Applebee's Grill + Bar
1 / 25#25. Applebee's Grill + Bar
- Rating: 2.6/5 (62 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2505 Scaroni Road Calexico, California
- Categories: Sports Bars, Burgers, American
- Read more on Yelp
Highest-rated restaurants with outdoor seating in El Centro by diners
The average person spends over 74 minutes eating and drinking on any given weekday. On weekends and holidays, that goes up to over 81 minutes. Where is a better place to spend that time than a restaurant?
Consumers agree. The National Restaurant Association states that 9 in 10 adults enjoy eating out at restaurants, which give people access to a world of great-tasting food that's often difficult to reproduce at home.
People choose restaurants to scope out the latest food trends, including deeper dives into Southeast Asian cuisines from Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines, without trying to master these complex dishes at home. Chefs also have the resources to experiment with ingredients and bring new favorites like hot honey, spicy maple, matcha, and pickled foods to the table.
Dining out also offers unique, hyperlocal experiences featuring local farmers, food producers, brewers, winemakers, and distillers in a way that connects diners to the area.
When the weather's nice, diners flock to al fresco seating. At least 2 in 5 diners like eating outdoors and look for great ambience like skyline views, rooftop settings, and waterfront seating to enhance their dining experience.
Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated restaurants in the El Centro area using data from Yelp. Data is as of Aug. 4, 2025. Only businesses marked as having outdoor seating on the Yelp website were included. Yelp's ranking system calculates an adjusted rating value that considers the number of ratings and the rating score itself. Only businesses with at least 20 reviews within a 10-kilometer radius of El Centro were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than 10 locations nationally, based on our Yelp data, were not included. Read on to see if your favorite spot made the list.
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Jalisco's Grill
2 / 25#24. Jalisco's Grill
- Rating: 2.9/5 (143 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 844 North Imperial Ave. El Centro, California
- Categories: Mexican, Bars
- Read more on Yelp
Habit Burger & Grill
3 / 25#23. Habit Burger & Grill
- Rating: 3.1/5 (78 reviews)
- Address: 2335 South 4th St. El Centro, California
- Categories: Burgers, Salad, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
New Fortune House
4 / 25#22. New Fortune House
- Rating: 3.1/5 (57 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1627 West Main St. El Centro, California
- Categories: Chinese
- Read more on Yelp
El Pollo Loco
5 / 25#21. El Pollo Loco
- Rating: 3.2/5 (29 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1403 North Imperial Ave. El Centro, California
- Categories: Fast food, Mexican, Chicken Shop
- Read more on Yelp
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IHOP
6 / 25#20. IHOP
- Rating: 3.2/5 (45 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2362 South 4th St. El Centro, California
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, American, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp
Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que
7 / 25#19. Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que
- Rating: 3.3/5 (167 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3103 South Dogwood Ave. El Centro, California
- Categories: Barbecue
- Read more on Yelp
Mah's Kitchen
8 / 25#18. Mah's Kitchen
- Rating: 3.3/5 (61 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 290 North Imperial Ave. El Centro, California
- Categories: Chinese, Hawaiian
- Read more on Yelp
Hope Cafe and Creperie
9 / 25#17. Hope Cafe and Creperie
- Rating: 3.5/5 (85 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 605 Second St. Calexico, California
- Categories: Cafes, Creperies
- Read more on Yelp
Farmer Boys
10 / 25#16. Farmer Boys
- Rating: 3.5/5 (128 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1532 Cruickshank Drive El Centro, California
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Burgers
- Read more on Yelp
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Burrito Factory
11 / 25#15. Burrito Factory
- Rating: 3.5/5 (106 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 130 South Imperial Ave. El Centro, California
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp
La Fonda Bar Grill
12 / 25#14. La Fonda Bar Grill
- Rating: 3.6/5 (103 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1950 South 4th St. El Centro, California
- Categories: Bars, Mexican
- Read more on Yelp
Broken Yolk Cafe
13 / 25#13. Broken Yolk Cafe
- Rating: 3.6/5 (194 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3049 North Imperial Ave. Ste 101 El Centro, California
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Cafes, American
- Read more on Yelp
La Resaca Seafood Bar
14 / 25#12. La Resaca Seafood Bar
- Rating: 3.6/5 (45 reviews)
- Address: 143 South 6th St. El Centro, California
- Categories: Seafood, Cocktail Bars
- Read more on Yelp
Burgers & Beer
15 / 25#11. Burgers & Beer
- Rating: 3.6/5 (389 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 260 North Imperial Ave. El Centro, California
- Categories: Mexican, American, Cocktail Bars
- Read more on Yelp
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In-N-Out Burger
16 / 25#10. In-N-Out Burger
- Rating: 4.0/5 (132 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2390 South 4th St. El Centro, California
- Categories: Burgers, fast food
- Read more on Yelp
Chef Lee's Chinese Food and Noodles
17 / 25#9. Chef Lee's Chinese Food and Noodles
- Rating: 4.0/5 (93 reviews)
- Address: 1049 North Imperial Ave. El Centro, California
- Categories: Fast food, Chinese, Noodles
- Read more on Yelp
Up In Smoke BBQ
18 / 25#8. Up In Smoke BBQ
- Rating: 4.1/5 (605 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 138 West Grand Ave. Escondido, California
- Categories: Food Trucks, Barbecue
- Read more on Yelp
La Resaca
19 / 25#7. La Resaca
- Rating: 4.2/5 (37 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 221 Campillo St. Calexico, California
- Categories: Bars, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp
D'Poly Taco Grill & Beer
20 / 25#6. D'Poly Taco Grill & Beer
- Rating: 4.3/5 (275 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1573 West Main St. El Centro, California
- Categories: Mexican, Chicken Wings, Cocktail Bars
- Read more on Yelp
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3:16 Cafe
21 / 25#5. 3:16 Cafe
- Rating: 4.3/5 (69 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 123 North Imperial Ave. Imperial, California
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Coffee Roasteries, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp
La Birrieria Red Tacos
22 / 25#4. La Birrieria Red Tacos
- Rating: 4.4/5 (53 reviews)
- Address: 900 West Birch St. Hwy 98 Unit 5 Calexico, California
- Categories: Tacos, Comfort Food, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp
Puerto Nuevo Patio & Grill
23 / 25#3. Puerto Nuevo Patio & Grill
- Rating: 4.5/5 (34 reviews)
- Address: 395 Broadway El Centro, California
- Categories: Seafood
- Read more on Yelp
Brickhouse Deli
24 / 25#2. Brickhouse Deli
- Rating: 4.7/5 (190 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 447 West Aten Road Ste B Imperial, California
- Categories: Delis, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp
Briseida's Kitchen
25 / 25#1. Briseida's Kitchen
- Rating: 4.7/5 (22 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 741 Cesar Chavez Blvd. Calexico, California
- Categories: Mexican, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 327 metros.
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