El Campesino

I lived out west in CA and CO. This food is mediocre at best! Tacos — they don’t have an al pastor. This is just one of my complaints… I feel like nothing here is ‘authentic’ period!
My g/​f and I gave this place another try, needless to say we won’t be back. I got a combination of enchilada, taco rice and beans. I assumed my taco was going to come out like a street taco. Umm, no. Ortega shell. My enchilada was ‘beef’. I assumed it would have been shredded, nope, ground beef. Spanish rice came straight from a bag or something, wasn’t home made. Beans, same thing.
G/F’s dish was gross as well, carnitas. Half of the meat was full of fat and absolutely no flavor. Best thing I had here was the unsweetened iced tea and chips n salsa prior to our meals. I just don’t understand as to why they don’t use good ingredients at this place!!! The quality of food was so mediocre. I really wish management, or the owner would read this review and possibly put their heart into this establishment. For now on I will continue to purchase authentic items, good cuts of beef and make my own Hispanic dishes at home.

For PA I guess it’s a 3 or 4. For Texas it’s a 2. Canned salsa, not fresh made, I’ve had it before miles away. Not spicy at all. Overall good food, clean, attentive.

El Camp is great! The key staple are the banging margaritas! They never disappoint. Chicken fajitas and the quesadillas are muy fantastico!

Kind of disappointed. A lot of people had talked this place up but I think it’s average. I had chicken enchiladas and the sauce was bland and the chicken unseasoned. Margarita was excellent however.

Just average. The place was almost empty at lunch so I expected a good Taco Salad but it was just okay. Nothing special but it certainly was not worth $ 10.
Probably wouldn’t go back for lunch.

Love this place. Its the best place around for fresh salsa and warm chips. Great fresh Mexican comfort food and a friendly staff.

This is the best Mexican food in Altoona. Heck, it might even be the best restaurant no matter the cuisine. Pick anything off the menu you want. You can’t go wrong. The only thing better than the food is the service.

El Camp is outstanding! If you enjoy authentic Tex-​Mex with a top-​notch and attentive waitstaff, this is the place for you. Their queso is right on point, as are the enchiladas and tamales. If you’re looking for lighter fare, the veggie fajitas and chicken salad are yummy as well!

The food was the most horrible mexican food I have ever eaten and I love mexican food. Lacks flavor but excels in gross out factor.

Had the burrito and enchilada combo — beef was bland and sauce was sweet. Nothing special Service was okay, staff was attentive.

This place is good. Waitstaff is super friendly and efficient. Chicken enchiladas mole are sooo good! We had a chile relleno too, which was good but pretty simple and straightforward. My four year old had the homemade chicken and rice soup, which was crammed full of shredded chicken, with plenty of veggies in the rich, fantastic broth, and served with a couple lemon wedges (yes I fought her for that spoon!) Wow, this place can do sopa! I ordered a negra modelo, and to my delight it was served ice cold, with a heavy frosty glass in which to pour it… ah that’s how to do things! IMHO the food could be spicier but I get that this is central pa, where local tastes might dictate defaulting to a slightly more bland level of flavor… there’s plenty of hot sauce on the table if, like me, you’re a spice fiend. If you appreciate simple authentic Mexican this is worth a stop!

The food here, for the most part is just okay. Some food is tasteless… I usually get the tacos which are good, but the ones from Chipotle have more flavor. The chips and salsa that they bring out are great!

Staff was really nice, the drinks were good, but the food is not stellar. They have a great happy hour though so get there early because it fills up quickly.

Do not go here. Ever.
Went with my wife last summer and had a downright terrible experience. The wait staff was non-​existent so we were served by the manager in charge, who was a jerk. The food was disgusting, greasy and nearly inedible.
When we asked to see the manager (who was our server), he was no where to be found and his assistant came over and she offered us 10% off our food, which we barely touched.
Will never return, avoid at all costs. Go to Montezuma.

Went on a dinner date here last night.
Pros:
The atmosphere was great, the drink special was fantastic and the food was delicious. The portions were large and the pricing was great.
Cons:
It was kind of loud and a little difficult to carry a conversation at a normal level. It was confusing to figure out who our waitress was since 4 different people came by our table. When my drink (a 40 oz margarita) was delivered, had to wait about 5 min for someone to come by so I could ask for a straw.
Overall: fantastic! Will definetly be going back.

I just tried this place again over 3 years later. Disgusting! No flavor! I can’t believe this business is still open, it just goes to show that people in this town will eat crap and think it’s good. It’s sad.
I had the chile relleno– it tasted like nothing but oil. I couldn’t even taste the pepper or the cheese!!! I don’t understand how they can sell American cheese in Mexican food?! It makes me upset.
What do you think of when you want Mexican food? Me, I think flavor and spices! Not necessarily spicy, but flavor!
I can’t say anything else other than this place will never change because these people here go there and eat the mediocre crap. Horrible stuff.

Of all the Mexican Restaurants around I like this one the best, Had a great meal there today, the beans and rice were excellent, great favor. Got the Chicken Enchilada and I could tell it was fresh roasted chicken, so flavorful and tender. The Chili Rellano was very tasty with the meat and cheese, nicely seasoned. The Chile Pablano, nice and moist and cheesy. Of course the free chips and salsa are definitely a favorite, I could just sit there and eat just them, I haven’t been there is a long time due to the fact I live an hour away. So today was special. We had a great waitress, friendly and was there when we needed something. The best in Altoona as far as I am concerned. The restrooms and the Restaurant was very clean and neat. No wait at all for service, and food was out quickly. We arrived at 11:30 on a Monday and that is a good time to come. Hope others try it, I want to see it stick around, I still have things to try on the menu.

Used to not like this place as I discovered my wife and I actually prefer American-​Mexican cuisine more than authentic Mexican. Traditional Mexican, at least around here, is generally very bland. We prefer Mad Mex in State College. However, being vegan we found a good option in the veggie fajitas. And the portions are huge, so my wife and I split an order and add some extra tortillas. Broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and mushrooms come to the table piping hot. They come with a plate of lettuce, pico, guac, and sour cream. Also, they come with rice and beans. This is my only gripe, they serve rice with several vegetarian meals, but the rice has chicken stock in it. And it is not marked on the menu anywhere. We swap the rice for extra beans (no cheese) and skip the sour cream to make it vegan. Overall it’s a very tasty, filling meal. As others have said, their guac is not that great and they generally skimp on the portion anyway. Service is usually very good, but some servers are a little hard to understand sometimes as they have thick accents. But this doesn’t detract from their friendliness or willingness to make sure you have a good meal. I would recommend this place to anyone who wants a more authentic, non-​chain mexican restaurant experience.

I was looking for a non-​chain restaurant option for dinner — and this seemed like a good place according to Unilocal reviews.
I opted to sit at the bar. Ordered sides of guacamole and Chorizo Con Queso to go with the basket of chip and salsa they brought out. And for my entrée — a Burrito — this one came stuffed with half chicken and half beef, sitting in a bed of refried beans and covered with shredded lettuce, melted cheese, and sour cream.
I was surprise at how much guacamole and con queso I got. It was pretty much a meal by itself. The Guacamole was rather average. But the Chorizo con queso was very tasty! There was a lot of Chorizo mixed in!
Then out comes this massive Burrito! A word of caution — the plate was very hot! The food was also piping hot! I asked for some hot sauce to go with the Burrito — they brought out a cup of sauce that was their homemade hot sauce — not something bottled! It was very spicy! Loved it!
In the end, it was to much food — next time I order one or the other — but not both!
Service was good! I’d eat here again when in the area!

This may be the best Mexican in Central Pa, but this doesn’t say much about the food itself. I’ve been there several times now, with varying success.
The first time I went for lunch, alone, and had a wonderful lunch meal for $ 7. The second time however fhe food was flavorless. The salsa didn’t seem any better than the wegmans one, and the refried beans seemed to have come right out of a can. Needless to say we’ve all had better Mexican food, but this will have to do. I won’t be going back now that there’s Ray Azteca coming to State College.