We stopped by at least once every few weeks for lunch, dinner & brunch. Service is exceptional. They are attentive even during brunch time on the weekends. If you would like to avoid the rush on Sundays, stop before 11 AM. We arrived at 11AM. They gave us a timer & we waited at the bar. 15 minute wait took only a few minutes. If you are unsure what to order, try out their brunch. My favorite is pozole Verde. It is chicken and it does give you a slight kick in taste. If you are searching for less spice try the carnitas (pork). Their eggs are also relatively calm and easy to handle. I really also enjoy their coffee, café de olla. It is served with an authentic pottery mug. Their soup bowls are also in this same style. Arroz con leche ( creamy rice pudding with cinnamon) is very good. I also love their cute small pasty that looks like a funnel and taste like bunuelos (sweet crunchy rice cake with cinnamon). Great ambience and it feels like you are in a festive place. read more

El Caudillo - Pastry with café de olla - Tacos Near Me - Pearland, Texas

Came here for Sunday brunch buffet on Easter and was sat right away! Everything I tasted was phenomenal! The decor was very cute felt like we were in Mexico even the little cups for coffee was cute ! Would recommend and would come back! read more

Let's start with the pros: - happy hour is 3-7, very solid hours. Included are house and flavored margaritas, wells, and drafts - drinks are solid with alcohol content, one was enough for me - salsa and green dip are very good with a nice kick - service was nice - plenty of tables inside, bar seating avail with sports on the big screen Cons: - the Spanish rice is literally white rice with (likely frozen) veggies as pictured - fish tacos are just not memorable - chips seem a little stale for a Friday night, just warmed - house marg taste like a premade/store bought mix Overall an adequate choice if you want an off the beaten road Mexican place but not somewhere you would think to recommend. read more

El Caudillo - Fish tacos - Tacos Near Me - Pearland, Texas

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Dropped in for lunch, first time here. Seated promptly, friendly service. Ambiance was okay, there was a blender going off on/off the entire visit. I couldn't imagine something being blended that long, and pretty loud so not sure but it was pretty distracting. I ordered the Nico's favorite, flauta was good, taco was good pretty basic taco...the green enchilada was lackluster. It had green sauce which was tasty, but the chicken was dry and had a red tomato sauce with big pieces of onion/pepper inside. Rice was good, beans were just not my favorite. My friend ordered the fondita plate from lunch menu, flautas were good, plenty of guac, and trimmings...fideo was a little heavy on the oregano. Food was just okay, would say warm not hot...lots of potential for improvement and growth. 3 stars for friendly waitress. read more

I play softball and after every tournament we go to this place. We have made friends with some of the staff. The food is a W. The walk in breakfast,brunch thing is awesome.They bought us some ice cream and they give free ice cream to people when they can. That is why I love this place and why I give it 5 stars. read more

We randomly walked into this restaurant and it was the Sunday brunch buffet- what an amazing surprise! The food was incredible, great variety! We're excited to know this brunch exists! read more

This is a pleasant place. Food is delicious. Nice sized portions. Wait staff is pleasant. Music is not too loud. Restrooms are clean.

I can't stop talking about this place. The food is delicious and authentic. Tortillas are homemade. The margaritas and Paloma's are on point. Must try. Hidden pearland gem. read more

Amazing service. The entire staff was so very helpful throughout the entire time we were there. Getting sat was quick and the atmosphere was relaxing. The top shell margarita was on point. I could have had some more if I thought I could handle it. Good was exactly wanted I wanted and they had lots of options. Will go back. read more

El Caudillo - Chicken Del Mar - Tacos Near Me - Pearland, Texas

Wow. I came with a large group 4 adults and 4 kids. We didn't have reservations, but we were seated in less than 15 minutes on a Friday night. I had the seafood paella. It was delicious and a large portion. The only part that needed a little more flavor were the scallops. I also had a frozen margarita. It seems like many of their daiquiris were popular. We were served chips and 2 salsas (red and green). The green was my favorite and had more kick than the red. The kids had queso, and I thought it was very good. The kids were very pleased by complimentary ice cream. I had a taste of the ice cream, and it was a creamy vanilla. We will be back! read more

El Caudillo - SEAFOOD PAELLA - Tacos Near Me - Pearland, Texas

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Beef fajitas were excellent. The salsas are fresh. Prices are competitive with other restaurants in the surrounding areas. We will DEFINITELY be back. read more

This is our go to Mexican spot. Margaritas are made with fresh ingredients, food always tastes better and better. We usually get the molcahete & the staff always remember us and are so kind. This place tastes and feels like Mexico. read more

First and last time there. We were the only ones there. And our food was warm at most, close to being cold. The food took a long time to get. My girlfriend ordered the gorditas. It was not masa. It was something else, the dough. read more

This place hit the spot! We ordered the burger and the molcajete, and they are highly recommended. The service was great, and the ice cream shop next door topped it off. read more

El Caudillo - Burger and molcajete - Tacos Near Me - Pearland, Texas

Clean restaurant. Friendly staff. Food was excellent. Variety of dishes on menu. Bartender did a great job with drinks! Manager visited table to make sure everything was okay. Location is great. Plenty of parking. Easy in and out. read more

The food here is sooo good always hot and fresh. The staff and owner are so friendly and provide great service. I love the house margarita, fajitas, enchiladas, and their chips and salsa. They even have an ice cream chop next door that serves homemade ice cream. read more

SO GOOD!! I was a little skeptical because of the bad reviews but I gave it a chance and I'm so glad I did:) The staff was soooo sweet and the food was delicious!! Definitely try the tamales, they were spectacular! The enchiladas were cold but not because it was left out but because the heater wasn't on so we just told the lady and she QUICKLY fixed the issue. Everything else was nice and hot so yeah definitely going to be back!! read more

Maybe Not for breakfast: Biting into this barbacoa taco was so gross. After one bite, which I spit out, I had to see what I was eating. Upon opening the taco, I saw this nasty black intestine looking thing that was surrounded by fat and hardly any of the delicious soft edible meat in it. I defenitely did not eat these. My family had chorizo con huevo tacos and my husband said his was not any better. I read the reviews and thought it was a good place to try out, but should have listened to the one bad review for breakfast. So maybe this place is good, just not for breakfast. But this made me wary to try it for dinner. On a side note: The ambiance was nice and service for pick up was nice. read more

El Caudillo - Gross barbacoa tacos - Tacos Near Me - Pearland, Texas

Walked in to a great and welcoming greeting! Service from Bartender is unmatched. Very knowledgeable and great service! Food is so flavorful , fresh and overall delicious! Overall setting is perfect day & night. thank yall! read more

El Caudillo - FRESH strawberry margarita ON the rocks - Tacos Near Me - Pearland, Texas

Food, service, and drinks were good. I tried both the frozen and on the rocks margaritas. I'd stick to on the rocks as the frozen had a different/strange taste that I didn't care for. Would visit again. read more

Food is pretty good, service is pretty good, ambiance is what you would expect for a Mexican restaurant, but the fruit flies have taken ownership and are charging rent. It's a sign of poor restaurant hygiene and not appealing. Hopefully, this can be remedied for this locally owned/operated establishment. read more

Second time coming here. Service is wonderful, margaritas and Micheladas are good too. Husband asked if there was menudo (not on menu), there was, it was a Saturday. He said it was the best he's had since his grandmas!! I had the asada with pico and cheese. It was superb. The time before we both had the Birria tacos, and agreed they were our favorite in the area. Happy right now not a lot of folks know about this place, as there's no wait! read more

El Caudillo - Menudo - Tacos Near Me - Pearland, Texas

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The food and service is very good. The menudo is on point and we will definitely be back. read more

El Caudillo - Menudo is on point, highly recommend. - Tacos Near Me - Pearland, Texas

Traditional flavors with mixed results - I would preface that the review below is based on the Sunday Brunch and not the regular menu. The ambiance was weird as it was mid morning (11ish) and the lighting was visibly low like happy hour lighting kind of dark. THe location was semi full and consisted of mostly families. The brunch option comes with Cafe de Olla and water included but you can also order Aguas Frescas or. Fountain drinks for an additional charge. The buffet options were varied but apart from jello and pancakes consisted of traditional Mexican breakfast staples and snacks. Surprise buffet items- buñuelos which were delicious; arroz con leche (rice pudding), charro beans , pozole, and barbacoa. The mid items - trompo tacos, chilaquiles, tamales, egg scrambles and potatoes, bad items - the tortillas, the unlabeled meat dish, and empanadas, The service was polite and less attentive than expected. My greatest concern would be the layout of the buffet, since this is not a regular part of service I was more understanding, however, the layout is a fire hazard, the food is kept warmed using sternos very typical in catering but the dishes are presented in traditional serving dishes which is nice for presentation but I don't think effective for keeping food to temp. The items are not all labeled clearly and apart from the Chilaquiles Station the staff does not assist with service of the food only restocking once items run low. This leads to possible cross contamination, some items being cold or a delay in turnover of options until a member of staff is available to restock. The buffet tables are assembled oddly in a snake pattern that chokes in several places unnecessarily, specifically near the plate station and the coffee is self service mid buffet. Also, the tortillas were kept in covered tortilla baskets which would be ok at individual table service with people you know but gross with literal strangers as the tortillas would stick together and no serving ware was available and if you could pull them apart they were doughy bc they would steam in the basket, an issue for other dishes like the tamales. The chilaquiles station was cool in concept but not in execution it was literally someone taking one of two salsas and mixing in chips in a mix bowl before serving on your plate, no cheese, no cilantro, but the chips did stay crispy and you. could add queso fresco and cilantro from the self-service topping bar. I wanted to like the place but it's a no for me as it is geographically unattractive and the food experience was meh. read more

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We've heard of this new place and decided to try it out. Welcoming atmosphere. Clean, open area with a large bar area and dining room. The test was to see if it would be authentic Mexican meals and it didn't disappoint. The salsas with the chips were homemade and very tasty. The green salsa was very spicy but really good! The main dishes we had were large and made perfectly. Our server was Beto and he was great. He went from our table to the one in front of us and smoothly went between Spanish and English with us and the other couple. He took time to talk and was very personable. His attentiveness was clear and you could tell he enjoyed what he was doing. The only small ding was on the margarita. It was pretty weak and served in a water glass. But overall we gave it a 5 star because of the whole experience. A definite repeat! read more

El Caudillo - Enchiladas Suisas con aguacate. Delicious - Tacos Near Me - Pearland, Texas

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Great food and service. Always a good time. The owner and staff are always very friendly. Drinks are great also.

The service was exceptional from the front door to the table! Berto was our server and he was magnificent! The chips ate homemade and the salsa is good and spicy. We ordered the shrimp brochette and enchiladas. The shrimp was scrumptious with onions and bell peppers. Comes with a side of beans and rice. The enchiladas verde with ground beef were delicious as well. There's a full bar with a few TV's mounted around. I didn't get a drink but I'll be back to try more on the menu. read more

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The Sunday breakfast buffet was amazing! The people were very nice, everything tasted very authentic. read more

Only giving it a three due to the stellar service and warm faces and personalities. The food left much to be desired. The best thing I tasted was the sauces and chips. Ordered fajitas which had nothing but fatty bad cut of meat. Tortillas (they were very stingy only giving 2) were good. Rice and beans were just alright. Pozole was watery, spicy but had no flavor and hardly any hominy. Also, the chicken was the left over nasty cuts. For the price I won't be back when there are other better Mexican places in Houston. Sad because the staff was excellent and attentive. Maybe they will get a better reign on the kitchen and stop being stingy with portions. read more

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Food and service were excellent. Talapia ixtapa delicious. Homemade tortillas too. Be back back soon read more

El Caudillo - Tacos Near Me - Pearland, Texas

We had a great experience, good food, service, and handmade margaritas not frozen in a machine!

The food service is amazing. Great staff and well maintained. Always aware of your drink cups and removing plates. Great vibe to have dinner. Definitely recommend to anyone that looking for great Mexican dishes. Fajita is super soft and flavorful. read more

By far one of the best family restaurant ive been too! The food is amazing! Always hot and fresh! The service is great as well, the owners and staff make you feel right at home, always willing to even help us with our kids! So much love for this restaurant we come at least once or twice a week. read more

I wish I could give minus 5 stars. We drove an hour away because all we read was good reviews and everything on the video look good. We had high expectations and when we got to the place BIG disappointment. Place was not full at all and we had to wait just to be acknowledged by someone. After we were seated we had to wait about 20 minutes for a waitress to take our order. It took over an hour for our food to come and it was all cold and incomplete. Their excuse was that there were very busy but honestly the place was not even half full. We're never coming back and honestly I recommend y'all to save your time and money and go somewhere else. read more

I saw this place on Tik Tock and thought this looks like a good place to take my family for Father's Day. I called and spoke to Javier (manager) he said yes I can reserve you a table just text me your information. I texted him on Thursday and requested table for 13 @11am. I arrive and asked for him. He said "la cage'" in Spanish meaning I f**** up. He said I gave the table to another group. He said but let me arrange a table for you. I waited for almost an hour to get to a table, they setup for 7. We asked for another table cause our group was 13. They had 2 waiters on Father's Day. We waited and finally they took our drink order which was all wrong. The waiter kept missing drinks. He looked tired, hot, and frustrated. The silverware was dirty and when we asked for clean ones the guy got mad and snatched them off the table. Still haven't ordered food after sitting there for another 20 mins. I was trying to be patient understanding that they were really busy. I finally called over the manager and told him we had waited a really long time and hadn't ordered food. He got rude and started to say "I told you buffet had run out". I told him I don't want buffet, we want to order off menu. He told me if I didn't want to wait we could leave. I was like wow, we all got up and left. This was one of the worst experiences I have ever had with management of a restaurant. Javier should not be in this industry dealing with customers. He never apologized for the wait. The place was hot and not staff was not friendly at all. They all looked annoyed. We won't be back to this place and FOR SURE won't recommend to anyone. It's unfortunate because I was so looking forward to experiencing a new place . Javier needs to be schooled on customer service because if this is how he treats customers, they will soon be out of business. If I could give this place 'no stars' I would. read more

First off, I'm not a fan of many Mexican restaurants fajitas... but WOWZERSSSSS!!!! Their fajitas are amazing!!! They taste just like home which makes it so much better! Their meat and chicken quality is delicious. Their service is amazing, they always make sure everything is ok and if anything else is needed. 100% coming back! read more

Saw this place on TikTok and never again the food is nasty no taste at all came on Sunday for the buffet everything cold they wouldn't bring out fresh food and the barbacoa nasty please save your money !!!! read more

Great food! Amazing service! The ambiance is what you want your favorite Mexican food place to be! Most authentic Mexican food we have had since moving to Houston 3 years ago. Texas is full of Tex-Mex which is not Mexican food to my Mexican husband. Chips were crispy, salsa had some heat, Our amazing server was Lucy, who was moonlighting from her usual post at the bar. She recommended the nachos. These aren't the usual pile of soggy nonsense your used to. The chips were crispy with chicken and steak pieces mixed on top and covered with melted cheese and bacon crumbles! So good! We haven't been able to find a molcajete in our area. El Caudillo has one available (sometimes). It comes with steak, chicken, shrimp and queso with a side of rice and charo beans. But most exciting of all... the tortillas are hand made and they are amazing! The molcajete was really, really yummy... Que Rico! There were so many things on the menu to try, we can't wait to go back! read more

What a great place to dine!!! The food is excellent, hot, seasoned and when Beto your server describes the menu, you will want to order every item. Beto are server was very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful when ordering. The beef fajitas taco's are filled with tender beef seasoned with pepper's and onions!!! Breakfast menu is cooked to order. If you've never had a Mexican Coke!!! Try one on your visit!!!! It's open seating, great service and the restaurant is clean!!!! read more

They have recently changed their frozen margarita recipe, and it's not an improvement. I tried them for two weeks in a row to confirm my suspicions. They are now using what tastes like a mix, and it has an odd plastic-y flavor. Also, the drinks are not smooth & thickly frozen, they're kind of slushy--but they're still the same price. El Caudillo's manager used to brag about using fresh lime juice in all their margaritas, but I guess they've changed the recipe to save money or time. I suggest sticking with margaritas on the rocks if you drink here. read more