Wow! This place felt like home! It didn't look that great on the outside and it was a little away from the highway and into the town. We decided to give it a try and I'm glad we did. We entered the establishment and there are two men playing music that I grew up listening to. We did have to wait a little while which is understandable since they were following CDC guidelines. Once we were seated, we looked at the menu and they had so many great choices. My husband and I had been wanting to try what is called birria tacos. He had the tacos and I had the torta. They were both amazing, and I wish we had a place like this near Fort Worth. My son had the burrito which he said it was okay. Their rice was legit homemade like my grandmas. I would highly recommend this place to eat. We will go back when we pass through town again! read more

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I'm confused with so many great reviews. Could be a few things for me. Off night, reviews done by friends or reviews done by people with limited Tex mex experience. Service was poor, had to keep asking for a glass of water from 3 different people. Finally got a glass but had paper trash floating in it. Chips were retail grocery store quality. Beef Jalisco plate was bland and only tasted salty. No quality char flavor or appearance. Queso was good, but only average. I really don't think this was just an off night. I would not recommend. read more

After landing at AMA, we were needing lunch quickly. As usually, Yelp let us here. It is a small spot, kinda "dive" feel to it. We were greeted by some of the friendliest staff that I've encountered in a long time. Friendly and fast service. The chili con queso is a must, very delicious. The soup was delicious as well. Heading there again this morning for breakfast before our flight. read more

La comida super deliciousa. La unica razon porque no les doy 5 estrellas es por la mesera. La chava tenia una cara..cuando llego la comida practicamente no las avento. Todavia no me da chorro yo les aviso cunado llegue a la casa. read more

Try the Birria de Res... chunks of beef, slowly braised in a delicious broth until the meat falls apart... tender, rich goodness! I would stop here every time I was in town... usually several times! read more

El Manantial - Fantastically flavorful Birria de Res (braised beef) - Mexican Near Me - Amarillo, Texas

a great hole in the wall! walked in, got seated immediately. free chips n salsa; the salsa SLAPPED. the had this bean salsa stuff too that was bussin. my gf and I got the tacos; they were A1 but out only complaint is that they were tiny. if it came with one extra taco that would have been nice. this place is killer though no doubt. the price was fair too. if your a yelper like me id def go here rather than the yellow kitchen place if you are trying to find a place to eat while passing through amarillo. read more

El Manantial - Mexican Near Me - Amarillo, Texas

Service is very bad . They bring 1/2 order . No silverware . Food is cold . Waitress is very rude and never come to check on your tables . read more

The food was really good! I ordered birria and my wife ordered the Chile Rellenos. Birria - on point. Rellenos were delicious but to spicy for my wife - but not for me. So, depending on your tolerance, decide accordingly! Would go again! read more

Authentic Mexican food . We are new in town and it's been difficult to find Mexican food that is authentic. This place is delicious and prices are great . read more

Wow! Do yourself a favor and go inside. It is authentic Tex Mex, with great service. I LOVED the food. The portions are perfect, not american style where they tend to be huge and you overeat; I finished off the plate, and everything was fresh and so, so tasty! I wish it was located in Las Vegas, where I live. I ordered a make your own combo plate with a cheese enchilada in green sauce and a shrimp taco. It comes with a bit of rice, beans, avocado/green salad mix. Right away they serve a bean dip and salsa with your chips. It was all phenomenal. I will be dreaming of this place! read more

El Manantial - Mexican Near Me - Amarillo, Texas

This is a family style restaurant that has very good mixed drinks and beer on tap. Authentic Mexican food with a variety of different choices. Popular with locals. Rated down because we were not told ticket was held at register and we waited a while for the ticket to be brought to the table. Will place this on our Amarillo rotation. read more

Tried this place with the family last night. It was definitely off the beaten path and doesn't look that inviting from the outside. There's a small bar in the left as you walk in and the waitress will seat you. This place was full of locals when we arrived and we got the last empty table. Started with the aguachicas - shrimp marinated (cooked) in lime juice with a quarter avocado, slivers of onions and crackers. Such a delicious appetizer, tangy and tasty, great on a hot summer day. I stayed with the shrimp theme for my entree and ordered the camarones al mojo de ajo - shrimp in a garlic butter sauce with salad, avocado slices and white rice. The shrimp was so flavorful and fresh, put it all in a warm flour tortilla and finished every bit of it. Would definitely have this again. Wife and son had burritos and quesadillas, no complaints there. Would have given 5 stars but it took us 20 minutes to get the check after we finished dinner and asked for it 3 times. Also, everything was so reasonably priced. I think dinner for the 3 of us with 3 non-alcohol drinks came to $45 before tip. read more

Old school Mexican food that is delicious and served hot. In house bar makes wonderful drinks

My husband and I stopped here on the way out of town. We decided to give them a try since they had good reviews on Yelp. I will say the place was busy and hoping. The restaurant is very small but they make it work. I'm giving them a 3 star because we were not impressed by their food. I'm hoping it was just because of what we ordered but that is all I can go by. My husband ordered the pazole but I will say I was not impressed. I make a better homemade one with much more flavor. I ordered the sopas and was surprised how hard and chewy the "masa" portion of the sopas were. Their alcoholic beverages were extremely pricey considering their location and the state of their restaurant! We had a house margarita and the flavor was good. read more

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We ordered the carne asada, tacos birria with avocado added, agua de jamaica, and churros. Flavorful, quick service, and satisfying. Do yourself a favor and stop in! read more

El Manantial - Mexican Near Me - Amarillo, Texas

We went for weekday lunch and had friendly service. Unfortunately they were out of the homemade rose shaped pastries shown on the front ad of their menu, but the house queso we ordered instead was a nice mix of white cheese, peppers and sweet corn. It wasn't dipable but spooned on the chips just fine. The migas were a bit diappointing because instead of strips of fried tortillas, it came with thicker sorta chewy chips. The side of fried ham that seems to come with everything was good though. And naturally, the house salsa, beans and chips that came free on the table rocked. Just enough spice and simple but well seasoned pinto beans. Finally, the sopes (little hand shaped fried corn bowls) with my choice of meat (beef and pineapple) were tasty and fresh. The portion was just enough. Too bad I don't have room for dessert! The drinks look good too. Good ambiance, price and full service (breakfast, dinner, dessert, drinks!) makes this a 4 star for me. Glad we stopped! read more

El Manantial - Mexican Near Me - Amarillo, Texas

Are you ready for truly authentic delicious Mexican food? Walk into a clean eatery with south of the border decor and sweet, efficient waitresses and enjoy the vibe and delicious food at El Manantial. I did and I'm taking my family back. The pork tips in green chili sauce with rice and beans was really good. You know you've found the spot when you're the only non-Hispanic on the premises. Let us know when you're going and we will meet you there! El Manantial 3823 E Amarillo Blvd Amarillo, TX 79107 United States read more

I have nothing but good things to say, friendly service great food! One of the few places I've been to that reminds me of my grandmothers food! read more

Omg! We were traveling and we're recommended this spot from a friend. Authentic amazing food with great service! Id to Amarillo again just to eat here read more

If you're looking for authentic, this is the place! Muy caliente! Everything is hand made from scratch. Don't let the outside scare you off - some of the best, most authentic Mexican we've had in along time! read more

El Manantial - Mexican Near Me - Amarillo, Texas

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The foods are delicious, authentic Mexican taste. The service is wonderful. The price is unbeatable. Overall, we enjoy everything here and cannot wait to come back as soon as we are in town. Strongly recommend this restaurant to those who wants real Mexican foods. read more

El Manantial - Mexican Near Me - Amarillo, Texas

Amazing Authentic Mexican food!!!! Busy but the service was still great. A must try!!! read more

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Great food and great service! Totally unexpected and such a good find according to yelp.

Super bomb incognito spot. Shrimp ceviche was great, tasted fresh, and the aguachile sauce they gave on the side was really great. Will be ordering aguachile next time! Menudo was really great too. Just what I needed for my crudo haha my pops had posole and my mom had birria tacos. All was very good. Would definitely recommend! read more

Stopped by while passing by Amarillo on a road trip. El Manantial was one of the top results when searching for best taco places in Amarillo, so I came in with high expectations. I ordered three lengua tacos plus rice and beans for $9.49, which is a fair price. Upon receiving my plate, the first thing I noticed was that the guac was underwhelming in amount, but that's not a huge deal. Upon first bite, I was disappointed, albeit I mentioned earlier that I came in with high expectations. Lengua is normally my favorite meat filling for tacos due to its tender consistency, but this lengua might as well have been carne asada. Something like this is forgivable, but the flavor/spice profile didn't make up for it. Now don't get caught up in the clout of negativity I had just expressed; overall this place is still pretty good. I was just unimpressed. read more

The food is delicious worth every penny and the drinks are good . Definitely recommend cantarito with tequila Don Julio . Kid friendly and plenty of parking read more

We just loved the food. It was flavorful without being overly spicy. The best refried beans I have ever eaten. The prices are quite reasonable. It's a small neighborhood restaurant with a full bar and the drinks looked delicious. I'm anxious to go back. read more

You won't find mediocre food camoflaged by big piles of melted cheese here. Oh, no, this is Mexican food, and I really loved this place! The waitresses were very attentive and immediately I had chips, salsa, and a little bowl of pinto beans to snack on. The Birria Estilo Jalisco was delicious- not spicy but very tasty. The guac was fantastic, too! Looks like a big selection of cervesas and tequilas at the bar. read more

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This is a gem!! Such delicious food. The ceviche was fresh and fantastic. The birria queso tacos were amazing. The tortas were delicious. The servers were attentive and kind. All around and amazing experience. Highly recommend you stop here! read more

Extremely authentic. Delicious flavors. Not Americanized by any means. This is real authentic Mexican food, if I lived in the area I'd be there all the time! read more

We recently moved to Amarillo from Carrollton, and have been looking for a new favorite authentic Mexican Food restaurant, and so far out of the 7 or 8 places we have tried, this one is either #1, or maybe tied for it, but we are planning to visit again in the very near future to try additional dishes. The portions are good, the flavors are outstanding, and the service was great as well. Too many places around Amarillo seem to be more Tex-Mex, but we think this one is much more authentic and absolutely delicious. read more

We drove through Amarillo during COVID and found this place on Yelp. It was delicious! Great customer service. The inside looked really nice and it was also super clean! Must come here for Mexican food. read more

El Manantial - Shredded beef flautas - Mexican Near Me - Amarillo, Texas

We were driving through Amarillo on our way across the country and I'm so happy we found this place thanks to other yelpers! It was so freaking delicious! I had the Tostadas de Camarones and it was excellent! It was great to have something that felt like a treat in between all our fast food stops. Highly recommend! read more

We had a great experience with El Manantial the first time we ate there (a mont ago). We were so excided to eat there again (road trips), but the second time was a disappointment. It seems like the meals were made by a different chef. Even a perfect guacamole we had the first time was a little watery and a lot saltier than the first. Wish they were consistent. First order was: guacamole, fish tacos, and enchiladas w/ red sauce. We decided to order for lunch and dinner on the second try and ordered: guacamole, fish tacos, fish file special, burritos (beef), goat, and enchiladas again. Fish tacos were bland the 2nd time, guacmole was watery, salty, and had too much tomatoes. Fish file was solid, but way too spicy (asked for a medium spice), goat was tender and tasted good but did not have enough meat - served in a broth. read more

Driving towards Colorado Springs and found this place on Yelp. Great reviews and MANY!!! So we came in.

This waz a treat! @uthentic mexican food, Kööl ambiance, teamwerk from the whole staff, and TVs on 2 catch tha gamez... $20 4 $10 deal waz even sweeter! Trukk n tractor parking slightly a challenge, but we were bobtailin so parkin on tha side street werked 4 us... If u find urself in Amarillo, this joint is a must stop! read more

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A one night stop in Amarillo and craving a good restaurant for dinner. This was a well surprise since looks can be deceiving. Don't let the exterior fool you since as soon as you walk inside, you'll notice the clean interior with friendly staff. The menu offers a wide variety of authentic mexican food and drinks. We were craving shrimp cocktail and surely enough, they had it! We also ordered the Carne Al Pastor and Beef Adobado on deep fry Sope. Chips and Salsa were provided and all tasted very good with decent portions especially the Coctel de Camaron (lots of shrimp!) The only downside was that the meat was a bit overcooked so it was dry. You can expect great service coming here and delicious meals since the place has been opened since 1987 with recogntion. Parking a bit small since it can be a challenge especially on a weekend. Tip: take advantage of the Yelp offer of $10 for $20 worth of food! read more

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We were halfway through our cross-country drive from California to Washington, DC and ended up in Amarillo, TX at dinner time. We checked Yelp for restaurants and ended up going to El Manantial at the recommendation of many Yelpers. It was not that easy to find, and we almost missed it. It is small and unassuming, and not a place that we would ever have stopped at if it weren't for Yelp. It ended up being one of the best restaurant experiences I've ever had--not just because of the delicious food nourishing our tired bodies, but because of the surprise of it! Neither of us are big fans of the Mexican food you usually find the US--greasy, cheesy, etc.--and neither of us had had "real" Mexican food before. The food here was clean, fresh and absolutely exquisite. A real treat. The waitress was very friendly and immediately brought us chips and salsa*. There were two types of salsa, neither of them "chunky" (which is apparently a sign of a real Mexican restaurant) and also a white bean salsa with copious amounts of cilantro in it. I was in heaven. We ordered our appetizers: I got a green salad* (lettuce, tomatoes, orange, carrots, avocado) and my partner had the caldo de pollo* (chicken soup). My salad was very pretty and fresh, especially tasty when I added some of the chip salsa to it. But my partner's soup was incredible: there was a whole chicken leg in there! Along with it was one huge carrot, one huge potato, a whole corn-on-the-cob, and some other vegetables. It was such a unique way to serve the soup, as though the broth were made personally just for him. Our entrees came out shortly thereafter: I had the tostadas de camarón*, which was shrimp ceviche with cucumbers and cilantro on top of little tostadas. My partner had the carne asada* which came with home-made tortillas. We traded a tortilla for a tostada so I got to try to tortilla, and OH MY GOD it was the most delicious tortilla I have ever had in my life. It was thick and solid and just pure goodness. My ceviche was also incredible, with just the right amount of flavor, and it was definitely fresh. I also added a drop of hot sauce which was definitely enough--it was HOT. There was tons of cilantro and lime--two of my favorite flavors--so I was in a state of bliss. My boyfriend enjoyed his carne asada with tortillas, but it was a bit of a letdown after the soup because it's presentation was just normal. But again, very fresh and delicious. I think by this point he was also a bit full after that monster of a soup! We definitely had no room for dessert, but we left very happy. The waitress was incredibly pleasant throughout, asking us where we were from and where we were going. It was obvious that we were out-of-towners. It was also very inexpensive, especially compared to the chain restaurants we ate at for the rest of the trip, like Chili's and TGIFriday's. And we left feeling satisfied, without that kind of sick feeling you often get after eating Mexican food. I left thinking, "Damn, we need to drive across the country more often just so we can go back to El Manantial!" Anyone up for a road trip? * see the photo section for my photos of our experience! read more

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This was my first time having Tex-Mex and I was definitely impressed! It was my first time having queso and I was in love. We also had the guacamole which was delicious but it had a few too many tomatoes and not enough avocado. I ordered the chicken enchilada plate and the chicken was so moist and tender. I had the green chilies on top and it wasn't too overwhelming. I completely finished off the plate! The prices were very affordable and the service was good. read more

4 solid stars. Mainly for those killer corn tortillas they make in-house. Stopped in for some dinner once we got into Amarillo and it was so worth it. It's a small place with just a few tables, super clean, quaint, kitschy decor, and great Mexican tunes. Started out with the large guac. So good. The chips weren't my favorite, but the guac made up for them. We ate it all. My wife took part in the textbook chile relleno. Great flavor and plenty of melty cheeses. The rice and beans that accompanied were great as well. The batter on the chile was a little different and had some interesting flavors. I got a smattering of items from the a la carta menu -- marinated chicken burrito, frijoladores, and a barbacoa Gordita. The Gordita was a little gross. The beef tasted just like pot roast and had little flavor. The burrito, however, was wonderful. The chicken was stellar the the layer of beans on the flour tortilla ruled. For the price of $25 for everything, it's a huge win. I'd highly recommend it if you're in the area. read more

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