El Merendero

So the service was pretty decent. There was a moment when our party of 3 wanted salt and we had to get up and go get it after waiting for so long.Other than that, the service was very acceptable but nothing over the top. Very kind waitress. The food. Good but nothing spectacular. We had to add salt. But honestly, maybe we like salt too much. Pretty generic and basic food with what seems not very much effort into its preparation. Loved the option to sit inside or outside. Nice little ambiance to the place. Maybe because we went on Father's Day they were busy and rushed. But Definitely a place I will return to so I can give more of a critical review.

1 Star Review: Absolutely Terrible Customer ServiceI have been a loyal customer of El Merendero Restaurant for nearly 40 years and have always had great service. So imagine my dismay when I recently encountered the worst customer service experience in the history of going there.I almost always order the same meal: Mojo de Ajo, refried beans, jalapeño potatoes with extra jalapeño, and a side of pico de gallo. When I stood at the counter to give my order, I asked for the #94 Mojo de Ajo. The employee, Vicky, had no idea what I was talking about. I explained that it was the #94, but I did not want salad and wished to have the aforementioned sides.When my order came out, I seldom check because they always get it right. However, I noticed my side of pico was missing. When I asked about it, I discovered that Vicky had not included it in the order. I had to have it rung up separately. I took my order home, happy with anticipation, only to open my food and discover the order was completely wrong--no potatoes, no beans.It was extremely upsetting, made worse by Vicky's demeanor--non-smiling and mean-spirited. I should have verified my order given her attitude. This review is strictly about the absolutely terrible customer service I received from Vicky. I understand that customer service is hard--I did it for years myself--so I am always aware that it costs nothing to be nice. I am absolutely disappointed that El Merendero would allow such a person to represent them.On a positive note, I must give Ashley 5 stars. When she found out what happened, she asked me to come back and had a new meal made for me. Kudos to her for salvaging some of the experience.

Definitely will be back! Great service and delicious food! Can order outside or dine in. Good size portions and wonderful flavor!!

My husband and I had dinner at El Merendero last night. I ordered the grilled fish off of the Senior Meals menu. It was absolutely delicious! I couldn't believe what a great value this was. It was only $8.99 and came with grilled fish, a huge portion of rice, and a beautiful salad. It also came with a large soda. My husband ordered a combination burrito with steak picado, beans, and rice. It was huge! He could only eat about half of it. He normally gets the chile verde burrito, but he said the steak picado was way better. He raved about this burrito, and he doesn't rave often. We both enjoyed our dinner and will visit again soon!

The food is 10 out of 10 The food is always on point. BUT the service is pretty bad. Some are friendly and some aren't. More than that the are bad at taking orders and forgetting things. Asked for napkins, FOGOT. Not a big deal but every time we go (weekly) it's something. Forgot to bring the tortillas or forgot to bring salsa. It's to the point we don't eat there anymore. Instead we take the food Togo.

My daughter and I were heading home from school and work a couple days ago. Freeway traffic was not the greatest. I decided to get off the freeway and take surface street. As I was driving along Fairplex Drive, I recall there being a Mexican restaurant that one of my friends and I ate at. It was really good. I wondered at the time if we would bump into it. Sure enough... we did. All things happen for a reason. We were meant to get off the freeway and be on our way to El Merendero.They have a reasonable size parking lot. There's outside patio seating with indoor dining as well. We ordered to-go from the order window outside. Staff was nice. However, I thought the order window was too tiny. I had to duck down to see the person taking my order LOL.Anyway, I got the shrimp ceviche that was very tasty... lots of shrimp and lime... I would get it again. Got the hard shelled carne asada and chicken tacos... I didn't eat the carne asada, but my daughter said it was better than the chicken. Chicken was a tad dry IMHO. Also got the shrimp ranchero plate with rice and beans... the shrimps were small, but plentiful... there's a nice spicy kick to it... rice was tough and beans were a bit fluid.I normally don't get agua frescas, but thought I try them here. I went with the jamaica and pina colada no ice. Get the large... it's only 25 cents more compared to medium. Jamaica was fantastic! Unfortunately, pina colada was way too sweet for my taste.We didn't dine here. We ate in the car since it was chilly outside and also to wait out the traffic. Overall, great tasting Mexican foods despite of a few things. We'll be back for more!!!

Food was great, portion size great, price was great! I only got a burrito and chile relleno, (20 bucks chile relleno came with rice, beans, and tortillas) so I can't judge the full menu. However, if you want a good burrito for pre inflation prices, come here!!! Your stomach and wallet will definitely still be full!! Food is gone, so no pic.

Paid $15 a bowl for menudo that tasted like it came out of a can. And one of our bowls even had a hair in it! Even the tortillas tasted stale. Sorry but I'm just being honest. Service was good but wouldn't come back here.

I'm conflicted and disappointed about writing this review. Read my other reviews and you will see I'm fair. I was really looking forward to eating here. My wife and I drive by frequently and it's always busy. So maybe it's just me or a fluke. We finished ordering just before 5 PM.I had the chicken fajitas and she had the enchilada style burrito. My wife was quite satisfied with her burrito. It was quite large, but reflected the $12.49 price tag. I found my $17.99 chicken fajitas to be lacking. The chicken was overcooked and dry. The chunks were large rather than cut to a semi edible size. A knife is required for this meal. The refried beans were soupy. The rice and beans barely made it halfway up the small sections of the to go box. The fajitas didn't make it halfway up the entree part of the container. Overall the chicken fajitas were a disappointment. I have a breakfast burrito to try in the morning, but I can buy one double the size a couple miles away for the same $10.The chips look to be tortilla strips that are fried. I will probably give them another try on a Tuesday to try out their street tacos.Sitting out on the patio was nice. It was cool out and comfortable enough.

We go often to this resturant and are always pleased with the food & service.Sometimes gets really crowded that's why it didn't get 5 stars.