El Pastor Mexican Food — Restaurant in Umatilla

I can not and will not trust reviews ever again after this. The reviews has to be from their own folks, or locals that are not familiar with good Mexican food. I’ll tell you this, from someone that cooks well, and eats plenty of Mexican food, this is by far the worst Mexican food I have ever had. I’ve traveled and eaten Mexican food from all over, and this by far was the worst.

We asked for water, it’s a typical request, considering we try to avoid a soft drinks and drinks that consists of too much sugar. The gentleman bought us Aquafina water bottles for purchase.

If you’re going to sell people water, at least have the common courtesy of giving them us a heads up that that’s what you’re doing. Trashy behavior and attitude from that young man.

They served us the worst type of salsa and guacamole. Looks like it’s from the cheapest bottle they could find at a corner store. I have never experienced that kind of sale and guac ever in my life. As I mentioned earlier, I cook very well, and they’re dish, fried tortillas and dip couldn’t stand a chance next to mine, and I am not Mexican, nor Hispanic (my husband is).

They served us the lowest grade of food, it was pitiful. From the lettuce to the beef, the rice, the beans; they gave us American shredded cheese on top of the refried beans. Then when I asked them for the crumbled cheese, he said they ran out, then afterwards bought out two small pieces of cold blocked Mexican cheese. But call themselves authentic? More like, ghetto!

The food was overly priced. That same evening we went to a crab boil place, and it was about the same cost for two adults and two little children.

We finally decided while we were almost done with our dinner, that we would try their drinks, he bought us over super huge cups, extremely sweet lemonade, with no straws. When we asked for straws, he just shrugged and said they ran out.

Let’s just say when we go out to eat it is very rare that we don’t eat everything on the table. The food was horrible, the flavor was bland. The meat and rice was poor/low quality. The service was horrible, it was not a good experience. And did I mention that the food was HORRIBLE?

During check out, the gentleman was counting our plates, and looking at the menu to calculate how much he should charge us. So unprofessional and low character of a young man. Smh…

You guys should be ashamed of yourself. If you’re going to operate a restaurant, at least like to cook, Unless you really enjoy cooking, you won’t...

I think a 4.5 rating would have been a little more appropriate. We really enjoyed the food, although it wasn't nearly the best we've ever had. But it tasted fresh and well cooked and it was a perfect amount , so I don't see any reason to knock a star off for the food.

We liked our waitress, but she was taking a lot of time to ask us if we needed anything after we finished eating. We wanted to order dessert, but waited a long time, as I suspect she was busy cooking for another customer. I get the feeling it's a small family room business so I respect that. But, if you are in a hurry just be aware of this possibility. I'm sure if you mentioned that you are needing quicker attention she would be happy to comply.

The coffee was absolutely delicious. I'm not sure what their magic is. For dinner we had a chicken and a chorizo authentic taco, and those were my favorite. So fresh and tasty. We had hot chili sauce with it. I did not care for the green mild sauce at all . We also got the gordita and sopa because we have never had these before. This type of shell is not my favorite thing, but I think a lot of people might like it. I found it to be heavy. However, the contents inside were wonderful. We also had the flan and it was very good.

The prices are more than reasonable. The location is very convenient, with parking right outside. It was walking distance to the Inn we were staying at.

Before I wrap up I need to say that the ambiance/ atmosphere was what tipped me into the five star category. The music was very nice and tasteful, the setup made it intimate and cozy, and it has a modern yet relaxed vibe. I loved the decor and if I lived nearby I think I would eat here very often.

All in all, I think anyone in the area should check this place out. I wish these folks a...

Went a couple of times for tacos and while they weren’t the best they were decent and fairly priced and we were happy to support a local business as near to us as any business is living 15 minutes from any town. Coincidentally ended up there on Cinco de Mayo after my daughter’s riding lesson. We (4 of us) went in, sat down, and one by one washed up in the restroom preparing to eat. In the 10-15 minutes we were there no one came out to greet us. The middle aged gentleman that was usually there (and not particularly friendly) was nowhere in sight but the kitchen staff were there working and at one point opened a curtain and looked at us without a word and closed it back up and never came out. A bit bewildered we decided to leave and ended up at a Mexican themed restaurant in downtown Eustis that seemed very happy to have us. A few weeks later we found an awesome authentic Mexican restaurant in Eustis near Tractor Supply that has great authentic food that blows this place away so we are happy to never return...