El Campesino - Altoona — Restaurant in Altoona

This is by far one of the most disgusting places I have ever been to. The people who gave this place 4 stars above are either liars or they have no taste buds. The place looks really nice, so when we got our food we were quite shocked with what happened next. We started off our meal with fried store bought corn chips. Which wasn't so bad except for the very old tasting salsa they gave us. I was thinking ok maybe they just didn't have any fresh left after the lunch rush not to worry. Next we ordered some guacamole. They charged us almost 6 dollars for one avocado they mushed in with the gross salsa that was clearly not fresh since it was already starting to turn colors. This really upset me because its not hard to make a fresh one and I know for a fact an avocado doesn't cost 6 dollars! But I think to myself you know what i'm hungry Ill just let it go. We then ordered a sampler that had a little bit of everything, 2 tacos, 2 enchiladas, a chile relleno a burrito and a tamale. We were deff going to take the leftovers home to have for dinner the next night. So our food arrives and I noticed there was an excessive amount of steam coming off my enchilada. I was practically boiling but there were no bake marks on the cheese. I thought that was odd. So I take a bite and I have to put serious elbow grease in to cut through the corn tortilla. It was so tough and chewy like it had been microwaved! While I'm chewing I notice immediately that my enchilada was stuffed and covered with with american cheese which gave it a really weird flavor. I couldn't believe it. Next I try my taco, and upon inspection my taco is made out of those pre pressed already made tacoshells like from taco bell and it has disintegrated into mush when I touched it. I annoyingly scoop up some filling because im starving and taste it, the meat was bland and watery like it had been boiled! While i'm investigating the garbage they called my lunch my wife notices the same thing. Her burrito was microwaved, had the same watery ground beef inside, american cheese and old salsa dumped over the top. It too, was disgusting. She looked around and couldn't find the chille reanno, in its place was a stuffed openfaced green pepper with the boiled meat and american cheese. And last but not least we both tried the tamale after saying a little prayer that it didn't give us some horrific disease or poisoning and sure enough it had boiled meat inside and the dough was completely raw and the center was cold! After confronting the manager she offered to take 30 dollar off our meal. She charged us for the 6 dollar avocado/guacamole and the two margaritas that my wife ordered. I shamed them for serving us such trash food and then I called the owner to shame him, who by the way sounded like he could care less. If I could call up Gordan Ramsay and tell on them I would! DO...

Chain restaurant feel. When we walked in the door i was immediately taken back to visits in Nogales and cozumel by the smell of the cleaner used & NOT THE FOOD. We were led from the warm wood feel of the entry lobby to a deep booth in the front bar. Service took time, was disconnected, and unengaged: he was tending bar and serving... the menu was unadorned with pictorials and the server did nothing to use his words to describe what was good or best. He managed to secure our drinks and order. Food came disappointingly quick.... thrown together and uninspiring. The carnita platter was grilled onions throw on top of dry stringy clumps of pork, a far cry from. Say El rodeo in Harrisburg or El Serrano in lancaster where carnitas are well seasoned slow cooked falling apart pork moist and flavorful from intentional curating. Rice was room temperature dry grains with light butter coloring, zero flavor and the occasional glint of a tiny piece of onion in it so unexceptional as to help one hear the s unenthusastic slap of the serving spoon wielded by a ready to retire kitchen worker who had begrudgingly filled the order. The beans were so low energy in the effort to prepare them that they gave me no gas whatsoever during the three hour ride home. Fish tacos consisted of a nice 6" tortilla with one side of an anorexic 5" tilapia filet split again, breaded, and dropped in old hot oil borrowed from the jiffy lube on...

Well my food was good, but my party had some issues. The queso is amazing here, always order it with whatever you actually order and then lather it onto your food.

Anyway, my friend got the fish tacos which came out overdone and without any toppings, and my guest got the fajitas but they forgot to serve it with the tortilla wraps. The staff was over burdened I guess, but it wasn't a crazy busy day, so it was hard to get the tortillas from them.

The manager took the fish tacos back and removed them from the bill because we didn't have enough time for them to make more. So that was nice, I guess. Food was over priced in my opinion, but I might be biased.

I ordered burritos and they were good. I found a hair on my plate, but it might have been mine. Can't be sure.

Anyway, I think this place should sell queso more. It tastes great and it's the only reason I give that second star. But they don't put queso on any of the meals, at least not that I can see. So you have to order it separately and add it onto your food.

Probably a pass for most people, but it's the authentic Mexican food joint we have around here, so give it a try and maybe you'll have a better...