El Vaquero

They say they are a New Mexico Mexican restaurant & they are far from it. Some of the, if not the…read moreworst Mexican food I have ever eaten. WAY overpriced. A 1oz side of guacamole is $3. & a 1oz side of sour cream is $1.50!!! If you want the $17 burrito with carne asada, add another $7 to the price of the meal. I decided on the Chili Verda as I love Hatch Green Chili's that are native to Hatch, NM. But they use pabalano peppers. A real disappointment. They say the pork is award winning, but it is NOT! It tasted like it was days old, dry & no real flavor. I tried to revive it with some water to no avail. The same can be said about the corn. To sum it up, I did not eat most of my meal, paid almost $30 for lunch (no lunch specials at all) & left hungry. If you are looking for authentic New Mexico or Mexican food, please look elsewhere or you may be greatly disappointed.

We're on our way to Yellowstone and stopped in Cody. Went out to eat not really knowing what was…read morehere. Came up on Zappata's and it was packed so, we thought it must be good. The server, Cora (sp?) Was very busy and the place appeared to be understaffed. Cora was holding it together really well. She was very efficient and friendly. texted. Turns out a bus of 45 stopped in unexpectedly. Everything we ordered came out in a timely manner as well. Lastly, the food is the bomb. It was not americanized like so many other Mexican restaurants are. Try it if you're looking for authentic, not texmex.

Fajita

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Pork Burrito with beans and fiesta corn.

Michael's Tacos

4.3(181 reviews)

2.0 mi

Five Stars: Come Hungry, Leave Destined for a Nap. if you are looking to fit into your skinny jeans…read moretomorrow, keep driving past this place. I ordered the nachos, and I am pretty sure they required a structural engineer to assemble. The pile was so massive it had its own gravitational pull. I've had the burrito, which wasn't wrapped so much as it was swaddled like a newborn prize-winning livestock animal. It weighed more than my first dog. Then there's the tacos...I took one bite of the taco and instantly forgave my landlord for raising my rent. The flavors are so vibrantly authentic they will make you forget you are standing in northern Wyoming.The service is fast, the portions are borderline aggressive, and the food is pure magic. Five stars. My doctor might disagree with my life choices, but my soul is at peace.

We came here for lunch. This place is authentic. The decor is Mexican and there is Mariachi music…read moreplaying in the background creating the perfect ambience for a good Mexican meal. Of course there were chips and salsa as the complimentary appetizer. I ordered the fajita burrito. This is basically a fajita wrapped in a tortilla. It had carnitas, green peppers, onions, and cheese wrapped in a large tortilla. It was smothered in red sauce. Green and white sauces were an option. Additionally this burrito was topped with a sour cream sauce. It came with red rice and refried beans as sides. The order came out in a reasonable amount of time. This burrito was large. I ended up taking half of it home for dinner. The meat was tender and the vegetables were frilled perfectly. The rice and beans were what you'd expect. This is not a spicy meal if you have a sensitive palate. Hot sauce is available which I used. I enjoyed this meal at a reasonable price.

Nice local spot

Fajita burrito with beans and rice.

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Rosa's & Ruben's

4.6(65 reviews)

1.4 mi

I was really looking forward to a supreme burrito. I love refried beans, and unfortunately, the…read moresupreme burrito had very little beans and lots of rice. And a little chicken. Maybe they were off that day.

Solid Mexican food truck fare. We went with tacos and enchiladas. Good prices for good food.read more

Taco Truck and seating

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Menu

El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant

4.0(48 reviews)

20.6 mi

Had the 3 tacos plate The meat was SOOO good!! Very friendly service and was busy but not loud…read more Had to come back the next day to try some different food. This time, a combo to see if the enchilada and beans are good. Didn't disappoint. I'll be back. Hint. Their salsa is pretty mild. They gave me some hot stuff that I mixed in. Highly recommend.

This is one of the better restaurants in town. I've eaten a lot of Mexican food and been to Mexico…read morea lot, it's legitimate Mexican food. I can't give it 10/10 but very comfortable saying 8/10. Definitely if you want Mexican food it's a very solid place to go.

Color wall hanging. Ole'

Front of restaurant from our table

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Chips & salsa on a colorful table cloth

Las Palmitas

4.6(14 reviews)

20.1 mi

Wonderful, authentic, flavorful food! This family owned biz is beloved by locals (myself included)…read more When family visits I'll be thrilled to take them here.

Taco bus is the best. Service is great. Horchata is home made. I've had many things on the menu…read moreand they are all fabulous.

This is the front of the bus. You walk inside and there are communal benches to eat your meal.

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Front of bus taken from the back.

Los Tapatios

4.4(11 reviews)

64.9 mi

The food here is amazingly delicious! It's an open friendly place and staff are warm and welcoming…read more Highly recommend!

Walk in and you think the way the dining room looks there is a chance this place could be good. You…read morewill get the impression that the food served from their kitchen could be legitimate authentic Mexican fast food. However eventually your food arrives and well let's just say the recipes are geared towards an audience who doesn't know what real Mexican food should taste like. The first giveaway that the food is a little off is the appearance of the refried beans that appear to be a gray colored soup with no indication that beans are even in the recipe. If there was actual competition in Worland for Mexican food this place wouldn't survive however your choices are pretty limited here. If you are hungry and want something better than Arby's or McDonalds eat here but keep in mind your expectations of what will come out of this kitchen would never pass in Mexico, Nevada, Arizona or California.

Tacos

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Taco John's

2.3(45 reviews)

1.4 mi

We stopped in for lunch. This place has the same menu. The customer service was good. I got three…read moresides. Red rice, refried beans, and nacho chips with cheese. The rice was cooked perfectly. The beans were kind of pasty. I used the super hot sauce to give it all a little flavor. This store is tupical of the Taco John's I've been to.

Terrible customer service. I arrived at 10:05 to an empty restaurant and they wouldn't serve…read morebreakfast. We drove out of our way to get breakfast burritos and the lazy guy working the counter would only serve lunch items. We walked over to the McDonald's instead.

Dining area

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Las Palmitas

4.7(98 reviews)

46.1 mi

They serve amazing Mexican food ! I cannot say about the authenticity of the food but what I got…read morethere was incredible. I had their special for the day which was birria and guacamole. They were delicious! I'm a bit sad that they serve a huge portion of guacamole instead of an appetizer/smaller portion (hence, a 4 stars instead of 5). I love the decor, they have a nice patio seatings. The service is standard for takeout & eat in kind of place but the staffs are super friendly. Overall, I highly recommend this place if you find yourself in Red Lodge MT!

Delicious Lunch definitely a good choice!! The Chimichangas and enchiladas were great! A very…read moresatisfying experience.

Cute decor and a huge plate of guacamole.

Carnitas plate and quesabirria

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Birria!

Bogart's Restaurant

3.9(187 reviews)

46.2 mi

A Mexican restaurant with a Humphrey Bogart theme was very different…read more But the service was great, the food was really good. So if your in Red Lodge I would recommend Bogarts.

Bogart's Restaurant in Red Lodge is an absolute highlight of our ski trips and easily one of the…read moreplaces we look forward to all year The pizza is fantastic with great crust, solid sauce, and consistently well-balanced flavors. Everything we have tried on the menu has been just as good, not just the pizza, which makes it a true go-to spot rather than a one-dish place The atmosphere is darker, warm, and very comfortable, with a cozy ski-town feel that makes it the perfect place to unwind after a long day on the mountain Service is consistently good even when they are busy and the whole experience feels reliable year after year Overall this is one of those rare restaurants that becomes part of the trip itself and is a must-visit every time we are in Red Lodge

A look down the epic bar-line.

Skinny blended margarita! These guys are amazing!

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El Torito

4.5(2 reviews)

37.8 mi

Was going to try El Torito on a Tuesday night but the place was really busy so I came down a little…read moreearlier on Wednesday and had the place to myself. Turns out they do a brisk business on Taco Tuesday.. Chips and salsa was accompanied by a cup of pinto beans that were very good, if not a little salty. I had the smothered green chile burrito and it was delicious! Not a hint of heat in those chiles but very flavorful. Plenty of refrieds and rice to fill up the plate. The tortilla wrapped around burrito fixins was very light and when the cook came out for a break I asked if it had been home made and I was assured it was. A piece of honey candy from the local Queen Bee Gardens accompanied the check. I left feeling very impressed with this eating establishment, and with a full belly. I'll be back..

Sis and I had a sister day today and decided to try the new El Torito restaurant which used to be…read morethe Burger Barn. Neither one of us had been there before and thought this would be a great take out. The outside of the restaurant has not changed, but the inside has had a complete redo. It's bright, it's colorful, it's whimsical, it definitely has that Spanish Flair to it! When we got inside, we were greeted immediately by a friendly waitress, we told her we were taking out and she gave us the menu. Sis went down the menu asking questions about various items and we settled on smothered burrito and street tacos. They took our order, sis paid and we sat down to wait. I in the meantime was busily taking pictures of the changes that had so increased the restaurant Flair of this little place. Our order was ready very quickly and we promptly came home and sat down to eat. I asked sis how her smothered burrito was and she said it was good. My plate of 4 street tacos with rice and beans was also good. Neither meal was very spicy and I missed the cheese in the rice and beans. Still, both meals turned into two meals for both of us. So guess what we're having for dinner tonight? LOL if you're looking for a quick tasty meal and wanting something in the Mexican line, this is a nice place to go. Bon appetit...

The pretty wall hangings with colorful sombreros

A close up of a beautiful sombrero which is part of the wall art of the restaurant

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Flower holder number 3 and perhaps my favorite

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7 reviews that are not currently recommended

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R P.

0

1

0

8 years ago

We stopped by 20 minutes before closing because we couldn't find an online menu to place an order by phone to pick up. They were so nice. We had chips with guacamole while we waited and cucumber water. Both were amazing! We were so impressed with the food (so fresh) that we stopped by for lunch on our way out of town and were once again impressed. The family is awesome. The night we were there, there were three generations working. The tamales and guac were the best I've ever had. Even the rice and beans were delicious. My nephew said if he were anywhere within 100 miles of that place it would be worth an out-of-the-way trip - my son concurred. That sums it up pretty well. Next time we go to Yellowstone, this will be on our must-do list whether we stay in Cody or not. read more

Miguel F.

0

1

0

8 years ago

They complied with my stubbornness and maybe a hamburgers on a tortilla. Next time I'll order a menudo in a tortilla. Don't believe the waiter/waitress when they say they dont make hamburgers you have to ask for the secret menu if you want hamburgers or a hand tossed pizza. read more

Missy C.

0

2

0

9 years ago

Came down from Yellowstone to check out Cody. Just stopped in because we felt like Mexican and it was a good call. Really enjoyed the meal. Very friendly waiter. Good sized portions. Reasonably priced. What more can I say? read more

Brooke S.

0

1

0

7 years ago

The staff was very welcoming. We came in 30 minutes until closing and they were not upset at al. It was very clean. The food was amazing! Very authentic, great chips and salsa, and overall very good! read more

Troy B.

0

2

0

7 years ago

This is an excellent place to eat. Homemade food and very tasty. Don't miss the stop on your way through Cody if you like Mexican.

Vicki C.

0

3

0

8 years ago

The best Mexican food in town! Coming from a local who's patronized all of them, El Vaquero is the best.

Don A.

0

1

0

5 years ago

Everytime I come here . Food good. Service sucks. One boy show.

El Vaquero - mexican - Updated September 2026

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El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant

4.0

(48 reviews)

Had the 3 tacos plate The meat was SOOO good!! Very friendly service and was busy but not loud…read more Had to come back the next day to try some different food. This time, a combo to see if the enchilada and beans are good. Didn't disappoint. I'll be back. Hint. Their salsa is pretty mild. They gave me some hot stuff that I mixed in. Highly recommend.

This is one of the better restaurants in town. I've eaten a lot of Mexican food and been to Mexico…read morea lot, it's legitimate Mexican food. I can't give it 10/10 but very comfortable saying 8/10. Definitely if you want Mexican food it's a very solid place to go.

Michael's Tacos

4.3

(181 reviews)

Five Stars: Come Hungry, Leave Destined for a Nap. if you are looking to fit into your skinny jeans…read moretomorrow, keep driving past this place. I ordered the nachos, and I am pretty sure they required a structural engineer to assemble. The pile was so massive it had its own gravitational pull. I've had the burrito, which wasn't wrapped so much as it was swaddled like a newborn prize-winning livestock animal. It weighed more than my first dog. Then there's the tacos...I took one bite of the taco and instantly forgave my landlord for raising my rent. The flavors are so vibrantly authentic they will make you forget you are standing in northern Wyoming.The service is fast, the portions are borderline aggressive, and the food is pure magic. Five stars. My doctor might disagree with my life choices, but my soul is at peace.

We came here for lunch. This place is authentic. The decor is Mexican and there is Mariachi music…read moreplaying in the background creating the perfect ambience for a good Mexican meal. Of course there were chips and salsa as the complimentary appetizer. I ordered the fajita burrito. This is basically a fajita wrapped in a tortilla. It had carnitas, green peppers, onions, and cheese wrapped in a large tortilla. It was smothered in red sauce. Green and white sauces were an option. Additionally this burrito was topped with a sour cream sauce. It came with red rice and refried beans as sides. The order came out in a reasonable amount of time. This burrito was large. I ended up taking half of it home for dinner. The meat was tender and the vegetables were frilled perfectly. The rice and beans were what you'd expect. This is not a spicy meal if you have a sensitive palate. Hot sauce is available which I used. I enjoyed this meal at a reasonable price.

Zapata's

3.1

(178 reviews)