El Cerrito Cocina Mexicana — Restaurant in Grand Rapids

I came into this establishment today with my husband and our children not knowing what to expect, but I can honestly say hands down that this will be our new favorite restaurant in the city of Grand Rapids! From the moment we walked into the place we were greeted by kind the sweetest staff members and great music! Our server was a VERY handsome and professional young man, I believe his name was Kelton. He is so kind and full of energy. My husband is deaf and this impressive and loving young man who speaks Spanish and English surprised us by taking my entire family’s order in SIGN LANGUAGE to accommodate my husbands disability! Not just that, but anytime he came to our table he communicated in sign language. Never in the 26 years that we’ve been married has any server ever done that and It really warmed our hearts, especially my husbands that he included him in the entire experience! He is truly amazing. He even taught us some very useful Spanish words/phrases and how to dance salsa! Lol we loved every moment spent here today!

Our food was to die for! We ordered tacos, garlic parm steak fries, nachos and fajitas and the entire meal was so much better than expected! It came very quickly and tasted fantastic! Everything was fresh and full of so many flavors that we’ve never had at any of the Mexican restaurants here in town. The margaritas were also great. I can see myself coming in daily for sure! El Cerrito is a gem to the East Town community and I hope that everyone has the pleasure of enjoying them as much as my family and I have today. Big congratulations to the owners!

From the service to the food we had an amazing experience here and would highly recommend El Cerrito to anybody! They really do provide warm and inviting hospitality and even better food! I loved everything...

I came here just before dinner time around 330 pm so it wouldn't be that busy I thought, but shortly after arriving it got busier which I wouldn't mind any other time but, the waitress was alone. Doing the entire floor by herself,she was very friendly & kind trying to keep up. She tried to stay up on our table since we had a dinner of 7 guests & was only like the second table when we first walked inside. She was doing her best but the wait time between ordering the food & actually getting it took way longer than anticipated because of the lack of staffing. We ended up total time waiting from start to finish was like two & a half hrs. I was irritated a few times when we were ready to order because waiting so long. The food was sub-par to taste & luke warm, I personally believe because they were trying to get it all done at the same time but it caused the rice & beans to be barley warm. The pick 2 , burrito & taco I ordered tasted strange. My street taco tasted of cinnamon instead of the beef? The corn tortillas were so thin they were disintegrating as I took a bite, literally falling apart which made it hard to eat then. The burrito wasn't to bad but had the chicken chunks were kinda tough & harder to swallow due to dryness. The salsa & chips were pretty good except the salsa looked more like just red sauce & tasted bland also, Im pretty sure it wasnt home made. If id had paid less it might of made me feel better but with the longer wait for food, not so good food & high cost I dont know if I will return here again. The atmosphere was nice & clean but very hot like almost no air conditioning or low air? The guacamole was good tho(we ordered extra for the chips) & our beers were...

El Cerrito Cocina Mexicana is a hidden gem that has redefined what Mexican cuisine means for me. It's quickly gaining popularity, and for good reason. The food? Absolutely incredible. And the drinks? Excellent, to say the least. The staff are friendly, making you feel right at home. My first visit had me waiting a solid 40 minutes, but it was worth every second. The second time around was a bit quicker, just a 10-minute wait. However, the music was a bit too loud, making it tough to hear my dining companions. Despite that, the food was so good it almost made up for it. What's remarkable is how El Cerrito has influenced my perspective on other Mexican eateries I used to enjoy. After experiencing their exceptional flavors, I found myself revisiting those places, only to taste them in a different light. It's like El Cerrito has set a new standard, making me appreciate the depth and complexity of Mexican cuisine in a whole new way. It's rare to come across a place that leaves such a lasting impression, but El Cerrito has done just that. Now please say away so I can enjoy...