As soon as we walked in the door we noticed a server making Guacamole fresh and after trying it we found it to be some of the best Guac. we ever had. We heard that some said they allegedly found roaches in the food. We don't know if that is true or not or if someone is pulling paybacks. We thought we would see for ourselves. The place was packed. We paid particular attention to sanitary practices. Bathroom was clean, wastebaskets empty, paper products and soap well stocked. We also noted an employee wiping down used menus with disinfectant...EVERY page. It smelled and looked clean. My wife had the chicken enchilada and she said it was very good. I had Sizzling Fajitas featuring Shrimp and Scallop. I asked for this mix because it was not on the menu and they happily obliged. It was very good. My best is still the Grasshopper in Adrian though, but these were great and Adrian does not have Scallop Fajitas. The Margaritas... we found to be average. The pitcher special was well priced and I will say that the alcohol content was as good as when not on special. I will TRASH a place that I catch making margaritas weaker when on sale, like I'm stupid or something. Well, this place does not do that. While the taste was not my favorite in the Margarita world, the Alcohol IS in there! Props to them for that! SERVICE: They were hopping. They were busy and moved faster to keep up. No one had to wait too long for anything. Impressed with speed and effort. The Chips came out in a BIG bowl too, not some little sissy saucer like other places and the salsa was well flavored. Overall.. good experience and we did not see any bugs anywhere...lol. We've had better Mexican but this Mexican Food was worth our money. read more

See all

I only had a little time which isn't usually an issue as Mexican food tends to be fast. After 20 minutes I was almost at the point of needing to head out when food came. Why did it take so long? They were making the food! Not assembling it, making it! From scratch! It was FANTASTIC. I am a vegetarian and usually not many options for us but this time had a hard time choosing. I had spinach cheese enchilada and the spinach was fresh fresh fresh. Cheese sauce was amazing. Best Mexican I've had in years. Keep it up! read more

I don't care what others think...this is the best Mexican restaurant in the Monroe area followed by LaFiesta...not that place downtown. I eat here often and the food is very good...always. And...they do not charge extra for using a CC like many in Monroe do now...and you get free extra chips and salsa to your liking. If you are a senior or a vet...you get a discount if you ask. Good for you Vaquero's!!!! read more

Can't say enough great things about El Vaquero; authentic Mexican food at its best. We love eating here- go check them out

I've only eaten here once and the food was mediocre at best. The reason for the 1 star though is the fact that 2 ppl I know personally have found roaches in their food. These 2 instances were about 2 hrs apart, so this is an ongoing problem. Absolutely disgusting. read more

El Vaquero Mexican Restaurant - Side of roach anyone? - Mexican Near Me - Monroe, Michigan

Authentic food only if you think Chi-Chi's was authentic...LOL It appears they are more concerned with attracting the sports bar crowd. Great location, comfortable surroundings, but a food fail. read more

Decent Mexican food for Monroe County. I think they are a bit pricey with small portions. You can not vape inside the restaurant even at the bar counter when you're the only sitting at the bar. You also may not vape outside on the patio. read more

A bit pricey but the food is good. Service was slow. I was sitting for maybe 10-15 minutes before anyone came over.

Consistently good food with great service at a great price. My family eats here at least weekly and truly enjoy having such a friendly restaurant nearby. It maybe cliche but their homemade chips and salsa are outstanding. read more

Great Authentic Mexican cuisine! I think that if anyone has a problem with this place, they should stick with Taco Bell. I love everything on the menu. I have to stop typing. I get hungry just thinking about the menu. Check it out for yourself. read more

El Vaquero Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Monroe, Michigan

Ice cold draft beer for $2, Excellent service and even better food. Everything about this this place it mucho bueno Vaqueros is around the corner from my house thankfully, we bring out of town guests there all the time. read more

I've had great experiences here and bad ones. Food and service have both been up and down. It's pretty hot and miss. With that being said since Covid this place has went downhill. Plenty of other businesses I can spend my money. Owners seem to forget they need us we don't need them. read more

Consistently good Mexican food. Find something you like and keep getting it. Their recommendations are usually just a little more expensive items. I'm a frequent flyer there! read more

Not very impressed with the food It used to be better Waitress not a good listener Salsa was a little hot but good Very generous with the chips and salsa No one in our group thought the food was good Just so so read more

I love the the chips and salsa. Little pricey for some of the choices. Staff was friendly. Had to ask for refills and did not receive my side items but she took it off the bill. read more

Love the feel of the restaurant! They have fantastic and flavorful salsa. The menu is filled with many options.

This is my favorite Mexican restaurant!!! Fast and friendly service!!! Delicious fajitas! I strongly recommend the shrimp and chicken fajitas!!!! I don't eat anywhere else when I crave Mexican dishes!!!!! Worth a try if you never been here before!!!! read more

The chips are almost always warm, and the salsa is delicious. The food is always to order and usually pretty good. They have a nice patio outside for the warmer weather. If you like mexican food with a large menu and good drinks, this place is very reliable. read more

Awesome mexican food. Shrimp fajitas are the best and portions are big. Chips and salsa fresh. read more

Friends asked us to go here for dinner the other night. The menu was huge and has tons of direct dishes. All the dishes are also numbered so if you struggle with the names you can simply tell the waiter your number. All of the food was excellent! We also ordered a huge bowl of guacamole which was probably the best I've had in a long time. Huge portions, large drinks and good food....can't ask for much more! We will be back! read more

3.5 Respectable Stars This is the only place to get any decent Mexican-American food around SE Michigan that I have seen so far. I like Sabor Latino, but that's not strictly Mexican. Also, Los amigos is just plain awful except for their chips and salsa. The food here seems fresh and the atmosphere is ok enough, booths are large and comfortable. Portions are large, but I don't ever judge something as 'good' by how large a portion is. It's a clean operation with good parking and easy enough to get to. Have a try, you won't be disappointed. read more

This is probably the best mexican food I've had in the region. I'm not a mexican food expert or anything, but I had the guyamos and my wife had the carnitas. Both were excellent and we ate more than we should. I had a super difficult time picking out what I wanted. Not because I couldn't find anything but I had like 12 things I wanted to pick from. I just randomly chose one and was surprised and no regrets. It was that guilty I should have stopped eating long ago but I wouldn't trade it type of feeling. Margaritas were good but pricey in our opinion. We look forward to eating here again. read more

Ewww is all I can say chips weren't warm. There beef was so gross I took one bite of there nacho supreme and almost puked. And how is the manager not going to come out and see what's wrong with the food when your sending both meals back with out ordering anything else read more

We love going to El Vaquero restaurant! It is good, fresh American- Mexican food! The portions are generous and the salsa is made there daily and is always so delicious! read more

Terrible service! Couldn't get waited on, hostess seated us, no one ever came back, waited on other tables, cleaned tables around us but never bothered to send a server to our table. Smh! read more

Food was ok. It lacked flavor. Which is what is expected because of the non Hispanic clientele they serve. I was there on a Friday. So needless to say the place was packed. By this time mostly loud drunk people. read more

Amazing food! The table side guacamole is the best I've ever had! By far one of my favorite restaurants in Monroe MI.

My food has been consistently good here. The chips and salsa are really yummy and the service is quick and friendly. The atmosphere here is almost cafeteria like though, and although they have a LOT of TVs, they constantly play soccer and other sports that nobody in this area really watches. Please put on a baseball game or football! Also, you have to pay at the register, which gives it even more of a cafeteria feel. I would rate this place a 5 if they amped up the ambiance. Recommend otherwise. read more

Amazing food with fresh ingredients! I will definitely order the Tacos de Tinga again. The margaritas aren't that bad either!

Sports bar feel with so-so Tex Mex. Clean newer building with ample private parking. The outdoor patio is a nice touch, but there are many far better places in SE Michigan to enjoy a Mexican meal. read more

Love the margaritas the are expensive. But they are strong.. Love the hospitality. The food is good...with or without roaches. The chicken tamales are amazing..but can be hit or miss..with the cornmeal to meat ratio. I suggest you live and browse the back of the menu. I'm not a huge fan of rice and beans...but theirs are good. The 2 for 25$ is a steal. The tortilla soup enchilada plate and fried ice cream were my choice, date got the same but picked the burrito plate for the entree...wow. Definitely met the price and quality point. Huge portions. The salsa is solid. They keep the chips flowing. My staple is the sizzling fajita plate...the shrimp,chicken..steak...all top notch. The sausage zarape was pure oil coated everything, not my fave. Too greasy. The guacamole is made fresh to order at the table. Super clean and pleasant ambiance. I'm a date night regular here. read more

Great food! We make a point to stop at this restaurant whenever we're heading back into Michigan, even though it's WAY out of the way to do so. Something as simple as the carnitas nachos with nothing more than pork and cheese(shredded and queso), is amazing! read more

Great authentic and cheap and even clean and inviting atmosphere two thumbs up

We did it, we really did it! We found a good Mexican restaurant in Michigan. It's still not better than the best I've ever had but it's good for where we are. I had the fajita's so I guess I didn't really have true "Mexican" food while there. BUT they were so damn good I don't care! I'm not sure what seasoning was used but it IS the best fajita seasoning I've ever had. And the chicken was.....wait for it........actually CHICKEN! I hate ordering fajita's only to get "pretend" chicken. Overall, definitely check out Vaquero's when your craving some mex! read more

I was super impressed with this restaurant! I was visiting a friend in Monroe and she really wanted Mexican food, and having been to Vaquero's before, that was where we headed. I was impressed with the variety of items on the menu and they have lots vegetarian options. I ordered a combo plate with a chicken burrito, tamale and bean tostada - all very good!! I was most impressed with the burrito, the chicken wasn't dry and the sauce was really good! The tamale was good, but not the best I've had. And the portion was enough that I had plenty to take home for lunch the next day! This place rivals most of the Mexican restaurants I've been to in the Detroit suburbs - I'll definitely be back any time I'm in Monroe. read more

The salsa was just right, fresh and spicy. The beer was ice cold on draft. My wife and I were impressed with the service and the food. The Conchita Pibil was right on. We will absolutely be going back. read more

As always a good place to stop in for Mexican food. I like the salsa here better than most, good flavor with nice spice. Reasonable prices and sized plates. Recommended, give it a try. read more

El Vaquero Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Monroe, Michigan

No black beans but otherwise very satisfied with food. They're Texas Margaritas are extrmely strong. Pitcher specials on Friday. Will return! read more

Pollo Nayarit...YUM! Queso dip...YUM! Bean burrito with queso dip instead of red sauce; house salad, no dressing just, salt to get the juices from the pico de gallo flowing; Dos Equis dark on draft...YUM! My husband and daughter are vegetarians and this is one place they have many food choices to select from on the menu. Vaquero's is lovely, the place is clean, the waitstaff friendly, service fast. We ride our bikes here in the summer to sit out on the patio, eat diner and have cocktails. This place is another Monroe restaurant that treats customers like family. read more

Delicious freshly Mexican food was served to me today at lunch. Everything was so fresh and neatly served. They do have vegetarian menu. Ask for the Hot sauce for if you like it spicy. And yes, it is real HOT. read more