Okay so I purchased a Groupon as a way to try this restaurant. I ordered the trio fajitas which was supposed to be beef chicken and shrimp with side of rice and beans and a side of two tortillas, in addition I ordered another fajitas plate with only beef. I paid $25 for the trio and another $19 for the other one. Plus I had to purchase some additional tortillas which came to the total of $50.88. To begin, the amount of food for the money spent was very minimal. The steak part of the fajitas you could not chew it was very grisly and tough. The chicken part of the fajitas tasted as if it had Curry seasoning on it. At one point I had to ask myself if I was even at a Mexican restaurant. The shrimp were small and not what you would have expected; considering the price. My poor companion tht had only the beef..could not eat any of it due to it being too tough. $50 of my hard earned $$ gone. HUGE disappointment. I will never return again. read more

Marieta's - BEEF FAJITAS - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

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Service is hit or miss with this place. Had to keep asking for salsa chips carrots. We were in the bar so you think the bar tender would of made sure we were taken care of. We were the only ones in there. My husband even had to ask for another Margarita. We've been going there for years but the poor service is annoying. Maria is the best employee and she was off today. read more

Beware that this establishment does not honor their Local Flavor vouchers. I purchased a $30 worth of food voucher for $15 and they would not accept it. At first they said it was expired even though it clearly stated that it was good until April of 2021. Then they said it was only for takeout even though it clearly stated that it was for dine in. Their taco shells were stale as well. read more

Meh. Great chips. Awesome salsa. Waiter was grumpy and wore cologne (ack). Our meal was generally tasteless, but it wasn't bad, per se. It just lacked salt and flavoring. Margarita was too small and very much average. No loud music, which made visiting a treat; always appreciated! I would return here to meet up with family, as I did this time, but certainly not to enjoy great Mexican food. We live in San Diego, with way better Mexican food dotted all over the county. read more

This was the worst Mexican food I have ever had. We had a party at 5 and 3 out of the 5 meals were served cold. The chile rellenos were horrible you can get better ones from the frozen section in Walmart. The beef tacos had almost no meat at all. This place has really gone downhill. My family will never go back to this restaurant! read more

This restaurant used to be good years ago but tonight the food was awful. My tamale was way too salty and my cheese enchilada was soggy and had a huge bay leaf in it. Just gross! My husband and son's beef taco was so greasy and soggy with hardly any meat in it. The price of each plate with two items was $12.00. The chips we were given tasted stale. I will never eat here again. Think twice before spending your hard earned money there because you will regret it. Don't make the mistake I did. read more

Let me start out by saying the service and knowledge of their menu is Terrible. Their food is precooked and then heated either in a microwave, or heat lamps!!!, if your going to charge over $10.00 for a meal, put out some damn effort into cooking it spot on, i ordered Chili Colorado, it was served with the usual staple of beans and Spanish rice, it took them 5 minutes and a few tics to bring my order, we actually waited longer to place an order then it took for them to bring it to our table, you would have thought we ordered an appetizer, but none was mention from the server, you would think that they were in the restaurant business , apparently not tonight, no mention of desserts not even a freaking dinner mint...i say try again!! to the manager of this establishment, because i will not!!!! read more

Marieta's is a colorful, delicious, and authentic Mexican food experience. My favorite things are the margaritas, chips and salsa, chile rellenos, and fajitas. We come here regularly, and we always have excellent service. The happy hour is a great deal too. read more

The food was extremely salty, and the waiter was all over the place. Everyone waiting seemed to have an attitude with us. Choose another place to go!!! read more

Best in town. Chips, salsa and the oh-so-wonderful spicy carrots. Armando, Maria and Julio will set you up with great service. They added the bar in the past year or two which really ads to the experience. Grab a beer while you wait for your table or sit and watch the game on Sunday afternoon. Very relaxed atmosphere and good service with better food! read more

We had an excellent experience at this restaurant my family and I since we entered we were well looked the waiter was very attentive and the food was very rich in point temperature .but what pleased us most here was the attention we got bos made to feel at home read more

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I've been coming to marieta's for a very long time. Food is great. The service is authentic. And the best part. The salsa! Thank you guys for always taking care of our family! read more

The service is horrible, the food was salty, and they have only kids working there.

Just had their version of a chef salad. So good but simple with fresh ingredients and chilled perfectly..

Found this place after taking a random exit off I8 into El Cajon on our way to Tucson. All three of us had the carne taco lunch special. Service was fantastic and the chips and salsa were some of the best any of us have ever had. Will definitely come back if we find ourselves in the area again. read more

I cant believe how many people put bad reviews on here about Mariettas? I have been coming to Mariettas since I was 11 years old. I used to live in the area and frequent this location often. I moved to Crown Point four years ago and I still drive back to east county to go to mariettas. They have the best chips and salsa I have ever had hands down. The servers have been there for years. It is a family owned establishment and they have always treated my family respectfully. I have never had bad service in the 18+ years i have dined at Mariettas. The food is great too!!! I love to order the shrimp fajitas and have them brought to the table on sizzling platters. I would recommend Mariettas to anyone:) read more

They are lucky they even got 1 Star. Very rude and very slow and tried to charge me more than we ordered. Ended up ordering drinks only because service was so bad. Please don't waste your money or time. read more

This is officially my new favorite Mexican restaurant in SD ! My family and I decided to try a new place. It was pretty busy when we got there but Valeria was able to get us seated quick for a big party. The wait wasn't long and the server attended us shortly after. It was a very clean restaurant and the food was amazing ! We all got different entrees and they were spot on for traditional Mexican food. The chips were crispy and the salsa was pretty spicy. the house margaritas are definitely worth the price ! The overall experience was amazing. Tasteful food, excellent service from the host to the waitress, and a clean environment. Will definitely be recommending this place to others. read more

These folks do a great job and have for years. Their food is always great and under normal conditions their service is super. Most of their servers don't even write the order down, they remember what you want. during these times their food is just as good and the reduced staff is just as friendly. If you love Mexican food, who doesn't? This place is the best. read more

ZERO STARS!!!!! Yelp forces a star to post. Yelp, fix this!!!!! These assholes don't deserve any stars! Ok, we went in for a graduation lunch and to catch up with out of town family and friends. We were aprox. 20 minutes early for our reservation for the large room. They already had a party in there and obviously would not have the room available for us by our reservation time. They set us up in the bar and added tables to accommodate our party of ~16. Things were looking fine, chips & salsa, drinks, accommodating the needs of a large party. Food was just ok at best. My burrito was rather small for the price charged. Well into our lunch with flowing conversation , the bartender proceeds to throws an empty liquor bottle into the repository of empty bottles resulting in an enormously loud crash. The crashing is super intrusive, grossly inappropriate and simply an over abundance of laziness. When I reacted he laughed and acted like the problem was mine. I find his actions and his conduct unprofessional on a whole new level. Now, the day after, I'm suffering from the runs. I'll be making a call to the County about the health and cleanliness ratings to investigate. I'll never eat here again. read more

Bueno, If you're looking for a great place to eat with the best Margaritas, chips and salsa, this is the place, their salsa is to die for. You'll love it. Personally I like the #11 Chili Relleno and Cheese Enchilada, but the fajitas, specials, and carnitas are great. The chimichanga is huge and tasty, enough for 2. Take home a pint of their delicious salsa, you'll never buy Pace Picante again! Very busy place at dinnertime, go early! They have a childs menu, or will gladly give you additional plates to share. Full Bar, not those yucky wine margaritas like other places!!! They have a backroom for party groups, service is very good and attentive to your needs. On Friday and Saturday they usually have a guitarist/singer, Ole!! read more

Very disappointed in the food here. Seems like it's gone down hill. Will only be returning to the Santee one.

I don't come here for the food generally. I can find way better mexican food at the drive thru taco shop next to my house, but the drinks are super yummy and I'm blessed with friends that like to plan to meet at Marieta's before we do anything... so Cadillac Margarita will you be my date for tonight? read more

Ate here with the family on June 9, 2016, got the most severe case of food poisoning ever experienced, definitely from the Beef Flauta's. Diner's Beware! We've eaten here before, but this was the first time ordering the beef flauta's. We will never go back, something is very wrong here. read more

And that's a generous three stars. I hate to knock any business, as it is someone's bread and butter. But, what happened here? I am only addressing food, as service is more than adequate. On no counts is Marieta's palatable anymore. Regretfully, it has become mediocre and not only in comparison to our region's status as hub for Mexican cuisine, but on a national scale of food preparation. I ask the management to take heed, as this is not a loosely-knit community when it comes to word-of-mouth. Be sure your drinks taste fresh, your food at least seems freshly prepared, and most of all, it is easily digestible. Unfortunately, the three of us were notably disappointed and we all have many years of loyal patronage to this location. Now what? read more

Omg I loved the flautas they were so damn yummy!!! I also love the atmosphere their service was awesome, the bar was awesome as well so much to choose from, next time I go out to San Diego I will defiantly be going there again. read more

My boyfriend and I love coming here for some awesome Mexican food! We enjoy the service and food :)

I was very disappointed coming here. The waiter seemed rushed even though we were the only ones in the restaurant. He saw me on yelp and tried to give a better service but it seemed just an act not a heartfelt service. The food wasn't worth I paid for. The portions weren't big, and it wasn't fancy and not very good. I've had better food at a small taco joint than here. Overall, it might be an okay place to go as a last resort, but other than that I would stay away. read more

Everytime I come to this location, there is the same waiter/manager or whatever that has the worst customer service I have ever seen in my life. He is rude and I feel that he intentionally ignores our table. When he finally gets around to our table, he says "what do you want?" "Come on" I'm blown away by how disrespectful this guy is and it disgusts me. HE RUINS THIS RESTUARANT! I have gone there for the last time so as long as that f***** works there. Not to mention, every time I bring my girlfriend he acts like a pervert, tries to flirt, and makes vulgar hand motions indicting sexual activities behind women's backs.. I am not exaggerating one bit. Besides all of that, the food is not bad.. read more

This restraunt sucks my friend and I went there a couple nights ago. We ordered a pitcher of beer and my glass had fly in the bottom of it. No comp or any hard feelings about it.... Yuck! After that we ordered a shrimp burrito & a carne asada burrito. Shrimp was ok , carne was awful dry in the shape of a square????? Wtf! I will never go back! Just gross!!!! read more

this location the best! The salsa is the best in all of El Cajon! The bar is very cute and creative. I did try to go in and eat one night around 8:30 and they were already closed. Just ended up going the next day for lunch, their specials are great. read more

No bueno. Ordered the fish taco lunch menu at it came as a pre-cooked triangle frozen dinner type of fish stick. Absolutely no flavor. My friend ordered the chimichangas and it looked like it was also like a packaged burrito hidden under a pile of lettuce and cheese. I've been going there on and off for years but won't go back after that mess. The only thing that hasn't changed is the bowl of carrots. read more

Outstanding service and delicious food. Always! And we have been coming here for years! The good food and the friendly service keep us coming back! read more

Best margaritas in all of Southern California. Excellent service with the nicest servers. Food came super fast and was delicious.

THE WORST SERVICE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!don't know my waiter name never said it, never checked on us booth was wobbly and took 2 freakin hours to arrive with our food. Then the waiter never checked on us if the food was good. Until i had to walk to the dishwashing area to get two waters and extra napkins that i asked for and never received from my unknown waiter name. All he said was sorry. Pathetic racist restaurant. read more

I wish they would consider offering something other than mole sauce for thier enchiladas ... like enchilada sauce? Just sayin'.

Perfect mexican cuisine. My family and I loved it also great service i would reccomend

We love this place! My husband and all our friends have been fans for years! The service is excellent, with the staff catering to our every whim! Their champagne brunch and the never ending glass of champagne is wonderful and my personal favorite, the machaca, is delicious! They have lunch and dinner specials that are excellent too! If you are ever in East County and looking for delicious food with great staff... this is the place to go to!!! read more

We came here as a recommendation from a stranger on the street...good call!!! The carnitas tortas with a side of sour cream were excellent with the toasted buns and all!!! The cucumber margaritas were also perfect with muddled lime and fresh cucumber and a salty/sweet-chili/tamarindo rim!!! Chips and salsa were great and service was fine. read more

Horrible Experience!! To start the waiter that set and served us was the rudest man I have ever encountered, he seemed as though we were a bother by coming in at lunch while they were empty. We received our food extremely fast, almost to fast. All of the four people in my party received disgusting food that appeared microwaved and when I bit into my soggy chimichunga I bit into a large piece of chicken bone! I brought this to the waiters attention and got a response of what would you like me to do about it, I explained that I'd like my food replaced with one that didn't come with bones in it, and I received the same plate back but picked through then covered with cheese. I will never eat at this place again and would recommend that no one else does! I guess I shouldn't be surprised as I was in El Cajon. read more