Food was good, atmosphere is great. Prices have gone up some since Covid. Servers and others not all wearing masks. Beware if this is an issue for you. read more

If i could rate them 0 star i would they need a BETTER SYSTEM FOR HOST , because why was i suppose to wait 20 minutes and i waited longer because the host just "YELL" ya name that's bullshit cause we never got called and had to wait another 20 minutes after we already waited . Y'all need to do BETTER!! Get a phone or pagers SOMETHING!! I honestly wouldn't recommend read more

This place is outrageous. Nothing special whatsoever about this place. Loud and very noisy. Bar is closed most of the time. Food is below average and so are the drinks. My husband and I had lunch which consisted of quesadillas, quesadillas, flour tortillas, 2 margaritas and 2 shots of tequila. Bill was $90 including tip. I will never come back here. read more

Food is just ok, staff isn't very attentive and on the weekends it becomes very overcrowded.

We dined at El Arroyo (my first time) on 9/26 and the food was not great, especially for the prices. We paid $4.99 for a cup of queso that was literally no more than 8oz. We received our food and the steak in my burrito bowl was burnt and over peppered to where I was unable to eat it. I complained to my server and it was not removed from our check. So we paid for food we were unable to eat. Their lack of customer service and terrible food to boot means I will definitely not be returning. read more

Great hang out place big out door covered patio Friday nights live band and happy hour is great!! There fried ice cream dessert is one of my favorites that is a must have when I am there . read more

This place is extremely popular for good reason. Seriously I have seen people parking in the lot next door. The staff is great, prompt, and courteous. The patio and bar are perfect, weather permitting. The Shrimp Diablo is a perfect starter, even if it's not complimentary with a Yelp check in. The table side Guacamole is a must try as well. Another personal favorite is the mushroom and spinach burrito. read more

Past experiences at el arroyo have always been quite positive. Unfortunately that is not what happened today. I came in for a quick cold drink and queso. I sat at the bar for 10 minutes before I was even acknowledged. When I got my drink I also received the menu via QR code. The code didn't work but it didn't matter cause I was just getting queso. I sat for 25 minutes and was asked if I wanted another drink from across the bar. I tried several times to get the bartenders attention to order my queso to no prevail. Then the lady next to received her drink as she did order another one and the server that brought the drink decided I was done with mine and took it without asking me. I wasn't done. It took another 10 minutes to get the bartenders attention to pay as I was ready to leave at that point. As I was finishing up with my check another worker came and ask if I got everything that I needed and I just replied, no and that's why I'm leaving. I just people are short staffed but then explained the several workers just standing around. Hope next time is better. read more

This place used to be so good yet another place that years have gotten to it. The food isn't very good, I usually get cheese enchiladas theirs used to be so good but now they taste like they are covered in a knock off cheese slug. The margarita are basically just frozen fruit juice because I think they might have forgotten the booze. I don't plan on going back. This was my third retry and I have a three strikes and your out rule...so El Arroyo...YOUUUR OUT. There are just to many good tex mex places to keep wasting my time with you. read more

Honestly, this is probably my favorite Mexican restaurant around. The food is spectacular. The fresh guacamole is to die for and the fish tacos are amazing. Unfortunately, they can't seem to manage the restaurant correctly. The wait is almost always an hour no matter what night you go. Even if you go for lunch, you're waiting forever for food. We went on a Wednesday night when we had family in town and spent FOUR HOURS there. It's ridiculous. read more

Service was great everyone was pleasant the place seemed extra cleaned and everything my only complaint was that the margaritas not only had no salt but seemed weak and watered down and that's the reason I came read more

The food is decent. The service was poor at best. Our server was.... I don't even know how to put it in words so that it won't sound like we had the worst experience ever. Although it wasn't great, it wasn't horrible. Just put it this way, after we were seated for about 15min the server finally came to our table to take our order (we haven't seen a menu yet ok) so he gets a menu for us. We waited another 15-20 min for him to stop back by( he didn't have a pen so he left and came back with a crayon after about 10min). We order chips and queso for a starter (we got that at the end of the meal ) and we order our entrees. We waited about 20-25 min for our food (we still haven't gotten the drinks). I told the person who brought the food about our drinks and chips and queso, they said they would get it (they didn't) long story short we finally got the drinks and chips and queso. No one stopped to ask how our meal was or refill our drinks. The server did stop by to give us the check. He stopped back by about 5min after giving us the check and within 5 more min we were walking out the door with our Togo boxes and Togo drinks. Like I said the food was decent but the service was not good and I left my pen for the server. read more

No server. No food. Never again. While the manager comped our food, we really never actually got any food. Thanks but really? I'll pass on this place. read more

CHEEEEEAAAAPPPP MARGS! Super good, and HUGE! If you're trying to get drunk off of decent margaritas, and you're only trying to spend 20 bucks. This is your spot right here. Comes in frozen or on the rocks. On the rocks tend to be a little stronger. Top shelf also available for reasonably priced! They have a plethora of flavors, and don't be afraid to mix them! They will let you do swirls! Free chips and salsa so you don't die. If you're trying to eat too, GET THE CHIPOTLE SHRIMP. Omg so good. It's a bed of shrimp on Mexican rice with this chipotle sauce you can swim in. If you're feeling dangerous, put some hot sauce on it. Seriously so delicious. If you're not down with shrimp, get the beef chilango tacos. Minced white onions, fresh jalapeños and cilantro with amazingly cooked beef on fresh corn tortillas. Put some guacamole on it. Boom. Street tacos that'll change ya life. Table side guac is a must. If you go on the weekend, the patio has live music. It's a fun atmosphere, but super loud. So if you're actually trying to talk to your date, sit inside. If you're not, and you're just tryna drink and eat tacos- SIT OUTSIDE. It's worth it! Marquees are always hilarious. read more

Good sweet tea, shrimp Di able was super Fantastic, service was awesome even as more families came in to dine read more

El Arroyo - Yum - Mexican Near Me - Arlington, Texas

Came in today , wasn't to happy with my food , tasted very bland . The margarita was ok . Probably used cheap liquor . Not a fan so won't be back read more

Really disappointed. Two drinks and 4 plates later, out $140 and leaving disappointed. The chips, salsa, and queso were the best parts. House margarita was good, super strong so plus for that. Frozen Pina Colada was also good. Food was bland and over priced. The Muy burritos was probably all over an 8in burrito if even. Just disappointed because it had a high review and being out of towners, we like to try and hit up the good places in town. Find something small and local for better Mexican food. read more

They serve the best drinks!! Love their friendly conversations and customer service. I would recommend this place as a great hang out spot to spend with friends or family. read more

El Arroyo - Mexican Near Me - Arlington, Texas

Disappointed in this restaurant. Thought they would put safety first. We come here often but after today not sure if we could return until this COVID virus is more under control. Was uncomfortable getting served by a young waiter with no mask and watching customers and staff walk around with no mask. I'm also not a fan of wearing a mask but if wearing one keeps us all safe then that is what is the right thing to do. read more

There is NOTHING authentic about this place. The outside is pretty deceptive, but as you walk in the atmosphere is immediately eyebrow lifting. Soft 90s alternative music, a mostly Caucasian staff (no offense, but IT IS a Mexican restaurant), and an odd blue hue to everything just made it seem like a crappy chain restaurant, which we found out from our server that it is not a chain. The food was nothing special (though my stomach felt pretty terrible for a few hours after dinner, which is not normal). We ordered Shrimp Diablo and margaritas to start, both were bland and left a lot to be desired. Tacos al Pastor, Steak Fajita Tacos and a side of Guac for dinner were equally unsatisfying. Completely unauthentic Mexican food. As we were eating the appetizer I had a gut reaction to just leave, but I stuck it out. Big mistake. Our server was nice and accommodating, no problems there. I did go to the bar to order after dinner 'Cinnamon Toast Bite' shots (fireball and rumchata)--bartender seemed inconvenienced by my order and the drinks were equally unimpressive. I have to note that in my experience, if you eat a place that offers a foreign cuisine and see NO ONE of that nationality in the restaurant or wait staff, RUN! Unless of course you're looking for that Mexican experience without all the fuss of authentic Mexicans. Sound terrible? Congratulations, you're not a racist and neither am I, but this place was the only Mexican restaurant I've ever been to that didn't have Mexicans. And, the food was far from authentic, so I'm not sure what they are trying to accomplish. **UPDATE** 10/26/14 I have recently had 2 very nasty responses to this review, one I replied back and then coincidentally received another response that was similar, which I immediately blocked and deleted. This place appears to have a following of douche-nozzles that have nothing better to do than reply to someone that didn't like eating at this restaurant. I, for the life of me, can't understand why, unless they are being coerced by employees while getting drunk at the bar during margarita happy hour. Whatever the case, understand that you're pathetic attempts to attack me will be immediately deleted and blocked, so do whatever will make your miserable life feel better, including but not limited to swallowing cheap margaritas and eating the horrible food at this establishment. #getalife read more

We were visiting relatives in the area. There were four of us. We had some tableside guacamole which was good and the salsa was really good. But it went a little downhill from there. I wanted fish tacos but evidently this place only uses talapia which I cannot stand. I had some soft tacos which were ok but nothing special. My wife had enchiladas and they were ok too. The flour tortillas lacked any flavor. Service was very good. I might try something different if we came back. read more

Our group waited 20 minutes to be seen after being seated. Finally the waitress at the table next to us said she would take over our table. Once we got our bill we noticed they charged us for an extra margarita. We let our server know who said she had to get the manager. The manager informed us we had to pay it because they would get in trouble with TABC and he could not take it off our ticket. Pretty sad their manager would outright lie and make a customer pay for a drink they did not order or drink. read more

This restaurant was pretty average. Came for a coworkers going away party. We were a big party with one waitress. She did have help when the food arrived. We waited a while until we got our drinks, the food actually came out before the drinks. Their chips and salsa is really good!! I ordered chicken flautas and they were actually the bomb.com. My coworkers ordered the happy hour margaritas, which were actually $2.69(not $2). I would recommend this place is you have a smaller party so service could be more efficient. They do have outside seating so it is spacious throughout the restaurant. Overall this location was decent and I would come back. read more

The server here is a very fast server and nice smile youbg lady. We got served quick whenever we order the food. The food is great. Of course we cant miss the margaritas! read more

El Arroyo - Love it!!! - Mexican Near Me - Arlington, Texas

I would say a good solid Mexican food restaurant. Nice to eat outside too in good weather. Their hot sauce was a hit with all of us and Katie was a great waitress that was their with what we needed before we asked! read more

El Arroyo - Mexican Near Me - Arlington, Texas

Greg R your comment of as most people know is insulting and you are incorrect It takes 1 to 6 hours for the onset of staphylococcal ,6 to 40 hours for salmonella it is the norovirus that takes12 to 48 hours been in medical field forever don't BS me. I do not suffer from Dysgeusia I am not taking medications and not suffering from a zinc deficiency- therefore my palate was in tact. therefore I did taste metal and mold! I had no prior symptoms no fever, diaphoresis, intestinal distress and suffered no prior reverse peristalsis . I would also suggest a class on the such food born viruses and pathogens. Have I made it clear I DONT BUY YOU EXCUSE Todd read more

Great atmosphere and friendly staff!!! A great family restaurant!!! My son loved the queso and his nachos were amazing!!!

Authentic Mexican look on the outside, modern look on the inside. Nice and spacious w/ a full bar that has 3 tv's. Really nice patio, for those perfect weather days. Staff is courteous and fast. Food is really good. Give it a shot when you are in the area. read more

Well I can say that our server was really sweet..... That's the only good thing I can say and why I gave it 1 star. The bean and cheese nachos are just tostadas covered in beans and cheese. The tamales were like the ones you get in the freezer section at the grocery store. I had the stuffed zucchini and it was topped not stuffed. They didn't season the zucchini before they grilled it so it was bland and they didn't grill it long enough. If you're looking for a place to just hang out and watch sports then it's good. Otherwise, you'd be better off eating at Taco Cabana down the street. read more

I hate to say it but disappointed. Today we came to El Arroyo to celebrate a birthday with my family. Our family has been here many many times in the past. Expecting to have great food like before, but that was not the case. Both my husband and I got the southwest salad. I asked for no black beans, corn or pico. When the salads came out it it had all the stuff that I asked not to have. I should have sent it back but mine was the last one out and half of the table was almost done. Then on top of that was the "fajita chicken" which really looks like little dices cubes of chicken. They also got my husbands order wrong as well. He asked for ground beef and it came out chicken.... Overall the quality of the salad was awful. read more

I love some good Tex Mex. Unfortunately El Arroyo is not the place to find any. My co-workers love El Arroyo because of its proximity to work and it's their default gathering place for baby showers and other congratulatory type dinners. The drinks are decent and the food is mediocre at best. What really turned me off was the lack of knowledge by the waitress when I inquired about the margarita selection offered and the big, huge flying cockroach that I saw scuttling about on the wall after our meal was over and we waited on our checks. Sick nasty. Makes me cringe considering I had just eaten a meal there. read more

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I am a frequent customer and today I had the absolute worst service. The restaurant was not busy during my visit and the server completely ignored our table. We waited at least 25 min to order drinks then another 30 minutes to order food. Once receiving our food we were not checked on again until we finished our food where we waited even longer to get our check. After checking out we were followed to our car to be told our server gave us the wrong check (fine, things happen) when trying to figure out our check issue the server made the comment "well i'll be inside since i'm not getting paid for this and basically working for free" as she continues to stand near our vehicle. After the situation was solved she continued to give us ugly looks and talk ugly towards us. I tried calling the restaurant to talk to general manager and was on hold over 15 min. Needless to say, we will no longer be returning. Servers are more rude than ever and don't seem to know how to give good customer service. read more

Awesome atmosphere, quality home style Mexican food for the most part! My favorite orders are their Mexican shrimp cocktail which is served with avocado and lime (very tasty!), their cheese enchiladas with beans and rice, and their salsa is one of the best in DFW! Spicy, medium-texture, and hearty! The only things on the menu that can use some improvement are their "tacos al carbon", and "skinny tacos"- the meat comes out very dry, and the tortillas are never warmed up or cooked- as if they were just pulled out of the bag and rolled onto the dry meat. They have two full bars- one inside and outside. Service is great, too! Very casual patio with lots of room, the only downside is that South Cooper street can get very noisy! They usually have catchy live music on their spacious patio every week! Makes for a great vibe! read more

this place was, eh. LOL. i suppose the drink specials would be great. if they lasted longer but eh. the food is subpar, not really great or anything just eh. the only thing great about this place is the service. and nice bathrooms. i really enjoyed the patio def sit out there when its not hot as hell but the mist fans help a lot the live music is really great and a good mood enhancer. all in all i wouldnt come here just cause i love it, id come here cause i had to lol. read more

Ditto to Lori's review...On the way to the restaurant, I googled reviews for it and apparently, the only thing consistent with the restaurant was the bad service. I guess it changed management a year or so ago and is not what it used to be. As Lori mentioned, the drink menu is worth reading and ordering from - I had a margarita and it was good enough to order a second one. The one thing I will say is they use the standard sweet & sour mix...ugh...but I was taught that if you add a drop of beer (preferably mexican), it helps dilute the bitterness. I ordered the Chicken Torilla soup and Fish Tacos. They both had potential, and were okay, but good have been great. The chicken torilla soup had plenty of chicken and veggies, but was a little bland, it could benefit from some more cilantro. Regarding the fish tacos, ever since I had them in Mexico, I find myself craving them regularly. The ones they served could be great...except that I found two bones in the first taco. The other thing is it would have been nice to be served 3 tacos for the price instead of two, but after finding the bones, I didn't have a lot of motivation to dig into the second taco. Add to it everything else with our group, I would not go back. I was like Lori and was really hoping it would be good, but after the great time at the haunted house, it is put behind me. read more

First time here. The atmosphere was great Sat at the outside bar waiting on service. The bar had 6 people seated. So it was about 1/4 full. It took the bartender 10 minutes to take our order. Had chips and salsa. Salsa was plain no heat what so ever. My wife had a margarita and it was watered down. So she was going to order a mojito and they were out of mint. The service was slow and the food wasn't that good. The bartender was not very assertive. So we will find another Mexican restaurant. read more

I've been a reasonably regular customer to El Arroyo for about 5 years, well - tonight was my very last night at this place. I had dinner with a friend and upon receiving my bill I notice an entry called "Service Charge." It was about a 3.5% fee. When I asked about it, I was told that it was only applied if you paid with a card, but not with cash. Hmm..... I didn't see anything on the menu about that. Joe T. Garcia's in Fort Worth has a big sign out front "CASH ONLY" they make their position clear. If El Arroyo wants to charge more, they should just raise their prices rather than playing games with the bill. Well I won't be back. I hope the 3.5% was worth it to you, El Arroyo!! read more

Everyone at my job loves this place- but having grown up in a Mexican house- the food here is no different than Taco Bell to me. Happy hour is a nother story! On wednesdays they have small $1.50 margaritas that i swear have as much teqila as a regular sized one. They also have the beer-ritas with the coronas upside-down in them- something that was started in San Antonio that i prayed would start making its way up here soon. When the weather is nice they have live bands play on the patio toward the end of the week and its always alot of fun. read more

This place is always busy so I had high hopes. Unfortunately I was let down. The food was mediocre. Service was pretty good, lots of young chatty kids working on Friday night in the dining area. Seemed like the life of the restaurant was outside on the patio bar area. Maybe the drinks are good enough to come for, I didnt try them. read more

I have lived next to El Arroyo for two years and just recently stopped in to try. The food was, sadly, not stellar. I had a margarita and it tasted very strongly of chemicals and not fresh at all. The patio was very inviting, and if the food was better I would love to go back again. Perhaps I was just there on an off night. However, I do have one serious complaint. They provide live music sometimes three times a week and it is incredibly loud. I live very nearby and some nights I can't hear my tv or music over the throbbing bass and amplified music. Of course, I could turn my tv or music volume up, but I don't want to further disturb my neighbors. It would be nice if they were a little more considerate of the surrounding apartment buildings when they plan the volume of their music. read more