El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant

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  I was in the neighborhood and I need to find a Mexican place in my new town, it's basically a requirement for me.  Ended up just getting take out and placing it in the restaurant.  
  
  The Good:  The staff was pretty helpful and they all checked in on me as I was waiting.  Food came out very fast, although I wasn't there at a busy time.  I thought the food was good and I got a lot of it for the price.  The cheese dip was especially flavorful.
  
  The Bad:  The guacamole lacked flavor and I love guac, so that's a disappointment.
  
  I think I'll check out the west side location next because it seems to get better reviews.  I'd definitely go back, if only to check out the drink selection.

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  Posted on 07.01.12 Chera L.

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  The food is okay... but oh my God, THE SERVICE.
  
  The service in this place is horrendous.  Made the mistake of going on a Sunday afternoon one time.  There were about 50 people just hovering in the doorway - not a single staff member to be found - and a TON of EMPTY tables.  
  
  Took forever to get seated - then forever to have someone take our order.  2 other couples came in, ordered, and receieved their food before we saw ours.  We were about to get up and just walk out.
  
  Our waitress was slightly apologetic and mumbled something about someone threw our order slip out and they had to re-make it. I can guarantee that our food was not "remade" it was reheated. After we finally got our food, no one ever came back to check on us or offer refills.
  
  Such a waste of money. This place could have the best mexican food on the planet and it wouldn't be worth it because of their terrible service.

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  Posted on 06.14.12 Jamie S.

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  Mexican restaurants seem a dime a dozen, but it's difficult for people to separate the Tex-Mex, California Mexican, and real Mexican restaurants.
  
  I was a bit confused by the new location's layout, but the place is decorated with a good choice of colors, making it cheerful.
  
  The hostess seemed a bit preoccupied, as if she had so many jobs there, she couldn't keep them under control.  The waiter was very friendly, and friendlier after I started speaking Spanish.  During my meal, no one checked on me until late, as if they were overwhelmed and could not afford staff to handle all the customers.  I would imagine this being an outcome of building a new place in the middle of a problematic economy.  I had good service but if I had been expecting lots of attention, I didn't get it.  Had I asked, I'm sure I would have had whatever I wanted, quickly.
  
  The food was good.  I had a single beef enchilada with rice and beans.  I go to El Rodeo specifically because of their enchilada sauce.  While it's not terribly difficult to make, many places mess it up.
  
  I didn't have tacos this time, but I'm surprised that the beef tacos don't have lettuce, onions, and tomatoes.  My mum learned to make these when we lived in San Jose, California from her friend Lupe, and they are consistent with what I've had elsewhere in California and Florida, as well as other states.  I'm just surprised that neither Mexican restaurant in Richmond does it.
  
  In any case, good food, reasonable service, and a clean dining room add up to a good experience.

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  Posted on 03.12.12 Nobuyuki S.

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  Whoops, I put this review on the wrong location. Now I'm fixing it!
  
  Oh El Rodeo. How come your service went kaput when you changed locations?
  
  I used to visit El Rodeo at least once a week for my lunch break. I never had a problem of getting in and out in an hour which everyone knows can be hard to do if you want to eat someplace you can sit down and have someone wait on you.
  
  The food always comes quickly, but the past 3 times I've gone we've had to wait a considerable amount of time for someone to take our order and deliver the check. I love to have lunch here, but I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to visit this location anymore if they can't find a way to speed up their service.

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  Posted on 02.02.12 Brian J.

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  like another review said- the service here has definitely gone down since they moved locations on the east side. there are multiple Mexican places in Richmond and this is for sure the one i frequent the most. that being said the service every time I've come has been consistently bad. and takes longer and longer to get my food. it's good food though, i guess that's why i keep going back

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  Posted on 01.04.12 Joshua G.

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  I wasn't a fan of the food or the creepy waiter. I think there are places with better Mexican food nearby.
  
  Decided to give this place a second chance when we were absolutely starving around Christmas.  It wasn't much better the second time around- incredibly slow service. There is a second El Rodeo on the west side of town that the Earlham students often frequent.  That one is slightly better (meaning quicker service) at lunch.

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  Posted on 12.10.11 Valerie R.

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  This is a really good Mexican restaurant for the mid-west, but If it were someplace that had a respectably sized Mexican population would never eat here. The food is _definitely_ catering towards the mid-western palette. I really wonder if any of the local Latinos would actually eat here. There is no heat in anything, even the dishes that should have a little heat. They also have a lot of dishes on the menu that read as being variations of Tex-Mex and not Mexican.  But all that being said, the food does have a good flavor, the portions are huge, and the service is decent. So while it isn't what I want, it is what I can get. But if I were reviewing this in comparison to a west coast restaurant or a restaurant in Mexico, then I would give it a 2.

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  Posted on 01.22.11 Matti G.

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