Cafe Mexicali

Pre-ordered food for a graduation. Called and confirmed. Day of pick-up, the staff stated it was still in office and no one had pulled and filled. We had to wait while they filled the order. Food: fresh, hot. Tasty. We enjoyed the sweet pulled pork over all the meats, including chicken and beef. Beef didn’t have enough flavor, chicken was dry, unflavorful. Service: good even though our order was not ready for us. Return: when in town, potentially would try again. The graduate who requested the meat, is a frequent visitor and loves the food, service and value.

Holy, portion size was insane but I am NOT at all complaining. I got the smothered burrito with sweet pork and it was more than enough. Service was pretty amazing—the guy on the line was nice, and the lady at the register had a fun personality. Ambiance was upbeat. For me coming in around 3pm, it was pretty busy! Cannot recommend this place enough, and I'll for sure be back!

Aloha all;; I don’t usually try Mexican cuisine in places like this unless someone says it’s good or good enough. First off it’s come in order at the counter and it’s ready by the time you get to the cashier. Than you take your food and drink to sit down. They have a very good Verde sauce , mild sauce is good as well but I am partial to green sauces. The soft tacos are enormous , so used to the smaller versions but here they don’t mess around. The food is good and worth the try if you’re ever in the area.

A little pricey, but I still come every time I'm here visiting family. Sweet pork smothered burrito every time. Their creamy habanero queso is the best thing ever. Nice large burritos as well, freshly done! Tons of leftovers.

This place has my favorite breakfast burrito. They are fast, so nice and the employees seem genuinely happy to be there. The restaurant is always clean including the work surfaces in the visible kitchen area. 10/10 Cafe Mexicali is awesome!

It was just very very poor customer service. And then yes their servings are big but they don't tell you that. So if you order a burrito and a taco thinking you're getting a regular taco you're not but they still make you pay an arm and a leg for it.. Also The head guy in the kitchen is 100% Spanish and said something about me being a pinche gringo he didn't know that My mom spoke Spanish. But he said something very rude about me when I asked for my burrito without pico de gallo and then when he said that in Spanish the rest of them laughed. My mother told me what it was and it was very unsavory and super unproofessional. I took my mother here and my nephew trying to have a good time and it ended up being one of the worst experiences I've ever had in a restaurant. Super. Don't recommend it. Maybe if you're a college kid and don't care about good customer service, it's a good spot for you But if you're trying to take your family there and enjoy your meal, this is not the place to go. Literally any other place is better. El burrito or Even three margaritas? But this is not the spot... Do not recommend

I had a great experience at Cafe Mexicali. The staff was friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere was cozy and inviting. The restaurant has a nice outdoor patio with heaters and fire pits, which is perfect for chilly nights. The menu offers a variety of Mexican dishes, from tacos and enchiladas to salads and soups. I ordered the steak smothered burrito, which was delicious and filling. The steak was tender and juicy, and the burrito was covered with cheese and green chili sauce. I would give the food a 4/5. However, it was still very tasty and satisfying. The service was excellent, as our staff was attentive and courteous. I would give the service a 5/5 because the staff went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and comfortable. The atmosphere was also very pleasant, as the restaurant was clean and spacious. The decor was colorful and festive, with Mexican art and music creating a lively vibe. I would give the atmosphere a 5/5 because it was cozy and inviting. Overall, I had a wonderful time at Cafe Mexicali, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good Mexican restaurant in Fort Collins. It is a great place to enjoy a meal with friends or family or to celebrate a special occasion.

I want to love this place, but it's just gross. The food is gross, the staff can't hear you. They make your meal in seconds before you can even get a word in about customizations or allergies. I've been here twice and one of those times they got my order wrong and gave me sweet corn instead of sweet pork. The soda area is sticky and smells moldy. I really didn't like this place the first time I went. Gave it a second chance and it's just 👎👎 from me. Very generic and bland Mexican food. Nothing authentic.

A coworker recommended this location while we visited Colorado. It did not disappoint. We had sweet pork with green sauce, it was so flavorful!the homemade tortillas are legit! The restaurant is decorated nicely and background music was great. Staff behind the counter were helpful in explaining the menu. Although a sit down restaurant everything is self serve. Highly recommended

I come here multiple times a week, the people that work here know me by name and put up with my crazy orders! The food is fantastic and their tortilla are LEGENDARY! The place is always clean and the service is seamless! I can't recommend Cafe Mexicali enough! Anyone that doesn't work very hard never lasts. Maria, the manager, is the hardest working person I have ever met, and if I win the lottery one day... I'd share my earnings with her because she simply deserves it!

Este Café Mexicali es el mejor lugar a comer y pasar tiempo con amigos. La salsa de habanero de crema es el único salsa de crema que me gusta comer. Si ha puedado, me ducho en este salsa. Por favor comer aquí pero no comas mi salsa de habanero de crema.

Was unfamiliar with this restaurant but decided to give it a try. Similar to Chipotle but different menu items. We had three in our party that ordered tacos, quesole and enchiladas along with chips, quacamole and salsa. Also tried the margarita that was made with fresh limes, it was yummy. Would probably return and try the burrito next time as they look massive.

Fresh, house made tortillas that they press and cook infront of you! My family and I have been going here for many years and the food is always delicious and fresh. The place itself is usually clean and well kept. Customer service could be better, wasn't terrible but definitely wasn't welcoming. Everything on their menu is fantastic, just depends on what kind of mood you're in!

Holy, portion size was insane but I am NOT at all complaining. I got the smothered burrito with sweet pork and it was more than enough. Service was pretty amazing--the guy on the line was nice, and the lady at the register had a fun personality. Ambiance was upbeat. For me coming in around 3pm, it was pretty busy! Cannot recommend this place enough, and I'll for sure be back!

I love savory food, but my steak burrito was so so so salty, I could barely eat it. Will be giving it another try and hopefully it's better! Portion was massive, so that's a plus!

The food is delicious, my go to is the sweet pork quesadilla with white sauce on the side. Or a steak burrito. The service is normal like a chipotle walkthrough line. The vibe is there, the right type on music for a restaurant not too loud but not too low.

We're from central Texas so we're biased on Mexican food and, although this Mexican food seems to be California inspired, it didn't inspire us to eat on to go plates and plastic knives and forks. The chicken burrito was "ok" but would fall into the fast food range of taste and quality. Prices were ok for what you get but I think next time I get the urge for fast food Mexican here, I'll zip over to taco Johns instead.

I've been coming here for 6 years and this places quality has gone down hill drastically in the past 6 months. The hygiene of this place is getting very concerning. Every time I have gone in for breakfast, lunch, or dinner in the past 6 months I have left disgusted barely wanting to touch my food because the employees are either obviously not showered with sweat rolling off them or they are cleaning and sweeping right next to the expo line as food is being prepared. DISGUSTING. A major health violation. I will not be returning here again.

One star for their freshness which is undeniable however, now my true opinion of the flavor of the food. I feel this does not quite satisfy the incredible flavor profile that Authentic Mexican cuisine is suppose to do..in other words, it taste more like a knock off of what the true flavors of Mexico are , I would classify it under the category of Quasi Tex Mex or Colo Mex ..but if one would have the expectation of authentic food taste of Mexico it wouldnt match up..not even even close, in my opinion ..its something else, like a cocktail of other flavors that forget about the Mexican in the title. I have never tasted overly sweet Mexican food like this in my life...even the salad dressing was over the top sweet! Chicken soup was good and fresh for chicken soup however, didn't taste like Mexican either had its own flavor which wants bad just not mexican ..my salsa tasted like olives to be honest and the food profiles were all over the place but not quite landing on the spot. Overall this place makes clean fresh food however, it isn't real Mexican flavor but a knock off like most Tex Mex is.

Celiac - I get the sweet pork bowl with black beans and rice (not sure if this is an actual menu item). They will change gloves if you ask. I don't normally get the chips. One of my fav spots, but I don't think they have the best allergen education for staff :)

Food is good, menu is a bit limited but you get a very filling meal for a reasonable price. Staff is friendly and hard working, restaurant was comfortable and clean.

These burritos are huge and good. I got Barbacoa and sweet pork. With just the tomatillo sauce. Chips, salsa and guacamole. The salsa was sweet and the guacomole didn't have much flavor but substance was enough. Didn't like sweet salsa. The Barbacoa wasn't bad, just didn't seem like Barbacoa but just normal pork. But I thought it was beef. The sweet pork is very sweet and I was not a fan. If you do try it. Get a spicy sauce to go over it. It's weird to eat sugary meat. I would try this place again but try different meats and sauces.

I ordered the chicken breast burrito, which is one of their most popular menu items according to the food delivery apps. Maybe I read the menu wrong, but I thought it came with chips (mine didn't come with any). The flavor of everything was good, maybe the sauce in was cooked in? But a good 80% of my burrito was filled with pale, almost white rice. There were maybe 10 individual pinto beans scattered throughout the burrito and sparse pieces of shredded chicken. The beans were hard and had a weird aftertaste. I got two salsas, the regular and the corn, the first of which was extremely bland and the second had an artificial sweetener taste, I'm thinking they weren't drained entirely from the can. I'm assuming the shortfalls mainly come from a lack of fresh ingredients, as I was almost positive that the corn and beans were canned, and the rice resembled minute rice. Great in a pinch, or if you're drunk, but my search for good Mexican food in Fort Collins is still ongoing.

I ordered chicken tacos and there was multiple hairs, when I asked where the water cups were the staff rolled there eyes and when I turned around they quite literally pointed and laughed, the women's bathroom wasn't stocked in anything I'd never go here again

Creamy habanero is amazing! I recommend getting chips with your burrito. The mango salsa is great as well.

The Quesolle Sweet Pork is amazing. Generous helping of pork in the tortilla and unlike many other takeout places, I just kept eating this dish until it was gone. I can't think of anything I would improve - having Cafe Mexicali for lunch has brightened my day. Thank you.

We love the food, which is why we go back. But if you order a side, make sure it's included in your bag before you go. Twice they've charged us for a side of sauce and then once we get home the side isn't in the bag. Again, we'll probably go back because the food is good, but no tip for you until you start getting our orders right.

This was probably one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in all of Fort Collins and completes the trifecta of burritos between big city burrito, qdoba, and cafe mex that I would rotate between for lunch. The first thing to mention here is the sauces are so amazing and make any of the dishes tasty. Creamy habanero I'm sure is the most popular and I usually try to get a mix of that and the green chile sauce. The creamy habanero is creamy and has so much flavor. I usually get the quesolle (first tried it after it showed up in an article when they opened and it looked so delicious), which is a quesadilla but wrapped into a cylinder shape in order to put more meat in the middle. I remember almost always getting the sweet pork filling. Note about the sweet pork - it's tasty but it feels way too sweet and kinda over seasoned to me maybe. It makes me need to gulp down water after each bite. Another thing to try is the smothered burrito. You get more meat in this one as well as a sauce on top and inside the burrito rather than on the side with the quesolle. Everything is served with salad and pico or chips and I remember they used to serve guacamole but I don't think I saw it recently unless you asked for it extra. All in all, this is a piece of good Colorado style Mexican food

A go to place whenever we are in Fort Collins. A staple when I was in school at CSU. Love the sweet pork burrito with creamy habanero sauce!

I will give a 2 because I used to love this place but over past few years food/service has faded. I ordered 10 to go burritos for a party and none of us had hardly any meat on our burritos. Mostly rice and cheese. Waste of money. Too bad, was a good place back In The day.

Cafe Mexicali is the place for tasty gut bombs! The place is super popular in town and they are always busy. There is good parking and I can't think of a time when there wasn't a long line to the door. I think most of what they make is good and I particularly like the Quesole with chicken or steak. Whatever you get, you must get the crazy habanero sauce (the white sauce) with your order. The customer service is just okay, but it's high school and college kids running the show most of the time. By the way, this is not the place if you're looking for authentic Mexican food. The dining room is pretty large and it's good for groups if you have a lot of friends. You can grab a beer from a limited selection or your other option is soda. My stomach doesn't handle Cafe Mexicali very well anymore, but it's still really tasty and hard to pass up when I'm hungry and in the mood!

I decided to try Mexicali because they were doing a fundraiser for my friend's program, and was really impressed. I would describe this place as a cross between a chipotle and a traditional Mexican restaurant. It's prices and line-ordering style are similar to Chipotle's, but the menu and food are similar to a traditional sit-down. My friends had Corn & onion-quesero and the Smothered molito burrito and thought they were really good. I had the smothered corn& bean burrito and the habanero sauce on top was amazing. The portions were great for how much it cost, and the price was good too! Would definitely recommend

First time here. Employees were very friendly and helpful. Food was great with very generous proportions.

I only gave one star because giving zero stars was not an option. Both the burritos and enchiladas were extremely doughy. there was more rice in the burritos than protein. upon delivery, I noticed that the guac and salsa were not in the bag. but the chips were. I called them and was told I could come and pick it up. I ordered delivery for a reason. when I asked for a refund I was told to call grub hub for a refund. I pretty much paid seven dollars for tortilla chips. We will not be ordering from them again.

Best freakin burrito in my whole life. Is there a line? I suggest waiting. The tortillas and creamy habanero sauce are to die for. They sweet corn and onion is a really great option for vegetarians/ vegans.

Service is terrible. I placed an order online and when i got there, I had to wait significantly past the estimate (an hour later). I will not be ordering from this place online again.

If I could marry Cafe Mex I would! The chicken molido smothered burrito hits the spot every time!

If all of Ft. Collins is standing in line for lunch at 2:00 PM on a Saturday afternoon, and is voted Best Mexican restaurant every year since 2007, then I must have chosen a good place for lunch.

My family and I eat here regularly and the quality of food is always exceptional. They never disappoint. If you love good Mexican food, this is place to go. Made with natural ingredients, you can't go wrong. ​

Love the sweet pork! Generally fast and friendly staff as well the dining area is a nice and clean making the meal and atmosphere an enjoyable experience!

Have always had excellent food, but have somebody directly making food with a mask on. Wont be eating here again if i see that- it's September 2022 for reference. If they're so sick they need a mask- STAY HOME!

Went here on 4/18/21. There were 4 of us. We sat there and ate. Food was very good. All workers were wearing mask and gloves. Tables were separated apart.

Even the water was bussin ong fr Fr. Madly recommend for a hangover meal! Don't underestimate Cafe Mexicali

After eating here for 4-5 years, we're giving up. We used to dine here at least once a week, but between their staff's bad attitudes, poor customer experience, and routinely getting eggshells in our breakfast burritos (it's happened dozens of times) we are moving on to other options. Their sister store in Johnstown is better as far as staff is concerned, but it's too far to drive. We've come to believe that the College Ave restaurant must not have a hands-on manager, or one of the disgruntled employees is the manager. The restaurant opens at 8 AM, but every single week you see staff walking in at 8:10, with food service not ready, people standing in line waiting for them to get their prep work done. This happens every single week...for years! Couple this with literal garbage in their food (eggshells) and the disgruntled employees, we are finally giving up.

Fun little place to get cheaper but quality Mexican food, kind of similar to qdoba or chipotle but much better and local! The quality, authenticity and freshness beats qdoba and chipotle in every category no question asked. I would highly recommend the white sauce and with the main course you cannot really go wrong but I personally enjoy the quesoles. It is not the cleanest place but it also is not dirty to where you are disgusted or would lose your appetite. Also their covid strategies are pretty interesting and I am not sure how well they are thought out but either way I am glad they are allowing people to dine in!

I had a hard time rating this place. Everyone I knew raved about it. The burritos are huge, although honestly too big. I felt bad wasting my leftovers (since I'm traveling and I can't take them) and it seems excessive However, it tasted great. I got chicken with black beans and white sauce. Loved biting into it. Admittedly got a bit blah with it after a while because it was just toooo much. Too much sauce, just too much. I didn't finish it. But, it WAS good. The bad? Ummm. Within 30 minutes after eating I needed an emergency trip to the nearest bathroom. Now, I feel kinda gross for eating all that food. Due to thus, I would not return I don't think :/

Lunch time so stopped here as I was wanting Mexican food and a friend suggested this place. So ya order your food that is made in front of you. I ordered the corn and onion enchilada with green sauce ( medium spicy)which that is nothing like I am use to as I thought I wouldn't like it......but surprise it was very good!! Instead of a rolled corn tortillas, it was one corn on bottom then corn, onions, cheese topped corn tortillas with green sauce and cheese then spun into a heat oven to heat and melt the cheese. Very good. I'm not real crazy about cafeteria line food but for three stars it was the food the rest of place was very average nothing special. Also they do have outside seating. Value is good as there is no wait staff. No chips and salsa unless purchased at a price. Chow!

Was out and about town doing some errands and have heard of the restaurant and thought I would check it out. It is similar to many other restaurants that you order your food, they make it and then you can sit down. It is a bit different as the portion size on the meat caught my attention right away. They were very generous and the chicken was so moist and tender I wanted even more. They run it through a toaster to melt the cheese and wow that really made a huge difference. Aside from the large portion size, the other piece was there was a person there making fresh tortillas. Yep, fresh, homemade and my blood sugar rose just watching her make them. By the way you can get an extra for $.89 which of course I did. Had the inside out burrito and the soup and both were simply divine. There is food that is overcooked and OK if you are hungry, then there is this food which even if I was full, would eat even more as it was that good. Was munching the extra tortilla, (see blood sugar comment above) and there is just nothing like fresh home made tortillas. Definitely a place to go back again and again. Already looking forward to my next visit.

The breakfast burritos are delicious but the portion size of breakfast burritos are off from visit to visit. If the lady is making the burritos she always fills them up with plenty, but if they young guy is making your burrito, then it's always filled with much less, and they are way too small for the price you pay. It would be a better customer experience if they focused on quality control to deliver consistent burrito no matter who is making the burrito.

I haven't had decent salsa in years, and after eating here, I still haven't. The salsa was so bland I thought it was made by some suburban white guy named Keith who only understood the word salsa in concept because he saw it on a Lifetime movie one time. I'm pretty sure the ingredient list is just pureed tomato and basil. This place has been voted the best Mexican restaurant in Fort Collins for like 15 years in a row. I am genuinely afraid to try anywhere else if this is the best Fort Collins has to offer. Come on y'all. You can do better than this. You know you'd never serve that at home.

Everything is go big or go home! Also, shoutout to y'all for letting student orgs fundraise!

Cafe Mex is my favorite food in foco! I crave the sweet pork quesolé with white sauce on the reg!! I make sure to visit whenever I'm in town! I wish these were everywhere! The portions are huge and with a drink it comes out to around $12. I can usually stretch it for two meals. The sweet pork is and the white sauce is a must!

We tried the sweet pork burrito and barbacoa enchiladas. Both of the meats were delicious. If you are not a sweets person, I would stay away from the sweet pork. If you are, then you should definitely try it. We both got the habanero cream sauce, which was amazing. As you can see in the picture, the enchiladas are a lot smaller than the burrito, while being the same price, so I would recommend going with the burrito instead. This place reminds me of a hometown chipotle. Great food. Good prices. Plenty of parking.

Service was horrible meat was not seasoned tasted extremely bland even with the habanero sauce

Yum! Imagine a better tasting chipotle... with some Latin America theme for ambiance. And bigger burritos somehow? So much flavor flav in each bite, and a soupy mixture at the end that I'd love an xxl staw to use to attempt a clean up process with. Get that white habanero sauce, double!

This place sucks. And I don't mean the food!!! The food is amazing. Here's the issue. Every time I eat here there is about 10 people in line. Only problem is the line takes forrrrrreeeeevvvvveeeeeerrrrrrrrr because they make every other person in line wait for the 50 mobile orders they are taking at the same time. Today they even made the second half of a family wait while they crammed in a few more phone orders. What's really insulting is most all of their online orders then sit on the rack well past you getting your food. Restaurants that have inside dining and mobile orders should prioritize those that actually take the time to come dine in their business. Or have two service lines such as a back kitchen. Ridiculous. Ps. Stop serving the slop scraped off the bottom of a food tray. Combine it with a fresh one when it is 1/4 full. Pps. This post pained me to write as Mexicali is one of my favorite places to eat.

This restaurant has really declined. I hadn't been there for a couple of years. Waited at the front for several minutes for someone to wait on me. I ordered a pork quesolle. The entree was basically one large tortilla, very little pork, maybe 1/4 of a cup, and a teaspoon of guacamole on the side. The cost of the entree was $11.19! But the topper was an additional mystery charge based on the discretion of the owner and whatever he/she wants to charge each day according to the sign on the door. You have to be kidding me. I'm paying $11.19 for a large bland tortilla, and then an upcharge based on the rate of the day, poor customer service, and a rude line worker.........hard pass. Cafe Rio is just south on College and Harmony!