The restaurant is cute and exactly what you want for a relaxing and no fuss dinner on a weekday. The owner and our waitress were very friendly and attentive. It was busy dinner time, but she was able to see what you needed and helped you just in time. The portion was large and the food was well cooked. For someone who is used to Mexican food in California, this little spot hits the spot. Bonus: It is nested in the heart of old town Haymarket, so one can also walk around to shake off some calories (or food comma) afterwards. read more

El Vaquero West - 199. Fajitas for 2 52. Beef & Chicken Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Haymarket, Virginia

This place is the most authentic Mexican food I've had since I was in New Mexico. The staff was so friendly and attentive. The atmosphere was just like being in Mexico! My only complaint was the sangria seemed to be filled with a lot of sugar! read more

Shady practice of calculating the "Suggested Tip" on the total plus tax. Standard practice is to tip on the bill before tax. They also charge for soda refills. We've been going here since it opened, really disappointing read more

El Vaquero West - Mexican Near Me - Haymarket, Virginia

This is hands down the best Mexican restaurant in the broader DMV. Vibe: 10/10 - exactly what you'd want from a Mexican restaurant and I wouldn't change it! Service:10/10 - everyone here is so kind Fajitas for 2: 10/10 - incredibly large portion; we always have leftovers for lunch the next day. Love the combo of meats and the meats and veggies are always cooked to perfection. I get corn tortillas while my fiancé gets flour, and it comes with 2 portions of rice, beans, and salad. Overall: 10/10 (5/5) read more

El Vaquero West - Fajitas for 2 - Mexican Near Me - Haymarket, Virginia

Wife and I went here after an appointment in the area. Let me tell you something. This place was recommended to me a handful of years ago as the "sister location" to a spot I used to frequent that shut down. I never ended up making it out here until today. I really regret that. This place is incredible. It threw me off for a second because it almost looks like an office building from the outside. But when you enter, you immediately know you're in the right spot. The decorations, the music, the smells. All of it just spot on and perfect. Let's talk about the service next. The waiter we had was incredible. Man was moving so quick, gave us chips and salsa almost immediately. He'd swing by to make sure everything was going good and tasting great. Which brings me to the next and final thing. The food. The FOOD. I ordered a steak California burrito with beans and a side chalupa. The STEAK in this burrito was perfectly seasoned, like, melt in your mouth tender and PERFECTLY seasoned with a little bit of char. It was incredible. My wife ordered the Enchiladas supreme which comes with chicken, beef and bean enchiladas. The CHICKEN in these enchiladas was INCREDIBLE; perfectly cooked, seasoned and moist. I'm used to some local spots having their chicken in the enchilada's dry, overcooked and relying on outside flavors. NOT THIS SPOT. NOT THIS PLACE. Everything here was cooked incredibly and with flavor and we left absolutely stuffed. This is an easy five star review, and we will absolutely be back. read more

I love this place! I love the menu and every time I order a new thing it is very good! I ordered delivery with one of the delivery apps tonight. The owner was at my doorstep delivery the items the delivery service did not pick up at the same time. Thank you! read more

My chef salad had very tasty filling but I am wondering, why, on more than one occasion, the fried tostada shell smelled and tasted of cleaning chemicals? The waitress just shrugged it off when I mentioned it. read more

Food is delicious, service is top notch and the staff is very friendly. I've been eating here for the past 15 years and can honestly say this is the best Mexican food in Haymarket. The decor and beautiful hand carved leather chairs and booths are truly amazing. Great craftsmanship in a great space. read more

Always a good experience. Good food plus very generous portion sizes. Will definitely be back.

Classic Mexican menu, no frills, friendly service. Nice to have this restaurant nearby for casual meals.

Ordered late at night and this was Absolutely amazing, wish they did uber or DoorDash, chefs kiss

Food is great ! They have a very large selection on their menu. Service is great as well!!!.

EVW is a favorite of my daughter when my wife and I visit her. This particular Friday night we dropped by to find the dining room almost full except for a corner booth with our name on it. We were promptly seated and got our drinks ordered. My daughter claims they have the best margaritas in town but I'll have to take her word for it as I ordered a Modelo on tap in a chilled glass. Delicious. There are lots of choices on their menu but we went with their build your own combo. My wife and I both got a hard shell beef taco and a chicken burrito two item combo. The combos come with rice and refried beans. There's plenty of food on the combo platter but I would trade a little bigger portion of beans for less rice. The burrito was delicious with a red sauce on top. The taco shell almost failed sitting next to the burrito and soaking up that sauce but managed to hold it together. We would have liked a little more veggies also with the meal even it is just more lettuce on the taco. My daughter ordered two quesadilla con chorizo but made up for that polishing off most of the complementary chips and tasty salsa. I enjoy their salsa but it does have a sneaky kick to it. We all enjoyed all evening out here. The service is excellent and quick and their prices very reasonable. read more

El Vaquero West - Each booth has a custom decoration. - Mexican Near Me - Haymarket, Virginia

I Love this place . Never a wait to be seated . Tables are clean not sticky . The food , drinks and service are consistent and well priced .

This place really captured my heart!! Seriously!! Starting from nice employees who can speak clearly, nice and friendly , to the huge menu the great taste , huge portions and also great prices?? The only thing keeps me from going there is only the distance !! The Molcajete was the big reason for me to go there and I can't resist ordering it everytime I go! It's a big bowl ( I think it's made of concrete! Lol maybe!) Makes the food looks like coming out of a volcano! Also the food stays hot! It was shrimp steak and chicken! Onions , tomato , chile , peppers and cheese toped with hot poplano peppers ! Share it with someone in your group and enjoy trying something else! Even my Taco salad was huge! Generous and phenomenal!! The dressing is yummy!!! No seriously! Yummy!! Lol I highly appreciate them taking care of my diet needs and the adjustments they made!! Chori Queso was also more than wonderful! Nice and simple decorations! Warm ambiance! I really need a location in Centreville, Clifton or Fairfax and will go there every week! No! Everyday! Thank you so much for a wonderful experience! I'm definitely going there again very soon! read more

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We have been twice to this local business and each time food was great and portions were awesome. Oh and can't forget the delicious margaritas. Service was spot on too. read more

The food and service are always impeccable. Our entire family loves coming here to eat and we rarely agree on food!

Great food, and atmosphere. Employees are knowledgeable and pleasant. They even do Pina Colada's to go! read more

4.5 stars. I've been driving by for years, although my friends have said it's very good. Met two friends here for lunch today, and I must agree. Typical Mex American food. Very good choice for Mexican food in western PWC. Clean, attractive, good service, very good food and good prices. read more

The food and service was great accompanied by a great atmosphere!! My Friends and Family really enjoyed the food and environment!!

I have one word of caution - be sure to head to El Vaquero when you are hungry and ready for a heart meal. Portions are generous and service is with a smile. Casual and welcoming atmosphere. A few menu favorites include the stuffed jalapeños, cheese dip with chorizo, pollo loco, and shrimp cocktail. read more

Food and service is great. However, the Fabuloso cleaner smell is too overwhelming for me at times. You can smell it outside when you're just walking by. Would love to eat here more often but the smell is too off putting. read more

Was in town for the weekend. We walked in and was seated quickly. The menu has so many options! Busy location, service was friendly. We enjoyed the queso with chorizo! We also enjoyed our dishes. read more

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Very good restaurant. Chicken with chorizo is the absolute best dish. They have great service. It is a smaller restaurant.

I have a huge allegiance to this restaurant since it opened in Haymarket (14 years?). I am Mexican myself and love Mexican food. Unfortunately, the last two visits here for me were extremely lackluster and the food just ok. Part of it is the staff (Manager-male) I'm familiar with him who seems to always be having a bad day. The other part is that the food really has degraded; I ordered the scrambled eggs with Chorizo because I try to avoid carbs, and they seemed really old, like they had been sitting underneath the heater since breakfast (it was around 3 pm). So I ordered steak fajitas to go; I opened the dish and they had put in the cold items right next to the steaming hot meal. I'm not sure about that they said since I ordered the lunch menu that's how they pack it. I didn't know I had ordered the lunch menu, but I feel like it's common sense to separate the guac, sour cream) from the hot stuff. When I got it home I had about 2 ounces of skinny meat and the rest onions and peppers. I threw out everything and fed the "steak" to the local animals in my yard. I want to one these guys so much it breaks my heart to right this, but EV, Get it Together! Also, you need to hire people who can take orders in English, please. On the positive side, they are still 50% cheaper than the other closest Mexican restaurant in Gainesville, but if it doesn't improve on my next visit I will have no choice but dine Mexican elsewhere. BTW, their margaritas are pretty excellent. Maybe I'll just make it a drinking place and appetizers! read more

Food quality..... about the best mexican food you'll find in this area. Service is top notch. Ambiance is genuine Mexican. Easy 5 stars! Drinks are top notch too. read more

I've lived a long time in California before moving to VA about 5 years ago. I miss real Mexican food. I used to go to the central valley where most of the workers come from Mexico so I'm used to and love real authentic food. I've tried so many restaurants in VA since I've moved and I don't ever bother to go back after the 1st try. I have a similar issue with Chinese food in that I lived a long time in San Francisco where a lot of the chefs came from Hong Kong, but I digress. I have to qualify that I'm now a vegetarian so back when I was in CA I was not and loved all the carnitas, chicken, etc. From a vegetarian perspective, this restaurant is the most authentic that I've had outside of CA. On the outside, it doesn't even look like a restaurant with a small parking lot, almost all the spaces were filed on a Saturday night. Seating room was packed, with a line when we left. Service was awesome, prompt and with a smile and fast. Very large veggie option section with great value, lots of combination options. I had the burrito, quesadilla, and chalupa combo and it was tasty, it was 70% refried beans (probably had lard) so probably not really vegan/veggie. The chips were fresh. We'll be back. read more

ACP is my go to meal. A lot of good food for a real good price compared to every where else. Worth the 35 min drive for me

I dont even know where to begin. Food is terrible. And I mean this in every sense of the way. We had several dishes, and not even my 8 year old wanted his quesadilla. How do you manage to mess up a quesadilla? I'm sorry. But even though I saw Mexicans running this place, the last thing this place serves is real Mexican food. Definitely overrated. We all got sick. My husband, my two kids, and myself. Maybe it was a bad day, but we are not going back for more. Service was mediocre too. The kid serving us was MIA most of the time, and the place wasn't even that packed that night. Sorry. Just not a good experience. I've had real Mexican food before, and this is not it. read more

Great food, and super friendly service. This definitely has a "whole in the wall" vibe, but the food is great! Also, the large margaritas are enormous and delicious! read more

this place is hands down the best mexican restaurant i have ever been to. the food is great, and the cheese the service is amazing and we never wait to be seated. the whole vibe is amazing. i will be coming back every time i want mexican food. 100000% recomend. read more

I used to eat here when I was little so I thought I'd check it out again since I remember the food being good! Me and my boyfriend had decided to get takeout from here and try out their menu. The prices looked good and the amount of food per meal was a plus. My bf got their chicken and beef burrito and I got their chicken fajitas. Upon fist glance it looked decent. I'd say the flavor was lacking but we were just happy to have a decent amount of food for dinner. After the food set in and we went to bed my bf woke me up because he had serious stomach pain. Well, he contracted something and had some violent excretions from both ends... I didn't experience that reaction but jeez! We won't be coming back sorry! read more

Have been here MANY times and never had anything my family didn't enjoy ! Atmosphere from outside doesn't look like much but inside very clean and colorful. read more

El Vaquero West - Restaurant inside - Mexican Near Me - Haymarket, Virginia

Tex-Mexican cuisine in the heart of Haymarket that's not a chain. I did a to go order for nachos here. A double order was enough for two people and came to a very reasonable price. As with most to go orders if you wait too long especially with nachos, the chips become soggy and moist which is what happened here. So we had to knife/fork it instead of using our fingers (although we did that too). The taste is kinda there. Also they put the salsa and jalapeños on the side which was a nice touch. I should've asked for the sour cream to be on the side as well but lesson learned. Recommend to order something else to go. I would get the nachos again but dine-in with a nice margarita to go with it! read more

My daughters and I went for dinner last weekend. It was busy, but the staff was friendly and kept us updated during our wait for a table. The service was great and the food was both good and reasonably priced. I see conflicting reviews talking about the food's authenticity. I lived in SoCal for a LONG time, and also New Mexico. I can remember when it was safe to drive over to Tijuana from San Diego, to shop and eat. All that to say, I know authentic Mexican food. So, how "authentic" is El Vaquero? Rather than quantify it, I'll just say that it's the closest thing I've found to "real" Mexican food in this area, and I liked it. The menu had all the usual restaurant combos, but also has more authentic and "upscale" options too. One daughter had tacos, the other had carnitas, and I had a Burrito Texano. It's a casual, light atmosphere, and we enjoyed it. Will definitely go back. read more

Been a while since we've been here and it looks like they've made quite a few changes. Food was good and service was great. Seems like they've cleaned it up a lot and painted. Seems a lot more festive. Only issue is the restrooms need some maintenance and cleaning. Parking is still a little cramped. read more

A nice local Mexican restaurant! Has the authentic vibes and reasonably priced Mexican food. Service was good and fast. Don't expect something super fancy like Uncle Julios. Comes with free chips and salsa upon being seated. We had the lunch combos, which were delicious! We also got the guacamole appetizer, which was cheap, but pretty mediocre. Definitely a spot that hits the craving. read more

El Vaquero West - Mexican Near Me - Haymarket, Virginia

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Margs are nice. Friendly staff foods pretty good nice local joint. Margs are some of the best in town.

Of all the traditional Mexican restaurants in the area, this one is preferred 90% of the time. It's affordable and has great tasting dishes. You're not going to find a big chocolate ball stuffed with candies and fruit here that you can find at your Big Box restaurants, but in my opinion, it's the best for Mexican food and cold drinks. Everyone is super friendly and constantly on their feet taking orders or carrying food to the tables. Highly recommend making early dinner plans as this place gets very busy around the evening hours. read more

Even though we still live far from here we manage to visit a few times a year. We even bring friends, who are always mystified hen we mention a favorite restaurant "just around the corner" from whatever it is that has managed to place us within 10 miles of the restaurant. They understand once they see the menu, and truly accept it once they try the salsa. One of the things I love about el Vaquero is the range in the menu. Yes it has all of the standards, but it also includes veggie options for almost everything, and a few dishes that can be hard to find. I love that I can enjoy chilaquiles (shredded chicken and cheese over soft tortilla chips) while my friend is happily eating a simple chicken sandwich. You do not need a cowboy sized appetite to eat at el Vaquero, just a desire for tasty foods. If you are lucky enough to find yourself in the area it is well worth a visit. read more

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