Cafe El Lago
| Address: | 262 UT-73, Saratoga Springs, UT 84043, USA |
| Phone: | +1 801-766-9690 |
| Site: | cafeellago.com |
| Rating: | 3.9 |
| Working: | 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM Closed |
Location
Photos 13
Reviews 8
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Dan Keeler
We tried eating here a few months ago when we first moved to Saratoga Springs. We did not care for the food. But, we decided to try it again last night. First, the salsa has way too much garlic. If you like a lot of garlic in your salsa, you will probably like it more than I did. Next, we ordered our drinks. When the waitress brought them out, she brought out a couple boxes for the table next to us at the same time. She had her hands full of our drinks so she stuck the boxes in her armpit to carry them. Not really where I would want anything carried that I would be putting my food in. I ended up ordering the sour cream / cream cheese enchiladas. They were full of chicken. But the chicken had no seasoning. The description in the menu says that the chicken was mixed with the sour cream and cream cheese sauce. It seemed to be was the shredded chicken you would buy at Costco with nothing else added. They did not put much of the sauce on top so the enchiladas ended up being fairly dry and tasteless. The service for us was very slow. A family of 8 came in after we had ordered our drinks. They placed thier order for drinks and later food before our waitress ever made it back to take our order for our food. Next time we want Mexican food, it will either be Cafe Rio or Betos. If we have more time, it will be back to our favorite place in Riverton before we moved to Saratoga Springs. Would not recommend anyone to go here.
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11mcdonaldmike
My family and I used to frequent Cafe el Lago. The food was always good for the most part and it was the only Mexican Restaraunt in Saratoga Springs. Lately however, the service has been absolutely terrible. We went there tonight because we had a free meal. As we entered the host told us that they were no longer going to accept our free meal. He then took us to our table where we waited for 10 minutes. Usually they bring us chips and salsa however, we did not get them. The host/waiter after 10 minutes tried to take our order, after looking at us and asking what we wanted, without word, took off back to the kitchen. We were very confused as to why he disappeared without explanation and why it was taking so long seeing how we were the only customers in the restaraunt. We waited for another 5 minutes until we decided to leave. On our way out the manager said "thanks for coming in", both my wife and I were wondering where he was the whole time and why it took us leaving for him to acknowledge us(and the reason he declined our free meal). We used to like this restaraunt, however, the service has been so bad as of late that we will not be returning.
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Kenneth Clark
First the positive; the restaurant is clean, the staff are friendly and the portions are fair. Sadly, if you are expecting authentic Mexican food, I would choose another restaurant. To be clear, we have been there once. The salsa seemed like tomato sauce out of a can with some diced tomatoes and spices added. I ordered green enchiladas and the green sauce had a taste and consistency as though it were made like gravy (with corn starch) rather than actual green chile sauce. I dont know who owns/runs the restaurant, but the food reminded me more of the imitation Mexican enchiladas my Norwegian aunt would make (which taste good, but are definitely NOT actual Mexican food). I am not writing these specifics to be overly critical, just in the hope that the owners might read this and, take it from someone who has eaten A LOT of real Mexican food in Mexico and Southern California, from my experience you are not quite there yet. I hope that you can improve, it is a shame that there is a lack of good, authentic, sit-down Mexican food restaurants in Utah County (I dont count BETOS in that category).
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linda mitchell
Customer service was pretty good. Everyone seemed friendly and attentive. So, now about the food... Im from Texas and am no stranger to good Mexican, which by the way can be found in Utah, but unfortunately not here. Starting with the chips and salsa. The salsa was actually pretty good, but the chips were very thick. Maybe some like it like that, but all they did was take some regular old corn tortillas and cut them up. I couldnt enjoy the salsa very much with such thick chips. For the main dish I ordered the southwestern combo or something like that. The corn tortillas in the enchilada and taco were not thoroughly warmed and in my opinion dont taste as good when they arent warmed through. The meat was bland. Thank goodness they had some habanero hot sauce to give it some flavor. My husband ordered the super beef burrito - also very bland. My kids had the burger meals so I was happy they offered American for the kids, but the Mexican here was just not very good. I dont think the place is run by an actual Mexican, so that probably explains it.
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Darra Winslow
Took my family in for dinner on a Saturday night. We were a large group and I was impressed with how quickly we got seated and served. Ample chips and salsa were waiting at our table and our server quickly got our drink orders. Two of my boys shared the Macho Nachos with grilled chicken. WOW! Their jaws dropped when they saw how big it was. They barely got through half of it! My preteen daughter had the taco salad with the tomatillo ranch dressing. She said it was delicious. I had the chicken cream cheese and sour cream chimichanga. Yum! It was delicious and the chile verde sauce was very flavorful. The horchata was tasty too. Service was very fast and friendly even with our large group. Well be sure to come back.
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Meghan Allred
My husband and I like to try new places and came across this gem while we were in Saratoga Springs. The food was delicious and service was very fast and friendly. My husband ordered the fajitas. The chicken was very moist and flavorful. It also had a nice variety of green, yellow, and red bell peppers. I ordered the taco salad with grilled chicken. Wow!! It was soooo good! They make their own tomatillo ranch dressing and it was delicious!! I asked for some on the side so I could dip my chips. The chips are made fresh each day and were the perfect blend of crispy and salty. Yum! We will definitely be coming back.
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Trenton Allred
WOW! I went to this place a few weeks ago and it was good, Best Fresh made piping hot tortilla chips and homemade salsa Ive ever had, amazing authentic Mexican food, awesome dining ambiance, friendly helpful service. Never open Sunday, which I can respect. I just recently went again to this place and as good as it was last time I went, it was even better this time around! (apparently they have a new owner). They told me they plan to reopen their lunch hours soon, which would be great! And they let you order their food to go! (Best Chip and Salsa party at my house ever!) 5 Stars all the way!
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Trent Fordham
We decided that we wanted to try a different restaurant, and not a chain. In looking around I found the reviews for Cafe El Lago were really good. Didnt hurt that they are right down the street. We were NOT disappointed. The food was excellent, as was the service. I wish I knew her name because our server was outstanding. There was a minor mistake on one of our items, and she took care of us with speed and a smile. In addition, the atmosphere was just right. Not over done, but bright and fresh. We love Mexican food and can guarantee we will return.
