My husband I and try to go here every Saturday for lunch. True authentic. Never disappointed. Chips are not free, but understandably as they are made on the spot and come out hot and fresh. Not your typical American Mexican chips and salsa. Definitely worth paying for. Yes the ambience and decor is lacking but we don't go there for that. The food definitely makes up for it. read more

Been wanting to Try El Sol for quite some time since its near my pad. It's always packed around a big JMU event. Walked in Saturday night and was amazed how much seating area there is inside. I wonder if this use to be something like an Olive Garden, but last night was definitely not busy. I was promptly seated, noticing several Latin people eating, which is always a good sign! They don't give complimentary chips, which I really should stop eating anyways. My server promptly asked me for my order and my enchiladas came out suspiciously fast. Flavors were all there, good seasoned shredded chicken breast with a nice salsa verde sauce. However, they did not put the plate under a broiler, so I get this plate smothered with fresh, cold cheese and the refried beans were already look warm. My server barely came by afterwards to check on me, but maybe she was serving another section in the cavernous place. I will definitely come back for more because prices are reasonable and I got four enchiladas! read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

The food was delicious. Service was average, nothing to write home about. I would definitely go again. I recommend the quesabirria tacos. The restaurant is a good size and location. The decorations inside add to the experience. Overall, hits all the marks for a good Mexican restaurant. read more

SO, tasty!!! We stop here deliberately every time we are traveling up this way. It's become a tradition. It is always fresh and delicious! Stop here! read more

This was not good, ordered the beef chimichangas and the beef was nothing but fat and gristle. I had to pick the steak out but it didn't get any better. Chimichanga was rubbery and had awful flavor. Only ate enough to not be hungry. Came with rice and beans but it didn't say that on the DoorDash menu so I ordered a side of beans. Waste of money. Worst meal I've had in awhile. Don't bother read more

The place served some pretty decent food. Prices are very reasonable and the portions are quite big. I dined in. The service was also very good. The waitress was attentive and very friendly, so definitely props to her. I tried their shredded chicken tacos as well as the carnitas plate, which came with salad, rice, and beans, and I tried a bit of a friend's nachos. The chicken tacos were pretty solid. Not the best I've had, but they did the job. The chicken wasn't too dry and had a decent amount of spice. The tortillas were very unremarkable and kind of had a strange taste to them. Not that crispy or anything like that. But nonetheless, not bad. The carnitas plate was kind of disappointing. The meat itself was juicy and flavorful, but the vast majority of the plate was just fat. Like, very large chunks of pure fat. I'd say more than 50% of the plate was fat. The salad was pretty much just lettuce (also quite underwhelming). However, the rice was well made and pretty tasty. And the beans were really good. They had the perfect amount of creaminess, and the light bit of cheese on top was a nice touch. Nachos were a nice appetizer. Nice, crispy chips.nAgain, really good portion. They smother the chips with beans and cheese. Solid dipping sauce as well, and they brought a large container of it. All in all, this is a fine spot. It's cheap and the food is pretty good as well. I would say stay away from the carnitas though, unless you enjoy meat fat. read more

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Like a food truck, but inside. Food is 100% fine. And a friendly staff. Nothing special, but It's solid - Harrisonburg solid. -- which means nothing creative,elevated or different from the other Mexican food places. Solid value for your money. read more

Food was the best ! Traveling and stopped here for taco Tuesday. Can't beat 1.25 really good taco. Service was very good and knowledgeable. Don't miss this place in your travels you won't regret the stop We will be back. read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Chicken taco - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

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I am so glad I didn't read the reviews on this place before just going in. The food was wonderful. I had 3 chicken tacos and my husband had gorditas and he loved them. The sauces that came out with the meal were spot on. Don't let the decor turn you off because the food is really well done. Our waitress was awesome and very friendly. It's definitely a place we will be back to. read more

I was happy to stumble across this taco joint when I was in town with my family. We had a bunch of tacos including pollo, fish, and carne asada. The fish tacos were definitely my favorite. The beef in the carne asada tacos were a little too dry for my liking. The prices here are great but I cannot say they were the best tacos I've ever had. Check this place out if you like authentic tacos for a very reasonable price. read more

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Absolutely FABULOUS! We had the quesabirrias which aren't on the menu but are well worth requesting in case you're fortunate enough to get them. We will be back as this will be our number one go to for authentic Mexican food from now on. The chips were homemade and excellent. Everything was very good. The quesabirrias were simply heaven though! It doesn't look like much but the service was good and with food like that we are definitely sold on this place! Prices were reasonable, too. read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Sopes - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

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Excellent meal at El Sol, from the agua fresca to the tacos, chips and salsa and guacamole!

Their chips are good even though they're extra. $1 Taco Tuesday is a good deal. I got 3 chicken tacos but I wasn't a super big fan of the tomato paste/sauce on the chicken. Sour cream on the tacos was also extra. My husband & our friends got the carne asada ones which they enjoyed. Fast service. read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Tacos - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

Where to start...? We eat Mexican a lot. My family feels like it's pretty hard to REALLY mess up Mexican food. There's great Mexican... and then okay Mexican. But this place... has bad Mexican. Let's start with the chips. They weren't free! $3.99 per basket. But they didn't even taste like much, and worst of all, they were burnt. We returned them. Most of the meals were wrong. The sandwich didn't have rice with it as advertised. It just tasted like sub-par ingredients & preparation. The corn tortillas were stale. The veggie tacos were just gross. They had uncooked potatoes on them, which weren't good. The manager said they didn't put potatoes on them, but... they were there. The manager was the cherry on top. Despite the fact that two meals were nearly untouched (one bite) and three other meals were torn to pieces for parts and left on an almost full plate, he took NOTHING off the but the burnt chips. He gave us a discount... that might have added up to about $5-7 on a bill with 7 meals. His attitude was crap though. He acted like it was in our head and argued a bit about what was supposed to be in them. In a nutshell, do not eat here. It's horrible. read more

Excellent food , Tacos are fantastic, and taco Tuesday special , is great I hope they keep it forever !! read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - 5 beef tacos from El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

Their taco Tuesday's are great with the $1 per taco deal. I'm not sure how the service is since we've only been ordering takeout due to covid. The wait was pretty long from ordering to getting the food but I would say it's worth it read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - One of everything from the dollar menu (7 options) - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

Nice casual meal with many options. Very tasty food and drinks. The carnitas and homemade tortillas were great. The margaritas were wonderful. read more

I DoorDashed from this restaurant and was incredibly upset with what I received and did NOT receive. Everything was cold, and either over or undercooked whenever it was cooked. I included pictures of what I thought I was ordering and what I received. Anyways, don't go here, the food is foul. read more

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I've been trying out a lot of Mexican restaurants in Harrisonburg and this place was next up in line. I came on a Tuesday evening mainly because of their "dollar per taco" special. It's from 2pm to 8pm, so take advantage of it! Since I wanted to try out different toppings of tacos, I got the first five from the taco section in the menu. The portion was very small but it's a dollar per taco so it makes sense. In terms of taste, I liked all the tacos with beef in them. The other ones were just okay. If you crack open a fresh cold bottle of corona with your tacos, it makes it that much refreshing. Make sure to pay at the counter after your meal. Don't wait at the table for 20 minutes like I did. read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

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$1 tacos on Tuesdays are great. I always get a combination of the carnitas, campechanos, and the chicharron tacos. I don't eat beef but friends have said carne asada tacos were bomb. The tacos are small and are topped with your classic cilantro and onion. They bring out two hot sauces that are pretty hot and good to pour on top of the tacos. Usually I am satisfied and full with 5-6 tacos. Service is good but you pay at the register when you're done. read more

Good food, but terrible service/decor. I visited last night for Taco Tuesday and was surprised at the end of my meal when I received a $28.98 bill when I had been expecting something around $12. I was not told by the waiter, or by the sign at the door advertising taco Tuesday, that the last 3 tacos on the taco menu (steak with avocado, shrimp, and something else) were excluded from the promotion. The waiters did not approach me even once after they gave me my food (for water refills, the check, to check up on me, etc.). I saw the two waitresses eating their dinners at the bar while I was paying (explains why there was no service). I ordered 8 shrimp tacos, and 4 steak with avocado tacos. It would have been nice for the waiter to tell me that the normal order of steak with avocado tacos comes with 5 tacos for $7.99 instead of them charging me $7.96 for 4. The kicker was that the cashier at the time (Diego C.) messed up my order the first time and seemed to not know the pricing of his own menu. See attached pictures for receipts. read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Messed up order courtesy of cashier who doesn't know his own menu - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

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Really good food, great service and clean! Me and a friend came for taco Tuesday and it was better then we could have hoped!

Terrible service and food. You've been warned. There's a reason they have to attract people on Tuesdays for their 'tacos.'

https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/7ub9ax/local_mexican_restaurant_used_to_be_a_chinese/ Congratulations. Y'all made it on Reddit Front Page. Someone put up the Sombero Pandas on this Yelp Page read more

This is the restaurant with the famous painting of pandas wearing sombreros. I have seen this on the Internet, and the fact that we went there for dinner on our way to Roanoke was purely coincidental. Clearly this restaurant was an Asian restaurant previously. The decor and furniture are dated. This place is obviously a low-budget establishment. Service was prompt. The beer selection is standard Mexican beers - Tecate, Modelo, Pacifico, etc. My son ordered shrimp tacos and I ordered fish tacos. The food was quickly served, and though the food was delicious, it consisted of 3 small soft-shell tacos with no sides. We definitely left still hungry. The meals were about $10 each, so I guess I shouldn't be too disappointed. My lasting memory, however, will be the pandas in sombreros. read more

this place i was tempted to try because of their $1.00 per taco dea on tuesdays. boy was i sorry i did. no chips for free...u have to pay for chips. number two, each taco was very small and about 1/3 of each was filled with grizzle and fat, not meat. no cheese. no lettuce. no tomato. no sour cream. no guacamole. only onion and cilantro and fat and grizzle with a small bit of edibel meat. my friend came with me and asked for only meat and cheese in his quesadia. the waitress was an idiot! he said only meat and cheese. i said no pork "skin.". they put onions on it. he didnt want it. didnt even take a bite and instead of exchanging it, they brought box so he could take it home. "he won't take it off the bill," the waitress said. it is still sitting on the table. dont waste your money on this place! taco bell is better! update: Luis, the owner came out and talked to us. he explained that boar or pork skin is a delacacy in Mexico--"people fight over it." tho i didnt order the pork skin, it was added to the pork tacos. he felt bad and comped my friends quesadila and 5 of my ten tacos tho he said "the tacos are on me". wont go back tho. taco bell preferred. not all bad, chicken tenders are good. fresh potato wedges are great! tortillas are good. sauces are good! turned off by the fat...guess its cultural... ps Kat...no wonder the life expectancy in Mexico is low... read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

The place is really cute but the food was just decent. I ordered the soles and they were good but my husband got the tacos and it's store bought tortillas that ripped once you pick it up. The tacos were very basic, didn't taste like authentic Mexican food. read more

It does seem like they need some different upgraded seating / decor in the restaurant and a face lift on the building outside as well- but the food was really very good. It could be a classy place with the right decorator. The food was tasty and very good. The portions were good. The Caldo de Olla was good, the carne Asada tacos were good as were the vegetarian tacos. My wife said the chips were a bit hard for her but she liked the salsa. The taco sauces as well as the guacamole were also very good. They did forget to put wife's tacos in my to go order at night - but they made it all good the next day for my lunch to go order. Veronica handled it very fast and sweetly - a different waitress from the day before. A good food diamond ..still in the dining room rough. Chef Young read more

I hardly ever write reviews, and unfortunately only when the food/ service is so lackluster that I feel the need to warn other prospective customers of my experience. To start, we have been seated and deserted at this restaurant before being offered drinks or any sort of service. My date and I actually walked out after about 5 minutes due to the lack of attentive service as we were one of the only two tables sat that evening.(there were more servers than patrons at the time) We returned a week later in good faith hoping to have a better experience as we didn't even get to try the food beforehand. Upon sitting we were offered drinks so it was already looking up in comparison to our previous experience. We sat and ordered our drinks as well as 6 steak tacos to start off while looking at the other options available. When we received our food we were given one plate to share between the two of us and to top it off; we were given 7 spicy pork tacos instead of our order. After flagging down a waitress we then had a semi long wait before being given a platter of tacos that were very sparse in comparison to the first plate we received. At this point we were starving so we dug in. The steak tacos are the worst of the bunch here. No flavor in the beef whatsoever and the portions rival that of rations from a world war. We decided that we'd try the other taco varieties as they were a dollar at the time for taco Tuesday. Every other rendition was better than the steak taco, but seemed rather lackluster in comparison to the other taco options within walking distance. Overall we were let down with this establishment but the two standard green and red sauces were delicious! read more

The tacos were really tasty and inexpensive. Although I no longer live in the Shenandoah Valley, I think this is probably as good as it gets for the area. The tacos would be good even in Arizona. I could quibble about the spartan ambiance and curt (yet effective) service, but one should probably be thankful if it keeps down the crowds. read more

This place. Thank goodness for authentic food served by nice people. The tortas are the genuine article. It's all about the carnitas and chicharrones. Sopes lovely, sauces on point. Grateful for all of our friends who recommended it to us. Rock on El Sol. read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - First round delish. And then the Torta sealed the deal. - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

My husband and I went here last night for a date and really enjoyed it! The new location on S Carlton St. is really nice- the outside is unassuming but the inside is brightly painted and well-decorated. We got chips and guacamole, horchata, tacos dorados, and a taco salad for ~$25. More than reasonable for a fun date! The atmosphere is casual and they don't serve liquor or unlimited chips and salsa like you might get at Chili's but that wasn't an issue for us at all, as the food was better and cheaper here. Anyway, the food was great and tasted authentic and fresh, the service was about average, and the prices were definitely reasonable. We will be coming back! read more

First time trying this place so I came for taco Tuesday! Overall, the tacos were delicious. I got the carne special, shrimp, and fish tacos (all three diff tacos). The downside was that they were small but still very delicious! Very cheap which is a added bonus. Delicious food at a cheap price. What more can you ask for? :) read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

I love this place. Excellent service and prices. The tacos especiales de carne asada are the best tacos i've had in the Harrisonburg area. The tortas, especially the milanessa, are outstanding and the pozole is legit. read more

The food is not bad. Probably the best place in town for Mexican tacos. The waiter did not approach my husband and I after making delivery of our food. The shrimp tacos are good, but over priced in my opinion. read more

The food was very good. The service was good, but the cook time was a little slow. However, they had amazing house-made hot sauces that are to die for. The prices are low but you may need to get a couple things to get full! Overall, I'd come back again. The steak tacos with home made tortillas is soooooo good! read more

This was honestly the worst meal I've had in a LONG time. Worse even than the food was the manager's complete contempt when we showed him that many of us didn't easy our meals. Terrible lunch, and now we've got to go somewhere else to buy another meal since most of us are still hungry. read more

So on the way to visit some extended family, our car ful of exhausted, ravenous people stumbled across this outstanding restaurant oddly enough by looking for another place to eat as we have had few good experiences with Mexican cuisine, or at least I have. This restaurant though is by far, hands down the best Mexican restaurant I have ever been to in Virginia, and perhaps even the entire east coast. We were seated in a cute area (the decorations are adorable by the way) and were given menus by a great hostess. I got an amazing sweet tea and my mother got a horchata which is the best blend of cinnamon and milk in the world. All four of us ordered tacos of different varieties, and the staff not only asked about cilantro, but respected the fact that three of us would rather not have it. While waiting for the tacos, we ordered chori chips with a chorizo cheese dip which were fresh and warm and so delicious, and when our tacos arrived, none of us were dissapointed. The corn tortillas were expertly done and the filling for the steak and onion tacos were nothing less than excellent, and I know that the fish, steak, and pork tacos were great as well. My sister and I received expertly done chocolate lava cake and apple-filled churros. I would recommend coming here if you're in the area, and if you're not, I'd go to some lengths to make sure you hit the best Mexican restaurant in Virginia. I will now close with the words of my sister, "I wish you could give this place six stars!" read more

El Sol Mexican Restaurant - Just one of the many beautiful decorations in this fabulous place! - Mexican Near Me - Harrisonburg, Virginia

We come regularly to El Sol & mainly for the tacos. My biggest complaint is that they don't bring complementary chips & salsa to the table. You can order a basket for $3.99, & they are worth the price. The biggest thing El Sol is lacking is decent servers. Everyone in the restaurant seems bothered by serving the guests. read more

Good menudo and carnitas! One of the better Mexican places in Harrisonburg. No margaritas or tres leches