El Mexicano Restaurant — Restaurant in Salina

I mean, it was edible...

*alternate title: "enchiladas, the other white meat."

Forget the fact that we waited over an hour for food. It was a holiday and they were short staffed so I can be forgiving of the wait and staff who were to busy to be attentive enough to refill drinks, check back in, bring napkins, etc. but the food...

Generous portions, I'll give them that. All the other adults at my table had burrito/chimmichanga that they seemed satisfied enough to eat most of. My husband had a steak breakfast burrito which was missing ingredients. No potatoes, but at least filled with other veg. While I had... What were called enchiladas, but were am affront to all things Mexican food just plain shredded meat in a plain corn tortilla with LITERALLY no flavor. No seasoning in sight. I'll give them that it was all breast meat so I didn't get any cheap chewy bits, but the meat was not marinated in anything and my enchilada came out played with NO SAUCE. NOTHING. I prefer a red sauce enchilada to a green sauce, but at the end of the day I'll take either. This thing just had a sprinkling of melted cheese. So just picture it-- plain, and I mean plain, boiled chicken stuffed in a soggy corn tortilla served with flavorless rice and beans. If I'd had chewed with my eyes closed I couldn't have told you the difference between anything on my plate.

I don't take pictures at the table, but I wish I had bc you wouldn't believe it.

The only answer I can think off is that I asked for my son's kids menu burrito to come unsmothered so maybe the server thought mom had as boring a flavor pallette as my 9 year old. We'll never know bc the server was too busy, as they were understaffed bc "nobody wanted to come in tonight" so I couldn't even ask about what was up with my enchilada. Server was plenty polite but I have to give 1 star for food bc idk who's giving this place 5.

Salsa is watered down red soup, no spice, no zing.

I was pleasantly surprised that the guacamole actually had chunks of tomato and onion as I'd expected just straight mashed avocados from a place like this, but also lacking in seasoning and flavor. A little salt goes a long way.

It's a SMALL TOWN so my expectations were bottom of the barrel low and they were met. Consider yourself warned.

It's edible, but...

OK...El Mexicano has some of the best Mexican Food that I've ever tasted. (And I've tasted a lot of Mexican Food.). The one thing is that, in my opinion, it could be a little spicier, however I like spicy and most of the people in this area prefer mild. That's ok though, because I can always add jalapenos or hot sauce.

The decor is typical "Mexican restaurant" decor with worn red plastic booths. However, once the chips and salsa arrive, you'll forget that you're anyplace other than Nirvana. The chips are fresh, crisp and delicious and the salsa? Well I could just simply jump in a vat and eat my way through it and lick myself off when I'm done. It's that good. Completely fresh and loaded with cilantro. And, then we get to the menu which is loaded with a wide variety of dishes.

Whenever I eat at El Mexicano, I swear that I'm going to try something new and different, however, I seem to cave at the last minute and order the Carnitas. Ohhhhh. Now, the carnitas are one of the higher priced items on the menu, however, heck, the serving is enough for at least 3 meals. The pork is melt in your mouth tender, loaded with pickled jalapenos that are just hot enough to feel the burn when they're going down.

The rice and beans are delicious and beans are nothing spectacular, however, they're a very nice accompaniment to the overall delicious meal.

Ohhhh and the guacamole. Absolutely delicious, especially when you mix some of the salsa in with your guac.

If you're looking for a delicious Mex restaurant, you can't go wrong with El Mexicano. Every location I've eaten at has...

I recommend not eating here.

The service was very very slow. SALINA FOLKS MUST NOT HAVE MANY LATINO OFFERINGS HERE, BUT THERE'S NOTHING SPECIAL HERE. During the service, I asked for a second helping of chips while I waited. It never came. The waitress asked me for water, then when I added I wanted a lemon, she just walked away. Very rude. The dinner wait was 1 hour. I understand you're busy, but you've got to do better. Max wait for food should be 20 minutes. During that time, you have to ply your customers with appetizers if its going to be longer. When the cashier/manager asked if everything was okay, I said service was slow. He unapologetically said it's busy, and in broken English he said something like "we cannot help everybody. " No apologies. No contrition. No attempt to assuage. This is the first Mexican restaurant that I've gone to -- AND I'VE BEEN TO MANY-- where I was GRAVELY DISAPPOINTED. If you're busy, then by all means.... HIRE MORE PEOPLE. The customer's needs need to be met in a timely manner, not because of poor management! BUSINESS 101. I highly recommend another Mexican Restaurant in another town; the one in Beaver, Utah shines, and food served in 20 minutes without an attitude. The food here in "EL MEXICANO" is AVERAGE, compared to other places that wowed me. I'm not patronising in the future. They should rename this restaurant "EL...