El Sol De Mexico — Restaurant in Corvallis

I recently had the misfortune of dining at El Sol de México, and it was, hands down, the worst culinary experience of my life. From the moment I walked in, the place reeked of neglect—sticky floors covered in what I can only assume was a mix of spilled salsa and questionable grime, tables smeared with old food stains, and a bathroom that looked like it hadn’t been cleaned since the restaurant opened. The overall cleanliness was absolutely disgusting, making me question how any health inspector could allow this place to operate. The food was an outright disaster. I ordered their so-called “signature” enchiladas, which arrived looking like they’d been scraped off the bottom of a dumpster. The chicken was rubbery and undercooked, with a strange, sour taste that suggested it had been sitting out for days. The rice was a clumpy, cold mess, and the beans had a gritty texture that made me gag. To top it off, the salsa was watery and tasted like it was made from canned tomatoes left to ferment. I’m convinced the kitchen staff has no idea what hygiene means—there were visible grease stains on the counter, and I saw a cook wiping his hands on his apron before handling my food. I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up with food poisoning from this nightmare. The service was the final insult. The manager, a rude and arrogant man with a permanent scowl, barked at us when we asked for a clean fork (after finding one with dried food on it). He rolled his eyes, muttered something under his breath, and threw the new utensil on the table like we were bothering him. The waitstaff was equally unhelpful, ignoring our requests for water refills and acting like we were invisible. When I tried to address the issues with the manager, he cut me off mid-sentence, raised his voice, and told me to “stop complaining or leave.” I’ve never felt so disrespected in a restaurant. El Sol de México isn’t just a bad dining option—it’s a health hazard and a testament to terrible management. Save your money, your stomach, and your dignity—avoid this place at all costs. One star is too generous; it...

El Sol de Mexico is a just fine restaurant, in fact we were willing to come all the way down from Salem to visit this fine restaurant. We enjoy this restaurant as one of our favorites. For this reason we were rather saddened to find out that the restaurant is now Petty place. Yes I said Petty, meaning in every other restaurant of the Mexican variety they give you chips and salsa of plenty and they never say anything about this because it's part of the Mexican hospitality included in your meal. But now is a part of the policies of El Sol de Mexico they even include right in their menu that the policy is that your first basket of chips is free and each additional basket is going to be $2.50. as if the restaurant is not making enough money that they needed to be so incredibly Petty as to charge $2.50. was there some sort of major run on people stealing free chips? Were people coming in and not ordering food and just eating free chips and salsa never ordering an entree? Makes me wonder how Petty or restaurant has to be to think that the free Mexican tortilla chips and salsa now need to be charged for? Reminds me of the way McDonald's charges for extra condiments.. that's the reason I don't go to McDonald's. So if you don't like being treated Petty you probably won't like this restaurant. And for any owners or managers reading this review I actually have a degree in hospitality and I would love to see you change this policy or respond to this. Because trying to steal from your customers a few extra dollars wherever you can get it isn't good hospitality policy, and it isn't good fiscal policy. It's poor policy all around. I guarantee you're going to lose a lot more customers then you're going to gain with this and when you lose customers you're going to lose revenue. You just may...

Great hours! Food is my close second favorite Mexican restaurant in town!

Unfortunately though, I have to downgrade my rating, and here is why: Lunch specials hours are 11am-3pm. Recently, I was very disappointed to find that these hours weren't being adhered to. Calling in to make my order for take out while I was at work, 15 minutes before 3pm, I was told over the phone that the lunch specials were over. I immediately became frustrated, but kept my composure. Calmly, I confirmed with the man that lunch specials went until 3pm. I mentioned that it wasn't 3pm, and he acknowledged that fact. For further clarification I asked, "So you're telling me that I can't get the lunch special rate even though it's 15 minutes before 3?" Despite admitting that it was 15 minutes before 3pm, he nonchalantly dismissed my totally reasonable comment, by saying "Yep."

Still speaking politely and calmly, I told him "Nevermind", and that I wouldn't be ordering anything. He didn't apologize for the inconvenience, but casually said "Okay, thanks for the call..."

All of this seems trivial, and I'm not the person to make a stink by going in to speak to the manager. I am just not going to be that way. But, 15 minutes beforehand is not unreasonable, and it does not mess with the labor put in to making the food. I'm a regular and specifically budget my cash for my order, including a tip, as I do routinely. What upsets me the most is that it was a choice on their part to make my purchase unaffordable. It really just put a bad funk on the rest...