El Canelo Restaurant

I highly recommend this restaurant. You shouldn't believe me. Go there for yourselves to test my judgement. Ask if the old chef is cooking - he makes the magic.

I was driving around looking for a place to eat with my wife. Being in Las Vegas as visitors had left us missing a little bit of home. We couldn't eat in a casino restaurant again - neon lights, loud music, people smoking ten feet away, someone trying to sell me a watch - couldn't do it again until we had a normal meal. We trekked around town in my truck until we got into a very Hispanic neighborhood. Like our home town of Tucson, AZ, that tends to mean good food. My wife pointed out the restaurant, El Canelo Restaurant. We pulled in and went inside. The owner, I believe, greeted us immediately. She was colorfully dressed to match her beautiful attitude and genuine smile. We chose the seats we wanted to sit in. They serve canned soda or Mexican imported bottled soda along with a selection of beer. After a time of our looking over the extensive choices in the menu, she took our orders.
My wife got a cacerola campirana while I ordered the molcejeta mixta. Chips and a delicious medium heat salsa were served. Not long after our food was served. If you have never experienced a molcejeta, let me tell you about it. Great big stone bowl on carved legs. It's been in a very hot oven till its super hot. Then they add thin sliced beef. Chicken strips. Fish filet. Shrimp in styles butterflied, peeled with shell on the tail, and bacon wrapped. All this goodness is in the bowl with a generous leaf of lettuce draped over the side, a grilling (and grilled) onion, and a halved jalapeño. It's all afloat in a generous amount of delicious broth and cream.
When the molcajeta arrives at your table, the heat from within the stone is boiling the broth and mixing all the flavors. I could not believe how good it tasted. I've eaten good Mexican food at fine restaurants before, but this was honestly great food. The service was awesome. The atmosphere was typical Mexican restaurant affair, except it all was clean and well placed - nothing crooked on the walls, dust was absent, not even a single fly. We leave town in two days and hope to return before doing so.
My wife really liked her food. Normally I would talk you though it, but I was busy head down working on that molcejeta.
(Did I mention the Queso Fresca in the broth?)

Some of the best flavors. It was definitely a flavorful culinary experience!

No taste
No quality
No fresh food
Over price
Don’t eat here

First time there an waited for more than one hour for my ceviche, I have cooked ceviche an it doesn't take that long to cook an the oyster shots didn't had the whole oyster lol just juice (really bad service)

Absolutely delicious. Everything from the drinks and even the chips and dip, absolutely delicious and amazing. I had my Spanish speaking friend order for me and I don’t know what it was called, but it was basically this lava stone bowl that had an amazing sauce with bacon wrapped shrimp, chicken, fish, peppers, onion, with a plate of Mexican rice. Absolutely amazing. Would come back for that alone.

If I could give this zero stars, I would!! The plastic lid melted on the consome because there was another cup on top. There was little plastic pieces inside the consome so we couldn’t dip our “quesabirria in it”. & since the lid melted, the consome fell all over the bag. It was a total mess!! The guy that took my order said that they were really big so we only ordered 1 per person & turns out, they’re little so we didn’t even get full. On top of that, that little “quesabirria” was $10.99. Definitely not worth the price!

Me and my husband knew of this place for years, but only recently had the chance to go! OMG!!! I had the camaron (shrimp) ceviche. I was dancing in my seat to how good this was. Everything we ordered was fresh and so delicious. This will be a regular dining spot for us from now on. So good.