El Jimador Mexican Restaurant in Belmont

NHBoat70 · 05-05-2011, 09:33 AM

I went there for the first time on Wednesday this week and it was absolutely amazing. This is probably the most authentic Mexican food you will get in the area! (The next closet might be Concord or Manchester).

They have an enormous menu with appetizer, nachos, quesadillas, various meats, salads soups, vegetarian dishes, seafood, fajitas, food for children, desserts and a HUGE lunch menu.

The prices are very reasonable and I honestly didn't eat dinner because I was so full from lunch. There serve lunch specials Monday through Friday 11am to 2:30pm and Saturday 11am to 2pm, price range for lunch is between $6 and $8.50 (with $2 soft drink and they give you free chips and salsa).

HOOVER · 05-05-2011, 12:25 PM

I think this place is great too. First real Mexican restaurant in the lakes region. But they need a better sign. It is very hard to read when going by. You would not know a restaurant is up on the hill.

JPC · 05-05-2011, 04:46 PM

Where in Belmont is this restaurant?

jetskier · 05-05-2011, 05:33 PM

They are in the space that used to be occupied by the Vineyards restaurant at 171 Daniel Webster Highway.

Jetskier

BroadHopper · 05-06-2011, 12:22 AM

I stop by monday night and I think the food is excellent! Dinner menu is a bit pricey for Mexican, but the portion is good. Not too large.

Nearest mexican cuisine I can think of is Hermanos in Concord, then Tortilla Flats in Merrimack. Crazy Gringo, Shorty's and Tio Juan's food is too Americanized.

Overlake97 · 05-06-2011, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

Nearest mexican cuisine I can think of is Hermanos in Concord, then Tortilla Flats in Merrimack. Crazy Gringo, Shorty's and Tio Juan's food is too Americanized.

And La Carreta in Manchester (and elsewhere in NH), which is much better than all of the above, and on par with our own new El Jimador!

Rattlesnake Gal · 05-06-2011, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Overlake97

And La Carreta in Manchester (and elsewhere in NH), which is much better than all of the above, and on par with our own new El Jimador!

La Carretta is on the way to the lake for many too! Can be very long lines though.

I can only vouch for the Nashua and Manchester locations.

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant
139 Daniel Webster Highway # 3
Nashua, NH 03060-5249
(603) 891-0055 ‎

La Carreta
545 Hooksett Road
Manchester, NH
(603) 628-6899

La Carreta
35 Manchester Road # 5A
Derry, NH
(603) 421-0091

ishoot308 · 05-06-2011, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake Gal

La Carretta is on the way to the lake for many too! Can be very long lines though.

I can only vouch for the Nashua and Manchester locations.

La Carreta Mexican Restaurant
139 Daniel Webster Highway # 3
Nashua, NH 03060-5249
(603) 891-0055 ‎

La Carreta
545 Hooksett Road
Manchester, NH
(603) 628-6899

La Carreta
35 Manchester Road # 5A
Derry, NH
(603) 421-0091

There is also a new La Carreta location in Manchester on South Willow St. It's where Pizzeria Uno used to be right next to Bob's Furniture. GREAT Mexican food!!

Dan

Great Northern Cleaning · 05-12-2011, 07:55 PM

Well let me tell ya.....we had dinner tonite at El Jimador....I ordered the "Burrito Grande"....my first thought when it came to the table was...well, I'll be taking spme of this home, as the burrito was very large...but from the very first bite...I couldn't stop myself....friggan hands down the best burrito I have ever had....finished it all up. I will definately be back again and again

Frank

www.greatnortherncleaning.com

Winnigirl83 · 05-13-2011, 05:50 AM

Do they have their liquor license yet?

FormulaBRW · 05-13-2011, 08:26 AM

Hi All,

I am new to the forum but thought I would add a little insight to the southern part of the state and La Carreta's restaurants.

The new location of La Carretas on South Willow St in Manchester has the same great food as the first loaction in North Manchester with littel to no waiting at new location. The service is a little off ( getting better with each visit) but still better then Derry. They have one of the best lunch menus and size and price just cant be beat.

My family and I eat there at least once a week. No I am not affiliated in any way I just enjoy good Mexican.

We are up to the lake this weekend and plan to try the lunch at El Jimador. After reading all the positive responses I am sure it will be great.

Whimsey · 05-15-2011, 04:20 PM

Went to El Jimador last night around 7:30 pm. A short wait, but not bad. Bigger inside than I expected. Food is excellent and we will definitely be back.

Need to work out some service issues though. The authentic Mexican waitress seemed stressed and had some issues, which I will chalk up to a language barrier/inexperience/a full house. She asked if we wanted drinks, we said we'd like some wine and asked if there was a wine list. She said yes... but did we want a drink first? We did get the wine list but it really was a margarita/liquor menu. Turns out wine is only by the glass. I ordered a Shiraz, and the waitress pleasantly asked if I wanted that on the rocks. I smiled and replied that straight up would be fine.

The entrees arrived promptly. In fact before our appetizers. We said never mind about the appetizer now...and that she did. Although it was on the check. Fortunately a neighboring waitress named Emma sensed that there were some issues, came to our rescue several time during dinner.

Now this could have been one of those cringe-inducing experiences, but the chips/salsa and entrees were excellent (as was the straight up Shiraz). We laughed it off and agreed we would come back...but maybe ask for one of Emma's tables.

I think this place will be a keeper.

Rattlesnake Guy · 05-15-2011, 05:33 PM

RG and I stopped in for lunch today. I am certain that it was 100% because of the favorable statements here on the forum. Nice place that struck me as a lot bigger than I expected. If they had only used an inch or two of all that space on the distance from the table to the booth seat. Without a doubt, I am a big guy, but I got this way by sitting in 100s and 100s of booths. This may have been the tightest so far.

OK, now for the good news. The chips and salsa came quick. The waiter was table side in a minute or two. We ordered our boring bottled drinks and checked out the menu which is pretty extensive. I ordered a pair of ground beef burritos with beans and rice. RG ordered a shredded beef chimi and explained here food allergies. A minute later, the waiter came back and informed RG of the presence of an ingredient in the shredded beef that she has a problem with. (Hurray) He suggested a change to steak instead of shredded. Great!

Food came in a few minutes and RG and I were very pleased with our meals. Portions were not huge but the flavor was very good.

Our son's GF is a vegetarian and we were pleased to see a lot of vegetarian options on the menu as well.

More good news. 24 bucks for a very nice lunch in a very nice restaurant. RG grabbed a menu and I feel confident she will be posting it soon.

Next time we will sit on the bar side chairs so I can avoid the "regular people" sized booths. Looking forward to it already.

LongBay · 05-15-2011, 09:31 PM

We dined there the other day and will not go back again. The Burrito Grande was big all right and filled rice, rice and more rice. The chicken was tough and tasteless. The cows must be on strike because there was no cheese.

Let's move onto drinks, the margarita was not so grande. If you want a good Margarita you won't find it here.

Service, our waitress was not very good on serving a requested glass of water. However, she sure knew how to ask if we wanted another round of drinks.

Atmosphere, what do you get when you take an old Italian restaurant and turn it into a Mexican restaurant? A Mexican restaurant the looks like an old Italian restaurant.

If you like loud Mexican music playing in the background, this is the place for your you. If you want a good Burrito, head down the street to Burrito Me in downtown Laconia. Great Margaritas can be found at T-bones/Cactus Jack's.

jeffatsquam · 05-21-2011, 02:21 PM

Went last night it was very good the place seems very well run, able to handle a crowd. I didn't miss the lack of chesse and I don't drink Margaritas.Two of us ate for under thirty bucks and took some home. Felt bad for the waitress 20% of thirty isn't much so I made it 30%.

We will be heading back TONIGHT

pwdcrownies · 06-05-2011, 05:16 PM

We tried it out this weekend and it was great. The Chile Rellenos are the best we have ever had! Almost as good as their Margaritas. Great service and clean! Once this place catches on, good luck getting in there.

Now if they can only move closer to the water

phoenix · 08-06-2011, 12:34 PM

i went there last night and agree it is great. Far better to me than the new restaurant in Moultonboro. I had the chimi and it was more flavorable and had some sauce on it so it wasn't dry. Salsa was very good drinks were great and prices very reasonable. it was worth the ride for me to get my mexican fix before i return to phoenix in September

Mickomally · 09-02-2011, 05:58 PM

I agree with most of the posts here. The food was excellent, and the prices reasonable (I spent less here than I would have at any chain like Chili's or Applebees and got better food).
I had the Grande Special...so much food it filled 2 plates! Was a nice sampling of what they have, and everything was excellent.
I will return and recommend it!

ChocolateGypsy · 09-16-2011, 02:41 AM

Is their menu posted online anywhere? Do they have anything other than nachos and burritos?

thanks!

nicole · 09-16-2011, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChocolateGypsy

Is their menu posted online anywhere? Do they have anything other than nachos and burritos?

thanks!

They have a huge menu-so much more than nachos and burritos. I had a hard time deciding. The food was very good. Do you do Facebook? I think they have a menu on their Facebook page.

BroadHopper · 09-18-2011, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LongBay

If you want a good Burrito, head down the street to Burrito Me in downtown Laconia. Great Margaritas can be found at T-bones/Cactus Jack's.

I experience El Jimidor twice and had a pleasant experience both times.

If you really want excellent burritos try going to Mexico to one of the small villages. Real mexican food are bland in comparison to what we get here.

If I want good burritos in NH, I would go to Hermanos in Concord.

They really is no margaritas in Mexico. Go to a small village and ask.

My favorite margarita, of course is my very own. If I want to go out I would go to Tortilla Flats in Merrimack, NH.

GusMan · 09-18-2011, 12:49 PM

While I agree that the best margaritas are definitely made at home, I have to put a plug in for the Crazy Gringo.

Their Hornitos margarita is quite good... without all the cloying sweetness of a drink loaded with commercial margarita sour mix.

I also seem to remember a good on at the (RIP) Bad Moose Cafe.

Hmmm... maybe there's a trend here....

Dive Bar (in a good way) = good margaritas??

Cheers...

Gusman

Nagigator · 09-18-2011, 02:36 PM

The horny margaritas at Gringos are very good...........sad that I did not get there this year tho........

livenh · 09-22-2011, 12:20 PM

I have eaten here a time or two now and found it very good. The portions were reasonable; prices might have been a TAD higher but the food is better so it evens out. The white sangria was the best I have ever had!!

sa meredith · 09-22-2011, 01:33 PM

Put me down for Crazy Gringos...food always good, reasonable...service very good...and really, I just enjoy going there.
The Margs?? best in the Lakes Region, I think. Served in a mason jar, with a very generous pour everytime. If you are planning on more than 1 or 2, don't plan on driving (car or boat).
Although it seems to be a biker bar, the people there (customers and employees) are all very friendly.
It's become an October tradition of mine and a friend's, to go there and watch weekday afternoon baseball playoff games...the early round diviison series. Always fun...
One of the better year round places.

05-05-2011, 09:33 AM	#1
NHBoat70 Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Laconia Posts: 69 Thanks: 4 Thanked 17 Times in 7 Posts	El Jimador Mexican Restaurant in Belmont I went there for the first time on Wednesday this week and it was absolutely amazing. This is probably the most authentic Mexican food you will get in the area! (The next closet might be Concord or Manchester). They have an enormous menu with appetizer, nachos, quesadillas, various meats, salads soups, vegetarian dishes, seafood, fajitas, food for children, desserts and a HUGE lunch menu. The prices are very reasonable and I honestly didn't eat dinner because I was so full from lunch. There serve lunch specials Monday through Friday 11am to 2:30pm and Saturday 11am to 2pm, price range for lunch is between $6 and $8.50 (with $2 soft drink and they give you free chips and salsa).

05-05-2011, 12:25 PM	#2
HOOVER Junior Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 9 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	El jimador I think this place is great too. First real Mexican restaurant in the lakes region. But they need a better sign. It is very hard to read when going by. You would not know a restaurant is up on the hill.

05-05-2011, 04:46 PM	#3
JPC Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Milford, NH Posts: 160 Thanks: 43 Thanked 16 Times in 14 Posts	Where? Where in Belmont is this restaurant?

05-05-2011, 05:33 PM	#4
jetskier Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: North Reading, MA and South Down Shores Posts: 850 Thanks: 57 Thanked 183 Times in 114 Posts	171 Daniel Webster Highway They are in the space that used to be occupied by the Vineyards restaurant at 171 Daniel Webster Highway. Jetskier

05-06-2011, 12:22 AM	#5
BroadHopper Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Laconia NH Posts: 5,547 Thanks: 3,159 Thanked 1,094 Times in 788 Posts	Thumbs up! I stop by monday night and I think the food is excellent! Dinner menu is a bit pricey for Mexican, but the portion is good. Not too large. Nearest mexican cuisine I can think of is Hermanos in Concord, then Tortilla Flats in Merrimack. Crazy Gringo, Shorty's and Tio Juan's food is too Americanized. __________________ Someday may never be an actual day.

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Rattlesnake Gal (05-05-2011)

05-12-2011, 07:55 PM	#9
Great Northern Cleaning Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Belmont Posts: 89 Thanks: 17 Thanked 37 Times in 26 Posts	Yum yum !! Well let me tell ya.....we had dinner tonite at El Jimador....I ordered the "Burrito Grande"....my first thought when it came to the table was...well, I'll be taking spme of this home, as the burrito was very large...but from the very first bite...I couldn't stop myself....friggan hands down the best burrito I have ever had....finished it all up. I will definately be back again and again Frank www.greatnortherncleaning.com

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pwdcrownies (06-05-2011), Rattlesnake Guy (05-12-2011)

05-13-2011, 05:50 AM	#10
Winnigirl83 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 115 Thanks: 41 Thanked 29 Times in 11 Posts	Do they have their liquor license yet?

05-13-2011, 08:26 AM	#11
FormulaBRW Junior Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Manchester/ Laconia Posts: 8 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Hi All, I am new to the forum but thought I would add a little insight to the southern part of the state and La Carreta's restaurants. The new location of La Carretas on South Willow St in Manchester has the same great food as the first loaction in North Manchester with littel to no waiting at new location. The service is a little off ( getting better with each visit) but still better then Derry. They have one of the best lunch menus and size and price just cant be beat. My family and I eat there at least once a week. No I am not affiliated in any way I just enjoy good Mexican. We are up to the lake this weekend and plan to try the lunch at El Jimador. After reading all the positive responses I am sure it will be great.

05-15-2011, 04:20 PM	#12
Whimsey Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Rum Point/West Alton Posts: 196 Thanks: 261 Thanked 37 Times in 24 Posts	They do have their liquor license now Went to El Jimador last night around 7:30 pm. A short wait, but not bad. Bigger inside than I expected. Food is excellent and we will definitely be back. Need to work out some service issues though. The authentic Mexican waitress seemed stressed and had some issues, which I will chalk up to a language barrier/inexperience/a full house. She asked if we wanted drinks, we said we'd like some wine and asked if there was a wine list. She said yes... but did we want a drink first? We did get the wine list but it really was a margarita/liquor menu. Turns out wine is only by the glass. I ordered a Shiraz, and the waitress pleasantly asked if I wanted that on the rocks. I smiled and replied that straight up would be fine. The entrees arrived promptly. In fact before our appetizers. We said never mind about the appetizer now...and that she did. Although it was on the check. Fortunately a neighboring waitress named Emma sensed that there were some issues, came to our rescue several time during dinner. Now this could have been one of those cringe-inducing experiences, but the chips/salsa and entrees were excellent (as was the straight up Shiraz). We laughed it off and agreed we would come back...but maybe ask for one of Emma's tables. I think this place will be a keeper.

05-15-2011, 05:33 PM	#13
Rattlesnake Guy Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 1,254 Thanks: 423 Thanked 366 Times in 175 Posts	RG and I stopped in for lunch today. I am certain that it was 100% because of the favorable statements here on the forum. Nice place that struck me as a lot bigger than I expected. If they had only used an inch or two of all that space on the distance from the table to the booth seat. Without a doubt, I am a big guy, but I got this way by sitting in 100s and 100s of booths. This may have been the tightest so far. OK, now for the good news. The chips and salsa came quick. The waiter was table side in a minute or two. We ordered our boring bottled drinks and checked out the menu which is pretty extensive. I ordered a pair of ground beef burritos with beans and rice. RG ordered a shredded beef chimi and explained here food allergies. A minute later, the waiter came back and informed RG of the presence of an ingredient in the shredded beef that she has a problem with. (Hurray) He suggested a change to steak instead of shredded. Great! Food came in a few minutes and RG and I were very pleased with our meals. Portions were not huge but the flavor was very good. Our son's GF is a vegetarian and we were pleased to see a lot of vegetarian options on the menu as well. More good news. 24 bucks for a very nice lunch in a very nice restaurant. RG grabbed a menu and I feel confident she will be posting it soon. Next time we will sit on the bar side chairs so I can avoid the "regular people" sized booths. Looking forward to it already.

05-15-2011, 09:31 PM	#14
LongBay Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 151 Thanks: 48 Thanked 61 Times in 35 Posts	No next time We dined there the other day and will not go back again. The Burrito Grande was big all right and filled rice, rice and more rice. The chicken was tough and tasteless. The cows must be on strike because there was no cheese. Let's move onto drinks, the margarita was not so grande. If you want a good Margarita you won't find it here. Service, our waitress was not very good on serving a requested glass of water. However, she sure knew how to ask if we wanted another round of drinks. Atmosphere, what do you get when you take an old Italian restaurant and turn it into a Mexican restaurant? A Mexican restaurant the looks like an old Italian restaurant. If you like loud Mexican music playing in the background, this is the place for your you. If you want a good Burrito, head down the street to Burrito Me in downtown Laconia. Great Margaritas can be found at T-bones/Cactus Jack's.

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HAMPTONS (05-16-2011)

05-21-2011, 02:21 PM	#15
jeffatsquam Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: moultonborough/sandwich Posts: 187 Thanks: 173 Thanked 77 Times in 50 Posts	Went last night it was very good the place seems very well run, able to handle a crowd. I didn't miss the lack of chesse and I don't drink Margaritas.Two of us ate for under thirty bucks and took some home. Felt bad for the waitress 20% of thirty isn't much so I made it 30%. We will be heading back TONIGHT

06-05-2011, 05:16 PM	#16
pwdcrownies Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Amherst/SD Shores Posts: 13 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Winning!!! We tried it out this weekend and it was great. The Chile Rellenos are the best we have ever had! Almost as good as their Margaritas. Great service and clean! Once this place catches on, good luck getting in there. Now if they can only move closer to the water

08-06-2011, 12:34 PM	#17
phoenix Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: phoenix and moultonboro Posts: 1,528 Thanks: 59 Thanked 269 Times in 189 Posts	i went there last night and agree it is great. Far better to me than the new restaurant in Moultonboro. I had the chimi and it was more flavorable and had some sauce on it so it wasn't dry. Salsa was very good drinks were great and prices very reasonable. it was worth the ride for me to get my mexican fix before i return to phoenix in September __________________ it's tough to make predictions specially about the future

09-02-2011, 05:58 PM	#18
Mickomally Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 51 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	2 thumbs up I agree with most of the posts here. The food was excellent, and the prices reasonable (I spent less here than I would have at any chain like Chili's or Applebees and got better food). I had the Grande Special...so much food it filled 2 plates! Was a nice sampling of what they have, and everything was excellent. I will return and recommend it!

09-16-2011, 02:41 AM	#19
ChocolateGypsy Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: on the road again...! Posts: 74 Thanks: 32 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts	Is their menu posted online anywhere? Do they have anything other than nachos and burritos? thanks! __________________ ************************* Just droppin' in for a bite.

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ChocolateGypsy (09-17-2011)

09-18-2011, 12:49 PM	#22
GusMan Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 127 Thanks: 0 Thanked 44 Times in 25 Posts	Margaritas While I agree that the best margaritas are definitely made at home, I have to put a plug in for the Crazy Gringo. Their Hornitos margarita is quite good... without all the cloying sweetness of a drink loaded with commercial margarita sour mix. I also seem to remember a good on at the (RIP) Bad Moose Cafe. Hmmm... maybe there's a trend here.... Dive Bar (in a good way) = good margaritas?? Cheers... Gusman

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Nagigator (09-18-2011)

09-18-2011, 02:36 PM	#23
Nagigator Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Central Ma. Posts: 290 Thanks: 268 Thanked 55 Times in 39 Posts	I agree, GusMan........ The horny margaritas at Gringos are very good...........sad that I did not get there this year tho........

09-22-2011, 12:20 PM	#24
livenh Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 47 Thanks: 2 Thanked 10 Times in 9 Posts	VERY good I have eaten here a time or two now and found it very good. The portions were reasonable; prices might have been a TAD higher but the food is better so it evens out. The white sangria was the best I have ever had!!

09-22-2011, 01:33 PM	#25
sa meredith Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 986 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 32 Thanked 352 Times in 137 Posts	Gringos Put me down for Crazy Gringos...food always good, reasonable...service very good...and really, I just enjoy going there. The Margs?? best in the Lakes Region, I think. Served in a mason jar, with a very generous pour everytime. If you are planning on more than 1 or 2, don't plan on driving (car or boat). Although it seems to be a biker bar, the people there (customers and employees) are all very friendly. It's become an October tradition of mine and a friend's, to go there and watch weekday afternoon baseball playoff games...the early round diviison series. Always fun... One of the better year round places.