One star for the chips & salsa. Our waitress was friendly; however, she forgot about us as she cleaned the doors of refrigerators and chatted with a lot of other people. She completely forgot about us. I had to flag her down to get more water. Our queso came out with meal although we stated we wanted it for appetizer. The fajitas were NOT sizzling and in fact, cold. Good flavor though. My husband's burrito was bland. My kid's chicken strips were flimsy, small, and not good. I don't understand how this place gets such high ratings. The lack of quality and service made this a bad experience. Forgetting she had customers is main reason why all of our food was cold. Just awful.
davepU9635CS
An excellent Mexican food meal. Queso and guacamole are good and reasonably priced. Carne Asada, tacos, quesadillas. Most expensive thing on the menu was $14. Seriously recommend that you skip the over priced restaurants and eat here. This was our best meal in Carlsbad.
Scott R
Had the buffet ..... TERRIBLE!!! Alsups would have been a better choice! There was nothing at the buffet that was worth the bite.
This place was amazing! We loved the food and service. Huge portions, we all needed boxes. The burritos were excellent.
Nelson M
Truly authentic, fast service , great food, big menu and very reasonable prices. I got better service here than in several other "high end" restaurants in this area. It is very popular and sometimes it can be very busy and you'll have to wait to get a table. Overall this is a great place, happy to recommend.
Jay Sanchez
I love chekos
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jon E
We were looking for somewhere to eat after a long day of driving and found El Jimador. It was perfect, the food was very good, prices were reasonable, and the service was decent. There was live local music while we were there, which was a real treat.
We live in Wisconsin and have way better Mexican food. Additionally, they brought out the wrong food twice and never checked back on us to ever correct it. I would not recommend this place. We rely heavily on Trip Advisor ratings while we travel and are disappointed that this was rated the best Mexican restaurant.
jen850
Was busy, but they got us a table well under the 30 min wait they quoted. The menu is huge, with every combination of taco / enchilada / burrito / tamale you might want. The prices were good. We were there past the time it said on the door that they closed, but it was still bustling.
Leatherstocking88
This is a lively family restaurant with outstanding New Mexican food. Many people who grew up with this cuisine were there for couples or family dinners. We had the carne al pastor and the beef chimichanga, both of which were as good as we have had. The wait staff is hard-working and friendly; the margarita was first-rate, and a filling dinner for two came in at about $40.00 before tip. Definitely a find!
Lisa N
The place is bustling with young and old alike, all enjoying the great food and generous portions. The owner is friendly and obliging and does all he can to make everyone happy - and he succeeds!
SilverBadgerAdventur
We have gotten take out from El Jimador three times in the last month, spending about $60 each time. While the Tex-Mex flavors kept us coming back, each take out order had missing or incorrect components and today's order was the last straw as our fajita order was missing any tortillas and our burrito had no gravy & cheese which I had requested on the side. In addition, the beef fajita meat was so tough, it made my jaws hurt to chew it.
Best breakfast burritos in town hands down!! ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One star for the chips & salsa. Our waitress was friendly; however, she forgot about us as she cleaned the doors of refrigerators and chatted with a lot of other people. She completely forgot about us. I had to flag her down to get more water. Our queso came out with meal although we stated we wanted it for appetizer. The fajitas were NOT sizzling and in fact, cold. Good flavor though. My husband's burrito was bland. My kid's chicken strips were flimsy, small, and not good. I don't understand how this place gets such high ratings. The lack of quality and service made this a bad experience. Forgetting she had customers is main reason why all of our food was cold. Just awful.
An excellent Mexican food meal. Queso and guacamole are good and reasonably priced. Carne Asada, tacos, quesadillas. Most expensive thing on the menu was $14. Seriously recommend that you skip the over priced restaurants and eat here. This was our best meal in Carlsbad.
Had the buffet ..... TERRIBLE!!! Alsups would have been a better choice! There was nothing at the buffet that was worth the bite.
Best menudo in town !!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Guacamole, Chicharron, Chile Relleno, Chorizo
Good food truck, breakfast burritos are heavy and
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Ham
This place was amazing! We loved the food and service. Huge portions, we all needed boxes. The burritos were excellent.
Truly authentic, fast service , great food, big menu and very reasonable prices. I got better service here than in several other "high end" restaurants in this area. It is very popular and sometimes it can be very busy and you'll have to wait to get a table. Overall this is a great place, happy to recommend.
I love chekos
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We were looking for somewhere to eat after a long day of driving and found El Jimador. It was perfect, the food was very good, prices were reasonable, and the service was decent. There was live local music while we were there, which was a real treat.
Restaurantji Recommends
We live in Wisconsin and have way better Mexican food. Additionally, they brought out the wrong food twice and never checked back on us to ever correct it. I would not recommend this place. We rely heavily on Trip Advisor ratings while we travel and are disappointed that this was rated the best Mexican restaurant.
Was busy, but they got us a table well under the 30 min wait they quoted. The menu is huge, with every combination of taco / enchilada / burrito / tamale you might want. The prices were good. We were there past the time it said on the door that they closed, but it was still bustling.
This is a lively family restaurant with outstanding New Mexican food. Many people who grew up with this cuisine were there for couples or family dinners. We had the carne al pastor and the beef chimichanga, both of which were as good as we have had. The wait staff is hard-working and friendly; the margarita was first-rate, and a filling dinner for two came in at about $40.00 before tip. Definitely a find!
The place is bustling with young and old alike, all enjoying the great food and generous portions. The owner is friendly and obliging and does all he can to make everyone happy - and he succeeds!
We have gotten take out from El Jimador three times in the last month, spending about $60 each time. While the Tex-Mex flavors kept us coming back, each take out order had missing or incorrect components and today's order was the last straw as our fajita order was missing any tortillas and our burrito had no gravy & cheese which I had requested on the side. In addition, the beef fajita meat was so tough, it made my jaws hurt to chew it.