Wow, I am embarrassed. I enthusiastically suggested El Meson tonight over another nearby (not perfect, but reliably good) restaurant for a family dinner. After visiting this place months before and being very optimistic in the face of a shitty entrée, I reasoned that, surely by now, they'd gotten their act together. Wow, am I embarrassed. Reflecting some of the other reviews, slow start to service, with loads of unaffected seeming staff drifting around (I ended up liking our server fine). Like last time--delicious salsas and starters (lentil soup starter was cold, albeit free), but truly shameful entrées. Several were sent back, ruining the pacing of this family meal. The pork dish a couple of us ordered was not only not hot, but was dried out and featured no highlight. In my last review, I said I would give this place a couple more whole-hearted chances. Revoked. Done. In this town, to serve Mexican, you have to do better, you have to at least pretend to care. Outlook not so good for this place. read more

I am sitting here for the Sunday Brunch and all I can think about is why has no one told me about this place. Great selection of foods and desserts. I have tried a little bit of everything and I can honestly say that I have not had a bad bite. Must tryst are the paella and the ceviche read more

Had a pleasant though not thrilling dinner here. Service was WONDERFUL, however. Loved the waiter. But the food was unexciting and the black beans had a taste of burn (and I hate that when it happens to beans). I had the chicken tinga -- tasty, but meh. Boyfriend had a relleno. Said his was better than mine. I wouldn't return unless a friend wanted to go. read more

Sunday Brunch I brought my mother here for her bday brunch and all I can say is this place is amazing. The food the atmosphere the staff - AMAZING!!!! Definitely will be coming back read more

Interesting mix of reviews regarding El Meson. This was the second time we have dined here. Frankly, the first time around we had a pitcher of Margarita's and needless to say, I recall the food to be good, but that's all I can report of this visit. After watching some Euro's at BSL, we opted for a little walk down to El Meson for din din's. The restaurant was fairly empty around 6.30pm, when we arrived. I did a silent "oh oh", perhaps our first visit the food was truly awful, but I just didn't remember it. Not to be deterred we were whisked over to our table and shortly afterwards was presented with a little amuse bouche. A little bowl of lentils spiced up nicely to wet the appetite. It was unique and a nice touch. I ordered up Margarita and a glass of vino for the woman. Although, they were out of our first couple of requests, we did settle on a tasty glass of white for the wifey. Which the waiter promptly dropped on me. :) I didn't get to soaked, but we laughed pretty hard about it since I thought the waiter was going to have a heart attack as to what just happened. Came to find out he was a young man from Mexico City and had only been waiting tables for a few days. Been there done that, but it was a double chicken fried steak with gravy and pinto beans when I worked at Lone Star Cafe years ago. Ended up pulling a steak out of the back of a gentleman's pants... Started with the guacamole which was served with onions, tomatos, and jalo's on the side. We mixed them all in and it was heavenly and chunky.. quite good. I was looking for something different than the usual enchilada's. I opted for the Chilorio. I I had no idea what this was. It was basically a pork smoky ancho pepper stew. This was honestly a delicious, tender, and complex dish. The pork just melted in your mouth and the ancho sauce was perfectly seasoned. It was obvious that this dish is something that wasn't whipped up in a jiffy, but had been on the stove for hours as it melded into a great flavor profile. It was accompanied with El Meson's freshly made corn torts. When I could get near it, my wifey's chicken verde was exceptional as well. Fresh verde salsa on top of shredded chicken, very good. We had a great night and have all plans to return when we can. read more

This restaurant was fantastic. The only reason for the 4 stars was simply their air conditioning went out while dining and it was extremely uncomfortable. The food on the other hand was amazing. Tender beef fajitas with non-traditional queso and salsa. The tortillas were much better than the typical store bought but could have been a little thicker to hold all the great ingredients. Definitely a must-try and a second dining experience will be made (after the A/C is back up and running). read more

Food - beyond belief good. I had the Chilorio, and can't recommend it enough. Think carne guisada, but pork in a smoky ancho guajillo sauce, slow cooked until the flavor ran through and through. Perfect as a filler to the house made tortillas. Even the black beans and rice were well above the average. DW had the chicken enchiladas and they too were outstanding. Chock full off moist shredded white meat, melt in your mouth tortillas, with a nice thin red fresh pepper based sauce that complemented the chicken vice overpowering it. Service - amateurish. Waiter disappeared for long stretches. Never checked after the food was delivered. Had to ask for more water, and even then, only filled one glass, though both were at least half empty. Ambiance - elementary school lunchroom. Tile floors, wood cielings and rock walls make for an exceedingly loud setting. Chairs are uncomfortable. Doesn't come close to the quality of the food. read more

This location opened up just this Wednesday and I'm excited that we got there on a Saturday night before the the place is overrun with crowds. It's that good. We started with fresh Margarita's and guacamole. The chips also came with Tomate con chile Serrano - roasted tomato's and serrano's. We added Tlacaoyos - fresh masa boats filled with refried beans - topped with salsa verde and chopped onions and Tostado's de Pescado - cornmeal battered fish, fried and shredded seerved on cripsy tortillas topped with slay and drizzled chipolte mayo. At this point, we looked at the menu and with so many great things we asked the waitress for some suggestions. There were probably only 10 other people in the restaurant at the time and to our pleasant surprise Marisela appeared at our table. She was discussing the differences between this new location and the old Burleson location and then offered to bring over some sample of the main dishes. We sampled the Chilorio - northern style pork in a guajillo ancho-sauce' Tinga - shreed chicken breast cooked in a tomato chipolte sauce; Mole Rojo's - chicken in a hildago-style mole sauce; Mole verde - a green mole made with pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, tomatillo, chile serrano and fresh greens; and Bisteck en Chile Pasilla - deef tips and potatos in a chile pasilla sauce - it looks like the mole with a deeper richer flavor. But before we could order Marisela brought out a Cuitlacoche quesadilla. It was amazing. I'd never heard of it before - it's a fungus that grows on corn (http://mexicanfood.about.com/od/faqandglossaries/g/huitlacoche.htm) All the samples were great - and we went with 4 different dishes. The meals came with either refried black or pinto beans. The rice was perfect and the tortillas (both corn and flour) were home made. Although they don't have a kids menu they were very accommodating. Fresh cheese quesadillas on corns tortillas were a big hit with the two 6 year-old girls that we stashed on the table next to ours. The final perfect ending to the meal was a homemade mango ice cream. The slurping sounds of 6 year old girls getting every last drop from the plate was testament to how good it was. The new El Meson doesn't have a sign yet but shares a parking lot with the Horseshoe Lounge so look for the Horseshoe as you drive on Lamar. The building is clean, large and spacious with very tall ceilings. I suspect that the handmade tile floors (even the blue tiles show a slight color change) will lend to a loud, busy dining room as the word gets out on how good this place is! Our waitress was attentive and our food came quickly. Of course, the sparse crowd makes it hard to truly gauge, but she could have as easily blown us off. With the personal service, the fantastic food this was one of my favorite meals of the last year. Can't wait to go back. read more

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PLACE--and will be back. The atmosphere is great and the service was up to par. I just loved the queso blanco. minus 1: they charge for chips and salsa (BUNK) plus 1: they make tortillas only after their ordered--SO FRESH! I really like that a lost of the menu items were things to put in tortillas. Also, the steak fajitas were so yum. I had the chicken mole (not my favorite ever)--but overall we enjoyed the food, atmosphere--A-OK in my book. read more

OMG! I still love the margaritas. Freshly squeeze limes make the best margarita! I actually had a meal and it was equally delicious. You got to try this place out! I cannot wait to get back to Austin to visit this little jewel again! read more

We stopped by last Friday night and the restaurant is nicely decorated and gave out a good vibe. Our waiter, appeared to be taking care of the whole floor, so it took us a while to get helped. We had to ask for chips and salsa as we had been waiting for over 5 minutes. The salsa was great - it was spicy, we loved it! I ordered the camarones al mojo de ajo - the menu clearly says 6 shrimp, I received 5 flavorless shrimp. The rice and beans were tasty, but I didn't pay for that. My boyfriend got the cochinita pobil and he said it wasn't very special either. There are too many good Mexican restaurants in Austin, there is no need to stop by here. read more

Unfortunately, not impressed. End up here on a big game day weekend because other places had about an hour to two wait. We were seated immediately which was great and the host was friendly. The food was decent, but several items were forgotten and we were never really checked on after our food came. Consistently asking for more water, with empty glasses. We were talked into getting the margarita pitcher instead of individual drinks because it was "cheaper" but it ended up being much more expensive. When we got the bill, there was an automatic 25% gratuity added... for a party of five. However, automatic gratuity is not stated on their menu or website. The waitress was also only willing to check us out with either someone paying the entire total or by splitting evenly which was not fair to those in our party who drank less or had cheaper meals. read more

Terrible service. My friend never got her tortillas she asked for. They didn't let us know that the tip was already included, ($23!) over a 20% tip that they didn't deserve. I am not impressed. read more

After reading other's reviews...I'm wondering if I caught them on a bad night. My experience was okay, the atmosphere was nice and the waiter was very attentive. The food however was sadly disappointing. It was apparent that the cooks were shy about using spice or flavor. Everything was very bland and uninteresting. We paid a pretty penny and though the food was edible, it is not a place I would return to. read more

Swing and a Miss.... So I have been trying to try new places a few times a month (it was once a week til my waistline out grew my budget)... It had been awhile since we had gone somewhere new so we decide to try out El Meson. I have wrestled with this review and I just cannot bump it higher than 2 stars. The food portions were very small, and I left still hungry. And while the portions are small they still warrant more than 2 flour tortillas. I did not realize that you have to pay for chips and salsa (which doesn't bother me) but my waiter never offered them even after we told him it was our first time there. Next, my waiter let my 12 oz. glass of soda go empty without doing anything about it. This is my number one pet peeve when eating out.... DO NOT LET MY DRINK GO EMPTY.... especially when we are one of 2 tables in the place. On top of that they charge $2.25 for a soda. I guess they only care if you buy margaritas. Too bad I will never come back because the tequila list is as good as you can get in Austin. Pretty much my highlight of my meal was the bean soup that came at the beginning and went down hill from there. read more

This place was a joke. First, I had to wait 40 minutes before they asked me what I wanted to drink. I had met people there so they got their second round. Their second round came before my first round. Lots of waiting. Then, they ordered food and I ordered queso. Their food came before my queso. Melted cheese took longer than cooked pork and a grilled chicken salad. Their Instagram said $3 house margaritas until 7:30. I got here at 7:00 with plans for a quick bite. They were understaffed so anything I asked for took forever. Once the bill came they charged us $3.50 for drinks until 7, then $5.50 for drinks after 7pm even though it said otherwise on their Instagram. When we brought it up to our server we were there for at least 20-30 more minutes waiting for it to be resolved. The manager didn't have the authority to correct mistakes on their computer system. Oh, and I waited 30 minutes for my water to be refilled. I was really thirsty. I probably will never go there again. I gave them one star because the margaritas were tasty. However, if you have a friend that says, "Let's go to El Meson," you should say "no." read more

We've come here for many a work lunch, and what really impressed me was their ceviche and their stuffed poblano pepper. the ceviche is cooked perfectly in the lime juice and served in a big frozen glass goblet that weighs a ton, keeping it cold and tasty. Their chips are the bomb, super thick and perfect with the sides of black beans and rice, and their poblano pepper, ancho/relleno, cochinita pibil, chicken mole, and fajitas are total winners in tasting reasonably authentic, making tex-mex places in Austin cry in shame. I'm looking forward to returning many times in the future. The staff also is super polite and usually willing to split checks unless it gets busy (which it does). A+. read more

I went here with my very picky dad and ex boyfriend a couple months back. I got the ancho relleno, my dad got cheese enchiladas (of course) and that other guy got I don't even remember what. Dad said the cheese enchiladas were good, that doesn't mean much to me though due to his eating habits. My ancho relleno was... okay. It was a pepper stuffed with cheese, pine nuts, and cherries. The cherries were original and exciting. It was mostly just a blob of cheese though, and pricey for the amount you get. I was kind of eying the other plates because mine was so small. The interior was cute, the service was okay. I looked up Austin's health inspection report for a project like 2 weeks after going and was horrified to see it very close to the bottom of the list. Vegetarian choices were also a little limited. I dunno, it was just blah. Its supposed to be exciting, authentic Mexican food, but a lump of cheese in a pepper just didn't seem that way to me. read more

I had a great meal last night at El Meson. We started with chips and salsa which yes, you do have to pay for. However, they were worth it. The chips were thick and crispy, not greasy at all and the 3 varieties of dips were delicious. The margaritas were strong but very tasty. I had the cheese stuffed chile releno and was completely in love with the flavor. It was hot and bubbling full of salty cheese and the pepper was a bit sweet accented by the sweet cherries. yumyumyum! Rice and beans on the side were pretty standard but good. My man had the pork cooked in a banana leaf - it was delicious! The pork was SO tender and topped with tangy pickled red onions. It came with a "hothothot" sauce and they weren't lying about how hot it was so be careful! Overall I loved our meal here and can't wait to go back and try more menu items. The staff was very friendly and the interior is just beautiful. What a great new find only blocks from my house! read more

Mole verde. Mmmmmmm. Does that count as a full review? Honestly, get it - it's fantastic. And it's the perfect size for a meal - unlike most Mexican restaurants that give you enough food for two people. The chips are thick and fresh and and come with a trio of salsas that are terrific. I love New York - I can get anything there. But I'd really like it a lot if El Meson could just pick up and move to the West Village. So - El Meson, just let me know when it would be convenient for you to move. read more

I'm a little sad I couldn't give these guys a better rating. I've been looking forward to coming here for about a year. We finally met some friends here tonight. It's a decent space inside (perhaps a little boring). The problem began when we ordered a Sangria and were told they don't serve sangria, "no problem, how about a mojito?", oops sorry they also do not make mojito's. Well dammit, how about a modelo, ah yes, we struck gold, wel at least 3 of us did, evidently they were out of modelo beer. Lastly, we ordered a vodka tonic and were told the bar is out of tonic. By the end, it was almost laughable, do they stock any key items in the bar besides miller lite? The food was pretty good, possibly a little forgettable as well. The overall meal was pretty good, but don't expect very exciting things from the bar. read more

Way over priced ! False advertising the tortillas are not home made ,manager was drinking at bar ignoring us will never give this place my business again! read more

We were really looking forward to eating here, but ended up disappointed. There are so many good places in town, with similar food, that it's hard to justify going back to a mediocre restaurant. There was nothing "wrong" with the food, but nothing impressive about it either. Charging for chips and salsa is a big no-no in Austin and we should have known not to stay when we ordered the queso off the menu and were told they no longer serve that. What? This is Austin, right? :) read more

I'll give them two, since we bothered to go back. The food is good, but the service has always been lackluster. Tonight, we waited and waited for a server to show up. Finally, we just left. The place wasn't full and we were seated immediately. But not even an acknowledgement after 10-15 minutes? No sign of busy servers elsewhere in the restaurant, so who knows where they were hiding. Sad. Of course, if I'd read through the Yelp reviews, I would have spotted the "lousy service" trend in the other reviews. I wonder if the management checks these reviews out? If so, I hope they take it to heart, clean out the lousy staff and get some people who actually care working in there. read more

We love this restaurant! Very authentic Mexican food. Their totopos chips are delicious. They have an excellent Chile Relleno. The refried black beans was delicious. Great service too. Sadly it was not very busy when we went but we will definitely go back. read more

El Mesón - Chile Relleno!!! Delicious! - Mexican Near Me - Austin, Texas

I've been here 3 times now. Once at a table, the other 2 sitting at the bar which I normally prefer as the service is always much better. The bar stools were WAY to short, but I think they fixed that now. I have had the Pescado al Mojo de Ajo, the Tostados Pescados and the Mole Enchiladas. All were terrific. I have to say that sitting at the bar with Tostados Pescados was my favorite. They also have tons of good tequila and they usually give you a soup for a starter to warm up your palate. I live in the neighborhood, and love seeing places like this pop up on South Lamar. Give it a shot! read more

Their Sunday brunch buffet will knock your socks off! Rivals Fonda San Miguel. Be sure to exercise first.

I love this place! The service is always attentive, and the guacamole is the best I have had anywhere - it is made when you order it. On a nice day, you can sit outside on the big porch. I have never had a bad meal or bad service here. Everything is always nicely done here. read more

The Sunday brunch is worth every penny (I think about $20)! And I am poor so that is saying a lot.

This place offers a great traditional Mexican feel, very open with high ceilings, that enhances the experience of the entire evening. Great location & patio. Appreciate the view into the kitchen of chefs making beautiful aromas that embrace you upon entry. We started off with a Signature Agave Nectar Margarita made with the suggested CRUZ tequila which was amazing! The balance of sweet along with a great tequila flavor was right on point. For my dinner I has the Chilorio which was absolutely awesome. Just try it! For desert they offered up a traditional style homemade ice cream!!! Amazing. Enjoy, Cheers. read more

Went on Saturday night had a good time with my friends had the cochinita pibil and it was delicious ,their chips and salsas were so tasty and had alot of flavor. The service was a little slow and didnt checked on us for a while while we had our empty glases but the food makes up for it i just hope their service gets better. i will come again maybey order the food to go since service slow but i will eat their delicious food gain ! read more

Absolutely wonderful brunch! It's an amazing spread of authentic so-called interior Mexican food. For $15 it's about as good as it gets in Austin. Will definitely be coming back and spreading the word. I was born and raised in Mexico and have travelled extensively all over the country. I can say the food is spot on! read more

Went here when it first opened and service was a bit... how should I say... disorganized? "I'd like a pina colada." "We don't have pina coladas." "Yes you do, it's right here on the menu." "Oh, ok then." I'm sure that will get more ironed out with time. And frankly I was willing to suffer through poor service for the food -- had a pork dish and it was amazing... Planning to go back this week and check up on the service. Also the parking lot is teeny tiny. read more

I will daydream about the Ancho Relleno until the end of time. Nothing sucks like a lackluster relleno. And this is NOT one of these. Salsa choices were the bomb. I even like the green one, which I dislike everywhere else. The delightful little fruit gazpacho to start the meal was a unique and welcome touch. I can't wait to go back. So much more sophisticated than most standard Mexican fare. read more

Enjoyed our dinner of ceviche and mole chicken. Food presentation for my mole was a little bland (brown and brown and brown with a sprig of parsley), but who cares, I'm gonna eat the sucker ... :) Only downside is their otherwise beautiful patio has an ugly view - a parking lot and an uninteresting strip of Lamar featuring a muffler shop or something. On the other hand, the antics of the drunken motorcyclists at the nearby biker bar kept us amused. read more

I'm gonna make this short and sweet. The food was excellent, worthy of four, maybe five stars. Every time I've been here or the Burleson location, the food has been excellent. The service was atrocious. Appetizers arrived seconds before the main course. Waitress was absent much of the time - and there wasn't much of a crowd. Service needs to improve next time I go or I will stop considering El Meson as a dinner choice. read more

How does this place not have 5 stars!! This is best thing ive eaten since moving to Austin and the bartender, i believe her name was Grace was so nice and was making some delicious drinks. Definitely give this place a try. Its authentic Mexican. Not texmex. So good, and so cute read more

I've eaten here once before (quite good), but today we brought our Ohio relatives for El Meson's brunch. Everyone loved it, even though we differ in diets and ages. I'm a vegetarian and found plenty of options, from veggie tamales to charred Brussel sprouts to nopalitos. Yummy churros, btw. The staff are super friendly in a family-like way. Very welcoming. By noon the place filled up quite a bit, but it wasn't loud or overcrowded. read more

Authentic Mexican food The food was not good It was DELICIOUS Came with my family 2 days in a row. Can't wait to bring our siblings when in town. read more

SO, on top of the fact that my only "tex mex" experience, since I've been here, was only so so, I couldn't stop thinking about the relleno en nogada that was pictured in the Chronicle...therefore, I made it my mission to find El Meson today....TOTALLY WORTH IT! I'm still tipsy from the delicious margaritas, and my food was AMAZING!! If you, like me, can't find a place without a sign, look for the horseshoe...it's for the bar that shares the parking lot of El Meson, and that's the place!! I would have given it 5 stars, but since I couldn't find it the first time, I had to deduct. read more