Mezcalero Restaurant

Stopped here randomly when we were in town from Iowa and SO glad we did. The food was delicious and our server was incredibly friendly and attentive. The salmon tacos were fantastic and the elote that came with my tacos was so flavorful. Really impressed with the food here and will come here again if I'm back in the MKE area!

Hello. So, my family and I visited your restaurant on 4/12/25. We were there celebrating my mom's birthday. The food was great and the staff was friendly and kind. My only concern came when we got the bill. The bill had two different totals, so I questioned the waitress and asked her to explained what that was about. She explained that the two different amounts were depending how I choose to pay. Cash vs Card. She said that there's a surcharge on card transactions. I informed her that I was almost certain that the surcharge fees only apply to credit card transactions, not debit. She said that it didn't matter, that they had no way to choose DEBIT or CREDIT on the machine. At this point I had no cash on me, so I had no other choice but to pay my bill using my debit card in which I was charged the surcharge fee of 3%. It is not about the money, because I obviously had it. It is about the fact that it is a Federal Law, specifically the Durbin Amendment, that prohibits businesses from charging surcharges on debit card transactions, including those processed like credit cards. You can find this information on the WISCONSIN RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION Website, under the frequently asked questions. I encourage you to do so and get better informed on this subject. You also should be making sure that the customers are aware of this prior to making an order.

I don't normally post reviews but this spot deserves one! Came in with a group of six on a Friday. They told us we can sit anywhere we want. Didn't know there was a mariachi night but it was very fun! Server was so nice and attentive, and the food was amazing. Everyone at our table was happy with the food and the atmosphere. This place is 10/10.

I think I've found my new favorite Mexican restaurant. Mezcalero's food is deliously prepared, previsely seasoned, and appealingly presented. Our waitress was attentive; she took a personal interest in our dining experience. The restaurant is pleasantly decorated, the tables have floral decoration. An outdoor patio is a welcome option.

I've ordered a few times from here, and the food has been good. I do recommend some of the menu items. The staff were friendly and helpful when I had a mix-up with my order. They are on UberEats, but it takes longer to get food. Their tacos are good as well, and the meat is not over seasoned. This is a nice little spot is not so bad.

Had 2 family events in the hall. This place is just absolutely phenomenal. Pork is the best. Staff is great. Extremely accommodating

I went for a family dinner with about 8 adults. The food was excellent and the service was great. Prices were also reasonable. Manager/Owner goes the extra mile to make sure everything is awesome. You won't be disappointed.

Good place, great food and atmosphere!!! Excellent service

I attended a baby shower here. It was in the basement area and was decorated beautifully by the family - so it was a lovely space. The food was from the restaurant and was truly delicious. There was much to chose from and all of it was tasty and fresh. Please see my plate for all the wonderful choices. We enjoyed all of it. I would hope the restaurant itself would be similar. But, we have not tried the individual seating dining experience upstairs.

We weren't sure what to expect but we were pleasantly surprised. We were greeted within seconds of walking in. We were told to sit wherever and they'd follow us and we were given menus less than 2 minutes after sitting down. It was clear to see they were understaffed but that didn't slow them down a bit and everyone had smiles and an upbeat attitude. We placed our order and the food came out after a reasonable wait. First bite into the food and we were impressed! The alcohol menu leaves something to be desired but that's nothing too bad. Definitely will be back again.

Just a great experience. Went there with our son and his family, including our granddaughters - 4 and 1 1/2 years old. Staff is very accomodating and food is good.

First time trying them. Old tortillas. Crumbled the minute I lifted them off the tray. Most definitely not enough onions and cilantro, also... but the fact that I couldn't even bite into my tacos because they crumbled and fell apart like a landslide was the most disheartening. *tisk tisk tisk*

We have never had a bad experience with Mezcalero. We have eaten there and have done delivery. Food is amazing either way. Try a margarita while you're there too!

I was craving a burrito and this place was a bookmark and not far from work so I called in for takeout and ordered the macho steak burrito, ready in 15 minutes. The place itself was was nice with a nice outdoor patio, big bar and dining room, stage for live music and a cichlids fish tank table which was cool. The bar was full of take out food and big bags were were being handed to people waiting at the bar so that was a good sign. I tell the lady at the bar that I called for take out and she looks at all the bags on the bar and can't find my order, she goes to the back and can't find my order. She has another woman looking for my order and says it's almost ready and now she is going back and forth with confusion. After watching this for 10 minutes they check the bags on the bar again and it has been sitting on the bar since before I walked in getting cold just 4 feet away from me the whole time WTF. The macho steak burrito was big covered in red sauce and cheese with rice and a little salad, weird that it had no beans because Mexican dinners usually have rice and beans together. The steak burrito was ok but it mostly just steak and beans inside only with plenty of steak so it didn't have layers of flavor like most burritos and boring I thought. The rice was ok and slightly seasoned so it was not bland like some places are.

I visited here recently on an open mic night for music and dinner. The dining room was brightly lit and mostly empty. The bar had a few more people in it. I feel like the business needs some support and loving care. Lots of things are starting to fall apart. The video jukebox had a big dead spot in the center. The sound system was only playing on one channel, so some songs didn't have main tracks. Service was okay, performed by what I assume are the teenage children of the owners. They were friendly enough, but didn't seem fully knowledgeable about the menu. They got lost in the back doing homework toward the end and we had to hunt down our own refill drinks. The food was okay, but very much Americanized Mexican. Both the guacamole and salsa need spice and a little heat. My cheese enchiladas were basic, nothing to really write home about. The rice was bland and forgettable. In a city with lots of Mexican restaurants, I'm not sure I need to revisit this one. It wasn't bad - it just wasn't that good.

Mezcalero was an interesting, but really good stop for us. We were there on a Saturday night and there was a band (that was quite good) so that definitely brings in a different crowd. We opted to sit at the bar and had friendly, prompt service. Drink prices are pretty cheap - $3 for domestics, $4 for imports and $5-6 for most cocktails including margaritas. I agree with some of the other reviews that the house margs ($5) are both weak and pretty bad. You can upgrade to a premium for $9 if you want and that was a better choice. The menu honestly has something for everyone - there are a good number of Mexican dishes but you can get avocado toast, a chicken wrap and many other things. We started with nachos ($8) and received a large plate generously topped with good stuff. I like that they put the beans on the plate and not on the chips - that way they don't get soggy. We also had some mozzarella sticks for science and I loved that the sauce was just slightly spicy - a nice touch. For dinner, the Mister had the Tres Amigos ($16) which is kind of a mini-parrilada. It came with a skewer of shrimp, grilled steak and grilled chicken - he said it was all really good especially the shrimp. I had carnitas tacos ($10) that I loved - the pork was the right amount of juicy and crispy and the flavor reminded me of some tasty tacos I'd eaten recently in Mexico. Even my rice and beans were above average. If you like guacamole know that what's served here is also fresh and delicious and the small ($5) was really pretty big! I definitely didn't expect such tasty food out of a fairly nondescript place on 68th and Forest Home, but Mezcalero is definitely worth checking out!

Giving this place 1 star even though I have not tried it. Seems like they don't need my business either way. I just called to get information about their hall rental. Phone rang, I asked to speak to someone that could give me information on their hall rental, all I received back was guy that said "order" in broken English and then he hung up on me. I called right back and they didn't even care to pick up. I myself am of Mexican decent and am bilingual, all the man needed to say is that he did not speak English, and I would have gladly spoken Spanish to him. This type of customer service is all I need not offer my business to an establishment with personnel like this.

We tried this restaurant for pick up. We received quick service on a Saturday night. There were huge portions for the food and at a very low price. It was delicious and felt authentic. We are looking forward to going again!

We've ordered delivery from Mezcalero a few times, and it's always been hot and fresh. My daughter loves the steak tacos and Mexican rice, my wife loves the chimichanga, and I'm partial to the fish fry. (Yes, the fish fry at this Mexican restaurant is really pretty good!) Good Mexican food, great margaritas, and a surprisingly good fish fry. Add in the fact that they're close to home AND on Grubhub, and you've got a winning combination for my family.

Great food, horrible service experience. Our waitress gave us menus and wanted our drink order, without offering a drink menu. With all the Mezcals they supposedly have, it would have been nice to see a list. Drinks came in a few minutes, then she brought chips and salsa, but no plates. This resulted in lots of salsa dribbles on the table. Chips were good but the basket had a lot of little crumbs, as if they just emptied a bag into the basket. When the food came, the waitress set the tray on the table behind her and tipped it so bad the plates went sliding off. She caught them, and then gave the wrong food to each of us. Our drinks were empty for quite some time before she finally came around again, and then she didn't quite remember what we had ordered, so we had to remind her. The drinks took a long time and management came over to apologize. Later, I had to go find another waitress so we could get our check, as our waitress had left for the day. She looked out of it as if she was sick or something else. As other commenters mentioned, the decor is odd, like a HomeGoods close out sale. French scenery paintings in a Mexican restaurant? On a positive note, food was really good, and when you see Mexican families coming in, that's a good sign that the food is authentic. I'd go back, but wouldn't stay if we got the same waitress. The other one the seemed to be doing a great job.

TRY THE PARILLADA - I can't be any clearer than that. Look out El Senorial there's a new parillada in town. My wife and I had a parillada for 2 and here's a breakdown of everything on it: Potatoes-light and flaky-fantastic Chorizo-average Ribeye-fabulous Beef ribs- super tasty Pan fried cheese- yea you heard me right and it was superb Pork ribs- I think I went to heaven. Tortillas- barely average Grilled zucchini-I'm not eating that but my wife enjoyed it. Banana peppers and onion- they looked good The tortilla chips and salsa were just average. The salsa is better if you get a hot salsa too and mix 1-2 spoonfuls with the regular stuff. He waiter forgot the guacamole and pico so I'd deduct half a star if I could but he brought it out when I asked. Great meal-we will be back

The food was excellent. The place in general is a bit lackluster. It could use some better decor. Service was great!

Oh, Mezcalero...I don't think you can do any better! Our food was A.mazing! And the service was even better. Made us feel right at casa! SORRY, ad to stop and take a bite. I. Want. More.

Corn or Flour? Ahh, the age old question asked at every Mexican Restaurant this side of Miller Park. I loved my visit to Mezcalero Restaurant and Bar because of their house-made corn tortillas. From my experience, it's pretty unique that they make their own corn tortillas. Maybe many other restaurants also do this...but I haven't noticed. The quality of the corn tortillas here is just spectacular! My family had a great visit on a Sunday evening. We were greeted warmly upon our arrival and had our pick of tables in the dining room. The bar area is a focal point, but it also has a family friendly vibe. The food quality at Mezcalero really stands out in my mind. There are many Mexican restaurants in Milwaukee, but I think this spot deserves your business. I think they're taking extra steps to offer high quality food. Their menu also includes some steaks, sandwiches and salads...for the person in your group who likes being different. I look forward to return to Mezcalero for more corn tortillas...I had fajitas for my first visit...but next time it's Parrillada time! (Never had Parrillada? Stop reading this review and get on that.)

I loved the mucho burrito with chicken, and the chips are fabulous. My husband said his chicken fajitas were ok. The margarita, paloma and mezcal mule were very weak. The server was friendly and helpful and answered all of our questions. There was barely any parking available due to a wedding taking place there. I would get the burrito to go and make my own margs at home. I respect the efforts of the restaurant owners and always appreciate patronizing independent non chain restaurants.

I ordered a chicken burrito. The chicken was extremely salty. 2 tablespoons of old lettuce and a few pieces of tomato on the side. Rice must of come out of the refrigerator. I then ordered a salad with grilled overcooked chicken with no onions. I must of picked out 1/3 cup of raw onion. One waiter for entire dining room. Poor kid.

I'm not sure why this place is empty. The chips and salsa were delicious. The chips were some of the tastiest I've had in a while, nicely seasoned and warm with a pleasant tasting salsa. We ordered a small side of guacamole for our chips and it was also very good! I tried the combination platter...chicken enchilada, mini chicken chimichanga, and an al pastor taco. The chicken used is very tasty and moist. The Al pastor taco was delicious! The platter came with rice and beans. To be fair I never eat rice and beans at any Mexican restaurant, to me it's just a filling. These tasted just okay. My husband had the steak fajitas and he said they were okay, not grilled but in a sauce which he did not particularly care for. He prefers grilled fajitas. The staff was friendly and attentive. We will return and try the nightly specials. Taco Tuesday looks like a winner!

Delicious Mexican food. They made sure to provide service even though they hadn't opened yet. The food was on point. Buen servicio!

All the staff are friendly, courteous, and very attentive with their customers. The menu has a variety of options to select from. The quality of the dishes is great with great prices. Definitely a restaurant we will be returning to visit again.

First time customer and I will go back. Got a tip they have a good fish fry and was not disappointed. Lightly breaded filets were tasty and so were the 2 large potato pancakes. My wife had the baked cod with baked potato and mixed veggies. Ready in 20 minutes for carryout. Now I have to try their regular menu!

Do yourself a favor and stop in! Food is excellent and service is friendly. The salsas were at the right level of hot and delicious. I had the lime chicken dinner served with white rice and some diced tomatoes and topped with tortilla strips, it was excellent, huge portion and perfect w my cold Dos Equis XX. Side of piping hot corn tortillas. Our party of three left with smiles on our faces. Try their meatball soup, sorry no pic I ate it too fast. And yes I got the Flan to go. Now one would ask, did u try the mezcal/tequilas? Yes sip it don't shoot it, and they have a variety to choose from, the menu needs work to make more eye catching graphically but who cares, the foods good! The staff genuinely is happy and service reflects it!

I've never physically eaten at this establishment I've doordashed from them countless times . I dream of their burrito macho grande and guacamole. It's by far the best I've ever had!

We have become frequent patrons of Mezcalaro's because its a great place to meet up with friends for a bite to eat (OMG delicious) and/or a few drinks and dancing. They book a lot of great Milwaukee bands and other entertainment. We always have a great experience so I decided to have my 60th birthday party there and WOW they did an outstanding job! The owner Jose, is a class act! He helped me create a buffet of American pizza's (made there), tacos and some other Mexican appetizers. WOW...they knocked it out of the park! Everything was impeccably done and delicious! I had a terrific night...everybody went home with full bellies and big smiles on their faces.

The food is so inconsistent I've hesitated to review. When they're on, it is super yummy! But when they're not, it's incredibly disappointing. I've dined in probably 6-7 times and had take out & delivery approx 5. The people are SO nice that it's painful to give a bad review. Margaritas are pretty good, not overly tart or acidic. I've ordered spicy shrimp tacos 4 times. Twice they were flavorful with a bit of heat. Twice they were bland and tasteless and sad. Potato tacos, when made the way described on the menu are AWESOME! But between my friends and I, we've had them delivered 4 times and all 4 times they were missing most, of not ALL of the toppings. Which completely make or break the meal. It's no longer worth the risk at this point of which version I'll be getting.

Manager rolled her eyes after we were given the wrong order twice then proceeded to try and yell at my boyfriend and I for not being happy with the tacos, that were still not correct. Will never return and do not recommend! Heads up, it was my boyfriend's birthday. Thanks a lot.

Amazing chimichangas, GUACAMOLE, and MARGARITAS. Great service. Local restaurant. Definitely support this company AGAIN.

My friends and I thought we would give this restaurant a shot after reading other reviews on yelp. Unfortunately our experience was not an overly great one. The service was slow, the food took forever, the salsa had no flavor. We could not find our server to get anything we needed or to pay the bill. We also found the menu to be a little strange. We assumed it was a Mexican restaurant as described, not quite the case. The random Tuesday night karaoke was also unexpected! Fortunately the cocktails were good, and the company was even better!

Me and my wife frequent this place often since it opened about a year ago. The staff has always been very friendly and they have a good variety of items on the menu. Their mozzarella logs are one of a kind and their wings are amazing along with decent prices for the amount of food you get.

This restaurant is fantastic. There is a large kids menu, and the dinner menu is large and has a wide variety of choices. I had the Mezcal chicken and the cream sauce is very unique and very flavorful. My wife had the steak and shrimp fajitas and they were big. Had to take some home. The boys even were able to have hot chocolate with their kids meals. It was hard to make a choice with the menu but we will definitely be back to try some more!!! Highly recommended!!

Another great meal. Enchiladas con Cecina. Tender corn tortillas filled with cheese and freshly diced sweet onions. Then topped with melted cheese and red sauce, balanced perfectly with the salty/smoky cecina. Con arroz y frijoles. ¡Muy sabrosa!

Excellent food and not overpriced! We have been here several times. The fajitas and guacamole are the best I've had in this area. The owners Ben and Juanita are very hard working and welcoming. This is our go to restaurant for a Mexican food support local business and close to home!!

Always friendly, great food, they go out of their way to make you feel at home even though you are at a restaurant. Excellent bartenders.

Hi friends. I had dinner at Mezcalero Restaurant with my family. It was fabulous. We had top shelf margaritas, yum. Complimentary homemade chips and salsa, both mild and hot, yum. Homemade guacamole, yum. Cerviche was superb. Then ordered our tacos. It just happened to be taco day special. Steak tacos at its finest. Everything was super tasty and fresh. I highly recommend. First time there and do live in the neighborhood. Our server, Roberto made our experience wonderful. It is a beautiful establishment. We will return to enjoy the great food and service. Thank you.

Great food and service! Had the steak and shrimp fajitas, so good! Margaritas were great also the menu was large with a kids menu as well.

We ordered delivery here for the first time and we were blown away. This place is bomb af. Authentic flavors, good sized portions, reasonably priced. Has amazing hot salsas. I can't wait to dine in because I'm sure they have incredible margaritas too.

Closed every time we went. It looked quite nice and we fancied something different - but never open evenings we went.

So my girlfriend and I do doordash for extra cash. We received 2 orders to deliver food from here. One order had 2 items and the other had three. We waited an hour and a half to even get our first order, then we waited 15 more minutes to get the second, after the 15 minutes my girlfriend and I decided to deliver our order we got while we waited for the second. We came back for our second order and the manager got it for us after we told him that it took almost 2 hours to get both our orders total. He just walked away as my girlfriend was talking and rudely said he was getting the food for us. After we got the order he didn't bother apologizing to us for the wait. Both our deliveries were late, and I must say this was the worst customer service I have ever received from a manger. I do not recommend ordering from here.

Horrible Horrible Horrible!!! I ordered tres amigos, when it came out the shrimp was raw, I sent it back. Asked for A1 for the steak while waiting I ate some of my veggies (lots of stalks, barely any edible crowns) then I took a bite of my rice... it was rotten and I mean ROTTEN!!! It tastes like spoiled milk, smelled foul and just disgusting. Thinking it was me my husband took a small bite to confirm my suspicions. I sent my food back and had it removed from my bill. The staff was nice and friendly, but save yourself from the possible food poisoning and find an authentic Mexican restaurant. One that serves strictly Mexican cuisine

Great experience overall! Ventured in after passing this place a few times. The food was pretty good. The pork and steak in the parrillada was among the better I've had in the area. The service was really good too. Our waitress was very accommodating and went out of her way to help. The place overall was very clean. Decor was subtle, but nice.

Not good. Chips are from Pasqual's, the margaritas were made from margarita mix from Costco, and my flouta was rock solid. Won't be back.

Where do I begin? I mean, I truly had semi high hopes for this place. I was simply looking for a New Mexican place with my gf to eat and have some good margs. I saw the 4.5 stars on here for Mezcalero and decided to roll the dice. Wow what a mistake. I can fully assume those people were compensated for their reviews. This place is trash and while our waiter did do the best he could, the margs had no tequila and were made with simple marg mix from any 'ol store. The food was just so bland and contained zero authentic flavor to it. Combine all that with a just boring atmosphere and you've got a 1 star quality place.

Awesome family run place.. they have great taco special on Wednesday .. $2 tacos!! Live music and karaoke nights too! Try the fish fry.. it's great and a bargain!

We went on a Tuesday for our first visit and were very impressed. Oscar was our waiter and was very good at his job always smiling. The chips & salsa were excellent and the complimentary soup was awesome, I had the meatball and my wife had the chicken enchilada they were also very good. I ordered the chicken enchiladas, my wife had the chimichanga these were also excellent. The margaritas were perfect. We will be back for sure

3 of us stopped in late one night after a long day of work the grill was closing but they still cooked for us. This was our first time there since it opened. We ordered food tacos, stuffed jalepeno peppers, ceviche, beans, guacamole and more! The food was Fantastic!! service was great all at a reasonable price. I would highly recommend if you like Mexican food, as well as they had plenty of American food on the menu you should try this place.

Stopped in for dinner on a Saturday evening with one other person. The staff was very nice and service was good.The food was mediocre at best. I had the Al Pastor taco and the filling was dry and side rice had very little flavor to it. Based on other reviews I was expecting food of a higher quality preparation.

Now I see why we were the only customers in the restaurant. From the moment we walked in it felt like they weren't even actually open for business but just hanging out with friends and family...literally. I ordered the Tres Amigos dinner and my wife ordered chimichangas. Tres Amigos is a ribeye steak, chicken breast and three shrimp. I understand this is a Mexican restaurant but for you to try to pass off a cheap sirloin as a ribeye is insulting to say the least. This was served with white rice (wtf?), and it tasted old and it stunk. Also my beans were obviously straight out of a can and microwaved to a near nuclear temperature. My wife's dinner wasn't much better, but she said her chimichangas were pretty good for the most part. However they were missing the black beans that were supposed to be part of the entree. However at this point, did it even matter? Our server / bartender / hostess was very nice and polite but you could tell she was overwhelmed and does not receive any support from her manager because she was literally the only one working. Once I completely lost my appetite from this unauthentic Mexican food, a man that I assume is either the owner or the manager walked up asking how the food was and if we needed anything. You'd think my half full plate with my napkin laying over it would have set it all, but he did not pick up on non-verbal cues and I just left it alone because I was just trying to end this awful experience. I take no pleasure in giving negative reviews especially since I live very close by and was very excited at the prospect of an authentic Mexican place being so close to my home. I should have known better and will continue to take the longer drive to Botanas for real Mexican Cuisine. Also, there is no way the reviews that were posted prior to mine can be real. Either we have very different opinions on what is authentic Mexican food or these are people that are friends/family of the people that own this restaurant and are trying to fraudulently keep the Yelp score high. Again I don't mean to insult or hurt anyone, but this dining experience was truly awful. At this point I will be thankful if I don't wake up tomorrow with diarrhea.