Love coming here. People are friendly and welcoming. Food is excellent. It still has that distinctive El Fenix taste. The decor brings back many happy memories of great meals here throughout the last 50 years. read more

Yikes. Mouse droppings all over Unfortunately not a good impression. Service is slow. You have to keep finding someone to wait on you. Then you have to keep reminding them they never brought you your food, or drinks. As I was looking out the front windows w/the open sign I noticed many, many mouse droppings all over the windows, and in the corner of the floor. I brought it to their attention but they did not seem concerned. As I was leaving, I told another person that the droppings needed attention and they did not even respond. I promise you if there was that many in plain sight and in so many places there are mice running all over. The lack of concern speaks volumes. read more

El Fenix Cafe - They were all over. - Tex-Mex Near Me - Abilene, Texas

This location has been newly opened in what looks to be the location of another former Mexican restaurant. The wait for a Table was brief and we were seated on the patio, nice atmosphere but needs more lighting after dark. We waited for almost 2 hours with no service other than water, tea, chips and salsa. The service was painfully slow. When we finally got our food, it was just average. Rice and beans were inedible. Fajitas were skimpy on the portions and overall subpar. Thankfully we were with family and enjoyed their company while we waited forever! read more

The service is great and the food is better. This is me and my wife's favorite Mexican food restraint in the area. Most places in this area are like a cafeteria. The have some vegetarian options for her and my favorite is their Chili Relleno with green sauce. Atmosphere is light and cheery, on the border kind of atmosphere, small and easy to relax in. Check my reviews, if someplace isn't above average, I'd blast them, but I have nothing but praise for this place. read more

Classic food. Great ambience. Really enjoyed all of it. Happy hour and this meal forced me into an afternoon nap. Chili relleno was excellent. read more

El Fenix Cafe - Olivia - Tex-Mex Near Me - Abilene, Texas

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Had a great meal at the bar. Service was quick and friendly. Chili Relleno was delicious. Atmosphere was good. Even had a slice of Churro Cheesecake that hit the spot. Great place to go. read more

El Felix has a long, long history. We went so often that Olivia, the owner got to know us! The food and the patio have made it a family favorite for a long time! But Olivia retired, the restaurant closed for a while , and now there are new owners. But they have remodeled, which is a good thing! They say the recipes are the same but the food is a little different. But that's ok, cause the food is still really good! Glenda got chicken quesadillas, and I got the supreme nachos. Both were excellent. Glenda has also tried the green sauce enchiladas, and I tried the Olivia's plate, both very good. There is a new bar, so you can have a margarita! And nothing beats a beautiful evening on the courtyard patio. It's just beautiful! Y'all come eat! read more

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We stopped in for dinner and sat on the patio. The patio was wonderful! The chips and salsa, PERFECT! The food was good and came out pretty quick. Our waitress was attentive and had our drinks out/refilled in a timely manner. We will for sure be back. read more

My parents brought myself & siblings here in the 70's. This place is nostalgic with complimentary upgrades in decor, seating & lighting. The staff & service are spot on...friendly, prompt & all appear genuinely happy to be here. Owner & manager both actively involved in the business, delivering food/drinks to tables. Friendly laid back ambiance. Available seating in the courtyard with live music on Thursday nights. Thank you for bringing El Fenix back!! read more

El Fenix Cafe - Oaxaca's old fashion, chips w/red & green salsas - Tex-Mex Near Me - Abilene, Texas

Went for late lunch/early dinner about 4 Food was excellent Crispy chips and 2 different sauces and the queso was very good House margaritas were very tasty Love the atmosphere and Brittany our waitress was great! Friendly and attentive My only regret was not requesting patio seating on such a gorgeous afternoon Will be back! read more

Service is fast and friendly especially in the bar. Food was fantastic and the margaritas were top notch. If anyone says anything bad about this place I'm fast to ask why cause there is no actual reason to not like this place. My heart broke when this place shut down now it back with a different twist and I enjoy it. read more

El Fenix Cafe - I never eat the entire plate......I did today - Tex-Mex Near Me - Abilene, Texas

This was my second visit. I did not leave a review for that visit as I was hoping it was an off day. We all have them. Tonight our service was stellar. Our server took our drink orders without writing and got them all correct. ( there were 18 of us). She was personable and happy. She did use paper and pen to get our dinner orders as there were various changes among our group of guests. The ambiance is okay. It's reminiscent of an old hacienda except for the lighting. I hate overhead fluorescent lighting. To be honest - The food didn't have much flavor. Ditto for my first visit. My Chile Relleno was soggy, and filled with unseasoned ground meat and cubed potatoes (unlike any Relleno I've ever had). My rice and beans were flavorless as well. Not even a sprig of cilantro, chopped onion / jalapeno or grated cheese in sight. I did not drink, but heard comments about the margaritas not being very good. The glasses are cool to look at but not very functional when it comes to holding them. This is nothing like the original El Fenix. They had great food with traditional spicing and presentations were nice. The service and my friends made the evening. Too bad the food didn't meet up. I am sorry to have to leave this review. The original El Fenix had great food, friendly people and good margaritas. This reincarnation does not meet up to that standard. I hope that improvements will be made! Wishing you all the best. I will keep my eye on future reviews. read more

I was excited to try this place for lunch today. The cute vibes really sparked my interest. The interior was well decorated and comfortable. I found the menus to be simple. Usually indicating a well established kitchen. I thought it was going to be a more elevated experience. The prices and interior reflected my expectations. I ordered an enchilada plate and draft beer. I found the verde salsa and beans to be watered down. The enchilada was more like a cheese roll up from Taco Bell. The service felt rushed and all over the place. Three or four different servers rushed us through our meal. One even attempted to grab my mom's plate before she finished it. Overall leaving us with a feeling of a cheap experience. We could have settled for a trip through Taco Bell and saved us $20. Such a bummer figuring they seemed to put some money into the place. read more

I was visiting Abilene for a conference and stumbled upon this cute restaurant. Unfortunately, the good stops there. As I sat at the bar, the bartender/server disappeared into the kitchen. After about 10 minutes, i was able to flag down another server. I realized there was no designated bartender but no biggie; staffing is crazy everywhere. After ordering my margarita, I realized there were tiny ants all over the bar. I asked to move and the server said sure but didn't offer to help. She seemed busy so I moved everything myself but asked for help with my plate of food since it was so hot. I's ordered a chicken taco and enchilada and they were so ridiculously dry that they sucked up all the chile and cheese. At least the margarita was good. I wanted to close my check but the servers never came back. I watched as they checked on every table in the room at least twice but always looked/walked the other way instead of coming to mine. Finally, as a test, I left my table and sat on the bench across from the hostess booth. Still, no one noticed until the hostess recognized me or saw the dinner check in my hand. I let her know what happened and she offered to grab a manager. I explained what happened. He apologized but the server never explained what happened, nor did anything about the ants crawling across the bar and up my arm. Needless to say I will not be back. Sad because it's a cute place. Maybe the restaurant (not bar) area provides a much better experience read more