Met my kids here for dinner one night after work. Still has a chinese restaurant sign out front that was repainted to be theirs and the building looks awful from the outside. But ignore everything. Food is delicious. Service is impeccable. Frozen margarita is highly recommended. And dinner and drinks for 3 people was less than $50 which absolutely floored me. If I lived here I'd eat here more often. Less expensive than making the same at home. read more

I really like this place.. its unassuming.. the waitstaff is friendly (especially the guy that refills your tea and salsa - hilarious!), and the food is made with pride... ive tried the chicken tortilla soup twice and its great.. very hearty, with rice avocado, cheese,.. its like a good home-made soup that your grandma used to make.. try it during lunch and its cheaper! the al pastor is just ok.. i thought the pieces of pork were a little too big and tender..i know that shouldnt be a gripe, but my favorite al pastor is a little crunchy because the meat has caramalized and been cooked properly.. this is good in a different way.. like carne guisada almost.. the tortillas are made fresh in-house.. nice. the salsa is a little watery..but tasty nonetheless. overall, I would definitely reccommend this place to anyone.its well above average. read more

This has become our de facto taqueria in Austin. If you want to fall in love with the Lamb of Gold, don't get the enchiladas or tacos, order the ceviche tostada, pork in green sauce, the gordita al pastor or the lamb! All of the above make my mouth water thinking of the meals we have eaten. If you go expecting Tex Mex you will be disappointed. We have never had a problem with the wait staff here. They aren't there to wine and dine you for your tip like it was Chuy's. They are there to serve you Good Food at a cheap price. And when you want to pay your bill, go to the register and your check will be there. read more

The food is really good BUUUUT they have soo many things on the menu and it makes the food take soo long to come out. I honestly think they should cut down their menu since they make everything to order (which I appreciate) but it is getting in the way of having an efficient restaurant service. read more

I've tried this place 3 different times because we all have bad days, but every time it's disappointed both the service and food. The tortilla soup was salty, lacked vegetables and chicken, it consisted mostly of rice. My friends enchiladas sauce lacked flavor and the beans were dry. Two stars because the chips are served warm and the salsa is flavorful. Won't return here especially in a city with plenty of better Mexican food options. read more

Don't order the Burria tacos here. Paid $1 extra for soft tacos with no braising sauce. The person who answered the phone and took my order said, "I'm not sure why they are more expensive, I just work here." Horse Manure!!! read more

I'm giving five stars purely for the tortilla soup! Its really top notch, and I think its the best in town. Very traditional with a chunk of corn on the cob floating between gobs of cheese, thick tortilla slices, and plenty of cilantro/onions. Its true the rest of their food doesn't stand out from other authentic Tex-mex spots, but I think it would be unfair to say it isn't good. They do a great Mole and the lamb stew is incredibly flavorful as well. This is a true dive as far as atmosphere goes, but that kind of makes it more fun. Just be ready to eat because the portions are huge! read more

"The Sheep",as my boyfriend and I lovingly call it, has by far the best menudo in Austin, the ceviche tostada, enchiladas and the chicken tortilla soup rocks!! We have been going here for over 5 years and it is consistently great. The food is authentic, the staff are kind and quick and we have never had to wait. The seating is ample and quaint. You won't find a website for them but you can always call in an order to go if like. I posted their menu so it is easy to see the variety they offer. read more

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My experience with their tacos has been fairly decent, until my latest encounter. I usually stop by Summermoon for my morning coffee and grab one of El Borrego de Oro's Spinach and Egg tacos to snack on, but as I was coming to the end of my taco I hit a crunchy texture that definitely wasn't spinach, but more importantly is wasn't even a piece of food. I'm not entirely sure on its true identity, but it looked like a piece of paint or crunchy nail polish. After gagging for the rest of the day, I vowed to never eat here again. This one experience ended whatever possible blooming relationship we could've had. Shame. read more

Excellent TEX-Mex. Great salsa, true home cooking! This is a tough spot to beat, but be prepared, its popular and fills up fast around meal times. read more

El Borrego De Oro - Fajita Trio Plate - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

Quick notes - I appreciate the coke in a can. Some might argue that it's not professional but I don't care. It beats the watered down syrup fountain most places use. - Chips are amazing. Perfect amount of crisp and salt. - Pretty good salsa. Not the best I've had, but good. - Friendly staff. - The food came out quick...maybe a little to quick. Tastes great though. read more

Made this our choice for Cinco de Mayo feasting based on yelp reviews for Mexican joints that were around the hotel we were staying at. Got in a bit before the rush around 6pm and was greeted by Liz. She's an Austin native and by far the nicest service person we met during our brief stay. We immediately ordered a couple of margaritas. They have your typical choices here. Rocks/frozen/strawberry. It's pre made so there no option for less sugar, etc. and they were pretty sweet for my taste, but you know, fiesta time, so hey, wth? The decor is no frills and it definitely seems to be a family place. Babies abound. We were started off with complimentary chips and salsa - both of which were some of the best I've had in recent memory. Chips were lite and crunchy, with a nice texture. Everything a great tortilla chip should be. The salsa had perfect heat, and a good balance of liquid to chunks. You know, good consistency. I loved it, it was a great compliment to the margaritas. For an additional app we ordered the queso and added guacamole. For the main course I had the chicken burrito with verde sauce. At Liz's suggestion I opted for fajita meat for a slight up charge. Bb had the beef burrito with fajita meat which was some kind of skirt steak I think. Both burritos came with a generous helping of refried beans and Mexican rice, as well as some guac, and a bit of lettuce and tomato. The queso was pretty fabulous - how could you go wrong with melted cheese and guacamole!? I really enjoyed my beast of a burrito and believe the fajita style is the way to go. I guess otherwise it's some kind of shredded chicken. The verde sauce was top notch and I stuffed myself to the gills. I tried the boy's burrito and felt mine was a clear winner. The steak was tough - too chewy to actually break down. Our food came out really fast. By the time we were ready for another round of drinks the place was packed and Liz and her partner (only 2 severs on the floor as far as I could see) were really hustling. As usual in the restaurant biz, when you are at your busiest is when things break down. Needless to say the second round of Margaritas took awhile but we were chillin and didn't mind at all. The meal was a bargain and if I lived in Austin this would definitely be one of my go-tos. read more

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Poor customer service, waitress have a attitude and looks like she don't want customers to be there. Poor Bkfst quality Tasteless Mexican food, but I guess that's how Mexican food made it in restaurant taste like. Will see is frost impression and only Bkfst, I may give it another try at dinner. read more

Delicious, cozy and friendly. The menu has some unique dishes on it (lamb, for instance) and the prices are affordable. One of my favorite down-home restaurants. read more

The Quesabirrias are amazing. They have some authentic Mexican food there. The actual place is not as nice but it gets a 5 star review just for the food. read more

The veggie enchiladas with chipotle sauce is AMAZING!!!!!!!!! The Verde sauce is sooo gooood. So far this is my favorite place for true authentic Mexican food in Austin. We have tried a few places so far that have been very disappointing. This will be our go to spot. read more

El Borrego De Oro - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Delicious mexican food. Cant wait to go back, will be worth the trip from Houston to Austin!

The Golden Lamb - El Borrego De Oro - is definitely in the top three Mexican Resturants in South Austin, TX ZIP 78704. From my personal survey of ~25 restaurants in 78704 ordering the same exact meal - Chicken Tortilla soup - and grading the chips, sausa, the soup and extra ingredients, this item on the menu is made with LOVE! And by coincidence the breakfsat migas fall in the same category - made with LOVE and it shows. I recommend it. Steve R. read more

The best tortilla soup in Texas! One time I overheard a customer complaining about the food and she literally said "I come here 3 times a week and they are always so fatty". So she's complaining but she still comes here 3 times a week Ooook that makes no sense. So I guess if your a health nut I wouldn't necessarily come here. However if you love good, cheesy, saucy Tex-Mex then bring your ass to this place "All day everyday". I almost didn't want to write a review in fear that all the Californian's would flock this place. However this place is soooo delicious you gatta outta try it. Open from 7-10 wtf!!!! Slap yo mama good :) read more

El Borrego De Oro - Filter free picture, yum! - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

Uh, not. we were there on March 20 about 4 p.m. We had crappy service; we ordered queso flameado, and they brought 3 corn tortillas for the generous portion of flameado but we had asked for flour. We then requested 3 additional tortillas to put the flameado on and we had to ask for those three times. We got 2 more eventually but discovered they were at extra cost and they came after the rest of our meal; so much for being an appetizer. We also had to ask for plates for the flameado, which they brought full size plates and one of those was dirty. Open the silverware and my daughters fork still had someone else's meal on it. Should have known that was going to happen since my wife's menu had dried samples on it. Never refilled the chip basket but they probably would have charged extra for that. Did I mention that the waitress had a bad attitude whenever we asked for something. Left a $1 tip on a forty+ dollar check and thought that was too much. Oh and the cheese in the enchiladas was not melted, the taco meat was cold and the beans were kinda runny. It was very unfortunate because we could tell that the food probably tasted pretty good, had the microwave been working correctly read more

Visited this location for the first time thought quaint place ,after receiving our order son husband and myself roaches started coming out along the wall where my son was sitting my husband found 2 hairs in his food pointed out insects to gentlemen there never received an apology or anything in reference not very good customer service we went to pay our meals we did not eat was 93.00 dollars what a rip off I'm sure the food could have been worth it if was edible. I do not recommend eating here unless you appreciate insects crawling next to you when trying to eat or having hair in your food.will not.attach a foto we found too disgusting read more

Absolute favorite spot. Delicious food and strong margaritas! Don't forget to ask for chile on the rim. read more

El Borrego De Oro - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

Been coming here over the years and never had a bad meal. It's not fancy but authentic. Best is breakfast and lunch. Many good dishes but this trip I had Caldo de Res. It's good with chunky meat and veggies. You will need to kick it up though as it's not spicy and I wanted a sinus cleanser and warm up on a cold Day read more

Nopales and egg tacos on HOMEMADE tortillas!! Love this place. Been coming for years and always enjoy the relaxed environment and downhome Mexican food: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hope it never goes away. read more

I had been discussing eating here with the girlfriend and a couple of other friends for quite awhile. The lady and I finally decided to give it a shot last week. I really didn't have any issues with the place, but it really didn't provide anything memorable for me outside the chips and salsa. We loved the chips and salsa they were the highlight of the trip. The chips have a nice flavor and a good crunch, that even though the place was empty tasted fresh. The salsa had a robust flavor, not a ton of spice but the flavor made that acceptable. I am more than willing to give up spice for substance. We both got enchiladas as I was not feeling particularly adventurous at the time. They were good and super cheesy, or as Kym put it "they were on the level of cheesiness you want as a kid". The Mexican rice was really good with the beans and enchilada sauce even though I am not a big fan of rice. My sole complaint would have to come from my beef side taco. The meat wasn't very good, it was really salty and had an odd spice that gave an after taste that I could not place. I will go back on one of my more adventurous days and will try the Lamb Plate which is the house special and has gotten rave reviews here on Yelp. read more

Chips and salsa were very good. Usually I can tell a Mexican restaurant by the chips and salsa. This time I was fooled. *Breakfast tacos: do not get anything with refried beans. They taste and look 3 days old. Terrible. Returned them for bacon sausage egg cheese. Those then were subpar. Everything tastes like it's been sitting in a warmer Pre-cooked. Even the tortilla tastes reheated. When I sit down at a restaurant I expect my food to be cooked to order, fresh. This was not. If you absolutely have to eat the tacos here, dump the salsa all over your taco, only way to make it taste better. Only reason for 2 star was the chips and salsa read more

New to Austin and have been on the hunt for the best Mole here. This is about the 5th place I've tried and though not the best mole I've ever had it was pretty tasty and is the best I've had in Austin thus far. Their fajita taco and chicken tortilla soup are really good too. The food tasted fresh and authentic. Got carryout so can't speak much for dining in, but the carryout person was nice. Though the mole hunt continues, I'd try this place again. read more

Yum! On the outside looks very low key and kind of divey but don't let that deter you. Once you get inside you can seat yourself. Our waitress told us we came at a good time and just missed the crowd. She was nice and had good recommendations about the menu. I shared the Trio de Fajitas with someone and another person got the Caldo de Camaron with bread. The salsa was also good but soda options were limited. Both entrees were very good and the beans that came with the fajitas were excellent. The soup was good as well they give you a lot and aren't skimpy with the shrimp. Dipping the bread in the soup is delicious! Once you finish you go to the counter to pay. Overall I would definitely return! read more

Not sure why this gets 4 stars. Pretty much your standard mexican restaurant. Nothing really special at all. There was about 5 people there on a Friday at 6pm. They appear to do a brisk carryout business though. read more

Their lunch specials are great. I am always indecisive between the delish carne guisida lunch plate, and their enchilada plate. The carne guisida is nice and chunky and so tender. it comes with rice, beans, tortillas, and salad (lettuce&tomato) The enchilada plate I get one chicken and one cheese. The cheese enchilada is always nice and cheesy. When you take a bite the cheese is perfectly melted inside and thick. The chicken is like boiled chicken juicy and all so tender and shredded. As for the sauce I'm a chile con carne person I'm not too fond of the (green) verde sauce. This plate too comes With rice, beans and salad. They have other lunch menu items such as crispy tacos, fajita tacos, tamale plate and a few others. All lunch specials come with a tea for about $7 and some change. You walk in and seat yourself, then you are given some chips and salsa which is really good and the hotness varies each time. Very friendly staff one of my favorite lunch spots. During the winter time I love to eat their caldo de Rez. Nice and warm with some corn (or flour) tortillas on the side. On the inside is cabbage, meat so tender, and a corn on the cob. read more

Went here for the first time with my friend because she was craving tacos and El Paisa was closed. I live on Congress but never walked in because I always thought it was just a bar! Oops! I have to say that I live super close to other great tex mex places like Curras or Habanero even and usually tend to go there. We went initially to get tacos to go but ended up sitting down. The salsa is amazing! My favorite salsa is from El chile but this was really great. Spicy but great flavor. I got one al pastor taco and one beef enchilada. The tacos are huge!! So glad I only got one. Not small like usual street tacos and a great steal for only $2. However, my al pastor was just so so..even the fresh onion and cilantro couldn't save it. The enchilada was also so so, I prefer the ones from habanero or tamale house if I'm going to go for the cheesy, greasy enchiladas. The ground beef was mushy and flavorless. I was totally craving enchiladas too! Oh well. Overall I say you get a lot for what you pay, my meal was like $5 and the portions were huge. I'd come back and try their more traditional dishes but will stick to my usual places for tacos and enchiladas. read more

We moved to Austin from San Antonio about 6 months ago. This was the first time we had the kind of delicious Mexican food we were used to before we got here. My enchilada plate was burning hot, which to me means they made it fresh (it was so good). My husband said that his mi la nesa was the closest he's ever had to the one his mom made. We'll be back for sure. read more

Amazingly good!! Very authentic tasting, not Tex mex. Prices are fair, service is good, also had live music. Will be back again when we visit Austin read more

El Borrego De Oro - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

Mmmmm.... great salsa! Yummy, yummy lamb, and one of the BEST beef tacos I've eaten in Austin. Can't wait to go back and try more! Good Stuff! read more

The beef, cheese, and chicken enchiladas were are quite good. Not as good as Little Mexico, for example, but good. The salsa gets a 5 for flavor and a 3 for consistency - I don't care for the watery type of salsa. The beans were bland, as was the rice. Horchada was yummy. Service was friendly. Atmosphere was sparse. read more

Very disappointed with this place. I live down the street from this joint so I thought I would see what the buzz is all about. People obviously don't come here for their drinks. We ordered 2 each and every single one was watered down and tasted gross. Especially their margaritas. I KNOW I didn't want to believe it either (Mexican place with shitty margaritas?!?!) Well its true. Plates are huge and can feed two. That's cool. I felt it was over priced because of how bad their drinks were and the food was ok. I'm no broke ass, but 76$ for TWO people? I could of gone to porter down the street and had a nice meal. read more

This is my favorite greasy spoon taco diner would be. The coffee is hot, the meat are marinated and flavorful, and the tortilla is fresh. I wouldn't eat here every day, but I have been back twice since my first visit and the quality have been consistently good. read more

Two visits in two days and I must go back!!! First visit was for dinner, which was absolutely incredible. Went back the next day for breakfast/lunch. We arrived around 11. Not crowded at all. Went straight to a table (seat yourself, they don't ask you to wait) and a waitress arrived almost immediately. My friend ordered the migas and I ordered the tortilla soup and a carne guisada taco (my indicator). Food arrived quickly, and extremely hot. I noticed that our food was extremely hot the night before too. I like that. Tells me it's not sitting under a heat lamp somewhere waiting for delivery to the table. My carne guisada taco passed the test. Flavorful, and ooooh, oooooh, oooooh so tender. My soup arrived in a huge, absolutely massive bowl A small amount of rice on the bottom, then tons of shredded chicken, tender vegetables, a small corn cob, crisp corn tortillas, and avocados, covered in the most flavorful broth I've tasted in a long time. Mmmmm good. My friend said her migas were just okay, as there was a bit too much chip and not enough egg. Good to know and glad I got the soup. There was so much soup I had to take half of it home! Five stars for great food, good prices, excellent service, and a nice but divey type of interior. It's March and they still have up their Christmas decorations, but they're really cool metal poinsettias on the wall! And a lovely pic of Selena near the front door. Now that's South Austin! read more

I went solo for dinner while staying at hotel nearby. Child and salsa were served at once. After looking over the menu I decided on the mole enchiladas and asked the waitress what kind of agua fresca they had. She said Jamaica, horchata, and lemonade. I went with a lemonade, not being a fan of the first 2. The enchiladas came quickly and the plate was super hot. There were 3 enchiladas which came with rice and beans. The mole sauce was very good as were the rice and beans. The decor is a bit dated (Xmas decorations still up in April) and the front doors could use a cleaning and fresh coat of paint. Maybe that adds to the divey charm of the spot. read more

El Borrego De Oro - Mole enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

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This is my favorite Mexican joint in South Austin, the food is outstanding and if your looking for good chips and salsa, this is the place. I normally get my own basket of chips and bowl of salsa, because I will finish it. It's gets busy during lunch, so food delivery is not always timely, but still worth the wait! read more

El Borrego De Oro - Enchilada special... And chips!! - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas