Tacos El Mexicano

Mighty Mushroom burger. 1/2 pound patty. Remarkable…read more Garlic Parmesan fries. Some of the best in the industry'. Milkshake. Showstopper. So smooth. Simple but so good. Such a gem in a small city.

We came to the Pennant after dinner for dessert. They have a pretty long list of sweet treats and…read moredrinks. Our server wasn't sure what items were gluten free but took the time to check, which we appreciated. We ended up splitting a PB Chocolate Madness, which was plenty of sugar for both of us. The Pennant had TVs tuned to hockey and basketball playoff games, arcade games, and a bar area. It was a bit loud, but we enjoyed dessert and checking out the playoffs games.

Entrance

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Deano's at Deer Creek

4.0(3 reviews)

1.0 mi

Stopped in for breakfast. I had biscuits and gravy. Biscuits are homemade. Gravy was…read moreoutstanding. Not your usual wall paper glue you get at most breakfast places. I had two slices of red eye bacon that we were told is smoked by the owner. It was delicious as well. The decor has not changed much from its previous owner. But that's not an issue. The service was outstanding and very friendly. The hours are a little different. Breakfast from 7-10 am Wednesday through Saturday. Lunch 11-2 on the same days. It's worth the drive for breakfast. I will be back to try lunch.

I have been here several times because I want to like the food. I really do. I kept going back…read morebefore writing this because I wanted to be fair to the owner and make sure, I wasn't just catching them on an off day. Unfortunately, after multiple visits, I can confirm: it was not a fluke. It was a pattern. A very salty pattern. The good first: Every single time, the staff has been fantastic. Friendly, helpful, and honestly carrying this place on their backs. The food also comes out hot, and the restaurant is clean, which I genuinely appreciate. Breakfast The sandwich with egg, bacon, garlic aioli, and brioche bun was actually good. The egg and aioli did their best to negotiate peace with the sodium levels, and somehow it worked. The cozy rolls, when served warm, are excellent. Emphasis on warm. Once they cool off, the magic leaves the building. The sides were overall solid and pretty consistent. Lunch The meats are always well-cooked, both in texture and flavor. The burger was also cooked perfectly every time, which makes what happened next even more confusing. The sides were generally great, though the cheesy potatoes seem to spin a flavor wheel before service. One visit they were rich and creamy, the next they seemed to have lost the will to live. Now for the rough part Breakfast The breakfast is, without exaggeration, wildly salty. Not "a little heavy-handed." Not "seasoned generously." I mean "did someone drop this directly into the Dead Sea?" salty. It was the only meal I had that day because I could still taste it hours later. I wasn't digesting breakfast so much as preserving it. The redeye bacon had a good texture, but any trace of pork or coffee flavor had apparently been arrested and removed from the premises. No syrup was served to balance it out, so what you get is not that classic redeye flavor -- just a full-force sodium uppercut. I don't know if it's the brine or the cure, but wow. The biscuits and gravy were a real struggle. I usually love biscuits and gravy, but this felt less like breakfast and more like a personal challenge. I couldn't taste the sausage, there was no hot sauce available on any visit, and the only real notes coming through were salt and grease. It had visibly separated to the point that it looked like the gravy had given up. My only suggestion there would be less salt, less grease, maybe unsalted butter, and a better stir before it hits the table. Lunch The burger was cooked well, but it mostly tasted like meat wearing a tiny decorative amount of coleslaw and sauce as an accessory. It needed more flavor and more of everything on it. One extra note For those of us who used to come for the Cup of Heaven back in the day: it's not on the menu unless you Frankenstein it together yourself. I understand there's an effort to move on from the past, and I'm not trying to compare the old place to the new one. But when something was that beloved, it might be worth keeping around. Some ghosts deserve to haunt the menu. Overall, I really wanted this place to win me over. The staff is wonderful, the restaurant is clean, and there's clearly potential here. But right now, too much of the food tastes like someone in the kitchen is being paid by the grain of salt. -

Our Bodega-Style Bacon Egg and cheese sandwich comes with house-smoked red eye bacon and garlic mayo.

Deano's at Deer Creek - Our blue plate special is a little bit of everything. Hash browns, 2 eggs cooked how you like, bacon and a half order of biscuits and gravy.

Our blue plate special is a little bit of everything. Hash browns, 2 eggs cooked how you like, bacon and a half order of biscuits and gravy.

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Island Grill Caribbean & American Restaurant

4.7(6 reviews)

1.8 mi

OMG!! My stomach is very happy! Spice levels were perfectly flavorful. Had the Jerk Chicken and…read moreJerk Burger. Bring the whole family!

The staff were extremely polite and accommodating. While the music was a bit loud we asked to have…read moreit turned down a bit and he graciously accepted. The food was a bit spicy for being mild but had a ton of flavor. They were unfortunately out of the oxtail, shrimp, and snapper so we ultimately only had meat as the only choice. But otherwise flavorful and would definitely recommend for a new place to try.

Island Grill Caribbean & American Restaurant

Jerk Chicken. Rice. Sweet potato. Cabbage.

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Front Restaurant

The Shack Bar & Grill

4.2(70 reviews)

1.5 mi

Good food, very good service. In my area of town. Good place to take the kids after a ballgame.read more

There is not much to this place as far as ambience is concerned. It's a bar with TV's, beer, and…read moresome of the best food you can find. The burgers are outstanding. Maybe the best in town. Service is quick no matter how busy they are. Try it and you won't regret it.

Inside of Restaurant

Burgers were fantastic and staff was super friendly. Awesome family atmosphere and will for sure come back. Highly recommend!!

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Outside

Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant

3.7(621 reviews)

2.9 mi

We are visiting from out of state, and Blind Tiger was highly recommended to us by the gift shop…read moreattendant at the History Museum. The building is a cool old building with a vintage vibe. Service was a bit slow, and we were disappointed to find they were out of barbecue for the day. However, the food overall was good (albeit pricey), and the beer was excellent. I had the fish and chips with a side of creamed spinach and it was flavorful. Others at my table enjoyed the fettuccine Alfredo, wings, and burgers. I appreciate that the server provided a free dessert after spilling a water on one of our diners. Overall, I would return, though I have some qualms after reading some other reviews, particularly relating to hygiene.

Nine years ago, I gave this place 5 stars. Today, they get two…read more Ordered the Cajun Chicken pasta. The pasta itself was good and so was the bread that comes with it. The chicken however was like rubber. I ate half a small piece and put the rest to the side. My husband had the Pulled Pork platter which is normally good. The meat was really dry. I ate all the pasta and told our server about the chicken being like rubber and she stated that she's mentioned that exact thing to the cooks but that maybe if a customer complains they would possibly listen. What made me a little annoyed though was that I ate none of the chicken yet they didn't at least bump off a few bucks off my meal. The service was fine but I feel like over the years this has become my last choice versus my first choice.

Bar Area

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Cook's American Grill

4.3(60 reviews)

4.0 mi

I had occasion to visit the VA hospital this week for an 8am appt, and wanted breakfast once the…read moreappt was done. My husband asked about a chicken friend steak, so I Yelp'd and low-and-behold, Cook's is really close to where we were. I was raised in a small midwestern town, and this, folks, is a quintessential midwestern diner! I didn't snap a pic of the menu, but ordering is done at the register and all the prices are very reasonable. I ordered a coffee & western omelette, which came with a side of hash-browns and biscuit. The coffee, very standard diner percolator brewed stuff, was fresh and the perfect consistency. The food was served quickly by a cheerful waitress who came by a few times to continue to check on us. My husband was very pleased with his chicken fried steak, hash-browns, eggs and toast. My breakfast was well-portioned; not a huge plate but definitely ample, fresh and tasty! The best part of the experience for me what the cleanliness of the dining room. Not fancy- utilitarian carpet, linoleum table tops- but so clean, fresh and well-tended. It seemed busy for a Thursday morning; more than half the dining room was occupied, and the low storefront of the building is easy to miss, but I was confident these customers were regulars. We don't live in Topeka, but this is now my fav restaurant there, so I plan to return!

Really great place for homemade food. Have tried many items on their menu and everything has been…read moreamazing. Great staff with real from-scratch cooking in proper sized portions at great prices, especially when you consider the quality. Last trip we had a pork tenderloin sandwich with veg beef soup. Other one had a pork loin dinner with mashed potatoes with white gravy, green beans and a roll. Highly recommended.

Pork tenderloin sandwich with beef veg soup

Meat loaf dinner and of course I always add hot sauce

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Pork loin dinner with mashed potatoes, green beans and roll

Yolk House

2.8(29 reviews)

2.2 mi

OUT OF BUSINESS at this location: This has been closed for a few weeks now with another new owner…read moresaid to be taking over. Then this was posted on the door recently.

I tried this place with my family over the weekend and was really not impressed…read more It seems like they only had one server and she was doing her best to serve the entire place but I saw other staff sitting at the bar. My own family member had to go up to the bar and ask if they needed help, they finally got up and started serving food that was sitting in the window. It took us 45 minutes just to order anything. Our server was extremely nice and doing her best, the only reason I've given them two stars. Half our order came out cold, the other half the food was taste was very bland. I ordered the sweet tooth french toast and was very disappointed. It's as if they just smeared smuckers strawberry jam over my two thin pieces of toast. The bacon tasted very odd, it immediately made my stomach hurt. Probably will not be back to this place and do not recommend wasting your time.

Crispy chicken burrito

French toast with eggs & bacon

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Tropical crepe

Chuckburger

4.5(33 reviews)

0.9 mi

Leonard Meat is a butcher shop in Topeka, Kansas, known for high-quality, USA-grown meats,…read moreincluding steaks, sausages, and marinated chicken, with a second location on SW Gage Blvd

I honestly struggled to find some good meals in Topeka. This place showed up as a good burger spot…read moreso I drove on over for lunch. Let me tell ya--- plain and simple, this is a good burger. Well seasoned, perfectly grilled meat, juicy----genuinely I hadn't eaten a burger this good in a long time (and as a Texan, I'm pretty picky on my beef and burgers.) I was actually pretty shocked, and while eating kept staring at the burger waiting for it to release it's magic secrets to me. This was easily one of my favorite meals while I was in town and I'd recommend if you want to eat with a smile on your face.

We're you can have your meal they have a table bench.

This is the double hamburger with the order of onion rings and large Coke half-ice .

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This is the front of the restaurant Chuck Burgers part of the drive-thru on your way out.

Bradley's Corner Cafe

4.1(147 reviews)

2.6 mi

This cafe/diner is the real deal! Let's start with the magical words, "breakfast served all day,"…read moreand then continue with a list of about twenty kinds of pie!!! I enjoyed the breakfast quesadilla for lunch - and took home half to enjoy tomorrow. Added a piece of delicious peach pie (in a brilliant move, I traded half of my slice for a sample of my friends strawberry rhubarb) My friend ordered the hot turkey sandwich. Everything was delicious and the server was cheery and kept the drink refills coming. The only thing stopping me from sampling my way through the menu is I'll have a hard time not repeating my original order, I enjoyed it so much!

$5 for all lettuce salad, Philly so greasy tore of half the bread dripping grease. Service was…read moredecent. Mediocre diner fare is being generous, but may be the only eatery nearby for locals. Perhaps breakfast is better. Large menu. Happy to support local cafe.

Second community room

Smoked Cheddar Burger with onion rings

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Cafe on the corner

Sammichiz

3.0(2 reviews)

0.6 mi

Will update this review once I actually try the restaurant, or once the restaurants information has…read morebeen accurately updated. I'm not sure what was going on the day I tried to make an order, but based on Yelp and Google's information, the restaurant was supposed to be open on the Saturday. I called their number, someone answered without indicating their business name and then didn't acknowledge me at all so I ended up hanging up. I tried another number which was disconnected, so possibly an old number. I tried calling again after 5 and 10 minutes and each time it would ring and ring and then go to a "you have reached a text mobile number" message. Okay, so maybe they were just busy and couldn't answer their phone? So I asked a friend of mine who was on her way to see me if she would mind doing by to place an order for me. And I gave her the address, from Google maps. She called me when she was at the address and told me there was nothing there. I even tried texting, since the message said it was a text number. I said I was wanting to place an order for pickup and there was no reply, not even to tell me any information like "wrong number", "were actually closed". Is the business closed? Are the hours, phone number, and/or address inaccurate? Is this a food truck? If so, there is nothing on Google or Yelp or their website indicating any of this information, at least not as of Saturday the 29th. I was really bummed out as I was looking forward to trying the food here. It seems to be a cool and delicious restaurant and I think it's important to support small local restaurants, so I try to whenever I can. I was here visiting family for the weekend and I hope whatever is going on is clarified online so this doesn't happen to other willing customers. I am going I can try again when I'm back in town in a couple months.

The onion rings are outstanding!!!! Will be nice when they…read moreget a food truck. Will definitely have to try again on the food.

Dounut Bacon Burger.

Fisher Po Boy

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Stuffed Onion Rings

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Kiara K.

10

7

0

11 years ago

Stopped into this place based on the positive reviews and WOW! Didn't know we had Mexican food this delicious in Topeka, but I am so glad I found it. Ordered the two taco plate with beans and rice - pretty delicious! I was a fan of this place and will probably come back with friends in the future :) Try it! read more

Jamie A.

14

6

5

9 years ago

This place is amazing!!! Never would expect it but it's a must if you are on I-70, the tacos are so yummy.

Lori M.

1

17

9

4 years ago

The Food was great and the service was great. I would recommend this place if you want great Mexican food

Ashley C.

0

3

0

13 years ago

Love this restaurant. good service and the best authentic food.

Tacos El Mexicano - mexican - Updated September 2026

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