican food at work! read more

Excellent, friendly service to go along with delicious Mother's Day brunch. Can't wait to return.

Doesn't look like much from the outside, and walking in looks like a tiny store front. But around the corner behind the bar has several tables in a well decorated space. Promptly brought chips with fresh pico de Gallo, as well squeeze bottles of a red and a green hot sauce. Fajitas sizzled, and the enchiladas poblanos in red sauce were great. Rice and beans are served as small sides, and overall a perfect amount of food. read more

If you are looking for authentic Mexican food then held to this local Hartford institution From tacos to burritos to some other Mexican favorites there is something for everyone What you'll get is a taco in its simplest form but to me that is the best. They don't hide their meats under the cover of fancy ingredients and it's the meats that are the star. I cannot speak to their burritos or other meals but I suspect that you wil not be disappointed in what ever you order We ordered on line and picked it up but dine in is also available. read more

See all

You may recall, before Yelp, the maddeningly inconsistent world of restaurant . . . "word of mouth". You couldn't check a restaurant's Yelp rating, reviews, or food pictures. You couldn't see if your trusted Yelp reviewers endorsed it. When you heard about a place, you weighed things like . . . Who recommended it? Do they know good food? How excited were they? It must be 15 years ago that some work friends were psyched about an authentic Mexican place on Broad Street in Hartford. That place was El Nuevo Sarape ("ENS"). I went there soon after and I remember liking the food. It's a cute and small place that seems family-oriented. They have some deeper cuts (Nopales, etc) from Mexican cuisine that you don't always see in the area. I went there occasionally, but I got out of the habit of going. Enter Door Dash. Today at lunchtime, I ordered the Molcajete dinner for 3 for my wife and I to eat for the next couple of days. It included pork carnitas, pollo asada, nopales (cactus), shrimp, Cecina (dried and salted beef), Mexican cheese, roasted jalapeño, radish slices, sautéed onions, beans, rice, pico de gallo, and fresh flour tortillas. At a cost of $25 (excluding tip and DoorDash fees), it was a good value since we'll get 4 meals out of it. I also ordered guacamole. Especially considering I started eating this about 20 minutes after it was packaged, everything had great flavor and texture. The shrimp was delicious and was cooked to an ideal temperature. The carnitas had perfect shredded texture and tasted very good. The chicken was thin and flavorful. I've never had Cecina and didn't know what it was until I researched it. I assume it's a less expensive cut of beef and the salting/drying process helps tenderize it. It was good. The nopales had the texture of a skinless roasted pepper and a mild flavor. It was a nice taco topping. I never do this, but I've got to shout out the rice. You think of certain things as meal throw-ins that don't affect your overall experience. Such as the rice that comes with a Mexican meal. I'm not saying eat ENS's rice instead of a great bolognese, but I don't remember tasting better rice that came with a Mexican meal. I assume the reason is that they used a terrific garlicky stock as the cooking liquid. Whatever the case, it was several steps up from the middle of the Mexican rice stairway. The refried beans were also good. The guacamole was tasty. You could see and taste a healthy amount of chopped cilantro and tomatoes. It also had good salt and acidity. ENS is proof that word of mouth can work. But nowadays, I'm sticking with Yelp! read more

See all

We ordered for to go. It was pretty good. Good portions. I liked the birria tacos. Definitely authentic Mexican. I would have liked a little more use of spices but that's just a preference. read more

I got the vegetarian burrito - loaded with veggies, mexican rice, black beans, sour cream and cheese. This was delicious and loved the flavor in every bite. Delivery was quick and the prices are decent!! read more

El Sarape Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

This is a small eatery, with decent Mexican food. Carne asada burrito was the best thing I had here. Hurache de carne was good as well. Horchetta and passion fruit drinks were ok as well. Nothing was a stand out though. read more

See all

Food was fresh made and very good taste. Good offering of meals. The margaritas were aslo very tasty. We were there during a snow storm on a Sunday night, which could account for the low attention service. A small dining area, but the food was worth the wait if we would have had one. read more

The food and service here are outstanding! There is sometimes a little challenge in communication, as English is not their first language, and I am too stupid to be able to learn a second language beyond "where is the bathroom?," but they are so very nice and attentive. On my last visit, they had on their specials board Baleadas al pastor. This was similar to a quesadilla but soooo much more! The flour tortilla was obviously made their, and it was packed with scrambled eggs, flavorful pork, slices of avocado, cojito cheese, refried beans, and more. The flavors were all spot on and absolutely perfect. The quality was insane. I cannot wait to go back and get this again and again! This place serves authentic Honduran food. I know a ton of yelpers say their favorite tex-mex place is "authentic," and that word loses its meaning on here, but I am telling you, this food you would find in Honduras. The pupusas here are also amazing as are the barbacoa tacos. I cannot wait to go back!! read more

I was craving authentic Mexican food. I search Yelp to see the best authentic Mexican food. I came across this place. It's small and cozy. The young lady behind the counter was tentative, friendly and she prepared a delicious lime margarita. After looking over the menu, I decided to order Tacos de pastor (grilled spiced pork with chopped onions and fresh cilantro. The spiced pork was tender and flavorful. I also ordered Burritos al pastor, which had yellow rice, beans lettuce, and scrumptious grilled spiced pork perfection. They don't skimp on the fillings for and . I was excited to know they deliver in the Hartford area only. If your ever in the Hartford area please check out EL NUEVO SARAPE for the best authentic Mexican food. To all my Yelpers let's keep eating our way through the world. #FOODIE4LIFE. read more

See all

I used DoorDash this morning for breakfast and got a really awesome breakfast delivered right to my door. I first tried Chilaquiles in Florida just a few weeks ago. They were good, but not as good the ones I got today from El Nuevo Sarape. I ordered Chilaquiles Oaxaqueños en salsa roja con carne asada For those they don't know, chilaquiles are strips of fried corn tortillas simmered in salsa with cheese, eggs, beans and steak. They're like nachos' cousin. Delicious. This dish had a really authentic flair to it here. All breakfast orders come with a side of rice and beans. I also ordered the Caldo de Camaron (mild spicy shrimp soup). I actually had that for dinner and it was really great as well. I took a few bites when it first came and heated it up later. The taste stayed the same with the reheat. Lots of shrimp and a nice heat to it. Think tomato soup base. If that's what you are craving, this is a nice version of an old classic soup. The soup also came with a nice side of freshly chopped onion, cilantro and jalapenos. I used that as a topping on the Chilaquiles. Nice touch! I bet it would have been delicious in the soup too though. The soup also came with a side of rice and extra corn tortillas. My entire order made for a super fun care package for my meals this Saturday. I'll definitely order from El Nueveo Serape again. Actually, I want to go there next time. Their Nachos Supreme is unfortunately not listed on the DoorDash menu. Bummer! That just gives me a reason to check them out in person. Their nachos look pretty bangin' from the pictures that I have seen on their Yelp page. Sign me up. I'm in. read more

See all

After just one visit here, I can see why El Sarape is so well-loved in the Hartford community. Enrique and his staff brought out some truly authentic Mexican food and drinks that really impressed us. The birria tacos were definitely some of the best I've had, and they introduced us to a cantarito for the first time! I appreciated the time they took in the presentation of their dishes as well. My boyfriend loves spicy food, so the camarones a la diabla was a huge hit for him. I love mole sauce and really enjoyed the enchiladas, and we couldn't get over how big the burrito was! Everyone was very pleasant to us during our dine-in experience, and we could see that there were a lot of Doordash orders coming in while we were there. El Sarape is clearly very well-known in the Frog Hollow community, and for good reason! read more

See all

Everytime I come here, I get something new. This time we got the Supreme nachos(chicken), tengas ( shredded chicken) tacos and Enchiladas NORTEÑA with shredded chicken and green sauce. Absolutely delicious! The service was prompt and attentive. We had augua frescas( Jamaica and lemonade) all under $50.00. I love this place read more

El Sarape Restaurant - Delicious tonga (shredded chicken) tacos!! - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

Absolutely great find by my bestie she has been here for a yelp event and loved it so she took me and we got the barrio tacos and some famous micochape dish I really don't know the name but it had cactus, cheese, scallions, pork, chicken, beef and shrimp and it was amazing came with rice and pico and beans and I also had a marvelous margarita passion fruit mmmm very good read more

See all

This food made me cry of happiness and cured my home sickness. The most authentic Mexican food I could find in Hartford CT. I cried tears of happiness because of how it tasted like my moms and grandmas cooking. Thank you so much for such delicious food. read more

Welcoming and family-friendly ambiance. The tortilla chips were cold and stale, but the salsa was perfect. I ordered huevos con chorizo and it was fine. Had to pay $2 extra for it since I did not order it during breakfast hours. I saw a liquor license on the wall but did not see any on the menu. Ended up paying $15 for my meal plus a coke. Would try again, probably during the morning hours. read more

El Sarape Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

First time me and my boy wanted burritos. They had them. Pretty big burrito. Came with spicy red salsa and a limey green one. $13.90 should have came with a little nacho chip tortilla. 7-8/10 read more

El Sarape Restaurant - Chicken burrito - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

A small homey mexican restaurant with a variety of dishes and authentic flavors. Service was friendly and courteous. Even though there was a bit of a wait -as to be expected during lunch rush hour-the food was all worth it as you can tell it was freshly made. The chips and fresh salsa on the house was a nice touch. Would definitely recommend the mole. Flavors were on point. Will definitely return. read more

This place is the bombdiggity and I love love love love love amo amo amo amo it. I was here on cinco de mayo and it was empty and as I ate homemade authentic food I sat and thought to myself, I wonder how many people are at Chili's right now? Back to the food. This place is in the 'hood near Trinity college. All the tables are sticky. Get over it. The lovely waitress brought over free chips and 3 types of fresh, homemade AMAZING salsa. All three were spicy and extremely flavorful. My man and I ordered an al pastor quesadilla to start, the meat was chopped up and super thin and cruncy/charred. The tortillas were HOMEMADE. Yes, homemade. The quesadilla wasn't necessarily my favorite but was still again delicious. Did I mention the in house tortillas? I went on to the carne asada burrito and my man went with the mole enchiladas. A burrito the size of a baby came out and it was filled with flavorful steak, refried beans, yellow rice and guacamole. It was delicious and GINORMOUS. The mole enchiladas were smoky and authentic as hell. Mole ain't my cup of tea but my man enjoyed them immensely. I was originally going to go with tacos and I wish I had. Our neighbor diners ordered them and they looked amazing. Now, for Mexican in the 'hood of Hartford this place wasn't cheap. My burrito/child was $10, the enchiladas were I think at about $12-$14 but, this spot was delicious, authentic and I would come here again in a hartbeat to get my Mexican fix on since I can't seem to find a place like this in Jerz. I was going to give this place four stars but, thinking about the fresh, homemade salsas, this place gets the stamp of 5 star Yelp love! read more

El Sarape Restaurant - Burrito and enchiladas mole! Amazing! - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

My sister told me about this place and convinced me to go and I'm always ready for some authentic Mexican food. The decor, music and service is very homey feel to it. i had a beef torta and it was delicious. My sister had the "pollo milanesa" breaded chicken torta. The portion were big. I only finished half of it in the restaurant and brought the other home. To drink we had "agua de Jamaica" and it was delicious as well. I'm definitely coming back and trying their tacos. Don't be affraid of the neighborhood is so worth it if you like home made real Mexican style foods. read more

See all

Great food and service. Very friendly.they gave me a free slice of Tres leches cake when I mentioned it was my birthday. I usually find it way too sweet but theirs was perfect. Also, they make their own salsa in house and it's great. Very fresh. read more

this was my first time trying this restaurant, it was not busy at all and the service was horrible. Upon sitting down at the table the waitress asked us for drinks before we even had menus or had fully sat down. We didn't receive any utensils, i had to get up and ask for some after our food came out. Waited over 10 minutes for the bill after we asked for it but we weren't in a rush. The food was okay, Not really authentic. Ordered 3 tacos with rice and beans, they brought out the wrong tacos at first but fixed it quickly. The birria tacos were good considering and if i returned it would be just for this. The carne asada quesadilla we ordered was unappetizing with too much meat. Over all I wanted birria tacos and they delivered with that but the service needs to be improved on read more

El Sarape Restaurant - Birria Tacos and Consome - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

Came here after searching for authentic Mexican nearby. Came in and was greeted right away! Ordered margaritas, beer, tacos and guacamole. The tacos came out HOT and were amazing! The guac was homemade to order and you could tell. So fresh! Definitely a great spot that I discovered! Will be back. read more

See all

Nice place! Very authentic Mexican both in ambiance and the food. We had chicken quesadillas and carne asada tacos - they were perfect. Great taste, hot and plentiful. The server was very friendly and attentive to us the whole time. We were traveling through and found them on Yelp. Excellent choice! read more

I love this place the most authentic Mexican restaurant I have found in Connecticut. Try the chilaquiles oaxaqueños. This one with baked nochos with salsa with an egg, steak, rice and beans. The salsa they make here it's my favorite any where in the world. read more

See all

El Sarape has been a long time staple of mine since moving to Hartford five years ago. It's an unassuming Mexican Restaurant in Frog Hollow, and I'm glad that I stumbled upon it early on. On my first visit, my friend and I ordered Al pastor and carne asada tacos. My friend happens to be from San Diego, and has impeccably high standards for tacos. We were both very impressed with the tacos. The meat was well portioned, the tortillas were warm, and the salsas were refreshing with a little kick. The pastor was my favorite because the meat was juicy and seasoned throughly. A more recent favorite meat from there is the barbacoa, which I can only have "a couple bites" of (read: a taco or two) because the fatty beef is so rich. But the flavor and texture is amazing, so this is must try. I typically love tortas and have ordered the Al pastor torta many times from El Sarape. In recent months I think the bread they use has changed, but I miss the old bread because the one used now is quite thick and a little dry. Hopefully they go back to using the thinner crispier bread soon because I really enjoyed their tortas! Lastly, I have to mention the beverages because they are deliciously refreshing. My favorites are the horchata (creamy and cinnamon-y) and the Jamaica (sweet, fruity, hibiscus). read more

El Sarape Restaurant - Tacos de Pastor and Carne Asada - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

i give them a 3/5 the chicken taco was kind of cold and the birria consommé was very cold and thick. the birria tacos themselves were excellent but the portions of the meat gave taco bell vibes 8/10 read more

El Sarape Restaurant - Birria tacos, birria consommé, chicken taco - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

Best Mexican food in the Hartford area, by far, and a likely contender for best in the whole state. It's that good. The first hint of what you're in for comes with the included chips and salsas (Monte Alban, take note: any Mexican place worth its salt does *not* charge extra for those), all of which are housemade. Many past experiences had led me to expect flavorless salsa verde and cloyingly sweet pico de gallo... not the case here. At all. The pico was properly tangy, and maybe the best I'd ever had. And the salsa roja - whoo! Wonderful kick, but not one-dimensional at all. Sampling their different tacos seemed like a good strategy for a first visit: pork, steak, chicken. Oh man. If I had to pick just one of them, I'd be hard-pressed to do so, but I will say that the chicken was a nice surprise. Chicken tends to get short shrift among folks as being less flavorful, and if you needed a counterexample, then order it here. There are a number of restaurants in Hartford that I wholeheartedly recommend in spite of their lacking air-conditioning or being in seedy locations, places where the food more than makes up for other considerations. This is one of them. You won't get the posh, refined atmosphere of a West Hartford establishment, but if you just want some absolutely first-rate Mexican fare, look no further. read more

See all

My favorite Mexican restaurant in the area!! Always fresh, amazing flavor and perfectly seasoned. Sauces are wonderful. I love the tostadas! Refried beans are absolutely delicious!!!!! read more

Ordered delivery on Seamless. Seamless is seamless: El Serape is not. The orders do not come with chips and salsa like other restaurants do. The entrees were okay. We ordered pork and chicken tamales. Unfortunately they were dry and and lacked the sauce and stuffing. The burritos were mostly rice and beans not enough chicken, sour cream or cheese. The enchiladas were dry but had flavor. For $50 including taxes and fees I expected a little more. read more

We wanted to support local business so we decided to try this place. We love Mexican food and eat it at many different restaurants. We were extremely impressed with all of the food. We had 8 people in our group and every single one loved the food. The salsa is homemade and tastes fresh and delicious. The guacamole is also amazing, honestly the best I've ever tasted with so much flavor! The service was fast and friendly. The restaurant is clean, brightly colored and festive feeling. We would highly recommend it and would love to come back. read more

Having lived the majority of my life in Northern California, I love good Mexican food. My favorite places are the taquerias. Give me a good taco al pastor with some salsa bandera, and I'm happy. This place looks like a taqueria although there is a real menu and orders are taken at the table. As others have mentioned the housemade totopos come with three salsas. Normally I'm a red sauce fan and I find the salsa verde lacking in flavor. Theirs is one of the best I've ever had. I had the Oaxacan platter with black beans and rice: marinated pork and beef. With the addition of some of the aforementioned sauces this was delicious. On the side I ordered a taco al pastor just to compare. The meat there was dry and lacking in flavor. I like mine greasy and saucy! The young waitress was delightful and all excited that we were from CA. I want to return to try their Cocteles and Caldos! read more

Love the tacos here! So glad I discovered this hole in the wall gem on yelp. Prices are reasonable, tacos are good and the workers there are very friendly and welcoming! I always have to start off with their micheladas with either corona or modelo, their micheladas are bomb. As for my meal I always get the $11 deal of any 3 tacos with a side of spanish rice and beans. Mmmm so good. Really hits the spot. Instead of having to drive an hour to New Haven, I can just drive 10 min here and get my taco fix! I highly recommend this spot if you are looking for authentic mexican food. read more

See all

Having lived in Arizona I struggle with Mexican food in CT.. Chipotle is better than a lot if the local places I have tried. El Sarape is an exception and a hidden gem. The food is excellent, authentic and flavorful, the owners and employees and incredibly friendly and clearly want you to enjoy our meal. I have introduced many friends to El Sarape and all of them rush back any chance they get. Don't let the neighborhood scare you away, El Sarape is the real deal and a true find for a Mexican food lover in New England read more

El Sarape Restaurant - Before I demolished this delicious plate of food. - Mexican Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut