El rodeo is one of my favorite places to eat. When I have money I go at least once a week. The waiters have always been friendly, most of the menu is delicious and it is very wallet friendly.
Things to try: all of the enchiladas, the chicken and beans tostaguac (on the a la carte part of the menu, huge, and only 3.50 each), the fajitas (big enough for two to share), the margaritas.
Things to avoid: the generic enchiladas and burritos on the combos menu
My family eats here about once a month. I have always been happy with the quality of food. They manage to keep the dinning room in good clean condition, and currently are replacing the carpet (that looks like new compaired to Great Wall) with new carpet or tile? I think in the 5+ years that I have eatten here the only complains that I have is that I ordered the fried ice cream a few years ago, and it sucked.. but besideds that one dish everything has always been tasty. The waiters sometimes seem to be lost, and don't have a clue as to what is going on, nor understand english.. but I can over look that for good food for a fair price.
A lot of the food is runny, so if you are expecting a burrito that you can pickup and eat, you might want to stop at Taco Bell, or Chipottle.
My cousin's wife sent me a text message to meet them at "El Ro" and I drove around the west side of town for hours and finally, ended up at El Rodeo, guessing that was where she meant. (Well, almost...I really didn't know.) Phew!
I've been to all three locations in town but this one seems just right. Â Of course, if they would change locations to accommodate more customers, they might have similar trouble that the east side location is having. Â They had a decal on the exterior window saying "Yelp users love us! Â Read the reviews!" which was amusing and so true.
Three of us went today but one was running late. Â They seated us and someone brought two sets of utensils, instead of three sets. Â Oops. Â They got the drink order just right, though, and apparently listened carefully. Â For some strange reason, people think I want a diet drink and this time I ordered (and got!) sweet iced tea.
We got the food within a reasonable amount of time, but I've seen other times when this didn't happen at either location. Â That they were on top of things at just past noon is incredible. Â If they'd brought an extra set of utensils, we'd have been set. Â I wish they could apply their techniques to the Chinese and Italian restaurants in town.
I'd ordered an enchilada, rice, and beans but I was surprised when they didn't ask if I wanted beef, chicken, or cheese. Â Maybe, I look like a beef person? Â Mooooo!
I also noticed that they haven't returned to the shredded beef they were using a couple of years ago. Â Obviously, to maintain pricing, they've made a compromise. Â You'd think that they'd default to cheese, but considering the price of cheese is probably double the price of ground beef, I suppose I can understand why.
Except for the lack of utensils, it all went quite well. Â I can overlook that in light of everything else because service is generally flawless at this location.
It's possible that I hit El Ro (as the locals call it) on a bad day, because the first two times I've been here have been more or less fine. But my last visit was just... not good.
First, the service was sub-par and dismissive... I am seven months pregnant, visibly so, and the host guy sat us in the booth directly outside the smoky bar. Our server, a woman, was not at all friendly and seemed totally annoyed at our presence. I never did get a refill on water.
The food was barely edible. The salsa was watery - it got the chips soggy before I could even take a bite. I ordered the lunch combo with a taco and a chile relleno. The only thing passable was the guacamole salad. The ground beef on the taco was way too salty and the relleno was drowned in cheese. I think I got maybe two bites of pepper out of the whole thing. They also have the practice here of including sausage in their chile rellenos, which is not bad, but kind of odd.
Maybe I'm just spoiled on "real" Mexican (like the kind served at La Parada in Indianapolis) or decent chain Mexican (El Caballo Blanco in Connersville), but I was thoroughly unimpressed with my lunch and will be hesitant to go back.
My wife is from Richmond, so, the first time I went home with her she drug me to El Rodeo. Â
This is one of the most authentic Mexican restaurant I've ever been to. Â Seriously...to the point that pretty much everyone that works there speaks Spanish...Yeah..seriously...I couldn't order. Â I had to have my wife, who lived in Belize for a year, order my taco salad!
But, the food is TO DIE FORE! I've talked before about how I'm very boring with my Mexican food...but, boring or not...good is good!
Go to Richmond, Go to El Rodeo, EAT
YO SOY TACO!
I've eaten here a few times, and it definitely has days that are better than the next.
Overall, their chicken quesadilla is really good. Â The tortiall is crispy on the outside, and the chicken is tender on the inside. Â The rice and beans vary in taste. Â Some days are better than others as well as their salsa. Â This place is a pretty typical midwest mexican restaurant. Â It's not bad for Richmond, Indiana.
Who would've thought I would find a decent Mexican place in a small town in Indiana? Surprisingly, I did.
Right before my bf and I got watch District 9 at the Dollar Theater (which, btw, great movie!), we decide to grab a bite to eat and he tells me to look on Yelp. I'm thinking to myself, "I don't think people here Yelp" but after reading reviews of the top rated places (even if it's just by 5 people), we decide to give it a shot.
We get in, get seated, service is nice. I just sit down and voila, complementary warm CHIPS and SALSA at my convenience. I like this place already. I took a bite. YUM. It packs more taste than regular chips, and the salsa is perfect for my liking.
Since I'm not an avid Mexican food eater (I like Chipotle for Christ's sake!), I am stuck on what to order. My bf gets something someone on yelp recommended, and I am stuck to fend for myself. I asked 2 people working there what they would recommended, and the response? "Burritos? Tacos? Beef?" Uh...nevermind. I'll just eeny-meeny-miny-mo my way through this.
CHILI COLORADO
     It's a steak that's sliced into pieces and served in hot sauce along with Mexican Rice, refried beans, and tortillas. It is superb. The meat was so delicious, and the sauce gave it an extra kick without being too spicy.
      The salad that came with this dish though, could be better. It was literally lettuce that you put with tacos and a slab of guacamole. And a giant slice of tomato.
2 BEEF BURRITOS
    Also served with Mexican rice and refried beans. Somehow, this rice is one of the best tasting rices i've ever had in my life. And I've had persian rice, red rice (Guam food), sushi rice, jasmine rice, and brown rice. But this rice....it was just so savory! The ground beef was also good and the bite of the beef, beans, and rice in one mouthful -- delish.
We didn't finish the meal. I'm assuming since refried beans is mashed beans fried with lard (pig fat), we got full quickly off that. Either way, it was a delightful surprise that evening to enjoy Mexican food in Indiana.
I miss this place more than ANYTHING!!!!
The best mexican food I've ever eaten in my entire life and that's saying something because I live in Texas now.
The waiters are incredibly friendly and they remember you after you've been there only a couple of times, the food is ABSOLUTELY amazing (I would recommend a chicken quesadilla, chile relleno, pretty much EVERYTHING!) Even the American Fare is delicious...
Good food, better price... please go to El Rodeo.... do it for me... because I would if I could!!
Now that I think of it, I can't believe I've forgotten to review El Rodeo all this time, considering that I've reviewed most other places I've been to in my trips to Richmond! (and thanks to Brandon S. for reviewing this before me, so that I wouldn't forget about El Rodeo, + since it's one of my usual stops in Richmond)
Anyway, this rivals some of the best Mexican restaurants I've been to in Chicago, and it's up there with Lalo's and Campeche among my fav. Mexican restaurants I've ever been to, anywhere in the country. It reminds me a lot of Campeche, since they have a decent amount of combo plates you can choose from, plus that the entrees and other menu items aren't too expensive. Margaritas aren't bad here, either, and have a nice strong kick to them that I enjoyed, though not everyone may agree, as their menu warns that they may be too strong for some people. :)
I really wish I could find the website for this restaurant, since I did an online search, and couldn't find it, like I did once before. Finally, despite that they aren't exactly free(and cost 25 cents), they have Chicklets-like mints you can purchase near the front of the restaurant, which I especially like. Only thing I wish is that the Chicklets-ish mints were free, and didn't cost a quarter, but at least I believe the money goes to a charity, so I can't complain too much about that.
I can't believe that I'm going to say this because if there is one thing the Midwest isn't known for it's their Mexican food, especially a small city in Indiana.  But I've lived in South Texas and Southern California and I've eaten my fair share of  good, semi-authentic Mexican food and yet one of the best Mexican meals I've ever eaten was at El Rodeo in Richmond. Â
Their Chili Colorado was absolutely fabulous. Â The beef was nice and tender, the sauce was actually a little spicy (can the Midwesterners handle it?) and it was served with fresh tortillas and three salsa/sauces that weren't served with any of their other meals. Â I wish I could find a menu to tell you what those sauces were, they were one of my favorite parts of the meal. Â Delicious. Â
The other items that I had were also pretty good, but once I had the Chili Colorado, I was hooked and that's all I ever ordered.
Full disclosure though, I haven't been to El Rodeo in five years, so things easily could've changed, but I hope not.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
