Louisville is fortunate in having two good local chains for Tex-Mex food.  Today, let’s look at El Caporal.

El Caporal’s menu has a pretty standard mid-western Tex-Mex selection.  I like the Camerones del Diablo or the Steak Ranchero.  Irish Woman likes the Burrito Enamorado or one of the combinations.   Boo, who is a bit of a picky eater, has never turned his nose up at anything on the menu.  Portions are generous, and the food is tasty, with just enough spice to taste good.

Service has always been excellent, friendly, and always helpful if the customer needs help finding something they’ll enjoy.  Once, we took the kids out for dinner, and one of them wanted a fish selection.  The waiter, knowing that most people aren’t ready to get a whole fish on a plate, went back and got the fish to show us what to expect.  You won’t get that from most waiters.

I’ve never had one of their margaritas, but I have it on good authority that they are quite scrumptious.  Their selection of draft beer is good, but not exceptional.

Dinner for two adults, including non-alcoholic drinks and an appetizer, usually comes to just shy of $30, which is about par for the course in this market.

El Caporal has three locations in Louisville, and all are pretty easy to get to.  If you’re downtown or near the fairgrounds, the location in Beuchel takes about ten to fifteen minutes to get to.  In the east end, the restaurant on Blankenbaker Parkway is less than five minutes from Interstate 64.  The location in Crestwood is a bit off the beaten path, but is easy to find once you get out there.  Irish Woman and I normally go to the Blankenbaker location, and parking is always ample.

This is our go-to restaurant for Mexican in Louisville, and I definitely recommend it for families or small groups of friends.