The definitive los cerritos mexican restaurant menu represents a vast and authentic journey through Mexican culinary traditions. This comprehensive guide breaks down the expansive offerings, ensuring diners can navigate the rich selection of starters, entrees, and specialties with ease. From fiery seafood to robust grilled meats, the menu is a testament to flavor and variety. Understanding the breadth of authentic Mexican cuisine available is the first step toward a memorable meal. The menu highlights house specials and a deep selection of classics, ranging from light appetizers and dips to substantial fajita specialties and a full seafood selection. The inclusion of dedicated vegetarian options ensures every diner finds a suitable dish.
The Culinary Foundation: Appetizers and Dips
Los Cerritos establishes its commitment to flavor right from the first course. Appetizers serve as the vibrant start to any Mexican dining experience. The selection of dips is particularly strong, offering both creamy and savory options.
The Cheese Dip con Carne is a melted delight, combining smooth cheese dip with seasoned ground beef for a rich, hearty starter. A simpler, yet equally satisfying choice is the classic Bean & Cheese Dip. These items pair excellently with the complimentary tortilla chips.
For those craving something fresher, the Guacamole Dip provides a bright, essential counterpoint. The restaurant also features specialties like the Spinach & Cheese Dip, offering a subtle vegetable inclusion. The Chori Queso Dip elevates the experience by integrating Mexican sausage, or chorizo, into the molten cheese base. This creates a deeply savory and spiced flavor profile that is immediately engaging. Finally, Papas Locas offers a unique blend of comfort food and Mexican flavor, featuring french fries topped with ground beef and melted cheese.
Beyond the Basics: Salads, Soups, and Fresh Offerings
The menu features a dedicated section of nine different salads, moving far beyond the simple side dish. These items function as satisfying, full-sized meals that balance fresh ingredients with classic Mexican preparations. Each salad allows the diner a choice of dressing to customize the flavor.
The classic Taco Salad utilizes a crispy flour tortilla shell. It is filled with beans, a choice of seasoned ground beef or chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. This offers a substantial, multi-textured dish. An elevated version, the Cerritos Taco Salad, incorporates grilled vegetables with the choice of protein.
For diners prioritizing lighter options, the Guacamole Salad offers a simple, fresh presentation of the creamy fruit. The Los Cerritos Salad is a bed of lettuce topped with grilled chicken, tomatoes, sour cream, and shredded cheese. In the soup category, a standout is the Caldo de Pollo. This traditional Mexican chicken soup is mixed with vegetables, rice, avocado, cilantro, and onions. It is served with three warm corn tortillas, providing a comforting and wholesome meal.
A Deep Dive into Mexican Staples: Burritos and Quesadillas
The Burritos and Quesadillas sections showcase the kitchen’s ability to handle generous portions and complex fillings. These dishes are cornerstones of Mexican-American cuisine and are treated with respect at Los Cerritos. They combine diverse proteins with fresh fillings and flavorful sauces.
Signature Burrito Creations
The ten-item burrito list is headlined by the Mega Burrito. This giant tortilla is filled with steak, grilled chicken, and shrimp. It is uniquely presented, covered half with traditional burrito sauce and half with bright green tomatillo sauce. It is served with a fajita salad on the side.
Another significant offering is the Burrito California. This is a huge burrito packed with grilled chicken or steak, onions, cilantro, rice, and beans. It is topped with a vibrant green sauce and served with a side of lettuce, avocado, and tomatoes. The Birria Burrito and Burritos al Pastor reflect newer, highly popular regional Mexican trends. The Burritos Locos are an impressive trio of chicken, beef, and shrimp burritos. Simpler options like the Burrito de Pollo and Burrito de Steak cater to traditionalists.
Quesadilla La Extra Superior and Other Melts
The Quesadillas section also emphasizes size and premium ingredients. The Quesadilla La Extra Superior is a giant cheese quesadilla filled with grilled chicken, steak, and shrimp. It is served with lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo. This dish is designed for a truly satisfying, multi-protein meal.
The Fajita Quesadilla is a popular preparation, filled with fajita-style grilled steak or chicken, bell peppers, and onions. It is served with rice, lettuce, and tomatoes. The Quesadilla Texana, another favorite, is filled with steak, shrimp, and grilled chicken. The Quesabirrias, served with Mexican rice, cilantro, onions, and birria’s consume, are a nod to Jalisco-style beef preparations. Even a simple cheese version like the Lupita’s Quesadilla offers value, served with three dipping sides: guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo.
Exploring the Taco and Enchilada Variety
Tacos and Enchiladas are the ultimate forms of Mexican comfort food. Los Cerritos offers nine distinct taco orders and four types of enchilada platters, highlighting both traditional and contemporary fillings.
Traditional Tacos and Seafood Options
The tacos are typically served as a full order with rice and beans. The menu offers classic street taco fillings. These include Tacos de Carnitas (slow-cooked pork), Tacos de Chorizo (Mexican sausage), Tacos de Carne Asada (grilled steak), and Tacos Al Pastor (marinated pork). These four traditional fillings are all priced at $13.75, representing great value.
For those who prefer grilled preparations, the Tacos Supreme Grilled are a highlight. These offer three soft or hard tacos filled with grilled chicken or steak, topped with lettuce, sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole, and shredded cheese. The seafood selection shines with the Fish Tacos and Tacos de Camaron. These provide lighter, fresh options that showcase coastal Mexican flavors. The Fish Tacos are a popular choice for their delicate texture and bright toppings.
The Enchilada Landscape
The Enchiladas section provides a thorough exploration of this baked, sauced tortilla dish. The Enchiladas Supremas offers a wide sampler. This plate includes five enchiladas: two beef, one cheese, one bean, and one chicken. They are generously topped with Mexican sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and guacamole.
The Enchiladas Verdes offers a sharper, tangier flavor profile. This dish includes three enchiladas—two chicken and one cheese. They are topped with a vibrant green tomatillo sauce, lettuce, and avocado. The Enchiladas Mexicanas feature three cheese enchiladas topped with carnitas (pork), onions, and bell peppers in a rich Mexican sauce. Enchiladas Rancheras provides a four-enchilada combination served with a choice of rice or beans.
Nachos and Cerritos Specials: Group and House Favorites
The Nachos and Cerritos Specials sections are where the kitchen’s creativity and dedication to generous portions are most visible. These categories are perfect for sharing or for diners seeking a unique, multi-layered plate.
The Nachos section is extensive, featuring thirteen distinct options. The Texas Fajita Nachos are a standout. These are chips covered with melted cheese and topped with fajita-style steak, grilled chicken, and shrimp. The proteins are cooked with tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions. This creates a fully loaded, satisfying platter. Similarly, the Nachos Botana offers a two-layer construction with a choice of ground beef or shredded chicken, melted cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, and black beans.
Among the Cerritos Specials, several plates define the restaurant’s unique offerings. El Molcajete is a spectacular dish featuring steak, chicken breast, chorizo, cheese, and green salsa served in a hot stone bowl. An enhanced version, the El Molcajete con Camaron, adds shrimp for a seafood upgrade. The Texas Rice special is another house favorite. It consists of steak, shrimp, and chicken served on a bed of rice, all covered with melted cheese. The ACP (Arroz con Pollo or Chicken with Rice) and ACP Shrimp are also prominent here, showcasing a simpler, highly popular preparation style.
Grilled, Fajita, and Seafood Masterpieces
These sections represent the premium offerings on the Los Cerritos Mexican Restaurant menu, focusing on high-quality grilled proteins and fresh seafood. The emphasis here is on the quality of the main ingredient, complemented by traditional sides and savory sauces.
From the Grill: Steak and Chicken Plates
The Grilled Plates section features traditional preparations of beef and chicken. The Carne Asada is served as two pieces of tender roast beef. It is topped with lettuce, avocado, onions, and jalapeños, and served with a side of beans. The simplicity of this dish allows the quality of the steak to be the main focus.
Steak Ranchero presents a robust preparation with grilled ribeye, onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes. It is served with rice and beans, creating a satisfying, full-flavored meal. For a chicken alternative, Pollo a la Ranchera features a grilled chicken breast topped with onions, mushrooms, and served with a guacamole salad and beans. The Steak Pollo Special combines both steak and chicken breast, served with rice, beans, and guacamole salad.
Sizzling Fajita Offerings
Fajitas are a must-try. All fajita plates are served with a side of lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo. They also come with a choice of rice or beans and three flour tortillas. The standard Fajitas de Pollo o Carne offers a choice of grilled steak or chicken cooked with onions, tomatoes, and bell peppers.
The Texas Fajita remains the quintessential multi-meat option, combining steak, chicken, and shrimp. The Yesi Fajita takes this combination a step further by adding melted cheese on top of the grilled steak, chicken, and shrimp. For a true group experience, the Special Parrilla is a giant portion of the Texas Fajitas, additionally featuring pork and Mexican sausage. This monumental dish comes with two orders of salad along with rice and beans.
Coastal Flavors: The Seafood Selection
The ten-item Seafood section demonstrates a strong focus on fresh, spicy, and tangy preparations. The Camarones al Chipotle features grilled shrimp marinated in a smoky Mexican chipotle sauce. This plate is served with rice, beans, and three flour tortillas.
For those seeking heat, the Camarones a la Diabla is a hot and spicy grilled shrimp dish. It is served with lettuce, avocado slice, sour cream, tomatoes, rice, and beans. The Filete de Pescado is a simple, elegant fish filet. It is served with a full spread of lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes, and avocado slices, alongside rice and tortillas. Another impressive offering is the Filete y Camaron. This plate pairs a grilled fish filet with grilled shrimp.
Vegetarian and A La Carte Choices
Los Cerritos ensures a welcoming experience for all diners by dedicating a full section to Platillos Vegetarianos. This section utilizes staples like beans, cheese, and fresh vegetables to create satisfying meat-free meals.
Option A, Veggie Vagitas, is the vegetarian equivalent of fajitas. It features mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and spinach. This mix is served with lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, flour tortillas, and a choice of rice or beans. Other options focus on classic Mexican combinations. Option B is a Bean Burrito and Cheese Enchilada, both topped with nacho cheese and enchilada sauce. Option D is a Chalupa and one Cheese Enchilada, served with rice and beans. The inclusion of Quesadilla de Queso and Spinach Cheese Quesadilla combinations provides variety within this meatless framework.
The extensive A la Carte section allows diners to fully customize their meal or add individual components. It lists 17 separate items, ranging from a $5.95 Cheese Quesadilla to a $9.99 Shrimp Quesadilla. Classic a la carte items like Tacos, Burritos, and Enchiladas are offered at lower individual prices, enabling simple add-ons or creating unique platter combinations.
Lunch, Kids, and Dessert: Completing the Experience
The Los Cerritos Mexican Restaurant menu thoughtfully addresses different dining needs throughout the day, including lunch specials and a dedicated menu for younger patrons.
The Lunch Only section provides 23 separate specials available Monday through Saturday. These specials offer condensed, value-oriented versions of dinner favorites. The Speedy Gonzalez special offers an enchilada and a taco served with a choice of rice or beans. The Lunch Fajitas provide a smaller, lunch-sized portion of the classic chicken or steak fajita. Other unique options include the El Cerrito Cheese Steak and Burritos a la Roqueta, showcasing the variety available during lunch hours.
The Kids Menu offers 15 choices, all priced at a flat rate of $9.99. The options balance traditional Mexican items, like a Beef Burrito with Rice or a Mini Taco Salad, with standard kid-friendly fare like Mac & Cheese, Chicken Fingers, and Kids Size Cheese Burgers. This ensures convenience for family dining.
Finally, the Desserts section offers a sweet conclusion to the meal. Traditional Mexican desserts such as Flan and Churros (deep-fried sticks covered with cinnamon sugar) are prominent. The Sopapillas, deep-fried flour tortilla chips with honey and cinnamon sugar, are a popular choice. The Fried Ice Cream provides a cool, creamy option to complete the dining experience.
The detailed survey of the los cerritos mexican restaurant menu reveals a comprehensive and diverse offering that successfully marries traditional Mexican culinary techniques with popular American-Mexican staples. This menu’s structure, offering everything from classic appetizers and dips to complex seafood specialties, ensures a satisfying experience for every preference. The restaurant’s dedication to variety, as seen in the expansive fajita and burrito selections, solidifies its position as a destination for flavorful, generous, and authentic Mexican food.
Last Updated on November 28, 2025 by Alex Cesaria
Alex Cesaria is the creative force behind Nomad Girl, an all-day café and ristorante with a signature Milanese flair located in the heart of Nomad, New York City. With years of experience in the hospitality industry, Alex blends refined Italian sensibilities with New York’s energetic dining culture to create a place that feels both elegant and welcoming.