Went on a Wednesday night right after Cinco de Mayo thinking we were going to beat the crowds... but surprisingly enough the place was PACKED which honestly was a great sign. We did have a little wait, but it was definitely expected. Once seated, we got chips and what I think was a yellow habanero salsa and OMG it was absolutely delicious. I ordered the enchilada trio and my husband got the carnitas half parrillada. We also ordered chicken tenders for our little one and let me tell y'all... those chicken tenders were better than Cane's and Chick-fil-A combined They were juicy, crispy, and tasted freshly fried. My enchiladas were SO good!! My favorite was definitely the mole one. My husband's carnitas were really good too. Overall, we had a great experience and I'll definitely be back read more

El Catrin Restaurant & Bar - Enchiladas trio - Bars Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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Still a great place. Service is on point, attentive, and helpful. Lots of great options. Tacos Noreen's, poblano chicken enchiladas, and some great chips and salsa. read more

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Three stars means "OK" and that was pretty much our dining experience. I walked in alone to meet a friend- set up is very weird - there is no hostess stand, the bar is immediately to the right. It was confusing and felt uncomfortable. I wasn't greeted by anyone and the bar and restaurant was full and I had no clue where to go, nor what "staff" member to look for to ask for a table. I honestly didn't know where to go so I just walked thru into the restaurant and mid point was finally approached by an employee and got seated. Friend arrived. Waitress came fast and was attentive, dropped off food menus but no drink menus, had to flag down another waiter for drink menu. Got our water, chips and salsa and margaritas fast, which made me forget about the awkwardness coming in. Service continued great at this point with waitress describing dishes and making food suggestions. Food arrives, the small taquitos dorados were very salty- -so salty I forced my self to eat a couple, they were also soggy. Did not enjoy. Friend ordered a version of enchiladas and mentioned they were also very salty, she didn't finish them. Space is underwhelming, could use more wall decor, etc. Service was good. Will go back to El Catrin and give it another try- try other dishes because we really want to like this place. They are closed Sundays which makes it somewhat a challenge because weekends are our going out to eat days. read more

The food is amazing, but the service sucked! Jamie was more interested in talking to a customer at the bar than noticing that we were ready to order. When my pancakes arrived, she didn't offer butter or syrup. My friend and I thought she was brushing us off. Not sure why. I'll definitely be back, but she DEFINITELY won't be my server. read more

We've been 3 or 4 times now and I must say they are solid and consistent. The place isn't terribly fancy, but it's also not a hole in the wall. I would consider it a clean, casual place with the ability to seat groups of 10-12. Food: Beef enchiladas: Great! The red sauce on these is awesome. Veggie enchiladas: Good, but the sauce is a bit too creamy for my taste. If you like creamy, you'll probably love it - just personal preference. Salsa: The red salsa was bombastic - seriously amazing. We also tried the green salsa, which had a nice spicy kick, but the red salsa is the clear winner. Chips: Fresh and tasty. Drinks: Full bar with draft beers, including Modelo Especial and Negra Modelo. There were a couple of other options, but I can't remember them all. (you can even get margaritas with your to go order) Atmosphere: Not too loud - such a rarity these days! Service: Staff is super friendly, attentive, and professional. Menu: Expansive and interesting. Lots to choose from, which makes it even better! All in all, a great experience. Definitely worth checking out! read more

El Catrin Restaurant & Bar - Vegetarian Enchiladas - Bars Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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This place was busy before 6, but service was good and we didn't have to wait long. The food was all very good. Enchiladas verdes, chicken cilantro, charro beans and rice were worthy of going back to have again, but there were other things that I've got to try! The kids next to us had strawberry waffles for dessert and I will definitely go back for those. Loved the local feel; lots of families and well-behaved kids. Decent prices, full bar.. I highly recommend trying el Catrin. read more

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Glad I dropped into this restaurant. You can tell they put a lot into their dishes and ingredients. Came in on a Sunday afternoon and was able to get a table right away. Some folks were watching the Cowboys at the bar. We sat and were served a really good salsa with chips. I real like this salsa. Service was good and the food was fresh, hot, and flavorful. I'll go back. The music seemed a little loud, but I got over it after about 15 minutes. Other than that, the atmosphere is friendly. Bring something if you get cold in good air conditioning. read more

The food is very good great variety. Service is outstanding and the ambiance is excellent. Great place to enjoy a great meal and drinks. I highly recommend this restaurant. Love the staff read more

These are the best chilaquiles in town. The negatives are that the chips and corn tortillas are not homemade. The enfrijoladas are truly excellent and this is likely the best salsa in Bexar County. Unfortunately, the bar is seriously F'ed up; there is no drink menu and drink prices are not listed --- be prepared to pay outrageous prices for subpar drinks. read more

Great restaurant serving up amazing food! There have so many amazing options, but a few of our favorites are the enchiladas verdes, the enchiladas trio, and of course, who could forget the chilaquiles which are available all day. When ordering, don't forget the charro beans either as they are delicious. Lastly, if you like salsa, El Catrin has the best salsa out there. It is the perfect blend of heat and taste. If I could buy bottles of it, I would. In short, El Catrin is an outstanding choice for lunch or dinner, as it is a great blend of ambiance and service. read more

Consistently great food, solid service and good value! Highly recommend for a lunch spot. read more

Disappointing. Food is bland. Not authentic Mexican food. Their tortillas are store-bought. I would have expected more from a Mexican restaurant. read more

The fish dish was good, the kind of place for daily eats or to meet for lunch with coworkers or grab a meal with family. Prices were reasonable, food was good, just not sure how much butter was used so if you have health requirements, I would specifically request less or no butter on rice, fish and veges. Or get the plain grilled fish. It is a good place to grab a good mexican fish lunch. They use the seabass variety. I usually avoid swai, tilapia or catfish and choose restaurants that offer other types of white fish. They serve chips with salsa. We were recommended to this place and told that the chicken fajitas and chicken dishes were good. Decided to try the fish. Service was great, the place was cool and nice. We were kept hydrated. Nice and clean bathrooms. No issues with parking as this was off the beaten path and relaxing place to eat. read more

El Catrin Restaurant & Bar - Seabass fish of the El Catrin flavor. Tasted creamy with lots of mushrooms et al. - Bars Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

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The chilaquiles are the perfect brunch option and they have so many different types to choose from. I got the divorciados because I love red and green salsa and can't pick! And they were perfect. They were very accommodating to our big party with a dog. It's a small place but plenty of seating and a large menu to choose from. Give it a try on your way to hill country or your stay in San Antonio! read more

Was recommended by a coworker and we finally made it! The salsas were awesome, flavorful and spicy! The poblano pasta was beautifully executed! The shrimp and fish tacos were a bit on the simpler side but still were a great bite! The enchiladas were awesome sauce wise, however the chicken was stringy and dry due to using chicken breast rather than thighs! The charro beans were tremendous, the broth was drinkable! Will definitely be back again! Nice ambiance as well, wish the music was a tad bit louder read more

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Wonderful place! The salsa is unique but great! Highly recommend the enchilada trio. We will be back read more

El Catrin Restaurant & Bar - Enchilada trio - Bars Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

A great find for us in Alamo Heights! A neighborhood Mexican restaurant with excellent service and a full menu of great dishes. Shout out to the Pescado ala Veracruz, which was perfectly cooked in a very fresh Veracruz sauce. Great selection of drinks and drafts! read more

Horrible service. Waited 50 minutes for soup order then finally had to get it to go. Way too many tables for the kitchen to handle.

Have enjoyed all the dishes we have tried so far through multiple visits. The guacamole appetizer is always fresh and tasty. Enchiladas and Chilaquiles both hit top marks. Service quick and attentive when we have gone. read more

I think this restaurant has lots of potential. They have a nice, clean establishment, nicely decorated. It's easy to park. They have a bar if you prefer to sit at the bar. They also have high tables available. The service is good, the owner was there all the time. I ordered Huevos Motuleños, and they were ok, there is room for improvement. I requested salsa ranchera, but the salsa they used was very strong on tomato flavor, almost like they used tomato paste; another thing is that this dish comes with finely diced in cubes ham, they put ham in it but it's was cut in big pieces , looked more like hotdog weenies, also it was missing the queso fresco (I asked for it and they brought it) and the potatoes should've been cut in slices and fried, but the used the cube potatoes instead. After seeing my dish wasn't what I was expecting, I decided to eat it and just have a good time. The owner was very attentive. I would try this place one more time, hopefully next time is better. read more

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3rd time here..started off with chips that were stale, in my opinion. I tried the Tacos Suaves, asked to be sure it was flour tortilla and what Ranchero sauce was like. Waitress verified flour, and said Ranchero was a mild tomato sauce. Mine arrived with corn tortilla, so I asked again, she argued that it was supposed to be corn. Anyway, it was remade- the sauce was Very spicy. The frozen mango margarita was ok, not much mango and it separated out strangely. The bean nachos were good, but were served with sour cream when the table asked for None. Three of us each asked for napkins several times, and I finally got them myself. So much great Mexican food in SA, so I don't plan to return. read more

Delicious authentic Mexican food. Fast and very friendly service. We had a wonderful family dinner at the terrace. I can highly recommend this place. read more

El Catrin has a new fan. We stopped in after our Saturday morning markets trips. I was prepared to order a tropical breakfast when I looked at their regular menu. They have Tlalapeno soup on their regular menu, and I was able to order for breakfast. My favorite soup in the world and I can have any time. It's delicious ! read more

Good Mexican food . The fish tacos were great! I went with my sisters in laws who recommended the place . The tortillas were fresh!

Great food, fast service and clean. The salsa is unlike any other restaurant we have been to. I have concluded if a restaurant has good salsa, the food follows suit. read more

Oh boy, where do I start...... I heard good and bad things about this place but wanted to check it out. Upon arriving the server looked mad. Rushed us to take our order and didn't really seem like she wanted us to enjoy our stay. It was clean and modern inside so I give them that. But the $10 modelo draft beer and the $10 store bought mix margs were less than stellar. The only tasty thing was that salsa with the chips. The sauces were very salty that came on the enchiladas some of my party ordered. However my breaded shrimp tacos were fantastic but everyone else disliked the meal. Normally we don't care but when it's 85 degrees in a pricey joint and it takes 20 minutes to get the check, we're not about it. read more

El Catrin Restaurant & Bar - Breaded shrimp tacos. Very good. - Bars Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

Quite disappointed in this restaurant as I had heard many good things about it and the owner has a good reputation. I'm amazed at the four-star ratings of this place, though. My buddy and I went to eat there last Tuesday (05/09) evening about 6pm. He had a margarita with house tequila. I had two margaritas with top shelf tequila and a shot of Amaretto for each. (So imma' presume that's ~five adult beverages.). Margaritas at any restaurant are hit n' miss, and these were actually pretty good. The bowl of chips were so stale they weren't even edible. So stale they were actually chewy. When I mentioned it to our waitress, I barely got the words out when she assured me those were the only chips they had, which made it obvious that it wasn't the first complaint about their freshness that day. (They're right next door to a grocery store. Why didn't they just go buy fresh chips?) My friend ordered the regular sized bowl of tortilla soup. I ordered the Queso Flamiado with Charizo, which was nothing but a small bowl of melted cheese with some dried hamburger meat on top. How much did this set me back, you ask? $85.21!! I won't be going back. If you haven't been already, don't bother. read more

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The food had a good flavor but was not hot. The service was not very good, very slow and forgetful. Had to keep asking for the things that we needed. The other location is 10 times better. The ambiance at the north location is much better read more

Cute decor, excellent service (we were here for early lunch. It was about 1/2 full). I had tacos suaves. They are rolled. The sauce is delicious. My husband had chicken mole enchiladas. It was a little sweet (for me) but the spice was nice. They have two salsas. The orange-colored one is addictive. The green one is ?Avocado jalapeño? The jalapeño is subtle but nice. Mmmmm. Chips are light and served warm. The parking lot was a little small but we parked on the far side of the strip mall. There's a bar read more

Good food Great service Nice place I love the pozole Is the best in San Antonio if you looking for A real Mexican food read more

Now we're talking! I used to have a gig where I'd travel to San Antonio once a month and every visit I'd try to find "that place". Very little luck. Now, thanks to some local knowledge, we found d the right joint. Starting with two spectacular salsas, I knew we were in the right place. I had the skirt steak that's was very flavorful, but a little tough. It came with an enchilada of choice. I had cheese with molé. It was great. My wife out ordered my. She had the enchilada trio. Each of the sauces was better than the next! Great service, fair pricing and a groovy but understated vibe. This place is a keeper! read more

My first meal at El Catrin and I'm so happy I wandered in for lunch. The decor is simple but stylish. I ordered the Tlalpeno soup for my meal and it was very good. Large chunks of vegetables, plenty of queso fresco, and diced avocado. I would have preferred sliced avocado but...tomato/tomato. The rice served with this soup was sooooo tasty. Also, the salsa served with the chips is very good and fresh. I will definitely be back. read more

El Catrin Restaurant & Bar - Caldo Tlalpeno - Bars Near Me - San Antonio, Texas

The food at El Catrín is very good. I had the half fajitas plate. Good portion came w quac pico and rice and charro beans. The beef was tender and flavorful. Unfortunately the beans were tasteless. The wait staff was attentive. The music not too loud. Good ambiance. It was weekday early later afternoon so not too busy. They did have competing music from the kitchen and the overhead speakers. So might need decide which is the one to play. I liked the kitchen music :) read more

Everything on the menu is good! Breakfast all day everyday w/ traditional Mexican fare, but also Belgian waffles & buttercream pancakes with loads of fresh strawberries on top . I haven't had anything bad here‍. The salsa is spicy, different than the norm--it's amazing! My fav thing here is the chicken chipotle enchiladas. Similar to those are Paloma Blanca, but way better. The chicken here is marinated, tender, flavorful while the chicken at Paloma is often dry, less flavor. I also love that the prices don't change from lunch to dinner--same portion, same price. LOVE this place!!! read more

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The appetizers are good. However, their drinks are not fully disclosed. When asking to see their drink menu, they say they only have a beer and wine menu, but that 'they have everything'. Their drink prices are not disclosed via a drink menu, but I'll tell you that their standard house frozen margarita is $10.00. If that's what you like then have at it. read more

My second time in and I just tasted the 'Rita. They offer a choice of sweet and sour or lime juice. Ask for the lime juice. "...like having your brains bashed in by a slice of [lime] wrapped around a large gold brick." - Douglas Adams read more

Update 10/23: one year after opening, El Catrin is still my personal favorite. Federico (owner), Marco (bartender), Raul (chef) and team continue to do an amazing job and always make me feel like family when I visit. I have brought co workers and friends over the months and they always enjoy themselves, and some have brought their own friends, etc. It's a fun environment whether you go for brunch on the weekend or for dinner. There's usually live sports in the TVs. Chilaquiles and enchiladas are always awesome and have enjoyed trying other plates as well! As for pricing, keep in mind that El Catrin is a premium Mexican restaurant in an upscale neighborhood! read more

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Solid food and drinks BUT! I'm never one to bash a restaurant in a review but this is a little ridiculous. The food prices are disclosed but add up VERY quickly. Expect to pay more than you would at Soluna for a spot that doesn't hold a candle to TACO CABANA for effort on the interior. If you're going to build a hacienda style taqueria, don't charge 6X more than one. Then the $10 Modelo, and the $16.50 SKINNY MARGARITA WITH HOUSE TEQUILA! YES, OVER SIXTEEN DOLLARS for a SMALL margarita. Of course they wouldn't dare tell you the prices on anything or they wouldn't sell. We ended up paying about $80 for 2 beers, a skinny margarita, enchiladas, and 4 mini street tacos. I'd recommend just about any other Mexican restaurant in the area over this place. I will not be returning. If you have a ton of cash burning a hole in your pocket, give it a shot, but every other restaurant in the area will have equally good food and drinks with a WAY WAY better atmosphere. Plastic tables and exposed ceiling insulation won't get you very far. read more

Ate Lunch at El Catrin and had their Mole Chicken Enchiladas and they were excellent!!!!!!!!!! They come 2 to and order with rice and beans, I ordered 3 w/ no rice and bean. My wife and daughter had the Tortilla soup and it was also excellent. Has the quest dip w/ chorizo , Muy bueno!!!!!!!!!Excellent food and service!!!!! Highly recommend read more

Wonderful food and excellent service! This place has a lot of class and food to match. It's a small restaurant where a Adelante used to be. The decor is elegant and understated. Wait staff are attentive and helpful. The food was outstanding. The salsa they serve with chips is out of this world and the chips are fresh and crisp. The refried beans are super creamy and the enchiladas are to die for. I highly recommend this place! read more