El Local

Claudia is really great. She knows the menu and makes great suggestions. She is very kind. No combination plates. Chips made fresh and in-house. Beans and Rice will set you back $8. Very few items come with it. The food is outstanding. It seems very fresh. Jamaica is great, it's not too sweet. Toreados are perfect. Large portions.

I’ve had a lot of birria tacos but these by far have been my favorite. Generous portions and great flavor. We all loved it. The service was also amazing, Robert took great care of us. He was attentive and took time to explain and give recommendations.

Excellent food and excellent service! The atmosphere is basic, but don't let that fool you. The food is incredible, and the service is just as good everything we ordered was absolutely excellent.

I was hesitant about eating there. I just moved to this area and have tried many Hispanic restaurants, but only a few left me wanting to return. But when I went, wow! 😮 Robert's service was excellent. My boyfriend and I loved the place. We highly recommend it 💯% and will eat there again many times. 👍 The food was delicious. The atmosphere is amazing. Everything was excellent.

The tacos are very good, good portions, labels were clean. Have eat there a few times food is always good. Wait staff each time forgot cream cheese not a big deal but they also forgot when reminded on my last 2 trips but isn't going to stop coming ,I would recommend this plave.

The best tacos!!! The attention, even the chips and salsa were delicious 😋. Best tacos in the area. Highly recommend. I had the carnitas and the asada steak tacos!

Beat mexican in years ! They could have served me on paper plates and it would have been worth twice the price they are asking. Not sure what they green salsa is on the Trio starter is but it was insanely fresh!

We had the guacamole and chips - it was fresh and so tasty. I had one carnitas and one pollo taco - both were so flavorful and served with cilantro and onion. My mom had Maria's enchiladas and she was a huge fan - the portion was large and served with beans and rice. The best authentic Mexican food I've found in SWF! Definitely will come back!

Comida increíble! I had seen the sign for this restaurant a few times as we drove by. Don't let the fact that it's located in a strip mall near a hardware store fool you. When you walk in the door you're transported to a quaint cantina in Mexico. The decor is so tasteful and the music makes you wanna dance in your seat. We were told to sit anywhere and we had 6 in our party. Thursday nights they have street tacos for $1.50. I expected a small corn tortilla with hardly any meat and mostly lettuce. Man, was I wrong! These little tacos were piled with all the beef, pork, chorizo and chicken they could hold. Each bite of the various meats was delicious and it's hard to say which one I liked the best. We started with an order of guacamole which was served with their house made, warm tortilla chips. Extra points for house made & warm, a little on the thick side, which we also loved. Guacamole was fresh & creamy, with nice chunks of avocado and a good amount of cilantro. They also brought 2 different sauces to the table with the chips. One red salsa and one salsa verde. Both were equally delicious. Red had a small hint of heat, while green was very fresh tasting with herbs. It was a generous portion for the price. Hubby ordered the "giant burrito", and our waitress said "it's big"...what an understatement. It's the size of a small baby Usually, when I see a huge burrito I think it's going to be filled with mostly rice and beans. Not this one! It had a ton of beef in it. The rice was delicious and cooked perfectly. Not that yellow dry stuff you get in other restaurants. It also had refried beans, cheese, lettuce. The beef is shaved steak and tender. *Note to those who might care - no ground meat here! Personally, we liked this much better. I ordered a spicy margarita and it packed a nice punch. Just enough heat to warm the back of your throat. Drink was also very fresh tasting, not a premade sugary bar mix. One member of our party ordered the loaded fries and they looked great (sorry no photo of that). Piled high with beef and cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and some sort of crema. Overall, I highly recommend you try this place if you like Mexican food. It's really authentic food and the service was fantastic too.

El Local is right around the corner from my home, and I was pleasantly surprised by its decor and its food options. They are clearly serving southern california/texas mexican food. This place is a nice fusion between traditional mexican cuisine and those west coast influences (the mission style burritos, for example). They were packed, and the staff was definitely overwhelmed, but they were kind and courteous. However, I asked them if I could sit anywhere, and they said yes. I wanted a booth and the only boot available had items on it (as it had not been cleaned yet) I didn't mind claiming the table, but one of the staff members, a dude, said,"hey bro, next time wait before sitting down. We get in trouble for that." I apologized for that. If you are the manager, perhaps check to see if the guest minds before reprimanding your staff about someone sitting on a dirty table. I chose the table for a reason and I was happy to wait for it to be cleaned. No big deal. It is sit yourself, so it isnt your staff's fault on that front. You guys may have a time requirement, but you have to give some leeway when 98% of the tables are already occupied and you have 3 staff members working the floor. That being said, if the guy was lying, and you would not reprimand them (the waitress kept saying sorry to me for some reason...), then your guy on the floor taking orders needs to relax. I am a paying patron and I will tip well - dont sacrifice your tips by acting cocky. I doubt the latter is the case. Now let's turn to the food. This is the reason I am giving this place a 3.85/5. Your fusion cuisine is fantastic. Your tortas look great. However, I ordered a jumbo burrito and queso fundido. I would not recommend the queso fundido. Unless you want to pour the cheese on the chips (they are served in a basket so no) then there is no way to dip the chips into the cheese. It isn't a dipping queso. It is literally cooked cheese. Would have like it to be a proper queso sauce. And the cheese was okay - essentially a typical blanco or oaxaca cheese. Still we need it more liquidity to dip the chips unless yall want to start pouring it on the chips themselves... That was a 1/10 for me. The burrito was OKAY. It reminded me of my home on the west coast. The ingredients are very west coast and i really enjoyed that. The burrito had subtle and complex flavors that I commend. I would just like your carne asada to be more flavorful. Add more cumin, salt, or soy sauce. Get that meat a little charred. Do something. It was cleanly made, and I loved that... very stellar constuction, but that extra flavor would have made this the best burritos I've had in florida. However, that was not the case and the meat flavor was about a 6/10. The rest of the burrito was fantastic, overall 7/10. What stood out was that your burritos flavors complemented each other, added depth, and felt unified except for the fact that I just wanted a little extra flavor and complexity in your asada. Good job guys. Overall, I would recommend this place. It is very good Solid 3.85/5 (would be close to a five with better asada.

Another restaurant we found close by that had really great reviews! Do not pass up El Local. We came on a weekend, mid afternoon for a later lunch. We decided to give El Local a try as we were craving some good authentic food, we were not disappointed at all! Started with chips and queso, which was very good! Went to our entrees of Burrito and Tostadas! The size portions were large so we ended up having to bring about half of everything home. If you are looking for great authentic food, El Local is a great place! Staff is very friendly and takes the time to go over any questions you have.

Very pleasantly surprised! So authentic and the Al pastor is so good (made without pineapple)! I had the street tacos and some of the best I've had and I grew up in San Diego! My husband had the flautas, just as authentic, outstanding! To make it better, the music is grooving....we just ordered a mezcal old fashion and a margarita on the rocks. Let me say that El Local is the real deal with outstanding authentic Mexican food and incredible cocktails. We've found an original new spot, a twist that is absolutely incredible! So happy to find this hip Mexican restaurant. Don't pass this place up and the service is top notch. Seriously! We live in Cape Coral and will absolutely come again and again. Don't pass the experience, Diamond in the rough

The BEST Mexican food that we've ever had! My husband got the street tacos. I got the gorditas and our daughter got the chicken quesadilla. It was all incredible! The chips are homemade, not the stale chips you get from most Mexican restaurants. Service was great. The food here is amazing. You will not be disappointed.

El Local is in a strip mall. We walked in and ad soon as we arrived, we were welcomed immediately. It's a cute mom and pop place with plenty of seating. They accommodated our party of 4 adults and 4 children. They are a wonderful local restaurant with delicious Mexican cuisine! Even the plates were rustic and lovely! The food was delicious!! So good and authentic!

Visiting Estero once more! Went for lunch, most delicious, consistent, fresh hand made food. Recommend if in the area. Go hungry

Who knew? This little spot has some tasty authentic food. We were greeted and told to sit anywhere we wanted. A menu was given to look over. Service was a little slow, but very pleasant. Chips with pico was $7.99, but extremely good in taste. Portion was small for the price. The two chicken street tacos were very tasty and served nice and hot. The Chimichanga, on the other hand, was a bit greasy, soft and not crunchy like I've had in the past. It was just okay in taste, but very big. I will definitely return to try different dishes.

This place is a hidden gem authentic Mexican food. The service was friendly, knowledgeable, and fast. The restaurant is small, but the food was amazing. The menu is not huge, but the dishes are plentiful and the chef is able to perfect the flavors. Everything was fresh and full of flavor! This isn't Tex-mex. What a find! We walked out full. Definitely will be a regular

Awesome little hole in the wall. Unassuming from the outside, inside isn't super decorated either. But the food was amazing and genuine! Service was a bit spotty but I think there was only one server working. Tried 3 of the street tacos and they were delish. Definitely good for street tacos!

This place deserves its five stars! Everything we had was delicious. The potato chorizo taco was so yummy! The quesoBirria was yummy although they were on the smaller side. They were delicious and I love that their tacos are served with slices of cucumber,radish and lime. The steak quesadilla was large and so good. Salsas were delicious and flavorful Beans are So good

Street Tacos were amazing!!! The best deal around on a Thursday night. Enjoyed the vibe too!

10/10 experience. Excellent margaritas and cocktails, our tacos and apps were out of this world and authentic, and Castro the host made our experience even better when I didn't think it could make it any better. He continuously checked on us to make sure we didn't need anything and we were enjoying. Not only was he even better than our server but he was better than any manager I've ever experienced. Somebody let this man run the place! Go Castro, you're amazing

Service was great, food was awesome. Had beef enchiladas & lamb quesadillas with birrio sauce on the side. The sauces are yummy A new favorite. Will come again!

Slow service at lunch. I was only one there at first. Then the one and only server got overwhelmed. She forgot what I ordered to drink. I asked for chips and salsa several times and those came out within a minute of my food. Really! I'd say the service was not great, but the food was.

Went here because I picked up a gf from the airport, semi close to it. Regular sit down place; I had Yelped tacos close by & this place came up. We only had the street tacos which were fantastic, they gave us chips & salsa. Will definitely return to try something else! Don't let the "dumpy" strip mall deter you.

Finally!!!!! We have found really good Mexican food in SWFL. The Mrs. and I were off island running errands when we looked on Yelp when we found this gem. Everything we had was outstanding. Well seasoned, presented, and the flavors were so good. The quality of the Asada meat was truly the star of the show. One thing to know is disregard the order here sign at the bar. That is for Taco specials only on Thursday after 4 pm. Highly recommended this place

We live in miromar lakes beach club and also the detroit metro area. I was looking for a Mexican place and saw another review from today for this place. so, off we went. the inside is a cute little cantina, (do not shy away from it because its next to a hardware store) The portions are massive (unless you believe in yourself). I tried but still took some food home. the burrito is off the hook, get the beef (shaved steak) no disappointments it not full of rice, its full of beef!. be warned, the bartender has a heavy hand. 10/10 this is now my go to for mexican food.

Hidden in a shopping plaza but truly a great place for authentic Mexican food ! The 2 young ladies who waited on us were both super friendly and courteous. The chips were delicious- a perfect crunch. My husband devoured his birria and said it was amazing. I loved both my tacos as well. Both were very flavorful and packed with meat, cilantro, and cojita cheese. You should give this place a try !! We will be back

I'm giving this a 3 because the people we're nice ... when they came by, otherwise it would be a 2. Service was lacking and the bathrooms were pretty gross. The food was about as good as any other Mexican place. Nothing to write home about but not bad at the same time. I'm sure a margarita or 2 would have made our experience better.

I wish I took pictures!! This place id give 9.5/10. We ordered the el trio. The guac was good. Very creamy. The queso however, is the only reason I didn't give 10/10. The queso was good but it was not creamy. You couldn't dip your chip. It was still good! It was like a baked cheese. We just used a fork and smeared it on the chip. The chips are also fresh and homemade. Amazing and very filling. I also ordered the birria flautas. Very good! Huge portion. I also have read other people's reviews but no one mentions the cocktails that they serve. Very good! We ordered a rum runner and mojito. They were amazing! I very yummy and tastefully made. They were definitely craft cocktails. I will be back for sure and bringing friends next time.

Really enjoyed the pasole! Great mixologist but don't expect fast drinks because he serves the whole restaurant.

Authentic Mexican Flavor! We ordered a delicious burrito and fresh guacamole. We really liked the ambiance and their very attentive service. Highly recommended:)

Enjoy our lunch at El Local Mexican Restaurant 18911 S Tamiami trail, 17 FORT MYERS, FL 33908 (239) 237-2903 Best Mexican restaurant we have eaten at, including Mexico. Delicious guacamole and hand made chips. I had the quesadilla, friends had burrito and tampiquena. All were delicious and huge portions. Reasonably priced. Full bar. Fabulous service with waiter checking often to ensure our needs were met. Great ambience and very clean. Will return Check it out!! Next to Ace Hardware

Overall, I try to give everybody a good review whenever I can. Staff was a little lazy when I put in my order and they did not have a lot of people standing around but, maybe I came in at a slow time. Food was good and for that fact, I would go back. Overall place was average but I did order a margarita while I waited, which was full of ice and very small and not cheap but still some what still acceptable..

We sat at the bar because we were the only ones here so why not. They had Fresh "waters" of cucumber- lime and horchata I asked if they had sugar she said yes. I asked if they had any water without sugar and she said no. But I see the bottles in Zephyrhills behind her that i pointed out ? So there is a bit of a language barrier. We ordered the quest fondue based on other reviews. It came in a cast iron skillet still bubbling. It had cheese, ground chorizo meat, onions, and even some potatoes. My husband thought it was very good , I thought it was too greasy and I felt like my arteries were clogging with each bite. They did not have salsa but they had Pico with chips ( not free) but oh so amazing. It wasn't a typical watered down salsa it was chunks of tomato, onion, cilantro, and I'm not sure what else, but it was fabulous. We also got two tacos. I got the chicken and my husband got Carnitas. The tacos were amazing and loaded. We only drink water, so I can't say anything about their drinks.

Great service and excellent authentic cuisine. Chips and pica de gallo were fresh and flavorful. Burria tacos with consume were fantastic. We will definitely be back!

This place has wonderful reviews. We went here for lunch and the service was so slow... I ordered guacamole and chips. The chips were cold. I ordered three different tacos. Carnitas, al pastor, chicken,and a chorizo. The food was greasy. I was not impressed. I'm not sure how this place has such great reviews. The margarita was even weak. Average at best.

Delicious food. Excellent service. It is extremely casual, and it is a place you can go with family and friends. Food was very good and portions were big, prices were excellent. My wife's only "complaint" is that she would had like more variety in the Margaritas they offered. Would highly recommend, and I'm sure I'll be back.

Food and service is phenomenal! Came in on a Thursday for the 1.50 tacos my husband ordered 10! Tacos, guac and all the sauces are top notch! Will definitely be back!!!!

Too bad we aren't locals, just vacationing here, because the food was amazing. We ordered tortilla chips (not complimentary) with guacamole (green and very spicy red salsas come in squirt bottles), three fried tacos ( asada, Al pastor and carnitas), three cheese enchiladas with a spicy tomatillo sauce , sour cream and queso fresco plus refried beans and rice then finished with moist chocolate cake topped with flan and whipped cream. Everything was perfect. Great service from Angie. They have booths and tables.

Service was fast and professional. Always checking to ensure we had everything. Food was delicious. Enchilada was big enough for two people to share. We chose to have two refried beans instead of any rice. We all agreed that the refried beans were the creamiest tasting beans with the greatest flavor anywhere in the area. The enchilada was big, tasty and cooked perfectly. We tried the triple appetizer excellent. We love the guacamole, They're hot cheese and their salsa. Their chips are excellent. Can't wait to go back.

Tucked away in a very inconspicuous strip of shops, this hidden gem is super easy to miss if you're not looking close enough. The outdoor ambiance doesn't compare to the vibrant and unique interior. There's quite a bit of seating and you order at the front. I loved that they have games to play with while you wait for your food. That helps a lot with the little ones. We heard it was Taco Thursday and we had to give it a try. They have a certain selection of tacos for $1.50 and others for $2.75. We got queso fundido, Al pastor tacos, pollo tacos, carne asada tacos, rice and beans and water all for $39 with a 20% tip. This is definitely affordable in todays economic climate. We loved the tacos and my favorites were Al pastor and carne asada. I'll be honest, I was not the biggest fan of the queso fundido. That was entirely my fault for not researching what that actually means. I'm used to Tex mex places calling it "fundido" but it actually just being white queso in a skillet. This had thick cheese melted with onions and meat. My husband loved it but it wasn't for me. Overall, this was a great experience with wonderful service. The food came out hot within 10 minutes of waiting. We will have to make this our Thursday night spot!

The restaurant is a hidden gem in a quiet plaza. The service was great - drinks too a tad long to get but were worth the wait! My husband and I ordered the queso-fundido & split the queso-birria tacos. DELISH! We will be back for sure!

Pedro made us the best cocktails, I had the Chilango Fresa his own creation and it was absolutely amazing. The food was great, atmosphere was perfect. Overall excellent customer service and food!

Very busy. Good food. Staff friendly. May wait a couple min for cocktails but very very busy and worth the wait

Note! This place does not serve water! Bull shit! Oops my bad if you want water you have to pay $3! Oh and if you want a margarita....its 8.99 oops no its 10 ...make up your God damn mind

Good food service and atmosphere. Very enjoyable. This place did not disappoint. It's worthy of its rating.

Researched this Restaurant and visited with family. It deserves it's 5 star reviews. Excellent service and delicious authentic old Mexico food. This place is destined for success and the word is getting out. Although in a strip center inside the decor is lovely

First time. Had to go to dmv and searched for highest rated Mexican joint that looked authentic. Very happy with the choice. Nice feel upon walking in. Authentic menu. Guacamole great - chunky not puréed and no tomatoe added. Red and green salsas both great. Pico de gallo excellent. Queso fundido great. Street tacos superb. We'll go out of my way to return.

Amazing food the owner is from Michoacán and knows how to properly cook Mexican food! Best Mexican food in Fort Myers! Bravo!

100% turned around. They really solved any issues they had with staff. The food is delicious and the servings are large. Love the burritos! I'm hooked.

Food was amazing. We love Mexican food and was traveling to the area. Read reviews and gave it a go. Did not disappoint. Food was as authentic as it gets. Will be back when in the area.

Second time coming back and I was finally able to get some photos to make a review!! Love the ambiance when I walk in - love all the black accents, the Mexican sugar skulls and all the beautiful decor throughout the walls THE DRINKS Tamarindo has to be my FAVORITE My boyfriend got cantarito and it was very good! THE FOOD Let me just tell you - I'm writing this review after just walking out from having the most amazing dinner!! That should tell you a lot! Every single dish was delicious !! I love my chilaquiles!! They were BOMB.COM and the steak tacos and steak quesadilla was fire!! Haha I'm not kidding try for yourself!! The staff is always so welcoming and helpful on making choices. Our server was Claudia and she was super amazing as well as the bartender always super nice with us! Please support this small business. You will have no regrets look no further

Food and service were outstanding! The quality of the ingredients is amazing. Best of all, the value is incomparable!!!

We stopped in for Margaritas and Queso. The dip was real cheese with chorizo, not a sauce. Our server was on top of everything. I ended up trying a lamb taco, which was delicious. We'll definitely go back.

This place is hands down THE BEST MEXICAN food in SWFL. Having moved from LA, my husband were thrilled to have found this gem. It's a family affair and the training that has gone into both the food and the drinks are incomparable. Alan is a trained butcher and cuts all of his meat to perfection. Salsas are varied and delicious! Service is excellent and there is a nice vibe at the bar, many families and groups of friends come back time and again. The drinks are equally a shining star. The balance of flavors, the intricacy, and the quality are outstanding. Fabian the mixologist is knowledgeable, fun, and impeccable with his drinks. So so good!

The food was very good and authentic and the service was outstanding. The margaritas were awesome. This will be our main stop after flying into Ft Myers only 6 miles from airport and well worth the stop! Also, the prices were very reasonable

Tasty food, neat ambience, and very good staff! Owner Alex is friendly. It was a pleasant experience.