We like the Quality of the Food here. And they're open later than some of the local spots so that's convenient. Especially after shopping or church. The Servers are nice. They even have Non Alcoholic Margaritas. The atmosphere is laid back and the menus are SUPER nice. Almost Luxurious. The bathrooms are clean and there's plenty of parking. (In the strip mall and Walmart plaza) Good amount, and quality of food. There's also many options. It would be a tie for La Fiesta on Western. I think this place IS just 5-15% more expensive. Our bill was like $70 when we went the one time. And $50 the next. And La Fiesta usually costs around $45 for Two and the baby. They are kid friendly with high chairs and whatnot. Just be careful... if you have a Rambunctious 2 year old like I do... the booths are easy to climb. LOL. My Recommendations: -Try the Alcohol Free Drinks...they're flavorful! -Mexican Tacos -Chimichangas Pros: -Clean bathrooms -Plenty of Parking -Good, Quality Ingredients and Food -Nice Ambience -Good Location Cons: -the chimichangas are on the smaller side -more expensive than La Fiesta on Western read more

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Steak overcooked twice. Salsa is weak. They automatically added 20% and expected another tip on top on that?!? Not going back here again read more

Coming back 7 years later for another review & update, wow, time flies! 3.75/5 overall, so just a little less than the last time. We keep coming back for the food and will continue to...either by way of in-person or delivery. I'd rate it higher, but we had a waiter that was a bit miffed about something...was rolling eyes and barely wanting to help. I have zero clue what his problem was. We tried to continue to be nice but to no avail - we barely got boxes and gave up on asking for chips. After this, we'll probably try to come during lunch hours going forward in hopes of avoiding that, or, at least to get it via delivery. Was really disappointing as 9 times out of 10 everything is awesome end-to-end. WIll be back, just not sure when. Food is amazing! read more

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The Service was great! Very quick and the Food was wonderful! This place never disappoints! read more

The to-go order spilled juice everywhere because the lids are pieces of thin cardboard barely crimped down by a foil bowl. also, the guacamole was brown from old avocados. read more

We always eat here it's our go to for Mexican we went to dinner on Saturday 8/9. The dinner was fine, next day heated up leftovers and my first night had a shard of metal the nearly cut my tongue. Absolutely unacceptabl!! I didn't bother calling as they don't even understand English well, but this is the last time we will ever go there, hopefully nobody else had this experience. read more

The atmosphere is comfortable. It could use lower lighting. Service has always been good. Our servers are very friendly and very attentive. As for the food, each visit has been great! The Birria tacos are definitely my favorite thing from the menu I've had so far. read more

El Metate - Shrimp coktel - Mexican Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Just had food delivered from El Metate Knoxville in Halls and it has roaches and roach eggs in it and I called them and they tell me that couldn't refund me my money. read more

El Metate - Roach egg - Mexican Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Food was ok but not the best Mexican around. They are stingy with the white cheese sauce on their meals. I almost always get the same thing when I eat Mexican and this place put very little cheese sauce on it. I placed a to go order before leaving and noticed on the receipt that they charge $0.69 for each to go order that's placed. I was not impressed. read more

The lunch specials from 11-3 are a steal of a deal and the menu is expansive. I came early afternoon on a weekday and was seated immediately with salsa and chips to start. The salsa reminded me of what you can buy jarred at the grocery store so I was worried we would be off to a bad start but in the end I was pleasantly surprised. My husband ordered the shredded chicken Burrito Real which came with rice and beans for only $7.99 and he was stuffed by the time he finished his plate. I snagged a bite and can confirm it hit the spot. I ordered the Steak Fajita bowl and it was a great portion size. The steak was juicy and plentiful. The guacamole was also a big hunkin' scoop but subpar in taste which between that and the salsa is why this place loses one star. Also, while this may not be authentic, they do have a kid's menu with chicken tenders, fries, mac n' cheese and more. This is a huge bonus when you have a picky toddler like mine. As a Los Angeles native who is new to town, it's hard to earn my 5 star approval when it comes to good Mexican digs but this place was pretty darn close. read more

El Metate - Steak Fajita Bowl - Mexican Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Really great food and service! It's so nice to have a wide variety of options available! Very clean!!! read more

Solid 5 for the reason it's in Knoxville and decent, if it was in California or a boarder state it would probably be a 3.5. The chips and salsa are some of the best around, I mean they serve hot crispy chips you can't beat that. I ordered the pork chili verde and it was on point for sure. Had great flavor and hits the right spot. The next thing I think that stands out the most is their rice, it was probably some of the best Mexican rice I have ever had and that's saying a lot. We have now been there 2 times and will be back. My daughter's kids steak taco did not turn out good but it happens, they took it off the check (they didn't have to) so if you're looking for some good food give them a shot. read more

Did not disappoint! We stopped in for dinner and had the chicken chimichanga, vegetarian chimichanga, and premium Long Island Ice Tea. Everything was fresh, fast, and delicious. We enjoyed the house made hot sauce! Very friendly service too! read more

Best Mexican food around the halls area. The service is always fast and everyone is so nice. It has a cozy ambiance with a great outdoor area near several local shops and nail salon. They have the best margaritas ever and are priced just as good or better than most Mexican restaurants around here too. read more

The food is good and the service is just as good! It can get a little loud when it gets busy but I don't mind it

Years ago I had Alambres at our local Mexican Restaurant in Jacksboro. I loved it! I had it the next few times that we went back, which was frequent. Then, one day it was gone. Off the menu and out of the minds of the waiters that I asked. They acted as though this dish never existed. In fact, they acted as if the word Alambres didn't exist. This restaurant fell out of favor with us for other reasons and we have been trying various locations in the Knoxville area ever since. Then one day while surfing Mexican places near me on Yelp I came across El Metate. There it was...like Sasquatch...the ever elusive Alambres. Was this real? Like a mirage in the desert of my taste buds, I couldn't believe it. Finally, this dish and I were united once again... tonight for dinner. Delicious! It was all that I missed and all that I expected. By the way... My wife ordered a Chicken Chimichanga and thought that it was great. Being the cheese dip connoisseur that she is, My Wife was also impressed with El Metate's version of this common accompaniment to the lowly tortilla chip. FYI, this order was carry out and eaten around 45 minutes after it was cooked. Not exactly fresh out of the kitchen and still great. Pair these opinions of the food with the friendly fast service and reasonable cost to this meal and we had ourselves one hell of a meal tonight. read more

I got the Chorizo nachos they were so good, only complaint is how long it took for them to get the food out (there was only two other family's in the restaurant) but I highly recommend it is worth the wait! read more

Stopped in for lunch... the salsa tasted like soured tomatoes. We ordered the #17, one tamale, one burrito rice and beans.... the beans had a burnt taste to them, that's the only flavor they had. The rice was bland also. The tamale was covered in tomato sauce with a very very faint taste of A spice. The burrito... the ground beef had no seasoning at all. We had a cheese sauce put on it, but that to had no flavor at all. My cousin said her burrito had a cleaner taste to it. When we told the waiter our dislikes, he said he "hasn't tried anything simple like this here but knows that the fajitas were good" Well, we won't be back to find out. Taco Bell is way better than here! read more

El Metate - Mexican Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Best Mexican in Knoxville. Try the Hawaiian burrito. Pineapples make this dish. Great atmosphere. Great service.

Met a friend here for lunch, it was just ok. Nothing really special, the tortilla chips were thick and tasted bagged. Salsa was kind of blah. Not in a big hurry to return read more

Had lunch there on June 28 and it was amazing. It started with the service that was friendly and accommodating. As soon as we were seated the chip and salsa arrived. Very fresh and chips were warm. Don't know what my wife had but it had cactus leaves in it and she said it was delicious. And to all my country brothers that love pintos as much as I do then have some of their beans. My mom's and granny's beans were awesome but these are right up there. Taking some home and making some cornbread for dinner. If you like Mexican then try this place. read more

Wife and I love this place! Eat there at least once a week! Fajitas are great, chimichangas are great, Fajita burrito is my favorite!

Went there to celebrate early Mother's Day. We read the reviews and decided to try it. We were amazed. The servings were large and delicious. I had the Vegetarian Burrito Bowl and brought leftovers home. Everything was so flavorful, beautifully presented and smelled great! Mom had the Vegetarian Taco Salad and it was HUGE! The flavor was amazing the veggies were cooked to perfection. Sis had the chicken fajitas. She had leftovers too. The chicken she said was flavored well, not too spicy and the veggies were charred just right. We will be back! read more

The food was overcooked and nothing stood out with flavor. The menu doesn't represent the entree properly either.

First, the restaurant was updated, nice, and clean. We were greeted immediately upon entering. The service was pretty good as well. The food just wasn't anything too special. It was good, it just wasn't great. The chips were thin, crispy, hot, and fresh (just like I like them) but the salsa lacked flavor and had too much tomato base. I had a lunch dish - typical chicken and rice - which was ok. I got the one with grilled peppers and mushrooms so at least that added a little pizazz to it. Overall, it was a good experience but it's not a place I would really go out of my way for. read more

El Metate - Mexican Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Pretty solid Mexican grub can be had at this spot in Halls. I go with the shrimp molcajete special with a side of chiles toreados. Muy F'n excellente! Negative star for not having mayo readily available on the table. No worries though, I brought my own. #thedukeapproves read more

Just an update for my fav Mexican eatery in Halls Crossroads, TN. . . . The service/friendliness level has actually improved. Restrooms are clean. Patio area is a pleasant spot for a springtime meal. The beer us wonderfully chilled. Margaritas are delightfully large. The slaw.....oh yes. Their slaw is homemade and simply delightful; rich, creamy, perfectly tart goodness alone on a fork, gracing a taco, or embellishing el pastor! Their fish taco served with aforementioned slaw is a culinary 'memory-maker'. The tender fillets of tilapia are perfectly seasoned, and carry just the right amount of grilled-golden goodness. A dash of hot sauce or pico will provide a touch of 'kick' -if so desired. The three portion Fish Taco dinner with seasoned rice and slaw is the perfect quantity for a filling, but light meal! After numerous visits, I have only found one menu item that left me dissatisfied: The Shrimp Taco. Other shrimp items are fine, however the seasonings that were featured in those entries are woefully missing in the shrimp taco, resulting in a disappointing, bland entrée. (Maybe if they added bacon?) If one visits during the 'non-rush' hours, one can be seated according to one's mood: cool and dark seating, cool and bright, or outdoor patio seating. I enjoy 'el met' - it's friendly, clean, and offers tasty americanised Mexican menu items. read more

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Absolutely phenomenal. Not one bad thing about this place. Portions are enormous and prices are fair. Great food, service, atmosphere and staff. Great place to get take out or dine in. read more

It was just right and the cheese dip that was really really good and everything was perfect

It was good, Nothing really stood out. It was pretty much just like any other Mexican restaurant in town with a typical puréed salsa.

I really love this place! We recently came back from Mexico and we're looking for a good pork Al pastor. This place does not disappoint!

Awesome food and I'm not a fan of Mexican! Hot fresh made chips. The shrimp quesadilla is to die for! I cane even finish one and they have a meal with 2 that's cheap. Definitely would recommend this place ... but not for Sunday lunch! PACKER read more

Our favorite Mexican restaurant!! We eat here at least once a week! My absolute favorite is the nachos pastor!! We always have leftovers too and the prices are very reasonable. read more

This is the BEST Mexican in town. Always abundant portions, fresh well prepared food. Pleasant efficient servers and a great manager/owner read more

El Metate - Mexican Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Their food is amazing! Sooo much flavor, great portion sizes, I don't go anywhere else for Mexican food. This is it!

After we moved here from a different area of Knoxville, my boyfriend and I have been on the prowl for a replacement go-to Mexican restaurant. Nothing came close around us (and trust me, we tried them all) until we stumbled upon El Metate. Friendly staff, DELICIOUS pitcher of margs, great food, excellent lunch time discounts, and fast service. If you're in the area definitely check them out. read more

El Metate - Adult beverage options - Mexican Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

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Great Mexican place and even better Happy Hour - $1.35 Dos Equis 12oz drafts! Service, food and atmosphere is great. It's always a pleasure finding a new favorite restaurant, and this one fits the bill easily. read more

Awful salsa very watery tasted right out of the generic can, stale chips, a glass of ice with little soda for $2.49. On to the food, not bad, burrito a little bland but decent (browned chop meat, wrapped tortilla basically), rice was good, refried beans also decent. The restaurant is kind of new and very clean. I can never figure out why I feel rushed in these strip shopping center Mexican restaurants? Place isn't even half full. .. Lunch $9.28 food, soda, tax. ..decent price for lunch I guess. I've had much better Mexican food even in the knoxville area, no hurry to come back. read more

This place is not noticeable from the road but is located in the shopping plaza. It is not very large so during peak times there might be a wait. The service was okay and not as attentive as it could have been. We had a large group and it seemed to bother our server. The food was delicious and you get a lot of food for what you pay. The food arrived quickly and they even have American food for younger kids who may not want to eat Mexican. My daughter loved the Queso Dip. The Salsa is very fresh and you get chips and salsa when you are seated. Make sure you bring you a big appetite because you will want to have room for these delicious eats. read more

Good lunch menu 11-3, affordable prices. The salsa is very good, you can taste the freshness. It's not spicy.if you come after 3 the menu starts getting pricey. The inside decorations are cool and fun to look at. Music is at a good level and the staff is always nice. Good little hole in the wall, especially for this area. read more