Taqueria el Jalapeno

Great food, super cheap. The guacamole was so good I ended up eating it with a spoon.

Not much to look at… okay, completely devoid of ambience, but the food is excellent and authentic! Carne Asada was perfectly seasoned and cooked. Lots of times, the rice and beans at Mexican restaurants seem like afterthoughts, but not here. They were on par with the rest of the food. Burrito, flautas and enchiladas got enthusiastic thumbs up, too. Although the chips were greasy, they we deliciously thick and crispy. Really liked the two salsa offerings, too. 4 meals and tip came out to be about $ 45.

Very authentic. Great tacos and I add the red sauce to everything. Plenty of flavor and everything tastes like homemade. We had the guacamole and it is terrific. Very clean and two tvs showing mexican soap operas during the week and soccer on the weekends.

We Ordered steak fajita: 3 stars
Burrito: 4 stars
Mexican Steak: 2 stars just because the steak is soo thin and small, soaked in tomato sauce
Small restaurant but clean. Overall it’s a good dinner

Excellent! Everything we had was over the top! Especially their house made guacamole.

Solid taqueria. Carne Asada and chorizo tacos were tasty. Salsas were flavorful. So much better than fried fast food.

very good food. I tried other mexican plces and always come back to this. very good price too

It was chilly when we got in. No ambience, but it is a classic hole in the wall so I was in! The waitress was young and sweet– just a little clueless. We brought a bottle of wine– she asked if we wanted glasses lol. We asked for plates for the chips and guacamole– she brought one for three of us. But she was sweet. My friend asked A LOT of questions and she was very patient. I got the chile relleno special with rice and beans. Creamy beans, perfect rice, classic chile relleno. Average portion, but was barely warm. Would have been great hot. The guacamole appetizer was awesome. My friend got a tamale and raved about it. She also got the tacos and seemed pleased. I took home the flan for later and ate it last night. It had a sticker on it from another local mexican restaurant/​bakery. Pretty good. Excellent prices! I would definitely order for take out or delivery.

This place is amazing. I would eat every Friday after classes were out at the LCCC school, never a disappointment. You know what I like?! Consistency, great food and prices! Best mexican in LV.

Best Burrito ever I had! Every food is amazing

I’ve never been to Mexico so I can’t say I know what real tacos are. That said, these are far different from those you generally find around here and boy are they good. I had the carnitas, spicy chicken, and Al Pastor. I like spicy and these were spicy. All were excellent. Price is right and service was lovely and prompt. This is on my way home from work and will become a regular stop, I look forward to making me way through the menu.

We’re in a Mexican food desert in the LV so I was very curious about this place. I’m vegan and while there wasn’t a lot of English being spoken I conveyed «no meat, no cheese» and they cooked me up one hell of a burrito; tons of fresh crunchy identifiable veggies mixed with rice and beans. Best I’ve ever had! The guacamole was perfect and my daughter loved her beef tacos, sprinkled with fresh cilantro. There were little pots of red and green salsa and I loved the cebollitas. Everything seemed prepared to order; we were there at 6 on Saturday night and the place was filled with Mexican diners and outgoing take out bags. Proof positive! No, it is not in a nice neighborhood and no, atmosphere is not what’s going on here but the food rules. Oh and I should add: we had two dinner platters, a heaping portion of guacamole, chips and salsa and cebollitas and the bill was 20 $.

Superb!!! If you’re looking for some serious tacos, generous enchiladas, scrumptious fajitas in a no-​nonsense rustic authentic Mexican place — el Jalapeño is your place!!! Amazing!!! Such a refreshing surprise! Our best dining experience in Reading! Truly delicious food!

Bottom line: Best mexican in the Lehigh Valley. Just believe me. I have been to almost all of the rest and this one takes the cake.
Nestled away in a very unusual, hard to find (for those not in the area) locality on the cusp of Whitehall and Allentown lies the best mexican restaurant in the area. I recommend driving there from the back (the roads behind aldi’s and popeyes so you can access a larger parking spot).
A quick look at their menu and the mouth watering aroma from the kitchen right in front of the dining room will tell you this is as good as it gets. Start off with their delicious tacos or tamales. Or for the more adventurous, their sinchronizadas (ham and cheese quesedillas). I highly recommend their panbasos (mexican sandwiches). For your entrees, you can a wide range to choose from. Enchiladas, huaraches, burritos, chimichangas, meat and rice, nothing here will disappoint, and I have tried almost their entire menu. For those in the mood for some soup. Just try their caldo de res, it will blow your mind.
Finish off your delectable meal with some of their delicious tres leches cake and wash down your meal with some horchatas or maybe some Jarittos (tamarind soda). There are a lot of mexican restaurants in the area, but if you are looking for the very best. Look no further. this is it!

The freshly made chips and 2 types of salsa, the perfectly seasoned rice and beans topped with a slice of avocado… I had a steak quesadilla which was so simple yet fantastic. I cannot wait to try more of their dishes. Another plus is that they deliver to a 20 mile radius. SO GOOD and as authentic as it gets!

Best authentic tacos I’ve ever had.
If you’ve never had an authentic taco, forget the cheese, hard tortilla, and lettuce. This is two white corn tortillas wrapped around your choice of meat (make sure you try al pastor), some onions, and a lime. I’ve had these from a few places and this is by far my favorite.
I recently got a burrito here. It looked okay, but wasn’t as good as I’d hoped. I’m probably just sticking to tacos from now on.

so excited to find a hole in the wall mexican restaurant. having lived in mexico and being well versed in all mexican recipes from so many regions, i couldnt wait to eat here.
1. prices were great.
2. dining room was super clean and tidy.
3. had some parking
4. you get salsa and chips when you sit.
FOOD.
1. very tasty. well seasoned and mostly satisfying.
2. we ordered many things on the menu and was still a total of under $ 39
salsas are really good both the green and the red — which they give you with the free chips. and those chips btw are fresh and best you are going to eat in Allentown and maybe even the county.
PROBLEM.
1.we sat down at 6:40pm and ordered right away. first dish came out at 7:25 pm. super slow for Mexican which can be cooked super easily. Not to mention, it was tostadas that basically take 4 minutes to heat the tortilla and build. so the time delay was un-​explainable.
2.we ordered fajitas and they didn’t put the tortillas on the side so we asked for tortillas –. took 20 minutes to get them. then the food was cold.
3. sweet young girl was our waitress and clearly no one has trained her. I felt bad for her and she was trying but it was impossible for her to organize. she has all 6 tables sat and it was just her and she also was doing the register. Which she was not familiar with and needed the kitchen to come help her.
4. The waitress despite being Mexican didn’t know anything about what comes with the food or how the dish is built. or even if it has rice or if they sell a bowl of beans a la cart. Thank god there are pictures on the menu!!!
We saw in the glass case the most coveted Mexican cake ever! TRES LECHES –. what a sad disappointment! it was cake mix yellow cake and then a bad rendition of tres leches. it was pre-​cut and in its own clam shell case but when i got it, they had added Hershey’s syrup to it. DISGUSTING. I’m almost tempted to make one and let them see and taste the possibilities.
RECOMMENDATIONS for your meal…
1. try the Sopes. add lots of their salsa and enjoy!!!
2. try the Tostadas! a little messy but delicious!!!
3. Enchiladas poblanas were tasty but cold. would be a fabulous dish if it would have come out hot.
over all … I would give this another try. I might call ahead to make sure what I want is not «out» (they didn’t have tamales) and I might even start ordering when I get off the freeway so its not such a long wait.
In Pennsylvania you can BYOB it is up to the discretion of the restaurant owner if they will allow you to drink alcoholic beverage there.
I cant help but wonder if they speed things up and organize, if the place would be packed day in and day out???
i posted a photo of the dining room last night while we were there… and one of the dishes and the menu so you can see prices. The menu says open 7 days and they had some breakfast on the menu. they open at 10 until 8pm

Had the steak quesadilla, and it was the best quesadilla I have had on the east coast. This is a spot that you should go to for some good Mexican food

Had their caldo de rez (beef stew) and it was DELICIOSO!!! Big chunks of veggies and meat and SOOOO satisfying in this cold weather. My hubby had the chilaquiles and they were equally delicious! The staff was courteous and the service was quick. I will def be coming here again to try their tamales and tortas. Very authentic so if you’re not into spicy then might at well head on over to Taco Hell. :)
P. S. They offer free Wi-​Fi

This an authentic Mexican restaurant I would say more of a dive than a restaurant but very clean and the food is outstanding
When I say Mexican I mean Mexican
The owners are two friends that came here from Mexico and decided to start this restaurant from scratch
I travel a lot with my wife and we’ve been to Mexico but this food is the picture perfect of authentic Mexican
If you like Mexican food and you are in the area this is your best bet