I checked out their menu the other night and liked the fact that I could get corn tortillas and my choice of chicken, shrimp or beef in the fajita dinner. I told my wife about it and said I'd like this to be our next pick up dinner. Last night we gave them a try and I sure wish we had tried them YEARS ago. We're less than ten minutes away so it was nice and hot when I got home with it. I had the shrimp and chicken fajitas and while they are cooked with bell peppers and onions, and I don't mind the flavor of the bell peppers I removed them. That and the rice were the only things I didn't devour. They were served with pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, cheese, and refried beans, all very fresh and tasty. I can't say about the rice, but it looked good, I just didn't need the extra carbs. My wife had the crispy corn tacos with ground beef and she was equally satisfied. We both agreed, we'll be both picking up and trying them out dining in as well. Great stuff! read more

If I could go lower than one star I would. Party of 16. We arrived a bit after the first 7 got there. We were seated on an outside patio in the Texas sun. Not good. We ordered drinks and food. My wife ordered a guacamole salad and tortilla soup. I ordered a shrimp cocktail and a beef Enchilada dinner. We waited about 30-40 minutes and no appetizers came out and then everyone's dinner arrived. My dinner was cold and I gave it back to the server and told her it was cold. Now any reasonable human being would assume to take it back to the kitchen and get a hot meal for the customer. Well not here. I waited another 30 to 40 minutes. Everyone else had finished eating and I still did not have my food. I gave up on the so called waitress and went to find a manager. I found on who said I am one of the managers. I asked how many managers they had and he said 2. I told him to get the other manager so I did not have to do this twice. I spoke to the managers who were as nice as they could be. They took my order off the bill. When the waitress brought the bill she still had charged us for an appetizer that we didn't then she made some smart assed remark about not bringing out my food. It was time for her to get away from me or I was going to meet the local constabulary. Anyway I finally just left. My wife got her part of the bill straightened out and spoke to one of the managers again and told the manager what the waitress had said. Needless to say the manager compted the entire bill. Now there were 14 others there and the bill I am sure was well above $400.00 dollars for the table because when I saw the computer screen of the table when my order was removed it was a total of 398.00 then and people were still ordering drinks. Okay enough from me but I assure you I will never go there again. BTW this we can't hire any help excuse is wearing pretty thin. read more

Awesome patio spot lots of seating and ambiance amazing food and Courtney is priceless!! Such a great server and knows her stuff when it comes to what guests will like from the menu!! Totally impressed and we will absolutely return with MORE people!! read more

I've passed this place up a few times and always talked about coming here.... Well, today was that day!! El Arroyo did NOT disappoint!! Small Strawberry Margarita: Was alright, I've had better! Shrimp Diablo: Shrimp wrapped in bacon!!! DELICIOUS!! Tamales: Were good Beef and Shrimp Fajitas: Really good!! Beef was seasoned perfectly!! Shrimp was good, having more than 4 pieces of shrimp would have been better! Got 6 tortillas for such a small portion of food so 3 of'em went to waste. Other than that it was good!! Waitress: Could've been more knowledgeable of what's on the menu and been more attentive read more

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I have lived here for years and have never been here. Food was good, a live band and an extremely busy and polite staff. i will be returning soon. read more

El Arroyo - Mexican Near Me - Arlington, Texas

Tina was the best server ever! She was very friendly, and kind. Everything was top notch

My husband and I eat here at least once a week. The atmosphere is what we enjoy the most. The food is consistent and the margaritas are good and fairly priced. read more

I was excited to come here since it's always packed and the patio looks fun; however, I was sadly disappointed in the blandness of the food. Everything from the salsa, shrimp cocktail, tortilla soup, and burrito tasted bland, bland, bland. Pros: nice atmosphere, clean, decent prices, good service, and really strong margaritas. Plus their sign outside always has a great saying. read more

On patio a month ago: Server didn't wear mask. I asked to please put it on. She did, then we had a pleasant meal. I looked over and saw her serving others tables without a mask. It is difficult to trust that the food will be handled safely. Won't be going back. read more

First of all, I love their chips and salsa!! This was our first time here and we all were happy with what we ordered. I had the shredded chicken on baked zucchini and it was awesome!! The service was very polite and fast. We will be coming back! read more

In normal times, I would give El Arroyo a three or four rating. However, this isn't normal times. We had a small very group gathering outside on the deck this past weekend. We called ahead to make sure we could get outside... and they accommodated. My complaint has to do with the almost non-existent use of facial coverings by the employees. We only saw three servers wearing their masks (even close to correctly), and only one bartender. We did see lots of chin straps, but almost no masks. I want restaurants to be able to remain open as much as possible; and I know they need to do whatever they can to keep themselves open. This laps by El Arroyo's management is the kind of thing that can get them shut down if an outbreak is traced to them... but more importantly, the kind of thing that can put us back into a full shutdown where all restaurants have to close. read more

Let's start with the ambiance. If you want to hang out somewhere that feels like a sports bar, with that lovely stereotypical entitled suburban atmosphere, this is the place for you. Zero personality, looks exactly like every other in/outdoor restaurant in the area. Screaming children, running everywhere, climbing on the chairs and tables. "There's no smoking on the patio." My father in law and his girlfriend arrived at about 2:40. We were on our way to meet them, but had to turn around as they informed us that dogs are not allowed on the patio, so we dropped the dog off at FILs house and then came. We arrived at 3:00. They had been given chips and salsa (the one saving grace of the whole establishment) but had not been greeted by a server or had their drink orders taken. FILs girlfriend was starving, this is why they were 20 minutes early in the first place. I made my way to the server station to find someone, thinking to myself "They busy, what can you do?" There were, not an exaggeration at all, FIVE servers just standing there shooting the breeze. Oh well. Screaming children, using my husband's chair as a hiding spot during hide and seek. "Please don't smoke on the patio," our server reminded us again (we weren't). Then came the waiting game. Drinks were delivered in a timely manner, though my michilada was bitter and kinda bland. The appetizers were delivered a little late (once again, the whole reason the FILs girlfriend was in a hurry to get there) and they were lackluster. They had obviously spent some time in the window. The chips on the nachos were chewy. Screaming children, running up and jumping down the steps just behind our table. THUD THUD THUD, BANG BANG. Their parents seem to be encouraging this. "Are you going to smoke? You're going to leave the patio, right? There's a parking lot over there." We finally got our food order in. This was close to 4PM. To give the server full credit, we were not in his section. But, if you can't handle tables outside of your section, you shouldn't take them. The food arrived. I don't know how the burrito was, but FILs lady didn't eat much of it, so it couldn't have been that great. Friend had ceviche. Served in an ice cream bowl with single serve packaged saltine crackers. Husband and I had Carne Guisada. The gravy was both watery and greasy at the same time. None of that thick creamy spicy goodness I have loved for years. The rice had a nice selection of vegetable in attendance. The refried beans were from a can. Screaming children, parents ignoring them, running past our table. Husband has been hit twice now. "Can you smoke that in the parking lot? Oh, it isn't lit? You got the drift the first eight times I told you?" TL;DR The service was TERRIBLE. The food was mediocre, at best. The atmosphere is generic, uncomfortable. The personality of the staff was both aloof and absent, while still being oppressive. I don't need to be told EIGHT times to go smoke in the parking lot. I am twenty-seven. I understand. This is a "family friendly" restaurant, which I guess means if you CHOSE to have children, this is a great place to inflict them on other people if you don't care to do any parenting during lunch. Who cares if those other people paid to be here too? Go ahead and let your brats run amok. The staff won't say anything. Dogs are not allowed on the patio area. This is interesting to me. My dog doesn't shed, doesn't bark, lays under my table when I take him to restaurants, and doesn't have to be asked by the staff to please move TWELVE TIMES (yes, I counted. Same kid. Parents did nothing) The only saving grace of this place was that the salsa was fresh, it was good, and they make sure you NEVER run out. We will never go back. read more

If I could give zero stars I definitely would. Wanted to try this since we moved into the area. But when we walked in saw soo many servers, people serving food, and hostess not wearing their mask or wearing it below their chin. Also no social distancing observed. Also saw a waitress wipe her sweat off her face with her hand, wipe her hand on a towel, and then used the same towel to wipe off a table. Turned around and walked right back out. I would think that being a restaurant they would have to follow guidelines to stay open but this was so disgusting. Will not ever go back!! read more

Great place to eat! My server Macy was awesome. She recommended the vegetable nachos, and they were delicious!!

The food is ok. The service is terrible. There is a police sting operation on the parking lot. If you choose to drink, then take an Uber home. There are cops staked on the parking lot. I was followed off the parking lot and pulled over immediately after elaving read more

The food was great! A little pricey but full of flavor. Large portions though. Will visit again.

Used to be my favorite place till I went there yesterday. Was sat and never greeted, didn't really mind I just ordered through the bar. Bartender wasn't helpful at all! I had to keep asking what they happy hour was cause he would tell me while he was walking and keep walking. Finally I just asked the manager if we could have a server. Katie was awesome and took great care of me and my friend. Only thing that threw me off was their happy hour completely changed! Apparently you have to sit at the bar to get happy hour deals? And I wasn't aware of that TILL I got my ticket. Super annoying smh read more

Came here for lunch after class at UTA. The food was GOOD. The margaritas were okay. We had a table of 9 and it was a weekday. There was construction going on and we sat on the patio. The wait for our food was too long, the wait for our refills was too long, the wait to even get our checks taken care of was too long as well. The waiter was polite but i only saw him about 3 Times and we were there for 2 or more hours. The patio was not busy. It was my first time there, I may need to retry but this one was a miss. read more

Nathan was our server! He gave excellent service. Paid just enough attention and met all of our needs. Food was great! I had tacos el pastor. Pork with onion cilantro lime pineapple and red pepper sauce were the perfect mix of sweet, salty, and spicy. The best time ever at a Mexican restaurant! Do not miss out on this gem! The manager was on point! Love. read more

The food wasn't great, especially for the amount I spent. I think it was like 12$ for a tortilla soup. It was kinda gross if I'm being honest. The customer service was good though! read more

I was really impressed with the young lady that waited on us recently at our last visit. Her name was Kayla if I remember correctly. She had a great personality and was very attentive. We have gone in the past and found service to be somewhat lacking and had stopped going there all together. When our friends wanted to go there we were skeptical to give it another shot but this time it was really great. We will definitely keep going back after our last service there. read more

I have had bad Mexican food before but this meal tonight tastes like the take home box I am taking it home in. I could eat my napkin and have more flavor in my mouth. This chicken taco plate is so tasteless. I gave up on the second bite. I am taking this home in hopes it gets moldy and allows me to swallow it. The beer is semi-cold and it allows me to stay here longer then the 24 minutes it took to get my so called food. I will have to move more east so I don't get over served and wander into this place again. read more

I sat at the bar and immediately had the best service. Cade the bartender greeted me with great customer service and I finished my awesome meal with great company and entertainment from other bar regulars. I highly recommend this place to anyone and everyone! read more

Ok....there is only ONE reason I didn't give this place 5 stars! Our waitress. We were seated right away in a booth and waited over 10 minutes to be greeted you our waitress and place a drink order. While waiting, there was a waitress at the table just next to our booth. She was chatting with her customers at that table. I commented to my husband, that she better not be our waitress......because she was totally ignoring us. Well, guess what....she was. We waited between 10-15 minutes before she decided to stop talking and come greet us. We actually had almost eatn all the chips and salsa....(which was great by the way)....with no water.... Worst service I've had in a very long time. Next the food. Loved it! Great salsa, warm chips and everything was fresh and tasty. Loved the queso, which you can add items to. We picked Beef, Pico and Guacamole! Delish!!! I had the beef fajitas...some of the best I've had! Husband had chimi and enjoyed his also...the beef had really good flavor. Will definitely go back, but if they seat us in the section with that waitress, we will ask to be moved....it was just that bad. read more

Poor quality. Chciken tortilla soup was luke warm. Our server disengaged. We wont come back. El Ranchito is far superior. Goodbye.

The restaurant has had it's challenges over the last year or so and after having some blah experiences, saw the reason on another social media site. Held up going for 6 months or so and I'm guessing the owners started seeing how business had fallen off and decided to improve things. Finally got up the courage to go back and they must have been having an off night or at least the bartender was as our margaritas were so bad could not get past the second or third sip. I've never tasted bug spray but that's exactly what it tasted like. The food was so so but will give it another 6 months to improve. read more

Food was ok but service was horrible. Why have Happy Hour if you can't get served? Still waiting on the Borracho beans. They won't even let you talk to a manager. We won't be back. read more

I have been here twice before only and that was for drinks one time and food another time. I have absolutely not one bad thing to say about this place. To be honest with you I do not know why I don't go here more often maybe because of the traffic? The servers were very friendly almost as if you knew them for years. I tried a little bit of everything and I can't say one bad thing about this place. Everything you're looking for in a Mexican restaurant this place has it. The food was excellent and the drinks are fantastic at the service is great and the environment was awesome inside and out. To be honest with you the only reason why I rated four stars is because I've only been here twice so technically I haven't tried this place enough in order to write a five star. I think I'm going to have to make my way down to South Arlington this next week I'm starting to miss this place. read more

Went back to El Arroyo 6-20-20 . Food was just fair, but to my surprise when i got my bill , there was an Alcohol tax added to everyones bill. Of course the manager tried to feed our party a line of crap saying it has always been added . That was a lie !! I will no longer go there for mediocre food and lies just to recover lost $$ because of Covid. The manager must have thought we were too stupid to notice . read more

Food was disgusting not worth it at all!! tortillas were nasty the guacamole was horrible! Food had no flavor! What a disappointment

Upon walking in we weren't greeted and were quite hesitant about our choice in restaurants. However, Kelly turned the entire experience around! My boyfriend and I have worked in fine dining for years and we typically are let down with service. Kelly, however blew our minds. She was triple sat and handled it like a champ! She called all of us by our name and made sure we were taken care of! I'm so incredibly impressed with the service she provided! She was happy, attentive and made our entire experience great from the time we sat down til our hug at the end! Thank you for having such an amazing woman on your staff! If she's not a trainer, she should be! read more

Shrimp Diablo was tasty, queso was good nothing special. The beef lunch fajitas meh, we like ours to have some char from the hot plate , tasted like fatty brisket. We didn't finish it read more

Great Atmosphere, outside. The only reason we go is the patio. It is comfortable and laid back.

My next tattoo is going to read, "EL ARROYO FOR LIFE." El Arroyo has the best atmosphere, service, drinks, food, and prices around. On occasion the service is poor only because it's busy. I highly recommend El Arroyo. El Arroyo for life. Viva El Arroyo. El Arroyo is God. El Arroyo Mucho. read more

Nice neighborhood restaurant. Margaritas are always strong and great on a summer day. A little over priced is why I give it three stars. Food is above average - the fish tacos are my favorite. The porch is sometimes a little loud - but hey, that's what it's for! While we don't attend for the live music, it's often very good. read more

Ate outside was very crowded and loud, but beer and food was very good. read more

El Arroyo - Mexican Near Me - Arlington, Texas

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What a miserable experience! We were treated as though we were an afterthought. Our waiter made it painfully aware that he'd rather socialize with the girls at surrounding tables than take care of a husband, wife and 2 children. Our drinks were not refilled (we got the impression that he'd rather us just leave and that to refill our drinks would encourage us to stay.) My order wasn't prepared correctly, and when I mentioned this to the waiter, he actually said, "I doubt you're right"...I showed him the problem and his response was, "well they don't usually put onions on it"...no apology...just a disrespectful attitude. I had ordered cheese quesadilla with no pico. I was very specific that I only wanted cheese and tortilla and they screwed it up. By this time, my husband and oldest son had finished their meals and even the baby had finished his bottle. Everyone was ready to go, but instead of bringing our check as requested, the waiter insisted on bringing me another quesadilla and said he'd have it out in 4 minutes packaged for me to take home. (Still no apologies for the incorrect order or challenging me when I said it wasn't prepared correctly)...well, 15 minutes goes by and a waitress brings me a quesadilla on a plate. I mention that it's supposed to be 'to go' and she takes it to put it in a box. When she brings it back, I open the box to check the order and find that I've been given 2 uncooked tortillas with some cheese sprinkled in the center. I honestly feel this was done maliciously, but have no idea what would have caused it. My family is extremely polite when we go out, so there was no cause. The waiter brings the check and walks away. My husband and I are so frustrated by this point that we just want to get home. We notice we weren't charged for the quesadilla, so we pay, leaving no tip, and head home. I leave the to go container with the raw food sitting on the table. The entire point of going out that night was to relax at a restaurant our family has enjoyed weekly over the past year, but that experience was rotten enough that we will not be returning. As for the night being ruined, it wasn't. As soon as we walked outside, I was sandwiched between my husband and son(s) in a perfect hug and the world was perfect again. :-) read more

Service has been terrible tonight. The wait for a drink is about 30 minutes everytime. I understand that its busy but a little ridiculous that you have to order a half hour ahead of time to get a drink. Forget about ordering food as you cant find your waiter to do so. We eat here pretty often and the food is always good but extremley disappointed with the service. read more

My wife & I were talking a couple of weeks ago and I commented "I really don't have a favorite Tex-Mex place in our end of town". I like Chuy's but it IS NOT Tex-Mex. We have a couple of street taco places we like, but not an all-around TX-MX favorite. We may have a contender! One caveat: I can't really say it's my favorite until I have tried enchiladas. Neither of us ordered any so we'll have to try that next time. I got the Diablo Shrimp appetizer. It is a freebie when you check in on Yelp. Really flavorful with a little jalapeño kick and it filled me up nicely. Mi esposa got tacos but I don't remember the name - really tasty. The top shelf margaritas were terrifically smooth. Also on special pricing Thursday nite. The cervesa on draft was also very cold. Nice. Also discounted when the NFL is playing. I'll definitely need to try enchiladas next to decide whether 5 stars is warranted and whether I will give it the coveted "favorite Tex-Mex" moniker. About our waiter. Trevor is a pro. He's clearly been a server and drink slinger for a few years. Made great suggestions, provided friendly service and promptly got whatever we desired. If it had been 10 degrees cooler we would eat on the patio. A great place to be when the weather warrants. read more

I love this restaurant so, when I got home late from work tonight, I asked my wife to come out to the patio. When we arrived, I noticed that they closed at 11p. It was 10:35. I suggested maybe going somewhere else. My wife was super hungry. When we walked in, I asked if it was too late to order food. The manager/ host said "No, The kitchen is open for another 20 minutes. He seated us and brought chips and salsa immediately.....problem was, no one would wait on us. I told my wife that I suspected they wait staff, who were all hustling to get out early, cleaning under tables, we're obviously more interested in going home early. 10 of the precious minutes to order were already gone without any acknowledgement of us from the wait staff. I said to my wife, "Apparently, they wait staff is running out the clock." So, she asked for our waiter. We were prepared to order and know the menu well. When the waiter took our drink orders, he returned in record speed, drinks in hand, with the sad news that the kitchen was closed. He delivered the news with compassion and eloquence. I asked for the check and expressed my disappointment to the manager/host. The waiter then returned and offered to buy our meal....wasn't the point. Honestly and integrity are still of value. If the kitchen is open...it's open. If not, then it's not. I come to Arroyo's for good food and great service. Incredibly disappointed, embarrassed and hungry. read more