This restaurant is always crowded. Food is popular and there are always lots of regular customers and visitors from out of town going to Yosemite. Service is good and there is a lot to select from on the menu. My favorite is their albondagus soup.

We visited El Cid while staying at the Tenaya Lodge about 13 miles away near the South entrance of Yosemite. We wanted Mexican food and were tired of eating the resort food at Tenaya. We live in San Diego so we know Mexican but I have to say, El Cid was good! The food was fresh: crispy lettuce and chips, etc. The house margarita was excellent and reasonably priced. The menu was quite extensive. The only thing was they didn't have any homemade HOT sauce; they had an El Cid sauce but it was more like an enchilada sauce. The pico de gallo was good but mild.

We went on a Sunday night and the place was busy with nearby church attendees, locals and others. The service was very prompt and friendly. The view of the mountains while eating was very pleasant. I would definitely go back again.

We were ushered to our table right away even though the restaurant was packed. We thought service would be slow but it was not. We placed our order and were served our main entree within 20 minutes. They also have a unlimited salsa and tortilla chips platter on every table to munch on while your waiting for your meal to arrive. There was plenty of food, it was tasty, hot and pretty good. I gave four stars because if your not familar with Mexican dishes, the descriptions on the menu werent that good.

El Cid's had good basic Mexican food. The menu had a good variety of options, all reasonably priced. I only wish they had something with a mole sauce. We found the food to be tasty and were happy to find some of the dishes had a little punch. The service was outstanding. The atmosphere was welcoming and comfortable.