Food was ok. Not super seasoned. Chips were great. Salsa a little runny . Service was great but food wasn't overly impressive so I would give it 3.5 out of 5. read more

El Vaquero Authentic Mexican - Mexican Near Me - Arnold, California

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We have a vacation place close to this restaurant. We've been coming here for years and the food never disappoints. We love our server, Monica, who is sweet and patient in taking our orders, which at times can be complicated, depending on which diet we are on at that time. The place is casual and low key. The wet burrito is amazing and huge! It has a red sauce on top of burrito with sour cream and guacamole. You can definitely share it, but probably don't want to because it's amazing. Our friends' daughter is extremely allergic to wheat and the chef was able to make her a white fish, off the menu to accommodate her. I tried it and it was flavorful and so flaky. They went back the next day for more fish. This last time, I got a taco salad. It was ginormous and so good; refried beans and rice with salad and shrimp. Yummo! I wouldn't suggest ordering a glass of red wine there or at any other restaurant that doesn't specialize in wine service. The open bottle usually sits for days and it's obviously going to go bad. The drink server accidentally gave me a glass of red instead of the white wine I ordered and it tasted like bad vinegar. Once I got the white wine, it was good ( not great). The food here is exceptional and we have always had a great dining experience. read more

El Vaquero Authentic Mexican - Taco salad - Mexican Near Me - Arnold, California

This place is as authentic as it gets. Everything is good and family operated. The staff is friendly and polite. My favorite dish is the chicken molé ommggg so good!! read more

We was undecidedfor what tipe of restaurant and my daughter found this Mexican restaurant, Very good food ,they are friendly,very good amount food and tasty ,We be back soon, read more

I love this place. They've adapted to the Covid service nicely, they have pick up service and their outdoor seating is nice (but not that big). They're friendly and their food is great. I was their in July and had the Mexican Steak (although I exchange steak for chicken) and it was delicious, fresh and just spicy enough. I highly recommend this restaurant read more

It's a cute casual place. The service is quick and the food is authentic. The chips are outstanding and I can never get enough until....the food comes! I love their green sauce but the red sauce is smoky and delicious. It's a toss up. I'd recommend it. read more

El Vaquero Authentic Mexican - Green pork enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Arnold, California

Consistent, clean, and tasty. A definite stop (or two) for us when we're up in the Arnold area.

This placed saved good food for me here! I had Giant Burger and I can't understand why it is busy. Must be the soft-serve. I digress. El V has some of the best Mexican food I've ever had and I'm a So Cal guy where we have killer Mexican food all over. I fed a group of 5 for under $60. The salsa, delicious and addictive as well as the chips. I had a cheese enchilada, chicken taco and tostada. All were killer. A 9 yo in the group stated best Mexican rice. So eat here and know you'll be satisfied and it won't break the bank! Eat on! read more

First time trying El Vaquero we ordered beans, rice, and salsa for a grad party (enough for 20 people). The food was amazing and they were so nice and helpful. Can't wait to be back to try the rest of the menu!! read more

We loved the chili Colorado and drinking Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in the Sierra Nevada's! Great stop on a summer afternoon. Porch seating that smells like sweet sequoias in the area, very special. Thank you! read more

Great service very friendly excellent food super fresh and the beer was ice cold thank you

The food was terrible, the chicken in the burrito I ordered tasted like it was boiled, it had absolutely no flavor at all. The sauce that came with my wife's "super quesadilla" tasted like marinara sauce from an Italian restaurant, and they forgot the most important part of the quesadilla, the cheese! On top of that, the service was terrible. The server was rude, and one of the other staff accused me of turning on a vent fan that was running when we got to the restaurant... Who does that? With the poor food quality and the garbage service I did not leave a tip. But wait, there's more, as we were pulling out of our parking space, the server approached our car and wanted to know why we didn't tip her. I was floored, and told her to get away from the car. A couple of days later, I see on my bank statement that she decided to tip herself, the original bill was $48.52, but the statement said $58.52. Needless to say I had a conversation with my bank, along with the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office. read more

Great place! Excellent experience! Try the chicken mole, its outstanding! The people are friendly, and the service was terrific!

With all due respect to our local Mexican restaurants, which are very good, this place is so worth the one hour drive. Our favorite. So flavorful and yummy. Service is good too. read more

Friendly staff, plenty of parking and nice seating outdoors. The food was NOT authentic, it was not super flavorful nor really delicious but it did the trick. I ordered a tortilla soup and a #22 (crunchy taco and super quesadilla) the meat was chewy but they did offer a nice amount of guacamole and sour cream on the top. Their horchata is delicious. Cute joint but I will probably not eat here often. read more

Very fresh, authentic Mexican food. Prices are good & portions are big. Menu has a big selection. I had the chicken (all white meat) fajitas & they were delicious! They had a nice beer selection. Service was very good too. I highly recommend this local restaurant. read more

Delicious food every time we go! We all especially like the enchiladas. Friendly staff and great COVID protocols.

So sad. Two years ago this place was one of my favorites. I went one again tonight and it only confirmed previous experience of poor food and bad service. The rice not fully cooked. The pork was dry a d hard. The margarita, well we left them on the table 3/4ths full. Yuck. The servers don't even look at you when they walk by. Scared of what you might want or need I guss. I left the drink and much of my meal on the table. No one even asked why. Another great restaurant that has gone down the tubes. I won't be back. read more

After being a regular customer of this restaurant for years, I am sad to say that I will never return after the service and treatment I and other tables received today. We requested to sit on the deck for lunch and it all went down from there. Let's just say our server is not meant for this line of work. Not only did she have a horrible attitude she never brought utensils to our table and another table even after requesting. We received our food and had to request utensils and napkins for a third time. The neighboring table had to walk in and get them on their own. My mother ordered a coffee with cream sugar and never received the cream and sugar until the coffee was already cold. When the server delivered the sugar she slapped in on the table. Mom had no spoon and had to stir her coffee with something she had in her purse. It got to the point that we no longer even wanted to ask her for anything we needed because she would get so bent out of shape each time we requested anything. When she delivered coffee to a neighboring table she didn't bring them cream and sugar either. The woman never drank her coffee. I could go on and on but I'll spare the gory details. I didn't even bother to wait for her to pick up and run our card. I took it in myself. She was pissed I asked for change. I asked if we had done something to her to get this kind of treatment Or perhaps she was having a bad day. She said no in a snarky way and at this point I was done I knew that this experience had soured me to this place forever. I returned to the table in shock quite frankly. I commented to my guests that I should talk to the owner just as she walked up. She in a confrontational tone said that she could get him. Once my guests went to the car I came in to speak with the owner. The server was talking closely to a young man that she introduced as the owners son. It was clear he was not open to anything I was saying. I tried explaining what had transpired he couldn't care less. He wasn't even paying attention. I just walked out and left. If the actual owner has further questions I am open to providing additional details. I am truly embarrassed for the owner. Not one table near us had a good service experience. Truly sad. read more

We had pretty low expectations for Mexican takeout all the way out in Arnold, but this place was delicious! Al pastor tacos, chicken quesadilla, carnitas burrito, rice/beans/guac, everything was tasty and hit the spot. It won't blow your mind and and yes there's better Mexican in other parts of California and, well, Mexico, but I'm not sure any gringos are allowed to speak on "authenticity". We thoroughly enjoyed the food here and the service was very friendly and totally COVID-compliant. read more

This has always been one of my favorite restaurants. However the new wait staff is so slow and the service so poor that I left and went elsewhere. read more

I am always leery of authentic in the title of any restaurant as it usually ends up with me shaking my head following my meal. In this case, I do think the food is about as authentic as any sit down Mexican restaurant in the area. I'm not sure the value is there and for my money the taco truck in Avery can't be beat, but this is certainly a more comfortable sit down experience. read more

When we decided on going to dinner, we thought Mexican food! We have owned our cabin in Arnold for a little over a year and never tried this place. The salsa had great flavor and the chip were crispy. We shared a combination plate with an extra chili relleno with all green sauce, and it all was delicious! Prices were good and even though it was busy it didn't take long to get our food. Definitely coming back! read more

Went in tonight at around 7:50 and asked to be seated for dinner. Was told that they close at 8:30 but since they were busy they were closing at 8:00! We were also told there were no tables available which was incorrect because a table was just vacated by other customers! So rude! Will NOT return!! read more

We got chicken and beef fajitas for one (my husband and I shared) and it was delicious!!! Came with the usual fajita stuff--rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream, pico, tortillas. Our guests had the quesadilla and a giant burrito and both said they were great! The chips and salsa had very good flavors as well! Very impressed. We would definitely come back again. :) read more

Don't go there! We went on Sunday the day before Memorial Day. We were the first ones there they were rude and took everyone's order before us. I have been going there for years. NEVER AGAIN!!!! read more

Our group of 5 (3 adults, 2 small children), thought this place was great, especially the customer service. We had a very short wait, we were accommodated by wanting to eat outside and then the female waitress readjusted the large umbrella over our table. They seem to have a good system with plenty support staff. Chips/salsa brought to us within minutes, iced water arrived there after. Typical large menu with everything you could want. Not a lot of chitty-chatty bothersome from wait staff, but they were friendly and attentive. Our food arrived piping hot, large servings. We had Carnitas sope, Asada tostada, and tacos. Children were content with their food., all patrons outside having a very good time. And, it was authentic enough for me! Definitely recommend. read more

My wife and I tried El Vaquero when visiting family in the area. With COVID19, we ordered take out. The dishes were excellent! We ordered tacos and a chimichanga...both were well-prepared and delicious. We also enjoyed their terrific flan! El Vaquero has excelled in the midst of these unprecedented times of pandemic. Well done! read more

Food was delicious! Called and picked up order was ready to go. Highly recommend the fajita salad!

I hate to write this review bc it means I'm never going back since it's such a small town and I'm not looking forward to eating spit-laden food, but I have never been treated with such disdain as at this establishment. It took 32 minutes to get water, 47 minutes just to place an order (checked via text) and we were SUPER patient , but the waitress had the nerve to ask us to "be a little patient" because we had the AUDACITY to ask for a straw and our waters as nicely as humanly possible, for the third time. Pro-tip: How about you keep straws in your apron pockets which were literally made to hold straws and then you don't have to go back for straws. The food was good, but the service was terrible enough that I will never go back and will gladly drive the extra 15 minutes to Angels Camp for better food and service. I hate that some of these small town places take for granted the fact that they're one of the only games in town so that instead of appreciating business, they don't care to provide good service because they know they'll be fine with tourists and such. Horrible way to run a business! read more

This restaurant is amazing. The food was awesome. I had the chili relleno combo plate and my husband had a carnitas/scrambled eggs combo plate. It was so good (he gave me a taste of it). The portions are generous and the staff was friendly. Do NOT pass this place up. I haven't had Mexican food this good since my nana passed away in 1993. CarnitasChili Relleno read more

Excellent Mexican food! We especially liked the mole and fajitas. This is the real deal, but the secret is out, so come early to get a seat.

I always try to make this a stop when we're in town. The food is great and the prices are reasonable. Great comfort mexican food. The service is sometimes a little slow, but always friendly. I'm particularly fond of their chile rellenos but it's hard to go wrong with anything on the menu. read more

So I've now visited this place 6 times in the past 3 months, in the hopes of being given a reason to leave them a stellar review. Sadly, after my last and FINAL visit to this place the other day, I'm going to provide some detailed feedback of my experiences for my fellow Yelpers. Of my 6 visits to this place, I've been waited on 4 separate times by a guy that we used to call "Rico Suave con Cara de Culo". I don't know if he's the owner or an employee, but regardless of who he is, we now call him "Asshole". On this last visit, we left him a tip, equal to the level of service he provided us, which was a big fat fucking ZERO....NADA.....BUSCATE LA PROPINA ENTRE LOS HUEVOS GÜEY! If he's an employee then he needs to be fired. If he's the owner then he's going to learn some very hard lessons about the restaurant business. Considering that this place dishes out mediocre, relatively insipid Gringo-Mex, you'd think that they would try to win over all their customers by providing warm and friendly service, in order to give people a reason to come back again, especially in such a small community, where the population barely tops out at 4,000 residents. Lord knows how many places I've frequented, that made me and my guests feel welcome at every visit, even if the food was sub-par. El Vaquero restaurant is NOT that kind of place. Rico Suave has been nothing more than a rude fucking sour puss, who I think would rather stay at home, looking at himself in the mirror, while wearing his tight black matador costume and dancing around singing "I'm too sexy". I wonder if there are lyrics to that song in Spanish? Anyway, considering that many visitors to this lovely mountain community are vacationers and part time residents from the bay area; many of whom refer to Yelp when deciding where to dine, you'd think these guys would try a bit harder, especially when you see how many other businesses have failed in town. The locals just use word of mouth and several had already told me (in advance) that they didn't like this place, but I tried it anyway, in order to support my local economy. One thing I learned when I ran my cafe several years back, is that you NEVER take your customers for granted.....EVER!!!! Treat them well, learn their names and make them feel welcome.....ALWAYS!!! Our food may not have been the best, but it was pretty damn good. Making your customers feel welcome was a key to our success. The locals have told me that they really like Las 3 Perlas food truck, located just west of town, or El Jardin, located about 10 miles west, just outside of Murphys, or La Hacienda in Angel's Camp and so, I'm going to stick with those other recommendations from now on. My support for El Vaquero has ended for good. BTW, if Rico Suave has a problem with my review, he can feel free to post a reply here, as I'll gladly stop by in person and tell him what I think of his cara de culo. read more

The food was excellent quality and the service was super responsive! We had the tilapia and bob's special. So good! With 4 beers our bill was less than $60. read more

Wow what is every one talking about. I guess having lived in Oakland for half my life I know what authentic Mexican food tastes like and this was not it. Maybe the horrible service destroyed the taste of the food. We were seated by a woman(not friendly)served by a man(also very very unfriendly) The food was quick out(only us and two other tables). We did not see our waiter again till the bill arrived. We thought it was us but we heard the man at the next table commenting on the servers personality or should I say lack of personality. To the owner, get knew help or talk to this group because the food was not that good. Our local Taco Truck has you beat by a mile. read more

El Vaquero Authentic Mexican restaurant is very good food. If the weather is warm we like to eat out on the patio. You will not get cloth napkins, but you will get great service. read more

Lol. After reading the other reviews I have to say I couldn't wait to get cell service to check if there were any Yelp reviews. We also had the male waiter that was soooo irritated at us for showing up. He was really rude and unprofessional. We had our 1 year old and we're dining on patio. I asked if they had a high chair and he told me where they were . He ruins the place. The food from Lunch menu was pretty good and came with a soda that he doesn't refill. 2 stars just for the crappy service. And the female waitress that was cleaning the tables asked if we would like a high chair and brought us one. read more

New resident in Arnold. Have ordered a dozen times for pick up. Friendly family run establishment. They work hard to get your order done quickly. Food is good. We typically order the tostadas, super wet burrito with carne asada and chili Relleno. Always good and great service. read more

Went camping up in Big Trees and we decided to extend our vacation and stay in Arnold for a couple of days. We had heard good things about the restaurant so we decided to try it out. Well, as you see by my rating, we weren't overly impressed. The food was ok but what irritated us was our waiter. I have never encountered one that was so rude and acted like he didn't want to be there. The women staff we're very nice and helpful but he was just plain rude. Maybe it was a bad night for him but if this is your normal personality....you may want to try another profession. Your restaurant draws not only your locals but people who travel through or like us, enjoy the ambiance of your beautiful town. We have been greeted by all businesses, making us feel that our patronage is always welcomed...until now. Hope it can be worked on...fast. read more