Delicious from start to finish! Â Party of 6 on a Sunday evening, we started with a cheese quesadilla, chicken quesadilla and the bean dip for appetizers. Â The chicken filling was moist and flavorful. The white cheese sauce on the bean dip was fresh and creamy. Â Among our group's favorites: Â Steak fajitas, shrimp fajitas and pork carnitas taco. Â The veggies in the fajitas were perfectly carmelized. Â The shrimp were small, but a generous portion, well seasoned and perfectly cooked. Â Dessert did not disappoint. Â The fried ice cream portion was enormous. Â The Chimi Cheesecake was to die for, a pastry tortilla with a sweet cheese filling topped with caramel sauce. Â Having eaten at two of the other popular Mexican restaurants in the NE Indiana / SW Michigan area, this is a gem.
Review Source:Great staff, great food, big portions. Â Margarita specials are awesome. Â Highly recommend the Fajitas Mexicanas (Steak, Chicken, Chorizo). Â Arandas Cheese Steak is really good too, but these are some of the best and biggest Fajitas around. Â The price is right too. Â
Not the fanciest place, but it's definitely my go-to restaurant in Michigan City.
What was once an old eat-in Pizza Hut is now one of the best and long-lived restaurants in Michigan City. Â I have worked in Chicago for many years, so I have had great Mexican food. Â This is not a Rick Bayless type gourmet establishment, but it is a first class tex-mex and Michoacan eatery with great margaritas. Â The premiere menu item is the fajitas, especially the Fajitas Mexicanas with grilled chicken, steak, and chorizo. Â I don't think I have had any better anywhere.
The wait staff are great; we have fun speaking Spanish or Spanglish or whatever... they'll always play along. Once, when a Mariachi Band was playing, my daughter who is a professional violinist, was asked to join in... here is the YouTube video that was shot:
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dq16qw8EfUOc&s=74f1a5c0b5f51f409c9bf8d3e0651b446712fb18b79ffa3ef68e767de583f596" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/w…</a>
El Bracero is simply a fun, delicious, and inexpensive place to go in Michigan City.
Authentic Mexican food with a very large and extensive menu. Free homemade chips (not greasy like other places) and salsa (perfect taste and texture) with every meal. The queso dip and guacamole are amazing as well. I alternate between 3 meals: a shredded beef, cheese, & beans quesadilla, Nachos El Bracero (loaded nachos) that is enough for 2-3 people, and shredded beef taco salad that is served in a giant fried taco-shapes tortilla (not a bowl like most). They all taste great and full of flavor. The chicken is pre-cooked with peppers and onions so I stay away from it. The churros a la mode are a great dessert to finish your meal with. Tip for those with babies: ask for a sliced banana for your little one's "meal."
Review Source:I've eaten at a lot of authentic Mexican restaurants and El Bracero is equally one of them. Â Just like many of these restaurants, they have tons of selection on their menu. Â Everyone talks about the Verdes sauce, and yes, it is awesome. Â The combos are awesome as well.
The salsa is great. Â Use the hot sauce at the table to spice it up if you want, but it's great as-is.
The service is great and I always leave stuffed.
yummm great food and even better drink specials! Â Dave and I went on a night where the special was $2.25 HUGE margaritas. Â I definitely only needed one. Â I really enjoyed everything- their salsa, guacamole, my combination platter, and even the pizza hut turned mexican restaurant atmosphere. Â Would definitely go again.
Review Source:As a native Californian, I know authentic Mexican food and this place is the real deal. In fact, most of the waiters don't even speak English and I love it. Everything I have ever ordered from there was incredibly delicious and super fresh. The menu has a huge selection of items to choose from and everything is made to order and brought to your table the second it is done being prepared. The price is very reasonable and the portions are more than any one person can handle. I have never left there without a to go box and got to enjoy my meal all over again the following day. I wouldn't go here on a date but with friends or family for a weeknight meal, this is a great selection!
Review Source:Love their food!! The El Bracero fajitas are the best. My husband and I get a double and split it. There is always still so much left. The prices are really good and the atmosphere is great. The waiters are too funny. The have great margaritas!
It's a great place for lunch or dinner, and for a couple or a family.
I am in love with their enchiladas verdes. Something about their sauce is so delicious. I haven't found any other places in the area that have as good of a sauce. The servers are friendly and quick and the menu is large. Prices are good and portions are large. The other items I've had are good, including their chiles rellenos. I took a woman at work there when she started and she said it reminded her of her dad's cooking (he's Mexican) so I take that as a stamp of being pretty authentic. The decor isn't fancy, as someone said it's a former Pizza Hut but it was a Chinese restaurant before becoming El Bracero so some of the Chinese decor is still there. It's one of my favorite places in Michigan City.
Review Source:The food is excellent and the waiters actually speak español, so it's a great place to go practice speaking.  I think this is as close as you will get to real Mexican food in Northern Indiana. Â
Why not five stars? Â The restaurant has one large room, half of which is smoking, thus, all of which is smoking. Â Blech.
I'm going to rate this on comparison to other so called authentic mexican restaurants in the area.  My family and I have been visiting El Bracero's for several years now and have been mostly happy.  I have never had a bad meal.  My favorite entree is the Jalisco  special, it's a combination of everything and I love it.  It has chicken, steak, shrimp, rice, veges and their delicious queso.  Also try the Pollo Mexicano which is two grilled chicken breasts on a bed of grilled bell peppers, mushrooms and onions. Â
Here's one of the very few problems. A year ago or so they changed their shredded chicken and beef and it has a lot a black pepper in the chicken. Â The shredded beef isn't bad but I do not suggest the shredded chicken. Â Everything else I've ever had here is wonderful.
Service is good all things considered. Â 9 times out of 10 you get your food really fast. Â The servers don't speak or understand much English so speak slow and clearly if you don't want your order made wrong. Also the fried ice cream and churros are very good.
Once a week there's a 15% off your bill coupon in the News Dispatch on the front page.
Sadly I was informed that their beans are not vegan. Â So I have to bump down my rating.
The service is fast, the wait staff is awesome and probably some of the funniest guys in town.
If you go there on a somewhat regular basis they will remember your order.
And of course the food is good and well priced.
Over the summer I find myself there once if not twice a week.
My personal favorite is the lunch special #2 (which you can order outside of lunch hours) with a bean burrito with no cheese.
This place has cheap to fair prices.
Fast and friendly service.
The food quality is good. Â Lunch specials are a good deal. Â
Atmosphere is pizza hut converted into a local chain, which is cool to me at least.
Some sweet margaritas.
One waiter working there is comic, and will talk to you in Spanish/English hybrid although he speaks only American known Spanish words to you, so it's not a bad thing. Â It is clever.
Go here and support local business instead of Chili's.
This no frills, casual Mexican is delicious and cheap. Â You can eat at El Bracero for relatively the same price as Taco Bell, and almost as quickly. Â Their service is friendly and fast. Â Great spot to stop for a quick lunch or take out, or even hang out all evening with friends. Â The waiters are amazing! Â Not only are they hilarious, but they are good at what they do! Â Go here twice and they will memorize your order. Â
Most important-- they don't cheap out when it comes to strong margaritas!
I really, really love it here.
My in-laws like to meet us in Michigan City for occasional weekends, since they live in GR and we live in Chicago. Â Lately I get more excited to come here than to the casino (and not just because I don't smoke or gamble). Â
I wish I was more literate when it came to Mexican food, so I can't tell you exactly what type of food this is. Â I can tell you it is NOT the standard deep-fried Tex-Mex extravaganza found most places I've tried in Chicago. Â Other reviewers have called the food bland --this is a good thing! Â It also lies flat on your plate, is not pleasing to the eye, and is completely without bells and whistles. Â If anyone knows El Arriero in Grand Rapids, I'd call this a close second place, which still makes this five stars in my book.
Standard offering of 5 vegetarian combos, none will disappoint. Â No frills decor. Â Homemade chips and salsa. Â Funny, good waiters, all men. Â Dos Equis Amber on tap. Â
Someone tell me where I can get this in Chicago.
I've considered taking the South Shore here... and only to here. Â It's a four mile walk from the train station. Â I think it might be worth it.
I effing love it.
I give this rating because the food is great compared to other places found in Southwest Michigan/Northwest Indiana, which are way too bland. Â When in that neck of the woods, I get my weekly taco "fix" here. Â It would get fewer stars if it were trying to stand up to restaurants in a more Mexican populated area but it's not.
Review Source:This is a good mexican restaurant.... yes just good. Â The food does not disappoint, it meets expectations. Although the food is nothing special, the prices sure are special - way over priced. Â I live in Chicago and have a weekend home in Michigan City. Â In Chicago this mexican food would be 1/2 the price, but since this is the only mexican place in Michigan City, Â El Bracero can get away with over charging.
Review Source:
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