El Arroyo | Cantina & Méxican Kitchen - (Near Sonora, CA)

4 /5 MOE JARADAT: Located in the heart of town, free 3 hours street parking. Nice patio seating area. Huge menu. They have a bar as well. Food was good, and the service was excellent, worth trying when traveling the area.

4 /5 Steven Morris: We stopped here while out and about. The smell from this place lured us into it. It smells amazing outside! We sat inside, but they did have nice outdoor seating too (Sun was baking the patio, so we sat inside). Service is slow, at least for what we ordered. We ordered the Pescado al Pastor and the Molcatjete Asada. Both dishes were fantastic! The food here was incredible! Slow, but incredible. The couples next to us received their meals, ate their order, and checked out before we received our Dish. They arrived at similar times as us. I did love the fried jalapeños appetizer as an option, which makes it easier than requesting a side of jalapeños. Some places will bring diced or pickled. Whole grilled jalepenos is unmatched in my personal opinion. I did not get a picture, but instead of chips and salsa, they bring, chicharonne de harina instead, with a little Tapatio on them. Nice change up, but I would have like a bit more as we waited so long for our dishes we just kind of sat there. Luckily, I ordered two glasses of water (started this everywhere to avoid slow servers) and it paid off since we were ignored most of the time with an empty table. Bathrooms, oh man, they could use a bit of help here. Clean enough, although some child did urinate all over the seat of the toilet (not their fault, but I checked both at the beginning and end of the hour+ we were there and it was never addressed). Both bathroom sinks are underpowered and very short, and your hands barely fit (see video). Also, in one of the restrooms, the toilet isnt even bolted down properly (see video).

5 /5 Jackie Hamer: The fajita bowls were delicious and plentiful. The margaritas and bloody marys were fantastic. We especially liked sitting outside on the patio along a beautiful stream. Emily, our server, was friendly and efficient. The prices were terrific. We highly recommend this restaurant.

4 /5 G G: Finally decided to try El Arroyo in downtown Sonora. At the street level, youll go down a flight of stairs to get to the main door. If the weather is nice, opt to eat on the patio (dog-friendly). Youll have a pleasant view of the creek and the street action above. In the evening, the string of lights creates a romantic ambience. It kinda reminded me of a bar we went to in Sorrento, Italy. As for the food, yummy...definitely ask for the creamy chipotle molcajete steak and chicken. Its served in a lava rock thats piping hot which, keeps the cheese melted while you scoop it up into a tortilla. We also had the side of queso and chips. I wasnt expecting it to be served on a hot skillet. Great presentation! I complemented my dinner with a frosty pina colada. Service is very friendly and accommodating. We came at peak dinner hour but didnt wait long. I wish I wasnt so full, I wanted to try the desserts!

1 /5 Gaby Alvarado: This place used to be a great. Good was food, reasonably priced and good service. Came in today, half empty restaurant and we were seated immediately. 2 servers kept walking past our table, both making sure not to make eye contact. After about 15 minutes of watching them walk by us we went to the hostess to ask for a server. Another 5 minutes later one of the 2 waitresses stopped at our table. No greeting, no apology for the wait, no smile but rather an annoyance. Her “reason” for walking by us so many times is that she didn’t know until that moment that we were her table. Took orders and left. We asked to speak to the manager and much to our surprise, and disappointment, she was the manager. The manager with a half empty restaurant, walking by a table with obviously no drinks or food had no clue she has a table. This time she all smiles pretending to be surprised by her own terrible attitude and service. No excuse for her terrible behavior, lack of customer service and worst lack of any managerial qualities. We left and went next door to Escondite de la Torre where we were greeted warmly with what true customer service looks like.