El Aguila Mexican Cuisine

Margaritas to go. Need I say more? Order online or over the phone.
Actually I do need to say more. I originally thought this place was a little too pricey for authentic Mexican food. We all know we can get it for cheaper, but this place does it properly. The Chef is a REAL Chef, you know, the type that magazines write articles about. Him and his wife have graced Pleasant Hill with their true talent and gift for Mexican food. And after knowing this, now I think the price is low for such a highly esteemed Chef.
All their meats are all-natural: hormone, pesticide, and antibiotic free. It's earth friendly with biodegradable to-containers. Yes, hand made tortillas of course.
I ordered a few plates for my bf parents to try. They are Iranian and never had real Mexican food. They were so impressed. Seriously this place is legit, and proper. I'm from a border town called El Paso, in Texas, and this is making wonder if I've ever truly had real Mexican food, and not just Tex-Mex stuff. Haha.
Oh, and of course, it is so delicious.

i love going to this place and ordering a torta with chorizo. i appreciate the accommodations they make for my order (i can be picky)
love the potatoes chips and salsa
and i can never leave without ordering a flan

Based on reviews I had high expectations and can't say they lived up to that.
Food was good but nothing to go crazy about. Everyone was satisfied but not amazed.
I specifically got tacos, chicken and asada, both meats were flavorful but dry. The tortillas and salsa were good though.
The mango margarita, I'd pass on next time. I'm not even sure there was tequila in it, it tasted very syrupy. Lastly, the service was ok and the restaurant was clean.

Here are Pros and Cons about El Aguila:

Pros:
1. Food had a pretty good taste to it, except the chicken was extremely dry.
2. Tables were clean.

Cons:
1. Menu very confusing when trying to order something.
2. Prices are extremely high compared to various other local Mexican restaurants.
3. This place charges on every single little item, example a little container of hot sauce, we got charged 50 Cent, which is ridiculous!
4. Way too much yellow in the restaurant they need to redo the decor.
5. Customer service not the best.
6. Like many other restaurants that absorb the credit card fee this place charges it onto your bill so you have to pay the credit card fee?!

In conclusion, When a restaurant starts nickel and dimming the customers by charging minimal fees for things like hot sauce or putting extra fees on a bill because they just wanna pass on to the customer, I'm gonna have to pass on this restaurant in the future. The prices of this place are extremely high and Food qualities is good but based upon very poor customer service, I personally wouldn't come back here, but try for yourself. You may like it the food, but you're really not gonna like your bill. I always shake my head when a restaurant nickel anddimes their customers!

The best Mexican restaurant if you want organic. Chicken soup. Their cheesecakes are to die for. Handmade tortillas. Fresh made fruit and vegetable drinks. Outstanding.

We did drive down some on a search for homemade chips and El Aguila was definitely on the proper channels for that...crispy and well fried not too oily, just right. All the other dishes were so well executed, plating and presentation and notable flavors to match. Firstly, their chips and tortillas are made in-house...this isn't your usual taqueria fast food type nor is it TexMex. The dishes are richly flavored and chromatically eye-catching, vibrant, and all made fresh to order.
The potato empanadas as appetizers really did a number on my taste buds, subtly rich w/ the milky creama & queso fresco and beautifully compliments the potato zucchini tomato base filling. And the zucchini w/ home made chips I can just eat on its own. The kid really loved her chorizo quesadilla and finished it in under 10mins. Boss loved her black angus rib eye steak tacos and sissy carne torta, just the bread was a bit overly crunchy and well done ...other than than all was delish. The kid managed a whole flan to herself...not surprised.
We can't wait to come back and bringing the hubby in tow. You would never know El Aguila is in a strip mall alongside a laundry mat and convenient stores, in pleasant hill...service is spoty, you need to go, but very friendly and accommodating! I got a togo burrito hubby thoroughly enjoyed as well! ¡Muchas gracias!

This place has a unique menu. House Made Potato chips, different moles, It gets 4 stars for the food.

Service is fine. 3.5 stars

The location is a bit run down in my mind.
We'll revisit some time

Does anyone else like to dance when their food is good? That's what I wanted to do after grabbing lunch here one afternoon. I ordered the shrimp burrito and was blown away with the juicy flavors. AND- they put the burrito on the grill so it was crispy yet still soft and chewy. There is a caramel used onion and grilled tomato filling that exceeded my expectations. Only addition is I would have ordered sour cream on the side because it's kind of spicy.
I will definitely be back. Everyone was friendly and service was quick.
(Sorry no picture- I dug in as soon as the plate was placed in front of me)

2 stars was all I could give to this restaurant. I was hoping that it was better than it was but I was disappointed with a few things.
Let's start with the ambience. When you enter it looks like an order then find a place to sit. This may have been a better concept for them. In addition the rom you walk into was rather loud from the music playing so we opted to sit in the second room. It was quieter in there but it must have been 10 degrees hotter in there. There were no blinds on the window and the reflection from the sun was beating right in the face within minutes of getting our table. Strike one.
As far as service goes it wasn't very busy but it seemed to take an unnecessary amount of time to get water on the table and our chips and salsa delivered then they brought our salad and entrees out at the same time. Strike two.
The food was decent. We started with the potato chips and salsa which was ok but nothing special. We also got the house salad. The dressing was a nice citrus and cilantro vinaigrette and was a good portion but the arugula was old and wilted and was way overdressed.My wife got the taquitos and said the chicken filling was dry. I had been wanting mole which was the reason I chose this place. I ordered the chicken mole which was a good sized portion and the Oaxacan mole was pretty good as well as the thick hand made corn tortillas. It came with black beans and rice. The beans were flavorful but the rice was hard. I felt our meal was overpriced considering the service and overall ambiance of the restaurant. I was really hoping we would have had a better experience and I doubt I'll be back.

El Aguila

This is my overdue review. We love this place. From the appetizers to pozole, salad, tacos, burritos, and molé, the menu is limited m, but every dish was delicious. It is not the usual Mexican restaurant we have here in California. Through the pandemic, we ordered from here. We never had a bad meal. They have maintained quality consistently over the years.
What to eat? Anything on their menu!
The food: exceptionally good, homey, and tasty made with fresh and high-quality ingredients. You can see it and taste it. There is nothing greasy, never was overly spiced. It is done just right. My always sensitive stomach never complained about what I ate from here.
Their burritos are served with thick-cut homemade potato chips. The breakfast burrito is our favorite. It is so addictive, unlike any other breakfast burrito I ever ate before. It is so addictive. Is there such a thing to describe a burrito?
Oaxaca molé: delicious molé with just a hint of sweetness, served with homemade tortilla, it was so good. The tostadas are delicious. The chicken soup is rich with a well-rounded flavor.
The Service: from the moment you walk in. you will be greeted with a smile and welcome. Every dish is served with a smile.
Ambiance: cheerful, airy and spacious. The dining area is kept super clean.
Customers: mostly return customers. Once you have been here, you will return as well.
PS: they do accept credits with a 3% fee charge. But the food price is very reasonable.

While the food is good, their pricing policy and credit card surcharges are odd. For example , we ordered a vegan burrito ($13) and a chicken burrito ($15) according to the menu prices. Happily they came with a side of potato chips. However we were charged $15 for the vegan burrito and when we inquired, we were told "pricing is subject to change." Subject to change for a potato and poblano pepper burrito? Last time I checked they were fairly stable. This is not lobster in New England! Also, the credit card surcharge was insulting and should just be worked into the cost of the food on the menu. Overall the service was ok and the food is good, but these details are worrisome and the extra $2 surcharge on the vegan burrito was offset on the tip.