El Local — Restaurant in Florida

We have eaten at the El Local at the South Fort Myers location a few times now since its been open only recently. Its one of our favorite spots now, near our winter home there. We've noticed how busy this place is becoming at dinner hour with indoor dining and takeout. Presently, El local is NOT open for lunch, and not sure if they take reservations. We've gone over there for dinner 3 or 4 times since its opened. The food at El Local is really impressive (and authentic as advertised), since we have some Mexican roots and and understand and enjoy the real flavors of Mexico, which they really try to replicate at this place. Located in the San Carlos Mall at Sanibel Blvd and 41 in South Fort Myers, its convenient with a lot of parking. The restaurant is decked out in authentic Mexican flair, not overdone or tacky, just comfortable and nice. The place is very clean, and there are about 10-15 tables total to eat in. (I seem to remember). The tacos are great, with the options of Baracoa, chicken, chorizo, pastor (or as its sometimes called in Mexico "PIBIL"-pulled pork shoulder). Tacos come with fresh cilantro on top and a few fresh vegetables (cucumber etc.) garnish on the plate. For 3$ per taco (and $1.50 on Thursdays!), we could not go wrong. DELICIOUS! El local makes their tortilla (corn or flour) fresh as well as the chips along with everything else on the menu. The guacamole is outstanding and tasty, and they make it with just enough lime and salt, and same with the Pico de Gallo. They know how to do it right. We have also had the quesadillas here as well, and those have been awesome, tasting fresh and wonderful. I would have given 5 stars, but they do not have a liquor license yet (as of this writing on April 22-2022) and we have noticed that sometimes the food is a little inconsistent, such as vegetables not being put on the plate all the time. Or sometimes, the tacos come with a little different (more fat) texture on the pastor. We know the place is a family business and just opened in a bricks and mortar location, and there are definitely things to iron out as they go along, but they have the right idea. They should hire a server, because the cook and the person at cash also wait on tables, clean the tables and take the dishes away. As well, they could put the available hot sauces (as well as menus) on the table, so one doesn't always have to ask or look for them. If sauces are not on the table, nobody knows they have them, and tacos are definitely better with a nice green or a hot sauce! El Local has a wide assortment of sodas, water etc, but a nice cold beer with the tacos would be welcome in the future. The menu is really tight and set to providing some great choices (but not too many, to where its confusing), which allow diners to select from a range of Mexican street food specialties (El Local started as a food truck, by the way). Service overall is good, but sometimes the wait for food can be a little more than expected. Highly...

MMMmmm...these are the flavours you're looking for!

In Estero a few weeks ago for unexpected reasons, after a long day at the Gulf Coast Medical Center my sibling and I were starvin' Marvin and for me there was only one cuisine I wanted, Mexican. Browsing reviews and checking closing times, El Local stood out as being close by and having an excellent overall average rating with hundreds of reviews.

We arrived just before 9:30pm on a Wednesday so close to closing (10pm), tried to get quickly into the menu to ensure the kitchen had time to make our food. Alan was behind the bar, my sister has quite a few food issues so he took the time to hear what she was hoping to eat and what she couldn't eat, then made a few suggestions.

I got the Flautas de Birria and added a couple tacos too (I was really hungry), including carnitas and steak. Oh man, everything was so obviously made fresh, the temperatures were perfect, the flautas were crispy and so incredibly flavourful with a perfect consome to dip, the red housemade hot sauce has a nice little kick to it but more importantly...it was just delicious.

My sister had a burrito and Alan made her some fresh gluten free "tortilla" chips even though they weren't on the menu, top shelf service. I enjoyed a couple Negra Modelo and my sister had hibiscus juice which she was delighted with. I would have liked to enjoy a cocktail but was driving and two beer were a must, but probably good I stopped there as I practically rolled out of the restaurant I was so full.

Bottom line, I've visited Estero quite a few times over the last 15 years to see my beloved father who is no longer with us, and this place is the best yet. Throughout our meal Alan was courteous, empathetic to our reason for being in Florida that week and the impression he left on us would be just as much the reason to go here for our first meal on any future trips to Estero as the food was.

Not ONE bad thing to say, I couldn't even come up with something if you begged me to nitpick. 10/10, A++, the creme de la creme. Thank you Alan and team for looking after us with such kindness and compassion and for completely satisfying...

As a foodie from Dallas, who's lived in San Diego before, I know quality Mexican cuisine. Don't let the sketchy strip mall deprive your taste buds from this truly unique experience. We we're staying 10 minutes away at the Hyatt properties (Regent & Vacation Club -Bonita Springs) and stumbled on this joint as we we're looking to feed a family of four (2adults/2kids). The Mayan/Aztec/Inca decor with Loteria inspired table tops set the mood. The hostess/waiters/bartenders were very welcoming and had a trendy Chicano vibe. They all checked on us, shared duties, and worked as a team 👏. Good mix of clientele with a range of ages & backgrounds (even had the Sheriffs show up for a bite). We ordered the trio dip & chips to start and the chips are fried fresh. Our kiddos order horchata & peppino aqua fresca and we were surprised by a mini barmaid that can compete with the German Bardames, she lugged 4 steins over full. We can't find good tacos at a good price in Tampa, so when we saw Street Tacos between $3-$5 per, we loaded up on Pastor, Carne Asada , & barbacoa. Our kids shared a flauta platter and chicken quesadilla and we're as happy as us. El Local ran out of the barrilla tacos, so we had to come back the next night to get our fix. Normally we'd try another joint in the area, but this was a little taste of heaven and home. We finished off the first night with the Churros Cheesecake (we should've ordered 2, it was scarfed down). I enjoyed the house margarita & a spicy margarita and they are legit, made naturally, not with some cheap & acidic mix that's been sitting on a shelf for who knows how long. The ranchero music complimented the whole vibe and food. We're hooked and now have a reason to venture south 3...