El Camino

TL/DR: Excellent, authentic Mexican food. Different from most standard restaurants. Definitely worth a try.

Why My Rating?
The food: I've become accustomed to Mexican food that is the same no matter where. From the chips to the last bite, this food felt homemade and amazing.

Food: We've had five different entrees here and each one was knocked out of the park. Exceeded our expectations. Ingredients tasted fresh. Note, drinks are cans or bottles in the fridge. After you order, get yours. Jarritos and Rojita, glass bottle 7up and Coke are available along with standard sodas, tea, and water.

Location: Right off of Lakeside Dr. near Walden Pond Apartments. Very unassuming place so keep your eyes open. Two rooster statues at the door.

Staff: Very hospitable. Definitely has the feel of a family run restaurant in every positive way. We were well taken care of.

Atmosphere: This is a small restaurant. Large groups may feel crowded. There are two dining rooms attached to one another with primarily tables for four. There is one table for eight in the middle.

Cleanliness: The whole place was exceptionally clean.

Prices: As expected for quality Mexican food. It is not cheap but it is worth it.

Best Mexican food in the area. Exceptional, authentic, and inexpensive.
Truly a gem! I felt like I was back home in California again!

Update: I went back after several years and it is still as awesome as ever! They have done a lot of upgrades, fresh paint, larger menu. This spot is heads above anything else in the area! The pork tacos, guacamole, fried plantains, were awesome!

Update: as of 9/10 prices have gone up $.90 per dish and also are charging for chips and salsa. Not that big of a deal, it’s still worth it.

This was my first time trying El Camino and it’s an instant gem in my book.

The chips and salsa were a delicious start. I like their style - along with the salsa, which was mild, they brought out two hot sauces so you can build the spice level up to your liking. The flautas were on point! Beans and rice are on par with the competition with the bonus of a small salad with a tangy dressing. The papusas were very good as well. All in all it was a delicious
dinner, we’ll definitely be back

Delicious fresh and so well seasoned! We have driven by this place for years and finally had an opportunity to stop in for an amazing meal. If you haven't been, you should go!

Absolutely fantastic food. The chips and salsa rank amongst the best I have had. The owners were very welcoming. Highly recommend.

Hands down the BEST in LYH. A taste of true authentic Mexican food. Order the Chips and Salsa. YOU’RE WELCOME. The homemade tortillas are like my grandma used to make. Flautas, baleadas, estofada, popusas are delish and don’t get me started on the caldo de res. Check em out! Ps. Worth the price point when you’re getting the real deal.

So good! We got pupsas, tacos and sopas. They were all really good! The sopas were our favorites. Service was great and the couple running the restaurant was so sweet. We will definitely go back. The menu there has more than the online one. There is no store or tienda in the building. Great place!

Good authentic Mexican food! I had the beef tongue tacos and my wife had the chicken enchiladas! The enchiladas were a really good flavor. The chips were really good house made chips. I would recommend the chicken enchiladas for next time!

Love this little jem .. this is really authentic Mexican food, the way mom used to make.. This place is my go to every time I feel nostalgic and want to remember my mom, she has long gone to pass but coming here brings me back to when I was 6 years old running around in her kitchen as she cooked with love the meals for the family, service is so friendly and accurate.. love coming here at least once a week..

The food here is amazing it's definitely not your everyday it was better in almost every way made fresh and fast the chips was so hot and fresh the food by far best breakfast we had in years we had the Honduran breakfast. It's a nice little place on the side the road it's easy to miss if not looking. Give it a try for yourself you won't be disappointed.

Yesterday evening my husband and I decided to go to the older location of El Camino since the newer one on Fort Ave had closed. This was our first time ever eating here. I will admit I have driven by it many times and never thought it looked like much and wasn't sure what it would be like inside or what the food would be like. For starters it isn't very big but they do have another small room off to the side with a couple of tables. We also saw a customer stop by to pick up a to go order and when we arrived there was a young couple there eating and while we were there another couple came in and sat at the same table the young couple had been at earlier. I was impressed with how clean it was too. It's not fancy by any means but the service we received was very good and the waiter checked on us frequently to be sure everything was good or if we needed anything. I had won a Gift Certificate earlier and was goung to finally use it. The chips they served were homemade and tasted good. We got a nice size bowl of good salsa and 2 different kinds of sauce we could add to it. One was a salsa verde and other a hotter red sauce which my husband used. I also ordered the guacamole dip ($4.25) which came in a large bowl and one of the best I ever had!! Full of lots of fresh ingredients. In fact it was much better than at the Fort Ave one. We had plans to go see a movie (The Greatest Showman--- which was great!! Even my husband enjoyed it) after dinner so we decided to just share the Fajitas Texanas ($11.00) which came with rice and beans plus your choice of corn or flour tortillas. My husband got flour and I chose the corn. Unfortunately I didn't remember to take a photo of it till we had probably eaten close to a half of it. The only thing I wished was that the shrimp had been bigger. They were on the small side. 😔 But I personally liked the flavor of everything. I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of the menu. That was sort of funny about the menu, the 2 we were handed were all in Spanish, so I asked him did he have some in English. He did and brought us 2. There is one small unisex bathroom, however definitely NOT handicap friendly, but it was clean. They weren't busy and we were there close to 6:00 p.m. Please go and give them a try. You don't have to drink an alcoholic beverage to enjoy Mexican food!! I know I look forward to going back. 😎

I ordered takeout, pork tacos and chicken empanadas. The food was so good. The seasoning on the chicken in the empanadas was delicious. The food was ready in 15 minutes. Chips and salsa was also included. The dishes were fresh and seasoned and cooked very well. Very glad they’ve reopened.

Really good Mexican food. Pleasant no rush atmosphere, love the empanadas, beef pastor, chorizo. Have never had even an average meal, always good.

Food was delicious and very fast! Perfect portion size and atmosphere.

The people care. The food is amazing. The building is clean. It's the most authentic plate in town where you can sit and enjoy inside

Food was authentic and amazing. Staff was friendly and attentive. This was our first time but we will be returning and soon!

They have the BEST homemade empanadas and tortilla chips in town. My coworkers and I frequent here and it never disappoints.

Amazing food! We were a group of 12 people and every item we ordered was loved by all. Thank you!

The food was great! I had the gorditas and they were delicious. Everything came out fresh. I would definitely come back for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to try more from the menu! Highly highly recommend. The people working there are very nice too!

El Camino it’s back open
Good service, good food and clean place.
Menudo and mix nachos are good. Made with homemade chips.