This place is always great. Clean, great service, drink, chips and salsa always full. Food hot and fresh. Highly recommend.

Such a disappointment, sadly. We were greeted in a timely manner and checked on accordingly at first, towards the end we had to find someone else to give us our check. My significant other and I came here for the first time to try out the margaritas which were decent. There is no happy hour also. What really set the bar extremely low was the queso. To me, queso is what makes or breaks my visit. It came out and it was straight up Velveeta. Got hard within 5 minutes being on the table.... On the plus side, the salsa was good. I love that it was warm salsa as well because you can't find that around much. The patio was a great atmosphere. Gave me Mexican resort vibes. All in all we said we would go back to try it again because we didn't get any food. I'm hoping I can change my rating then. read more

Good Food! Great Big Tasty Margaritas!! Fun atmosphere! The kids enjoyed their food and the portions were very generous!

My family returned again on a Friday evening. It was cold outside but we discovered a side room that was mostly closed with heaters. We requested to sit there and were sat immediately. For the regular indoor seating there was a wait. This was perfect as it was much quieter so we could all hear one another. This time 4 of us split the chicken fajitas for 2. The perfect amount! No leftovers. We ordered an extra plate of beans and rice but we honestly could have done without. I've been coming to El Jarrito back when it was a small restaurant on Mason Rd. Those were the best days! Occasionally when I'm in town my family will go to sit on the patio and enjoy some good food. We were very surprised how few people were in the Saturday before Christmas. We easily had a table set for 10 on the patio. Oftentimes sitting inside can be very loud. The chips and salsa are good. The queso is nothing to brag about. We had guacamole made fresh from the cart. This is a little but pricier route but sure is delicious. We ordered 2 pitchers of margaritas on the rocks and many of us were very disappointed in how watered down they tasted. It was like water with a little lime and sugar flavor. Completely missing the tequila. Maybe we were given their base margarita or that's just how they are. My husband and I split the chicken fajitas for 1. Many times we have enough to each have a fajita and maybe share one more. Wow we're we surprised how much meat it was!! Definitely the most chicken and onions I've ever seen for a meal for 1. We had lots of leftovers. Their tortillas are some of my favorites as they are thin and not heavy like many other Mexican restaurants. The music was an interesting mix of hits and Mexican music. At one point we think it turned into karaoke but I cannot confirm that for sure. The staff were very friendly and quick to keep refills of chips coming. read more

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1) Friendly staff, nice ambience 2)Food and drinks tasted delicious! I highly recommend you taste their complimentary charro beans and chips. 3) Every order had something wrong. If it didn't taste as good as it did and if I wasn't having one of those "tired mom nights" I would have addressed it. Waiter didn't write anything down which was impressive but clearly not helpful. Fajitas: Your typical well cooked fajitas. No complaints. Received corn tortillas instead of flour. 2 soft taco plate: Full of flavor, my 9 year old ate all of the taco. Came with crunchy tacos instead of soft. Strawberry margarita: Tasted great, had the average punch of alcohol I expected. Rimmed with sugar instead of salt. It was about an hour before they closed and it was awfully warm which wasn't too pleasant. Not sure if that's normal there? Might return without the kids. Will keep you posted! read more

El Jarrito - Frozen Strawberry Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Katy, Texas

Our go to restaurant. The food is delicious and staff is friendly. It does get busy on Saturday nights so we know to avoid Saturday dinner time. They have an outdoor sandpit my kids love to play in. Order time is quick. Would recommend. read more

Wow!! I'm so surprised to have the best Mexican food ever. Everything made from scratch with an outstanding service by the humble owner of this Restaurant.This Restaurant deserves all the STARS of the planet. Once you try their Mix Fajitas you will never cook at home. Outstanding Mexican restaurant. read more

Wow!! If you want authentic Mexican food, this is the place. This restaurant is a jewel. The fajitas, the chile relleno, the frijoles charros.. so much flavor, like it was home made. We were so impressed with all of it. Our waiter Fily was professional, attentive and on point. This is no Tex Mex, tastes like my Mother in law's home cooking. You have to try this place, we will definitely return!! read more

Great food, great service by Salazar but the manager (female) was terrible. Lost my card there and she was yelling at me telling me it's my fault and that the card wasn't there. Went there and it was still on the table. Manager lied to me. She's probably a thief. NEED BETTER MANAGEMENT TEAM read more

On the ever-growing list of reasons I love Texas is that there are almost as many delicious TexMex restaurants as there are Starbucks. They're everywhere. We happened upon this magical Oasis completely accidentally during a wandering Sunday drive with no intended destination. When I looked out my window and saw the beautiful patio and huge aloe plants surrounding this fun place, I made a comment and my husband pulled right in (hooray impromptu dates!) You can tell this place is probably a cult following for some - if you were raised on it, it's the only place your family will go for Mexican food. Since I'm a transplant, I have no allegiances. We were grateful the regulars let us hang out and enjoy the good food and great atmosphere anyway. Space for parking and dining is abundant. It looks like they're equipped for virtually any size gathering, no matter how large or small. We ordered the beef fajitas and were full and happy at the end of our meal. The fixins that come with the meat are the usual suspects - cheese, guac, sour cream and pico, in no short supply. The tortillas appeared to be made in-house, which was awesome. They weren't my all-time favorite (I mean, Ninfa's on Navigation - amirite?), but they were still great. All in all we really enjoyed our experience here. It's definitely another one of the many great TexMex options in Katy, and the atmosphere is super fun. Give it a try! read more

El Jarrito - Mexican Near Me - Katy, Texas

Food excellant. Margaritas best in Katy. Service good. Been there for over 20 years. Will go back soon. Place real clean.

Good food. Good service. Good price. Good margaritas. Nuf said. Been here many times!!

El Jarrito is my favorite Tex Mex place. The wife and I go on Friday's after work. The location, staff, inside and patio seating and the food are top notch. This restaurant is a true American success story. The Leon family tells their story on a plaque on the wall near the entrance; so cool. My wife has eaten here for years before we were married and loves it, as well. There is so much attention to detail. The chairs and tables appear to be handmade. The decor nods to heritage and community. There is a play area for kids outside, too. The staff are attentive, professional and kind. We have a special needs/picky eater child and they do the very best they can to prepare the fajitas to his liking. They have the normal chips and salsa (red and green), but also serve a cup of charro beans for dipping. Both red and green sauce are excellent. One special lady cruises around with a cart and makes the guacamole to order at your table. It is awesome! My wife usually gets enchiladas and will sometimes get a margarita. She has never complained about either. My favorite dish is the Fish Filet, which truly extravagant. They deck it out with sautéed or steamed vegetables and fried potatoes. It's fantastic. One funny thing, the server will always tell us, and almost apologize, that the meal service will be delayed because of the time it takes to prepare the the Fish Filet dish. I can wait longer for something that good, but it's never too long. I really love their thin tortillas, too. Their are tons of Tex Mex restaurantsin Houston and I like a lot of them, but El Jarrito is one of the best. Try them out. You won't be disappointed. read more

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You know those times your wife asks ypu where you wanna eat, then for the next hour you go back and forth as to where to go? Well i had to step in and make an executive decision here. Honestly, I'm kinda glad i did. Based on the reviews, i set the bar low here and went from there. We were seated promptly and were given our chips and salsas quickly. Now, heres the tough part of my review. The chips were definitely good, thats for sure. The red salsa had this unique taste i couldn't quite figure it out. My wife said it was dried chilis, i didnt really think it was. I didn't really like it to be honest. Maybe it was just me... We ordered a chili con queso and it was pretty good. It was creamy and had that homemade queso kinda taste. I also had a premium topshelf margarita, for 5.95 during happyhour, wasnt too bad. Now on to the surprising bit of my review. The fajitas for 2 were simply ON POINT. They were tender and had GREAT seasoning. The homemade flour tortillas served were also really good. Our waiter was friendly and attentive. For 50 bucks spent I'd say it was well worth it. P.S. Maybe that's how homemade red salsa is supposed to taste... I'll have to go back one day and taste it again... read more

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This is a great spot for Tex Mex. Their queso, especially with ground beef, is delicious. I usually order the beef fajitas as my entree! It is a ton of food, so I either share the fajitas with one other person or have lots of leftovers (which is always exciting). Also great for takeout! read more

They are our favorite for Sunday brunch, great food and service, loving Katy! Lets meet sometime and break tacos! Lop read more

El Jarrito - Mexican Near Me - Katy, Texas

Be very careful and always ask for a receipt. The waiter add a 20% tip on to the total . Then bought the handheld Machine to check out that ask if I want to add a tip which I add 18 % which was for 3 people. The waiter asked if I want a receipt. I said yes please. Said sorry machine is out paper said would be right back. He then returned said sorry made a mistake and charged the wrong amount . Which was funny because on the receipt it gives the correct amount if you tip 15,18 and 20 %. The amount add to the bill 20 % tip exactly. The moral to the story alway ask for copy of receipt. read more

Excellent service and delicious food. The lunch prices are very fair for the extra large potions. The Carne Guisada was very good. Tastes homemade! read more

El Jarrito - Carne Guisada lunch plate - Mexican Near Me - Katy, Texas

Good food and good portions. Margaritas need a little work but overall this restaurant is great if you want some good Tex mex.

Father day I drove 10 miles each way to pick up 3 orders of Fajita Chicken and Beef to go - the food is GREAT but one of the order the chicken was STILL, FROZEN - AND CHEWY ... I called the next day a lady answered "supposedly" the manager of orders to go she argued with Me which order was the chicken and can you bring it back to the restaurant!!! I told her i am making good to call you FIRST complaining as you guys should talk to the kitchen chef etc... I gave her the choice to make good on the chicken before i submit the complaint to the social media... So Obviously she did not.... read more

We always judge the food at a Mexican restaurant by their fajitas, and the fajita mix for 2 was spot on! Everything was cooked and seasoned well and the service was fairly timely. The surprise here were the margaritas. They weren't too sweet, which we find in most places we go, or too sour, which we find just about everywhere else - they were just right! Definitely a surprise find for us. read more

The best Mexican in the USA with good prices and great portions. Try the burritos, Abuela, or the tortilla soup (a meal in itself).

Excellent affordable Mexican foot in the Katy area. My family goes almost every week and I am yet to have a bad item off the menu. The service is always great and quick. The staff is very kind to my little son and always go out of their way to say hi/interact to him. He always enjoys his time there. Additionally we are a peanut/sesame free and have not had issues here. read more

Food was ok. The noise was so loud with the music they had blasting we could barely talk. It was not a good dinner atmosphere.

The best way to lose a customer. Part 1 This place used to be great. Today my service was poor and my unexpected charge pushed me over my limit. I would normally rave about the place. Not so much now. Look at the bill. I asked for lettuce on the top of my enchilada. My friend said no lettuce on his fajitas. So.... i get being billed extra for cheese.... sour cream or maybe even the lettuce. They never said the lettuce was extra. It just appeared on the bill. When my friend said no lettuce ..... where is the credit for $1.50? There must not be a "credit lettuce button" on their terminal. I just find it pathetic that these places will take every opportunity to charge you to death. If they plan on charging for something as an extra they better be prepared to credit the item if it is not wanted. I am not sure when I will go back. The extra charge left a spoiled taste in my mouth. As I finish this review my stomach is starting to hurt. Stay Away...... read more

El Jarrito - WOW look at the extra charge for lettuce.  Seriously who charges for lettuce on an enchilada? - Mexican Near Me - Katy, Texas

We've been going here for over 20 years! El Jarrito is a Katy staple. With complimentary chips and salsa, you also get beans. I like to ask for the "Diablo" salsa which is a spicy, habanero salsa. I've never had a dish that I don't like! My favorites are the abuelita chicken and the habanero chicken or habanero steak. My dad swears by the carne guisada, and my brother and husband by the enchiladas! It's a little expensive at dinner time, so I usually come at lunch. Tasty, strong margaritas too!! Also, if Ricardo is your waiter, you're in for a treat. We got better service from him than I've had at fancy steak houses. He was perfectly attentive without being annoying. He was so friendly and made sure all of our needs were met with no delay. read more

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This place is my most favorite place in Houston. I love the staff, the food is the best and the atmosphere is so much fun!!!! The homemade tortillas, beef fajitas, been soup, salsa and green salsa are my favorites. Support this local restaurant as it's worth every bite and penny. Thank you to the staff for all the hard work and love put into this place. read more

Very good standard of Tex Mex with superb service. Fajitas and burritos are very good as are enchiladas. We had the beef fajitas for two with shrimp, excellent! Tortillas are very good and meat comes with a grilled pepper and a sides plate of guacamole, cheese and pico plus rice and charro beans on request. Top it off with a large margarita and you will be happy! read more

Bad experience for both food and service. We should have known since not one person smiled at us upon entering the restaurant. Both people at the front hostess podium were not welcoming at all. No welcome, no smile, and it was such a bother to them, we guess, when we simply said two. We were shown to our table, greeted with barely a smile there as well. Queso flameado was decent, 2 tortillas weren't enough. Both salsas that came the chips were so bland, it was to the point of sad. The rest of meal was mediocre, and the lack of service with the empty glasses made me leave the place wondering how the heck this place was busy. Do you think any of the three people standing at the hostess stand said bye to us or any acknowledgement when we left? I'll let you guess on that. read more

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We decided to take advantage of the cooler temps and sat outside on the very nice patio. This has to be one of the nicest outside seating areas that I have seen in Katy. It would be a great place to meet some friends for a happy hour margarita in the evening. For the appetizer we had the queso flameado with chorizo, it was really good but crazy greasy. We ordered the beef fajita tacos al carbon as our entree and they were great. The beef was cooked perfectly and seasoned well. You can tell it had marinated in fresh lime juice. YUM! The chips and salsa are the standard fair that you get at most of the local tex-mex places. However instead of a green sauce you get charro beans. Here is the one and only downfall. Service was terrible, we had a very surly waiter. If you are seated in Edwardo's area do yourself a favor and move to another table. Even with the poor attitude of our server we still had a nice time and enjoyed our meal. We will be coming back soon. read more

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Went here for the second time after 6 years after I decided to try this place again. The waiter dropped our food and we had to wait another 30 minutes. Then we asked for silverware and it had old food on it. The waiter quickly gave us a replacement and apologized for the dirty silverware. When he gave us the check he didn't take anything off. He only offered one single sopapilla that I do not eat. read more

Well I must say I was a bit disappointed with my experience tonight..... This being my first visit.... and last .... I will say that the food wasnt up to par with the other Mexican restaurants I frequent. There is ample parking and the decor is inviting but the drinks and food just dont carry it through..... We were seated promptly and the server was polite no complaints there.... we ordered drinks ....... margaritas of course, I had mine on the rocks... that seems to be all it was.... ice! So strike one, next was the queso, it was fine and the chips were actually good. Strike 2 came when my meal arrived without the side of beans just rice..... the final nail was the entree itself.... tamales .... hands down the worst I have eaten. I wanted the pork but they were out so I went with the chicken... I guess they were out of that too..... nothing but masa. So word to the wise ... if you like Rita's dont go here...... also if you decide to try this place, eat something other than the tamales read more

The food here is amazing! When you first take a seat your waitress will bring you your chips and red salsa but here's the kicker they bring out 4 different sides for you to choose from cheese, green salsa, bean dip, the food comes out amazing the drinks are great there's even a play place for the little ones, restrooms are 100% clean and the place is beautiful inside and out! Highly suggest you take your family out here and try some amazing food! read more

I've been going to El Jarrito since it was located on mason road at the corner of cimmaron pkwy. My young family used to frequent that place. We loved it!!! Now we aren't as young but we have still been going to the newer location over the years. They serve decent food and service is good. We like that they give discounts on Sundays if you bring in your church bulletin. Although we still go on occasion, I feel the food quality has somewhat declined since those earlier years. It's still good and I'm not hating on it but it's not my go to place for Mexican food like it used to be. Sweet Tea Rating: 5/10 The sweet tea is ok. Not bad but not the best. Definitely not as sweet as I'd like it and the flavor is a bit watery. read more

El Jarrito rated one of the better Mex spots in Katy was okay for me. Family friendly and attentive service. Chips + 3 dips a plus. The soupy bean dip was a winner to me. Had the chicken fajitas which were not quite El Tiempo quality but were palatable. Only major & critical gripe I had during my dining was my on the rocks margarita, which I sent back because its taste was not far from the glass of ice water by my plate. Clearly pre-made pour from a pitcher. Which was confirmed by my sever. All in all would go back for food but the drink I had makes it tough to really return to take in the full experience of resturant. read more

This place used to be our go-to Mexican restaurant in Katy. We have been going here since it opened in this location. After getting horrible service three visits in a row we stopped coming last year. Too bad the food is good but the service is definitely lacking. Always hear the same excuse that we are understaffed but nothing ever changes. We decided to give it one more try after not eating there for 9 months. Unfortunately our waitress decided chit-chatting with her friends was more important than waiting on us. We ordered queso and after 20 minutes of waiting our waitress ask us if we were ready to order our meals. I told her we would like to have the queso and drink our drinks first and could she please bring the queso we ordered 20 minutes ago. She clearly had never put the order in for the queso. After another 15 minutes she stopped by and ask us if we were ready to order. At this point we just wanted to get our check and go to a decent restaurant with good service. Too bad, good food but the poor service negates the food. I would recommend going to Ray's or Molina's. We always get top notch service there. read more

Four stars as I almost never give out 5 stars. A fabulous Tex Mex restaurant complete with theme in decorations. From the first taste of my Enchiladas Verde, corn, I knew this was a really good place. That was some of the best verde sauce I've ever had and not only because it was obviously very fresh but because of the good blend of flavors that had been steeped, not whipped together minutes before dinner. The flan was the best flan I've ever had. It reminded me of a new york cheesecake. read more

Being from Katy where Los Cucos restaurants abound, I rarely venture to eat any other tex mex. However, I got to try El Jarrito for my friend's graduation dinner and was pleasantly surprised. They serve red salsa, green salsa and beans with their tortilla chips. I liked the variety and enjoyed every dip, especially the beans. We had beef and chicken fajitas, and those were great as well. The toppings were rice, refried beans, cheese, pico, and guac. Simple and tasty. We say outside in their enclosed patio which had heaters spaced around to warm the slightly chilly air. Service lagged at times, probably since we were the only group on the patio, but nothing terrible. If I find myself with another opportunity to eat here, I certainly won't turn it down! read more

El Jarrito has been a favorite Mexican restaurant in Katy for at least 10 years. I feel the essence of Mexico when I visit too! My favorite go to fish is the corn enchiladas verdes! The chicken is juicy, not dry. The wait staff is genuinely nice too. We have the same waiter and waitress a lot and every time we visit, they are a joy to talk with. I love their patio! I've visited a lot during the past year with COVID. I eat at El Jarrito because I feel safe and that they take the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of their wait staff and their clientele. read more

The shrimp soup is my favorite. I've tried the queso and it's pretty good. The service is good and the prices are not bad. I always to back for that soup :-) Thanks read more

El Jarrito - I love the shrimp soup! - Mexican Near Me - Katy, Texas