El Vaquero Menu

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Visit below restaurant in Mattoon for healthy meals suggestion.

Visit below restaurant in Mattoon for healthy meals suggestion.

  • Cory H.

    I was visiting town for the weekend and met with local friends for Mexican here, they raved about it. We ordered the Molcajete stew (Shrimp, Chicken and beef), it was delicious. The chips and salsa were great and the service was top notch. I ended up eating here 3 times throughout the weekend and every time,everything was excellent. I will definitely be back!!!

    (5)
  • Bing F.

    You have to make an effort to screw up Mexican food; it's not rocket science. Thankfully, El Vaquero gets this. However, don't expect just the usual fare from this Midwestern Mexican joint. An inventive menu featuring staples alongside offerings like paella, molcajete and a boatload of seafood torments the indecisive soul. I don't generally like to order ocean munchies too far from said ocean, but I was curious about the seemingly voluminous love for all things salt-watery. I ordered the El Vaquero Seafood plate - grilled fish filled with shrimp, served with rice and grilled vegetables. Cheap at $9.99 and quite good. The shrimp and tilapia were tasty; veggies included broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, lettuce and tomato and there were also mushrooms and onions. I almost didn't want to put sauce on it. But sauce I must. Place is small and was packed when I arrived; a good sign. Service was excellent and atmosphere was strip-mall charming. Quite a nice stop in the heartland. You should make it too.

    (4)
  • Ann S.

    Food was flavorful, the tacos if you ask for hard give you Taco Bell style taco so for me next time I'll stick to soft. I was assuming hard was fried. Nevertheless food was awesome and prices were definitely fair. I don't live in the area, just passing by to go down south and yelp had great reviews for this place so figure it was worth taking a detour to avoid fast food chains and I'm extremely happy I did. Would visit again

    (4)
  • Dave C.

    We were looking for a good place for lunch en route from Carbondale to the Chicago area. I pulled up my handy dandy Yelp app and saw this was highly rated. So... we stopped in. 1.) The place was packed (we were lucky to get a table on a Sunday at lunch) yet we received top notch service, answering any questions, and quick to get food. 2.) We had a lot of it - we were hungry - yet left feeling full. 3.) The menu was very large - things for any taste - from authentic Mexican to gringo Mexican 4.) The price was excellent for what you get. 5.) The workers are genuinely spanish speaking and know their menu and how to explain to those of us who might be confused. GIve it a try.

    (5)
  • Kelly H.

    Great food, good service, cute patio for nice sunny days & beers. I usually go for the pollo mexicanos. Lots of cilantro and cheese with chicken, rice, and beans. Try it!

    (4)
  • Amanda M.

    I went in at 830pm and was greeted like I was the first customer of the day! Very open friendly staff. Eager to please. I had awesome chicken chilaquiles and 2 well made margaritas.

    (5)
  • Makenzie H.

    I love this place! Their salsa is to die for. The staff is always very nice and attentive and never let your drink go empty! Even when they are busy they are very courteous. I love their food and we are regulars.

    (5)
  • Matt U.

    We stopped in to El Vaquero on a lovely Friday evening and were greeted with some excellent old school signage and some slightly older inside decor that both reminds you and declares that this place is gonna be good! The beer selection is standard Mexican restaurant with all the normal must haves. The Margaritas come in large and kiddie pool size - we saw one walk by that small dogs could chillax in! Chips and salsa were excellent with some great flavor from the salsa. The entree's were really solid - in fact some of the better standard Mexican we've had in a long time. The molcajete we enjoyed primarily by my better half, but we all had a little and wow was it good! The lava pit of cheese, chicken, veggies and shrimp was amazing - some of the best we've ever had. I enjoyed the carne asada tacos and los tacos son buenos! The dudes helping us out were very nice, attentive, and provided an endless supply of chips = A+. If we lived in town, this would be our spot for standard Mexican food!

    (4)
  • Gary H.

    I think this place has been in business 5 years, but this was our first visit. Very attentive and courteous staff. Excellent food. We will for sure be back.

    (4)
  • Vicki M.

    Ate here for the first time today. I had the tilapia lunch special. I was surprised how large the filet was and it was excellent! And served with lots of different vegetables. I asked for some guacamole with it and got a large portion. Chips and salsa were great, salsa was nice and fresh (bland but a little Yucatan Sauce fixed that). Service was excellent. My husband had a burrito, he thought it was ok, he was less impressed than I was.

    (4)
  • Kim B.

    The service is outstanding and the food is delicious. Combine that with reasonable prices and you have an awesome place to eat! The chimichangas are delicious, I recommend the shredded chicken. My husband loves the playa plate that has steak, chicken and shrimp covered in their delicious cheese dip and served with tortillas. Haven't had anything there that I didn't like. Salsa and chips are delish as are their nachos and quesadillas. I also appreciate that any of the servers that are running around (and I do mean run, they are always hustling) will get you anything you need, not just the server that takes your order.

    (4)
  • B. W.

    Was in town for business and stay at the Hampton(NICE). Had a taste for Mexican food, so drove to El Vaquero. It's clean, great service and outside seating. The margarita was weak, stick with the beer. I had the chili rellonos- ok, steak taco - great and tasty, chicken enchilada - ok, beans and rice - ok. It was worth a try, but I won't go back. Many other choices near by. Plus it was inexpensive.

    (2)
  • Jordan S.

    Good food. I think that there are some good dishes that we really enjoy. This is plan B if we do not go to Los Portillos in Charleston. We really enjoy this place though small, and the food is just the right serving size. Salsa is very fresh and delicious.

    (4)

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Map

Opening Hours

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Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : No
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Dinner
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
    Outdoor Seating : Yes
    Waiter Service : Yes

Categories

Mexican Cuisine

If you enjoy Taco Tuesday, then you have officially fallen in love with the Mexican Food. The main grain of Mexican cuisine is maize. Also known as corn, maize is grown for the past 9000 years after the crop was discovered by the people in Mayan civilization. Mexican empire flourished when they started growing beans, tomatoes, chili pepper, sweet potato and cactus. Till this date these ingredients are used in cooking authentic Mexican dishes and drinks.

Great use of spices, fresh chili pepper dishes like fajitas, tortilla chips, corn chips, salsa, chimichangas, burritos, nachos and quesadillas are invented in America. But when you are looking for authentic Mexican food then you must find a restaurant in the city that serves Rajas con Queso, Garbanzo in a Guajillo Chile Sauce, Pork Filled Chiles Rellenos, Chiles en Nogada, Molcajete Salsa, Pico de Gallo and Frijoles de la Olla. An eye-opening fact – Mexican don't like their food hot. They use fresh chili and other spices to create a flavor that lingers in your mouth.

Mexican food is great for those who are Gluten Intolerant as they use Corn instead of wheat in most of their dishes. Also, you can easily find many beans based Mexican dishes. Another dish which didn't get similar glory as tacos or nachos is the Mexican hot chocolate. If you love something hot on a chilly day, then go for Mexican Hot Chocolate. On merry days, you can enjoy the authentic Mexican Drinks like Tequila, Mezcal, Tecuí, Sotol, Bacanora, Charanda, Posh O Pox, Puebla and Pulque. Mexican Cuisine is for people who enjoy strong drinks and hearty meals.

El Vaquero

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