El Mariachi

Delicious food, healthy portion sizes, friendly service, and less-​cheesy-​than-​most interior. Chips and salsa are usually fresh, tasty, and of course, on the house. Everything you could ask for in a Tex-​Mex restaurant.

We were surprised and delighted by this restaurant! The food is DELICIOUS and authentic. The waitresses were friendly and attentive. Best of all was the enchiladas mole! It is so rare to find mole on a menu, and too often it’s some weird peanut butter/​chocolate sauce hybrid that doesn’t deserve the name. This was some of the best mole I’ve had in years. My husband also enjoyed the fajitas and the plethora of options, as well as how quickly the food was delivered despite the restaurant being packed. He wished he’d noticed the horchata before we’d left — maybe next time. My toddler loved her mac and cheese kids meal (we subbed rice and beans for the fries). All in all, a great experience. We’d definitely come again!

This little hole in the wall is a diamond in the rough. At first view, I was expecting the worst (food poisoning, maybe botulism and possibly cholera for desert — at a minimum) BUT… this little place was awesome! The wait staff is fundamentally miserable (kind to the guests, but it seems they are all family and like most of ours, they hate each other) but the food is outstanding. I only rated this place 3 stars because I only have only tried one dish, and that isn’t enough to make a fair assessment.
The chips and salsa were excellent and the price is right. I highly recommend giving this dive a try, it sacudido mi mundo!

We heard this place was excellent, so decided to give it a try! In short, we were happy with the atmosphere, service, and drinks, but found the food below average.
Pros: The service was excellent. I asked several questions regarding ingredients in menu items, and our server was able to answer everything without much trouble. We ordered the 58oz Monster margarita, which was delicious and plenty strong. The restaurant, including bathrooms, were clean, and prices were average… Very reasonable.
Cons: the salsa and sauces were all watered down and on the bland side. A little salt really helped the salsa, but both the green and red enchilada sauces were beyond help. They didn’t taste bad per se, just didn’t taste much like anything at all. Even the refried beans were puréed to a thin, watered down consistency and were an off putting grayish purple color. The potatoes in our potato enchiladas were very dry and bland, and the spinach in the spinach enchilada was dry and processed looking, like you’d find frozen spinach, not leafy and wilted like most Mexican restaurants offer with fresh food.
The other Unilocal pictures look and sound like better food here, so maybe the kitchen was just having an off day today, but this won’t be our first choice when we return to the area.

First time here. Won’t be last. We have been many Mexican Restaurants. Atmosphere is authentic, plain But Clean… Starter of chips and sauce is very good. But used sauce on meal also added extra kick. Meal was Excellent. Could have been a little more spicey heat-​but most easterners don’t like too hot. But this place is truly good food. Fast service. Hot plates. And hearty portions. And cold frosted glasses for XX beer.

Excellent food, nice environment, wonderful servers and staff. Try it! The steak fajita was excellent and good sized.

Service was okay. I had a burrito with verde sauce was good.

Waitress was miserable but food was great!!! There should be a rule no espanol on the floor. You can tell the waitresses were complaining.

Our food was excellent I had a chimichanga and my partner had the Mariachi Plate. Delicious, it takes 2 plates, I especially liked the relleno! Will definitely come again when in the area!

Have been to this place multiple times. We love it! it has fantastic food, service and price. Try it you wont be disappointed!

A couple of friends and I went here for dinner one night at the place was booming!
When you walk in, you see booths on either side of the room along with another opening to more seating on the right hand side. The only awkward thing about the setup is that the host is across the room, so we stumbled around for a few minutes until she beckoned at us (from afar) to join her at a table near the entrance to the kitchen. That was a little funky.
The service was okay and I had no complaints there. I had a burrito with a side of guacamole. After Jamie T’s suggestion to try guacamole at every Mexican location for your answer to the quality of the food, I couldn’t help myself. The guacamole was delicious. However, once the guacamole came out, our table had already devoured the chips. At the request of more chips, we received… none. Hmmm.
Other than those couple of things, I thought the food quality was great and the portions were huuuuuuuge. I’d recommend it.

Whenever visiting Olean on business (I make this trip from the Capital District about 4 times a year) I make an effort to eat at El Mariachi. This last visit was, unfortunately, disappointing. I ordered an appetizer with my entrée and both arrived simultaneously. When I mentioned this wasn’t logical to my server, she seemed disinterested at best and begrudgingly took my main course, the Enchilada Special, back to the kitchen. Apparently, the entire plate, lettuce and all, were kept under heat for the time it took me to eat my appetizer. Not only was everything overheated and wilted, but the quality was no where near as to what it used to be. To add insult to injury, I was ignored for the balance of my meal. What a shame. This WAS one of the highlights in the desert of Olean’s culinary choices.

Wow. Their enchiladas are AMAZING. And they’re always willing to accommodate a complicated order or add extra sauce for you (with a small fee). Service is nice and they don’t bother you. Food comes quick and tastes amazing. I wish I could take this place with me wherever I move.

Great place! The food is amazing! Fast and efficient! Very friendly! Clean and a nice atmosphere! I wish they had a liquor license! I’m always wanting a margarita the minute I walk in!

Had a great meal with three adults and our bill was under $ 40! The shrimp enchiladas were stuffed with shrimp! The chimichanga was just the right size, not so huge that you couldn’t finish. Great service and pleasant, upbeat Latin American music.

I just really miss Don Luchos. The atmosphere of the restaurant is an overly enthusiastic attempt to trick people into thinking its authentic Mexican cuisine. The food is good tasting, but not as good as what Don Luchos was. Also, my friends and I have gotten sick almost everytime we ate here. The next day ensues with vomiting, and has happened on 3 occasions. If I didn’t get sick from here, I might put the rating up to a 4. But I just really miss Don Luchos.

The food is good. Just a step down from the amazing Don Lucho’s. I’ve been here around 5 times and each time it’s been pretty good. Quick service and decent prices. However I’ve gotten sick each time. So have my friends as well

This is by far one of the best restaurants Olean, NY has to offer! As soon as you walk in, you can feel beautiful Latin vibe with traditional Mexican music, and vibrant colors. Me and my party were immediately greeted by the server and were seated pretty fast. While deciding what to order, we were given complimentary tortilla chips with salsa and cheese sauce, which I must say was absolutely delicious! I ordered an avocado burrito that was cooked to perfection! Overall I was very happy with this place! Can’t wait to come back again!

Experience here was fantastic. Chips and salsa the second we sat down, extremely extensive menu, good and EXTREMELY prompt service. My chimichanga was ex excellent, and unlike my only main complaint about the other local Mexican joint, the meat was anything but bland — flavorful and juicy without being greasy or too hot. The rice was actually flavorful (for rice) and that refrained beans were smooth, creamy and delicious. My entrée was smothered in that creamy white cheese sauce, which makes the beans even better.
Would definitely recommend.

This place is awesome! The owners and staff, from Oaxaca Mexico, are cooking up some awesome dishes. The chimichangas drenched in cheese sauce are so addicting!!! Free warm chips and fresh salsa are brought to your table to hold you over while deciding which one of the many scrumptious dishes you will devour. My other advice would be to save room for xango! (Pronounced chango) deep fried cheese cake rolled in cinnamon and sugar served with ice cream, whipped cream, and drizzled with honey and chocolate. *drool* (Sorry, I forgot to get a picture of that, was too focused on stuffing my face haha!)
Side note: They have free delivery and I was also told today they are working on getting their liquor license. +score+