I'm surprised at all the four and five star ratings Rudy's Mexican Restaurant has received. We have eaten here two times. The first wasn't good but we always want to give a place more than one try before we make up our mind, especially when there are so many good ratings for it. The salsa isn't anything to brag about. It is watery and has very little flavor. The chips were good. My husband and I split a combo that included a tamale and two cheese enchiladas. The tamale was dried out on one side and tasted burnt. The enchiladas were salty and the cheese wasn't melted on the inside. My parents split a combo as well. They ordered two beef enchiladas and one chilie relleno. My father said, "This is the worst chilie relleno I have ever had. It tastes like something you would get from the frozen food section." Their beef enchiladas were not very tasty either. The service had much to be desired. Althought the staff was friendly when we arrived, I had to get up two times to ask for a refill on our drinks. My husband had to ask for hot sauce twice and was almost finished with his meal before they brought it out. After bringing out the food, the waiter never came by to see how everything tasted or if we needed anything. I could understand the lack of service if they were busy, but they weren't. Besides our party of four, the only people eating there included a party of two and a large party of twelve. If you are looking for delcious Mexican food in Monrovia, I would encourage you to go around the corner to Enrique's Mexican Cuisine or La Adelita Mexican Restaurant. (Both are located on E. Colorado) We tried to go their first but they were closed for Easter. Our loss. read more

came here since it looks pretty OK from the outside, was here on Friday for the Monrovia farmer's market scene. after looking through eveyone's review, i can see why some gave it just 2 stars the food is average, not bad, just ordinary from what you expect from a Mexican Restaurant. however, the Rudy's margarita is so awesome!!! strong, and they give you the shaker which is like 2 extra drinks wound come back here only for their famous margarita and with bunch of friends read more

The employees here are very nice and the service is prompt. The portion sizes are also extremely generous. Well I wouldn't say the taste of the food is bland, I classify this pretty much as mediocre run-of-the-mill Mexican fare. read more

Came here with my husband and daughter on Sunday for lunch for the first time. I really enjoyed my meal. Everyone was super friendly especially the hostess. They weren't just fake friendly it felt genuine. I really loved their chile relleno the best one ive had so far. Will definitely be back soon. read more

Rudy's is a great Mexican place to eat! Great food, good service and Rudy is very friendly to all his customers.

Great chips. Great location. Friendly service. Good chicken salad. Prices are reasonable. So why three stars? I keep coming back hoping the food would be better. If you compare the food at Rudy's with some of the restaurancs in Old Town San Diego, there is no comparison. Will I go back? Yes, because its convenient, good service and the food is about a B rating. read more

I want to believe that the line-up outside was due to the fact that it was Monrovia's Friday street fair which brought in hoards of hungry people who hadn't discovered the friendly hummus man with free samples (not so strategically placed towards the end of the street fair). I don't know what Rudy's is like on any other day but our experience was not so great. Hoping just to fulfill a slight craving for some yumma Mexican food, I ordered a chicken quesadilla to share with a friend. The only thing I can agree with was the chicken and the quac. It was overly cheesy which made it overly oily and greasy. Other dishes we ordered was a carne asada burrito and a nacho platter. Everything looked like it was sopped up in that enchilada sauce and cheese. I didn't taste it, but it looked decent. I agree with the massive size of the burrito, but that's about it. Think for a second about these 3 dishes: Chicken Quesadilla, Carne Asada Burrito, and a Nacho platter. Should these dishes have taken ONE HOUR to make? They did! You'd think with all the goddamn time they spent in the kitchen, I should have been eating crystals or some sort of rare jewel. I got grease. Thank you, Rudy's. You're fortunate that I dined with a sympathetic waiter (Domenico's, you produce good people) or I would have talked you into a comped meal. It should also not take 30 minutes for your staff to notice that your customers have been slurping at ice cubes for a measly ounce of that tap water. 1 star for making such huge burritos 1/2 star for well made guac 1/2 star because of our waiter friend (which has nothing to do with you, Rudy) read more

Food sucked period. I ordered Cocido and the meat was bad...it tasted gamy and the corn was old and rotten, chips were stale. I would love to say average at best but this was below average. I hope it was just a bad day but I would never come back. Their is alot more options. The best thing was that they didn't charge me for my food. read more

I was pretty shocked (and saddened) to read so many negative reviews of Rudy's and figure I should put in my opinion! This is one of my favorite restaurants and almost everything off the menu is delicious. Wonderful chips and salsa (no bland pasty mush, it's more like pico de gallo), enchiladas, flautas, tamales, seafood dishes, and amazing sangria. The only things I can complain about: the lighting is pretty crappy, and the sopes aren't the best, but at least they offer them. read more

Margaritas were good! But thats about it. Everything else is bland. Not authentic Mexican food. Its like if everything comes out of a can. If a restaurant cant make decent rice and beans then what do you expect from the rest of the menu. read more

Location is what makes this place still so popular. Unfortunately, the more I visit Rudy's, the more I realize the inadequecies. The food is only so-so, the atmosphere is crampted and the decor is borderline tacky. There are much tastier and less crowded Mexican places in the area, such as Paco's down the street. read more

Rudy's is at best just ok. I've been here several times over the years and every time I go back I remember why it takes me so long to go back again. Mediocre food, high prices but the service is good. There are so many great Mexican restaurants in the LA area and this one is not great. Good but not great. It will be a long time before I go back but I'm sure I will. read more

The food is always good and the service is always great! I had a surprise birthday party here and everyone had a blast!

Food is really good very friendly feels Iike home. Drinks come out fast love me a Margarita lol aways come back here

Love love love their seafood chile relano. $9.95. large enough for sharing among fresh free chips & salsa. On Monrovia Commerce card, 10% discount if eat in, extra star! read more

Quite literally the best margarita I've ever had! However, there's a catch. You must go to Rolando in the bar area. I know my tequila and I know how to make a good margarita, but I can't touch this guy's natural talent! He uses fresh ingredients like agave nectar, fresh limes, and 100% agave tequila in his margaritas and they're fantastic. read more

okay.....is it gourmet????? NO....but the family that owns this place is so amazing...you will fall in love. They treat you like family. their pico de gallo standard salsa is not spicy.....but it's always fresh....the trick is to ask them to bring some of their spcy salsa to your table. AMAZING!!!!! I always get the smae thing...1 or 2 carnitas tacos a la carte.....they are always fubulous! I love Rudy and his family!!!! read more

Good food, decent prices, clean place. Servers need some work, but the owner was very friendly and stop by the table to say hi.

We LOVE Rudy's! Their salsa is amazing! The food is delicious, with generous servings. You'll have enough for lunch leftovers. I love the chicken tacos. The soup is a stunner. Rudy's is a regular visit for us. And the service is wonderful! read more

Margaritas were good, not great. Salsa (pico de gallo) was bland and guacamole was over-salted. I could have let that pass until I was served the worst Chili Colorado in my life -- the meat was tough and minimal (too much onion and mushrooms for filler) and the sauce was nearly flavorless - I could not eat it. The carne asada taco I tried was good, but had no spice or heat to speak of. My husband had the chili verde and said it was passable, but also lacked flavor, although he did eat most of it. Service was very good however, and I have to give the waiter a good rating because he took the chili colorado item off our bill. Even so, it wasn't worth the $60 (inclusive of tip) and I wouldn't go back. read more

Rudy's worst service and food. This is the third x this year Rudy's has messed up on our order even though we've ordered multiple times. Today for instance we tried ordering two regular tacos el dorado, (hard shell), beef, Rudy the owner couldn't understand what "el dorado" meant. It means hard taco shell, after we explained what it meant Rudy asked, "extra crsipy?". Rich never asked for extra crispy so I don't understand where Rudy ,,conjured up the idea for extra crispy. When we finally got done placing the order which took over 10 min. We asked Rudy to repeat the order 3x he got of wrong the first two x then finally after Rich and I repeatedly stated the order again Rudy finally got it right. When we got to Rudy's the order still wasn't ready even though it was right about 15min., we ended up ordering a Cadillac Margarita extra strong which they charged 10.95 + an extra 6.00 for an extra shot. Since when does a regular restraint charge 6.00 for an extra shot. When I worked as a bar tender and a waitress the restaurants I worked at never charged a 6.00 for an extra shot, it was an extra $3.00. When we finally got there for the to go order we still had to wait and I specifically asked for extra lime for Margarita, they didn't give me any at all, I had to ask 3 x for limes and they finally gave me 4 slices. The taco a LA carte was horrible, the taco shells were extra crispy and falling apart. I called Rudy's, ( he said he was the original Rudy that had opened up the original restaurant since the beginning). I told him I used to to come to the restaurant 40 years ago when I was working down the street. Rudy then told me he never worked back then so he's a liar. I asked only for a credit for the tacos he wouldn't give it. After we spent over 80 . Done, never will go back!!! The Tacoma were horrible, super extra hard on the edges and broken, couldn't even eat them, when I called Rudy he said, "You'll have to come by and we'll discuss it". Seriously? What an ___!!! read more

DINNER: One of the few places open on New Years Day evening. Got in from a flight out of town, looking for a quick meal. Rudy's ambiance is typical Family Restaurant - pleasant. We sat near window where one of the windows was open. I loved this; as did the table next to us; but my gf was cold. So something to consider if sitting near a window. GF ordered special - 2 taco's, they were large and she liked them. She also had 2 strawberry margarita's and liked both. I had the fish special (Red Snapper) but substituted "vegetables" instead of rice. The veggies were tons of onions and green peppers with 2 or 3 mushrooms. Mexican Restaurants as a group don't do veggies very well. I wish they had more diversity (zuchinni, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, red/yellow peppers) to go with the onions . No one is going to eat all those onions and green peppers it is just too much. And super greasy. Both the fish and the veggies were heavily salted - too much to my liking. I ordered a margarita with different Tequila than the "house"; but it had a funny flavor (not in a good way) - so I wouldn't recommend their Margarita's Next morning I had quite a bit of intestinal discomfort. Could be coincidence or my delicate constitution couldn't handle the heavy grease on the food + heavy salt. WAIT STAFF: Great, very personable and mostly timely. But unfortunately the combination of factors here will nix this place for a return visit for me. read more

The four stars Rudy's received is probably too high a grade. Came here because we wanted to support Monrovia businesses unfortunately, The only thing I liked on Sunday morning were the chips, salsa and coffee. Tried the buffet which had a varied selection. The food was luke warm at best How about some heat lamps? Also, having to reach thru the holder openings makes for a messy situation. Trying to get a server was also difficult and it wasn't even busy. Although, when I did get service it was hit/miss on friendliness. Really!! The only server that was attentive and friendly was Randy - kudos to you!! The strawberry filled churros were good. read more

My girl & I dropped on in early Sunday afternoon. I scored the buffet and she had tacos. we both liked the atmosphere & enjoyed our meals. as far as the buffet is concerned, I felt it to be such a great deal, so many classic dishes & fresh corn tortillas! We'll be back for another sitting. read more

The food was amazing! Delicious Chili Relleno and Enchilada. Service was great too! This is a must try. Not too expensive either

I wasn't impressed with Rudy's the first time I ate here, but thumbs up for their Cinco de July special on beer and margaritas. $5 for 32 ounces of beer- doesn't get much better than that! read more

This steak salad was delicious, and so what their champurrado. Came here in the evening on a Monday night. The waitress was nice and attentive. read more

Family owned and run personally by Rudy and Rosa ... good food and great drinks. I have never had a bad meal there or bad service.

Excellent service, food and drinks!! Rudy is SO personable and welcome all his guests. The salsa is delicious and super fresh!! Johnny keeps the drinks flowing and top shelf. We love this place!! read more

$5 specials..good..but no tortilla soup!? How is this possible for a mexican restaurant? Its like going to an Asian place and there is no miso or tom yom soup! read more

This review is for the 3 things I always grub on at Rudy's: 1) The posole - OUTSTANDING. The best I've ever had. 2) Sopes (lengua) tender and flavorful 3) chips & salsa - perfection! My family and I eat here frequently - we love it! read more

The food is average, I gotta admit, but we love coming here because of the service. You can't help coming back to a place like this because the service is fast, they attend to you 100% and their Rudy's Margarita is out of this world. :) read more

This place serves generous portions at a reasonable price. The food is not bad either. I had a burrito, but had to pay extra for sour cream and guacamole (seems like the norm nowadays though). My husband had the rib eye, which was pretty good. The restaurant makes their own habinero (sp?) sauce, but you have to ask for it. The waiter brought us three kinds and called it "the good, the bad, and the ugly." I didn't try any of them, but my husband said the ugly one was really good - definitely added a kick to his dinner. Their tortilla chips are also pretty good - very crispy, but the salsa needs a little spice. I would definitely eat here again if I'm in the neighborhood, but I won't go out of my way to dine here. Overall, a good restaurant. read more

Had the chicken mole...it was excellent. The chips and guac were good as well!

Dropped in for lunch yesterday and had never been before. Good pico, really good hot sauce and yummy potato tacos.

This is such a great place. The Chili Colorado is the best I have ever had!!! Delicious!!! Staff is great , prices are reasonable!!!! 5 Stars for sure!!!! read more

We had Rudy's cater our wedding. They were very helpful in selecting the menu, and the food was fantastic. The price was very reasonable, and there was plenty for our guests, and enough left over for a second party, the next day! read more

If you ever find yourself, driving thru Monrovia looking for a great place to eat, you gotta give Rudy's Mexican Restaurant a try. The food is excellent, and in doubt, try any of the Rudy's specials. The atmosphere is very pleasant. The chips and salsa are always flowing. Best of all, you may even meet Rudy in person. Rudy will greet you and will get to know you. Always wanting to make sure that you are well treated. read more

I have known Rudy and his family for many years and I enjoy every moment when I get a chance to go in and enjoy a meal and cold beers - Thank you Rudy! read more

Omg good food! I love authentic Mexican food and this place nails it! You gotta try it. Great service too. Seriously my new favorite Mexican restaurant. I will be comparing this place to any other I go to. read more