El Vaquero West

This place is as authentic as you can get in Orange, Virginia! Reminded me of the awesome mexican food you can find in LA. We had a veggie quesadilla and mole poblano enchiladas. They bring out hot chips and fresh salsa before you order, and if it’s your birthday, they will give you a bowl of fried ice cream and a huge shot of tequila! This was the first time I’ve ever finished my entire plate of food at a mexican restaurant. \m/​uy delicioso!

This is a great place to come — alone or with family and friends. I love that they have a covered deck that can be closed up if it’s too cold or rainy. When it’s nice, the sides go up and you can sit in the fresh air and eat.
I’d say that overall the food is comparable to a typical Mexican restaurant. Great chips, salsa, speedy service, and lots of yummy food. If you get the chance to go there on Monday’s for lunch, all of their lunch specials are $ 3.50. You can’t beat that!

FOOD: was not good or up to standards to what mexican food should taste like. The only thing I really enjoyed was the chips and sour cream.
SERVICE: Was very very friendly and nice which is the only reason why I gave 2 stars.

It was really good! I had a chalupa which I would have thought was more a tostada, but they can call it what they want it was tasty. The chicken was flavorful and the dish was served sizzling hot. Service was fast and very friendly.

DO NOT EAT HERE!!! Ongoing list from a neighboring business report food poisoning from here, myself included last Friday night. Management denied possibility of this happening, no refunds offered.

Stuffed jalapeños are ok not my fave. The verde was delicious and the mole was ok. Salsa is good and margaritas are just right. Manuel rectified the service faux pa from the previous day and my birthday dinner turned out quite nice. The fried ice cream dessert was yummy too. Overall great service and good food if you’re in the area.

Had a great lunch here. The food was very good. The guacamole was fresh and spicy and the chile rellenos, while baked not fried, was excellent. These are my two hallmark dishes for judging Mex restaurants and they would both bring me back. The lunch menu was heavy with various enchiladas dishes but I didn’t see and taco options. The Carne Asada was flavorful but a bit tough.
Service was prompt and attentive, even at the height of lunch hour.
I would definitely return for more at El Vaquero!

Authentic Mexican food! Stopped here on the way to Monticello. 95 traffic was bad so we needed to stop for lunch. The guys were super nice and the whole place is totally authentic. Got the Enchiladas verdes and they were tasty! Bathrooms need a little work. Quick food and good chips made for a good pit stop!

Where do I start? First of all, let me say that I’m not a mexican or any kind of food snob but this is the last place (well, almost) I would go back to. From the bad salsa (that definitely came from a jar although I wouldn’t mind it if it were at least good) to my fish tacos that had no taste and were so dry, to the super dry rice that a 5 year old could cook better, this place just doesn’t know how to make decent food, never mind decent Mexican food. The margaritas were not too bad but they didn’t really taste like the margaritas you are probably used to. I thought the Mexican restaurant near my house in another town in VA was decent and just average, but now that I’ve eaten at El Vaquero, that place deserves 5 stars. I bet there are better places in Orange.

We stopped by here in mid-​October on our way back to Northern Virginia and were very pleasantly surprised. While this restaurant may not look special from the outside, the interior was cheerful, colorful, and clean. Service was very quick and friendly, portions were generous, and the food was very tasty indeed. We were very pleased with the crispy chips with fresh salsa, followed by enchiladas verdes and burrito supreme, all of which were excellent. We’ll definitely keep this place in mind next time we are in town.

They are ALWAYS packed when we go in there, but we still get amazing service. Best Mexican food I have ever had dining out.

The waiter was kind and attentive. Kept calling us «amigos» at first, then later switched to «friends.»
The place is clean. The carvings on the back of the booths are fun and colorful.
The food was average. We are big fans of Mexican food. Most of the reviews here are so glowing! So of course we went. I thought we were in for a treat of awesome real Mexican food.
The salsa was too spicy without any real flavor. Just spicy. The corn chips were very good. The tamales were ok. (Tamales are a favorite of my entire family generally.) the enchilada were good until I realized it sort of tasted like processed cheese sauce. The refried beans were … ok — that’s the best I can say. The rice was … ok also.
To conclude, the staff was good. I like the staff. They are fun. The food was below average for us. We won’t be returning.

I often refer to this place as the best Mexican Restaurant on the east coast. While some of this might be based on nostalgia, I truly think this is a great restaurant.
over the last ten or so years I have tried a lot of different food here and I have never been disappointed. My personal favorite is the Shrimp (Camaron) quesadilla and the enchilada supreme, but they also have great burritos. Also if you come in for lunch make sure you check what the special is. It is usually a lot of good food for $ 5-​$ 6.
If are looking for a restaurant to go to in Orange County this is the clear winner, or if you are looking for a good Mexican restaurant in general Vaquero West is worth a trip to check out.

We travel from Charlottesville to Orange every week or two just to get the Enchiladas Verdes. The chicken is seasoned and not just the dry hunk of chicken that we often find in similar dishes in Charlottesville, and the verde sauce is good. We also enjoy the cheese dip, which is thicker than the offerings in Charlottesville and more reminiscent of our experiences in Texas. We are not really familiar with most of the menu because we order the same thing every time. If it is worth a drive from Charlottesville for us, then everyone in Orange should definitely give it a try.

First of all, it has an open bar and is not just limited to beer and wine. Second of all, the owner and all those who work ther are Mexicans and the food is very authentic Mexican food. Service is excellent and so is the food. We”re from Southern California so we know authentic Mexican food. We’ve been going to El Vacero West since it opened and have never once been disappointed. We were so happy when it opened because we’d missed the great Mexican door you can find at every hole in the wall Mexican restaurant around Orange County, Ca.

Friendly, attentive service and good value, however the food is just okay. Not bad by any means, but not very flavorful.

If there’s one thing I can’t stand about a restaurant, it’s inconsistency. My latest visit left me determined to never go back. The servers have no concept of timing. They’ll tend to another table right beside you, but not even look in your direction to see if you need anything. I got the very same shrimp quesadilla that I raved about in my last review, and it was not good. My mom’s t-​bone steak was also not good — full of gristle and fat. I don’t mind that some of the employees don’t speak good English, but don’t just walk away when you bring something to my table and I’m trying to ask you for more napkins or to take away plates. They’re very nice people, but they won’t get my money anymore.

Great food. Good portions and service. We ate in the tent and had a loud and crazy time.

This is the real thing. I have eaten a lot of tex-​mex and this is as good as it gets. The fajitas are awesome. Get the ones that include meat, shrimp and chorizo!!!

This is the best Mexican restaurant I’ve found between Fredericksburg and Charlottesville. Nice menu and great service.