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    El Fenix

    3.5 (242 reviews)
    ModerateMexican, Tex-Mex
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

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    EL FENIX ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - El Fenix

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    Queso, no chips no beer!
    Carmen P.

    We absolutely love El Fenix!! This evening we decided to go back, the only difference was I had requested a good server... the Restaurant was a little busy, but were seated right away. No one came by for several minutes; so when the server finally came by, we said can we go ahead and order.. he took our order- drinks, queso, and dinner. After we placed our order, we sat there waiting. Meanwhile, they set another table of about six people right beside us. They brought us our drinks and eventually the queso ... but no chips. We flagged down someone walking by to request a beer and some chips. Goodness their queso is really good. Then, 20-25 min later, we watched that 6 top receive their food even though they sat down long after we ordered our food. We told the server we just wanted our check that we no longer wanted to wait for the meal. He mumbled something, pointed at the kitchen; then said OK and walked away. We also asked for a manager who quickly came over; we told her what had taken place and that we just asked for our check to pay for what we already had and we wanted to leave, we were tired of sitting there waiting for our food; just not worth waiting any longer. So we left! We will definitely be back. It's really a great restaurant with flavorful and authentic & fresh food! It would have been nice for Manager to check on customers; this could've been avoided. The only picture from this evening is the "queso no chips and no beer" picture.

    Lauren H.

    This is always a random craving for me. I love coming in to eat chips and salsa with queso and I always get my tortilla soup... minus the tortilla strips. It's comfort food at its finest and I always leave feeling like I could pop! Service is always so good and the servers are very polite. Never have to wait long if there is a wait. Typically around lunch time is when I go so it can get pretty busy. Came here for dinner tonight and not many people were there. The guacamole portion size on the queso combo was very very generous. My husband doesn't care for the food here but is sweet enough to go with my when I have the El Fenix itch! Be sure to sign up for their rewards program. You get a free guacamole and queso combo each year!

    Combination lunch plate
    Leonard L.

    Came here for lunch meeting. The food tasted good. The atmosphere was very authentic Texas-Mexican. The service could have been better. We wished the server would have written down our order so he would not have made mistakes. He did fix our order. Anyway, we would come back again.

    Cheese enchiladas with chili sauce. Rice and beans
    Lequitta L.

    We go to El Fenix every Wednesday night for enchilada special. It is delicious. We have a server that we ask for name Beto. He is awesome. Since we go every week, he has learned what we always ask for. He brings us our drinks and chips and our tortillas with butter that we asked for without even asking. We love this. He also knows our order because it's always the same, and that we like a to go box. This makes everything very efficient and fast. We can literally get in and out in 30 minutes. The restaurant itself is decorated ' Mexican style' as I would call it. Its very authentic and feel you're definitely having authentic Mexican food.

    Main Menu Cover
    Paul H.

    My wife and I have visited this El Fenix location 10 or so times and, for the most part, each time the service and food has been consistently good. Last evening, we took our daughter and grandchildren with us and again, the food was consistently good. The service, however, was great! Our server, Cerilio (I think was his name), was "on it!" like Donkey Kong!! Cerilio waited several other tables besides ours and he did exceptionally well, even despite our table being somewhat needy throughout the mealtime. And, were it not for some relatively minor food shortcomings I would have rated this visit five stars. Where our meal fell a bit short, was where it usually and "consistently" does, i. e., presentation and quantity. Were it not for these two factors this rating would have been five stars and this El Fenix location would be clobbering it. Most may say I am nitpicking but here are the issues I usually have with our dining experience at this El Fenix: - Crispy Beef Taco plated alongside some other meal element (in the case of my El Jefe, it was the rice) and what occurs is the bottom side of the taco becomes soggy, making it difficult to eat. But, as evidenced by the single taco ordered by our granddaughter, were the taco to be placed as upright as possible, against a small amount of lettuce, the taco would haves much better chance of remaining crispy on BOTH sides! - Enchiladas not containing enough ingredients. To me, it seems the enchiladas should have at least 50% more filling. This is especially the case with the ones filled with cheese and onions! - Large Guacamole Appetizer not containing enough avocado. There should be an OBVIOUS difference in the amount of product between the "Bowl" and "Cup" sizes and the Bowl and "Side" sizes, and simply there is a minute difference, but not enough to warrant the relative price differences. - Meals containing Fajita Beef not containing enough meat. My wife almost always orders a meal where the Star of the plate should be the fajita meat. At least that's our belief, since the names of the meals usually begin with the word "Fajita." But, almost always it is our opinions that there could and should be more meat! That's pretty much it as far as how, for me, the rating would easily go from four to five stars. As for other aspects of dining at this El Fenix, the bathrooms are normally clean and well stocked, with the only issue noted being the toilet in the men's restroom, which is sometimes clogged and is not firmly seated to the floor flange. It is likely in need of a new wax seal, is wobbly, and likely will begin stinking soon. The dining room is normally clean and the staff are 99% of the time friendly and eager to make the dining experience a good one. The frozen drinks are always well-made and the iced water and other soft drinks are fresh, tasty and completely lacking of any off-putting, moldy, slime in the ice machine smells. If you're looking for some pretty darn good Tex-Mex food, you really need look no further than El Fenix, for great Taste, good Service, good Quality, and great Value! Check out the current and legible Menu Pics I've posted up! Eat well. Be well. Cheers!

    Cheese Enchilada Plate
    Walter W.

    The original El Fenix owned by the famous Martinez family is a shell of itself. When they sold out in 2008 change was immediate. The unique tortilla chips made on Harry Hines Blvd were discontinued. The hot sauce is a poor rendition. I've been a loyal customer since 1961 and must confess that I have become an infrequent diner. That being said today's enchilada dinner and tamales were very good. Another positive is the retention of the restaurant and it's contents adds to the feeling of home.( Nostalgia) Photos on the walls show the Martinez Brothers and famous Dallas Cowboys Roger Staubach- Bob Lilly! Being the oldest chain of Mexican restaurants in the US ( founded 1918 in Dallas) says much about the foundation of its food, culture, history,and beloved customers. Compared to other chains it still stands tall. If you like Tex - Mex eat here.

    Terri B.

    I was out running errands yesterday and had the hankering for some good Mexican food and just as I thought that I saw a sign for El Fenix. It is located right off of 75 in Plano. I had never been to this location so decided to give it a try. I was seated right away, was brought a menu, chips and iced tea very quickly. Server was attentive and brought everything I needed. I decided to order from the lunch menu, I went with sour cream sauce, rice and beans. I should have specified to bring the soup out first, both were sent out together. The cheese, rice, tortillas were served and a bowl and the broth came in a container that was poured over top. The soup had a good flavor but it was a bit cold. The enchilada rice and beans were good as well. The interior of the restaurant is pretty standard. They have a mural painted on the back wall, with traditional Mexican decor on the walls. There is a small bar tucked into the back and several rooms for dining. Overall, good experience.

    Brisket Burrito
    Shel B.

    It was good. Not great. Thought it was neat to see brisket burrito on the menu but it was not anything special but not bad. Salsa was not hot but was good. Carne asada quesadilla was really good! The waiter handed us a basket of treats after we were done eating and then we paid our bill and then the treats were on the bill for $9! That was a joke.. He acted like he was giving us something after dinner and then it showed up on our bill! Just for being sneaky I would NOT recommend it! Not to mention my burrito looks like an enchilada. I thought things were bigger in Texas? I could have gone to Taco Bell for this size burrito lol

    Margaritas!!

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    3 years ago

    great server and excellent service! server: cirilo r

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    2 years ago

    always great service managers are so nice and helpful food always fresh go every week

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    4 years ago

    Look, I'm real real picky about my food and it has to be very close to homemade food. This place has some pretty good taco's no bs

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    4 years ago

    Dallas original never disappoints! Great service and great food, Wednesdays are enchilada day. $7.99 can't be beat.

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    6 years ago

    Food is always fresh & comes out pretty fast. The chips & salsa is always fresh and the margaritas are bomb!!

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    4 years ago

    Had a wonderful meal here! Our waitress Dang was so attentive and sweet! Happy hour is highly recommended.

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    Never had a bad experience at this location. Good Tex-Mex, especially the queso and sopapillas!

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    6 years ago

    Amazing Norma C was great customer service Excellent always come here! All our friends love it!

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    Page 3 of 7

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    El Pueblito Mexican Cocina

    El Pueblito Mexican Cocina

    4.4
    (447 reviews)
    3.2 mi
    $$

    Just WOW! My search for the best Tex-Mex is over because…read morethis is the spot. I was greeted and sat immediately on entering and even at 12:30 with the place packed it was spotless. They brought a large basket of perfectly crispy, warm chips with salsa and took my order. I got the #15 lunch special which is your choice of two enchiladas (I got sour cream chicken), rice and beans. The food was served quickly and at the perfect temperature. My enchiladas were bursting with chicken and the sour cream sauce was the perfect compliment. The rice was excellent as well. Even the iced tea is great, and featured a legit lemon slice. They have a full bar which I'll be trying on my next visit and two large TVs set where you can see one or both from any seat in the dining room. I told my server she's going to get sick of seeing me because I'll be here at least twice a week! Service was excellent by the way. My tea was even refilled without having to ask. It was a 10 star meal!

    Came here because of the high star rating! We were really excited since the place was packed…read more It feels alittle disorganized. We entered and no one says anything, lady came in after us waiting, shoving us to see if there is a list for waiting... like girl were the only two people in line. We got sat and the workers are very friendly, no problem there. Chips were good and came out crisp. I ordered the two taco plate. Taco shell was very stale, was very sad. The ground beef wasn't that good, chicken taco was better (surprisingly). Rice and beans were decent. Overall, didn't hate it here, but also not that great. There was a lot of people here and a lot of people waiting to be seated as well.

    Photos
    Cool murals
    Cool murals
    Shrimp Fajitas.. again!
    Shrimp Fajitas.. again!
    1/2 order of fajita quesadilla

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    1/2 order of fajita quesadilla
    Salsa Tex Mex

    Salsa Tex Mex

    4.1
    (483 reviews)
    4.9 mi
    $$

    They treated us like family! Superb service, seriously. Waiter was on top of the drink refills,…read morebringing out more fresh salsa & bean dip before we even asked, managing empty dishes, taking great care of us all around. I'm so happy with this restaurant, it's the kind of home style tex Mex place I've been seeking for so long. It was busy and lively on a Friday night when we came in, definitely a popular place. Everything was delicious and comforting and cooked just right. 5 stars -Mario platter -Tortilla soup -kids quesadillas -guacamole -fresh drinks

    I haven't been to Salsa Tex Mex in at least 5 years. My girlfriend happened to run into someone and…read morestrike up a conversation about food and this person let her know that Salsa had hired away the GM of a Gloria's and made improvements in their food, service, and "everything." What I can say is that Salsa now has salsa, chips and black bean dip just like Gloria's; yes, that iconic, tasteless black bean dip that could stand to have some salt, cumin, paprika, chili powder, black pepper, Mexican oregano and onion added - you know... adobo! Ambiance - basically a dirty school cafeteria. The floors have been stripped to concrete and the noise level is at a steady 80+ decibels. The chairs, tables and vinyl tablecloths ache for a good scrubbing. Speaking of noise - one of the margarita machines was as loud as a lawn mower. Why? Well when a random server saw me staring at the machine and asked me if everything was ok, I said, "you know, I think if the side panel were put back on, that margarita machine would be much quieter." He looks at me and says, "yes, but then it would overheat again because it is too close to the other margarita machine. It was quiet when we had it on the other side of the bar, but the manager wants them together." Then he laughs and walks off. Speaking of laughs, our server was a riot. We ordered a hamburger for our four year old. When ordered, I asked the server to bring mayonesa (mayonnaise) and not ketchup. She says, "ok, we don't have the mayonesa so you can have ketchup so that's ok." I asked if she had any other salsas like a salsa macha. She said they have a habanero and a molcajete salsa and brought them to us. The habanero was fruity and not at all spicy. The molcajete had actually gone bad. It tasted rancid and smelled. I told the server and she said, " oh no. Ok." Then she walked off and didn't take the bowl and no doubt didn't tell anyone. I ordered the Churrasco and my girlfriend the Rene. When our food arrived, the kids hamburger was placed on the table with a warning about the plate being very hot. Who puts a kid meal on a plate that is hot?!?! Also who puts a ramekin of chimichuri sauce on top of the steak? FWIW, the chimichuri was not even close to being chimichuri. On the upside I stopped a bus boy and asked for mayo and amazingly, he brought some. The server came back and said, "oh, you got mayonnaise!" Then I asked (in Spanish) why she told me she didn't have mayo. She babbled incomprehensibly in a mix of English and Spanish that was a mix of lies and half truths. Who lies about mayo for a kid? Our meals were unremarkable and tasted like Sysco foods TV dinners. The only thing that I can tell has been improved is the prices - in Salsa's favor. Salsa Tex Mex - do better. Hire staff that actually cares about your restaurant and customers. Train your wait staff. Improve your recipes, source higher quality ingredients, and simplify your menu. Fix your equipment and ambiance. 2 stars because at least the water glasses were clean, the margaritas were strong, we didn't have to wait long to check out.

    Photos
    Lunch time Sat afternoon Mar 2024
    Lunch time Sat afternoon Mar 2024
    Salsa Tex Mex
    Salsa Tex Mex

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    Chuy's

    Chuy's

    3.7
    (664 reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $$

    I want to start off by saying the 5 stars goes to our server TJ! We came in with a group…read morecelebrating our friend's birthday Sunday evening. He was very attentive and kept our drinks and chips full. What I appreciate the most is his knowledge about ingredients and menu items. I've been coming to Chuy's for years and I mean YEARS! Mostly this location too. Im vegetarian and there's limited options or sometimes I would have things modified to be vegetarian. What made this experience different was that my husband ordered queso for the table (as we always do) and TJ informed me that the queso is made with chicken broth! No one has ever told me that before ever and It may be time that you guys list that on the menu and make sure that all staff know that the queso is not 'vegetarian friendly' he was so kind to bring me Boom boom sauce as a queso alternative! This isn't gonna make me stop coming to Chuy's. Obviously the queso hasn't harmed me. But did make me sad that I have to part ways with it. I just want to shine some light on Tj and say I appreciate him for looking out for me and being so considerate!

    Well, when in Texas... you've gotta do Tex-Mex, so we hit up Chuy's…read more I ordered the Hatch green chile (the spiciest option I could get) and it was zippy--totally reminded me of the green chile I had in Albuquerque, so I was all in Patti went with the appetizer sampler, and they were awesome about making it gluten-free by doing everything with corn If you're into Tex-Mex or New Mexico-style green chili , this place is definitely one of the good ones

    Photos
    GUACAMOLE - Fresh avocados & Salsa Fresca, all mashed up.
    GUACAMOLE - Fresh avocados & Salsa Fresca, all mashed up.
    PANCHOS - Tostada chips, refried beans, cheese and your choice of fajita chicken, fajita beef or seasoned ground beef.
    PANCHOS - Tostada chips, refried beans, cheese and your choice of fajita chicken, fajita beef or seasoned ground beef.
    QUESADILLAS  - Flour tortillas stuffed with cheese, green chiles & onion. Served with guacamole, sour cream & tomatoes.

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    QUESADILLAS - Flour tortillas stuffed with cheese, green chiles & onion. Served with guacamole, sour cream & tomatoes.
    La Sombra Cantina

    La Sombra Cantina

    4.6
    (358 reviews)
    3.4 mi
    $$

    The first time we went to La Sombra Cantina we thought we were going back to Pineda's. We were…read moresurprised at the change and hoped it was at least as good as Pineda's. We were very pleasantly surprised. It's even better in my opinion. The people are very warm and friendly. The food is really delicious. I love that they bring not only good salsa with their fresh hot chips, but also a tomatillo sauce and a black bean dip. We've now eaten there several times. The taco meat has a nicely charred flavor. The tamales were very good. (I'm picky about my tamales. I've tried their ranchero sauce, chili con carne, and sour cream sauce. None of them disappoint. Their rice isn't dry like it is at many other Tex-Mex places. And their $5.00 all day frozen margaritas are worth it. We usually go for the lunch specials that run until 4:00. They don't have mole on the menu, yet. I'm looking forward to their future specials. In this day and age where it's hard to keep a restaurant open, I really hope this one survives. It's not fancy, but the food and service make it worth it. And I'm a picky person when it comes to spending money on food I don't make myself.

    Absolutely and a very good restaurant, everyone is very friendly and knowledgeable, and happy to…read moremake suggestions.. will be back every time I'm in the area.. the bean soup is amazing one of the best I've ever had..

    Photos
    The smaller and quieter side dining area with some artwork.
    The smaller and quieter side dining area with some artwork.
    Guacamole
    Guacamole
    La Sombra Cantina

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    El Fenix - mexican - Updated August 2026

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