El Queso Grande

The absolute worst food, not just Mexican, I have eaten. I have been going to Mexican resturants all my life, I have never expierence taste like we were served last night. The only thing Mexican about the food we were served, was the name on the menu.

I’ve always enjoyed the old school sit down style restaurants like this. I enjoy their carne asada, and love their combination plates too. Their drinks are good as well, great selection and their bartenders know their stuff. Sergio the manager is cool and always checks up on the guests, and is on a first name basis with many of the patrons at this location. Also, what I feel is a positive sign, I do see many regulars that eat and/​or drink there. I try to stop in at least once a week, myself. Their brunch is diverse, and I absolutely love their albondigas soup. Perfect for those cold evenings.

We have been there several times and each time the service gets slower, even when it’s not busy. We waited a good 30 minutes for our food. The waiter never came back to ask how our food was. My husband does rave about the veggie burrito but other than that the food is average. We did have to wait another 20 minutes for the bill.

I have been going to «El Queso,» as we call it for easily over 20 years & always leave full, & satisfied with my meal & experience.
Probably 2 – 4 times per week (depending on football season) I am eating a tamale in the bar area, watching the game. Oscar is hands down one of my favorite bartenders, & friend at this point at any restaurant I go to. Be prepared, His drinks are out of control, & will always change the channel to whatever you request. Thanks Oscar!
I enjoy the Sunday brunch, I can get anything I want. From tacos or enchiladas to Belgian waffles, bacon, & eggs, I can have whatever I want. Lime Jello too.
El Queso Grande is a fun place to go with a group & I love the taquitos & tamales. The sour cream red sauce is also a family favorite.

Ate there Christmas Eve and got food poisoning! Out of our party of 7, 4 were very sick! Merry Christmas to you too, El Queso Grande!

Came for drinks and appetizers the bar is small and cozy, service was good, the chile relleno and fried ice cream were delcious!

Food is alight their customer service is awesome I always get Laura she’s awesome! Best server hands down!

My husband took me here when we were dating 25 years ago. Great restaurant. We just spent his bday there and even see some of the same waiters. Great food, friendly staff. The same is true for their other restaurant El Presidente.

Sunday brunch, not so good. Unless maybe you like lotsa salt. Staff was courteous and service was good however. Could use better and freshly cooked selection. Cannot recommend.

HORRIBLE!!! I wish I could give it zero stars. The servers are lame, the hostess was lame and they tried to charge for drinks we didn’t order. On top of the lame service, the food was horrible and totally not worth the money!

I went to El Queso Grande for the first time and I was not satisfied at all because when I walked in there host did not say hi or anything along those lines. The restaurant was not busy yet it took about 15 minutes to get a table ready for me and my party. When I walked I paid close attention to the decoration of the restaurant and the place is like an old style type of restaurant. El Queso Grande look like it hasn’t been remolded since they opened the restaurant. Some of the decoration I saw there was like cactuses and plants on the wall and on the shelfs. I also noticed that the lighting is a little dimmed and that the background music is very low and I could hardly hear it.
El Queso Grande menu included fajitas, combination plates, burritos and sea food options. They give you salsa and chips before your meal comes and that was probably my favorite part because they were very tasty. The tortilla chips were thin and toasted and the salsa was delicious because it was not spice and the sliced tomatoes were red and looked fresh. The chips were taste good because they were not salty and they were not soggy. I liked that they would bring you more chips and salsa if you finished them.
I ordered the milanese de pollo and it come with guacamole, fries and rice. The thing that taste the best was the milanesa because it was we’ll cooked yet it wasn’t burnt which I really liked. The chicken was very soft and tender and the guacamole looked and taste as if it had been made at the moment rather then it being leftover. The thing that wasn’t not good from my plate would probably be the fries because they were soggy and they were falling apart which was disappointing. I also wasn’t a big fan of the rice just because it had a yellowish color so i didn’t really bother to try it.
El Queso Grande does not have the best host but they do have great waiters that are friendly and explain the plates they serve. The employees wear slacks, bottom up shirts with a tie, and and have there hair up away from their face. They also have large spaces for big parties and regular tables for parties with fewer guest. They don’t taken long when it comes to making the food and waiter are attentive when it comes to refills on drinks.
I think I would go back because the staff was really friendly, attentive, and helpful when it came to selecting my food. I would recommend this places for big and small parties because there is lots of places to seat and it is not packed. The reasons why I would not recommend this place is because the food was basic and the taste did not impress me. I also didn’t like the fact that the host didn’t say hi and that we had to wait for another host to give us a table. I also wish they had more pictures on the menu to make easier to select your meal and it was hard to decide what to eat.

This is one of my favorite Mexican places. Chile relleno is awesome, salsa fantastic, while beans delicious and fried tacos are classic. I drove 45 minutes just to eat here today! LOVE

My family (four of us) and I came on a Sunday for their brunch. We were seated in a cramped booth which my grandmother (86) had trouble getting in and out of. There was also a gaudy planter hanging on the wall above our table that looked like it hadn’t been dusted in MONTHS. It had cobwebs dangling from it and swaying in the poor excuse of air conditioning. Ick. It was also extremely hot and humid where we were seated. We made a point to make this fact known and the waiter kind of just shrugged and agreed with us. We all decided to go with the brunch buffet. For $ 19 I expected a little better quality. The shrimp was extremely over cooked and had a very strange after taste; not fresh. My favorite and other saving grace of the entire meal was the brown sugar and cinnamon tortilla chips that I was able to make my own little Sunday with.

Great service, I sat at the bar and he was very polite and great on checking up on me! Food was good and drinks were strong! I’m a an of the décor and the look of the place. Good atmosphere and pleasant patrons that seem like they come often. Friendly hostess too that gave me a compliment on my jeans yall were sweet! Thanks for the great service I will be back!

My girlfriend and I have been here a few times now, and been to their competitor (Las Hadas on Balboa and Nordhoff St.). After going to Las Hadas, and then coming back here, I had to give El Queso Grande a great review.
We came here on Friday night (Just past). It’s open last, the crowd is friendly, welcoming, not to loud, great drinks, and you can hear your company talk. There is karaōke which is great entertainment if your a people watcher like us. Even the gentleman running the karaōke machine is a welcoming sort. Chips and Salsa are free *Unlike Las Hadas), and you don’t feel like you’ve just crossed the border.
For a casual time out, with good drinks, and comfortable feel. This is a Valley Must!

I havent been here in a while. But i still feel that this review is necessary. First this place is very overpriced. Next. They charge you the tip in the bill without asking if you want to leave a tip. My dad left a cash tip AND was charged tip again on the bill!
You’re better off going to a small mexican food place where the food is better and you pay half the price.
I always like to leave something positive sooo i guess the restaurant is clean and neat.

Just save yourself the $ and go to Baja Fresh or Chipotle. Their beef has ZERO flavor & their «salsa» is similar to pace. This is AMERICANIZED MEXICAN FOOD NOT REAL MEXICAN. They are associated with El Presidente. Save the $ Baja Fresh is WAYYYYYY Better
Translation= I thought I was at Taco Bell. I have never treated such «authentic» FAKEXICAN food.

THE WORST EXPERIENCE took some friends for dinner since this was near by and oh my god they r friendly until u send something back first micheladas need work! Had to send them back since it tasted a bit watery then they were too sour by the third time asked to get the ingredients to make our self at the table and just what we thought clamato was all water with a shot of tomato!!! Now thinking we just wanted to have a nice dinner drinks and good talk we decided to get a shot of patron to be safe no way that can be wrong, don’t be fooled by the over priced shot of water.
Food: tacos are good but rather get tacos from a food truck rice and beans hard maybe a rice cooker could help them out. Chicken tasted with freezer burn.
Getting the bill wondering why the bill came out to 122 with 3 tacos, 1 appetizers and 1 soup 4 shots of patron and one Margarita (3 micheladas that weren’t charged since we sent them back 3 times.) But was charged for their water down clamato juice.
Discussing the bill the RUDE bartender came asking what the problem. We explained we didn’t understand why we were getting charged for clamato juice. The bartender that didn’t even know how to make the drinks walked away laughing. Yup sweet then sour is all I can think of. Will definitely not be going back.

The happy hour here on Monday night football is cool since it goes on until the game finishes. You can have some brews, street tacos, Mexican pizza, chips and salsa for under $ 20.00.
The ambiance is really old school and it seems as if they preserved it and it also doesn’t seem like they will ever be making renovations anytime soon.
The rest on the food is your typical Mexican food that caters to the gringos. I would get the Carne Asada burrito to stay on the safe side. Don’t expect everything to be spectacular since you are in the valley eating at an ancient establishment. There is also plenty of room for any sized groups along with plenty of parking.
This restaurant is probably the only option revolving around Mexican food that I would recommend.

Throughout the years it seems like the Quality of their food has gone down. I have to agree with other reviews this location is in a run –down and old plaza. Also the interior is also old. I don’t think that the owner reads theses reviews or does any of his GM“S.
The Food is also bland, no taste. If you ever order Fish and it has a smell, never eat it. Its bad. Seafood should never have a strong order.
The location also has that old smell, would not recommend.