Totally average neighborhood (Tennessee version) TexMex. Everything is decent, good...I've never had any issues or anything I couldn't eat. The margaritas are huge! If you get a pitcher they literally give you a drink dispenser of margaritas. Even top shelf stuff is a bit overpowered by the overly sweet and syrupy commercial sour mix they use. We did go there a couple of weeks ago with our dog and were told to just walk around the side and take a seat on the patio with no actual assurance that someone would be out to help us. Well, we got around the corner and that patio looked like a bomb had gone off. Every table had nasty dishes and trash all over them, napkins on the ground... it was disgusting! I walked back around and stuck my head in and just told the guy we were leaving because the patio looked like a war zone. He just looked at me like he could absolutely care less and said, "ok." read more

Just wow. This place blew my socks off. The service was beyond excellent, so attentive and food came out super fast. It was all so delicious, you can tell the salsa was homemade. The atmosphere and music were spot on and were very comforting. My brother said this was his favorite restaurant ever. We will be back read more

El Jimador - Bean chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - Maryville, Tennessee

My taco salad was so greasy I couldn't eat it. I told the waiter and he laughed and said it was the meat. No attempt to offer me an alternative. Also - asked him if the cheese was grated and he indicated yes, but it was melted making it even more inedible. Also the frozen margarita, although tasty, was barely slushy. read more

El Jimador - Greasy taco salad - Mexican Near Me - Maryville, Tennessee

Best Mexican restaurant around, the friendly staff to the outdoor patio...Awesome! Best rockers on patio around too. We're there couple times every month, thank you all!! read more

Great food, prices, service, and atmosphere! Just one suggestion, decorate the main entrance the same way you've decorated the dining area which looks great. The entrance is pretty blah. read more

El Jimador - Mexican Near Me - Maryville, Tennessee

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I have been eating at El Jimador for as long as I can remember. The service is always on point, the food is always very tasty, and the atmosphere is always welcoming. I typically order Arroz Con Pollo, and have never been disappointed. The beer is always cold, the chips are always warm, the queso is so good I could marry it, and the salsa is always so tasty. Thanks for being a good consistent staple in my dining experience, El Jimador!! read more

I ordered the aguacate relleno. The outside breading was very thick and tough. Different than what I had eaten there before. The burrito that came with it was tough and chewy, as though it had been microwaved. We ordered cheese dip...I don't think it was even 8 oz and it was $9. Disappointing. read more

Where do I start? The waiters could not explain what a chalupa was, even though it's mentioned several times on the menu. Curiosity got the best of me and I ordered one and when they brought my food it looked like a tostada. I told the waiter they brought me a tostada and he said yes, that's what the chalupa is. Salsa was lacking in flavor. Added a little salt and that kind of helped. read more

Best chips I ever had. Steak fajitas were delicious. Staff was fun and attentive. Highly recommend

Always great food never wait to long great service the employees are so friendly would recommend to anyone..

Cute authentic Mexican restaurant! Went for lunch, service was great and chips and salsa were good! Had a chalupa and Chile relleno and I must say one of the BEST RELLENO I have had in ages. We will be back here again as looking at all the food that past by us, I need to check out some more entrees!! A must try if you adore Mexican food! read more

El Jimador - Chili Relleno, chalupa, refied beans, chips and salsa!! Fresh and yummy!! - Mexican Near Me - Maryville, Tennessee

Pretty yummy this year. Had a combo dinner. On point. I would return again. Service was friendly. A little slow on bringing out my drink. read more

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I must be insane ordering from them again and expecting different results. Took them close to an hour to have my food ready after telling me it would be done in 20 minutes. It was pretty much cold when I got home despite being on my heated seats. Food wise they had a few misses this time. They shorted me 2 chicken wings and left out the celery and carrots. At least they remembered the blue cheese dressing this time. I also ordered Enchiladas Suizas. They left off the tomatillo sauce. Pretty dry without out. It was another disappointing dinner. Somehow they stay in business. read more

One of the better Mexican restaurants in town. This is the stereotypical small town food spot for everyone. You'll see everyone from the high school football coach to your youth pastor. I recommend trying out the menu, but if you like to play it safe, any fajita or the Arroz con Pollo. read more

El Jimador - Arroz con pollo, nachos, large cheese dip, salsa - Mexican Near Me - Maryville, Tennessee

I will admit my previous and only other time dining here was decent and in person. However this go around i ordered take out at a very slow hour and i was extremely disappointed that I believe it warrants this review to caution diners against ordering out from this establishment. First and foremost my bill was over $83 for 3 entrees and some sides. There are far more affordable mexican restaurants around town for more food for that price point. I mention the price point only because if im spending my hard earned money for that price im expecting a level of attention to detail and service. I had tortillas missing from a fajita dinner, beans missing from an entree that was clearly described on the menu, and our 2 extra $5+ sides of queso each were skimpy as can be. Let alone for all that food all we got was an embarrassing amount of chips. The service was lacking as well, upon calling to inform the restaurant of our missing items and displeasure all we got was oh if you order through online for takeout it's more expensive. I want to make it clear that I am fully willing to pay any price for quality food, just give me what i paid for. And at best try to make it right when you completely screw it up. read more

Great food, great service! I really like the tables and art on the walls, makes it a fun experience. A great spot to check out!

Bathroom was so dirty and blood on baby changing table. Mistakes on our orders. Waiter was fun, so was ambiance but not enough to return.

Limited menu grill was not working. Food was still ok. I went there to eat a certain dish but had to settle for enchiladas read more

Bothe the Web menu and the actual menu seem to be out of date. We ordered Botanas : Chicken Wings that clearly says it comes with celery & carrots. When asking the waitress she clearly said No. Also ordered Tacos de Deshbrada. Soft taco of slow cooked beef to be served with a side of rice. Once again No Rice. I did have this weird small side of beans cooked with all the things mentioned for the taco, but it also included cut up hotdogs? Overall what we had tasted good, the service was decent but what we got seemed like a crap shoot. Good luck. read more

Another in the long line of mediocre Mexican places in East Tennessee. Rice wasn't fully cooked. Was al-dente. Typical crappy salsa. Cheese sauce was too thick and had no flavor. For some reason, places in East Tennessee think that if you slather something with cheese, that makes it mexican food. Couldn't be further from the case. There are peppers, spices, cilantro, etc. that make Mexican food taste so much better. Unfortunately, I can't find any place around that uses those things, so I just cook my own. Terribly disappointing. read more

We love this place! Just moved to Maryville in July and have been three times! Margaritas with Don Julio and a splash of Grand Marnier are perfect! Their white queso is great and my husband loves their tacos and I'm partial to the chicken chimichanga! The service is great and very friendly! read more

We tried El Jimador for the first time last night. The interior is very cute with custom painted murals on the walls, a faux roof line near the ceiling, and chunky wooden chairs and booths. Service was attentive though a few folks had limited English causing me to unintentionally order a jumbo margarita instead of a regular size. Oops. My dish, the stuffed avocado, was good-ish. The avocado was not warmed through. The steak inside of it was amazing, but the overall dish felt like it needed 5 more minutes cooking time. Still, I love stuffed avocados and I haven't seen this dish on any menu since I lived in Austin 15 years ago. The beans that came with the meal were very flavorful but I had to pick the jalapeños out (I wish I had known there were jalapeños in them...I can't eat them!) and they had hot dogs in them which seemed a little weird. My husband ordered the enchiladas and he was not happy with them. I did not like the margarita. Overall, it wasn't the best meal but we will try this place again and avoid the booze, the beans, and the enchiladas. Maybe we'll aim for fajitas next time since the steak was so good and the highlight of the meal. read more

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Haven't eaten here in years and recently went for lunch with my mom and brother. The dining area is very clean and booths relatively comfortable. I had the steak fajitas and it was as great as I remembered them. The portion size is also very generous and made for a very filling meal. Chips and salsa were also provided and the salsa was very tasty. It's a chunkier salsa but the chips hold it very well. Service was also prompt and very friendly. Overall a very good experience and I'll be coming back more often to support local businesses! read more

We'll this place is probably going to be the goto spot !! me n my bf have date night on Friday so decided to go here, plus he's been wanting to take me here and I've been wanting to try it , instead of fighting for table where we live at ,got here about 6ish maybe 630 and yes it was perfect timing ,cause as we were finishing up a lot of ppl came in for dinner or to pickup carry out so if ur trying to beat crowd and not have to wait come before 7pm , or do take out so let me tell you good food great service don't let these other post fool you cause they did fool me but again everyone got their own taste buds and opinion , we got seated right away, we had Jose as our server we'll my bf said he's been serving for a long time there so he was good he was right Jose was awesome!!! Got strawberry margarita it was yummy just got a small they also have med, large I went with a small just cause you have to drink responsibly lol and i was driving , I had the beef chimichanga bf had steak & chicken fajitas when it came out I looked at it like it's a small chimichanga just cause I'm used to the big ones in Chicago but with everything the rice beans guacamole etc it was enough everything was good n flavorful Jose is very attentive asked if we wanted refills checked on us etc yes this is good spot we will be back read more

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Ad of July 6, 2022, air conditioning not working in this place. Food was good but drinks are way overpriced. They do have big fans blowing air but you still leave sweating. Plus you can smell the bathrooms as soon as you walk in, not a good place right now. Maybe in the fall...... read more

We are here visiting from Texas. We went to The Lost Sea Adventure and stopped here heading back to Knoxville area. Great food! Waitress was super quiet but nice. Would definitely eat here again if we were in the area. read more

We are long time customers. Entirety of most recent--and last--visit was very disappointing. Host attempted to seat the two of us at an eight person table, instead of one of the many available booths. Strike one. The two margaritas on the rocks were simply horrible ... melted ice, lacking in any flavor, and lacking tequila. Sent back and requested frozen margaritas. The frozen margaritas were very good. The food was sub-par, at best. Seemingly right out of the microwave and small portions, at that. Not at all what it once was. Strike two. Got bill and the original margaritas were on them. Not wanting to bother the server with a bar issue, I just took the bill to the cash register to sort things out. Cash register guy started to argue with me saying "I saw you take more than one sip before sending them back!" I told him we both took several sips of our Jumbo and our Monster margaritas--including tasting each other's--before sending them back, to make sure they were as bad as we originally thought they were. I went on to ask cash register guy if he saw what happened, the returned margaritas, and the new order for the same thing but frozen, why didn't he come over to say something or ask if there was a problem. Crickets. I told the guy to charge me whatever he wanted and I would just dispute it with the CC company. El asombro, the bill was then corrected!!! Third strike and I'm out of this place. One star for the decor. One star for the frozen margaritas. Finally, I see the "business owner" reads and comments on posts. Hey, whomever was working the register @ 7:03:53 pm needs some coaching-up. The server Katherine was excellent and was tipped accordingly ... even though she saw what was coming and was overly nice with the bill she sheepishly presented. N.B. If you are going to try and pull a fast one, at least have the courage to send the manager over to do it. All in all, two stars is probably much, but the place was once good and the frozen drinks were on point. Of course, I could be wrong. read more

Wish I wasn't just visiting. This place deserves to be revisited. The decor was nice, the food was very tasty. Service was great and food came out fast. Prices I thought to be reasonable. Camping in Townsend KOA, they gave a great recommendation. read more

Waited over 30 minutes for a Togo order of nachos and no one checked on me while waiting. Very disappointed

I've been eating here for years as it's a convenient place to stop on my way home. I think it's just as good as any other Mexican joint in the area if not better and the service is always very friendly. I like their burrito supremo, arroz con pollo, or their chicken nachos. I usually end up filling up on chips and salsa but dang it those things are addicting. read more

One of the worst Mexican places I've ever been to. Service was terrible, margaritas were terrible (no alcohol and sweet) and they give you no food. You'd be better off going to Taco Bell read more

El Jimador - Shot hole - Mexican Near Me - Maryville, Tennessee

On a Thursday we stopped after an afternoon in the mountains only to wait 15 min for our waiter. 7The chips and salsa had already been delivered by another server.The 3 out of 4 dishes we ordered were good. After a 20 min. wait 3 dishes were served. My Shrimp Cocktail was another 15 -20 min. wait. It was not on the menu but I have never been refused one at other restaurants. This was inedible. It was thinned tomato juice loaded with jalapeños. My daughter, who is a gourmet Mexican cook switched with me for her Carne Asada, could not stomach the jalapeños. She cooks very spicy everything. Our Guac, which was served after our entrees, as was our watery cheese dip, was also overrun with poorly chopped jalapeños: also inedible. The waiter never came to ask after us. Nor were we offered dessert ( which came from another server.) He did make a 3rd apperance for the check, which I estimate to be $180 or more. He was "tipped" poorly which he did grumble about. We only stopped here because 10 yrs ago it was absolutely delicious! Not now. read more

The decor is lovely. Wish the food had been as nice. My simple tostaguac was sloppy, the sparse amount of meat & beans were on one small section of the tortilla, covered by so much lettuce you'd have thought it was a salad, and very little guacamole. My refried beans were cold - when I mentioned it to the waiter, he did heat them up in a microwave. My son's burrito Colorado was also cold & had very little flavor. Everything tastes like it comes from Sam's or Costco. Very disappointing. read more

Did a pick up of a meal here for my son, and I tried to call ahead, but the phone kept going to voicemail. I walked in and ordered. The order only took ten minutes. They were understaffed but didn't seem too busy. We really like this place. read more

Very disappointed. Chips stale. Food cold. prices more than on menu. will not return

One of my favorite Mexican places when I visit family in Maryville or Knoxville! El Jimador is authentic Mexican food! I've been here multiple times and have never had anything bad. Their tamales are amazing!! Great chips & salsa too. Service is great, especially if you get Alex. He is the best!! This place doesn't look like much from the outside, but don't judge a book by its cover. Check this place out! read more

Porque?! Porque?! My hopes were high for this restaurant and I wish they had been met. The facility itself is clean and nicely decorated. The issue was in ordering, the service when it was incorrect, how it was "corrected" and the insanely rude behavior of the host. My fiance and I ordered two combos. We weren't told the choices for the burrito but specifically asked for a certain kind. Meals came. Burrito completely wrong. Had to flag down a server that wasn't ours (he wasn't paying attention), and another server came by and we explained what happened. Re-ordered. Things happen. No big deal. Our server came to clarify, confirmed. Food came. Still not what we asked for. Sodas not refilled. Boxed up the meals because we were done trying. I didn't want to create an issue in the restaurant or specifically for that server so I waited to bring the check (which had two extra "open plate charges) up front. I explained the issues we had plain and simple and was met with with such absolute disrespect and demeaning language I was appalled. Customer service tip; Don't berate your customers. I'm sorry for the good employees who have to be represented so horribly. read more

Agree. Not a great representation of Mexican style food. There are better choices in Maryville to get your Mex fix. The people running the place are friendly always ready to help and it seems fairly clean. My experiences their have been mixed at best, but consistently not very good. The menu is standard. The prices are fair for what's intended, but what's served isn't worth it. The food seems to be from a can, not fresh. The preparation doesn't appear to done with very much attention. We eat with our eyes...well, the presentation is important. Can't recommend it. read more

DO NOT GO HERE Last night I had one of my worst dining experiences in a long time. My friend and I should have left after trying to wash our hands prior to dinner. The bathroom was filthy, exceedingly smelly, and there were no paper towels to be had. My order was prepared improperly twice, the first time by including to ingredients I am allergic to, and the second time because the food was undercooked and contained at least a quarter of a cup of orange grease. I ordered the quesadilla, by the way. The server who took our drink order was very nice. However, the rest of the staff either rude or exceedingly negligent. By the time I got my plate I had filled up on chips and did not relish the thought of waiting for them to cook it again three times. When I tried to send my food back for good, I was told, "Well, you will still have to pay for it. Would you like it to go?" Other little things, like having to get my own napkins and physically to the bar to reorder my extra limes, were minor annoyances. I usually have a "three strikes, you're out" rule, but I have to admit that I have visited El Jimador at least seven or eight times. The multiple visits were mostly for business meetings or convenient location between friend's house and mine. The service always leaves much to be desired, and the food is sometimes okay, but doesn't really leave much to write home about. My last visit left me ill. So, I'm calling it quitsies. read more

I can't say I love it here because I was disappointed in the taco & enchilada lunch combo, but I really like it for the burritos. I had to laugh when the taco was served on a crunchy shell. The enchilada's tortilla was tasteless and soggy. The sauce was dull. BUT the chicken filling was great! When I went back and had a burrito with steak, I was amazed at how good it was. The meat was seasoned perfectly and was tender. Someone is my group had tacos and they were served on tortillas, so maybe the crunchy ones are just part of the combo? Another person at our table had the chimichanga and it was disappointed in it. read more