Mexico Cafe Delano

I love eating at Mexico Cafe Delano in Wichita's Delano District. The owner is very friendly, and the food is amazing! If you are there for lunch, check out the Lunch Sampler, as it gives a good variety of items, including an enchilada, fried taco, beans, rice, and chili verde. And if you are really hungry, try the Lunch Deluxe Burrito - smothered goodness! The salsa is great too! Prices are very affordable, and they also offer catering and enchiladas by the dozen.

We recently discovered this place and have been there several times now. The food is 100% 🔥. We have tried several different dishes and all of them have been amazing and authentic. The owner is super kind and works his tail off.

"Oh. My. Taco-loving-goodness! I just had the most incredible taco and salsa experience of my life! The taco was a perfect blend of tender, flavorful meat, crispy lettuce. But the real star of the show was the salsa. I mean, this wasn't just any salsa - it was a symphony of flavors, a dance of spices, a party in my mouth! It was tangy, slightly sweet, and had just the right amount of heat. I could've eaten it by the spoonful (and almost did). I've had my fair share of tacos and salsas in my day, but this combo was truly something special. If you're a taco aficionado like me, do yourself a favor and seek this place out. Your taste buds will thank you!"

Not open Tuesday 6pm. No one answered phone. Is it permanently closed?

Everything we ordered tasted like it came from a can. We ordered the lunch sampler and a taco salad. The ground beef wasn't seasoned to any standard I could appreciate, and it served as the key ingredient of everything. Each item tasted exactly same... just served up differently. The taco salad didn't come with sour cream or guacamole. The chips tasted like they were store bought and the salsa tasted like it came from a can. I'm not particularly picky, and I don't have high standards for Mexican food in the Midwest. But this was memorably bad in what it lacked in flavor. On the positive side, the staff was friendly, it had a pleasant dining room and was generally a neat little hole-in-the-wall restaurant! I just wish the proprietor put a little thought and flavor into his dishes.

It has been a few years since my last visit. Still enjoyed every bite. The enchiladas are one of my favorites. Update 6/29/22 Don't forget to buy some take-home for the freezer. Delano Mexican Cafe enchiladas at home is the second best thing to dining in.

Was okay, friendly service, but not as good as expected. The food was rather bland, and everything cost extra. They charge extra for toppings on burritos, and only first round of chips is complimentary. Actually, this was my first trip to Connies. I'm going to say, there's better authentic Mexican out there. Not impressed, but like I said it was more of a neutral review.

The food was pretty good. Service was not. I was taking someone on a business lunch and we had tried a different restaurant but it was full, so we walked down a ways to this one. We weren't immediately ready to order. He seemed, idk, irritated? He also seemed like he was trying to close for the day (at 1:30). I appreciated that the food was good and fast, but if I did choose to go here again, I'd probably do carryout. I can't say that I'd choose this place over another though.

Allow me to play the devil's advocate here, and start by saying that Mexico Cafe is firmly entrenched in Tex-Mex - not Mexican - cooking. There's a different standard down there, and comparing them to the many Mexican restaurants I tried in San Antonio, Mexico Cafe hold up well in some places. In others, not so much. The freshly-fried taco was novel. Flour tortilla or not, it reminded me of a puffy taco without much of the puff, though it made up for it in the ground beef, which was seasoned. I know that sounds like something pretty insignificant, but you would be surprised how many Mexican places I ate in South Texas where even seasoning the ground beef was an accomplishment. I will say that I could hear the microwave door opening and closing four times while my meal was being prepared. Sometimes, that's not so bad, like my bowl of chili verde, which despite not being verde in any sense of the word, was a pretty successful - if not loose - bowl of chili with some significant pork chunks included along with tomato and spices. Certainly is better than the Sysco chili you might find at burger restaurants, for instance, and really was the only part of the meal in which I had no real issues. I know another slam of the microwave door was for my cheese enchilada. Let's forget for a moment that Mexico Cafe advertises sales of their enchiladas by the half dozen, and let's further forget that the proper constructing of an enchilada involves baking it in an oven - microwaving the vast amount of cheese that was included on my plate did indeed melt it, but it also separated it, leaving a good bit of grease on my plate, and the edges of my enchilada sauce even started to harden. Tex-Mex or not, this is by all accounts a poor and lazy reconstruction of a dish. Things improved slightly with my tamale, which was so large as to require two corn husks, and while the pork inside was quite dry, the pork chili with which it was served (the true chili verde, it would seem), wasn't bad at all, and I think Mexico Cafe's strong suits were towards the long, slow, stewed dishes... which also lend themselves well to being reheated in the microwave. The Tostitos and salsa were poor. I think it you came to Mexico Cafe looking for Tex-Mex, your expectations won't be too disappointed. If you're looking for actual Mexican food, however, you better get the hell out of Delano.

Awesome food!!! We had there beef tacos, beans, and rice. I would highly recommend this restaurant.

I reviewed this place several years ago but my review is missing. I love their tacos. The Special Monterrey is the best ever with big chunks of pork. Chips and salsa are plentiful. The owner, and every waitress I've ever had there has been very friendly and accommodating. Don't understand the bad reviews. It's always a treat!

I really really wish I could give this place a good review. I like the location in Delano surrounded by all the little shops. The waitstaff, one of which I think was the owner were so extremely nice. I enjoyed the pleasantness of the people much more than the food. I ordered a Monterrey special, which was extremely bland, my boyfriend said the same of his all meat burrito. I think his was better than mine, I really didn't care for my meal. The queso is gas station quality nacho cheese. Hands down worse queso I've ever consumed. Like I said, QT nacho cheese... a BOWL of it. Nothing we ordered was any good, down to the salsa which was very similar to the cheap Ortega taco sauce with maybe a can of tomatoes mixed in, and they only serve soda from cans. It's unfortunate with such nice people, and great location that I have to say I'll never be going back here unless they completely overhaul their menu. Your 85 year old grandma might love this place, I on the other hand hate HATE bland food. What a shame.

These are some of the nicest people on earth! Mary the owner and her daughter Ruth are priceless. But, their food needs a lot of help. Then again so does every Mexican food place in Wichita. I like this place so much I'm going to ask them to please kick the food up a notch so they don't go out of business. So, go by eat and tell them I sent you. It may help me get us some decent Mexican food in town. The one food exception was the beef taco. They lightly fry a flour tortilla then fill with beef lettuce and tomato. Just like I used to make back home in Texas!

All meat burrito. That's all you need to know. It tastes amazing and is substantial. Tthe lunch version is smaller than the regular size and is still a good amount of food.

Only reason for a 4 vs. 5 is the chips are not homemade. 82 year old mom still works the kitchen to help out. Great place is Delano district. Owner used to run El Mexico. Tacos are the bomb and live the salsa.

Food: decent. Service: horrible. I would honestly rather go eat at On the Border ANYday than eat here. And it truly is because of the service. The main waitress who works there is HORRID. I won't go back unless I have to.

I really think the chips came out of a bag. The enchiladas were so goopy thick with orange cheese (American? Cheddar?, certainly not authentic asadero, queso fresco, jack, Oaxaca, cotija etc). The rice was okay and the beans were very good (whole beans, more SW style than refried). I should have known the restaurant wasn't popular when I walked in at 12:15 and there are only two tables seated. Anyway, it's got good enough to think of going back.

While driving around in Delano looking for a place to chow my co pilot spantaniously picked out mexico cafe "let's try something new"she added. We were in for a real treat let me tell ya. Let's start with the chips and salsa, the chips were a knockoff brand of tostitos that were tasteless and semi stale. Salsa! holy hell the salsa was terrible it tasted like marinara sauce(mozzarella sticks would've been great with the so called Mexican salsa). The chips and salsa indicated a red flag for me shouldve fled the scene. Now the food !! We both had the ranchero plate,it was nothing special beans,rice and literally 3 pieces of meat smoothered in a high sodium packed chile verde sauce. The place is a nice welcoming environment, good service but needs a serious menu over haul.

The 4 stars are for the tacos. Everything else would probably get three stars. I always enjoy my meal here (usually overeat), but the service is always a bit funny/slow/awkward. Prices are also very reasonable. Good lunch spot though it can be busy and if you're looking for a quick place this might not be it.

Mexico Cafe is one of my favorite Delano eateries. The owners are incredibly nice and always helpful. I've had a few different dishes, but the fried flour ground beef taco with a side of beans is my go to. I think they could stand to be a little more heavy handed with the seasoning, but I like it so much more than the countless chains in Wichita.

Not Mexican. If expecting Tex-Mex, then maybe ok. Service was good, owners are very kind, but please, stop microwaving!

The first red flag was when the waiter set down the half filled basket of chips that looked like they were dumped out of a plastic bag. The waiter was perfectly friendly, but didn't know much about the menu or what was in stuff. The food came rather quickly, but it didn't taste very fresh. My pork was extremely fatty and my friends burritos were soggy. Very disappointing. Will not even be returning for a second try.

Really gross "Mexican" food. My enchilada tasted exactly like a chili dog from Sonic, no joke. It's not even close to what good Mexican should taste like. The salsa was ok but it did taste similar to jarred salsa. The taco was in a fried flour shell, which was strange. The rice and beans were good, but that is pretty hard to mess up, so no kudos there. Will never go back.

Great atmosphere. You can feel the Delano history around you. The staff is as friendly as any I've ever encountered. The menu is wonderful, but don't cheat yourself by leaving without having a taco! Best taco in my life!

The half-filled basket of over salted chips should have been a sign for us to leave. The waiter was rude and snapped when someone in my party asked if they could have the chicken enchiladas, which were an option on the menu. The waiter rudely replied "I am not doing anything special, I am by myself today!" Also, the beans tasted like they were canned and the rice was flavorless. Needless to say, no one at my table finished their food, especially the soggy tacos.

I love this restaurant! This is the mexican food from which all other mexican restaurants should be judged. Everything I ever tried on the menu has been great. The people who run the cafe are the sweetest, kindest people on the face of the earth and that makes a big difference to me. It just seems different when you give your money to someone who deserves it and who has earned it, who needs it, and who is involved and interested in the community. The art on the walls of the cafe is a stop on the Art Crawl each year. Anyway, I love this food, well all but the queso. Best restaurant in town!

I have eaten at Mexico Cafe Delano twice and enjoyed the food both times. I have had not problem with the service but the mother and her daughter and son have always waited on us so I don't know about anyone else, plus it was afternoon and not busy when we were there. I agree with the reviewer about the queso. My wife likes queso and she said it was adequate but not very good. Mexican food is generally bland and real Mexicans spice it up for our American tastes. We thought the hot sauce was good. The Deluxe burrito was excellent. These people used to be part owners in El Mexico and this burrito was better than the old place. BTW, On the Border is the absolute worst Mexican chain I have eaten in. There is no way it is better than this. Our normal Mexican eating places are La Chinita's, Connie's, El Azteca, El Rodeo. We seldom eat at the chains so we do know comparison's and I rank this up there. I had a plate with tostado, taco, enchilada yesterday. Tostado was plain, enchilada was good flavor, taco was excellent. the best real taco I have ever had. It was not greasy as so many of them are.