My daughter and I ate lunch at this wonderful restaurant. Our waitress was very nice and attentive to our table. The atmosphere inside the restaurant was quiet, the tables were spread out so as not too tight and the food was delicious. There is seating inside cozy settings with saltillo tiles as if you were in a garden. There is also a full stocked bar inside and an area for a private event if desired. I ordered the Carne Guisada Platter and my daughter ordered Carlos' Special, their signature dish. The meals were exceptional. Unfortunately one of the owners daughter passed away some years ago and in her remembrance, a Jardin was named for her, "Jessica's Jardin" . The Jardin is in back of the restaurant and it is very nice. There is a Margarita bar, a pretty green flower garden, a water pool, and a Jungle Jim for children to play on. There are tables and chairs to sit also stand-up electric heaters just in case there is an outside event in the cool weather and the Jardin is accessible by ramp. RECOMMENDATION: Overall, I would return to El Chaparral Mexican Restaurant in Helotes for another exceptional meal and a short trip for some shopping in Old Town Helotes. read more

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We were a party of five. I ordered the salad with beef fajita and shrimp. Oh my goodness, it was so delicious!! I am definitely going to try that again! The other ladies enjoyed their meals too! Definitely recommend. read more

El Chaparral Mexican Restaurant - Helotes - Salad with added beef fajita and shrimp. - Mexican Near Me - Helotes, Texas

Food was overly salty and overpriced for what it was. Server was slow and rude. She made us feel like she'd rather be somewhere else. The feeling was mutual. It's been several years since I've been here. It's not what I remember. Won't be back. read more

We were a party of 13, more than half of us did not like our food. Very tuff meat, beef and chicken. I would not recommend. Great place for kids to play, but lots and lots of mosquito bites I would not recommend read more

This place has okay Tex-Mex, my Birria street tacos were just boring. Four small corn tortillas with a small scoop of meat and onions. Not a real birria taco, no cheese, not fried, no dipping consomé. My wife's chimichanga was basic with hardly any spice. The saving grace of the meal was her Tamarindo margarita, good spice level and a perfect pour of tequila. Now why they earned a 2 stars. The outside seating was gross, the furniture is dilapidated and covered in old grease and food. And my wifes water had lipstick marks on it and little brown flecks all on the inside. It was our 1st time at El Chaparrals and most likely our last. read more

We saw this restaurant on Day Tripper (YouTube)and wanted to try it. I'm not sure how busy this place is on a regular Saturday but we came for our first time the day before Mother's Day. It was packed but they still had the food out fast! We started with the Queso Chorizo. It's was a tasty start to our meal. I had the fish tacos and my wife had the chicken tacos. They were good, nothing over the top but good for sure. The waiter was quick and helped make our dinner a nice experience. read more

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Not many vegan options. My family said it was a bit overpriced for the overall quality of their dishes. My bf was still hungry after eating his tacos. Packed on Fridays and weekend, be prepared for a line or reserve a table in advance. Nice decorations. Kid friendly, there was a spacious playground outside. Mariachis arrived around 6pm. They play your table a song if you tip them. read more

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Third time here and once again, food and service were great. Celebrated a birthday dinner today and everyone had a fabulous time. Their desserts are also a must try. Highly recommend trying this place. read more

El Chaparral Mexican Restaurant - Helotes - Mexican Near Me - Helotes, Texas

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Great classic authentic mexican food! Nice ambience & large menu options. Staff was very professional & prompt! read more

El Chaparral Mexican Restaurant - Helotes - Mexican Near Me - Helotes, Texas

We came as a big group hungry after a gorgeous am of zip lining in Helotes. Cool decor throughout and large space to hold many parties. Unfortunately, I haven't been too impressed with the meals I have ordered recently. I ordered a ground beef taco salad a few months ago, which was ended up being too salty. This trip, I ordered a frozen non alcoholic mango margarita and the two step dish from the lighter side menu. Non alcoholic frozen mango margarita- weird consistency- thick and syrupy. Hard to even sip through a straw. I had to return to server and just decided to drink water. Two step- I have had many puffy tacos and this one was not the puffy consistency I thought it would be. Normally puffy is light, this taco was thick and had a heavier texture like a cake. I left most of it on the plate. The enchilada was just ok- drenched in too much cheese- I just ate the inside and it was very salty. Sigh... Service was slow Military discount offered read more

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Huge restaurant with nice decor inside. Staff were very friendly and food came out in good time. Prices were also really good. read more

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One of the best Mexican restaurants in the San Antonio area have gone back several times will continue to go back the server that took care of us as taken care of me before excellent service. read more

Great value for your money. Large servings. Can handle large amount of customers and plenty of parking. Also outside patio.

I had take out from El Chaparral and the food was amazing. Truly authentic and not TexMex. The people working there were friendly and helpful. Highly recommend! read more

One of our new favorites since moving to TX. Great atmosphere, quick seating, fast service and top notch food! Drinks are great too! read more

El Chaparral Mexican Restaurant - Helotes - Strawberry Mango Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Helotes, Texas

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There was great service. Host and waitress gave great service. Just that I want to encourage the dishes with meats like chicken with cilantro rice was very dry. I guess it was overcooked and hard and the meat that was a tenderloin $30. I thought it was very hard as well. we were expecting a little bit better quality with these dishes. Broken Rice tasted dry Ambience was nice and clean. read more

Worst customer service!!! Alex the waiter needs to listen to what the customer wants. He needs to be trained or get another job

Always a good choice best if you have it at restaurant. But this is the only place I will order chalupas from to be delivered as they stay crispy. Enchiladas are the only one I will eat unless I make them. read more

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What an awesome place! Don't let the packed parking lot fool you. Come on in for a wonderful Mexican meal surrounded by bright authentic Mexican decor. The food and service were awesome! There is something on the menu for everyone. Although the bar area is quite small, you can order a drink while you wait for a text that your table is ready. They seat you pretty quickly even on busy nights. El Chaparral also boasts a pan dulce counter as well so you can take some sweets home. I appreciate the Mariachi's going around asking for requests. Their presence definitely adds to the ambiance. I loved the garden/jardin dedication to Jessica as well as reading the family's story. Helotes is a special place and local businesses like El Chaparral are keeping it that way. Honoring traditions of food, love and music the true Tex-Mex way! Órale chicos! read more

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Food was good. Service was fast and ambience was excellent. Better than average Mexican food.

Good food, consistent in taste. They greet you with friendliness, chips, and a small bowl of beans. I tried the taco salad in a large taco puffy shell. I chose picadillo, and I thought it was good. My friends had the cheese enchilada with a crispy taco, a choice of shredded chicken or picadillo. My salad had guacamole as well. We were celebrating a birthday and got a slice of Tres Leches cake, and we purchased sopapillas, which were fresh and tasty. No tortillas were served with the meal. Our waiter gave great service. read more

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Please do something about your restrooms. It is doubtful we will return until they are improved. Also, I didn't like the Margaritas. Maybe better fresh than from a frosty machine. read more

My coworker told me about this place so we had to try it out! We're new to San Antonio and are always looking for some great places to eat at. Noah, our waiter had some great recommendations and they did not disappoint! The chicken enchiladas with the jalapeño crème sauce and the asada street tacos were delicious. Noah was great. Very personable and service was excellent. After talking with him a bit we found that we had a lot in common. He's lived in some of the places we've lived at. Small world. Great food and excellent service! We will definitely be back. read more

Quick and attentive service, loved the atmosphere, very traditional atmosphere, little touristy. Food was good quick and nice selections. Beer was ice cold! read more

El Chaparral Mexican Restaurant - Helotes - Taco & enchilada - Mexican Near Me - Helotes, Texas

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I don't know what I did to deserve to get treated like this all of a sudden, but wow what a wonderful experience! What an amazing spot for a wonderful date!!! The Margaritas were so Yumm and the atmosphere just gorgeous yet comfy. The back side view from the patio was so beautiful, reminded me a bit of home !!! Our server was also so attentive and sweet! Great place! read more

El Chaparral Mexican Restaurant - Helotes - Mexican Near Me - Helotes, Texas

The food and the service was phenomenal my sever cas was absolutely amazing i 100 percent recommend the gabriels nachos my sever was kind and very respectful when i asked for a swap on my dish because i was not satisfied with the original she was understanding and kind all throughout my service i totally reccomend this restaurant!! read more

El Chaparral Mexican Restaurant - Helotes - Mexican Near Me - Helotes, Texas

Tried this place about eight years ago. It was disgusting. Decided to give it another try; now I know why we never went back in eight years extremely overrated. This is by far the worst Mexican food I have ever had in my life. My Chalupa and taco were swimming in grease. The beans had been under the salamander for so long that they actually looked like ground beef. The salsa was bland and the enchilada. don't get me started. The owner was sitting at a table next to the restroom having his lunch observing as we sat there for over 30 minutes waiting for our check. His lack of reaction made me think that this is just a normal process. This food was so horrible that I spent the next 40 minutes in the bathroom so basically I rented my meal. Do yourself a favor don't believe the hype. They may have been around for a while but that does not mean they are good. read more

We go to El Chapparal restaurant all the time. Service is fast and friendly. The menu has so many options. It also makes Tex-Mex dishes. Very tasty. Salsa and chips are always great! I highly recommend El Chapparal. Now I'm hungry! Just thinking about it. Enjoy read more

We love Mexican food- and this is the best we have found in our travels across the country. AMAZING food! Full of flavor- and bonus- when heated up the next day- it was just as good! Not gross or rubbery. The staff is amazing and friendly. Cute place inside and out. They have outdoor seating as well. Definitely recommend! read more

El Chaparral Mexican Restaurant - Helotes - Sooo good! - Mexican Near Me - Helotes, Texas

Slow service, watery beans, and non-attentive wait staff. Unsure why the parking lot is always full. Will never return here again.

Our favorite place in Helotes!!! It's always busy but they have plenty of friendly staff members.

Went for lunch today, and this place definitely has a great vibe! The atmosphere was enjoyable. I started with a mimosa, which was delicious and perfectly made. My husband also enjoyed his margaritas. He was happy with his food plate as well. I ordered the Acapulco fish plate. The fish itself was cooked really well, but I wasn't a fan of the sauce - next time, I'd definitely ask for it on the side or omit it. The cilantro rice that came with it was also a bit underwhelming; it needed more cilantro and lime flavor and looked more like plain white rice. Our bill came out to $92, and while the drinks and vibe were good, I felt the food didn't quite match the price point this time. Might be willing to try something different on the menu in the future. read more

El Chaparral Mexican Restaurant - Helotes - Mexican Near Me - Helotes, Texas

Came with a party of six on a Saturday evening and was very pleasantly surprised to be sat almost immediately. The place was humming with the sound of customers. The food was excellent, I had the read more

Classic Texan Mexican food, on the border of Tex Mex but a bit more Mexican than classic Tex Mex. They have a nice full service bar and a variety of baked goods, too. The vibe of the restaurant is great too, which you should expect when a place has been around for 50 years. This place is a Helotes landmark! Their menu is pretty expansive and they do also have a separate breakfast menu for 8-11 on the weekends. Same as everywhere, they have decent chips and salsa while you wait for your food. I enjoyed the fact that they bring your beans before your entree, so you can eat it with the chips. Just a little thing but it's nice. I ordered the chimichanga with picadillo (seasoned ground beef). The picadillo is exactly what every Mexican restaurant is trying to do with their seasoned beef, really flavorful. The chile con carne and queso was great too. Would definitely get this exact dish again. read more

El Chaparral Mexican Restaurant - Helotes - Chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - Helotes, Texas

Food is good and atmosphere is like being in old Mexico I had the soft beef tacos with h rice and beans and a cold Tecate beer

I never give a five star review because there is always a room for improvement. We were a party of eleven. The food was delicious. I had the chicken enchiladas from the lunch specials menu. There were five sauces from which to choose. From. Our waiter asked me which I wanted and I told him it was his choice just not spicy. He chose a creamy sauce that was outstanding. We had a great lunch. Our server was personable and did an excellent job. We will definitely return. read more

We go here often, a family go to! Charlie is great, always stops by our table for a visit!

I really wanted to love this place because I've heard good things but it was average in terms of food quality and flavor. We wanted to go on a Friday night because it was advertised that they have live music on the patio. So went online from google maps to make a reservation and was navigated to a page requesting money to reserve. So I found a different website from their social media. I made a reservation for free through there. However upon arrival I was told they don't even do reservations. Very confusing. I asked if there was live music on the patio because it was a little chilly and that would be a deciding factor on where we sat. I was told there was music out there but once we were seated there was not and we were there from 7-9pm. The service was slow but it was very crowded. Inside there was a mariachi band we saw walking around and outside there was a play area for children. The food was just okay so I don't think we will back after no music and no reservations. read more

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Food was delicious. Drinks were crazy strong and so good! Service was great we'll definitely be going back. I highly recommend! read more

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The food was pretty much tasteless. It didn't have a Mexican food taste at all. The salsa was bland, the beans and rice had little to no seasoning and the entrees were mediocre. The crispy tacos came individually on a small plate and they were lying in a pool of grease from the taco meat. Not edible! The cheese on the enchiladas was tough and chewy. One person in our party scraped the cheese off but he still couldn't eat them. They ordered enchiladas con carne but there was no carne to be found on the plate. The tea was overpriced and refills were only provided after asking each time. The service was fine. Our waitstaff was courteous but very busy which resulted in having to wait for needed items and drinks. In whole, our meal was pretty much a disappointment. We will not be going back. read more