Vaqueros is located in the cute, updated section of downtown Pendleton. Even though it doesn't always have the best reviews online, I think it's the best Mexican spot in the area. The servers are super nice, and the food comes out fast, which is always a plus. I ordered the steak nachos, and the portions were great -- I really loved them. The chips were loaded, and it was definitely enough food. My friends got tacos, and they looked really good too. Overall, I really like this place and believe it's the best Mexican restaurant around. Definitely worth a visit if you're in Pendleton. read more

Vaqueros Mexican Restaurant - Steak nachos - Mexican Near Me - Pendleton, South Carolina

I'm giving the place a Five. We went with friends who frequent the place and highly recommended it. We all 4 got various combinations and permutations of chicken tacos. Several of us ordered them custom made. Everyone enjoyed them. Well prepared. The chips were crispy. They brought a warm bean dip with was great. They also have a salsa bar in the back with quite a variety of salsas to fit any taste... the spicy pineapple salsa was tops on my list. We had beer, wine, margaritas... across the four of us. Everyone liked what they got. The wine menu is basic, they have a bar so whatever you want is available, they had a nice selection of beer appropriate for the Mexican theme. We will definitely be coming back. Oh, we got there at 5 and were the second table occupied in the place. By 5:30 the place was full. So, on a Friday night be aware that the place is popular. read more

Upon entering this empty restaurant (about 1:15 pm on a weekday) we waited about 2-3 minutes for hostess/waitress to get up out of the back table booth where she was on her phone to seat us. We were within her line of site when we entered the door. But it took her that long to finish up on her phone and seat us. She also took quite a while to come take our order. When she brought my #9 lunch, I saw a dark course hair on the cheese covering the burrito. Upon pointing this hair out to the waitress, she remarked that it was "just one hair". At that point we got up and left. Glad I saw that hair before we took our first bite. Never again. read more

Amazing food and staff, service is very quick. The food tastes very authentic. Salsa bar is an amazing edition. Come here, please.

Always have good service and good food. They also have a fully stocked bar, and will make anything you ask for

Food was good and fresh but service was poor at best. Our server brought our drinks and walked away. After about 20 minutes, watching our waiter walk around, another waitress asked if we had been waited on, took our order and left. After our food was delivered, our original waiter asked if we needed anything, my drink was empty so I asked for another drink which never materialized. I will probably not return, too many choices to need to endure poor service. read more

We waited 30 minutes for our order to be taken, and then half the food we ordered came out cold and tasteless. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant if you're looking for something fresh. read more

We stopped in on Christmas Eve. The decor is attractive, with everything being in bright warm colors and stained glass light fixtures. Everyone was happy with their meal. The employees were nice. read more

Vaqueros Mexican Restaurant - Seating on the right hand side of the restaurant. - Mexican Near Me - Pendleton, South Carolina

See all

My husband's ACP had a lot more queso than mine. When I told the waitress, she laughed at me and said, "the guy pours it from the same spoon." Laughing at a customer? Clearly the cook didn't scoop as much queso for me! Then I found a HAIR in my food! The waitress refused to come to our table so I never saw her again! And we still paid for it! My husband also waited a long time with an empty drink! The "ambiance" was people mopping an hour before close! NASTY, do not recommend this place!! read more

Vaqueros Mexican Restaurant - HAIR in my food!! Disgusting!! The waitress refused to come back to our table so I never saw her again!! A joke!! - Mexican Near Me - Pendleton, South Carolina

The Burrito Vaquero was the best I have ever had. Lean chicken, beef and shrimp, smothered with cheese sauce and generous sides of beans and rice. Not the greasy mess you get at most burrito joints. The chips were fresh and warm with very tasty salsa. The service was impeccable. A great value. read more

I've been going here since August of 2022 and the food is always excellent. The service is quick and reliable and the ambiance is always good. The salsa bar is a major go. The food is always at an affordable price and is served fresh everyday. read more

Camarónes Equivocado (shrimp done wrong) Of the four of us, we ordered one order of Camarones Diablo, that would be Devil's Shrimp, think very spicy, and one order of Camarones Diablo medium Mild. The mid 30's women waitress was excellent. However, when the waiter brought the food, we pointed out both plates were just grilled shrimp, and that the order was Camarónes Diablo. The waiter said "we have lots of hot sauces on the sauce tray, help yourself. You won't notice the difference." Right. If we wanted Shrimp boring, we could have ordered it that way. To be told to go to the sauce tray, and we wouldn't know the difference... WTHeck? Frankly, this may have had the most boring Mexican type food in the SC Upstate, and we eat at Mexican Resturants almost weekly, from Abbeville, Belton, Honea Path, Anderson... I can only think of one place worse than Vaqueros. I paid for the meal, but I won't be back. The 30 year old women waitress was excellent, but she never came back to check the order after it was served by Mr I don't give a cr*p. read more

Do not come here if you're looking for even a halfway decent margarita. It tastes like nothing but old mix that's been sitting all day. Asked them to make another one and the server told me they can't bc it's pre-made. And I'm still being charged for this nasty margarita that's pre-made been sitting all day and I can't even drink it. read more

Finding authentic hispanic restaurants in South Carolina can be tough, especially towards the more rural parts. I came across this place and decided to try it out. Upon entrance, I noticed it was very clean and seemed to be very well organized. I was not too impressed with the menu as it seemed to offer the same things as most americanized hispanic restaurants. I opted for a chicken burrito as it was the safest bet. I enjoyed it and I also got to try one of their ground beef tacos but I was not as impressed. Be careful at restaurants like these too as they can really get you with additional charges for things you would usually expect to be standard. All in all, I enjoyed coming here and it seems to be a fair restaurant for any type of outing, but does not seem to offer anything different or the full cache of hispanic food. read more

I've gone here on two dates and its always a winner lol. Margaritas are to die for and food is always on point. waiters are the best and always let me practice my spanish with them-which is so helpful read more

This was our first time visiting and they hit it out of the park! Immediately after being seated we were provided chips and salsa and our drink order was taken. We then ordered and our food came out super fresh and hot. It was delicious. I ordered the vegetarian fajitas, and my niece ordered the spinach quesadillas. And the margarita! Wow! Had no idea the large was so, well, LARGE! But yummy! Overall a wonderful experience and we will definitely be back and often. read more

Vaqueros Mexican Restaurant - Large margarita! It's huge!!! - Mexican Near Me - Pendleton, South Carolina

Great vegetarian options!! This is my favorite Mexican place around! I usually get the Vegetarian E (cheese quesadilla, bean burrito with queso, and cheese enchilada). The perfect size! Top it off with Fried Cheesecake for dessert. YUM. Always has my Togo order ready in 10 minutes or le read more

See all

Tasteless fajitas that seemed like they were frozen and boiled. Bland, hardly any onions or peppers.

Came here for years for the good margs. Last time I went in, the marg was so weak I couldn't taste any alcohol in it, and I ordered it with an extra shot. Told the owner, who made the drink. He told me he could bring me an extra shot of tequila. Charged me for it and decided give himself a tip, and never brought a receipt. After years of coming here, I'm sad to say all of this is unacceptable and I'll be happy to never come here again. read more

Excellent place!! Great food , wonderful atmosphere. Good service!!! The staff very friendly helpful the prices are just right, not expensive. We had an excellent visit and will make this a regular place to eat. I can't wait to go back. read more

Vaqueros Mexican Restaurant - Wonderful food , good service, this is an excellent place to have a delicious meal. Totally awesome!! - Mexican Near Me - Pendleton, South Carolina

See all

My favorite place to love the people that work there always feel welcome when I walk in. I probably eat here way to much but I don't have a problem with it read more

We stopped in Saturday 1/8/22 Our food was served to us and the plates were hot but the food was barely warm. There was so much sauce in the plate that the main dish was very soggy to say the least. The meat in my food had a terrible taste. Husbands plate was not good either, we left most of our food on the plate when we left. We ate there last summer and everything was pretty good, I can say I'll go back again, It was that bad! read more

Was looking for some quality Mexican food while in the South and Vaqueros did not disappoint. They start us with chips and a bean dip. I also loved that there was a free salsa bar to try as many different salsas as we wanted. For dinner, I had Alex's combo, which was rice, chicken, shrimp, grilled fajita veggies, and queso. It was a delicious combination. The grilled chicken was so juicy and flavorful. Overall, a great place to grab some Mexican food! read more

This is not mexican food, bland. Place is dirty too.

This is what I would consider to be the best Mexican restaurant in the area. The atmosphere is colorful and clean. The salsa bar is a fun addition to the experience- definitely try the hot pineapple salsa if it is available. The restaurant had a steady flow of customers, even when I arrived at 9 pm. The food was delicious, and the menu has plenty of options- more than just a list of combinations. I did not try any alcoholic beverages, but intend to try one when I return. The only disappointment of the night was the attention of the server. Our glasses were frequently empty with no one to refill them. Other than the service, everything exceeded my expectations. This is a great, inexpensive Mexican restaurant with a fun atmosphere. read more

Vaqueros Mexican Restaurant - a variety of soups - Mexican Near Me - Pendleton, South Carolina

See all

We sat down and ordered our drinks and waited about 10 minutes to get a tea and a water. Once we got them, we ordered our food and that was the last time we saw or waiter. I order NACHOS... literally beef, cheese, and chips and the beef was completely raw/undercooked. There were pieces of pink beef all throughout my plate. We then had to flag down a waiter he tell him in which he responded with "Oh no. That's tomato!" It's kinda hard to mistake raw beef for tomato so I responded with "no that's pink meat. I can't eat this." He then walked to the computer, printed out ticket, and told us to go. Our ticket was $24 for a shrimp quesadilla for 4 shrimp inside and an appetizer plate of cold nachos with raw beef. While at the restaurant, between two people, we had 1 water, 1 tea, and 1 edible, yet subpar, dish. Please don't go here. We won't be back. and everything tasted like old grease. read more

Thursday night we went to dinner at Vaqueros and had probably one of the most sub par experiences we have had in the Clemson Area. I had the 3 El Pastor tacos and the meat was okay but sort of hard. They of course charged extra for cheese on the tacos. Wife had Hawain Quesadillas and thought they were no 3 1/2 out of 5 stars. Our friends got two other dishes that came out very soupy and were not very good. We could not get the waiter to bring a bill and they could not figure out to split the bill. So we gave up and just paid as one. Overall took almost 20+ minutes to get a bill and pay. This is truly a subpar restaurant. We will not be back read more

By far the best Mexican food in the upstate. Service is top notch and the food is absolutely spectacular. We've tried several different menu items and they were all delicious (my favorite is the Burrito Jalapeño and my fiancé's favorite is the Bell Pepper Special). Whenever we have family from out of town visit they ask to go to Vaqueros. Also, I have a lot of food allergies and the staff goes above and beyond to accommodate them. read more

Just been there for the first time, the food is very delicious and inexpensive, the restaurant is clean and tidy. Will come back again. read more

See all

Will begin by saying that this place was packed after the Clemson Victory Parade and celebration. When we walked in most of the tables were full. The host checked in with us twice to let us know they were clearing a table. Once we were seated, the chips and a bean dip were brought out fairly quickly, but our server neglected to mention that they had a salsa bar. We couldn't see it from where we were sitting. We ordered pico de gallo which we had to ask for again. Corona had no lime sadly. Our food took a long time to be served and the server check in was nonexistent. On the plus side, the restaurant was clean, had atmosphere, and the molacajete was hot and flavored well. We might give it another try on a less busy day. read more

Rude service, go to Fiests Grill 2 in Pendleton for much more friendly staff and better food!

Really cute Mexican place in the quiet town of Pendleton. My favorite part has to be their self-serve salsa bar, which includes mild, medium, hot, pineapple, and black bean salsas! Their chicken fajitas are some of the best I've had (and I only get chicken fajitas at Mexican place). It never seems to be super crowded, which is nice. Vaqueros is very reasonably priced and they give you very generous portion sizes. Also, they have SO many options. I'm sure I'll be back to try them all. read more

If I could give this place negative stars, I 100% would. I've been eating here since I started going to school in Clemson. Always thought the food was decent for what you paid for. Nothing too crazy. Until recently...came here a few days ago for a cheap dinner after class. I was the only person in the restaurant the whole time and my server never checked on me. She gave me my food and that was that. I had to wait 10 minutes after I finished eating and my plate was collected until I even received my check...annoying considering I was in a rush to get back to campus for class. Worst part about this whole experience is I checked my bank statement and this place decided to give themselves a little extra $$$ on the tip. Not sure how a $6.50 meal with $1 tip comes out to be $11. Never eating here again. Do not trust this place. The service sucks and they'll tip themselves extra for it. read more

Loved are experience dining at Vaqueros. Nice atmosphere. Great selections. Tried the recommendation from server, don't remember the name but had various meats & veggies served in a lava bowel. Good margaritas. Decent prices. & we now order Taco salads to go several times a month. We live in Central/ Clemson area & have dinned at all the mexican restaurants in the area, but found the food and service was far superior at Vaqueros read more

Food is good. Service is usually good. Maribell, Alex's wife, has an attitude though.

The salsa bar is a nice touch. The food is good and the price is right. My only complaint is that the small margarita are really small. So take my advise and get the bigger size! read more

If you feel like going to a restaurant and sitting at a table for 15 minutes without even so much of a look as from a waiter and witnessed numerous DHEC violations while you're sitting there by all means visit this restaurant. Me and my family of 4 will take our business elsewhere. read more

Best fajitas hands down. Great service and atmosphere. We heard great things about the chicken soup and were not disappointed! Definitely worth a try! read more

This place used to be the greatest Mexican restaurant in the upstate. Since those days, it has lost its lust. There are new workers that are incredibly ignorant. One of the waitresses failed to ask for the ID of a young person who was purchasing an alcoholic beverage; said person was clearly under 40. Also, watch when you pay your bill as sometimes the cashier will attempt to charge too much. Whether this error is out of negligence or mistake, it has forced me to reconsider this establishment. read more

Could have been better than OK, but will have to settle for just 3 stars. After the two last Mexican Restaurants I have eaten, this does not match their culinary experience. The salsa bar is OK but nothing that will wow you. For this area it was reported as one of the best Mexs around, but there can be some fixing up to do to bring another star or two out. read more