El Camino — Restaurant in Lynchburg

Yesterday evening my husband and I decided to go to the older location of El Camino since the newer one on Fort Ave had closed. This was our first time ever eating here. I will admit I have driven by it many times and never thought it looked like much and wasn't sure what it would be like inside or what the food would be like. For starters it isn't very big but they do have another small room off to the side with a couple of tables. We also saw a customer stop by to pick up a to go order and when we arrived there was a young couple there eating and while we were there another couple came in and sat at the same table the young couple had been at earlier. I was impressed with how clean it was too. It's not fancy by any means but the service we received was very good and the waiter checked on us frequently to be sure everything was good or if we needed anything. I had won a Gift Certificate earlier and was goung to finally use it. The chips they served were homemade and tasted good. We got a nice size bowl of good salsa and 2 different kinds of sauce we could add to it. One was a salsa verde and other a hotter red sauce which my husband used. I also ordered the guacamole dip ($4.25) which came in a large bowl and one of the best I ever had!! Full of lots of fresh ingredients. In fact it was much better than at the Fort Ave one. We had plans to go see a movie (The Greatest Showman--- which was great!! Even my husband enjoyed it) after dinner so we decided to just share the Fajitas Texanas ($11.00) which came with rice and beans plus your choice of corn or flour tortillas. My husband got flour and I chose the corn. Unfortunately I didn't remember to take a photo of it till we had probably eaten close to a half of it. The only thing I wished was that the shrimp had been bigger. They were on the small side. 😔 But I personally liked the flavor of everything. I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of the menu. That was sort of funny about the menu, the 2 we were handed were all in Spanish, so I asked him did he have some in English. He did and brought us 2. There is one small unisex bathroom, however definitely NOT handicap friendly, but it was clean. They weren't busy and we were there close to 6:00 p.m. Please go and give them a try. You don't have to drink an alcoholic beverage to enjoy Mexican food!! I know I look forward to...

We have been wanting to try this place for 2 years now, finally decided to go tonight....sadly disappointed. Staff and restaurant appearance wasn't the problem at all. Great staff actually! The meals were the disappointing part. The menu seems very promising, and it all looked/sounded delicious. I loved the fact most tortillas were corn, not on purpose but helps with gluten allergies. But the portion sizes were the smallest I've seen from any place around the area. Yes, the prices are a tiny bit cheaper, but really for the amount of food/flavor, the price doesn't hold up. I'm not one to use hot sauces on my food, but my chicken empanadas were greasy yet flavorless, I had to drown them in the red sauce and sour cream to have some flavor. The corn dough was nice, but everything else about it was just bland. My boyfriend got the steak/chicken/shrimp fajita...not much meat compared to the huge amount of peppers. 2 small tortillas was pretty insulting as well. But he said he liked the taste of the fajita, he just wished he had more meat compared to the filler. The refried beans are odd. First, they take up about half the plate, which is too much compared to the actual meal part. They are like watered down refried beans, is the only way I can describe them. When they're hot, the flavor is good even though they're watery, but when they cool a bit, they lose all flavor and are still watery. Never had a problem with refried beans from any place before. It's like they try to stretch the meals out as much as they can, with either extra vegetables or water/air.

We talked about it. He was wanting to try again, but after thinking about the prices compared to the quality and from reading other reviews/ looking at the uploaded pictures, I really doubt we'll return. A lot more places around that tastes better than this. Hate to say it, we were definitely wishing it was going to be our new spot because we love little...

TL/DR: Excellent, authentic Mexican food. Different from most standard restaurants. Definitely worth a try.

Why My Rating? The food: I've become accustomed to Mexican food that is the same no matter where. From the chips to the last bite, this food felt homemade and amazing.

Food: We've had five different entrees here and each one was knocked out of the park. Exceeded our expectations. Ingredients tasted fresh. Note, drinks are cans or bottles in the fridge. After you order, get yours. Jarritos and Rojita, glass bottle 7up and Coke are available along with standard sodas, tea, and water.

Location: Right off of Lakeside Dr. near Walden Pond Apartments. Very unassuming place so keep your eyes open. Two rooster statues at the door.

Staff: Very hospitable. Definitely has the feel of a family run restaurant in every positive way. We were well taken care of.

Atmosphere: This is a small restaurant. Large groups may feel crowded. There are two dining rooms attached to one another with primarily tables for four. There is one table for eight in the middle.

Cleanliness: The whole place was exceptionally clean.

Prices: As expected for quality Mexican food. It is not cheap but it...