El Amigo Restaurant

You could easily miss El Amigo on your weekly trip to Rite Aid, Wells Fargo or Save Mart. Tucked away in the same 50s era strip mall, this small family owned restaurant offers surprisingly good food.
We often order to go, and I’m usually offered a bowl of complimentary chips and salsa. Both are fresh and excellent; try them out for yourself.
And it’s clean.

Was craving some authentic Mexican food so we gave this place a try! The chips and salsa were both fresh and delicious. My veggie burrito was slightly pricier than I anticipated but it was very much worth it. They also have black beans as an alternative to pinto beans, which is a huge bonus. I will most definitely be back.

We both love authentic Mexican food and this place hits the spot! I get the veggie burrito, and he usually gets beef. It’s a small friendly place. The servers are really nice and the food is delicious! We probably eat here once a month when the craving hits!

Went there for the first time today and food was really good. I got the taco and tostada combination plate. I can do without the taco, but the rice and beans were excellent. Great service too. She was very attentive.

I WANT to love this place, or even just like it, but I just can’t. It’s nicely decorated in a festive but not gawdy style. The food is always good enough. It’s always clean. The staff is generally pleasant. Here’s the thing though, we just came home from our third or fourth «Let’s give them one more try» visit and it will absolutely be the last one. The wait is ridiculous every time we come here. The service here is beyond slow. I didn’t clock it, but we were there for around 90 minutes just to get a chimichanga and sampler plate. We had to ask for refills on our beverages and then they would take the glasses away to refill them and not be back for 5 – 10 minutes. I asked for extra napkins twice and never got them. The waiter, who said he was new, forgot my husband’s order came with a salad until right before the plate was served. I was not offered the option of shredded or «nacho» cheese while the other waiter offered that choice to two other tables near us. I heard the kitchen ding the bell our order was ready three times before our plates got picked up so the «cheese» and sour cream were both luke warm by the time it came. If you don’t care how long it takes and you aren’t worried about it not being special go ahead and give them a try though.

This is a delicious hole in the wall restaurant. The menu is extensive, the salsa superb and the service prompt and friendly. This place also has an all day breakfast menu. This place is great all day. They are tucked away but worth looking for.

Its good Friday so we had to wonder out to find some food.
From the outside, this place looks like a little strip mall Mexican restaurant. I didn’t expect too much from them. But its good Friday and everyone else was crowded so we decided to give it a try. We got in and the place was actually big and cuter then we expected. They had sunflower decorations and the place was bright and cheerful. We were greeted with a smile by the hostess that took us to our table and handed us our menu. I was surprised to see that the place had a full bar and even what appeared to be a bartender in the middle of the day.
We went to order our food and they had a decent selection. They actually have tamales there which is good because most of the newer tex mex restaurant’s don’t offer them. Our server was very friendly and after we ordered, she brought us the chips and salsa which was a nice refresher. She took our order and soon came out with two plates which looked and smelled good.
Now for the food. The tamale was a little bland and could have used some more seasoning. It was also a little small and the chips and salsa were bland as well. he rice was actually perfectly seasoned and the chips were fresh. If I do go there again, I will be order a different plate and see how it turns out. My boyfriend gave me a bite of his burrito and that was actually good.
The atmosphere was fun and inviting and it was not over crowded like most places were so it was nice to get something decent here. Our server was absolutely sweet and did a phenomenal job. I will be back to make a new review and hopefully give this place 5 stars next time.

I live in Elk Grove and I drive all the way to El Amigo to eat rather than eat at Plaza Del Solar which is in my area. Everything is good. I eat here at least once a week.

The really outstanding part about this place was the staff of beautiful and helpful waitresses. The location keeps this restaurant hidden behind the great clips hair salon but it’s interior is great. It’s a fun and comfortable environment that looks like it would be a wonderful location for group get Togethers such as family gatherings or sports events. The quality of the experience is really nice, chips and salsa, great drink quality and some of the classic menu items for a Mexican restaurant. I had the number 3 which was a taco and enchilada. The salad was small and standard, but tasty, which enjoyed until the food came out on a hot plate. The food was kissing something, some spice it some element of flavoring that I have become accustomed to at Mexican restaurants and while the food quality was very good and I enjoyed the experience and food, there is an element missing. Otherwise, I would recommend this for a great traditional Mexican food restaurant and would return to it again.

El Amigo is great. The cheese enchilada is amazing, as is everything else. Most importantly, the customer service is amazing. When inquiring about special requests, our waitress replied «Of course! We make it anyway you like it!!!» The ladies who work here are extremely warm and make you feel very comfortable and at home. I recommend it to everyone.

Really good food. Lots of options. I recommend the hot chocolate. The waitresses are amazing!!!

Came to visit with some family and this is a very cozy place to have lunch at. Their staff is friendly and they serve chips and salsa while you wait. Their salsas are not to die for but they have a spicy touch to them. Their menu is just like any other Mexican restaurant, nothing out of this world. I had a carnitas torta and it was good, I just wish it came with some avocado. This place is far from home but if I ever do come around again then I think I’ll ask for them to add some avocado to it. The food did take a while to come out and it wasn’t even that packed. I’m not hating though because later on I found out that they were short staffed. All in all, this is a good spot for some good Mexican food.

I would highly recommend this little restaurant! I found them out of no where, they are one of those places that is more like a whole in the wall, and what a good whole in the wall! Everyone was kind, the place was really clean, and they had good Spanish music. The lady who helped me even added a free potato taco because I had never tried them before (though please don’t be mean and ask for a free taco). Give them a try, their tacos de lengua were Amazing!

I agree withe the good reviews… enchilada sauce is phenominal, beef taco delicious, chile relleno is not too caked with batter and egg but is filled with lots of cheese and has great flavor. Service is always superb! Everyone is friendly and helpful.

Sometimes you just stick with what you know. However I don’t know that areas restaurants and I was taking grandma out to eat after church and I was hungry! I kept telling myself to go to chipotle but thought let’s try this place out.
It was empty and we were told to sit anywhere. Service was prompt. Chips and salsa were ehh… We both ordered chilaquiles bc we hadn’t had them in so long.
My grandpa used to make them, my dad used to make them and my husbands grandma made them for us when she would visit from Mexico. So I knew what I was ordering.
The portion sizes were huge and the prices were great. The taste was ok. Not horrible but not great. Very bland and no flavor. So I was disappointed.
I really wish I would have went to chipotle instead or just ordered menudo. No one messes up menudo, right?

Who knew that this place existed? I’ve been a patron at this shopping center for a couple years now and I didn’t even notice it until my boyfriend drove the back way out of the lot.
We went on a weeknight and there were a few tables with families and older couples. I was expecting more of a taquiera-​style restaurant so I was a little thrown off when we walked in. And there is no hostess stand so we just stood awkwardly at the bar for a few seconds before the two girls at the bar told us we could sit wherever.
We were immediately brought chips and salsa which were muy delicioso (thanks, Dora the Explorer)! I love thick restaurant-​style chips and chunky salsa and that’s exactly what they had. The big chunks of green onion made me very happy.
The server, who was very polite and prompt, offered us drinks and I got a lemonade, thinking it would be Country Time or something of the like. NOPE! Fresh lemonade. I think this place read my mind and created their menu based on my favorite things.
For dinner boyfriend ordered a super burrito, which was basically the size of a newborn human. Then it was smothered in about 15lbs of guacamole. So of course I got in on some of that action. Fresh guacamole is the best.
I ordered the enchiladas de mole and it was basically Christmas in my mouth, in the best way possible. The corn tortillas were perfectly soft without falling apart and they were stuffed with loads of chicken. The mole and crema on top worked so well together. And the best part? My leftovers for lunch the next day were just as good, if not better. My officemates were extremely jealous.
Plus: the price was right. Only $ 23 for all of that food. Next time I go, I plan to get me some TACOS!
Only downside: the décor and seating felt a little dated and old to me. We sat in a booth and they were on the verge of being too old for use. Felt like I was going to sink into it and find myself in never-​neverland.
I will absolutely come back again though! Especially since it’s less than 1.5 miles from my house and is perfectly walkable/​bikable.

Meh. Not bleh. Just meh.
I have been here several times and have never been impressed. I work a few doors down from El Amigo and was excited to know there was a restaurant so close I could eat lunch at. This restaurant has been in the Camellia shopping center for a very long time so you would think it must be amazing, right?
Wrong.
The food isn’t bad though. It’s just very boring. No distinct flavor, spicy was not spicy and everything was bland except the salsa which mostly just tastes like lime juice and tomatoes. I have ordered the enchiladas, the sope and even chicken tortilla soup. And the result I got everytime was pretty mediocre.
Every time I ordered something, whether it was to go or dine in, it took forever. I think 20 minutes is a very long time to wait for food, especially when it was called in over 30 minutes ago. The staff is friendly and the restaurant is clean, but I after the last time I don’t think I will be trying El Amigo again.

Girlfriend and I went here with no real idea of what it would be like. It turned out be a standard, hole-​in-​the-​wall, from my childhood, Mexican restaurant.
Which is fine. Just fine.
Was it amazing? No, nothing about this place is amazing. The salsa is pretty good. The chips, which showed up warm, were pretty good. Their enchilada sauce was more chile than tomato, which is pretty good. Girlfriend got a salad with shrimp, and the shrimp was well cleaned and cooked… pretty good.
So that’s the theme, here. Everything was pretty good.
And that’s impressive to me. I had nothing to complain about. Despite its weird location, this place reminds me of all the «just fine» Mexican restaurants from my childhood. So if you’re looking for fantastic Mexican food, this really isn’t the place. The four stars are for the soothing, comfortable satiety of what I can only assume is predictably good, basic, Californian-​style Mexican food.

Growing up in Sacramento, it seemed like I always had a Mexican best friend, who always has a Mexican grandma, who always made it her mission to feed me. I have many happy memories of family meals, and El Amigo brings them all back. Boyfriend and I stopped in here while we were running errands because we wanted to try somewhere random and new (to us). We were not disappointed.
Cheaper than somewhere like Tres Hermanas but more come-​in-​and-​stay-​a-​while than most of the taquieras in town, El Amigo is similar to Pancho’s on Broadway and fills an affordable, no frills but solid meal niche in Sacramento Mexican food.
The dining room is comfortable with plenty of seating and charming, old fashioned décor. The service was flawless — extremely friendly, personable, very open to questions, and she even gave us some tips and recommendations. Boyfriend ordered the chicken enchilada plate and I ordered the shrimp salad and a side of fajita veggies. We were both totally stuffed and satisfied by the end of the meal. The prices are low and the portions are huge — it was exactly what Nana would have made for dinner when I was twelve.
Considering the location, this is literally a Sacramento hidden gem. We will totally be back next time we are running errands in the area.

Very friendly and polite wait-​staff. The food is mostly fine, but a little pricier than how it tastes. The entrees come with a salad — I thought that was pretty cool. The salsa at the start is spicy in a non-​threatening way. Yum. The taco was terrible though. Stale, funky shell and the included chicken was dry and unseasoned. The pork enchilada was delicioso, however. Points for that.
The space is pleasant with booths and large, circular tables, Mexican flags and art hung around the room. The bar-​area looked particularly enticing.
Amazing? No. But good enough? Sure.