El Rodeo

Ordered lunch on 1÷13÷2016.
They usually do not deliver, but the order was big, so they offered to deliver. And they brought it hot, which is very nice.
The vegetarian enchiladas were excellent. Everyone liked them and they were the first one to get over. Guacamole was average, I’ve eaten better ones. Salsa was not hot, maybe because the person ordering asked for mild. I would have preferred hot salsa. Refried beans were just ok. I found them pasty. Beef chimichanga were good — from others feedback. Chicken mole rancheros were ok, not the best. Potato enchiladas were very good.

A tale of two reviews…
Not sure how to write this one. Let me start by saying the food at this El Rodeo location is consistently good. I have no complaints there. Tonight my wife had the chicken enchilada platter and I had the Cancun burrito. Both were very well executed. I have had the Cancun before and it’s a consistent performer.
Here’s the not-​so-​positive part. The reason we went to El Rodeo tonight because Wednesday night has «House Special» margaritas for $ 1.99. It seems like every time we get a hankering for Mexican it is Thursday and we end up saying «we should come on a Wednesday» so tonight we did. We sat down and I ordered 2 House Special margaritas and pointed at the sign. The waiter said ok and asked if we wanted them on the rocks. We did. At the end of the meal, he asked if we wanted another. Having been 30 minutes we did.
At the end of the night the bill came and those four $ 1.99 margaritas were $ 25 dollars. So i grabbed our waiter, Pointed at the sign and asked didn’t we order the House Special Margaritas? He said, «yes, those are them but those are the really tiny ones.» I paid the bill. Part of me wanted to be sanctimonious and loud but we did drink the larger size that may have been 50% more margarita but 3−4x as costly. What place decides to change your order for you?
I won’t go back to this place… Too bad since it is minutes from my house. But always had great service and equally good food at the Camp Hill location. Adiós, Mechanicsburg El Rodeo.

Mexi-​can or Mexi-can’t? That is the question. They are, just OK. They are your standard, commercialized chain Mexican Restaurant in suburbia. We latin Americans seek something that tasted like our Mami or abuela (granny) made it. Rodeo doesn’t do that for me.
I have held out for awhile to review these folks.
Pros, the food is tasty as far as getting a meal goes. Their rice is not the best nor their refried beans (they taste like the canned kind I get for taco night at my house) Their meats could use a bit more char and spice to it. Again, this is Americanized Mexican food.
Would I come here for food? Why not. Their Carnitas is yummy, their steak is sizzling and their fajitas are tasty. They have a great drink menu as well. Their Aztec soup was amazing. Perfect for a cold day or to clear up your sinuses a bit.
Authentic? They try, but it seems they play it safe for the «gringos». Still, their food sticks to the gut, and fulfills the mexican food craving for a reasonable price.

Understaffed. Server was very scarce to be found at times when she was there she was rather good and attentive. The main meal was not that good. Half of it was less than room temperature warm, the taco was rather watery and drips all over the plate (and you could clearly see a watery puddle on the plate from it). The rice was looked more like a colored paste than actual grains and rather mushy texture on the tongue. If you are larger in size the tables become a tight fit as well when sitting so if you have a larger waist bring the butter to slide in. The only saving grace that made it 2 stars is the margarita was quite good as well as the black bean soup. Good and hot with sour cream on the side was perfect but then it’s mostly broth onion and beans so a bit harder to mess that up. While I feel the quality of El Rodeo in this area has gone down over the years drastically this by far has to be at the very bottom of the list of them. Save your money and find another place to eat. If you want to just stop in for a drink then it should be an ok place.

If I could give them negative stars… I would. Let’s start with the service. One waitress to serve the entire restaurant. ONE. The food… arrived 45 minutes in to our visit… and was warm and honestly… even if it was hot… was still sub par. No drink refills… because the one waitress obviously had her hands full. I lost an hour of my life, paid $ 30.00, and wish that we would have just eaten at Taco Bell. It would have been faster, cheaper, and probably tasted better.

My seafood nachos were good but not great. Margaritas rocks was good and priced well. Server was attentive. Place was clean.
I will return to try the entrees. Not overly impressed but not awful.

If you want a quick meal on your lunch break and don’t want fast food, El Rodeo is the place to go! Service is always fast and friendly. The Meals are always hot and their prices are affordable! Highly reccomend :) (And for when your off the clock, the house frozen margaritas are to die for)

This review will be based off my 2^nd time here. I don’t usually go places I don’t like twice, but it really wasn’t my decision — So, they’re lucky they got business from me.
Basically, if you live around here, it’s like a low-​quality Fiesta Mexico. There’s no doubt in my mind that Fiesta Mexico is so much better. The food was alright, the menu’s look so cheap, the people that work there are far from friendly — or that’s probably because they don’t speak any English. The lady that did speak English anyway — who was our waitress — was far from that as well.
They only have one bathroom (for each gender) in this whole place. Are you people serious though? Do you know what Mexican food does to us Americans??? Apparently they don’t know, or else they would have numerous stalls for us.
And I would really love to know why they have two El Rodeo’s not even 5 miles away from each other? Does one suck even more worse than the other?

Slowest. Worst. El. Rodeo. Ever. And there was hardly anyone else there as an excuse. Greasy chips and quesadilla with hardly any cheese. Bathroom about on par with a gas station bathroom.

Excellent. We are new to the area and were looking for a good Mexican place. We got right in and the food was great!

Is three stars a bad review? Some may think so…
Never had soup in a Mexican restaurant before. The menu was quite extensive. At least 8 kinds of soup… but this is where the fairly tale ends. 98% certain that 6 of the eight were all the same: chicken broth, chicken (or no chicken), oinions (or no onions), tomatos (or none), and some rice/​noodles (or not). All for 4.75. The descriptions varied mildly, but all described the above.
What showed up? A mild chicken stock soup, with a bunch of diced onions, tomatoes, cilantro and something that resembled orzo. Tasty. Filling. Perfect to help ease cold/​influenza symptoms.
Mexican Chicken Soup for the Soul.

And now for the truth!!! Anyone who rates this 3 stars or higher, probably needs to leave central Pa and experience some other culture.
Is this Mexican food? Any self respecting Mexican would roll over in their grave! This is more Tex-​Mex in my opinion. What we can all agree on is this is 100% glorified Mexican fast food.
Chips and salsa, OK. Drinks are weak. Entrees are unremarkable. They do show up at your table 5 minutes after you order, so you tell me?
Keep your expectations in check and this might scratch your ethnic food itch.

Generous portions, fairly inexpensive, cheery atmosphere, good service, quality food and drinks. Overall good experience. I was pleasantly surprised with my visit to El Rodeo. I’m a bit of a food snob, especially so for Mexican, and given the location (e.g., not near the Mexico border or close to a large Mexican/​American population) they did a very nice job.

I am from the West Coast and have not been able to find a decent Mexican Food place since moving to this state. This is surely not even close to good. The wait was long, food was poor and the service was very, very slowww…

Simply the best Mexican food you can get ’round these parts. All of the El Rodeos (two in Mechanicsburg, one in Camp Hill, one in Harrisburg, one in Carlisle, and one in Lancaster) are fantastic, and God bless ‘em for being able to pull off such consistency. Their homemade salsa is a dream. Fajitas are outstanding, as are enchiladas. The Parrillada Mar Y Tierra is also a home run. The nachos supremos appetizer has a nice mix of beef, chicken, and cheese. Guac can be made fresh and is good, but not the best. For the best fresh guac, you have to go to Plaza Azteca in Reading.

We stopped here while traveling through the area, and food was pretty good. I had the Carne Asada Tacos, which were great. The steak was cooked perfectly, not chewy like they sometimes are at Mexican restaurants. Huge menu, they have everything you could imagine. The only thing I would avoid is the cheese dip. You could probably make better at home.

El rodeo has never ceased to amaze me. Its menu is VERY extensive, with so many options that it seems impossible to try everything in one lifetime. The food is consistently delicious, it comes out REALLY fast, and comes at a great price. They also have great unlimited chips and salsa.
My usual pick is the Grande Dinner ($ 10). I love the grande dinner because it offers a great sampling of what El Rodeo has to offer (beef taco, chile relleno, chalupa, beef burrito, beef enchilada, beans, and rice). Plus, i never finish it (as the name implies). If you’re not feelin’ the grande dinner (or if you’re in the mood for seafood), i would suggest the shrimp enchiladas ($ 9) or the fish tacos ($ 9). El Rodeo always seems to have fresh and perfectly cooked seafood.
Anyway, if you’re looking for a great local mexican restaurant, this is the place to go.

I’m sad to say that this place went from a favorite in the area to pretty much wouldn’t eat here except maybe for chips and salsa and a margarita. Service has slacked. Food is terribly inconsistent and even downright bad at times. This past summer sealed the deal for me. I am moving on!
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My absolute favorite Mexican Restaraunt. The chips and salsa sooo yummy. The guac is great too. Try the Molcajete or Carnitas for your main course. Or the fajita served in a pineapple shell. And of course everything tastes even better when paired with a Margarita. They offer a number of flavors.

OK amigos. This is typical Tex-​Mex-​ified food modified for the American palate (or shall we say the uneducated American palate). Lots of cheese, beans, and mild sauces.
However, if you want the best of that type of food, this is the place to go. They have a great lunch carnitas that has smaller pieces of crispy pork mixed with a blend of salsa vegetables. When I order it I ask for it on the spicy side and I have to admit that you will sometimes pay for it the next day.
They offer the typical combination dishes and some really good a la carte options as well. I love their a la carte tamales — not made with pork but the flavor is good. Their fajitas are also good. Even if you don’t order the fajitas, chances are that you’ll be hovering at the end of your booth seat, drooling over them as they pass by. They smell soooo good and the sizzling sound definitely grabs your attention.
The other nice thing is that if you want a festive atmosphere you’ll get it here; where tropical colors and themes flourish. Bright colors, and a little terra cotta goes a long way towards setting the mood. On certain nights you can even catch a mariachi band.
Unlike many other Mexican restaurants in the Central PA area, they do have a liquor license and they do serve some nice drinks. An ice cold Negro Modelo along with a spicy plate of carnitas makes for a nice meal. You can usually taste the tequila in your margherita which is a nice change from the places that pour with such a light hand that you get to the bottom and wonder why you’re not feeling anything.
Of course, don’t forget the chips and salsa that they serve. Their chips are very thin and crispy — always served warm and with a good dusting of salt. Their salsa is also good — not too chunky but with a good body and good flavor. I could eat the whole basket of chips and have been tempted to drink the salsa directly from the container. But I have to remember to leave space for the entrée. I’m a salsa snob and this is one version I wish I could purchase in a bottle or jar.

Tucked next to my CVS and Ye Olde Ale House on Carlisle Pike, this El Rodeo (I believe there are 3 or so in the area) is the best one.
They have an ass outside that I took a lovely picture with. The staff is friendly and helpful and the food — actually warm. Impressive.
The Mole Poblano is EXCELLENT. Some of the best I’ve had. Yummy. Just don’t fill up on the chips and the AMAZING salsa.